Unless we bifurcate Bhagavan Buddha from Buddhism and Sage Sankara from Hinduism, the Advaita (Soul), which is hidden by the Dvaita (ignorance) will not be revealed.+

Unless we bifurcate Bhagavan Buddha from Buddhism and Sage Sankara from Hinduism, the Advaita (Soul), which is hidden by the Dvaita (ignorance) will not be revealed.

Bhagavan Buddha was a Gnani, not his followers. Bhagavan Buddha’s wisdom was lost, it is because it is mixed up and messed up with other religions in Asia wherever it existed. Bhagavan Buddha started the quest and Sage Sankara completed the journey.

It is no use arguing that Buddha is wrong or Sage Sankara is right, but where are we going wrong in our understanding and realization of the non-dual or Advaitic truth, propagated by the great Sages of the truth?

Buddhism has nothing to do with Bhagavan Buddha's wisdom because Buddha's wisdom is physical. Buddhism is based on form, time, and space, whereas Buddha's wisdom is based on formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

From a Nondualistic perspective, emptiness is the real nature of the Soul, the Self. The Soul, the Self, is identified as nothingness or emptiness because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. Everything is nothingness. Nothingness is everything, and everything is nothingness. Nothingness is nonduality, and everything is duality.

Nothingness or emptiness is the real nature of the Soul, the Self, and everything else is the unreal nature of the Soul, the Self.

Nothingness is eternal because there is no second thing that exists other than nothingness, which is the nature of the Soul, the Self.

The Buddhist scriptures were completely distorted by the time of Sage Sankara. Sage Sankara had to criticize the Buddhist literature prevailing then, as the Buddhists themselves were confused as to what Shunyata is.

Vasubandhu and his disciple Dignaga (the latter lived about a couple of centuries before Sage Sankara) could not retain the original teachings of Lord Buddha.

At first, Vasubandhu did not agree with his half-brother Asanga and wrote one book on Abhidharma, and later on, he went to the side of Asanga and wrote a second book, where he opposed his own earlier views on Abhidharma. Sage Sankara had to criticize the Buddhist knowledge and literature of his time, as he wanted to bring us back the Pure Vedantic knowledge through his work on the Prasthanatraya. That is why there is a reference to the writing of Dharmakirti in Sutrabashya.

There is another aspect also The Vishnu Purana also says that Lord Buddha created confusion. In Sarnath, he first taught about the Moral code, which is basic. He talked about Anatma. Then? Two decades later, he taught the concept of Shunyata and the tenets of Mahayana Buddhism.? In spite of Nagarjuna's telling that Shunyata is not Nihilism and that Parajanaparamita also mentioning about Shunyata after one leaves? The five Skandhas, there are and there will always be people who will go on calling Buddha's philosophy as Nihilism. About the origin of the? Tantric Buddhism also There are controversies.

India is the ancient land where wisdom made its home. India, whose soil has been trodden by the feet of the greatest Sages of truth like Bhagavan Buddha, Sage Sankara, Sage Goudpada.

Some say that without the sunyavada, Advaita philosophy could not have come into existence, because Advaita starts from where sunyavada ends. That is why they say it is an extension of Buddhism.

If Advaita existed prior to Buddha, he would not have advocated sunyavada at all because Advaita is the final and ultimate truth.

Since the Buddhist and Vedic scriptures have been passed down by hearing. They were written down only relatively late. So one wouldn’t know whether to rely on the times they give. Also, a lot depends on the translation. Each 'Shloka' or sutta is open to many layers of interpretation.

Most people will not show interest in acquiring Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is for those who found the path of religion, the path of yoga, and all theoretical philosophy and scriptural studies inadequate and useless to quench their inner thirst.:~Santthosh Kumaar

Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Athma.+

Sage Sankara endeavored towards establishing the Vedic religion, overthrowing Buddhism. But even he was not able to avoid the influence of Buddhism. The influence of the revolutionary atmosphere of Buddhism has reappeared in the Advaita of Sage Sankara. His inability to revive the Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

He was even more mystical than the UPANISHADS, because the UPANISHADS, however mystical they look, have their own rationality. They talk about the transmigration of the Soul. Buddha talked about transmigration without a Soul. It is more mystical.

Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Athma.

Dalai Lama said: ~ Buddhism need not be the best religion, though it is more scientific and religious, and inquisitive. But Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Atama (Soul) and rebirth. Dalai Lama said that as an individual, he believes in rebirth, as he had come across a few cases of rebirth. Modern science, Dalai Lama hoped, would unearth the mystery behind the rebirth. (In DH –dec-212009-Gulbarga).

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Non-duality. There is no doubt that 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.

The distinction between Sage Sankara’s Advaita and Vijnanavadin Buddhism is that the former is mentalism i.e., mind is the real, whereas the latter is idealism, i.e., ideas are real. We follow the former.

Buddhism did not graduate its teachings to suit people of varying grades; hence, its failure to affect society in Asia.

Buddha's teachings that all life is misery belong to the relative standpoint only. For you cannot form any idea of misery without contrasting it with its opposite, happiness. The two will always go together. Buddha taught the goal of cessation of misery, i.e., peace, but took care not to discuss the ultimate standpoint for then he would have had to go above the heads of the people and tell them that misery itself was only an idea, that peace even was an idea (for it contrasted with peacelessness). That the doctrine he gave out was a limited one is evident because he inculcated compassion. Why should a Buddhist sage practice pity? There is no reason for it.

Advaita is the next step higher than Buddhism because it gives the missing reason, viz., unity, non-difference from others, and because it explains that it used the concept of removing the sufferings of others, of lifting them up to happiness, only as we use one thorn to pick out another, afterwards throw both away. Similarly, Advaita discards both concepts of misery and happiness in the ultimate standpoint of non-duality, which is indescribable.

Buddhists say that a thing exists only for a moment, and if that thing has still got some of the substance from which it was produced, how then can they deny that its cause is continuing in the effect; hence, its existence is more than a moment. Vedanta is concerned with whether it is one and the same thing which has come into being, or has it come out of nothing?

Buddha also holds that this world which changes from moment to moment is no real, it is only a reflection and a thing of which it is the reflection alone is real. Buddha was not an atheist. He never denied reality. There is nothing in his words or teaching to show that he considered truth to be non-existent, like the horns of a hare. He could not have held the foolish view that something came out of nothing. It is true; some of his disciples misunderstood and misinterpreted him. His idea was that the truth which cannot be designated by a name or described in words and of which one cannot even say whether it is existent or none extent, is like non-existent. The idea is quite in agreement with the view of the Upanishads. An object which cannot even be talked about is, for all practical purposes, as good as non-existent. But it is not non-existent in the sense that the son of a barren woman is non-existent. This subtle idea, Buddha's contemporaries and even his disciples fail to catch. In one passage, Buddha says clearly: Srmana Gautama was an atheist. It is the annihilation of non-existent truth that he teaches. So will people attribute to me atheism, which is not mine? So will they ascribe me to the theory of non-existence, which again is not mine?

From these similar statements of the Buddha, it is clear that he was not an atheist. All philosophers, old and new, arrive at the same point. Orthodox Advaita (monism) is inevitable; the people of thoughtful temperament cannot find peace and quietude until they do so. Moksha (liberation) is in the realization of oneness with God. They speak of God Goddesses, devotion, and devotees, only in an accurate way only from the standpoint of dvaithi (dualists). After realizing oneness with God, there is no distinction between God and devotee, and the word "devotion" has no meaning.

Even in Buddhism: - Buddhist teaching has itself become a kind of interactive and Self-evolving process, much like its idea of pratityasamutpada. However, the end goal is still Nirvana, which is an experience ultimately beyond all concepts and language, even beyond the Buddhist teachings. In the end, even the attachment to the Dharma, the Buddhist teaching, must be dropped like all other attachments. The tradition compares the teaching to a raft upon which one crosses a swift river to get to the other side; once one is on the far shore, there is no longer any need to carry the raft. The far shore is Nirvana, and it is also said that when one arrives, one can see quite clearly that there was never any river at all. :  : ~Santthosh Kumaar

The Vedas bar polytheism thus, it proves that the Hinduism believes in polytheism is not Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma.+

People in India believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism, which contains diverse beliefs, castes, and creeds.

