Sage Sri, Sankara' gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it.

Sage Sri, Sankara's commentary to Brahma Sutras [Chap.3.4.50] shows that the Gnani "should pass through life", not run away from life and should take a middle course between seeking worldly honor and worldly abasement. 

Sri, Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never advised them to give up their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time he showed just one step forward towards the truth.  Sri, Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. 

Sage Sri, Sankara' gave religious, ritual or dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd. 

Sri, Sankara says in Brahma Sutras: that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Mandukya he denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed. 

Thus those who are frightened to accept the world is mere illusion should never indulge path of wisdom. 

Sage Sri, Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage 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.

Without the scriptures one has to move ahead in his pursuit of truth.

 
Sri, Sankara says :-  VC-65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

Peoples approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion. 

In self-awareness-- the witness and witnessed are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. There is no second thing exists other than consciousness. 

Thus whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as a person is reality within the waking experience but waking experience itself is mere illusion. 

The soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the innermost self. Consciousness is the witness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence.

What is not consciousness (formless) in the experience of diversity [waking or universe]? The waking and the dream cease to exist without consciousness. The seeker, seeking and his destination all are one in essence. 

There is only need to realize the whole universe in which we exist is created out of consciousness (soul or Atman), the innermost self. On the standpoint innermost self, the universe is mere illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, on the ultimate standpoint no second thing exists other than consciousness. Thus consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Sage Sri, Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Those who assert the world is not illusion because they are unaware of the fact that, the world is reality within the illusion (waking). And they are frightened to consider the world as illusion. Without considering the world as illusion, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

After verifying through deeper inquiry if one finds the world is reality within the illusion then he cannot again say the world is not illusion. 

If one is frightened to accept the world is an illusion (waking) than he is unfit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Thus who stuck with the reality of the world, are stuck with the reality of the individual experiences of birth, life and death, which takes place within the unreal world. Thus pursuit of truth is for those who have courage to accept the reality as it is, that is the reality without form, time and space. 
According to Adavaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself  two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the purva mimam.sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

 
Sage Sri, Sankara says in Brahma Sutras: that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Mandukya he denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed. 

Thus those who are frightened to accept the world is mere illusion should never indulge path of wisdom. 

Modern Ramanuja- J.Krishnamurti describes to perfection is the awakening to Reality—the realization that pure Consciousness alone is, that the perpetually fluctuating and evanescent contents of the mind derive from it. This awakening effectively happens in an instant. But in order for the lightning flash to take place, resulting in a firm and unshakable certitude, a long labour is necessary, which he seems to underestimate. “Truth is a pathless land” is his answer.

Many thinkers feel J.K’s teaching seems essentially negative, a potent but bitter medicine for those imprisoned by institutional cults. He breaks the student’s bonds, but then leads him to a vast desert where he abandons him. The ultimate state of consciousness he describes is that of the traditional sage or fully enlightened being, but he does not show us the process leading to the realization of this state. He describes marvellously the goal, but does not indicate the steps to be taken: his recurring phrases "unified consciousness" and "let go" are not a road-map.

J.Krishnamurti‘s approach was more practical, and he stuck with the reality of the world, he took it as real.

Sage Sri, Sankara himself has warned us not to use ambiguous words, and to practice semantic analysis in his book "Definition of one's own Self. (Page 199, v.24 of "Sankara's Selected Works)

Sage Sri, Sankara founded his Advaita Vedanta either on reason independent of sruti or on sruti confirmed by reason." Sri, Sankara's commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, II, 1: This [the unreality of duality] is borne out by the Srutis ... But it is possible also to show the unreality of the object world even from pure reasoning, and this second chapter is undertaken for that purpose.

Sage Sri, Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture. This may be because Sri, Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage Sri, Sankara, in debates with Buddhists and others who did not recognize the authority of the Vedas, had been obliged to prove the truth of Advaita by means of reason alone. Mandukya Upanishad, a scripture which appealed to reason to the exclusion of Revelation. 

Nonduality does not need the support of any Scripture or Revelation like the Veda. For it is based, not upon the varying theological fancies, which are as numerous as the sands of the sea, but upon reason, the common heritage of all mankind, irrespective of colour or creed or clime.

The Upanishad says:-

This Ataman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Ataman reveals Its own form. [Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20]

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 –page-70 Mundaka Upanishad Upanishads by Nikilanada)

When the Upanishads say:- 

It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals its own form. Then what is the use of indulging through our intelligence or our accumulated knowledge, when one is not chosen by the self, which is the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.

