The rituals and beliefs are road blocks in realizing the self

As one goes deeper in his investigation he becomes aware of the fact that:-

The rituals mentioned in Karmakhanda of Vedas are sought to be negated in the Jnanakhanda, which is also part of the same scriptures. While Karmakhand enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and  lays down the rules for the same, Jnanakhanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules worshiper of deities as dim-witted person no better than the beast. 

This seems strange, the latter part of Vedas contradicting the former part.  The first part deals throughout with karma, while the second or concluding part is all about Jnana. Owing to difference, people have gone so far as to divide into two sections:  the Vedas [that is the first part] to the mean the Karmakhanda and Upanishads [Vedanta] to mean the Jnanakanda.

In Gita Lord Krishna lashes out against the Karmakhanda. It is not Buddha and Mahavira were first attacked the Vedas but Lord Krishna himself spoke against them before Buddha and Mahavira.

 In Gita, 18.46 Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: - the Vedas are associated with three qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. One must transcend these qualities. Full of desire, the practitioners of Vedic rituals long for paradise and keep thinking of pleasure and material prosperity.  They are born again and again and their minds are never fixed on Samadhi, these men cling to Vedic rituals.   

 In another passage Lord Krishna declares: - Not by Vedas am I to be not realized, nor by sacrifices, nor by much study…..”

Sri Sankara says in Aproksh Anubooti: -    143. Thus has been described Raja-Yoga consisting of these steps (mentioned above). With this is to be combined Hatha-Yoga for (the benefit of) those whose worldly desires are partially attenuated.

144. For those whose mind is completely purified this (Raja-Yoga) alone is productive of perfection. Purity of the mind, again, is speedily accessible to those who are devoted to the teacher and the Deity.

But in commentary on Brihadaranyakopanishad -page 132-133 - Sankara definitely says that, Yoga is not the means of liberation.  There are so many contradictions from the same author in his work.  Therefore, there is deeper investigation is necessary before accepting anything as truth.  

Yogi takes for granted that there is an Iswara--God, gives it to people for concentration purposes, and then they naturally find God in their meditations. But it is only his imagined God. 

Mystics see what they are looking for or that whose existence they presuppose. Therefore Yoga belongs to illusion, not truth. 

God is mere belief; no one has proved that there is a God. No one has proved that the individual is God or Brahman.  Personal experience which is not universally valid is no proof, neither is ecstatic feeling.

What one knows must be tested, to see if it be true or not. Experience must be taken, checked, analized and corrected. It is the characteristic of all human beings to believe they understand, even when they do not. Otherwise he may be merely imagining as he like. 

The reasoning base has to be rectified from form to formless to get faultless judgment.  The defective interpretation is to apply it only to waking state. The correct interpretation is to apply it to the three states. The latter leads to final settlement of the problems because it takes all data into consideration.  Opinions belong to scholasticism. And opinions are of no use in pursuit of truth. 

If one has a belief, it is because somebody else believes it; or the majority believes it--or it is his own experience. Is it religious authority or religious sanction or is it based upon a feeling of certainty.

People believe it merely because it is for them to believe and very difficult for them to reason.  The belief makes one more and more ignorance of the true self. Without realizing the true self is not the physical but the formless soul, the true will not be revealed.  The belief system rests on the belief because it is based on the belief. The truth is based on the reason not on the belief.  Nearly all people want their own imagination, not truth.

So long as one believes his body and the universe is real he is bound to believe in the belief system and yogic theory.   Until one believes in  the belief system, he will indulge in worship of deities so as to vouchsafed happiness in worldly life.  Thinking deities to be real is cause of the creation  is  the cause of ignorance. 

Rituals are indeed not the means to realize the self.  The rituals and beliefs are road blocks in realizing the self. People are not honest to admit that, they are not matured enough to for self-realization even after indulging sincerely enough in rituals and sacrifices prescribed by their belief system.  The discipline prescribed by the belief system is not the means for self-realization because they are based on the false self, within the false experience. 

Thus through ignorance arises in Consciousness the delusion of the universe, which, again, through Self-realization, one becomes aware that it is mere mirage created out of consciousness.

When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Consciousness, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, then there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. 

The dream experience is unreal in waking, whereas the waking experience is absent in dream. Both, however, are non-existent in deep sleep which, again, is not experienced in either.

Thus all the three states are unreal inasmuch as they are the creation of ignorance of the true self; but their witness or the reality behind them is, beyond three states is Consciousness, which is eternal.

People perform all their actions in and through consciousness, but on account of ignorance they are not aware of it. Because of ignorance people do not know that universe and other all its contents are nothing but consciousness.

As indicated in ISH Upanishads: - By worshiping 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.

It clearly indicates that:-If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual gods, goddesses and gurus to go in to deeper darkness. Instead   spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge without the religious and yogic baggage, which is one’s prime goal.  

