By Identifying the formless self as 'I' or 'I AM' blocks the realization of ultimate truth or Brahman***

The consciousness is the one Truth, and a Gnani is a person who had realized this Soul as the Self, but outwardly he views worldview on dualistic standpoint.

 As a seeker one is aware of only the physical (false) aspect of the consciousness and then by a gradual process of reasoning  strengthen the foundations of the spiritual (real) aspect of the  consciousness.

The 'Self' of all, cannot be a  Person.  By  Identifying the formless  self as 'I' or 'I AM'   blocks the realization of ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus,  one has to stop identifying the 'Self' as 'I' or 'I AM ,which personifies the formless Self.

The waking or dream is an individual and the sum total of all waking or dreams is the consciousness. In the waking or dream, ignorance is predominant, but the consciousness controls illusion composed of ignorance and knowledge and independently projects this mind, which contains the world of moving and immovable things out of itself. 

But consciousness transcends the individual and collective aspects, the waking or dream, and the Soul. In the Soul, which is in the form of the  consciousness there is no part. It is for the sake of easy comprehension that parts have been imagined in It.

The waking or dream and the universe are merely mirage created out of consciousness. That the mind consists only of name and form. It endures only so long as there are name and form. When through inquiry, analysis and reasoning name and form are dissolved, and then only the transcendent consciousness prevails.

 Then the separate reality of  the waking experience or the universe (mind) is felt no longer remains as reality. Then it is realized that one is the ultimate truth. The real nature of the mind   is consciousness. When the veil of name and form vanishes through wisdom, then that idea is simply realized.

By limiting the consciousness to the physical body one remains ignorant of the fact that, the consciousness is, which is the true 'Self' pervades in everything and everywhere in the physical existence.  By limiting the consciousness to the physical he remains in doubts and confusion about his own formless true existence.  

Only through inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the formless base he has to understand, assimilate and grasp the non-dual truth. Whatever he thinks on the base of physical self  or waking entity  must be limited to the physical existence or the mind. 

It is the natural tendency of man to argue, from the base of the physical self (waking entity or ego) because man  and his experience of the  world are product of ignorance. The truth is beyond the physicality, therefore, one has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the base of the formless soul, the innermost Self, in order to overcome the ignorance. It is necessary to analyze the truth on the base of the Soul, in order to assimilate the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana.

Man can only think of his ideal as a human being. When buffeted by sorrow in this world of disease and death he is driven to desperation and helplessness, then he seeks refuge with someone, relying on whom he may feel safe. But where is that refuge to be found? The omnipresent soul, which depends on nothing else to support it, is the only Refuge. 

At first, man does not find that. When discrimination and dispassion arise in the course of his quest for truth, he comes to know it. But in whatever way he may progress on the path of truth, he is unconsciously awakening consciousness within him. But there are no other means other than the path of wisdom. 

Those who have faith in the Personal God will not be able to grasp the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth because they are holding on to that idea of god imagined on the base of physical self, waking entity or ego. Sincere and serious seekers will be able to the awakening of consciousness within through wisdom. The knowledge of self is the one goal of the truth seeker. 

Various ideas are the various paths will not lead to  the on-dual destination. Although the real nature of the mind is consciousness, still as he has identification consciousness with physical body, is cause of the suffering from all sorts of doubts and difficulties and experiences the pleasure and pain as a  reality.

Everything within the waking or dream is creation of the consciousness. No one can escape the illusory experience of birth, life, death and the world until they realize  his identity with the Soul,which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the desire for freedom becomes very strong, and along with it comes the inner grace then man's desire for Self -Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  becomes intensified. Otherwise men given to lust and greed never inclines that way. How should the desire to know ultimate truth arise in one who has the hankering  for the pleasures of family life, for wealth and for fame? 

 He who is prepared to renounce the ignorance will be able to grasp the non-dual truth. Who is immersed in strong current of the duality believing it as reality without verify the facts will never be receptive to assimilate the Self - knowledge Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. He alone by the might of sword of Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana   will be able to break the barriers of illusion.

Absent of ego is absent of words, thoughts, world and contradictions.

Pursuit of truth is not for those who are time conscious, because along with time they are conscious of form and space, whereas the truth is beyond form, time and space. Therefore, it is difficult for those who are conscious of time to grasp the truth, expounded through my writing.  I  humbly request everyone  whatever I write should not be accepted as truth without verification.  when one start verifying through deeper thinking and and analyzing , than it  takes  him to the core of his existence.


All the contradictions are based on the ego.  The thoughts and words are present when the ego is present.  Absent of ego is absent of words , thoughts, world and contradictions.

