All religions of the
world and all philosophies of the world are based on the individuality or ego;
find no answers for many questions. Truth seekers all over the world are trying
to find answers for themselves, and they imagine and write articles and books
of their ideas and others will read and blindly accept them as truth.
There
is no need to condemn any ones’ views and ideas or writing, but without being
judgmental, seeker has to verify whether the author is speaking on the
standpoint of ego, or whether he is speaking on the standpoint of soul, the
innermost self. If his views are based on the standpoint of the waking
entity or ego, then there is many doubts and confusion. If his views are
based on the soul as self then there is no confusion and doubts of any
sort.
Nothing
has to be accepted without verifying the validity of any claim in pursuit of
truth. Only un-contradictable truth has to be accepted as truth. There is
no need to condemn any religion or any saints or sages, but seeker has to think
beyond religion, scriptures and individualized gods.
The
religious, yogic and worldly truths are individual truth based on the ego or
waking entity. The spiritual truth is universal truth, which is based on
the soul, the innermost self, which is present in the form of consciousness.
The truth which is based on the formless soul, the innermost self is the
ultimate truth or Brahman or Christ or Emptiness.
Many people know that the
pleasures of this world are useless and even painful, yet they long for them. The
only way to end this longing is to become aware of the truth of his true
existence, and realize the physical existence is mere illusion then only all
attachments to the physical existence will gradually drop away.
If one waits till all desires
disappear to start his pursuit of truth, he will remain ignorant and become one
with the truth unconsciously when the duality melts way on its own (death).
Why there was so much evil in
the world, and why should evil-doers be more successful than good doers? If it
were due to Karma, who made that Karma, and why should it be so arbitrarily
dispensed – various karma to various individuals, which become the cause of so
much misery and turmoil?
The soul, the innermost self
has no karma because it is formless. Man and the world are creation within the
mirage (waking or dream). Thus the theories created by within the mirage have
no value. The soul,
the innermost self is free from karma. The karma is reality only for those who
think the ‘I’ as self and waking as reality. If one becomes free from the
ignorance of the true self, there will be no varied individuals and no varied
karmas; misery will thus disappear. He who kills man’s creation sees heaven of
non-duality only; the others see only hell of duality.
“It is every religionists
experience that evil-doing recoils on the doer sooner or later. Because he is
not aware of the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity nor the self
is the dream entity but the self is the formless soul and thinks the religious
theories are true which are based on the body as self. Thus religion views and
judges the worldview on the base of the body not the soul. Religion becomes a
false notion on the base of the soul as self. Thus it is necessary to know the
fact and realize the ‘I’ is not the self, but the self is the formless soul, to
overcome the duality which we are experiencing it as reality.
The Karma theory
is based on the waking entity. Waking entity is false self within the false
experience whereas the self is birthless and deathless. Karma performed by
the false self within the false experience is bound to be falsehood. Thus one
has to realize the fact that, dream entity is also is false self within the
false experience. The dream is considered as falsehood when waking takes place.
Similarly the waking also becomes falsehood when wisdom dawns. Wisdom
dawns when the waking entity realizes it itself is not the self in the midst of the waking experience.
The waking
experience is state of ignorance. In the state ignorance
one remains experiencing the illusion as reality. Till the illusion
remains reality, he will remain ignorant of the fact that, the illusory experience of cycle of birth,
life and death is reality he will not be able to realze the non-dualistc or Advatic truth. Therefore, it is not possible for one to
accept the fact that, world is illusion, till
he becomes aware of the fact that , the self is neither the waking
entity nor the self is dream entity but the self the formless soul or the consciousness ,which is the substance and the witness of the three states.
Therefore, for those who believe the waking entity as self, and refuse to
accept the soul as true self, find the law of karma as universal law and
very sacred, because they have blindly accepted their experience of
birth, life, death and the world as reality without verifying the
validity of their accepted truth.
