The nature of all reality is spiritual. Until and unless one
drops all the accumulated baggage of traditionalism it is impossible to grasp,
assimilate and realize the knowledge of the self here and now.
The religion and spirituality are like
oil and water. Religion is based on
blind belief, whereas the spirituality is the truth which is not ascertained
yet. Whatever is based on the false self (waking entity or ego) is not spirituality. Thus religious ideas are not spiritual. They cannot be mixed together. One will have
to make his choice between them if he wish to progress in his pursuit of truth and
not to remain stagnating.
The pursuit of Truth is the
highest of aim.
The ultimate truth is to be found within our experiences of
three states, and not in the world, which is limited to experience, since,
Authentic Gnanis to guide towards nondual
destination are extremely rare.
From the physical standpoint, that which
splits the world into two co-existing realities, consciousness and mind. The ultimate standpoint annihilates the
division of consciousness and mind by uniting both mentally, by realizing they
are one in essence.
The existence beyond
limitations of form, time and space is known as Moksha or Nirvana. Spiritual
freedom or self-realization is the goal of every seeker of truth.
People who argue there is nothing beyond the
universe; there is nothing other than the matter; that the body was the man;
and death was end of all. According to
them there is no truth other than the practical life within the practical world,
which they hold as reality. Their only agenda is as long as they live in the
world live happily with all the pleasant things of life, who can demonstrate
that there is something left after the physical death. Beg, borrow or steal – but live happily is
their mantra.
There are also people who believe strongly
there was a spirit which defied the ravages of time, which cannot be confined in
space; that spirit transcends the limits of this universe in which the body
exists.
How one can decide what is truth, when he is bound by birth, life and death or
form, time and space?
The consciousness is the innermost self. And
nature of the consciousness is formless and non-dual. One should realize the consciousness as whole
universe without parts. To describe non-duality as a system is erroneous because the dual and non-dual is the nature
of the self. Duality is illusory nature of the self and non-duality is real
nature of the innermost self, which is consciousness. Ultimate truth cannot be confined into a narrow set of
ideas.
Non-dualistic truth is supreme truth; all dualistic
systems hold false self as real self and false experience as reality. Non- dualistic wisdom is culmination of all
systems including theistic non-duality. The true non-dualist will not quarrel and
argue with any theoretical philosophy because he is fully aware of the fact that,
this orthodox theistic non-dualistic scholars or pundits like Dualist sages could not distinguish
between ‘I’ and ‘formless witness.’ The 'I' was the witness. Their highest was
the Jiva. One is so much attached to the 'I' that he do not want to think that
'I' does not exist. Again one is unable to detach the ‘I’ from the Real
witness.
There is need to study the scriptures. One has to self-search the truth
and realize it without the scriptures. And then when he reads the scriptures he
becomes aware the scriptures are also saying the same thing but everything is
misinterpreted.
Mundaka Upanishad :-This Atman cannot be
attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much
learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman
that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. - 3 page70upanhsds by
Nikilananda
It means the truth is beyond scriptures and egocentric
intelligence. Thus in order to grasp,
assimilate and realize the non-dualistic truth the seeker to employ soul-centric
reasoning faculty.
That is why Sri,
Sankara says in commentary in Vedanta sutra that what is accepted without
proper enquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such
acceptance will result only in evil, in something which is detrimental to our
spiritual progress. Seeker of truth
should not believe blindly in traditional orthodox non-duality without verifying
all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and
over again without getting tired of the process.
That is why Sri, Sankara says VC :- 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.
There is nothing more rational, more
intelligible and more un-dogmatic insights of Sri, Sankara, is to drop all the
theistic non-duality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and
not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.
If one merely theorizes, tries
to understand through his intellect and there contended he cannot become a
Gnani but he becomes a scholar or pundit.
Seeker of truth must make what he
has understood and assimilated has to be realized, to get firm conviction of the non-
dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman, than
only it is possible for him to transcend all the limitations of the experience of
form, time and space.