 Most people think, what they know is truth, because each one of us interprets knowledge we knows in terms of our existing knowledge. And many have made a preconceived yardstick holding some teacher or teaching as the yardstick, because of that they are unable to accept anything as truth other than their accepted truth. But the truth lies beyond all the teaching and teacher.  Teaching and teaches are mere pointers towards truth. It is for the seeker to verify all the facts and move forward and realize the truth.


Even Upanishad say:-

  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. [Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20]


Mundaka Upanishad  :-

This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Ataman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. [    3 –page-70 Mundaka Upanishad  Upanishads by Nikilanada]

When the Upanishads say:-

It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals its own form.  Then what is the use of indulging through our intelligence or our accumulated knowledge, when one is not chosen by the self, which is the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.

One has to be very familiar with his inner core, which is holding the whole physical existence, which contains the universe ‘

If   one knows what exactly consciousness is, then there is nothing to know and argue about, he is  already a  Gnani, any argument makes one  ignorant of the consciousness, because all the arguments are based on the ignorance.  Ignorance hides the reality, which is consciousness.

As ice and clouds are not different from water, so the mind emanating from the soul[consciousness] is not different from it.

As ice and clouds are not different from water, so the mind emanating from the soul(consciousness)  is not different from it. The mind (three states) emanating from the soul (consciousness) means mind being the effect from the soul [consciousness] is not different from it. Analysis shows it. Analysis needs thinking. The ice and clouds have form; but where is the form in the water. Where did the form come from? All that one can say is that the water is not different from the ice and cloud. The mind is same as the soul, as the water produces the ice and clouds, so the soul (consciousness) produces the experiences of the three states. 

One has to know this through analysis. As cloth when analyzed, is found to be noting but thread, so this mind, when duly considered, is nothing but consciousness (soul). 

As one start analyzing deeply through inquiry and reasoning he becomes aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but it is consciousness. Thus, judging the truth on the physical base is erroneous because the self is not physical. Thus the reasoning base has to be rectified. Therefore, one has to rectify the reasoning base from form to formless, and then only it is possible to overcome all the obstacles which is blocking the realization of the ultimate reality.

When one refuses to inquire and reason and wants the truth on his own terms and conditions, on the base of his accepted truth, then it is impossible to cross the threshold of duality. They will remain satisfied with their preconceived speculated truth.

Deeper analysis revels that matter is mere division created within the consciousness. When the division is identified with name and form it becomes a thought. When consciousness is identified with name and form then there is duality. The duality creates sense of reality in fragmented consciousness. 

When one discern truth on base of ego must also understand ultimate truth cannot be held onto; it can only be discerned in moment to moment experiences, for the truth of one moment is not the truth of another. Wherein one moves from one moment with a concept of truth into another, the next moment is entered into a prejudice based on the old moment´s truth, and in that prejudice, he is incapable of discerning truth of this new moment because he is still in the shackles of physicality. The physical truth is mere intellectuality based on speculation. Intellectual truth makes one egocentric and he gets emotionally involved with the teacher or teaching or theories or scriptures and will remain in pursuit of speculation.

The ultimate truth is beyond form, time and space. To understand and assimilate the ultimate truth one has to first realize the fact that, the self is not physical but self is consciousness, which is formless.

If one realizes the fact that the self is formless, then seeking truth and trying to understand and assimilate the truth on the base of the form as self, is erroneous. Therefore the reasoning base has to be rectified from form to formless in order to understand and assimilate non dual truth. 

If one does not want to fully inquire and verify the facts, he cannot know the fact that he and his experience of the world is mere illusion created out of consciousness. If one becomes aware of the fact that, the consciousness [soul] is the true self, than he realizes, whatever he has seen, known, believed and experienced as a person is mere illusion.

Intellectuals argue, if everything is consciousness how can one give up anything? Can you give up anything? These types of question are speculation based on the ego or speculation. They are incapable of understanding and assimilating truth because they refuse to verify and they want the truth on their own terms.

How a yogi who practices Samadhi will understand the truth, when he thinks the self is limited to individual and universe is apart from him. Therefore, his understanding and realization is limited to physical self. He is unable to grasp the truth that, the whole universe in which he exists as person and perceives it is consciousness. 

The consciousness powers the illusion (universe) and consciousness can exit with or without the illusion(universe).

Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  is quite different from meditation, yogic Samadhi and practices which are based on physical self (ego), which is the false self within the false experience. Meditation and yoga are not the means to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana  but they are helpful tools in the preparatory stages to make one receptive and keep away from all the distractions.

Speaking of ultimate truth and then opining that one need not inquiry to verify the facts is meaningless. Even as a method to get at ultimate truth one has to analyze the mind (universe/waking). Speaking is different from realization.