Sage Sri,
Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman
are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though
appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only
The formless soul ,which is present in the form of consciousness is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances,
then it indicates the form (waking
or universe or mind) is unreal the formless is
real (soul). Therefore, only
Ataman is real because there is no second thing other than Ataman.
He
also clearly mentions that:- The
path of religion, theory of karma, path of yoga and the path of wisdom were
intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced
seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality.
It is meant for superior aspirants who have inner urge to know the truth and it
is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.
Thus
we have to know the fact that Buddha, Goudpada and Sri,Sankara are not only
reformers but also the greatest scientists. Since there original
thesis have been lost in the labyrinths of philosophy and mutilated by
pundits and orthodoxy, it becomes very difficult understand and assimilate the
wisdom expounded by the great masters. In addition, the conservativeness of the
orthodox scholars will not allow any research other than playing with the
words, which suits the mass mind sets, because of their egocentric outlook.
All
the add-ons have to be deleted, in order to understand and assimilate the real
fragrance of the wisdom expounded by the great masters of Advith, but it is
hurricane task. Thus, it is no use going through all the scriptures, when
there is direct path to nondual truth. The same time and effort can be
used to reach the nondual destination, in lesser time and effort.
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 Seeker of truth has to know
that something is inadequate in Buddhist or orthodox Advaitic teachings to
reach the nondual destination because of the add-ons and adulteration. Thus it
becomes difficult to reach destination directed by the Buddha, Sage Sri,
Sankara and Sage Sri, Goudpada. It is
for the seeker to go on his own and remove the obstacle. The greatest
hindrance is mixing religion, god, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover,
attachment to scriptures, personal god and religious code of conduct keeps one
permanently in the grip of duality.
When the self is neither the body
nor the ego, neither the waking entity not the dream entity, then how the karma
based on the false self within the false experience can yield fruits. Therefore, karma is a religious fable.
The karma theory is reality only for those who believe
their present physical identity (ego or waking entity) as real, and world as
reality. When Sage Sri, Sankara declares the world itself is illusion, and
Brahman is real, then what value the karma theory has when the world is
illusion, because man is part and parcel of the illusory world. Therefore, one
has to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint of Brahman [Ataman/true
self] in order to overcome the duality, which he is experiencing it as
reality. The individuality is reality
within the illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the
illusion on the base of false entity, within the false experience, has to be the
part and parcel of the illusion. Thus it
is necessary to realize the fact that Ataman is the true self and all else is
illusion, to overcome the illusory concept of cycle of birth, life and
death. Thus to understand and assimilate
Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic truth, seeker
has to do his own home work
through inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the true base, without mixing
religion, scriptures, theories concept
of god and yoga.
Sage Sri Sankara
says in Aparokshanubhuti:- 88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman,
and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to
say that the body is Atman?
89. O enlightened one, pass your time always contemplating on
Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill
becomes you to feel distressed.
90. The theory one hears of from the scripture, that
Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the
knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.
91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality,
Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, inasmuch as the body and the like become
non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.
92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as
Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the
place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being
free from ego).
93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and
therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the
superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the
room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all ?
94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the
material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as earth is of a jar. That
(ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist ?
95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the
snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the
phenomenal world without knowing the reality?
96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance
of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal
world disappears completely.
97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and
therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist ? It is, therefore, for the
understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.
98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes
that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the
plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.
99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they
will not only involve themselves into two absurdities but will also run the
risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis
alone from which proceeds true knowledge.
The above
proves that the karma is reality only on the base of the false self, where one
thinks body and the universes as reality. When one becomes aware of the fact
that, the true self is formless soul, then the karma becomes part and parcel of the illusion. My point is that, if one accepts the karma theory as
reality, he will never be able to come out of the ignorance. And ignorance
makes him believe the cycle of birth, life and death as a reality. Thus
the freedom which one is seeking will remain a distant dream. For the one who
accepts the birth life,death and the world as reality it is impossible to acquire the Self-knowledge
or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
