Seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in
perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters. When a
man with his finger-tip points to something, the finger-tip may be mistaken for
the thing pointed at; in like manner the ignorant, are unable even to the day
of their death to abandon the idea that in the finger-tip of words there is the
meaning itself. They cannot realize Ultimate Reality because of their intent
clinging to words which were intended to be no more than a pointing finger.
Words and their discrimination bind one to the duality or birth, life and
death; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non dual freedom. Meaning is
attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant
with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the
sticklers for particular words."
Consciousness without division is Ultimate Reality defies all
description or characterization." "All characterizations of consciousness,
in short, are intended in their experiential dimension to aid those who are
searching for ultimate truth or reality but have not yet realized it."
"Human language has its source in phenomenal experience; hence, it
is limited in its application to states of being that are beyond that
experience; logic is grounded in the duality as it relates to the phenomenal
order; hence, it is unable to affirm, without at the same time denying, what
extends beyond that order." Whatever is expressed is ultimately
non-Brahman, is ultimately untrue."
When the practical life within the practical world are
part of the illusion ,than the karma theory based on the false self within the
false experience is bound to be false hood. The karma theory and individual conduct
are nothing to do with self, which is ever formless.
Panchadashi: - The Atman
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.
The karma theory is meant for those who are immersed in worldly
life thinking the individual life within the particle world as reality. In path
of truth the karma theory becomes a great obstacle in realizing the truth.
The reincarnation is based on the
karma theory. The karma theory is based on the birth, life and death. The
birth, life and death are reality only on the base of the false self. Thus
whatever based on the false self is bound to be false hood. By accepting karma
theory is accepting the falsehood as reality. Thus whatever is based on the
birth identity will not yield any truth. If one accepts the karma theory then
it is impossible to treat the world as illusion. All the pundits’ explanation
of karma theory carries no weight on realm of truth from the ultimate
standpoint.
When the self is not form but the self is formless soul, how the
karma will affect the birthless self.
That Karma which is done in a previous life which produces the
present life is mere religious theory.
‘Ego’ [I] is not the self, and the true self is birthless entity,
because it is formless. Karma theory has no value in the realm of truth,
because self has no birth. The one which is born, lives and dies is the false
entity within the false experience.
Essence of
scriptuers: - Dehum- Nahum-Kohum –Sohum – which indicates the body is not the
self – the self is that. Which clearly indicates the self is without the body.
Therefore, the self is the formless knower of the body and the world. Without
the body and the world, the self is free from birth life and death.
Therefore, karma theory, which is based on the idea of birth, life, death and
rebirth are part of the illusion from ultimate standpoint. Thus one has to
learn to view and judge the worldview from ultimate standpoint to know what is
truth and what is not truth.
When the self is neither the body nor the ego, neither the
waking entity not the dream entity, then how the karma based on the false self
within the false experience can yield fruits.
Therefore, karma is a religious fable.
The karma theory
is reality only for those who believe their present physical identity (ego) as
real, and world as reality. When the Sri, Sankara declares the world itself is
illusion, and Brahman is real, then what value the karma theory has when the
world is illusion, because man is part and parcel of the illusory world.
Therefore, one has to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint of Brahman (Atman or soul)in order to overcome the duality, which he is experiencing
it as reality. The individuality is
reality within the illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the
illusion on the base of false entity, within the false experience, has to be
the part and parcel of the illusion.
Thus it is necessary to realize the fact that Atman is the true self
and all else is illusion, to overcome the illusory concept of cycle of birth,
life and death. Thus to understand and
assimilate Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic truth, seeker
has to do his own home work
through inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the true base, without mixing
religion, scriptures, theories concept
of god and yoga.
That
is why Sri Sankara
says in Aparokshanubhuti:-
88.
When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus
the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that
the body is Atman?
89. O enlightened one, pass your time always contemplating on Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill becomes you to feel distressed.
90. The theory one hears of from the scripture, that Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.
91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality, Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, inasmuch as the body and the like become non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.
92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being free from ego).
93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all?
94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as earth is of a jar. That (ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist?
95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the phenomenal world without knowing the reality?
96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal world disappears completely.
97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist? It is, therefore, for the understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.
98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.
