This witness states is the state of Brahman/Buddha/Christ which is free from all the burden and bondage of the world or illusion.

First one must inquire into the nature of the body i.e. matter. Second he must inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of the universe.

One has to realize by looking at everything in nature because in everything there is consciousness. One should not avoid them, he should not shut his eyes to Nature; he should not shut himself away from the world which is as much consciousness, as anything else.

 But those who are ignorant tell one to be non-observant and to withdraw: keen powers of observation are desirable and will help, not hinder one’s pursuit of truth. One has to take experiences as they come to him and he should not run away from the world in ascetic fear or shyness of them.

To say they are illusion without first examining them and inquiring into them thoroughly is to delude oneself. This world is common to everyone; therefore one must begin his inquiry with it and not avoid. It is only after he has inquired into the nature of the objective universe, that he should inquire into who is the knower. If, however he inquiries into the knower before the inquiry into the universe, then it is mere mysticism. “What is this universe?” must precede “What is’ I”?”   in pursuit of truth.

In the witness state the consciousness is aware of both conscious and unconscious. But in waking or dream it is unconscious of its true nature and conscious of the individuality which perceives the world.   In deep sleep it is without the individuality and the world.  There is no burden and bondage in deep sleep. There is gravity in deep sleep. It is unconsciously complete un- connectedness to the world.  Becoming consciously un-connectedness to the world in the midst of waking experience is the witness state.  To achieve this one has to drop all accumulate dross based on the ego as self.    

This witness states is the state of Brahman/Buddha/Christ which is free from all the burden and bondage of the world or illusion. It is free from the illusory birth, life, death and the world.  It is free from the illusory pain and pleasure. It is free from illusory duality and it is eternal reality.  

Nondual wisdom is seen as food for all humanity. Nondual truth is the universal truth par excellence; it is not a religious truth which is limited to particular religion.

Mind appears in the form of universe.  Universe appears as waking or dream(duality) and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality). Mind is identical with the consciousness, because mind is created out of consciousness.  The consciousness appears as mind or universe and disappears back as consciousness.  Thus the mind is mere mirage. Thus whatever the universe contains is mere mirage created out of consciousness. Thus the birth, life and death, which takes place in the universe is also mirage.  All individual experiences, beliefs, gods and religion are part and parcel of the mirage. The consciousness, which is the invisible substance witness of the mind, which is in the form of universe, is  real and eternal. Thus everything in the universe is created out of single stuff, which is consciousness. Thus, the universe of diversity is myth on the standpoint of the consciousness, which is the true self.   

Non-dual wisdom is seen as spiritual  food for whole  humanity. Non-dual truth is the universal truth   par excellence; it is not a religious truth which is limited to particular religion. The religion is mere a way of living according to its code of conducts.

The ultimate truth is to know and realize the fact about one’s true existence.  The religion is based on the false self. Without the false self-there is no existence of religion.  Thus religion holds false self as real self and false experience of the world as real experience. Deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning revels the fact that, the self is not physical but the self is formless consciousness.   

 If the self is formless, then all the form based experiences becomes falsehood.   The knower of these physical based experiences, appear as waking or dream is formless, real and eternal.   On standpoint of this formless knower, which is in the form of consciousness the three states are mere mirage created out of itself. Therefore, the experience of diversity(waking)  is mere mirage, thus stuff from which the three states are made, that stuff is real.   
     

The path to spiritual liberation par excellence, wide and Deep Ocean of consciousness, which contains virtually the whole universe (mind or waking) and in which the whole universe ultimately dissolve. 

Nonduality is not even a philosophical dish cooked to suit exclusively the palate of the particular religion. It is spiritual food for the whole humankind.

Consciousness is shoreless non-dual Ocean. Consciousness is beyond form, time and space. Consciousness is beyond instinct, intellect, imagination and inspiration. It is unconscious of its true nature when it is in illusion. Only beyond illusion it is in its true nature.

It is cause of the illusory creation, which it creates, preserves and destroys. As the cause it does not know it is the shoreless ocean of truth.  Consequently, consciousness is beyond form, time and space and the illusion is the effect of the cause but it itself is uncaused.  And on the standpoint of the uncaused nothing ever existed, noting exists nothing will exist.