Just as sugar generated from sugarcane juice is wholly pervades by that juice, so the mind produced in consciousness permeated by consciousness through and through. 

This can be understood and assimilated only through illustration of waking, dream and deep sleep. The body, ego and the world exist only in waking or dream. And waking is as false as dream. In waking and dream the consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere through and through. 

The three states appear from the ignorance of consciousness and disappear with the knowledge of consciousness. The mind appears from non-cognition of the consciousness and disappears with its recognition. 

The moment one knows that three states are consciousness, there is no ignorance. One has to know the consciousness is everything and everything is nothing but consciousness.

One has to begin to see his -self as a consciousness with a body and the world rather than a body with a consciousness.

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

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 (soul, the innermost self)only.  One has to use his common sense in the waking experience. Because one is attached to body and the world; he thinks his body and the world are not consciousness.

 One cannot be aware of his body and 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 ignorance is ever present in waking experience 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 Inquiry, analysis reasoning revels the fact that, the self is not physical but it is consciousness.    Then who 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 concertizes 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 inquiry, analysis and reasoning.  Only after deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning, one becomes aware of the existence of the witness, which is in the form consciousness and become aware of the fact that the physical existence 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 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 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  more things will be revealed to him through inner revelation, which makes him get firm conviction of what is what.  

One has to grasp the existence of the formless witness (soul or consciousness) of the three states mentally to realize the three states are mere illusion.  And focusing attention on the formless witness constantly one will be able to establish the reasoning base on the base of formless witness. 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.  

Most of the dualistic sages approach was more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they took it as real.

Yoga Vasishta, says: - that the world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

Most of the dualistic sages approach was more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they took it as real.  Whereas Sri, Sankara says: one must first know what is before him. If he cannot know that, what else can he know or understand? If he gives up the external world in his inquiry, he cannot get the whole truth.

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.

By studying various scriptures one cannot be established in the true self, which is consciousness [soul] unless he drops all accumulated knowledge. Scriptures and yoga are preliminary steps but they are not the means to acquire self-knowledge or non-dual truth.

Getting certainty and irrefutable proof of our true existence without dogmatic assertion and assumption and speculation is the attitude of true seeker. One has to know the self in the truth.

All the study of scriptures and texts and teachings has to be dropped when one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but self is the soul [consciousness].  One must think of always of the soul [consciousness] the witness of the three states; rather than the three states.     

One may enjoy work or practice meditation but he will still yarn of that which is beyond all imagination ,all thinking and  the objects and  in which all the desire are extinguished.  The subconscious goal of one’s search can only be non-duality.  

Many seekers are unhappy because they exert themselves by running one teacher to another, one scripture to another, one teaching to another and when they don’t find the truth, they are in uncertainty, they are unable to accept anything else as truth, because they are sentimentally and emotionally involved with the teacher or teaching. And they are unable to drop them, and also unable to accept any new truth.   They are interested only which please or attracts them and they do not make an effort to know the higher truth, which requires mental effort to understand and assimilate. They prefer the teachings which are based on imagination.   

       

 Both Gnani and the ignorant outwardly exerting and acting, the difference is the Gnani is soul- centric and the ignorant is egocentric.  Gnani thinks his body and the world are unreal because he is fully aware they are created out of consciousness.

 The ignorant thinks he is an individual separate from the world, and world existed prior to him, and he is born in the world afterwards. Until he has this conviction he will not be able to assimilate non-dual truth.  

Activity begets attachment; and abstention from it aversion.  The one who is soul –centric is free from pair of opposites, like a child, and is thus established in the consciousness ( formless soul, the innermost self).   The nature of the soul is equilibrium.    The psychology proves that ego comes later in life than birth, thus the child consciousness is free and not at egocentric. 

One who is egocentric is attached to the world wants to renounce it in order to avoid the miseries of life. But one who is soul- centric – he is in the world but not of it. 

The one who is ego-centric feels even towards liberation and considers even the body as his own he is neither Gnani nor yogi he suffers the physical life as reality.  

Until one forgets all the accumulated knowledge he cannot be established in ultimate truth.

One has to master the self-knowledge by his own thinking, his own experiences through inquiry analysis and reasoning on the true base.

One may learn the doctrine and master them but he will not be able to realize them that is for certain, not hear say. 

The man of truth does not identify his self with body but he considers the self to be the soul, which is in the form of consciousness. 

The one who considers his-self as body with the name will not be able to cross the threshold of duality and he keeps experiencing the duality as reality.   Therefore, he refuses to accept the physical existence as illusion because he is in the intoxication of its reality.