99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they will not only involve themselves into two absurdities but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shruti alone from which proceeds true knowledge.
The above proves that the karma is reality only on the base of false
self, where one thinks body and the universes as reality. When one becomes
aware of the fact that, the true self is formless soul, then the karma becomes
part and parcel of illusion. My point is that, if one accepts
the karma theory as reality, he will never be able to come out of the
ignorance. And ignorance makes him believe the cycle of birth, life and death
as reality. Thus the freedom which one is seeking will remain
distant dream. For the one who accepts the birth life and death as reality,
Self-knowledge is impossible.
Uttara mImamsa, also called Vedanta,
does not consider the Upanishads and Brahmanas as arthavada subservient to
vidhis. Instead, they are seen to be sources of Brahman knowledge, addressed
solely to those who seek moksha or freedom. The rituals enjoined in the Vedas are applicable
to the realm of dharma, but the
one who seeks liberation does not merely desire a place in heaven; he is in
search of ultimate Reality itself. The Upanishads are viewed as those portions
of the Sruti that address philosophical questions about Reality, here called
Brahman. This tradition of exegesis follows the brahma sutras of
badarayana. Within Vedanta, there is considerable difference of opinion on
whether the Upanishads enjoin anything at all.
According to Advaita Vedanta, the
Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire
the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual
sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the
purva mimam.sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for
the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the
Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to
go beyond such transient pleasures.
An essential identity between Atman and Brahman is upheld in Advaita
Vedanta. The personality of Sri, Sankaraand the force of Advaita teaching is
so strong that most post-Sankaran schools of Vedanta consciously define their
doctrines against Advaita thought.
When Advaita declares Atman and Brahman then direct realization of truth
is possible without the scriptures. Know
the soul to be the true self. And true self is in the form of consciousness and
realize consciousness as ultimate truth or Brahman.
Self-Knowledge is the aim of every
human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self their aim is
misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel
the duality [waking] as reality.
Therefore there is no need to study
scriptures, or indulge in god and guru glorification or performing religious
rituals. Since, they are not the means
to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is only waste of time and effort to indulge in
those things.
The individual self is not real, is not accepted by many. The non-dual wisdom is based not on the
individual self [ego]. Until people hold
the ‘I’ [ego] as witness, they will not reach the ultimate understanding.
When Upanishad itself declares:- sarvam khalvidam brahma - all this (universe) is
verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world,
we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual
reality [ Chandogya Upanishad].
Then it is no use
going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and
witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe
one will be able to realize the Brahman.
The true Self is not
perceptible to the senses. It is perceived by Reason. It is not perceptible as
a thing with form and attributes. To those whose attention is fixed on the body
and the world, it is very difficult to attain Self-knowledge. It is also very
difficult for them to see the consciousness as self. The attention towards the
universe [mind] should be lessened by realizing the self is not the body. The
attention has to be focused on the formless substance and witness of the
universe [mind] should be increased. So long as the attention is directed
towards the universe, the experience of birth, life and death will prevail as
reality. But when the attention is directed towards the formless witness, the
ignorance vanishes and sense of duality will disappear. Then there is unity in
diversity.
What is the state of the ego or physical self when it has
realized that the self is not the body? Such souls have attained their pristine
condition. “Self” is not visible to the physical eyes. “Self” is not to be
found in the world as a thing, entity or an object. Self is above these, has
neither beginning nor ending.
A visible object
has a beginning and an ending. Since Atman, which is in the form of
consciousness is invisible to the physical eye; Atman or consciousness is
without beginning and ending. Atman is always constant. Just as space is
homogeneous everywhere, so is the Atman the same everywhere.
But
he who is truly wise Always sees the absolute Self. Celebrated, he is not
delighted. Spurned, he is not angry. Pure of heart, He watches his own actions
As if they were another's. How can praise or blame disturb him?
- Ashtavakra Gita 3:9-10
They
live in freedom who have gone beyond the dualities of life. Competing with no
one, they are alike in success and failure and content with whatever comes to
them. They are free, without selfish attachments; their minds are fixed in
knowledge. They perform all work in the spirit of service, and their karma is
dissolved.
