Since every one has having inborn conditioning [samskara] it is difficult to realize the truth because 'I' or 'I AM' itself is samskara. This 'I' 'I AM samskara has to be mentally destroyed.

All happening(three states) are part of the illusion created out of consciousness. Just by saying ' I AM  that' no one becomes realized. It is easy to say say intellectually but thorough intellectual understanding the happening(duality)will not disappear. By saying I Am that will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end. Every angle has to be verified. Since every one has having inborn conditioning(samskara)it is difficult to realize the truth because 'I' or 'I AM' itself is samskara. This 'I' 'I AM samskara has to be mentally destroyed. It is no use arguing with those who think what they say is right and others are wrong. Because we have to respect their view ignore them after verifying the facts and continue with our inner (mental) journey.

That is why Sri, Sankara says in VivekaChudamani :- 

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

 
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

 
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.

 
64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendour of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

 
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. 

 
There is nothing as sacred of Self-Knowledge. Realization of self-drives way the ignorance.

Self-Awareness frees ‘Self’ from the burden and bondage of illusory duality. It is the self that is in illusion. When it becomes aware of its true nature the universe is mere mirage to the self which is formless and non-dual in its nature. Thus the thoughts and words are part of the illusory existence.

Many spiritual masters say that sticking to "I am" is way out from the physical shackles. But that"I" or "I am" itself creates the physical prison. The one, which expresses itself as 'I', is not 'I' but it is formless consciousness. Therefore the ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is not the self. Considering the ‘I’ or ‘I AM as self is erroneous. The self, which is in the form of consciousness cannot be called anything nor approached because it is prior to anything that exists. When the consciousness is the substance of the whole universe and its contents thoughts and words and it is not a thing or entity or identity within the physical existence but it pervades the whole physical existence than it is erroneous to limit the ‘I’ to the physical entity alone.

One has to grasp mentally the existence of the formless witness.' I or 'I' am is mere expression. all expression are part of duality.

The whole physical existence or universe is an expression. Thus physical existence or universe is mere illusion. The man and his experience of the world and his belief of god are within the illusory expression. The diversity is created out of single substance and knowing that single substance brings unity in diversity in consciousness.

Thus the universe (duality) is mere illusion. That is mind is an illusion. The one that has this illusion is the consciousness, which is the innermost self.

Therefore it is erroneous to seek truth on the base of 'I' because 'I' is not self. It very much necessary to rectify the seeking base by proper understanding of the fact that ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is not the self before indulging in the pursuit of truth.

As long as a person has a firm conviction that 'I' is self, he will not be able to understand ,assimilate and realize the non-dual truth, Because whatever knowledge one assimilate he assimilates as a person, which adds to his existing accumulated information. Therefore, seeker has to discover the fact that, 'I' is not the self but 'I' is the whole universe, which appears in the form of mind. Universe is mere mirage. The duality is experienced only when the universe is present. Thus universe is duality. Consciousness is formless substance and witness of the universe. Thus consciousness is the true self and cause of the universe but it itself is uncaused because no second thing exist other than it.

It is necessary to have firm conviction 'I' is not self but the formless substance and witness(consciousness). of the I or I AM is the true self. To understand, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. I or I AM is the physical shackle one has to get rid of it to realize the happening or seen( three states) are mere illusion to the formless seer. In reality the seer and the seen are one in essence. there is neither seen nor seer in reality. it is wrong interpretation of the Scriptures they are stuck to I AM. It is the self is Brahman not I AM. thus one has to know what self is first. self is not individual It pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. I or I AM refers to individuality. Until the inner urge is satisfied and all the cobwebs of doubts and confusion is cleared no one will get realization.

Duality exists until mind exists.

The ‘I’ or ‘I Am’ are mere words.  The reality is beyond thoughts and words. The words have meaning in duality. Duality exists until mind exists. Mind exists where there is division of form, time and space. If there is no division of form, time and space, than there is no mind. Words are used as a tool to name individual objects and feelings within the duality. The words become meaningless when one becomes aware of the formless substance of the mind, which is consciousness. Consciousness is our inner most self. From the standpoint of our inner most self, the mind is mere mirage. If mind is mere mirage then the form, time and space are mere mirage. If form, time and space are mere mirage than the thoughts and words which rises within the scope of form, time and space are also part and parcel of that mirage. Thus body, ego, words, thoughts, and whatever the contents of the universe are within the mirage created out of single stuff that is consciousness. Thus it is necessary to know 'What is mind?' and 'What is the substance of the mind?' and 'What is the source of the mind?', in order to realize the words are meaningless in the realm of truth.

