Soul-centric reason is the highest means of attaining Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana

Seeker of truth has to discriminate between the Self (formless witness (FW)and Non-Self (waking or dream) that is of subject and object relation. This is possible only, if the seeker is aware of the existence of the existence of   Formless witness of the three states.  The witness is  within the three states but it is apart from the three states. Once the existence of the Formless Witness is grasped mentally, it becomes easier for the seeker to discriminate the self from non-self . Formless witness and three states  analysis is the rational and discriminative method of separating the observer (FW), from the object Seen (three states ), the self from the non-self.

There is a need for discrimination  between  three states and  the Formless Witness(self or formless subject ) and the three states  (non-Self  or  object).  The realization of what is real and what is not real  comes after subject and object analysis.  the Formless witness real, and the three states are  ultimately unreal. Realization  of reality brings   liberation from experiencing the unreality as reality.

People think Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  is very difficult to achieve or understand. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana has to be acquired carefully and gradually, through inquiry analysis and reasoning on the true base.

In the past, spirituality was treated not as a separate subject but as a part of religion, but it is not so. Religion is based on the form(ego or waking entity)  and spirituality is based on formless(soul or consciousness). Therefore, spirituality is nothing to do  with religion. 

 Spirituality is a rational inquiry regarding all that is known to exist. Every one, each to the extent to which one's reasoning power admits, is by nature free to exercise this faculty, at whatever stage one may be. One is able to devote himself exclusively to a pursuit of the highest Truth, by means of soul-centric  reason. 

In the ancient time, religious or  Yogic  or mystic discipline, which were not an end in itself, considered to be means for self-realization. But such discipline is almost impossible task for the modern man to adopt. Day by day modern man is becoming aware of the fact that religion and yoga are nothing to do with pursuit of truth. .

 The modern mindset is pre-eminently scientific owing to the great progress that science has made. And the best method of freeing the mind from its inaccurate ways of thinking is to imbue it as fully as possible with the scientific spirit. It is therefore only one who possesses a clear knowledge of its methods and results i.e., who is able to make reason the highest means of inquiry that would be fit for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana .

Vedanta itself admits its highest Truth that is Atman or Brahman cannot be reached by any path other than that of reason and unless the reason is sharper than the ‘Edge of a razor'.

Soul-centric reason  is the highest means of attaining Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Religion, theology, mystic practice and yoga are not the means to acquire Self- Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana .  Absent of reason is absent of wisdom.

 

Man and the universe together is mind. Man and the universe are within the mind.

Mentally tracing the Formless witness of the three states  and realizing the fact that, ‘I’ is not the self but ‘I’ is the mind ,which is in the form of universe and universe appears as   whole waking experience or dream and disappears as deep sleep   is most essential to assimilate the self knowledge. The formless  substance  and the witness  of the three states are one in essence, thus mentally  abiding in that formless nondual essence is  true surrender.

Soul is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the inner most self. Consciousness  is beyond the experience of illusory form,time and space. It is within the  experience of form,time and space  as their  formless substance and it is without the experience of form,time and space  as its formless witness. That which accommodates the  experience of form,time and space  within itself is  soul  or consciousness.

The appearance of birth and death is within the experience  of form,time and space is like watching the T.V serial to the formless witness. The Formless Witness has nothing to do with the happenings within the  experience form,time and space or the universe. 

The form,time and space  appears as waking or dream. The Waking experience is not in any way different from dream. The Formless witness of waking and dream is one and the same.

When the Seeker discovers the true self is not ‘I’ and realizes the fact that,  it is erroneous to identify physical body or ‘I’ as self ,and learns to   identifies with the Soul as self  and   views and judges the worldview on the base of soul as self ,becomes free from experiencing the form,time and space  as reality. 

Man cannot control the mind because man is an experience within the mind,which is in the form of universe. Only when he becomes aware of the existence of the  formless witness he becomes aware of the fact that,  waking experience is mere illusion and formless witness which is  consciousness is the true self.

