To assimilate the “Self-Knowledge” or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana it takes steady, unceasing zeal.

To assimilate the “Self-Knowledge” or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana it takes steady, unceasing zeal. Nobody can teach that that zeal. One has to develop that himself. "One can take a horse to water but he cannot make him drink." Yet when the horse is thirsty, it seeks out water with zeal. 

Mundaka Upanishad says:  The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

Shruti has directly denied manifoldness in Brahman. The non-dual cause being an established fact, how could the phenomenal universe be different from It?  

The Shruti has condemned (the belief in variety) in the words, “The person who”, being deceived by Maya, “sees variety in this (Brahman), goes from death to death”.

Inasmuch as all beings are born of Brahman, the supreme Atman, they must be understood to be verily Brahman.

The Shruti has clearly declared that Brahman alone is the substratum of all varieties of names, forms and actions.

The Shruti in the form of the Brihadaranyaka has declared that this Atman, which is the Self of all, is verily Brahman. -- Aparokshanubhuti  - By Sri, Sankara

To understand the Shruti/Vedas/bibles un- contradictable meaning, one has to learn to view and judge the truth on the base of the formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self.  Without it the non-dual wisdom is impossible.   

Knowledge is not brought about by any other means than Vichara, just as an object is nowhere perceived (seen) without the help of light. (11 Aparokshanubhuti  - By Sri, Sankara)

When Sri, Sankara says- Knowledge is not brought about by any other means than inquiry, then why should one indulge in searching the truth in the Vedas. 

An intelligent person, who has studied the scriptures and has practised what they enjoin should discard them after experiencing Brahman as his Self, just as a man discards the husk when he has found the grain’. [Amrita-Bindu Upanishad]

A wise man, having experienced Brahman as his Self, should keep his higher intuitive faculty (prajna) united with Brahman. He should not oppress his mind with many words, for they are a mere waste of energy’. [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]

One has to constantly reflect on soul or consciousness, the innermost self .  all the words thoughts and experiences are created out of consciousness  hence they are Brahman.   They lose their meaning in the realm the non-dual reality. 

It has been clearly told in the Shruti: ‘Know that One and give up other talks’ [Mundaka Upanishad] and ‘A wise man should restrain his speech and keep it within the mind’. [Katha Upanishad]

Seeker has to realize the consciousness as ultimate truth or Brahman   and give up all the egocentric knowledge. A Gnani knows the thoughts; experiences are consciousness in their nature. Thus, they have meaning only on the base of waking entity(ego) within the waking experience.  .

One has to overcome all the doubts and confusions by soul-centric reasoning.  When the inner dialogue will starts then the inner revelation will start and free one from all his doubts and confusions. When there are no doubts and confusion then self enters in to its own non-dual awareness.

The formless soul , the innermost Self is nothing to do with the experience of birth, life death because it is birthless

The experience of birth, life, death and the world is reality within the waking experience. The formless  soul , the innermost   Self is nothing to do with the experience of birth, life death because it is birthless. The one, which is born, lives and dies is in the world is the waking entity. Waking entity is not the self.  The self is that, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states without the physical apparatus.   The experience of birth, life, death and the world (waking) is an object to the formless subject (soul, the innermost self).  Thus the object (mind or universe or waking) is mere illusion on the standpoint of the formless subject (soul). 

Man has a firm conviction that he is an individual separate from the world and world existed prior to him and he is born in in it afterwards.  This conviction makes him remain in ignorance. And ignorance makes him accept the illusion as reality.  Thus he is caught up in the web of illusion experiencing the birth, life, death and the world as reality.   

What is this universe (samsara), what is this illusion to the formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self?  Consciousness and the universe both are one in essence ultimately.   Only people who are stuck to the reality of the universe think the body as body, ego as ego and the world as world.  It never strikes to them the waking experience in which they exist along with their world also as unreal as dream.   

The dream becomes unreal when waking takes place and the waking becomes unreal when waking entity gets wisdom and realizes it is not the self but the self is the formless witness (soul) of the three states.  The consciousness is within the three states as their formless substance and it is apart from the three states as their formless witness.  It is apart because it is not and entity or identity within the three states. 

The person, who stamped their foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignore that in dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real. 

When wisdom dawns, the soul, the innermost self, wakes up in its formless non-dual true nature in the midst of duality (waking). For a Gnani the body, ego and the universe are mere mirage created out of consciousness. 

When universe (mind) is considered not different from the consciousness (soul), which is the innermost self, then there is the division of form, time and space.  When form, time and space are one in essence than where is the universe (mind).   

The universe (waking) 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.

Many thinkers approach is more practical, and they are stuck with the reality of the universe (waking), they take it as real. Thus they are stuck to the reality of the illusory experience of the birth, life, death and the world as reality.  Thus it is necessary to realize the man and the world confronts him are one in essence in order to realize the form, time and space are one in essence.    

