Many people quote
non-duality without understanding it really in its highest aspect. One who
calls himself a Gnani, but whose philosophy religion and mere quoting
scriptures is really by heart he thinks he is a Gnani. He does not know that what a scripture says
is true or not because he is blindly accepted scriptures without verifying them
and he quotes them as proof.
There are conflicting teachings in spiritual
path and one gets confused as to which are true. People are not capable of
knowing, which path is true path, because they do not know the proper test of
truth.
Ashtavakara says that: scriptural knowledge and yoga are not the means to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Ramana Maharishi was realized the truth without any scriptures. Buddha rejected religion, scriptures and concept of god after he found them useless to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana or non-dualistic truth after thoroughly verifying their validity. And as one goes into deeper research on Advaita he finds the fact that, Advaita is nothing to do with Vedas.
The present orthodox Advaita which is based on the Vedas is modified and introduced by Sri, Sankara to uplift the Sanatana Dharma, which was in ruins in the clutches of Buddhism and Jainism. Thus all the preaching of the orthodox Advaita is based on the non-duality and practice is based on the duality. The spiritual based (which was not based on Vedas) Advaita teaching of Sri, Sankara and Goudpada must have been lost or destroyed.
As one goes deeper in research one becomes aware of the fact that Advaita is extension of Buddhism. There was no Advaita in the Vedic religion or Sanatana Dharma prior to Sri, Sankara that is prior to 8th Century. As one goes deeper in research one finds even the original non-dual teaching of Buddha has been lost in time and present teaching is mixed and messed with the local and regional religions wherever it existed. But still we find the traces of Sri, Sankara’s and Buddha’s spiritual insights in some of the scriptures.
The orthodoxy has to be dropped if one has chosen
the path of Gnana or wisdom.
The orthodoxy is
greatest hindrance in pursuit of truth because it makes the inborn samskara or
conditioning more and stronger. Until this conditioning prevails it is
impossible to grasp, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. The orthodoxy
is egocentric and egocentricity is greatest obstacle in path of truth.
The orthodoxy is indulging non-Vedic rituals because of
add-ons and adulteration and such rituals leads one nowhere and it is waste of
time and effort. Thus orthodoxy is not for those who are seeking
truth nothing but truth. Mixing orthodoxy and preaching non-duality is foolish
venture.
Thus by quoting one authority from one scripture, and another authority from another scripture, and trying to prove and realize the truth is like, trying to drain the ocean drop by drop.
Sri, Sankara says in Viveka Chudamani indicated that:-
56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by
learning, but by the realisation of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation
possible, and by no other means.
58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in
expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a
little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the
highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has
already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest
which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly
set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the
only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and
(other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of
the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one
cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without
knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere
utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.
64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the
splendour of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor
by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its
extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other
such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being
(merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is
hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a
knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not
through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the
like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the
bondage of repeated births and deaths.
Sri Sankara clearly indicated that: - yoga, intellectualism,
scriptural mastery is not the means to self-knowledge. But by the realization of one's identity with
consciousness, which is ultimate truth or Brahman, freedom from experiencing
the illusion as reality is possible, and by no other means.
As Sri, Ramana Maharishi said: scriptural knowledge is conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose him self in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.
Therefore when Ramana Maharishi indicated the direct path to the truth, is tracing the source from which the false arises. Thus the source is the soul or Atman, which is the innermost self. Atman itself is Brahman. Thus it is necessary to view the worldview on the base of the source, which the true self, and formless substance and witness of the experience of diversity. Thus deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the true base, one can acquire the self –knowledge in lesser time and effort. The unity in diversity is possible only through Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana not by mastering the scriptural knowledge.
The simple reason is that the average
person may have desire for knowledge but when the whole society is immersed in
belief system and feeling himself out of place because of societal
fear and surroundings circumstances and he thinks it unfits him to pursue the
path of truth.
That is why Buddha said:-
Do not
believe a spiritual teaching just because:-
1. it is repeatedly recited,
2. it is written in a scripture,
3. it was handed from guru to disciple,
4. everyone around you believes it,
5. it has supernatural qualities,
6. it fits my beliefs anyway,
7. it sounds rational to me,
8. it is taught by a respectable person,
9. it was said to be the truth by the teacher,
10. one must defend it or fight for it.
However, only when it agrees with your experience and reason, and when it is conducive to the good and gain of oneself and all others, then one should accept the teachings, and live up to them."
....Buddha.
The seeker of truth is one who is ready
verify and has courage to accept and reject the truth when he finds out what is
truth and what is untruth. The meek will stick to their inherited conditioning
remain experiencing duality as reality.
The scriptures and
theories and teaching based on the ego are not the yardstick. Using them as
yardstick to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth will lead one towards pursuit
of arguments. Seeker of truth has to discover on his own, the truth of his true
existence by inquiring “what is mind?” and “what is substance of the mind?” and
move forward.