But deeper self-search revels the fact that 'I' is not the self because it appears and disappears. the formless substance and witness of the 'I' ,which is formless consciousness is the true self. If the self is form[I] than the evolution theory holds water. If the self is formless [soul] than all the theories based on the form is of no value. Until one thinks 'I' or I AM' as self all these theories cannot transport anyone beyond form, time and space. the theory of evolution is based on individuality ,whereas the self, pervades in everything and everywhere in the universe. Individuality is reality within the falsehood. Thus all the theory based on individuality is bound to be falsehood. Thus our judgment and reason and conclusion has to be based on formless self not on the form(I) as self. 

Freedom is becoming free from experiencing the illusion or duality as reality by realizing the fact that, the self is not the form but self is formless.  It is possible to   realize this without realizing the fact that, the individual self or ego is reality within the false experience.  Thus all the knowledge accumulated by judging on the base of false self, is false knowledge.       

The ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is physical prison.

If ‘I’ is not the physical body, what is it?

Since the sense of ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present and it disappears along with mind. The seeker will come to conclusion after thoroughly verifying this fact through inquiry, analysis and reasoning and then come to firm conviction that ‘I’ is mind.

If ‘I’ is mind and mind is universe and universe appears as waking or dream are one and the same thing. 

It is wrong to identify the self as he or she because it refers to physicality. The self is genderless because it is formless. Identifying “Self” as he or she, leads to all sorts’ of doubts and confusion.  When the self is identified as he or she it becomes physical self /ego.

When the ego is not the self, it is erroneous to judge the truth on the base of ego/physical self and come to some conclusion of finality on the physical base is erroneous because the truth is prior appearance of the physical existence. Thus, the truth has to be judged on the ultimate point of view, not on the base of what appeared later on.

Man has been conditioned to think and be and behave and believe and live as an individual separate from the world. Therefore, the self has been identified with physical body with the name within the waking experience.

The ‘mind’ is the Waking or dream experience. The Waking or dream is not the experience of the physical body but of the Soul/Self. The man and his world are within the mind; therefore mind is not within the brain. This has to be understood to assimilate the self-knowledge. Without understanding this fact the assimilation is impossibility.  

The nature of the Self is formless non-dual.  The nature of the mind is duality or diversity. The self is the formless substance of the mind  or duality or universe. Therefore, the whole experience of the diversity created out of single stuff.  Therefore, there is no division in ultimate standpoint is the self ,which in the form of consciousness. Viewing the worldview on the base of the physical self is the cause of division and separation.  

  When the seekers become aware of the fact that the true self is not physical but the soul, he becomes aware of the fact that the mind is mere illusion.   The one who is ignorant of the true self experiences the duality as reality.

A person perceives the world within the mind.  Absent of mind is absent of waking or dream. Thus waking or dream is mind.

One thinks he is an individual separate from the world within the mind. He is unaware of the fact that the mind is not within his brain, but he and his experience of the world are within the mind.  Thus, he thinks he is born in this world and world existed prior to him. Thus this conviction makes him believe the birth, life and death as reality.  Until this conviction is thee he will   views and judges the world-view on the physical base, which is the cause of ignorance of the fact that, the true self is the soul.

This ignorance of the true self is the main hurdle in pursuit of truth. Therefore, it is very much necessary to rectify the seeking base from physical [form] to spirit [formless] before proceeding further in pursuit of truth.

If the seeking base is not rectified it will lead one towards hallucination. When the mind itself is myth then the man and his experience of the world is bound to be myth. Therefore perfect understanding of the mind will help one to unfold the mystery of the mind.  It is impossible to unfold the truth on the base of false self within the false experience, because the truth is prior to the appearance of the falsehood.  And falsehood creates ignorance.

Seeker has to burn down the ignorance by rectifying the base of reasoning by realizing the fact that self is not physical but it is the formless consciousness.

THE ‘I’ OR ‘I AM’ IS CAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE. Thus one has to get rid of the ignorance by overcoming the intoxication of ‘I’ or I AM which intoxication stuff in pursuit of truth is.

That is why Sri, Sankara says in Viveka Chudamani   :- 

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

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.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendour of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

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.

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it through intellectual speculation and assumption. Intellectual truth is individual truth. Love implies duality and love is individual feelings within the falsehood. Love is necessary and valuable in the stated of ignorance but it is not the means to acquire wisdom.  Love is religious tool to lead life in practical world.  And Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because the religion is based on individuality. 

There is a profound difference between egocentric and soul-centric discussions.

There is a profound difference between egocentric and soul-centric discussions. The soul-centric discussions take place between matured and advanced fellow seekers which is free from all differences of points of views, judgments and argumentative debates unimportant subject matter.

The ego-centric discussion based on intellectuality it includes all different point of views, judgment and argumentative debates and un-important subject matter.  

