You have to discard the age-old belief that the Soul resides within the human body.+

The Soul does not reside in the human body. People think it is in the brain or forehead or Ajna chakra or the third eye, but all these are imagination based on false self (ego) within the false experience (waking).

These body-based theories have no value from the Advaitic perspective. Such theories hold no water when the Self is not the body.

Your judgment has to be based on the Self, which is the invisible Soul. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate reality or Brahman, or God in truth.

From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, you and the world in which you exist are an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is ever present.

Without consciousness, the world in which you exist ceases to exist. Consciousness is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is everything. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

Bhagavad Gita says: ~’ Brahmano hi pratisthaham’ ~ Brahman (God in truth) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is real and eternal. The world in which we exist is an illusion created out of consciousness.

The scientists now concluded that you are not the brain (body). Consciousness requires the joint operation of the brain, body and the world. "You are not your brain. The brain, rather, is part of what you are.

" The Biology of Consciousness

by Alva Noë. Hill and Wang, 2009

Alva Noe, a University of California, Berkeley, philosopher and cognitive scientist, argues that after decades of concerted effort on the part of neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers, "only one proposition about how the brain makes us conscious ... has emerged unchallenged: we don't have a clue." The reason we have been unable to explain the neural basis of consciousness, he says, is that it does not take place in the brain. Consciousness is not something that happens inside us, but something we achieve; it is more like dancing than it is like the digestive process. To understand consciousness that we think and feel, and that the world shows up for us, we need to look at a larger system of which the brain is only one element. Consciousness requires the joint operation of the brain, body, and the world. "You are not your brain. The brain, rather, is part of what you are."

Thus, science is going in the right direction in its invention and one day it will declare that everything is consciousness, which Sage Sankara declared 1200 years back ~ everything is Atman- because Atman is in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you have to discard the age-old belief that the invisible Soul resides within the human body. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

First, realize what the Self is in actuality. Amazingly an honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with “you” and " your "own perceptions and attitudes.+

Self-realization is made so complicated because of religion and yoga, and diverse theories propagated by the Gurudom make it even more complicated.

No amount of reading diverse theories propagated by Gurudom can lead to God-realization. You must realize what God is supposed to be in actuality.

When you get a firm conviction of God in truth, then the universe that you used to think it as reality will become unreal.

The ‘Self’ is not you. You are the ego. The ego is the waking entity. Thus, whatever is based on the waking entity is bound to be a falsehood because the waking experience itself is a falsehood.

All the Gurus and their teachings limit the Self to individuality. Thus, they yield only half-truths.

There is a need to realize that the three states, which come and go, are merely an illusion.

All three states are made of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

First, realize what the Self is in actuality. Amazingly, an honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with “you” and " your "own perceptions and attitudes. If there is an error in understanding what the Self is in actuality, it is in “you".

Correcting this and changing to a Soulcentric attitude will change your perception, and then the invisible Soul, the Self, will reveal its formless, timeless, and spaceless true nature.

The mind becomes still only when ignorance vanishes. The ignorance vanishes when wisdom dawns. When wisdom dawns, then the invisible Soul, the Self, remains in its own awareness in the midst of the duality.

Start your mental (inner) journey, even if you may find it difficult at first, as you go on reading the posts, your subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

As you cross the ‘I’ and get to the other side, and once you are on the other side of the ‘I’, is the reality, which is beyond form, time, and space. You will realize that the ‘I’ is an illusion.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana has nothing to do with the ‘I-centric' teaching.

Remember, the ‘I’ is not an individual because the ‘I’ is the whole universe. Limiting the ‘I’ to individuality is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion or reality?

The nature of the ‘I’ is the nature of the mind.

The nature of the mind is the nature of the universe.

The nature of the universe is the nature of the waking.

The nature of waking is the nature of the illusion.

Thus, it is necessary to study the nature of the ‘I’ to unfold the mystery of the universe.

All the teachings that limit the ‘I’ to an individual and glorify the ‘I’ without knowing what this ‘I’ is supposed to be in actuality. All ‘I’ based teachings are inadequate and useless for the serious seeker of truth.

If you are seeking truth, nothing but the truth must be discarded without mercy; such teaching to progress in your spiritual quest.

The seeker must know the ‘I’ is not limited to individuality. The seeker has to see the ‘I’ as the universe in order to overcome ignorance. When the Advaitic wisdom dawns, then the ignorance vanishes.

When ignorance vanishes and the dualistic illusion (world) you used to think it as reality becomes unreal. :  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Gods based on blind belief is not God in truth.+

The religion preaches that God is one and the ways to God are many. It simply tries to lead them to darkness with its dogma and idea of many Gods, which is apart from the Self.