There is no need for any philosophy in pursuit of truth because they take the seeker nearer to  the truth but they create more doubts and confusions. 

The scriptures and theories and teaching based on the ego are not the yardstick. Using them as yardstick to understand and assimilate the truth will lead one towards  the pursuit of arguments. Seeker of truth has to discover on his own, the truth of his true existence by inquiring “what is mind?” and “what is the substance of the mind?” and move forward. 

The ultimate truth is one without the second, the one is not in the sense half or two, but the one that remain forever One, without the second. The consciousness is all pervading. There is no place where consciousness is not. 

Consciousness is in everyone, consciousness is in everything, consciousness is one behind many. Consciousness alone is. It means the universe and its contents are the visible form of consciousness. And consciousness in turn is invisible form of the universe, which appears as mind. 

The religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies and individual conduct, it has become a prison for the soul, the innermost self.

The soul,which is present in the form of consciousness  is the innermost self. Consciousness  is the one reality that always exists and it is by its light all other things are seen.

People believe that a teacher or mystic or priest has got so many followers and therefore there must be some truth in their teaching, is a common fallacy accepted by the mass due to their inherited samskara or conditioning. It proves only an ignorant can find a number of greater ignorant to follow him.

The religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies and individual conduct, it has become a prison  for the soul, the innermost self.

Psychology is based on the body as self. They believe the mind is limited to the individual.  Psychologists commit the error of defining consciousness as a duality of the mind plus the object! Unless both are together there is no awareness of experience.  They deny that consciousness can exist apart from objects. But without the consciousness one will not be aware of the deep sleep. The consciousness can prevail with or without the waking or dream experiences, as in deep sleep. Thus, deep sleep is given as a valuable warning against such an erroneous position.  

Many do not go into the question what is the Mind? What is the substance of the Mind? “What is meant by mental?" or what is beyond Mind? That is, because they are ignorant of the formless substance and the witness of the Mind,which is present in the form of the universe.

Psychology has nothing to do with the formless witness, because they consider the physical eyes [body] to be the witness.  The Psychology discusses   that which is aware of all these things and ideas and processes and reactions.  But the truth is beyond psychology, because psychology is limited to the three states.  The beyond [consciousness] is aware of the three states, which comes and goes. When the consciousness becomes aware of its true nature, the three states are mere mirage created out consciousness. Thus in the realm of the formless non-dual true nature of consciousness there is no scope for duality, because there is only non-dual reality. 

The only certain thing about the body is that it is forever changing; the greatest change of all being death which no one can prevent. In contrast to the body the consciousness is the only thing of whose unchanging character one can be certain. For the consciousness tells one about all the bodily changes, remaining itself relatively constant, as a standard of reference for them.

One can never know what the mind really is without deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning. One has to study deep enough by analyzing the three states. Most people are unaware of it because they stick to the idea mind is within the body and every individual has his own mind.  But  if one  wants to study formless witness , he  must make the three states as an  object ; and if it becomes an object , it is no longer  the witness , no longer the mind; if he  wants the formless witness  as it really is, then it is absolutely impossible to study it.  Only  Mentally one can grasp it. 

The three states can all be summed up in one word – Mind. The mind is seen/object never the witness.  The term Witness, the Seer, is used in a non-dual sense, without reference to objects witnessed, absolute awareness, not relative.

Thinker and Thought are present in waking or dream.   The thoughts cannot rise without the form. Thus the thinker has to be the form. Thus the thought comes to the form. Without the form the thoughts cease to rise.  The form rises only in waking or dream. Without the waking or dream the form ceases to exist. The waking or dream exists only when the mind is present. The waking or dream ceases when the mind ceases.  Your mind produced the thought. Thoughts, feelings, rises along with the mind subside along with the mind. Even if it is of God, it is still within the mind. Thus mind arises as waking or dream [duality] and subsides as deep sleep [non-duality].   Thus consciously becoming aware of the non-duality in the midst of duality is wisdom.   

Once one really understands that all three states are objects to the subject, you may hope to understand non-duality but without it he never will.

The experience of the Birth, life death and world  are happenings within the waking or dream, which are an  object to the subject. Therefore,   birthlessness is the characteristic of non-object, i.e. the true self, which is consciousness.