The 'self' is not an individual because it is birthless because it is formless.

The seeker of truth  should not expect  the spiritual path  to be free  of obstacles. It  is impossible to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman  without getting rid of the hindrances which is blocking his realization of ultimate truth or Brahman. The Seeker  has to investigate what is is blocking his realization and get rid of them. 

One should not wish for the  easy way to search the truth. In the  easy way, there is ignorance. The ignorance is inborn. The ignorance is in the form of 'I'.  The ignorance has been nourished and passed on from one generation to the next. Without getting rid of this inborn ignorance,  it is impossible to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. The man+world are a product of ignorance.   The man+world ceases to exist without the ignorance.   In self-awareness  there is neither the man nor the world because man+world are a mere mirage create out the soul,which is present in the form of consciousness. The soul is the innermost self. On the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self the man+world are mere illusion.


Ignorance is in the form of 'T'. 'I' is in the form of mind. The Mind is in the form of the universe. The universe appears in the form of waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality)   

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as ‘self, he is ignorant of the fact that, he has accepted illusion as reality.  The ‘I’ itself is the  illusion.  And whatever is connected to the ‘I’ is bound to be  the illusion.  

The 'self' is not an individual because it is birthless because it is formless.  The self is not limited to waking experience alone because it pervades all the three states.  Thus identifying the self without the form alone is erroneous.   The self is without the form, without the time and without the space

Thought is nothing to do with the innermost self, which is ever formless because without the form, time and space the thought will not be formed.  Thought rises only to the waking entity or dream entity. Without the waking entity or dream entity the thoughts will not rise. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity nor the self is the dream entity but the self is the formless soul or consciousness, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.  The three states are nothing to do with the self because they are mere illusion created out of the soul , the innermost self ,which is present in the form of consciousness.  Thus thoughtless is not wisdom.  the thought ,thinker and the world are one in essence. That essence is consciousness   Thus the thought,thinker and the world are part of the illusion.  

The seeker has to try to get rid of the ignorance by  realizing the fact  that,  the 'self' is neither the waking entity nor the 'self ' is dream entity but the 'self'  the formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states,  without the physical apparatus.    One should not hope for realization without obstacles.  An easy way  is lazy way.  

The truth is easy, but, because of the accumulated knowledge and conditioning becomes greatest hindrance in pursuit of truth. When one is conditioned to accept something else as truth, it becomes difficult for him to accept anything other than his accepted truth. Since, he is been involved with his inherited conditioning sentimentally and emotionally for years together, therefore, he will not be receptive to Self-knowledge or Brahman Gnana or Atma Gnana. the seeker has to unlearn what he has learnt and start a fresh in order to understand,assimilate and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 


That is why  Sage Sri, Sankara says :- VC-63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman ? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

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.

Whatever have appeared (birth, life, death and world) has appeared on its own and it disappears on its own.  Whether a person takes it as reality or illusion it all depends on his mental and intellectual conditions will determine the phenomenal world observed and experienced. The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. A Gnani viewing the universe (practical life within the practical world) different from the ignorant is viewing the same universe (practical life within the practical world). Each one of them interprets the universe he sees in term of his existing knowledge.   The Gnani sees his body, his ego and his experience of the world as mere mirage created out of consciousness whereas the ignorant sees his body as body, his ego as ego and his experience of the world as world.  


Only when one finds his accumulated knowledge is inadequate and useless, then only it is possible to drop the accumulated dross.   One has to accept the ups and downs of life; by understanding they are mere illusion on the ultimate standpoint.  The illusion, which appears and disappears, is impermanent and whatever is experienced as reality within the illusion is bound to be the  illusion.  The truth has nothing to with the individual experiences with in the illusion. Because it is not an entity or identity within the illusion but it is the formless substance and witness of the illusion. The truth is hidden within the illusion and it is without the illusion. 

A Gnani is one who has become aware of the formless witness, which is within the three states and it is without the three states.  He is a man of perfection is one who learnt to reason on the base of the formless witness. He has delved into and has become aware of the formless true soul, the innermost self  and he transcended consciously all his identification with the physical existence. He has realized his universal identity is without the physical existence (body +world = mind). 

Such a perfect seer has, when once he has realized  the self is not physical but self is  formless soul or consciousness  no longer is in bondage or burden of the physical existence(waking), because  the physical existence(waking or universe)  is mere illusion on the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self.  The perfect seer sees consciousness in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Hence, the three states is mere mirage created out of consciousness  There is no second thing exists, other than the soul, which is present in the form of  consciousness. 

The consciousness is the cause of all that exists as universe [mind] and Consciousness itself is uncaused.