Religion is based on the false self (ego) and false experience (world); thus, all religious beliefs are a falsehood.

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Gods based on blind belief is not God in truth.

The religious God cannot be considered the cause of the universe because the Soul, the Self, is the cause of the universe.

Without the invisible Soul, the world in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious God is dependent on the universe for his existence. The universe is dependent on the Soul, the Self, for its existence.

God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Even the Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (14.27).

When Bhgavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness.

Even the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth ) is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Even Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares: "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from the Self does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

No mantras help to get rid of ignorance. All the mantras and rituals are meant for the ignorant populace, which strongly believes, the world in which he exists as a reality.

For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantras will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara VC~.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?

VC- v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness is not cured by saying the word 'medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying, “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines, but never by subtle arguments.

As indicated in ISH Upanishads: ~ “By worshipping Gods and Goddesses, you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent 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.

It clearly indicates that: -If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge, then why indulge in rituals and glorify the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and Gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal. :~,  :~Santthosh Kumaar

The universe in which you exist hides the God in truth. +

The universe in which you exist hides the God in truth. God in truth is the Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness.

The religious Gods are man-made. Every religion has its own idea of God. He who thinks God is one and the invisible Soul, the Self is another can never be able to understand, assimilate realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.

God cannot be brought down to the domain of duality. There is only one being in reality, and it is the invisible Soul, the Self.

The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, pervades everything and everywhere in all three states. Thus, the invisible Soul, the Self, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Brahman is God. When one realizes that form, time, and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness, then he realizes there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Thus, everything is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth.

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ if you believe that you are one and God is another you cannot understand Truth.

No conceptual God can exist apart from consciousness. People are not aware that there is no individual God that can exist, apart from the invisible Soul, which is in the form of consciousness.

The invisible Soul is the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. If there is no consciousness, then there is no body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no religious God.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God, there is no truth."

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks of the physical entity or ego as the Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks of the invisible Soul as the Self, then there is nothing that exists other than the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things besides himself and postulate a God, the creator. The body, the religion, and world rises and sets together from, and into, the invisible Soul or consciousness. If God is apart from the Self, then He would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

The Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, ( 14.27)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is the Supreme Spirit, has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

The Bible says: ~ God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says: ~ All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.

In the Vedas, God has been described as: ~

In Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ It has been said that God Supreme or Supreme Spirit.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self in truth." The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there are no dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is very much in tune with the essence of the Vedas and Upanishads.

So, it clearly indicates that God is formless, thus, there is no scope for the form-based God.

The religion and its ideas of Gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, Punya, rebirth, and reincarnation are based on the false Self (ego), within the false experience (waking). Therefore, they are meant for a lower mindset; they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth, as indicated in the scriptures. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

ZEN Buddhism is also on this lower stage of Yoga because it depends on flashes of Intuition gained by meditation, not by reasoning.+

Buddhist Sunyavada is incongruous because every thought has its opposite every word is tied to its coordinate for all thought and speech can only operate under such dualism. Hence, taking the most fundamental word, existence is implied opposite non-existence is also there, and vice versa. Therefore, the Sunya "non-entity" is meaningless without "entity". Both are there.

Buddhist Idealism speaks only of ideas.

What about the knower of these ideas?

Buddhist Nihilism does not ask "What is meant by Nihilism?

It is a thought. There must be a thinker of this thought.

Buddha kept silent, refusing to answer questions on the ultimate. Therefore, he was the wisest man in refusing to commit himself.

Zen is quite OK in mentioning non-duality: it is the nearest to Advaita, but it is still inferior because

(1) It fails to prove non-duality,

(2) It illogically gives koan exercises as a means of attaining That which is beyond attainment, because always here,

(3) It talks of insight or intuition to see Reality when sight involves a second thing, duality.

When you say "Nothing is" what is the meaning of "is"? "Sunya" is something that exists: you cannot prove that consciousness does not exist.

Zen Buddhism gives a high important place to meditation practice. The truth is that Zen advocates the necessity of meditation for those of its adherents who cannot grasp the absolute truth.

ZEN Buddhism is also on this lower stage of Yoga because it depends on flashes of Intuition gained by meditation, not by reasoning.

Has the Void a meaning? If so then it is only your imagination.

Buddha gave up yoga after practicing it for six years. He saw it could not yield truth.

Buddha gave up his austerities of yoga as impossible and useless. (Page.70/71 "Buddhism in Translation” by Warren)

Buddha got enlightenment only after he gave up Yoga. Unless you exercise your Buddhi--reason--there is no chance of getting the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Buddhism is based on form alone, and it does not include time and space in its investigation.