- Bhagavad Gita 4:22-23
An intense desire for truth -realization is itself the way to
it. The Lord is The Self in Advaita. Therefore one need not accept anything other than the
self, which is consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is ultimate truth or
Brahman that is free from falsehood.
Advita[non-duality] and
dwith[duality] is state of
the self. It is not some intellectual theory. Religious based Advitins
believe the Ataman [soul] is Brahman; and the world is illusion. Religious
dwitins believes the body as self, and they believe world is reality, and they
believe in creator and creation theory.
In India Adivita and Dwaith is mere a religious tradition, which they
inherited from their ancestors. No one questions their validity, because it is
considered blasphemy to question any guru and god-men or pundiths.
People who are attached to their
religious code of conduct and trying to
preach Advaita , that is mixing the individual life, and concept of god, and all
mixed up hotchpotch religious doctrine
and feed the seeking minds, are themselves not aware of the fact that, the individuality, and the worldly life is part of the illusion.
Buddha must have
verified religion, Vedas and concept of god and found them inadequate and
useless in pursuit of truth and rejected them and he got enlightened without
the aid of religion, Vedas and concept of god.
After studying and going through all the
rigorous training from the religious scholars in Theosophical Society, J.K was
confused about all these, and when he started verifying with deeper
introspection, he found everything was priest-crafted hotchpotch ideologies.
Thus, he refused to become the world guru, rejected it, and walked out and
condemned the priest craft.
In Advith they
accept karma theory. If they accept the
karma theory, one will not be able to reach the nondual destination. If one
accepts karma theory then it is impossible to treat the world as illusion. All
the pundits’ explanation of karma theory carries no weight on realm of truth
because if karma is accepted they are accepting the false self [ego or body] as
true self and false experience [universe or waking] as reality.
The birth, life
and death are part of the waking experience, which is mere illusion on the
standpoint of the true self. It is no
use of saying that, we are not born, we do not die because, because we all were
born and we all are going to die. However, the birth, life and death are part
of the illusion, which comes and goes as waking experience. The formless witness of the three states is
real, which is our identity has no birth and death. That is why self-knowledge
is nothing to do with the religious based Advith, which is based on Vedas.
A Gnani will never say we are not born; we
are not going to die. Only to the
mediocre who nod their head, he will say this to inspire them to think of the
formless true identity, which is birth less, deathless. Thus, it is wrong to say we are not born and
we do not die by limiting the self to the physical entity. If one limits the self to the physical entity
alone, one gets only half-truth. The
consciousness, which is the true self, pervades all the three states, as their
formless substance and witness. The
formless substance and witness, which is our true self [true identity]. Without
knowing the true self-mere saying, we are not born, we do not die is not the
knowledge, which has come from depth, it is mere bookish knowledge.
When Sri,Sankara says: world is unreal . He
never said body is unreal. He would have said only birth and death is unreal
but he did not say that, he said the world is unreal. He meant
the world including the body, because the body and world appear together
and disappear together [waking/dream].
Then we have to think, what remain without the body and the world as
reality. How can the birth, life, death, rebirth, and reincarnation, which take
place in unreal world [waking/dream], can be true. The one, which is aware of the birth, life
death, rebirth and reincarnation [illusion/unreal], is formless reality, which
is the true self/true identity. The
formless self is your true identity, which is birthless and deathless but it is
the witness of the birth, life and death and rebirth [illusion/unreal].
On the standpoint of identity the birth, life,
death, rebirth and reincarnation theory is part of the illusion/unreal. The body cannot reincarnate, the body and the
world are created out of the same formless stuff. Until one views and judges on
the base of flesh, bone and blood [five elements], he will not be able to grasp
the non-dual truth. Thus, one must know
on what standpoint we are not born and we do not die thoroughly, just by
hearsay views, it will not lead anyone to the nondual destination.
Seeker has to learn
to view and judge on the standpoint of formless witness [ FW]/soul/self. Then he
will be never having any confusion. When
one thinks deeply then only the inner revelation starts and start burning the
dross [confusion/doubts]. One has enough material stored in one’s subconscious
by reading the Formless Path blogs; all will start yielding fruits and start
revealing, when he starts thinking very deeply.
This is the inner process every serious seeker experiences. The inner dialogue will start and one will
start getting answers from inner core of his existence.
