In
most of the spiritual group or discussion forums, there are no discussions on
the subject matter, but most of the people indulge in making point or getting their
point across to be heard and making observations from their own limited
viewpoint from their accumulated knowledge based on the false self.
Many people lecture consisting
of ornamental of words, the skill in expounding their accumulated egocentric knowledge,
they try to snub others and try to exhibit their intellectuality , these merely bring on a little personal
enjoyment to them. But all this intellectual wealth is no good are not the
means for Self-Realization.
Academic qualification is not required to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Scriptural mastery is
useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when
the highest Truth has already been known.
Holy Books consisting of
many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence seeker
of truth should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
By
getting rid of Ignorance one can acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. But he has got none but himself to remove
his ignorance.
One
may find solution for his worldly problems by others, but Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana has to
be acquired none but one's own self.
Sri, Sankara says in VivekaChudamani :-
54.
The true nature of things is to be known personally, through the eye of clear
illumination, and not through a sage: what the moon exactly is, is to be known
with one's own eyes; can others make him know it?
55.
Who but one's own self can get rid of the bondage caused by the fetters of
Ignorance, desire, action and the like, aye even in a hundred crore of cycles ?
405.
The Shrutis themselves declare that this dualistic universe is but a delusion
from the standpoint of Absolute Truth. This is also experienced in the state of
dreamless sleep.
407.
This apparent universe has its root in the mind, and never persists after the
mind is annihilated. Therefore dissolve the mind by concentrating it on the
Supreme Self, which is thy inmost Essence.
First
the seeker has to realize his inherited religious conditioning [samskaras] is
greatest obstacle in self-realization.
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.
Thus the religious Advaita based on the punditry is for the ordinary
ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result
of ritual sacrifices. Advanced seeker who are capable of inquiring into
their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth, which is Brahman.
Seeker of truth has to take the
direct path and avoid losing precious time and effort loosing himself in
philosophical studies and glorifying gurus and gods.
Brahman is considered the
all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and
inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bhagavad Gita
14.27)
Sri, Sankara’s notion of Maya,
the cosmic illusion, which must be transcended in order to realize the truth of
Brahman, which means ultimate truth.
If Brahman is considered the all-pervading
consciousness then, it is necessary to realize, the consciousness as self,
which pervades all the three states, to realize the fact that, there is no
second thing exists other the consciousness. Thus, consciousness (Atman) is
ultimate truth (Brahman).
The goal is to realize Atman (soul or consciousness). If Atman(soul or consciousness) is nothing but Brahman and by
realizing Atman (soul or consciousness) as Brahman or ultimate truth is truth
realization or Self-Realization , then there is no need to follow religion,
study scriptures or glorifying gods or gurus and follow the path of doubts and
confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when there is an
easier path. By mentally tracing the source of the mind from where it rises and
subsides one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as waking or
dream and subsides as deep sleep. The mind raises form consciousness and
subsides as consciousness.
Brahmin is the one who has
realized the Brahman or ultimate truth is Gnani . A Gnani helps fellow seekers towards
inner path. The one who knows Brahman knows his body and his experience of the
world are mere illusion and also he knows his body and his experience of the
world are also as Atman (soul or consciousness), which is Brahman. Thus, the priest
craft which are crafted on the body based theories will lead one to
hallucinated moksha. But real moksha or freedom is possible only through non dual wisdom.
Thus it is necessary to follow
the path of Brahman not the path of the priest- craft. Only by dropping all the
accumulated priest crafted baggage, one has to move forward to reach the Advaitic or non-dual destination in lesser time and effort.
Consciousness is not different
from mind or life. The substance and witness of the mind/life is
consciousness. The consciousness is the
true self and when one limits the consciousness to the physical entity, it
becomes ego and ego is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality. Ego is
the cause of the ignorance of formless non-dual nature of the
consciousness. Prior to experience of
duality [mind], there is only consciousness. The ego is part of the experience
of duality. The consciousness can remain
with or without the experience of duality but ego ceases to exist without the
experience of duality or universe or mind. The mind is fully dependent on consciousness,
whereas the consciousness is independent. Therefore there is need to understand what is
mind and what is substance of the mind in order to assimilate the Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana.