Man is unaware of the fact that,  he perceives the world within the illusory waking experience. He thinks that all the three states appear to him. He is unaware of the fact that,  the  waking entity was never present in dream or deep sleep. He has the firm conviction that the physical body as self, and becomes ignorant of the true facts.   He experiences the duality as reality, because he limits the mind [I] to his physical entity. Once the Seeker becomes aware of the fact the ‘I’ is whole Waking experience then he tries to trace the formless witness of the Waking experience and realizes the waking experience is mere mirage and tries to trace and grasp the formless witness.

  
The Seeker who knows soul  as self knows what soul  is to Waking experience. If he misses realization of true self, he has not known anything. Therefore, it very much necessary for the Seeker set his base of seeking in order before indulging in pursuit of truth to understand and grasp the reality of his true  existence without any fetters and barricades.

Names, forms, world, god, religion, scriptures, belief, exists only within the Waking experience. Origin of waking experience is the formless core which is Ataman. Without the Ataman the witness, the Waking experience ceases to exist. Therefore, Seeker has to trace the formless witness of the Waking experience in order to grasp the nondual truth.

Words betray their hollowness. The soul or consciousness cannot be described; it must be discovered and realized. However, what the words try to convey is only helpful to grasp the truth. The truth has to be grasped and realized.

  
Seeker has to know the 'I’ is only as the whole Waking experience, not as the body self. Furthermore, waking experience is a mirage. The witness of the mirage is Formless. Only by intellectual understanding one cannot drop its physical based conditioning. It is very much necessary reflecting and pounding constantly in this matter to overcome the illusory duality.

Prior to the appearance of ‘I’, what was ‘I’? It did not exist as ‘I’, and then what was it. What is this ‘self’ without the ‘I’? ‘I’ is only a notion or mirage. Witness of [knower] the ‘I’ is eternal. Therefore the witness of ‘I’ is eternal not the ‘I’.

Whatever experienced as waking experience [I] is not the experience of the waking entity because waking entity and the waking world are with the waking experience.  The   witness is that which witnesses the waking or dream as a whole without the physical apparatus.  The witness is the formless soul, which is in the form of consciousness. The Formless witness of the three states [I] is real, apart and eternal. And without the formless witness the three states ceases to exist, because the formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. The essence is consciousness.  There is no second thing exists other than consciousness.

Without the formless witness, there is no Waking experience. the Formless witness [consciousness] can exist with the  dream or Waking experience[duality] and it exist without the  dream waking experience in deep sleep[non-duality]   thus it witnesses the three states without the physical apparatus.  

Just like the dream is witnessed by formless witness, so also the waking experience is been witnessed by the same formless witness [consciousness]. Therefore, it is very much necessary to verify and realize that the man is not experincer but man is part of the waking experience, just like in the dream. The dream is parallel waking experience. In addition, waking experience is parallel dream. The Seeker who  constantly reflect on its formless witness with earnestness and firm determination  will able to  get freedom from experiencing the waking experience as reality .

Man and his world are present only within the Waking experience. Therefore, it is very much necessary for one to investigate the ‘I’, which represents the whole Waking experience.

Man and the universe together is mind. Man and the universe are within the mind. They are absent when the mind is absent. Mind [I] appears and disappears. The knower of the appearance and disappearance is the soul or  consciousness.

When the Seeker grasps and assimilates the fact that the ‘I’ is Waking experience and waking experience is mind. Waking experience is not the experience of the waking entity [ego] but of the Formless consciousness. As his conviction about it increases, he gradually realizes the fact that,  the formless  witness and three states  are one in essence and  then he will be able to  mentally  drop the idea of  duality  and  prevail in nondual self-awareness in the midst of  diversity or duality.

In pursuit of truth there is no need for physical based practices, on hardship of studying scriptures, no indulgence in religious based rituals, and no need of guru or gods grace. The Seeker has to establish firmly, by clear understanding and realization by removing all physical based fetters and barricades, and  completely cuts the identification with the waking entity   establish in awareness of  the innermost self ,which is  soul or consciousness.

