People think Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is very difficult
to achieve or understand. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana which has to be acquired carefully and
gradually, through deeper self-search.
In the past, spirituality was treated not as
a separate subject but as a part of religion, but it is not so. Religion is
based on the form and spirituality is based on formless. Therefore,
spirituality is nothing to with religion.
Spirituality is a rational inquiry regarding all that is known to exist.
Every one, each to the extent to which one's reasoning power admits, is by
nature free to exercise this faculty, at whatever stage one may be. One is able
to devote himself exclusively to a pursuit of the highest Truth, by means of
reason.
In the ancient time, religious, Yogic
or mystic disciplines, which were not an end in itself, considered to be a
means for self-realization. But such discipline is almost impossible task for
the modern man to adopt. Day by day modern man is becoming aware of the fact
that, religion and yoga are nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.
The modern mindset is pre-eminently
scientific owing to the great progress that science has made. And the best
method of freeing the one from his inaccurate ways of thinking is to imbue him
as fully as possible with the scientific spirit. It is therefore only one who
possesses a clear knowledge of its methods and results i.e., who is able to
make reason the highest means of inquiry that would be fit for Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Vedanta itself admits its highest Truth that
is Atman or Brahman cannot be reached by any path other than that of reason and
unless the reason is sharper than the ‘Edge of a razor'. Reason on the true base is the highest
means of attaining Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Religion,theology, mystic practice and yoga are not the means to
acquire non-dual wisdom. Absence of
reason is absence of wisdom.
Either
the formless soul or self-witnesses the waking or dream or it does not see it
at all. It means the seer is apart from
the waking or dream. When the formless witness witnesses nothing, one calls it
deep sleep. Thus one has to become mentally aware of the existence of the formless
witness of the three states, which is the formless soul, which is in the form
of consciousness, to realize the fact that, there is no division. The whole
experience of diversity (waking or dream) is a mere mirage created out of
single stuff, which is consciousness.
It is difficult to decide the truth on the
waking entity, which is the false entity within the false experience.
Therefore, it is necessary to rectify one’s observing base from form to
formless to grasp the non-dual truth. It takes time to make the faultless
viewing and judging the worldview, but as one goes deeper reflecting on the
formless witness (soul) as self, he reaches the faultless witnessing.
Self -knowledge transforms the
unreality into reality. The soul knows no birth. The soul knows no death. If
one knows the truth then he will realize the soul will continue to exist beyond
death too. Consciously becoming aware of the soul in the midst of illusion is
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Illusion is
intoxicating. Within the illusion man and his experience of the world are
reality. One has to go beyond illusion, which is present in the form of
the mind. That’s what pursuit of truth is all about.
The attachments, aversions are
within the waking or dream. It appears to be real, as long as it continues but
appears to be unreal when one is awake i.e., when true wisdom dawns.
When the ultimate reality is not
understood, all the accumulated knowledge is useless, and study of the
scriptures is useless when the ultimate reality has been understood. One should
never permit carelessness in one’s adherence to the self.
It is owing to people’s worldly
desires, their desires for religious life, scriptural studies, and
their desires concerning their materialistic life that they do not achieve
realization.
Non dual can be understood and
assimilated by anyone who is sharp enough to grasp it, not only by a scholar.
What the truth is like must be known by one’s own reason; no one can do it for
anyone?
