Advaitic or Nondualistic Truth is un-contradictable

Consciousness pervades not only this body but it pervades the whole universe.  Consciousness pervades through and through" the three states inside, outside, in and through the three states too, because the formless substance and witness of the three states is consciousness.

Scientific inventions say:- 

Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness
by :AlvaNoë. Hill and Wang, 2009

Alva No, a University of California, Berkeley, philosopher and cognitive scientist, argues that after decades of concerted effort on the part of neuroscientists, psychologists and philosophers "only one proposition about how the brain makes us conscious ... has emerged unchallenged: we don't have a clue." The reason we have been unable to explain the neural basis of consciousness, he says, is that it does not take place in the brain. Consciousness is not something that happens inside us but something we achieve it is more like dancing than it is like the digestive process. To understand consciousness the fact that we think and feel and that a world shows up for us we need to look at a larger system of which the brain is only one element. Consciousness requires the joint operation of brain, body and world. "You are not your brain. The brain, rather, is part of what you are."

If the brain [body] is not the self then what is self?  Therefore, there is a need to understand and assimilate the knowledge of the self through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning in order to unfold the mystery of the ‘I’. 

One cannot know the truth until one knows the stuff from which the mind is created. The goal of pursuit of truth is to realize the fact that, the true self is not physical but it is the formless soul/ spirit/consciousness.

When one puts aside the imagination and has the thinker-- what does he get with thinking—he can get only a thoughts. Meditation is only an effort; it is imagination, an idea; the soul/consciousness   remaining the same with or without ideas. 

As a person perceiving the world one is unaware of the fact that, he and his experience of the world are within the object.  He as a person is completely unaware of the fact that, he is not the subject at all. The subject is formless and it is apart from the three states.  The subject is not an entity or identity within the three states.   Therefore, judging the truth on the base of the object as self is erroneous.  Such judgement leads to all sorts of speculation, doubts and confusions.  

When one is absorbed in thinking of anything, he is thinking within the object [mind] that which witnesses all these three states is within but always apart.

In the state of ignorance one is unaware of the consciousness because the consciousness is in ignorance of its formless non-dual true nature. 

The moment one knows that the whole universe is consciousness, there is no ignorance. If one knows the self is not the body but the self is formless consciousness, than he becomes aware all the three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness.

The universe is consciousness because it is created out of consciousness.  In ignorance the universe is reality.  Because everyone considers the universe as reality the experience of the birth, life and death, which takes place within the universe, prevails as reality. 

Sri, Sankara says:-

Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation. [63- VivekaChudamani ]  

Universe will not remain as reality when wisdom dawns. Universe is mere mirage created out of consciousness and there is unity in diversity because there is no second thing exist other than consciousness. 

One thinks he is imprisoned within this body; whereas the body and his experience of the world are within the mind. The consciousness is hidden within the three states but it is without the three states.  The one, which has the awareness of the three states, is not the body but the soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus consciousness is not limited to waking experience alone because it pervades all the three states.

The inner most self is God. The inner most self is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the true self.  Consciousness is of the nature of knowing.  It is this Universe, which confronts one is the main hurdle. The seeker has to stand on this universe with a firm foot and inquire; and he should include the universe in his inquiry.  Excluding the universe   is not the way to self-knowledge.

Till one knows the ultimate truth is consciousness, one has only the mind, which is in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. As person within the waking experience, one believes that he is an individual separate from the world and world existed prior to him and he is born in it later on. Until this conviction is there he believes the experience of the birth, life and death as reality.  Until one believes in birth, life and death the form, time and space will prevail as reality. If the form, time and space prevail as reality than the ignorance prevails. If ignorance prevails than the duality prevails. If duality prevails than the illusion prevails as reality.

If one goes beyond form, time and space, it is nothing but consciousness. Inside and outside universe everywhere is only consciousness. Knowledge, the capacity to know, the consciousness itself makes one aware, of his body, ego and his experience of the universe.

When this universe manifests itself, verily it is consciousness that shines. Consciousness is the formless substance and witness of the universe. When one analyze the ‘mind’ then he will be able to understand this.

Everyone mistake body to be matter and exclude the universe, whereas, the body including the universe is mind.  If the mind is present, than only the universe with all its contents are present.  If the universe and its contents are absent then the mind also is absent.

People think their body alone is matter; they cannot understand that their body and the universe also is matter and the matter is mere illusion created out of consciousness.  They think their body is unreal because they believe in the birth, life and death, which happen within the world and they take world to be real.   Until one takes the world to be reality it becomes difficult to cross the threshold of duality.

Mere saying everything is Brahman is of no use. One has to realize it. If everything is Brahman why does one want anything?

That is why Sri, Sankara says in VivekaChudamani   :- 

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.

One is attached to body he thinks the universe to be real because he is unaware of the fact that,  the universe is within the waking or dream.  The dream universe is limited to dream and waking universe is limited to waking experience. The dream is parallel waking experience and waking is parallel dream.  One thinks the universe is reality is not an appearance but waking and dream are appearances, so he will remain in ignorance experiences the duality as reality.

When the three states are product of ignorance than whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as person of the world is also is product of ignorance.  Thus all accumulated knowledge based on the false self [ego] within the false experience [universe or waking or dream] is falsehood because in reality nothing exist other than consciousness.  Without consciousness the duality ceases to exist. The duality is dependent on non-dual material, which is consciousness. When the self, is in the form of consciousness, consciously remains in its formless non-dual true nature in the midst of duality it is the state of wisdom.   

The ignorance is ever present in waking or dream. Without ignorance the three states ceases to exist as reality. One has to be receptive and have humility to accept the truth. If one sticks to his egocentric attitude it is impossible to grasp, understand, and assimilate and realize the nondual truth.  By getting stuck to orthodoxy and trying to snub others by saying whatever their guru is saying as ultimate truth misleads others who are in search of the truth.

Seeker of truth has to direct realization of the true self, through deeper, inquiry, analysis and reasoning   and avoid losing precious time and effort loosing himself in philosophical studies. 

 Both modern science and religion offer hypotheses and theories but there is one vital difference--science begins with facts which it collects; religion begins with fancies. Science evolves its hypotheses from such facts, religion from fancies.

Science declares that oxygen combines with hydrogen to give water. And it also declares oxygen is protons or electrons. But in pursuit of truth the whole physical existence [universe or mind] is considered as illusion and science and their inventions, which are based on the physical existence is limited to physical existence. The truth is within but it is beyond the physical existence.  The science demands physical proof.  But the physical proof is part of the illusion. Hence science cannot go beyond physicality because the truth cannot be traced with laboratory conditions.  Deeper Inquiry, analysis and reasoning  is required if one  wants to push its quest deeply enough.

Common people and primitive minds fall into faulty thinking through their inherited conditioning , such faulty thinking and reasoning  makes them accept the experience of birth, life and death as reality ; taking what one sees through  the senses  as real, taking what is apparent obvious and superficial as true because it is less troublesome.

Many People adopt the attitude that what   they know is truth. And what others say id false. This attitude makes them not to verify anything other then what they know.   One needs to be rational, not merely logical. Logic is has its value only in physical plane.

As one advances towards spiritual plane he sees the logic underlying experience and becomes more rational. His reasoning is two-fold--implicit and explicit.

There is a need of facts of physical proof in scientific invention, whereas in pursuit of truth the proof has to be grasped mentally and realized.  Therefore, the truth is realized only by few who take this mental pursuit.  “Whatever facts revealed, which is un-contradictable has to be accepted as truth.

The truth based on the formless soul/self is worthwhile; without it, one has something else, not truth.  Most people refuse to venture into pursuit of truth; because they do not want to go into the root of things.

The seeker of truth has to study, inquire and reason in the beginning of the pursuit of truth, because it is absolutely necessary in pursuit of truth.

One has to know the true self is not physical but the formless spirit.  The spirit or soul or the self is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness gives one the awareness of the three states. 