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Nonduality. Buddha pointed out the unreality of the world. He told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. He came nearest to Advaita in speech but not to Advaita fully.

Zen Buddhism Satori is not Advaitic wisdom because it comes as flashes, it does not depend on seeing the world and does not depend upon mental sharpness so much as intuition.

Zen Buddhists are only mystics ~ they do not offer proof. How is their main method different from that of Christian mystics, Hindu mystics, all of whom do not seek to prove by reason, but by "I know," intuition? : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Do not keep on glorify the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is not within your body. Remember the ‘I’ is the whole universe.+

Do not keep on glorifying the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is not within your body. Remember the ‘I’ is the whole universe. The universe ceases to exist without the ‘I’ because 'I' itself is the universe.

If you are caught in the grip of the ‘I’, then you will remain permanently in the grip of ignorance.

If you hold the Self as ‘I’, you will never be able to cross the dualistic illusion. If you follow the ‘I’ based teaching, it is like the blind leading the blind

If you inquire, “Who am ‘I’? - The ‘I’ will not disappear because, without the 'I', the universe ceases to exist. Without the universe, you cease to exist.

You must know what this ‘I’ is that appears and disappears in actuality.

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the witness of the ‘I’, which is permanent and eternal. The invisible Soul, the Self, is the subject, and the ‘I’ is an object.

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of the 'I'.

Remember:~

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the invisible Soul, then from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self: ~

Where is the ‘I’?

Where is the ego?

Where is the body?

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space?

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality?

Where is the void?

They are or have become one with the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is a waking experience.

Deeper self-search reveals that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject.

The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the three states are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion.

If the 'I’ is an illusion, then the individual experience of birth, life, and death is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion, then the duality is bound to be an illusion.

The seeker has to make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be. The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’, which comes and goes, to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.:

Remember:~

Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say 'I', if you feel the Self is the ‘I’, you are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated that the Self is the ‘I’. '

There is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth, nothing but the truth.

That is why Sage Sankara says: - VC-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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth, nothing but the uncontradictable truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

When one is able to view and judge from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self ( real), then there is only non-duality.+

The seeker has to know: whether the physical body and the world are within the mind or the mind is within the physical body? The mind, physical body, ego, and the world are present only when the waking experience is present. And the mind is absent when the waking experience is absent. Thus, one has to conclude that the mind as the whole waking experience.

Thus, the mind appears as the waking experience or the dreams (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

All your arguments are true only on the base of the ego, which is the false self, within the false experience (waking). The individual experiences within the waking state are as real as a dream.

Suppose the same subject, if we are discussing in the dream and one asks me the same questions in the dream, then whatever he said in the dream becomes unreal, when the waking takes place. Whatever one says now, he is saying within the waking experience. The waking is unreal on the base of the formless witness, which is the Atman. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

How does one see various objects, scenes, and persons during dreams? If the dream is experienced without the physical body, then what is it that experiences the dream? Therefore, there must be a formless witness (knower) of the dream world. This formless witness is the same witness that witnessed this waking experience. Therefore, the waking experience and dream both are witnessed by one and only formless witness of which the seeker is not aware. Since he considers the physical body (I) as the Self or witness and views and judges the world-view from the standpoint of the false self, within the false experience. The formless witness can exist with or without the waking or dream. But the waking or the dream ceases to exist, without the formless witness (Soul).

The gross waking experience is merged into the mental experience in the sense that, when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the invisible Soul alone.

All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher are deceiving themselves. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place; similarly, the waking becomes unreal when the wisdom dawns. Therefore, everything has to be grasped mentally, not argued from the intellectual point of view, which is limited to the false physical entity within the false experience.

The unreal is created out of the real, and when one views and judges from the standpoint of the unreal (ego), then there is duality.

When one is able to view and judge from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self ( real), then there is only non-duality.

When the Advaitic truth is revealed, then there is neither duality nor non-duality, only reality.

All these confusions will go on until the man thinks he is an individual and apart from the world, and the world existed prior to him, and he is born in it afterward. Therefore, it is necessary to know the fact the true Self is not ego, but the true Self is the invisible Soul, and stop viewing and judging the world-view from the standpoint of the physical self (ego), and one has to view and judge on the true Self (Soul) to realize the fact that, the world along with the man is an illusion.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the cause of the illusion.

The invisible Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman. From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, there is no second thing that exists; there is neither experience nor the experiencer in non-dual reality, but only Self-awareness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar