Without using any scriptural words it can be explained in the following
way. The scriptural baggage is of no use
in pursuit of truth as declared in Upanishads.
Ultimate truth cannot be known in the sense in which one knows objects
of thought. It can be known only to the extent to which he knows them, for he can
only think of the knower when he is in the presence of the known, i.e. objects,
for the latter make him aware that a knower must exist.
Thus duality makes one think of the knower, but it cannot make him know
the knower. The knower is known in the world of duality only by implication, as
he cannot think without knower. The knower is a concept, and cannot be known in
itself.
Ultimate truth is known only in the negative way. One cannot make it an
object of knowledge. One can know that he cannot have an idea of an object
unless he posits a knower, unless the knower is implied already.
The formless witness or knower itself is wisdom, that is, it knows
everything else. The self is known only when one sees something else, for that
other thing reminds him of it. The self is unknowable as an object, because the
mind is an object to the true self (consciousness).
Knowing the ultimate truth means knowing that consciousness exists. The
word “know” implies duality, something known; on the other hand non-dual wisdom does
imply an object. The witness [true self or Consciousness knows the three states (body + ego+ universe) as an object. The knowing powers, the witness, the
knower can have no statement made about it, other than that its existence
cannot be negated. The ultimate truth which one can know is that consciousness is
not something to be known.
We are thinking of the mind within the mind, which appears as waking or
dream experience.
The thoughts cannot arise without the waking or dream experience. Absent
of waking or dream is absent of thoughts and experiences. The thoughts and
functioning of the dream body and dream world are reality within the dream.
Same way, the thoughts and all the individual experiences and the waking world are
reality within the waking experience. The point here is the waking experience (mind) itself is falsehood on the standpoint of the formless witness.
Until we wake up in our formless
true identity without the body and without world, we keep experiencing the duality
[mind] as reality. Thus, it is necessary
to mentally grasp the existence of the formless witness to realize the fact
that, the body and universe with all its contents are also mirage created out
of consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is and all else is illusion. The illusion also is consciousness because it
created and sustained and finally it dissolves as consciousness. Therefore, there is neither creation nor
creator in nondual reality because the whole diversity (mind) is created out of
single stuff.
It takes a time to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth, because
we have to burn all the accumulated dross which has become the great obstacle
in realizing the truth.
There is no need to know the functioning of the mind is not limited to
the body because the mind is the whole physical existence (body+
universe). Therefore, there is need for
correction in our understanding, which is based on the birth entity, which is
not the self.
All the accumulated knowledge based on the birth (waking entity) entity is of no
use in understanding and assimilating the Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is
a need to learn to view and judge the truth on the base of true self (consciousness) to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge.