In the state of illusion of birth, life, death and the world, the consciousness is unconscious of its formless non-dual true nature and it fully immersed with illusory physical identity perceiving the illusory world. It is only conscious of limited existence of an individual. Only when the individual inquires to find out truth about his own existence he becomes aware of the fact that, the physical existence (man + world=universe or waking) is mere mirage created out of consciousness.  The form, time and space are mere mirage created out of consciousness.     

       

One has to be true renunciant within though an active householder in the world outside. Non-duality is not even a philosophical dish cooked to suit exclusively the palate of the particular religion.  It is spiritual food for the whole humankind.  The truth does not depend on individual opinion. The guidance and help is required only to those, who have the intense urge to know the self, which is formless eternal identity (soul). On the base of the true self (soul), the bliss and ego are mere illusion.

Expanding horizons is possible only in the illusion, which every one of us experiencing it as reality. Since everyone thinks, their accepted truth as reality, because their worldview is based on the false self(ego or waking entity), and they view and judge on the base of false self.

There is no point in arguing with the religionists and yogis, because, the base of argument is on different pole, it will yield no fruits.

The mind is an experience not an experiencer.

 Until and unless one rectifies the reasoning base from form to formless the truth will not reveal. The mind is an experience not an experiencer. Whatever is with in the mind is bound to be an experience. the person and his experience of the world are within the mind.  The mind is present in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or dream.

 The formless soul is the witness  of the mind.   The mind appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. One has to trace  the source of the mind in order unfold the mystery of the mind or universe.

 If there is no mind, then there is no waking or dream experience. Therefore it is evident that, the witness of the mind can remain with or without, the three states. For illustration, in deep sleep, there is no mind, thus there is no waking or dream. In waking it knows about the dream and deep sleep experience.  Thus one which knows the coming and going of the three states is always alert.

If “I am” is not body, then how can the body take the authorship of the invisible entity, which functions itself as the body and perceives the world, as a person within the waking or dream?

 Thus if one take authorship as body as self, it will be a false claim. The individual experiences within the world are within the waking or dream. The soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the witness of the mind, which appears as waking or dream. Thus the mind is mere mirage created out of the consciousness.  On the standpoint of the formless soul or consciousness,  the innermost self,  the three states are mere mirage.  The substance and witness of the mind  are one in essence.  That essence is consciousness. The substance and witness of the mirage,which is consciousness  is real and eternal.

Thus the onus is on person who dispute, has to prove that the burden of the three states is on the individual physical entity.

The question based on the physical entity is of no use. Therefore, one has to make sure of the fact that, whether 'I', is the physical body or 'I, is something other than the physical body.

Otherwise find what is it that functions as body and perceives the world, as a person, without that invisible entity the body cannot function and perceive the world.

If one traces the formless witness, then he will know the individual experience is not of his, but of the formless witness (soul or consciousness). Therefore he himself can decide who has to take the authorship of individual experience within the waking  or dream. If one makes little mental effort through inquiry and reasoning, he will able to move towards the effortless state, which is natural state of the mind.

One has to question himself: what is it that functioning as body and perceives the world as person. If person is not the experience of person, then what is it that experiences itself as person? These seeds of doubts will help one to peel the illusion and, there will be no illusion left, only non-dual reality will prevail as ultimate truth, which is the soul or consciousness or  Atman. Thus, it for the seeker to discover and realize, No one else can realize it for him.

The witness is not physical

Soul or Atman, which is in the form of pure consciousness, is all-pervading and is not limited by the waking entity but it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. It is only because of our ignorance of its real nature that we consider the Self is limited to the physical body and separate in each body. The Self is unattached and is not affected by the individual experiences goes on in waking or dream.

Soul, the innermost self is different and apart from the known. Soul , the innermost Self is not an object which can be known or experienced by any one because it is prior to all that is known. Man can experience only external objects within the waking or dream and so he cannot know the indwelling soul, which is the formless substance and witness of the three states. The only way to realize the innermost self is to trace the formless substance and witness of the three states. 

The innermost  self never undergoes any change because it is formless; and physical existence(waking or dream) that undergoes change is unreal. Soul or consciousness  alone is real. All the three states, which appear and disappear, are unreal. The experience of diversity(waking or dream) is mere name, created by  thoughts words alone; the formless substance and witness of the three states alone is real and eternal.

Soul or consciousness  is sentient that gives life to the waking and dream. The waking or dream is insentient and dependent on the soul for their existence, whereas the soul can remain with or without the waking or dream.

Soul or consciousness, the innermost Self is free from the limitations of the form, time, space and objects. Actions do not taint the soul; the soul never hankers after the fruits of actions. One, who knows the true self is the soul thus, does not become bound by actions.

Soul or consciousness, the innermost  self is not a doer and that he has no desire for the fruits of actions because it is formless. Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana alone makes one free from bondage of experiencing the duality as reality.

The one who knows Soul as self and realizes that he is not a doer and has no craving for the fruits of actions incurs no bondage. His actions cease to be the cause of further ignorance of taking the ego to be the self.

Thus, what is necessary is the realization that, the self is not physical but the formless soul or consciousness or spirit is the true self.

He who thus knows truly the formless substance and witness to be the true self becomes free from the experiencing the illusory birth, life and death as reality.  He becomes fully aware of the fact that the cycle of birth, life and death are mere passing show.

The one who realizes that the self is the soul and self has neither birth nor any activity, because they pertain only to the waking entity, will become liberated from experiencing the illusion as reality.

The ignorant disregard the soul as self, taking themselves to be an individual born in this world and the world is separate from them. They think the world existed prior to them and they are born in this world later on. Until this conviction is there, it is impossible to assimilate the self-knowledge.  The body, ego and the world appear together and disappear together.  The seeker has to make sure of this fact by constant reflecting on the subject.

The formless  soul or consciousness or spirit dwell in all the three states as their formless substance and witness. People worship only images, thinking that God is there. People do not recognize soul as the self to be the real God, but that they do not realize that god, as the soul, which pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.

The ignorant people are not capable of   discriminate and reason to unfold the mystery of the mind. Therefore they will not be able to grasp the non-dual truth. It is realization the true self that will free one from bondage of duality.  But the belief system makes them to believe the duality is reality therefore, they cannot think beyond physicality.   

The formless substance and witness is different from everything that appears in the waking or dream, which is always subject to change, is insentient and limited by form, time, space and the world.

Self- Knowledge means ‘pure consciousnesses and not the knowledge based on ego or physicality, which has a beginning and an end and is therefore finite. This consciousness is not distinct from soul, but it is its essential nature, like the light of the sun or the heat of fire. This consciousness is eternal and is present even during deep sleep. A specific act of knowing takes place only when the there is waking. But this must be distinguished from pure consciousness, which is ever present in all the three states. It is this consciousness which is known as ultimate truth. Soul/Self becomes a ‘knower’ only when the known is superimposed on it.

The Self is looked upon as a knower only because of illusion. No word can express ultimate truth, “Words cannot cross the threshold of duality. The true Self which is the soul is without any attributes.

The witness is not physical

Witness and witnessed analysis is better tool for understanding and assimilating the Self-knowledge.

To be a witness of something implies subject and object relationship. To be witness of phenomena means that one is standing apart from the situation and not identifying with it. Whatever is witnessed as a person and the world is part of the witnessed. The witness is that which witnesses the physical body and the world together.  Thus the man is not the witness of the three states to take authorship of the three states because the man is present in waking or dream and absent in deep sleep. The one which is aware of the three states is not waking entity but the formless soul, which is the true self.  Thus the subject is formless and the object is form.

The true Self is the formless  soul and formless  soul is the ultimate reality or Brahman. Thus, the whole physical existence is based on the soul not on the person who perceives the world. Therefore our understanding and assimilation has to be based on the formless  soul not on the physicality.

There is need for deeper understand the Witness and Witnessed analysis to know the duality is mere a passing phase and not the true nature of the true self.

By developing this watchfulness and one’s ability to observe the three states on the base of the soul as self gradually weaken the roots physicality and transform the base of witnessing from form base to formless base. The idea behind Witness, Witnessed analysis is very deep and profound. Those with superficial understanding will not be in position to understand and assimilate Self-knowledge  or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they base themselves on the form not the formless self. When the self is not physical it is erroneous to base and judge the truth on the base of the physical self. Therefore, there is a need to rectify the seeking base to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth.

