The one which believes itself as body is not the body. Only after this belief all other beliefs will arise. Thus the basic belief “I am the body” has to be there before any belief. After this basic belief, the belief of name is accepted. After the belief of body with the name, the belief of person is born. Thus, the belief of birth becomes belief of ignorance, without realizing the fact that, the believer is formless soul, which is the true self.
On the base of ignorance of the true self, the belief of the man and his experience of the world are based. Thus, the truth is hidden within the belief, which is cause by the ignorance. Thus, the whole experience of diversity is caused by the ignorance.
Without the experience of diversity there is no belief, because the belief rises within the experience of diversity. When one knows the source of the experience the ignorance vanishes and one realizes the fact that, there is neither belief nor experience. The diversity is mere mirage. Thus individuality, which is based on the belief is part and parcel of the mirage.
Thus, it is necessary to realize the fact that, the belief and experience are part of the illusion created out of the soul, which is in the form of spirit.
Many are good at acrobatics with words, but their knowledge is limited to the physical self, which is ego. When the inner work is at progress then the realization will happen as conviction soul as self grows. Only the chosen one by the soul will be able to realize the truth.
Everyone’s individual experiences are not the same. Some are so much immersed in materiality, religion, duty bound towards their family and society, and they will not be attracted to the non-dual wisdom or understand and assimilate the non-dual truth, because they accepted the duality as reality.
The self/soul is not Christian, Hindu or Muslim. The path of truth is path of Christ/Brahman /Buddha. The religious path is limited to individuality, whereas the spiritual path is towards universality. Mistaking the religious or yogic path as spiritual path is greatest obstacle in pursuit of truth, because they will not lead the seeking mind beyond individuality.
The non duality has to be grasped in the midst of the experience of duality. That is, being aware of the truth and untruth, reality and unreality. And able establish himself in the truth and able to view and judge, the three states, on the base of the soul, which is ultimate truth/Brahman.
It is unfortunate people are stuck with their accumulated ideas based on the false self, and imagine about non duality and say nothing exist other then the source. But a Gnani says everything exists [illusion] but everything is created out of the soul/spirit. Everything rises from the soul/sprit, and subsides as soul/sprit. Thus, the whole diversity has no relevance, on the standpoint of the soul as self.
Everything [illusion] is nothingness [spirit] realizing the three states are created out nothingness [Soul/Spirit]. Nothingness is the nature of the soul/spirit, because there is no second thing exist other then itself.
Devotional path is religious path. Devotion towards an inherited belief cannot transport the seeker of truth towards the nondual destination. Devotion is between the person and his belief. The devotion is based on the belief system. The person who has inherited some belief system believes in the individualized God and indulges in the devotional path. The devotion makes one believe that he is person and god has created this world. Therefore he believes that he is born in this world and world existed prior to him, this conviction makes him feel he is the doer. Since, he accepts himself as the doer he will remain ignorant of the true self, which is the soul. The ignorance makes him feel the illusion as reality.
People are not aware of the fact that thereis no God can exist, apart from self/Ataman. If there is no self/Ataman, then there is no body, world and their belief of god. They think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks body /’I’ as self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks the soul as the true Self, then there is nothing exists other then the soul.
If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things beside himself and postulate a God, the creator. Body, God and world rise and set together from, and into, the Self/soul. If God is apart from the Self/soul, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.
In Isa Upanishad says:
MANTRA 10
Scholars say that the path of Avidya [performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices] and the path of vidya [worshipping gods and goddesses] produce different results. Wise men confirm this. [X]
Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshipping gods and goddesses. By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you?The time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.
Avidya is Karama and therefore a hindrance. You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.
The final advice by sankara is: combine both work and worship. Together they may quicken your pace towards Self-knowledge, because it will lead to Chitt shuddhi, purification of the mind. When this happens your desire for enjoyments will become less and your sense of "I' and "mine' will subside. This is the way to Karama-Mukthi, gradual, or progressive, liberation, according to Sankara.
MANTRA 11
He who worships gods and goddesses [Vidya] and also performs sacrifices [Avidya] attains immortality by sacrifices [Avidya] and attains bliss by worshipping gods and goddesses [Vidya]. [XI]
The condition in both cases worshipping gods and goddesses and performing sacrifices is that the person should have no motive for personal gain. He should not desire the fruits of his actions, such as going to the heaven of gods and goddesses.
As earlier explained, the word Vidya ¸ has a special meaning here. It means worship of gods and goddesses. Similarly, Avidya ¸ also has a special meaning. It is Karma that is, performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices. Such karamas are obligatory, but if they are done without any attachment to their fruits, they help purify the mind. Combining karama and worship is a path to gradual liberation. Sankara approves this for those who are not yet ready to renounce.
But suppose you follow the two paths separately. If you perform Avidya ¸ you will go to Pitra loka (the world of your ancestors). This is a dark region, because it is far removed from Self-knowledge. In fact, you will have to wait a long time to attain Self-knowledge. But if you worship Vidya ¸ - that is, gods and goddesses you go into still darker regions, and your attainment of Self-knowledge is even further delayed.
True, you go to Dev loka (the heaven of gods and goddesses), but you are caught in the pleasures there, and you remain there until the fruits of your worship are fully exhausted. You are then reborn as a human being, and your struggle resumes from where you left off. This is why Vidya ¸ is considered worse. But if you combine the two that is, perform the obligatory karmas without any attachment to the fruits and at the same time worship gods and goddesses, again without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both, liberation and bliss. For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is recommended.