It is for every seeker who is in the path of truth to prove himself to know “What is truth, “and “What is untruth?” to assimilate the self -knowledge. 

When one is unable to quench his spiritual thirst from his guru or teaching he has to look elsewhere to clear the cobwebs of his understanding and to move forward in his spiritual quest.

It is difficult for tradition-bound people to accept anything as truth other than what they inherited from then parental grooming. Only intense urge to know the truth and courage to accept the truth after verification with better understanding one will be able to drop all his accumulated dross, which is the main obstacle in self-realization.

Both modern science and religion offer hypotheses and theories but there is one vital difference--science begins with facts which it collects; religion begins with fancies. Science evolves its hypotheses from such facts, religion from fancies.

Science declares that oxygen combines with hydrogen to give water. And it also declares oxygen is protons or electrons. But in pursuit of truth the whole physical existence [universe or mind] is considered as illusion and science and their inventions, which are based on the physical existence is limited to physical existence. The truth is within but it is beyond the physical existence.  The science demands physical proof.  But the physical proof is part of the illusion. Hence science cannot go beyond physicality because the truth cannot be traced with laboratory conditions.  Deeper Inquiry, analysis and reasoning  is required if one  wants to push its quest deeply enough.

Common people and primitive minds fall into faulty thinking through their inherited conditioning , such faulty thinking and reasoning  makes them accept the experience of birth, life and death as reality ; taking what one sees through  the senses  as real, taking what is apparent obvious and superficial as true because it is less troublesome.

Many People adopt the attitude that what   they know is truth. And what others say id false. This attitude makes them not to verify anything other then what they know.   One needs to be rational, not merely logical. Logic is has its value only in physical plane.

As one advances towards spiritual plane he sees the logic underlying experience and becomes more rational. His reasoning is two-fold--implicit and explicit.

There is a need of facts of physical proof in scientific invention, whereas in pursuit of truth the proof has to be grasped mentally and realized.  Therefore, the truth is realized only by few who take this mental pursuit.  “Whatever facts revealed, which is un-contradictable has to be accepted as truth.

The truth based on the formless soul/consciousness is worthwhile; without it, one has something else, not truth.  Most people refuse to venture into pursuit of truth; because they do not want to go into the root of things.

The seeker of truth has to study, inquire and reason in the beginning of the pursuit of truth, because it is absolutely necessary in pursuit of truth.

One has to know the true self is not physical but the formless spirit.  The spirit or soul or the self is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness gives one the awareness of the three states. 

The ignorance of the true self is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality.  The ignorance vanishes through realization of the true Self, which is the soul/consciousness.

The true the Self   does not lie in our body, in our brain, or our ego, but it is the essence of the dual and non-dual experiences, which appears as waking dream and disappears as deep sleep.

Thought and thinker are reality within the universe. The thinker and the thought exist within the universe. The man and his experience of the universe is reality within the waking experience.  The waking experience is mere illusion on the ultimate standpoint.    Therefore, the individual experiences are part of the illusion. Thus thought and the thinker are part of the illusion. 

Positive and negative thoughts and the thinker are made of same material.  Whether one thinks rightly or wrongly he is thinking as person. The thoughts will not rise without the form.  Without the form there are neither thoughts nor the thinker.  Thus positive or negative thinking or right or wrong thinking are part of the physical existence and nothing to do with ultimate truth.    Experience is prior to thought. Only in waking or dream one gets thought. Therefore one has to mentally trace the source of the waking or dream experience in order to realize the waking experience is as unreal as dream. 

Only in religion and yogic path one has to follow and practice. Everyone thinks he has to follow some guru or god men.  But all these methods are full of frustrations and give no real satisfaction. Reality has no method. Illusion has many methods, many problems and many concepts. To overcome illusion, or concepts, one should know the source of the mind and from where does this mind arise? “When the mind is there the universe is there. Absent of mind absent of universe.  Absent of universe is absent of duality. Absent of duality is absent of thoughts.  Thus until one becomes aware of what is mind and what is the substance of the mind it is impossible to assimilate non-dual truth.

 To know the non-dual Reality, deeper thinking is required. The thinking faculty ceases and becomes still when it reaches the source of the mind. One has to realize the waking entity is false self within the false experience from the ultimate standpoint.

 Where there is no experience then there is no duality where there no duality then there is no second thing exist other than the self-awareness.  Therefore seeker has to indulge in deeper self-search and trace and overcome the obstacles. For the sincere and serious seekers the inner grace will guide until the ignorance vanishes and he becomes aware of the fact that the diversity [universe or Illusion] is mere mirage created out of consciousness [Atman].    