By reducing the power of understanding based on physicality or intellectuality and uprooting the physical base, “Witness, Witnessed Analysis” can lead one towards the perfect understanding and assimilation of the Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, which is based on the true self or soul.

Those who are able to witness on the base of the soul/true self will be able to have mental yardstick to discriminate the truth and untruth or reality or unreality and dual and non-dual. The one who has mastered the art of witnessing on the standpoint of the soul will develop a wonderful richness of the spirit and are helpful to their fellow seekers in their pursuit of truth.

The real approach to Self-Realization, the mind has to rests in spirit and that leads to non-dual tranquility.

A Gnani may be engaged in worldly activities and yet he is fully aware of the fact that the his bodily actions and his experience of the world are mere mirage witnessed by the soul, which is the true self,  and he is  be maintaining and alert about the truth in the midst of the experience of duality.

Constantly reflecting on the true “Self”, and negating the three states, and bring the attention back to the formless Witness.  The perfect understanding of the Witnessing of three states by the formless witness has the effect of creating a better understanding and assimilation of the ultimate truth which is the non-dual spirit.

The scholastic or mystic arguments are endless.

Disappointments in religion or mysticism or even science imply error or ignorance. Creates the doubts, whether one is in right?" Where is the certainty that he is proceeding on right lines?" Thus doubts arise and the inquiring spirit comes and impels to search elsewhere for truth where it will not be possible even to have doubt. The test is therefore in understanding. Only in non- duality, where there are no two to argue about views or to have difference of opinion can such doubtlessness be possible.  Belief depends upon unstable bases whereas certainty depends on proof.

The scholastic or mystic arguments are endless. If one says "God is formless" another will reply, "No, God has form! If one says "This religion is great” another will reply, "No, it is not so it is  lower." It is impossible to get anywhere with such talks because both sides are merely imagining and speculating on the base of physical self.  The physical existence itself is falsehood on the standpoint of the formless witness of the three states, which is the soul.  Thus, arguing and being judgmental on the base of accumulated knowledge or inherited conditioning will lead only towards speculating the truth on the false self.

Pursuit of truth does not begin with the ultimate truth: that has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called pundits who take Brahman for granted are not Gnanis.

Most of the religious scholars will preach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, none can prove it. Rational proof is needed, so that one arrives at knowing truth i.e. non-dual wisdom. Religious scholar’s philosophy    is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture.

Authoritarianism merely assumes as true based on others views, but what has yet to be proved. One may believe in a position, but he is required to prove the truth of his belief. A belief is mare assuming, truth is knowledge of the ultimate.

Ultimate truth will interest only few people; the rest are immersed in religion, because Religion pleases who are incapable to inquire.

The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the waking experience as reality without verifying the validity of their acceptance.  Non-dual wisdom is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

Reasoning on the true base is the universal tool in pursuit of truth, whereas the appeal to scriptural declarations reaches only groups. Gradually the world would throw up scriptures, they will learn to reason on the true base, and understand, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. 

Without knowing the nature of the mind, it is impossible to know the non-dual truth. It is no use of trying to find true self before one understands “What is mind”? 

The unreal cannot have another unreality for its cause, nor can the real have the unreal for its cause.

 

The unreal cannot have another unreality for its cause, nor can the real have the unreal for its cause. The real cannot be the cause of the real. And how utterly impossible it is for the real to be the cause of the unreal!

As a person within the waking experience through false knowledge appears to handle objects, whose nature is inscrutable, as if they were real, so also, in dreams, he perceives, through false knowledge, objects whose existence is possible in the dream alone.

Scholars teach causality only for the sake of those who, afraid of non creation, assert the reality of external objects because they perceive such objects and also because they cling to various social and religious duties.

Those who, because of their fear of the truth of absolute non- creation and also because of their perception of external objects, deny non-creation are not affected by the evil consequent on the belief in creation. This evil, if there is any, is insignificant.

 

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the, self is neither the waking entity nor the self is the dream entity but the self is formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states in succession without the physical apparatus.  This has to be mentally grasped and assimilated to realize the formless soul, the innermost   self is nothing to do with the three states. On the standpoint of the three states, the three states are mere illusion.