The Vedas bar polytheism; thus, it proves that Hinduism believes in polytheism, is not the ancient Vedic Religion or Santana Dharma.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter: ~ “All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Rig-Veda 1.164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

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

Rig Veda: 1.164.46: ~ Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” -” The Reality (Truth or God) is One.

Rig Veda 1/164/46: ~ “They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, and Matarishvan.

Rig Veda 8/58/2:~ Only One is the Fire, enkindled in numerous ways; only One is the Sun, pervading this whole universe; only One is the Dawn, illuminating all things. In very truth, the One has become the whole world.

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

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. The religious God cannot be considered the cause of the universe because the invisible Soul, the Self, is the cause of the universe. Without the invisible Soul, the universe in which you exist ceases to exist, which means the religious Gods are dependent on the universe for their existence. Without the universe religious God ceases to exist.

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

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)

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of the real God?

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

ISH Upanishads: - 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 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 or Brahma Gnana or Athma Gnana, 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.

Upanishads: ~ 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)

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God) is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal.

Brahman cannot be described because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is no distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman and not just its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:~ "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)

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?

Sickness is not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Ignorance will not vanish does not come by merely saying the word “God nor by worshiping God of belief. First, one must know what God is supposed to be. God must be realized. One must know God in truth.

Perfect undemanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ leads to truth realization, truth realization itself is Self-realization. Self-realization itself is God-realization. God-realization itself is real worship: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Advaita Vedanta has nothing to do with Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.+

Advaita Vedanta has nothing to do with Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara. Advaita Vedanta is only an indicator to show the truth hidden by the illusion.

Sage Sankara says - VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

People study Vedanta, and they are under the delusion and conclude that they declare: ~ "I-Am-Brahman", but they fail to realize the fact that Brahman is everywhere and in everything!

The existence of Brahman is not limited to his physical identity, because it is the very essence of form, time, and space.

Ashtavakra: ~ “My child, you may speak upon various scriptures or hear the sermons on the scriptures. But you cannot establish in the ‘Self’ unless you forget all. 16-1 – p49

Sage Sankara says - VC-162- There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense organs, etc., which are unreal.

Yoga Vasistha:~ "Teachers, interpretations of sacred texts, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth which is revealed in the clear reflection of the heart, engendered from contact with the good."

All the philosophies are mental fabrications. There has never been a single doctrine by which one could enter the true essence of things.

Philosophers have made philosophy very complicated with their excessive analysis.

Sage Sankara clearly says:~ Neither studying philosophy nor by worship as many gods nor observe ceremonies nor by singing devotional hymns nor by uttering mantras nor by mastering the scriptures, liberation comes without realizing the Oneness.

By challenging, provoking, and passing opinion and judgment based on the dualistic perspective, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. By studying Advaita Vedanta, you will not be able to realize the truth.

By arguing, provoking, and passing opinion and judgment on Advaita based on the dualistic perspective belongs to orthodoxy, not Spirituality.

Upanishads:~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking they are wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Upanishads Nikilanada - Ch II-5 P-14)

Then invisible Soul, the Self, reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

Philosophy has to deal with the ultimate truth, not mere words, not this Guru's or that Guru's interpretation.

The key to it is, for a Gnani to be "ever the same." This means he sees and knows only one thing, the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of Consciousness

All the interpretation of different scriptural scholars is an arena of conflicting interpretations.

All the gurus of the East and West interpret Advaita from a dualistic standpoint or orthodox point of view, and they are still dealing with words, not truth. It proves that they have not understood the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Satsangha is not attending the sermons and retreat of Gurus. +

Satsangha is not attending the sermons and retreats of Gurus. A true seeker is not content with knowledge of spiritual realities based on hearsay; he insists on direct knowledge.

All those Gurus who preach Advaita are based on the dualistic perspective or orthodox perspective. Such preaching has nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Your inner work is on. There is no need to neglect practical life within the practical world.

There is no need to indulge 24/7 in spirituality, but use your spare time for that. Do not neglect your family and personal life, and spend money on your pursuit of truth.

Be happy like any other human being enjoys life with humility and dignity in the practical world.