The ignorance of the true self is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality.  The ignorance vanishes through realization of the true Self, which is the soul/spirit. 

Consciousness [true Self] does not lie in our body, in our brain, or our ego, but it is the essence of the dual and non-dual experiences, which comes and goes as waking dream and deep sleep. Thus consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.  Thus limiting the consciousness only to the physical entity is the cause of the ignorance.

Only way to get rid of the ignorance is through non-dual wisdom or self-knowledge.

Getting rid of the ignorance is renunciation. Inhering in the Self is Gnana or Self-realization. Duality is mere illusion.  And non-duality is ultimate reality.  Realizing the experience of the duality is created out of non-dual material, which is consciousness, leads one to self-awareness.

Ego is consciousness, body is consciousness, and mind is consciousness, whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as a person of the world is consciousness. Thus the universe and all its contents are also consciousness. Therefore everything is consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is real and eternal.

The consciousness is the true self. The true self is   only that which is conscious of all these. ‘I’ is not the self.  Thus one has to drop holding the false self as real self. People hold the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self and trying to know the truth but they will never succeed in their venture because it revels only half truth.

 ‘I’ comes and goes and that which is permanent is I-less consciousness; beyond form, time and space.  Thus it is beyond Study of psychology and physics and chemistry because psychology and physics and chemistry are based on the ‘I’.

One has been duped by experiencing the illusory duality as reality, which comes and goes.  Duality is not reality because everything in the experience of illusory duality is created out of consciousness, which is the true self.

It is the awareness, which is the cause of the existence of the three states. Mind is in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. Universe is consciousness because it is created out of consciousness. Consciousness is the innermost self and cause of everything that exists and it itself is uncaused.  Thus, the universe is mere illusion on the standpoint of innermost self. The individual experience of birth, life and death that takes place within the universe is also part of the illusion.  Thus holding the birth, life and death as reality is holding the false self and false experience as reality which is the cause of ignorance.  thus inquiry based on the ‘I’ or ‘I AM  which is false self ,will not yield fruit.

The whole universe is mental, because the universe itself is mind.  The universe is mere illusion. Man is an individual and he experiences universe as reality.  In ignorance man has the inborn samskara or conditioning he is and individual separate from the world and world existed prior to him and he is born in it later on. Until this inborn conditioning which is ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is there the ignorance will prevail. Thus getting rid of ignorance is possible only when one gets rid of ‘I’ or ‘I AM.  Getting rid of ‘I’ or ‘I am possible only when one drops holding the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self. 

The consciousness is within the universe but it is without the universe.  If one confines ‘I’ to the body than he is ignorance and experiences the duality as reality. If one recognizes ‘I’ as mind and the mind as the whole universe than the truth will start reveling on its own. Therefore one has to drop all accumulated knowledge and start a fresh in order to grasp, understand, assimilate and realize the nondual truth. In deeper self-search come to know ’I’ is Mind is this entire Universe.

This means that only in the state of ignorance [waking] the consciousness can be recognized. But in the state of noting ness [deep sleep] it is impossible to recognize it. 

Duality is reality if one thinks universe is reality.  Universe is reality only on the standpoint of ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self.  If one recognizes the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is not the self , than the universe is mere illusion.   Therefore, ‘me’ and mine are reality within the duality.  There is nothing to say that this is mine when there is nothing beside consciousness; when whatever is, is consciousness alone. Deep sleep illustration, when waking or dream is converted into consciousness.

All is consciousness, meaning no second thing exist other than consciousness.  If God is everything, how can there be anything other than God. Hence nondual silences the nature of the self.  

The inner most self is God. Consciousness is the inner most self. Therefore if God is everything, then there is nothing else than God. Duality limits God. If one want to avoid conceptual God, either “keep quiet" or admit “non-duality." There is no room for duality in reality.  There is no God other than consciousness.

Considering the Universe - as something separate from the consciousness is cause of ignorance. One has to give up the idea of difference" That is what is meant by "Renounce" That is the value of Sanyasa.  Renunciation must be the renunciation of the idea of separateness or difference. 