It proves that the concept of god, karma, heaven and hell are ideas created by religion, to help for those who are incapable of grasping. The concept of god and goddesses and karma are part of the ignorance. By worshiping god and goddesses one accepts the false self as true self, thus he is unfit for self-knowledge. Therefore concept of god is not the means to acquire the self knowledge. That is why Buddha rejected concept of God.
Devotion is meant for those who are unable to think deeply and more interested in worldly life to manipulate the worldly life with the belief of individualized god. Thus the belief is part of the illusion. Therefore, the devotional path is limited to duality/mind.
The one which wakes up dreams and sleeps is not the soul/self. The one which is aware of the waking/dream and deep sleep is the true self, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus the waking/dream and deep sleep is mere mirage on the standpoint of the soul, which is aware. The soul/Christ is ever aware and is aware of the three states [illusion] which comes and goes in succession.
The waking or dreams are unreal on the base the soul. The reality wills not the reveal until one becomes aware mentally of the formless witness and substance of the three states. Therefore, the practices and theories based on the physical self/ego are not the means to self-knowledge. If the meditater thinks he is the doer of the meditation and takes the authorship of meditation it is not meditation. The body is not the doer. The body is mere an experience within the experience. The one which knows itself as body and perceives the world is not the body, but the soul. Without the soul the experience of diversity [waking/dream] is non existent. The soul, which is the true self can exist with or without the experience of diversity [waking/dream], the illustration is deep sleep. [In deep sleep the soul witnesses its formless nondual true nature.] Thus consciously being aware of the self is soul in the midst of experience of diversity/waking will lead to nondual/ meditative awareness of the soul in the midst of duality. Thus all meditation practiced on the false self /ego is preparatory practices to reach the ultimate state, which is frees one from experiencing the duality [birth, life and death] as reality. The formless substance and witness of the three states is not physical but the Spirit/Christ/Brahman.
Thus seeker of the truth has to verify the fact that whether his practice of meditation is based on the physical self/ego through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning. This is possible only when one feels, his present practice of meditation is inadequate and useless. This feeling comes only after years and years of meditation practice.
One of the more disturbing occurrences around the swamis and godmen is the attitude of followers to believe that their guru is watching their every move and intervening in their day today affairs constantly.
Due to ignorance, even a rogue with a few of followers can be called an Avatara/Gnani/god all in the past centuries and is still prevailing in the modern world. Many of the self-declared god men are able to make their own cult and busy amassing wealth and indulging in all types immortal activities behind the screen.
When scriptures itself declare that:-
Yajurved says:
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.]
So, Yajur Veda clearly indicates that:-
Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, 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."
Thus glorifying and worshiping gurus and god men and avatars are extremely foolish and it will lead on to greater ignorance. But they are lots of add-ons by priest-crafts for their convince to fool people into greater darkness.
WhenKatha Upanishad and Mundaka Upanishad declare:-
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 Ataman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Ataman—by him alone is Ataman attained. It is Ataman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. [ 3 –page-70Mundaka Upanishad Upanishads by Nikilanada]
If the self which is Ataman/soul cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books, then why indulge in all these things which are not the means for achieving the human goal.
In Isa Upanishad says: [M-10] Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshipping gods and goddesses. By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you?The time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.
Mundaka Upanishad:The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.
[Upanishads Nikhilananda]
Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. [Ch II-5 P-14].
When the self –knowledge is the goal of every human being and worshiping god and goddesses are hindrance to self-knowledge and they are not the means to self-knowledge then why indulge in it. Why follow the god men who are based on the scriptural authority and religious ideologies.
That is why Raman Mahrshi says: [page 111/112- practical guide to know your self]:-
Q: D: Is it not necessary to study the Vedas or at least Prastnatraya[Bagvad gita.Dasoponishad and Brahma Sutra all with commentaries] to ensure firm realization?
A: Bhagvan: - No. Do you need all that to see yourself? All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explain doubts and difficulties if others rise them if you yourself encounter them in course of thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. You want fresh water to drink, but you do not require all the water of the river Ganges to quench your quest.
Buddha rejected idea of god, religion and scriptures and got enlightenment. He must have studied and verified the facts before rejecting them. It further proves that there is no need to indulge in religion, god glorification and scriptural studies in pursuit of truth.
J. Krishnamurthy with all his theosophical grooming rejected every aspect of the priest craft. There is necessary for the people who are searching truth have to realize the fact that, the ultimate truth lies beyond scriptures, all the theories and religion and concept of god and yoga.
Swami Virjanand :-Hinduism is the world's oldest dogma. "Is it possible that any moral man can tolerate the supremely disgusting and insufferable stuff to be found, for instance, in the Linga Purana? The feats of the Linga, though heroic (!) indeed, are a record of shame and a tale of utter indecency and obscenity. Do such books teach religion? If the reply be in the affirmative, then I say that they teach religions which can only debase the people."
Looking to all these facts, the seekers of truth must avoid falling in the trap of these con god men and gurus and pundits’. The truth is beyond physical existence and there is no need for a guru in pursuit of truth. Gurus are needed only in religion and yoga not in pursuit of truth. For those who are not yet ready and receptive to self-knowledge the religion and yoga are recommended.