The nondual truth is not acquired from the world; it is hidden within the Waking experience. Seeker has to discover it by clear understanding by discovering what all is not truth. When Seeker realizes what all is not truth then the [Ataman] formless substance of the waking experience will prevail as ultimate reality.

  
Discovering the formless substance [consciousness] of the Waking experience and realizing it as ultimate reality is goal of the pursuit of truth. For this purpose the religion, god or scriptures are not needed. Since, they become a barricade in realizing the truth.

The truth reveals when the duality becomes illusion. When the seeker becomes aware of the fact that ‘I’ is an object to the formless witness then the illusion ceases to exist as reality. There is no second thing other then soul or consciousness  in the whole experience of diversity. The whole the Waking experience is based on Atman. The whole ignorance is due to considering the physical body as witness.

In reality, there is only one witness from which the Waking experience has arisen. When the ‘formless witness’ becomes Aware of itself the Waking experience never existed, it is only a mirage or dream on the standpoint of formless witness. The Waking experience is dependent on the formless witness not in the physical body. Therefore, whatever believed and followed or accumulated as knowledge on physical based is myth.

In order to overcome the illusory waking experience the Seeker inquires, analyzes and reasons steadfastly to the nature of the mind or ‘I’. Such inquiry analyzing and reasoning helps in by passing the whole Waking experience based on the physical attention.

The Seeker s focus is turned on its formless nondual substance of waking experience will finally merge in to the real substance [consciousness] from which it is made of.

Freeing from the waking experience is freeing from duality.  Through religious rituals and studying the scriptures and practicing yoga duality will not cease.  Therefore, all the religion and its doctrine and concept of god and all physical based activities are the cause of great obstacle in pursuit of truth.

Inquiry and reasoning is the direct and infallible means of being aware of the ever-present and all enveloping formless witness. Since the duality is caused by ignorance of the true self. Inquiry and reasoning on the true base helps the Seeker. Seeker enables his unifocal attention on the very point where the waking experience starts. It is up to each Seeker to use this potent tool to live a life, which is free from the illusion cycle of birth, life and death and pleasure and pain.  Soul or consciousness the true self will remain untouched by time.

All searches ends when the Seeker becomes aware of the existence of the formless witness. The truth that reveals will replace, envelops, and fills the space occupied by the Waking experience or illusion . The Waking experience that is ‘I’ vibrantly silent immersed steadily in the Formless witness which is soul or consciousness.

It is erroneous to inquire and reason on the waking entity[ego]   as self and try to assimilate the self knowledge.

By inquiring Who am ‘I?’ will not yield result because it exposes the fallacy of only the form.

People still think visiting gurus, saints and sages and yogis and indulging in god and guru glorification and yogic practice and meditation they get enlightenment. But all these are only for the people who are unable to investigate through inquiry and reasoning about the reality of their true existence. 

• ·          How the God and the universe can exist without the man? 

The universe and the idea of God are dependent on the man for their existence. Therefore it is necessary to investigate one’s own existence to verify the existence of God.

Man ceases to exist without the mind. Therefore it proves that man, god, and universe cease to exist without the mind. And it also it proves that all these things together is mind.  Thus the experience of duality which present as waking state is mind. Mind which appears and disappears, means it becomes dual and non-dual. Therefore it is for the seeker to discover and realize what is mind in order to unfold the mystery of his own existence. 

People are thinking by killing the ego one can get enlightenment therefore they involve in all types of acrobats prescribed by the religious scriptures, gurus and yogis.  But is it is impossible to overcome the ego alone . Ego man and the world idea of god and whatever known and seen are within the mind. And mind is Waking experience. Therefore one has to overcome the mind or universe or duality  in order to realize the true identity which is non-dual  soul or the consciousness.

Man has to make sure whether he is man or mind through inquiry and reasoning then only he will become aware of the fact that, he is not a man but mind. man and universe together is mind.   thus all the content of the universe has to be identified as mind. Therefore his physical identity that is ‘I’ is not Self. Therefore, searching the self by inquiring Who am ‘I?’ will not yield result because it exposes the fallacy of only the form. one has to realize the fallacy of for,time and space than only  the non-dual wisdom dawns. people are stuck with some teacher or teaching without  investigating the whole truth.  thus they never reach ultimate end of understanding.  