No one has ever seen the coming and going of the universe, which is in the form of the mind

 No one has ever seen the coming and going of the universe, which is in the form of the mind, because he exists within the universe. All individual experiences happen within the universe, which is mind.    The mind or universe appears as waking or dream and disappear as deep sleep. The formless substance of the universe or mind is always present in all the three states. Cities and people   may multiply in one’s dream, but the mind itself does not therefore increase or gain. Yet the cities and people are none other than the Mind-Stuff itself.  Thus universe or mind is mere illusion on the standpoint of the formless substance, which is consciousness.  

When one regards three states as an object, then he must know that there is a formless subject which sees or knows them. In this sense only do we think of the formless witness. Hence object is a necessity in order to point to the existence of the formless witness. When one does not regard objects as object he loses the knowledge that there is a formless subject.

People cannot think of the Mind without some object, thought etc. contained in it; they cannot believe in consciousness apart from the contents of consciousness. People regard objects only as material. One has to regard the thoughts and experience also as part of the object, because they are part of the three states, which are an object to the formless subject.  The ignorant have no idea of a subject and hence never seek for it.

Only by discrimination between real and unreal mentally the truth will be revealed. It means separating subject from object mentally.

Being means a thing is. How does one know his body and the universe exist? How does he know about his thoughts? It is the witness that gives him the idea of being but he is unaware of the fact that the he exists within the universe and his thoughts and his individual experiences are happening within the universe, which is an object to the formless subject.  

Scientists think only of the universe and they think man is the subject and everything else is an object; the thought that such a thing as the formless witness also exists never strikes them.

One has to give up whatever object, idea or thought he has, and then only he realizes the ultimate truth. When one gives up the mind or universe ['I'] he gets non-dual truth. One has to detach mentally from the mind or universe by realizing the formless witness is the true self, which is in the form of consciousness.  

The knower of the appearance and disappearance, which is consciousness, alone, will prevail as ultimate reality

Without knowing 'what is mind', one cannot accept the theory of the multiplicity of minds, because everything is within the universe and the universe is in the form of mind.  Thinking the mind is within the physical apparatus, is cause of the ignorance. Therefore, there is a need to understand “What is mind?” and “What is the substance of the mind” in order to understand, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth.

 The   multiples mind is unproven hypothesis. No one has ever seen the mind. So to say each mind is different, is unproved. No one can say where it starts and stops or measured its thickness. All claims are mere is supposition, not proof.

 The universe and the body are mere object to the subject.  One sees the objects within the universe, which is an object not the subject.    Universe and body, which is in the form of mind (I) is an object. Mind or universe is mere mirage, passing away every moment, hence unreal.

Deeper investigation reveals the fact that something that is never passing away; hence if one understands this one becomes aware of the Real.  Therefore, there is a need for deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning they will come to non-dualistic Truth. The universe, which is in the form of mind, will disappear as consciousness, which is the true self. 

Hence, one should not to get attached to the body and the universe, which are mere mirage created out of consciousness. Not only the individuals will change and die, but the universe in which they exist also disappears and the knower of the appearance and disappearance, which is consciousness, alone, will prevail as ultimate reality.  

The mind itself is matter. Thus analyzing the mind is necessary. By taking away the objects which are ever changing or passing, one gets at consciousness.

When one is able to make the distinction between formless witness and three states he will understand that all the three states possess the one witness. In this sense only, he will come to understand that consciousness is present everywhere. People talk of God is present everywhere provided God is taken to mean the consciousness.

Within the waking or dream there are two factors of mental faculties --the knowing capacity and that which is known. The knowing capacity is the subject and the known is an object.    The known which are object all passing away and are therefore unreal.

 Without the knowing capacity (subject) i.e. the knower in existence there could have been no such thing as knowing these things. 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 the word “know” has no meaning.

The known [object] always passes away. When one is distinguishing between knower and known, he uses the word Mind. When these disappear we use the word consciousness just to show that there is something which has not disappeared, as thoughts and objects are seen to disappear. Nobody can see consciousness (subject) appearing or disappearing. One can say only that it must have been there.  The consciousness can prevail with or without the object (illusion).

It is not body alone that constitutes man, but body plus universe, which is in the form of mind or waking or dream.  The mind [waking or dream] is mere mirage created out of consciousness. One becomes aware of this fact through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning.

The universe is within the mind. Thus the mind means universe. Every thought, feeling, and emotion is only "mind” and will pass away. Mind is only the "known or an object.  Thus, whatever is within the mind which is in the form of universe are unreal, because the mind or universe are mere mirage created out of consciousness. Thus the birth, life and death which happen within the universe are mere illusion.

Only when examining the contents of mind one becomes aware universe (mind) passing phenomena and not the witness which is consciousness.