Now what about the body? Body too is conciousness, for the Gnani, as the Universe, is equally consciousness. i.e. renounce the body as separate from consciousness, which is ultimate truth or Brahman.

Heaven is non-duality and hell is duality thus heaven and hell are side by side. Separation is ignorance. Hence one is in hell or duality because he is in ignorance. "Through wisdom" --i.e. wisdom consists in knowing ultimate truth.  That is “all is consciousness and consciousness alone is real and eternal.

"Non-dual freedom or Mukti is always there and yet one doesn’t know it, But to those whose reason, has turned away from external phenomena, who have grasped and assimilated the knowledge of the consciousness attained the serenity of the self, there is nothing else so well-known, so easily knowable, and quite so near as self.

To think one's own body and his experience of the universe as consciousness is a very difficult matter, and unless this is realized, one can’t have any glimpse of truth. When one realizes his body to be consciousness   than the whole experience of the universe naturally becomes consciousness.

The believers will not accept this truth because they have accepted their belief as their truth. People of faith have so much of faith, that they will not accept anything other than their conceptual God. Of course, faith is necessary at a certain stage. But faith is like poison at another stage.

Deeper Analysis shows Universe emanating from the soul, which is in the form of consciousness means universe being the effect from the consciousness is not different from it.  Analysis needs deeper thinking. Wave has form; but where is the form in water? Where did the form come from? All that one e can say is that the water, which is ocean, is not different from the ‘wave’. The universe is the same as consciousness, as ocean produces waves, so consciousness produces the mind, which is in the form of universe.  One has to know this through deeper self-search.  

There must be rational analysis without religious theories. Not the universe seen in dream but this waking world. The method of analysis is the essence of rational method, meaning ‘inquiry.’ Deeper self-search revels the fact that ultimately the mind itself is matter and matter is created out of consciousness or spirit.  The matter or mind or universe is mere illusion, and further we go, there is no second thing exist other than consciousness, which is ultimate truth or Brahman. Hence there is no second thing it is non-dual.  

If one does not fully self-search, he can’t know that this universe is nothing but consciousness. And those who do not want ultimate truth or Brahman, advise people to resort to take religious or yogic path of sanyasa.

Thus religious and yogic prescription of sanyasa or renunciation is not the means to liberation. How can one give up anything when everything is consciousness, how can one give up anything. Without getting rid of the ignorance    the freedom from experiencing the duality as reality is impossibility.  By being as ordinary householder without any philosophy one can get self-knowledge. Without the self-knowledge the ignorance will not vanish.

By living in the mountain cave o forest or by leading orthodox oriented life the ignorance will not vanish. Only in ignorance man wonders from one ashram to another and one guru to another. Wherever he goes ignorance follows him because man and his experience of the universe is product of ignorance.  

Those who live in caves or Ashrams or leading orthodox way of life will not be able to understand that the whole universe is consciousness and consciousness itself is ultimate truth or Brahman because they have accepted the false self [ego] as real self and false experience [universe] as reality.

The point is Self-knowledge or Atma Gnana or Brahma Gnana is quite different from Sadhanas and practices.  The sadhana is physical practice whereas wisdom dawns through mental effort of grasping, understanding, assimilation and realizing it as such.

Speaking of the ultimate truth or Brahman and then opining that one need not self-search through deeper investigation is   meaningless nonsense. Even as a method to get at ultimate truth Brahman one has to analyze the mind, which is present in the form of the universe. Lecturing is different from realization.

This can be understood only through the illustration waking, dream and deep sleep. The body is within the universe.  The mind is in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. It is the consciousness, which becomes the waking or dream.  And waking or dream disappears as consciousness, which is recognizes as deep sleep in waking, which is state of ignorance.  Until the ignorance remains the waking experience will prevails as reality.   Only way  to get rid of the ignorance is through non-dual wisdom or self-knowledge.

 That is why Sri Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: - [Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena] - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.