Sankara was criticized for his views on Maya (illusion) without understanding him. He said that (1) Brahman (the Self) is real (2) the universe is unreal, and (3) Brahman is the universe. He did not stop at the second because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the ‘Self’ and unreal if perceived as apart from the Self. Hence Maya or illusion and reality are one and the same. 

The realists criticize the concept of illusion without understanding it. He said that

(1)  SOUL or  Consciousness (the innermost  Self) is real

  (2) The universe or mind is unreal, and

(3) Consciousness is the mind or universe, because universe or mind is mere illusion created out of consciousness.  

 

 One need not stop at the second because the third explains the other two. It signifies that the universe is real if perceived as the Self (consciousness) and unreal if perceived as apart from the Self (consciousness). Hence illusion and reality are one and the same because both are one in essence. Realizing the essence, which is consciousness as the innermost Self, is Self-Realization or Truth- Realization of GOD- Realization. Thus Sri, Sankara‘s declaration is rational truth, scientific truth and also ultimate truth

Seeker has  to grow from the inside out. None can teach him, none can make him  spiritual. There is no other guru but his  own soul.”

Self-knowledge or Atma Gnana or Brahma Gnana cannot be attained by one who is without strength or earnestness or without the receptiveness and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth. If a serious seeker strives sincerely by means of inquiry, analysis and soul- centric reasoning, he will be able to realize it.

It is only seekers sincerity and earnestness in his spiritual pursuit, the knowledge started revealing on its own.  Anyone who has humility and patience and is sincere and ready to drop their accumulated dross and receptive to accept the truth will enter non-dual Self-Awareness when his conviction becomes firm.

It is very much necessary to know what mind is.   Than only it is possible  to realize the fact that, man and his experience of the universe and his idea of god and religion and whatever seen and known are part of the illusory experience which is present as Waking experience . The witness and the substance of the illusory Waking experience is formless and non-dual that is soul or consciousness. 

Seeker has  to discover and realize the reality of his true existence in lesser time and effort without the help of religion, god glorification or yogic practice. There is no need to  condemn yoga or religion or its gurus or god . Religion and yoga  are helpful in manipulating the ups and downs of practical  life  within the practical world therefore they are all part of the illusory Waking experience.

Consciousness is the true self.  Consciousness  is formless and non-dual in its nature.  The guidance is necessary in truth pursuit for beginners. It is not compulsion that one must have guru. If the seeker is receptive and able to grasp the knowledge of the self then the self itself will help him to overcome the ignorance and abide in it.

Religious idea of guru glorification is not needed in truth pursuit. Since everything is consciousness  and there is no second thing other than consciousness , thus whatever source one gets knowledge and guidance it is from the self itself . which is formless consciousness hence self itself is the guru.

Guidance is necessary in matter pertaining to the mind and that is futile to seek guidance matter beyond it. Through soul-centric reasoning  one will be able to  to remove the obstructions to the knowledge about one’s true identity and seeker will be able to find out the truth for himself.

What one finds to be unreal and changing is still an idea and therefore consciousness in the end

Ultimately there is no death when one can look so on all the three states as being consciousness in their substance. It is thus one conquers death, thus he sees the three states in soul, hence true self as consciousness or soul.

 The purpose of illness and suffering is the same as the purpose of death. They teach one that everything is in flux, vanishing and transient: in the past one was strong and healthy; today he is weak and ill and suffering. What became of his health? It is the same problem of as what became of the faded colour of a beautiful flower? The lesson of all three states are transiency, of all illness, is that the body is only an idea. 

What one finds to be unreal and changing is still an idea and therefore consciousness in the end. Thus converting the universe into unreality is a necessary half-stage to converting it to Reality. But it is only a stage and one should not stop there.

How does one know that self is not the body?

 1. Body and the world   is seen by self (formless witness) as an object.

2. It has all the characteristics of witnessed (seen) i.e. it is changing gradually and Self (formless witness) witnessing the changes.