One has to know first the self is formless, because everyone speaks of the self on the base of form (waking entity or ego)  as self.  The ego is not the self. The ego is the false self. When one considers the physical body as self the ego is formed. 


The soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the real self.  The real self has no form, but all things, forms and shapes are created out of the self, which is  present in the form of consciousness. Therefore, the self has no individuality because it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.  When one limits the self or consciousness as  an individual then there is ignorance. When one identifies the 'self 'or consciousness as the whole universe, which is in the form of mind then the ignorance vanishes.  

Only when one starts the debate within himself deeply whether the 'self' is form or the 'self 'is formless, then the truth will start unfolding on its own. He becomes aware of the fact that, the 'self' is not form  but 'self'  is formless.  On the stand point of the formless 'self,'  the body, ego,  the universe and all conceptual ideas  gods are created out of  of consciousness(soul).  Without consciousness(soul) they cease to exist, but consciousness(soul) can exist with or without them.

It is extremely difficult to understand the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth  because our judgement is based on the form, which is the false base, whereas the form itself is based on the formless.  Thus one has to base the self on the formless then only he will be able to get the correct judgement of what is what.

The whole universe, which contains all the forms and things are created out of the soul, the innermost self, which is present i the form of consciousness and the self itself has no form therefore the self or consciousness is everything together. 

 There is no division is possible in consciousness from the ultimate standpoint. The division is mere illusion created out of ignorance.  These things do not become clear until one has realized the fact that, the 'self' is not form  but 'self' is formless.

 The consciousness assumes different forms and shapes and things within the illusion and causes the sense of reality within the illusion.   The ignorance of the consciousness, which is the true self, is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality.   Only when the ignorance vanishes then these things becoming clear and one realizes the fact that, his ego, body and his experience of the universe are also created out of single stuff, which is consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness.   Thus consciousness is the ultimate reality.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the end of the physical knowledge and goal of wisdom.   Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana has no human author because it has to be grasped mentally assimilated and realized.  Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not set of dogma or theories. There is no scope for blindly accepting anything as truth in pursuit of truth. In order to understand and assimilate and realize the ultimate truth one has to employ his reasoning faculty base on the soul (consciousness), which is the true self. 


What is accepted without proper inquiry, analysis and reasoning will not lead the person to the final goal.  On the contrary such acceptance will result only in the assumption, in something which detrimental to one’s spiritual progress. 

One has to inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of ‘I’.  The mind represents the whole physical existence (man + universe).  One has to reflect on the subject over and over again until the conviction becomes firm. 

In the area of scientific knowledge one can bank on the discoveries of the inventor. But it is not so in pursuit of truth. If anyone says, some saint has discovered the ultimate truth in the past, we cannot say that there is nothing for us to do. Everyone has to discover a fresh for himself.    That is why the non-dual truth can never become accessible to everyone unless one discovers on his own. Each one has to testify from his own reasoning to the non-dual truth. 

Deeper inquiry, analysis  and reasoning is beginning of the spiritual quest. It should be followed by constant reflecting what he has grasped and assimilated.  When it starts revolving within the subconscious what he studied – inquiring with the help of sharpened reason the inner dialogue starts.  The ultimate truth has to be grasped through one pointed sharpened reason then only it is possible to realize it.


Most of the non-dual teachings are based on theoretical understanding based on the scriptures.  But the non-dual truth has to be grasped only through individual homework. Armchair theorizing is not the means to Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The consciousness is the root element of the mind or the universe.  From the consciousness the mind or universe comes into existence. In the consciousness the mind or universe resides and into the consciousness mind or the universe is dissolved.  The consciousness is the cause of all that exists as universe (mind) and  Consciousness itself is uncaused.
    
Whatever existed in the past becomes non-existent in the present.  Whatever existing in the present becomes past in the future. Therefore, the past never becomes present and present never becomes future.  Therefore, the past, present and future are time bound. The past, present and future are based on the form. Without the form there is no time and no space.  The form and space exist within the time. If the time ceases then the form and space also ceases.

 Only the consciousness, which is the formless substance and the witness of the past, present and future is permanent and eternal. 

When the reasoning base is established on the base of formless witness it becomes easy to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge.

One sees the water when there is a reflection of the light on the sand, mirage. In dream everything is within the consciousness because the universe of the dream (mind) is in consciousness, yet different, likewise in the waking experience, the whole universe appears in consciousness ( the soul, the innermost self) only. One has to use his common sense in the waking experience. Because one is attached to the  body and the world; he thinks his body and the world are not  the consciousness.

