Religious believers are sentimentally attached to their religion, religious ideas of God, scriptures and religious code of conduct; they will not accept anything else as truth other than their accepted truth. There is no use of discussing with such mindsets because nothing can be gained from such discussion.
Religious believers are unfit for the Atmic path unless they drop all their accumulated knowledge.
All sect based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. Sage Sri, Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do orthodox belief systems.
Sage Sri, Sankara: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)
In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.
Sage Sri, Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do orthodox belief systems. Sage Sri, Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma.
The Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. The Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.
All sect based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality the ultimate truth is God. Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy is a sect is nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of the Sage Sri, Sankara. Advaitic orthodox sect is meant for the ignorant populace.
Sage Sri, Sankara said:~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way.(1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg~25
Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals. The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 6)
Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita wisdom) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2)
Mundaka Upanishad~ The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy and all the arts can be called lower knowledge. The higher is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless Self has neither caste nor race, neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great And in the small, everlasting and changeless, The source of life.
There is no need for a Guru in Atmic path.
Swami Vivekananda said: ~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”
The scriptures are not needed in the pursuit truth. Even the Upanishads and the Sages of truth declare the same.
Katha Upanishad:~ This Atman 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 Atman reveals Its own form. (Ch-II -23-P-20)
Mundaka Upanishad: - This Atman cannot be attained through the 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 Upanishads by Nikilanada)
The ultimate truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures by realizing the Self is neither the waking entity not the dream entity, but the Self is formless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In the realm of the truth, the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Realizing the single stuff as ultimate truth is Self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth, there is no need of the scriptures.
The ultimate truth has to be realized first, and then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.
Scriptures are being added to from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.
I quote Scriptural citation only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quote them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.
Sage Sri, Sankara:~ Loud speech, profusions of words, and possessing skilfulness in expounding scriptures are merely for the enjoyment of the learned. They do not lead to Liberation."
Mundaka Upanishads: So-called spiritual pundits and learned are called children because a child takes whatever it thinks as truth. The question never occurs to children “Is what I have seen or thought really the truth?" (P.334 line 9)
The Scriptures mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is truth and ‘what is the untruth. When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, the Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time, and space.
An adherent of orthodox philosopher may say his philosophy teaches so and so", another man may object and say “No, his religious philosophy teaches such and such." Thus, they may go on uttering contradictions in the name of philosophy. True philosophy deals only with the appeal to facts not theories.
Where scriptures and authorities do not agree with the reason, the seeker of truth must reject them.
How is one to know that the scriptures are true? The seeker has to look into the facts, for the proof of what has the worship of God done for the people! When a tsunami occurred at Japan, the God did not save the believers of japan. Thus, God saves one who prays such an argument is of no value in pursuit of truth. .
People believe scripture is infallible but deeper Self-search reveals the fact that, they are mere book of words. The words are mere expression of thoughts. Then it is impossible to see if the scripture-writers thoughts are founded in fact or not.
The fallacy of orthodoxy’s appeal to scripture lies in the varying and conflicting interpretations of the same scripture, which different men feel, entitled to give or hold.
The scriptures are for the ignorant masses, who wholly accept the practical life within the practical world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.
Where scriptures and authorities do not agree with the reason, the seeker of truth must reject them.
Scriptural knowledge is conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. All these concepts are great obstacle in pursuit of truth. Why should confusion created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.