All talk of illusion is only a tentative position. It is for those who cannot think of Mind by itself, who cannot detach Formless Witness from witnessed (three states). In truth, however, illusion is only an idea, and ideas are only consciousness.  

The seeker of truth has to look for the formless substance of the three states. Formless Witness is the formless substance of the three states.

v  Who or what  knows the three states?

The soul/self knows the three states. 

The duality can exist only in mind or ’I’. Unless the soul or consciousness   is there, there  would not have been the three states.

What one can say is only that three states appear and disappear in the soul or consciousness or self.

v  What is appearance and disappearance?

 These are mere mirage within the consciousness or soul.

v  What is Mind?

It is objective awareness.

v  Where do these three states stand? Can it stand in the void?

 No. There should be a substratum for the three states to stand on and this is the soul/self. Ataman/soul cannot be indicated by words for words indicate ideas and it is only that in which the three states comes and goes. One can grasp the three states in the soul/self.

v  What is the relation between the three states and the Ataman?

There is no relation.  The three states are object and the soul/self is the subject.

Anything can be contradicted in waking/dream, but not that which knows the three states. Hence that Formless Witness is the truth. This non-contradictability characteristic exists because all the other things pass away, but Formless Witness, consciousness or soul or true self does not change and it is eternal.

Three states come and go; now the state arises and disappears: the states change and vanish in succession:

v  What has become of the states? What is state?

 State is that which has no independent existence; it can't stand alone.

v  Where does it go?

It goes back into consciousness or   soul or self.  Hence the first stage is to see the three states as illusion/mirage; the higher stage is to see it as essence of Mind and realize it to be the  consciousness or soul.

One must not fallaciously say soul is immortal merely because he cannot see it die. This is bad logic. Because a thing cannot be disproved, this does not prove it to be true. To prove immortality one has to rise higher he has to go to the more advanced state of understanding. 

What has become of the dream of last night? It was reality until waking took place it was only a passing experience. If dream was real where it is now, after it disappeared? If dream was a real and not mirage why one cannot locate it again? Hence the meaning of change is that it is only appearances. 

Man unconsciously superimpose the permanence of the  consciousness or soul upon the flux of the visible world, and thus deceive himself. This is illusion. The sense of reality and permanence which one ascribes to the appearance arises from within formless  soul or self. It is a genuine sense but it is misapplied.

The first stage is to regard all three states as an object, and separate them from the soul or self which is the subject. But this is tentative and is for those who still labour under the ego-complex. The next and higher stage is to see all the three states as consciousness  because their substance and witness is consciousness, then one no longer turn away from them; all is then ‘soul or consciousness’.

 If one analyzes the three states, he will find that ultimately there is only one substance, one thing which changes into all these different states. One then go further and say that this unitary substance can be traced to consciousness or soul.

The seeker of truth has to look for the formless substance of the three states. Formless Witness is the formless substance of the three states. The thinking faculty is present only in experience of diversity [waking or dream] and limited to the individuality, hence never towards the formless witness of the three states. Anything that one may say, any answer he may receive, it will be in the waking or dream: it will never approach their formless witness. Hence objectiveness implies duality. Ideation implies duality, and duality denies the real. 

Unless one grasp that the three worlds are mere mirage, there is no other way of proceeding to the higher truth of non duality.

All the past history of the world is now only a series of accumulated ideas. Thus what one consider so real now  is known a little later as idea. Everything in this waking is being converted into ideas constantly.  

The first stage is to know the three states are an object to the formless witness which is the subject; the higher stage is to inquire what they are and to know all ideas are only mirage.

Death means conversion of the three states considered real into its true substance.

 Death is the problem which faces every man; he cannot escape and therefore ought to study it. This study of what death means is pursuit of truth! But what is it that knows these things as dying, these three states as appearing and vanishing? That Witness is what we call the consciousness or soul: that does not pass away and hence does not die. In this sense one can see all these three states which vanish, vanishes only back into consciousness or soul and live perpetually therein.