One cannot be aware of his body and the world; and all his individual experience (including something of the past in the form of knowledge based on purely memory also) without the consciousness. Thus, for anything to exist consciousness is the main ingredient, therefore, everything is dependent on consciousness because everything is consciousness. The diversity is reality because; one doesn't consider his body, world and his individual experiences as consciousness. 

The universe is the product of the ignorance. The universe appears as waking or dream(duality)  and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality).  The ignorance  makes one experience the illusion as reality. The waking experience is only an appearance in which the individual perceives the world as a person and it changes every moment, at no time it is unchanging; then where has it disappeared in deep sleep or when the dream experience was on. Deeper self-search  reveals the fact that, the self is  neither the waking entity nor the self is dream entity but  the self  is the formless soul ,which present in the form of consciousness. Then who is the formless soul is  the knower of these three states, which comes and goes in succession.

One has to analyze the mind in waking experience then he will be able to understand this. One mistakes the body to be the matter and everything else as mind. One thinks his body is matter and he cannot understand the fact that, the body including the world (waking) is mere illusion created out of consciousness. Until he thinks the illusion as reality he remains believing the birth, life, death and world as reality. Therefore, it is necessary to know and realize the self is not physical but self is consciousness (soul) to cross the threshold of duality.

Dissolution of the mind (universe), daily in deep sleep, in consciousness (soul), as it has emanated from and in consciousness. The waking experience is converted in to dream and the dream is converted into deep sleep. One does not know this because he does not know the three states are mere illusion and again he is afraid his body and individuality and the world will go. He cannot tolerate to lose his physical existence. Constantly thinking of the birth entity has concretizes the idea of birth, life and death, thus, the physical existence has become actuality. Same way one has to think constantly of the fact that, the self is not physical but formless consciousness to dismantle the physical structure built on the baseless [(formless)foundation.

It is difficult to say body and the world as illusion within the illusion without realizing the fact that, the self is not the form but the self is formless. Only after deeper self-search  one becomes aware of the existence of the formless  witness, which is in the form consciousness and become aware of the fact that,  the physical existence(waking)  is mere mirage created out of consciousness. Therefore, whatever one knows as person of the world is part of the mirage created out of consciousness. When the mirage is created out of consciousness then how the appearance in which man perceives the world can be true.

Just as ice block dissolves into water or ornament in to gold, so the mind (universe) which has emanated from consciousness dissolves as consciousness. Thus, no second thing exits other then consciousness.

The time (the past present and future) is part and parcel of illusion. Until one thinks the self is form, he is bound to experience the time and space as reality. The only away to overcome from the form, time and space (illusion) is to realize the self is not physical but the self is  formless consciousness.

People consider themselves to be knowledgeable because they have read books and well informed about the subject. But all these accumulated knowledge is not wisdom. One can’t get non-dual wisdom from accumulating knowledge.

Whether the knowledge accumulated are  of the scriptures or something from more recently published books are mere pointers to truth but not wisdom. First, whether one is aware of it or not, as he reads he is imposing his own cultural conditioning, biases, experiences, and prior knowledge onto what he is reading; this is how his thinking faculty works. He “makes sense" of new things by associating them with things he already knows.

Most of the time, this is useful. But if the "new thing" is utterly different from anything one has been exposed to before, he is almost certain to distort it to make it fit into pre-existing conceptual boxes. So much of knowledge is about changing perspective, but that's hard to do when he is twisting the knowledge around to fit the perspectives he is already has.

As one goes on digging mentally and on more things will be revealed to him through inner revelation, which makes him get a  firm conviction of what is what.

One has to  mentally grasp the existence of the formless witness (soul or consciousness) of the three states  to realize the three states are mere illusion. And mentally  focusing attention on the formless witness constantly one will be able to establish the reasoning base on the base of formless witness(soul). And when the reasoning base is established on the base of formless witness it becomes easy to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

But it takes much time to establish in consciousness because one has to overcome the physical conditioning by realizing the self is not physical but it is formless.

Realizing the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth in the midst of duality is wisdom

Those who know the consciousness (soul) as the true self and self is not the physical body with the name ,then they are fully aware of the fact that, all the physical based activities are false hood and their reality is reality within the falsehood.    

Therefore, seeing or hearing, touching or smelling, tasting, moving about, sleeping; breathing, speaking and having sex belongs to the physical self within the physical existence(world).