Self-realization does not depend upon books or upon the existence of any religion, and books perish when ignorance perishes.

The Advaitic Truth is the ultimate truth, and it is hidden by the universe, which is a dualistic illusion or Maya.

No books or Guru can transmit Gnana to you. Even without Guru, you can realize the truth hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya. You have to show gratitude for the wisdom and Sages of truth without being bound to them.

Do not blindly believe anything as truth without deeper verification. Think and reason for yourself. No blind belief can save you; work out your own salvation. Having only one idea of Self is an eternal help.

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, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

The Guru who pretends to be Self-realized and plays with the emotions and sentiments of the seeker is a fraud, not a Gnani.

If you emotionally and sentimentally hold on to the physical Guru as a guide, you will never be able to transcend the dualistic illusion to non-dualistic reality.

The idea of having a Guru itself blocks you from realizing the Self, which is hidden by the dualistic illusion.

It means the Gurus, Swamis, and Yogis who identify themselves as holy people are not Gnanis.

Those who are seeking truth need not follow any Guru or any teaching.

The one who thinks of himself as a Guru and the one who thinks of himself as a chela (disciple) will not be able to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because both of them accept themselves as the body. And all their understanding, practices, and knowledge are based on the false self (ego or you). Therefore, the Guru–Shisya concept is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth.

A Gnani never accepts himself as a Guru or accepts anyone as his disciple. A Gnani only shares Gnana and guides the serious and sincere seeker. He will never make anyone emotionally get attached to him because he is fully aware of the fact that such attachment hinders their spiritual growth.

Your inner work is on. There is no need to neglect practical life within the practical world. There is no need to indulge 24/7 in spirituality, but use your spare time for that.

Do not neglect your family and personal life in pursuit of the truth. Be happy like any other human being enjoys life with humility and dignity in the practical world.

Internally focus your attention on the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. The invisible Soul, the Self, is ever free from the illusory form, time, and space. There is no need to renounce and take sanyasa to get Self-realization.

No amount of Diksha or yoga meeting Gurus and visiting Ashrams leads anywhere. Your guide is within, and it guides you to the core that you are seeking.

Swami Vivekananda said:~ “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own Soul.”

Bhagavan 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.

You should not neglect your individual and family life. Enjoy life as it comes, and also face the difficulties as they come.

As your inner conviction about the invisible Soul, the Self grows, you will be able to realize ‘what is the truth?’ and ‘what is the untruth?’ and be able to see the world in which you exist as a passing cloud that hides the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Atman is the Sanskrit word, for Soul, the Self. The Atman or Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, Atman or Soul, or the Self or consciousness, is one and the same thing.

This universe in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

The experience of birth, life, death happens within the illusory universe or Maya.

The form, time, and space are a reality within the illusory universe. Without form, time, and space the illusory universe ceases to exist.

The universe is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present when ‘I’ is present.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the universe is merely an illusion.

If the universe is merely an illusion, then the experience of birth, life, and death happen within the universe is merely an illusion.

If the universe is merely an illusion, then form, time, and space are merely an illusion.

If form, time, and space are merely an illusion, then the mind is merely an illusion.

If the mind is merely an illusion, then the ‘I’ is merely an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is merely an illusion then the substance and the witness of the ‘I’ which is the formless Soul alone is real and eternal. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Until ignorance is there, the illusory universe in which you exist prevails as a reality.+

Q :~Matt Pedro:~ Santthosh Kumaar blessings to you. If everything is an illusion, do you eat and drink, take a shower, and go to the washroom? Then why do you eat that is physical? Just asking so I can have a better understanding  

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 A:~ Santthosh Kumaar:-  Suppose if you had asked the same question in a dream, the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns. 

The Advaitic wisdom dawns when you realize the  Self is not you, but the  Self is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

From the standpoint of the invisible  Soul, the Self, the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.

Thus, all the happenings within the illusory universe are bound to be an illusion. Until ignorance is there, the illusory universe in which you exist prevails as a reality.

When ignorance vanishes through Advaitic wisdom, then the world in which you exist, which you think of as reality, becomes an illusion.

Thus, whatever you have seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person within the waking experience is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. 

Thus, the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, is real and eternal.:~Santthosh Kumaar