Self is not ‘I’ or I AM

Self is not ‘I’ or I AM. Until 'I' or 'I AM' is considered as self, the separation is bound to be there. Until separation is there duality bound to be there. Until duality is there the ignorance bound to be there. Until ignorance is there the illusion bound to be there. Until illusion is there unreality prevails as reality.  Until unreality prevails as reality the experience of birth, life, death and the world prevails as reality. Until the experience of birth, life, death as reality, self is in the grip of duality, separation, ignorance, illusion. If one is seriously seeking truth than it is high time to drop holding 'I' or 'I' AM' as self, because the self is beyond 'I' or 'I AM'. 

That is why Buddha said: - Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. 

The words have meaning in duality. Duality exists until mind exists. Mind exists where there is division of form, time and space. If there is no division of form, time and space, than there is no mind. Words are used as a tool to name individual objects and feelings within the duality. The words become meaningless when one becomes aware of the formless substance of the mind, which is consciousness. Consciousness is our inner most self. From the standpoint of our inner most self, the mind is mere mirage. If mind is mere mirage then the form, time and space are mere mirage. If form, time and space are mere mirage than the thoughts and words which rises within the scope of form, time and space are also part and parcel of that mirage. Thus body, ego, words, thoughts, and whatever the contents of the universe are within the mirage created out of single stuff that is consciousness. Thus it is necessary to know 'What is mind?' and 'What is the substance of the mind?' and 'What is the source of the mind?', in order to realize the words are meaningless in the realm of truth.

But deeper self-search reveals the fact that 'I' is not the self because it appears and disappears. the formless substance and witness of the 'I' ,which is formless consciousness is the true self. If the self is form [I] than the evolution theory holds water. If the self is formless [soul] than all the theories based on the form is of no value. Until one thinks 'I' or I AM' as self all these theories cannot transport anyone beyond form, time and space. the theory of evolution is based on individuality ,whereas the self, pervades in everything and everywhere in the universe. Individuality is reality within the falsehood. Thus all the theory based on individuality is bound to be falsehood. Thus our judgment and reason and conclusion has to be based on formless self not on the form[I] as self to realize Illusion is where one is bound to:

Form, time and space

Birth, life and death

Pain and Pleasure,

Burden and bondage

Waking, dream and deep sleep

Universe/Mind /Duality

Illusion is created out of consciousness. Because of ignorance the illusion is experienced as reality. Illusory reality deludes because I is based on egocentricity. In egocentricity one does knows not the ultimate truth and permanently remains in ignorance.

Thus it is high time to drop all accumulated dross and move forward with deeper verification and accept only un-contradictable truth, because un-contradictable truth is non-dual truth.

In self-awareness Change and changeless are one in essence than only there is self-awareness.  The knower and known and the knowledge are also consciousness. When the self which is consciousness becomes aware of its own formless true nature in the midst of diversity or duality it is called self –awareness. 

 Man and the world is product of ignorance. Thus it is not the man who is in ignorance but it is the formless consciousness [true self] , which is in ignorance of its true nature.  When self becomes aware of its true nature than its ignorance vanishes and it alone prevails in its own awareness.   Thus body, senses, intellect, ego, universe are mere mirage created out of consciousness.

Wisdom is the direct means to the attainment of self -realization

Wisdom is the direct means to the attainment of self -realization, it is necessary to keep in mind the means-end relation. The tool that one chooses must be suitable and appropriate to the end, which he wants to attain. It is not the case that through any tool any end can be attained. On the contrary, what tools has to be chosen and how far it is relevant and appropriate to the end we have in view, must be considered from the point of view of the nature of the end which is to be attained.

 The tool must be warranted by the end. In other words, the choice of the tool as well as its suitability and appropriateness is determined by the end. This point must be borne in mind in understanding and assimilation of non-dual truth.

Mistaking one thing for another or superimposing the attributes of one thing on another is due to ignorance. Not knowing the real nature of the Self which is non-dual, which is existence, knowledge and infinitude, which is free from attributes, which is free from activity, which is neither an agent nor an enjoyer, the ignorance is superimposed on it.

The ignorance is cause of experiencing the illusion as reality.  Ignorance is the root cause of our bondage. So in order to put an end to our bondage and attain liberation from experiencing the illusion as reality, ignorance which is the root cause has to be destroyed; and ignorance can be destroyed only by attaining the self-knowledge, discriminating it from the illusion. Wisdom is the means by which Self -Realization is desired to be attained. Self-realization is the highest end of man since it destroys the root of the ignorance, the cause of the entire universe.  

Through deeper self-search one has to eradicate the foundational ignorance, Self -Knowledge alone is the means to the attainment of liberation from illusion. Only Self -knowledge destroys the ignorance.