Isa
Upanishads indicates that: The time one spends in ritualistic
practices is wasted; one can spend same time moving forward towards
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, which is the main goal.
The soul, the innermost self has to be free from experiencing
the duality as reality. To overcome the
duality, the waking entity has to know it itself is not the self but the self
is the soul, which witnesses coming and going of the three states. Thus self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma
Gnana is necessary to realize ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’ to reject
the untruth by accepting the truth.
The Self is 'that which is at first known as the soul in the human
experience, but which, in the end, is found to be identical with the supreme
Reality.
The pursuit of truth or spirituality is discovering the truth of
the true existence as its goal the realization of one's identity
with the Ultimate Truth or Brahman.
The Seekers goal is always a spiritual one. In fact, a true
knowledge is said to be a science which shows the way of approach, or rather of
return, to the spirit, which is the true Self.
There are no other paths, other than the formless path (path of wisdom) by which a seeker
may realize the ultimate truth.
When one is in the realm of inner equilibrium - that is, perfect
co-ordination between the Spirit (soul) and the Matter (mind). In this balance
lies the secret. When the seeker of truth has learnt to view and judge
the three states, on the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self than the ignorance
vanishes and the truth will start revealing on its own. . This is a very
difficult thing to achieve, but it is an important aspect of the pursuit of
truth, inasmuch as it paves the way to detachment and gives freedom from the
burden of experiencing the duality as reality.
The three states
are external to the soul, the innermost self. The three states are an
object to the formless soul, which is the subject. The three states are dependent and the soul or
consciousness. The formless soul, which present in the form of consciousness is
independent.
The Unconsciousness can only be a consciousness without objects;
otherwise it has no meaning. Therefore it is really consciousness, which can exist
with or without the objective awareness. The formless soul without the objects
remains in its own awareness.
That which one knows best in the world, that which is nearest to him,
that of which he can never be free, the existence of which is
certain, is his consciousness. He may doubt anything else but he directly
perceives his- self, which is consciousness.
No one so far has even been able to define the meaning of 'mind' and
'consciousness. Only through soul-centric reasoning he realizes the three states
are mental states. The truth is hidden within waking, dream and sleep--which
come and go.
Before any of the states come in, there must have been the soul or
consciousness, the innermost self. Before one could know that God created the
world, there must be the soul or consciousness, the innermost self to
witness the waking experience.
The man, god and the world are reality within the waking experience.
Without the waking experience they are non-existent. Illustration is a
dream, the dream contains the dream world, dream entity, god. Similarly the
waking experience contains the waking entity, and waking world and god
etc.
By inquiring WHO AM I? it
unfold the fallacy of the form thus only half the truth is revealed. The
ignorant who fail to apprehend the ‘self’ are caught in the web of illusion
experience, the birth, life, death and world as reality. The people who think the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as
self are caught up in the web of duality experiences the pain and pleasure as
reality.
As the waking entity or ego becomes more and more inward turned,
it becomes gradually free from experiencing the duality as reality. When the soul, the innermost self becomes
freed from all the obstruction by fully eliminating the ignorance it remains in
its own awareness. When the soul, remains
in its own awareness in the midst of duality then the duality is mere illusion
created out of the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.
So long the soul, the innermost self identifies itself with the
waking entity it remains in ignorance of its formless non-dual true nature.
Therefore it is necessary to realize the fact that, the ‘self’ is neither the
waking entity nor the ‘self’ is dream entity but the self is the formless soul,
which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.
Just as the sun is the direct cause of the daylight, so without
the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana no emancipation can be had. Compared to all other forms
discipline self-knowledge is the only direct means for freedom from
experiencing the illusion as reality.
Only when the wisdom dawns the soul, the innermost self can
remain in its own awareness in the midst of duality.
The real Moksha or freedom is to realize the fact that ‘I’ consciousness is mere physical awareness. Physical awareness is not self-awareness. The self –awareness is when the formless soul or consciousness remains aware of its own nondual true nature.