There no vessel to ferry man across the ocean of illusory form, time and space except Gnana or wisdom.

Each sect concocts a God to suit its own purposes. Such concocted Gods are mere belief.  Faith in religion weakens as man pays more attention to facts of life and this world. People, who argue that truth is only in their religion, are vain logicians, depending on mere ideas, imaginations. 

Kabir views humanity as being caught up in illusion, searching for Ultimate Reality in all the wrong places, always seeking It outside of ourselves in various rituals, temples, forests and mountaintops, not realizing That for which we seek is already hidden within us. 

 Without the self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana it is impossible to cross the illusory ocean of the pain and pleasure.  There no vessel to ferry man across the ocean of illusory form, time and space except Gnana or wisdom. 

What is Gnana? Gnana means the full and firm realization of truth – a realization beyond all doubts, change and contradiction. 

Neither the control of breath, or regulating the breath, nor the performance of selfless service, nor by devotion to gods and gurus, not the performance of penance, nor pilgrimaging, nor by yoga nor by scriptural mastery, the ignorance will not vanish. But only   through nondual wisdom the ignorance can be eradicated.  The three states are state of ignorance. All the three states are falsehood. The formless substance and witness of the three states is real and eternal.  

 Sri Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: - [Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena] - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

One must make an effort to know the ultimate truth. Self, which is in the form of consciousness, is there always. One has got it, there is nothing new to be acquired, only have the sharp enough to see and understand and assimilate it, when told about it. But there is a difference between understanding and realization.

Belief system and mysticism are so much preferred to wisdom because one has only to imagine, not to inquire and reason. The first is easy, the second is hard.

Belief system and mysticism is a species of mesmerism affecting weaker or impressionable people. Thus the panoply of a religious guru's religious robes and religious oriented life style creates unconscious suggestion in weaker minds of a superior power or magical knowledge. Similarly visitors to ashrams are suggested into thinking they experience great peace because they are unconsciously hypnotized into believing that will happen. But when a strong disciplined rationalistic mind meets a yogi, religious guru or visits an ashram, he is entirely unaffected.

Scriptures are being added to from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme. 

Belief system is Successful in propagating the life after death theory: -   what happens after death-- nobody can deny it because nobody has seen what happens after death it is mere assumption. When the self is formless than it birth less and deathless. This theory based on the physical self is false theory because true self is not physical.

 Nobody can disprove when some mystics even claim that they have seen God by intuition. But the onus of proof is on those who make an assertion. Mystics are required to prove; the burden to disprove is not on their critics. 

Each person sees in his own Samadhi whatever is uppermost in his mind. How does he/she or anyone know that what he/she or anyone sees is the ultimate truth? Similarly each has intuitions agreeable to what is uppermost in his mind.

Believers who are anxious for a mystic or occult experience often get it. But it is only a mental construction of their own, suggested originally from outside.

Mystic may say that the spirit is the source of all good, but the question of questions is how does he know that it is the source? That is mere scholastic dogma until an attempt to show, to analyze and prove that it is the source, is made, then it becomes higher truth.

How is one to know that He is God suppose he sees God in his vision ?  His mere statement is not enough. He must have proof; he must show that what he saw is God.  How can anyone sees God when whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as person of the world are reality within the waking experience but the  whole waking experience  itself is falsehood. 

If waking entity(ego) is not the self than why one has to argue or discuss on the base of the waking entity(ego) as self.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: - In that unitive state there is neither father nor mother, neither worlds nor gods nor even Scriptures. In that state there is neither thief nor slayer, neither low caste nor high, neither Monk nor ascetic. The Self is beyond good and evil, beyond all the suffering of the human Heart

Preliminarily inquiry reveals the fact that,   the self is neither the waking entity not the self is dream entity but the self is formless soul or consciousness. Even after verifying this fact   still everyone is viewing and judging the three states on the base of waking entity   and passing their judgment and opinion on the base of the waking entity (ego), which is not the self. Therefore, it becomes impossible assimilate the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana without   rectifying the base of reasoning from form (I), to formless (I-LESS or Soul). 

If the waking entity (ego) is not the self than why one has to argue or discuss on the base of the waking entity (ego) as the self.

The karma or action is reality only when one accepts the waking entity (ego) as self, that is accepting the formless soul or consciousness itself as waking entity (body or ego). If waking entity (ego) is self, then it has to be immortal.  If the waking entity (body or ego) is immortal then there is no death. If there is no death, then there is no birth. Therefore, soul-centric judgment is very much necessary to understand and assimilate and realize the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The action, love and   virtue are very much necessary in practical life within the practical world. But they are not qualification for self-realization.   The freedom arises only when one becomes aware of the true existence, which is beyond form, time and space. Thus whatever is based on the form is an illusion from the ultimate standpoint.