The self, is in the form of consciousness is seeing or knowing the changes, not that it is changing. The word change is not applicable to self, which is consciousness. The consciousness is immortal. Consciousness is witnessing seeing the mortal or universe; in this sense the self (witness) immortal. There cannot be two selves. It is impossible. Change can have a meaning only when there is more than one. Self, which is in the form of consciousness being unchanging, must be only One.

One has to know the fact that, changes occur because of the existence of something unchanging. The changing and the unchanging are always present within the three states, but one is unaware of the consciousness, is unchanging reality.  

People value experience because they are unaware of the fact that, the experience is mere illusion. The universe and the body are mere an experience.  Same way as the dream is an experience; the waking also is an experience. The witness of the experience is always apart.

 The universe and its changes, one could not possibly think of the Unchangeable or realize it. The consciousness is not limited to the object. Because the object is an illusion created out of the subject (consciousness).  The object (universe or mind) is impermanent and subject (consciousness) is permanent.

 People do not distinguish between the subject (soul or consciousness) and the object (three states). If they knew that the three states are mere object, is only an illusion they might perceive truth, not otherwise.

The three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness. The three states are reality on the base of false self. On the base of the witness they are falsehood.

Waking experience is only a mirage, no matter how exalted it is. The witness never touches the witnessed, but remains always within the object. Whatever seen, known or observed, cannot be the consciousness /the Witness.

The universe or mind is the matter. The mind is known not the knower. The known is an object and that which knows is the subject. One has to analyze mind known (universe or mind) and knower (consciousness) to conclude that the universe is only mental. Thereby deeper analysis he discovers that both mind and soul/self are one in essence.

Consciousness is only another name for self. The consciousness does not change; its contents change, and the self is aware of the changes.

One has to distinguish between the knower and the known. That is the formless witness (knower)   and the three states(known).

The duality itself is mere illusion.

Why distinction should imply contradiction? What does distinction mean? It implies that two things are not the same, hence duality exists there.

What is the soul as different from mind? Soul is only a mental picture within the duality. Even if one says that he is immortal and exist eternally, only in duality he can say it i.e. The duality itself is mere illusion.

Illusion never reaches the self, which is consciousness. The false self never knows it. He who says he has a vision of the highest or describes it as super consciousness etc. does not understand consciousness, because it is free from all  imaginations, because it exists prior to all experience and imagination.

Ordinarily knowledge arises from experience of object by a subject; that all knowledge of objects will only lead to more thinking but never gives one the ultimate reality.

Most thinkers think that, by trying and getting more and more objective experiences and then when they have enough they may get reality. But they can never get at ultimate truth that way, because it leads to endless thoughts and because he ignores the formless witness, one must make the inquiry into formless witness to find reality.  One need not give up his  investigations into objects; they are useful empirically; but only that one should not delude him-self that it is the correct path to final Reality.

No one has ever seen the awakening of consciousness, because consciousness is prior to anything that exists.  No one has seen god creating the universe with all its contents, because he did not exist prior to Gods creation. Such talks are mere speculated hypothesis.

Yogi thinks of his body that is chakras. He imagines thee are chakras within his body, when he sits down to meditate, he is thinking his body; next he is trying to get rid of thoughts i.e. he is already thinking of those thoughts. Thus he never becomes aware of the witness because he is only aware of the witnessed. Thus any physical practice becomes bondage.   The ultimate truth lies beyond the body and experience of the world.

One can get only a thought with thinking. Meditation is only an effort to divert the attention; it is mere imagination. Remaining with or without the thoughts is not wisdom.   When one’s attention is riveted to an object within the waking or dream, he is unaware of the subject, which is consciousness. Waking or a dream are mere an object to the subject, which is consciousness.

When one absorbed in thinking of anything, he forget the subject, which is consciousness, the true self, that which sees the objects [three states]. One may think for thousand years but it is all thoughts within the object [waking or dream], hence not consciousness [the subject]. But when one asks: - who is the witness [subject]   of the three states [object]; he does get consciousness, the knower, and the witness of the three states. The formless witness is the eternal.

The mind shines as the entire Universe

Consciousness is the secret essence is hidden within this mind.  The mind shines as the entire Universe. The whole universe which is in the form of mind is consciousness. The mind [universe] is mere mirage on the standpoint of true self, which is consciousness.  Thus consciousness alone is real all else is mere mirage created out of consciousness. Yogis, ascetics, celibates -- all are lost seeking the secret essence in endless guises.

Yogis and pundits perfectly parrot the scriptures and holy books, blinded by knowledge. Their pilgrimage, and fasting, and striving but delude. Despite their perfect practice, they discover no destination.

Only the Gnani who knows the true self is not physical but self is consciousness has realized the Ultimate truth. By Realizing the fact the body and world are mere mirage created out of consciousness, and one has found his freedom from experiencing the duality as reality, while teachers trapped in tradition know only the mirage   in the mirror.