The practical life within the practical world, which is present as waking experience, is mere illusion. If waking experience is mere illusion than the individual experience of birth, life, death and world are mere illusion.   If the experience birth, life death and the world are mere illusion, it means the form; time and space are mere illusion.  If form, time and space are mere illusion, it means the past, present and future is mere illusion. Thus it is necessary for the seeker to realize the fact that,   form, time and space are one in essence, in order to realize the three states are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. Thus all the diversity is created out of   formless consciousness. Thus no second thing exist other than consciousness, the innermost self. Seeker of truth has to constantly reflect on the subject in order to get firm conviction of the truth.  Seeker has to reflect on the same truth again and again until it becomes reality. One needs to constant reflect on the subject until he gets firm conviction of what is what.

 

As long as a person clings to the belief in causality, the experience of duality will prevail as reality.

As long as a person clings to the belief in causality, the experience of duality will prevail as reality. But when this attachment to causality wears away, the duality becomes non-existent as reality.

The three states are created by false knowledge; therefore nothing in it is eternal. Everything, again, as one with Ultimate Reality, is unborn; therefore there is no such thing as destruction.

Birth is ascribed to the individual; but such birth is not possible from the standpoint of Reality. Their birth, life and death are part of the illusion. That illusion, again, does not exist.  The illusory sprout is born of the illusory seed. This illusory sprout is neither permanent nor destructible. The same applies to the individual and the world.

The term permanent or impermanent cannot be applied to the birthless self. What is indescribable in words cannot be discriminated about as permanent or impermanent.

As in dreams the mind acts through illusion, presenting the appearance of duality, so also in the waking state the mind acts through illusion, presenting the appearance of duality. There is no doubt that the mind, which is in reality non-dual, appears to be dual in dreams; likewise, there is no doubt that what is non-dual i.e. consciousness , appears to be dual in the waking experince.

The true self is never subject to birth. All beings, too, are free from birth. Those who know this do not fall into false knowledge.

It is consciousness, alone that appears to be born or to move or to take the form of matter. But consciousness is really ever unborn, immovable and free from the traits of materiality; it is all peace and non-dual.

Thus the true self is never subject to birth. All beings, too, are free from birth. Those who know this do not fall into false knowledge.

A substance may be the cause of another substance and a non- substance, the cause of another non-substance. But the true self cannot possibly be anything like a substance or a non-substance.

Thus three states are not caused by the mind, nor is the mind caused by them. As long as a person clings to the belief in causality, he will find cause producing effect. But when this attachment to causality wears away, cause and effect become non-existent.

The ego, body and world appear together and disappear together.

Sage Sri, Gaudapada’s rational exposition of Advaita: - that whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis, is unreal. 

The soul or consciousness, the innermost self is the witness-consciousness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that: -the experience implies duality. The duality is falsehood from ultimate standpoint. The ego, body and world appear together and disappear together.  One cannot get rid of the ego alone. It is no use of challenging or indulging in argument whether one is right and others are wrong, in pursuit of truth, because pursuit of truth is pursuit of verification.  It is for the seeker to know how he is right how others wrong and on what standpoint he is right and others are wrong. And   seeker has to verify himself what he knows as truth,   is truth or not.   

  
Consciousness, the One and Undifferentiated, which by the manifold application of its powers produces, the dual and non dual experiences [waking/dream/deep sleep] and, in the end, withdraws the three states into itself, is indeed the self—luminous.

The substance of all the three states, self—luminous and all—pervading, consciousness dwells always in the three states as its formless clay and witness. Consciousness is revealed by the negative way, discriminative wisdom and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection. The one who know consciousness is the true self becomes one with the immortal self.

When there is no ignorance, there is no day or night, neither being nor none—being; the pure Atman alone exists. That immutable Reality is the meaning of "consciousness. From it has proceeded the non dual wisdom.

No one can grasp consciousness as separate entity apart from duality because it is the formless clay and the witness of the experience of duality thus it cannot be grasped as above, across, or in the middle.

Its form is not an object of vision; no one beholds it with the eyes. They who, through pure intellect and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection, realize consciousness as the true self becomes one with the immortal.