No conceptual God with form and attributes can exist, apart from consciousness.
Consciousness is the true self. If there is no consciousness, then there is no body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual god.
People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks physical entity or ego as the self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks of consciousness or consciousness as the Self, then there is nothing that exists other than the consciousness, which is the true Self.
If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. Body, God, and world rise and set together from, and into, the Self/consciousness. If God is apart from the Self/consciousness, then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.
Mahaayaanists who say: Buddha, due to his excellent skill, pNo reached the truth in different ways depending on the aptitude of his disciples.
Gaudapada says that the merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.m So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.
Ish Upanishads:- Vidya and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means worshiping gods and goddesses. By worshiping gods and goddesses, you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there, you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus, you go deeper and deeper into darkness.
Avidya is Karma and therefore a hindrance. You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.
Ishopanishad "They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worship the matter, instead of the All-Pervading God, and those who worship things born of matter, like trees, animals, man, etc., are sunk deeper in misery.
Katha Upanishad says:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. [Ch II-5 P-14]
It indicates that the ignorant one [darkness] of the true self [Atman] searches for truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and practice, and is uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards reality. The ignorance of the true self leads one towards unreality or hallucination.
Bhad Upanishad: - This Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than everything else because It is innermost. If one holding the Self dear were to say to a person who speaks of anything other than the Self as dear, that he, the latter, will lose what he holds dear—and the former is certainly competent to do so—it will indeed come true. One should meditate upon the Self alone as dear. He who meditates upon the Self alone as dear, what he holds dear will not perish. [Bhad Upanishad -8-p- -211]
It is the first instance of monism in organized religion. Vedic religion remains the only religion with this concept. To call this concept 'God' would be imprecise.
The closest interpretation of the term can be found in the Taittariya Upanishad (II.1):- where Brahman is described in the following manner: Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman - "Brahman is of the nature of truth, knowledge and infinity".
Thus, Brahman is the origin and end of all things, material or otherwise. Brahman is the root source and Divine Ground of everything that exists and does not exist. It is defined as unknowable and Satchidananda (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss).
Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that the consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.
The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.
Several mahā-vākyas, or great sayings, indicate what the principle of Brahman is:~
(1)prajnānam brahma
"Brahman is knowledge"
(2) ayam ātmā brahma
"The Self (Atma) is Brahman "
(3) aham brahmāsmi
"Self is Brahman"
(4)tat tvam asi
"The Self that
(5) sarvam khalv idam brahma
"All this that we see in the world is Brahman",
(6)(7)sachchidānanda brahma.
"Brahman is existence, consciousness, and bliss".
Why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, when the Vedas and Upanishad declare that Consciousness or Atman is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. One has to realize the fact that the mind is in the form of a universe.
Trace the source of the mind and realize that the source is consciousness. The mind rises from consciousness as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.
In Manduka Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as same:
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat –
Mandukya Upanishad, verse 2
Translation:
sarvam(सर्वम्)- Whole/All/Everything; hi(हि)- Really/Just/Surely/Indeed; etad(एतद्)- This here/This; brahm(ब्रह्म)- Brahm/Brahman; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; aatmaa(आत्मा)- Atma/Atman; sah(सः)- He; ayam(अयम्)- This/Here; chatus(चतुस्)- Four/Quadruple; paat(पात्)- Step/Foot/Quarter
Fragmented Verse:
सर्वम् हि एतद् ब्रह्म अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म सः अयम् आत्मा चतुस पात् / sarvam hi etad brahm ayama aatmaa brahm sah ayam aatmaa chatus paat
Simple Meaning:-
All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this Atman, has four steps/quarters.
While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation, and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.
Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the colour red? Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him understand the sensation of the colour red? In a similar fashion, the idea of Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any form of human communication. Brahman is like the colour red; those who can sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.
Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bhagavad Gita 14.27)
In Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness, and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the Ultimate Truth, in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures, and even Ishvara (the Supreme Lord) itself, is all untrue.
Brahman is the effulgent cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Advaitins believe in the existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however, they consider Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth.
Chandogya Upanishad:- One who meditates upon and realizes the self discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self.
So, it clearly says the one who meditates upon the self [consciousness] discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self. Therefore, there is a need to know the fact that, the true self is not physical but the soul to realize the fact that: the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation--all come from the Self, which is in the form of consciousness.
Atman is Brahman. Brahman /Christ/the Absolute is alone real; this waking is unreal; and the three states are non-different from Brahman or God in truth.
Whatever is, is Brahman. Brahman itself is absolutely homogeneous. All differences and plurality are illusory."
Brahman/Christ is not a person, as the Absolute is not this. But if one wants to call it God/Paramataman, then fine. But it is not a person. Personifying it can make it easier to understand.
To realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal.
All the scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore, the consciousness, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.
Thus, to realize the ultimate truth is the prime goal. A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to their non-dual destination.
Studying scriptures is not necessary:~
The Upanishads clearly indicate:-
it
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]
This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—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)
Prastnatraya [Bagavat Gita.The Dasoponishad and the Brahma Sutra, all with commentaries, will not help for Self-realization.
All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explaining doubts and difficulties if others raise them, if you yourself encounter them in the course of thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. You want fresh water to drink, but you do not require all the water of the river Ganges to quench your thirst.
The Vedanta speaks of 15 pranas, the names and functions of it which the student is asked to commit to memory. Will it not be sufficient if he thought only one prana does the whole work of maintaining the body? Again, the antakaran is said to think, to desire, to will, to reason, etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen antakarana, or all these pranas? Do they really exist? They are conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy through their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.
The above passages further prove that: Self-Knowledge cannot be attained by study of the Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore, there is no use in studying the Vedas and other scriptures to acquire the non-dual wisdom. That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of god, and scriptures.
They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. [Chapter IV — Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada]
Therefore, there is no use in taking strain to understand and assimilate the conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy with their excessive analysis. There are more and more doubts and confusion if one tries to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth through scriptures.
Why follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when one can realize the ultimate truth without them? By mentally tracing the source of the mind from where it rises and subsides, one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep. The mind rises from consciousness and subsides as consciousness. Therefore, there is a need for perfect understanding and assimilation of nondual truth.
There is no need to renounce worldly life to get Self-Realization. Any householder can attain it if they have the inner urge.
Ashtavakara: - "The man of knowledge, though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him, and only those like him understand his state.: .:~ Santthosh Kumaar
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