The
religious and philosophical teachings are like oil and water. They cannot be mixed together and in future one will have to
make his choice between them, if he wishes to progress and not to remain stagnate.-FORMLESS PATH
When one is thirsty, he cannot sit idle but he runs for water to quench his thirst. Until the thirst for truth has not come, he is immersed in the worldly pleasures. The desire for wisdom has not grown strong in people; therefore they are satisfied with the worldly or religious life. One who is in the quest for truth begins to inquire deeply until he reaches his destination.
The seeker has to discriminate between the witness and the three states and realize the fact that, all the three states a mere illusion.
Sage Sri, Sankara says:- The world is an illusion, it includes the individual experience of the birth, life and death, which happens within the illusory world. Thus the seekers main aim is to mentally trace the formless substance of the illusion, which is also the witness of the illusion. The formless substance and witness of the illusion (world) is the soul,(Atman) ,the innermost self.
Atman (soul) itself is Brahman. The soul is present in the form of consciousness. Thus consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman.
The seeker has to always think that his body and his experience of the world are only an illusory apparatus created out of consciousness within the illusory experience (mind). The mind is contained within the soul, the innermost self.
The indivisible changeless, effulgent soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is lying hidden under these delusive veils; therefore its real nature is unknown to the person perceiving the world within the waking experience. The waking entity is sensecentric and always runs after the sensual pleasure. The attention of the waking entity has to be turned towards the soul, the innermost self. The soul, the innermost self has to overcome the ignorance in order overcome its illusory experience of the three states.
The universe is present in the form of mind (I) . The universe and all its contents are a mere illusion created out of consciousness and the universe (mind) dissolves as the consciousness when wisdom dawns.
Because of the accumulated mental impressions(samskaras), the universe remains as reality till wisdom dawns. The seeker has to indulge in soulcentric discrimination in order to realize, the universe is a mere mirage created out of consciousness. Thus the soul and the mind are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. When the soul, the innermost self becomes aware of its formless nondual true nature, all limiting adjuncts vanish. Thus everything is consciousness. Consciousness is ultimate reality or Brahman.
The universe or mind is unreal means it has no separate, independent existence. It cannot exist just be by itself. It has inter be with consciousness which, is the true self. The universe or mind is a mere mirage appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears and deep sleep (Nonduality). The one formless knower (witness) of the appearance and disappearance of these dual and nondual experiences is the soul. The soul is in the form of consciousness is real and eternal. Thus the three states unreal on the standpoint of the real, which is the formless soul (consciousness). Thus, it is necessary to learn to view the three states on the standpoint of the soul, not on the standpoint of the waking entity, which is the false self within the false experience.
Sage Sri, Sankara says the world is illusory; it includes the induvidual experince of the birth, life and death, which happens within the illusory world. Thus seekers main aim is to mentally trace the formless substance of the illusion, which is also the witness of the illusion. The formless substance and witness of the illusion (world) is the Atman, and this Atman itself is Brahman. This Brahman cannot be attained by indulging in egocentric religious orthodoxies. The knower of Brahman is Brahmin not the Brahmin who indulges in priest craft, which leads one to utter darkness as per Yajur Veda.
The seeker has to analyze the three states in order to realize the and discover the fact that, the three states are not independent; they are dependent on the soul ,which is present in the form of consciousness. So, all the three states are of the consciousness alone. Thus, the universe is consciousness because it is created out of consciousness. Consciousness is universe because the universe has no separate existence apart from the consciousness. Thus, the consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in the universe, which is mere illusion.
From the ultimate standpoint the mind, which is present in the form of the universe is a myth. The individual experience of birth, life and death takes place is also myth. Thus it is erroneous to spin yarn of imagination about nonduality on the base of the birth entity, which is the false self because the 'self' is birthless because it is formless. Thus the witness of the three states has to be traced in order to understand, assimilate and realize the nondualistic or Advaitic truth.
Vedas bars
human worship:-
Translation
3.
"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time."- [Yajur Veda 40:9.]
Than why
worship and glorify the Gurus and Yogis (human form) in place of
God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge
in such activities are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words,
they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and
suffer terribly for a long time.
It is
impossible to find and realize the truth via religion and scriptural study.
Even Upanishads conform this.
Only through the path of reason one can reach the nondual destination without any teaching or teacher. By accepting oneself as some one’s guru or some one’s disciple and following some one’s teaching without verification is the greatest obstacle in the pursuit of truth. The Nondualistic or Advaitic truth is the universal truth, it belongs to the whole humanity and it is not the commodity, which can be bought from the market.
A permanent view of the world as unreal can come only after soul centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change. Were the seeker who is sufficiently sharpness he could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone. To know the whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise he gets only half-truth.
Non-dualistic or Advaitic truth is un-contradictable truth it cannot be attained by discussing and arguing on the base of some teachings.
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.
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana does not need the support of any scripture or revelation like the Veda. Ultimate truth 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.
Essence of scriptures:-DEHUM-NAHUM- KOHUM – SOHUM— which indicates the body is not the self, the self is that which is without the body. Thus one can conclude, if the body is not the self then the body based religion and theories, beliefs, practices rituals and yoga are of no use in pursuit of truth.
Therefore, deeper self- search is necessary to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