The dream entity and the dream world are created out of consciousness and they are not different from it; similarly the waking world entity and waking world are also created out of consciousness.   When one knows that everything is consciousness than there is no need for yogic control of mind. Control presupposes second, a duality. Hence yoga is in the sphere of duality and is unnecessary to one who knows non-duality

Non dual wisdom requires investigate in to the mind, analyzing the mind, which is in the form of universe and universe appears as waking or dream.  One has to the fact that, the mind rises and subsides from formless source, which is soul or consciousness. The consciousness is the innermost self. Therefore, one has to learn to judge the truth from the standpoint of the source from where the mind rises and subsides, not from the standpoint of the waking entity, which is the false self within the false experience.

As one gets convinced, certain, of the truth that the world is nothing but consciousness, and there is no second thing, then he gets conviction that, all the three states to be consciousness in the midst of duality. Realizing the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth in the midst of duality is wisdom

The consciousness is the sole witness neither appears nor disappears.

To say that each mind is different is unproved because no one have ever seen  the mind. Can one say where it starts and stops, have one measured its thickness? All is supposition, not proof.  Therefore, there is a need to understand the fact that, the mind is not within the body but body and universe are within the mind.   The body and the universe together is mind, which appears as waking or dream (duality)and disappears as deep sleep(non-duality).   

One sees all the objects of the universe, including his  physical body within the waking or dream experience. The waking or dream  passing away like clouds  every moment,  the witness of the three states  is formless and  apart. The three states are unreal, and  the formless  witness or knower of the three states is real and eternal.

One has to know the fact that, the  mind is matter.  And  formless substance of the matter is consciousness. One has to analyze mind and  mentally bifurcating  from it all the three states ,which are ever changing or passing, then  he gets at consciousness.

When one is able to make the distinction between consciousness and mind then he will understand that everything and every living creature, within the waking or dream possess the consciousness. In this sense only, he will come to understand that God is present everywhere, provided God is taken to mean the consciousness.

In all mental operations there are two factors--the knowing capacity (consciousness) and that which is known (mind). The known things are all passing away and are therefore unreal. Without the knowing capacity that is the knower in existence there could have been no such thing as knowing these things.

• v  What is meant by word know?

Knowing implies two factors, the knower or the knowing capacity, or that which becomes aware; and the known. Without these two factors one cannot use the word know. One finds the known always passes away. When one is distinguishing between knower and known, the word Mind(known) is used. When these disappear the word consciousness(knower)] is used just to show that there is something which has not disappeared, as thoughts and objects are seen to disappear. Nobody can see consciousness appearing or disappearing. One can say only that it must have been there.

It is not body alone that constitutes mind, but body plus world that is Waking experience. The formless substance and witness of the Waking experience is consciousness.

As deeper analysis revels the fact that, everything that one has in waking experience, (every thought, feeling, and emotion) is only "a mind” and  will pass away; mind is only the "known". Hence "negating whatever appears and disappears” when examining the contents of mind and says these are passing phenomena and not the soul(consciousness) which is the Witness.

The soul (consciousness) the witness is seeing or knowing the changes, not that soul (consciousness), which is the witness, is changing. The word change is not applicable to Witness that is consciousness. The soul is immortal.  The soul is seeing the mortal; in this sense the soul is the witness of the three states is immortal. There cannot be two witnesses. It is impossible. Change can have a meaning only when there is more than one. Soul (consciousness) being unchanging must be only one.

One knows that changes occur because of the existence of something unchanging. The changing and the unchanging are always present. One has to value experience because but for the Waking experience and its changes, one could not possibly think of the Unchangeable or realize it. Why attach soul (consciousness) to all that changes which constitutes the mind? The very fact that one are constantly thinking shows that mind is always changing.

People do not distinguish between soul and mind. If they knew that everything seen, even the gods, is only an idea they might perceive truth, not otherwise

When one think of the individuality, one knows it also is only consciousness. The soul = subject. The mind = object.

Experience is present only when the mind is present, no matter how exalted it is. Experience never touches the soul, which is the Witness.  The soul(consciousness)  is present in all the three states people foolishly believe that the more they think, the more one will get; but it is really an error. It remains only a thought and gives one back only a thought. Anything seen, observed, cannot be the Witness.

The consciousness is the sole witness neither appears nor disappears.  Appearance and disappearance is mere mirage within the consciousness. If one confines the consciousness to waking entity, inquiry, analysis and reasoning is necessary to understand that ultimately everything is consciousness.    

First consider the mind as a  whole  universe. And the  universe as waking or dream experience. Then consider the waking or dream as an object. Then analyze the three states mentally, and become aware of the existence of the formless witness of the three states, which is not an entity or identity within the waking or dream. It is the formless subject, which witnesses the object. The witness also is the formless substance of the three states. The subject and object are one in essence.  The essence is consciousness, which is second to none.