The one which is aware of the form, time and space is not the form but formless.  The intellectuality based on the form is not wisdom. Thus one has to use his reason and base it on the formless self to understand, assimilate and realize the non-dual truth, which is the ultimate truth. Thus all intellectual theories based on the form, time and space are mere imagination based on the form, which is a false self (ego) within the false experience (universe or waking).

Thus, there would be no freedom   without understanding facts about the Mind or the universe.   Intellectuality is limited to form, time and space. Thus reason based on the formless self has to be used to grasp the truth, which is beyond birth, life, death and the world.

Thus belief, actions, conducts, love, virtue, scriptural mastery, religion, rituals, prayers which are mere theories based on the false self are great hindrances in realizing the non-dual truth, which is the ultimate truth.  

All religious theories are meant for those who believe in the practical life within the practical world as reality,  because they are not verified the truth of their true existence. When one verifies the fact  about his true existence through deeper self-search then he realizes , the self is not form but self is formless consciousness (soul)  then he becomes aware of the fact that,  the practical life within the practical world is mere illusion created out of consciousness. 

The practical life within the practical world is nothing to do with the formless soul, the innermost self. The practical knowledge within the practical world is  is not wisdom but it is knowledge based on ignorance. The real wisdom is non-dual wisdom, which arise only when ignorance vanishes.

Without the self-knowledge or brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana it is impossible to cross the illusory ocean of the pain and pleasure

Kabir views humanity as being caught up in illusion, searching for Ultimate Reality in all the wrong places, always seeking It outside of ourselves in various rituals, temples, forests and mountaintops, not realizing That for which we seek is already hidden within us. 

Without the self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana it is impossible to cross the illusory ocean of the pain and pleasure.  There no vessel to ferry man across the ocean of illusory form, time and space except Gnana.  

What is Gnana? Gnana means the full and firm realization of truth – a realization beyond all doubts, change and contradiction. 

Neither the control of breath, or regulating the breath, nor the performance of selfless service, nor by devotion to gods and gurus, not the performance of penance, nor pilgrimaging, nor by yoga nor by scriptural mastery, the ignorance will not vanish. But only   through non-dual wisdom the ignorance can be eradicated.  The three states are state of ignorance. All the three states are falsehood. The formless substance and witness of the three states is real and eternal.  

 Sri Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: - (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows. 

The mind is in the form of Universe. Universe appears as waking or dream. Waking as it presents itself is unreal, same way as the dream. Thus waking or dream is simply illusion created out of consciousness.  To the man within the universe it is not an illusion because he has the conviction that he is an individual separate form the universe and he is born in this universe and universe existed prior to him.  Until this conviction is there he is bound to believe the birth, life, death and universe as reality.  Only in deeper self-search he becomes aware of the fact that, the mind is not within the body but body and the universe are within the mind.   And he also becomes aware of the fact that mind itself is the whole universe ,which appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. 

To think once own body and his experience of the world is an illusion is difficult matter, unless one realizes the self is not physical but it is formless soul it is difficult to have glimpse of truth.

When one realizes the fact that, the self is not physical but the formless soul, naturally the body and universe becomes illusion.

The mind (universe) is emanating from soul (consciousness) means the mind is being effect from consciousness is not different from it. Deeper analysis shows it. Analysis needs deeper thinking and reasoning. Mind is whole universe thus it has a form. But where is the form in consciousness 9soul) because consciousness is like an ocean and mind is like wave.  The universe is same consciousness, as the ocean produces the wave, so the consciousness produces the mind (universe).

The moment one knows the mind [universe] is consciousness, and then there is no ignorance. If one knows consciousness as self then everything is consciousness, the consciousness is second to none.  The mind is consciousness but due to ignorance one mistakes it for something else. One thinks the self is within the body; but the self is without the body and the world.

Mind ceases to exist without the matter. Without the matter mind ceases to exist as mind but it exists as matter- less awareness or consciousness. Without the mind neither the world nor its perceiver can exist.

Without the matter there is no duality. Without duality there is no experience. Without experience it is non-dual reality. Therefore, whatever prevails without the mind is ultimate reality.

The true nature of the soul (consciousness) is camouflaged by the illusion/duality.  To know the truth one has to discover and realize the formless substance of the mind or illusion. One has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint the formless soul as self.   Self-Knowledge is the prime goal of the truth seeker. This goal is hidden within the mind as its invisible substance and witness. Therefore, it is necessary inquiry, analyze and reason in to the nature of mind/ duality/illusion in order to unfold the mystery of mind or duality or illusion.

The validity of the judgments which one continually pass on events taking place around him is not denied but all these experiences are happening within the universe (waking or dream) is mere illusion. It is true that the phenomenal world is the outcome of ignorance, but it has a certain relative reality but the relative reality is mere illusion from ultimate standpoint.  Thus the relative reality is based on the false self within the false experience because there is no second thing exist other than consciousness thus there is only non-dual reality.