This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) was all created out of consciousness. +

People think something will happen, and they will vanish. No such thing happens. Noting that will shrink down to the size of an atom that contains the whole universe. 

To think there is an atom, a thinker has to be present. If a thinker has to be present, the world has to be present. The world implies duality.

No one has seen the universe in the atom. It is just imagination based on the false self within the false experience.

The first thing the seeker has to realize he, himself, is not the Self because the Self is not limited to the form (you), but it pervades time and space also. When the Self is not you, then all these theories are based on the form holding no water

The Self is the invisible Soul, which is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. If the Self is the invisible Soul, which is is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence, then what is the use of talking about the atom or the universe or you? 

Sri Ramanuja believed in a plurality of minds or selves and also in prakrti matter. The latter he thought, ultimately existed in the form of particles similar to our atomic theory. But recent science has killed the atomic theory, and matter has vanished with it. Hence, modern Ramanujists fear science and try to avoid it.

This vast cosmos with all its contents (atom, molecule, sun, moon, planet, and star) was all created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Thus, one has to conclude the Self is free from form, time, and space. If there is no form, time, and space, then there is no universe. If there is no universe, then there is no duality. If there is no duality, there is only non-duality. 

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. 

Without realizing that form, time, and space are one in essence, one will not be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana. Nothing vanishes when wisdom dawns; wisdom dawns in the midst of duality.

Advaita only means negation of duality. The soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and withdrawal of the universe is Advaita (i.e., non-dual), which means that consciousness transcends all conceptions, positive and negative. Nothing positive can ever be imagined or said about it.

Consciousness is existence absolute, awareness absolute. The existence absolute means that consciousness is not unreal or non-existent. And it is not unconsciousness. Nothing positive can be stated about consciousness.

In one of the Upanishads, the disciple says to the Master: "Lord, tell me the nature of Atman". The reacher remains silent. Again, the question is asked, and again, the answer is silence. By his silence, the teacher indicated that the nature of Atman is inexplicable, indescribable, and unimaginable.

The  Soul, the Self, is the One without a second. There is not the least shadow of multiplicity in the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.-:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Consciousness means existence. Existence is nondual.+

Consciousness means existence. Existence is nondual. Nonduality cannot be described through words, for all uses of language fail to express it. Nonduality is sought to be indicated mentally negation of duality (all attributes and characteristics).

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Do not accept any other truth other than consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth. Nothing is real but consciousness. Nothing matters but to realize the ultimate truth. Consciousness is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious

The invisible  Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness. No division in consciousness is admissible at any time, as it is always one and the same. Even the world in which we exist must be known as false, like the delusion of a snake in a rope.

The invisible Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness. 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 the true Self.

Until one thinks of his body as body, ego as ego, the universe as the universe, he remains in ignorance because he is still in ignorance, and he is unaware of the fact that they too are consciousness.

The invisible  Soul, the Self, is formless and non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides itself. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. 

The invisible Soul cannot be described because description implies a distinction. The invisible  Soul cannot be distinguished from any other than itself. In the invisible Soul, there is no distinction between substance and attribute. Nondualistic awareness constitutes the very essence of the Soul and not just its attributes.

The invisible  Soul is impersonal. It becomes a person only through its association with the three states or illusion.

As through the ignorance of the real nature of the rope, the very rope appears in an instant as a snake, so also does the invisible Soul or consciousness appear in the form of the waking or dream without undergoing any change.

There exists no other material cause of this waking or dream except consciousness. Hence, these three states are nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

All three states are consciousness, because they arise from consciousness, and sustained by consciousness, and finally, dissolve as consciousness. 

The idea of the pervading is illusory. When this supreme truth is realized, then there is no room for any distinction between the cause and the effect.

Certainly, there is no manifoldness in consciousness. The non-dual cause being an established fact, how could the three states be different from consciousness, when they are created out of consciousness? : ~Santthosh Kumaar

There is nothing that exists prior to consciousness. The ‘I’ ceases to exist without consciousness.+

The Self is not within you, but the Self is within the ‘I’. Realize what this ‘I’ is in actuality, then you will never use the word ‘I’ for the Self.

The seeker has to make sure what this ‘I’ is supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure of the unreal nature of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears, to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

‘I’ is not the reality. Whenever the ‘I’ is there, the dualistic illusion is present.

Whenever dualistic illusion is present, the world in which you exist is present. The world in which you exist appears and disappears.

Thus, ‘I’ appears and disappears. The ‘I’ is not permanent. The invisible Soul, the Self, is the witness of the coming and going, of the 'I’.

It is erroneous to identify the invisible Soul, the Self, as the ‘I'. ‘I’ represents ignorance. How can you watch the ‘I’, the truth which is hidden by the ‘I’?

By your keeping quiet and keeping silent, the truth will not emerge.

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

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, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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 the fact 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 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 '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.

Bhagvad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

There is nothing that exists prior to consciousness. The ‘I’ ceases to exist without consciousness.

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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

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

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

When the 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.

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.  :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is Vedic Spirituality or Adyathma because nonduality is the essence of the Vedas.+

The seeker has to go beyond the Vedas to go beyond religion. Going beyond religion means going beyond the concept of God. Going beyond the Vedas, the religion, and the conceptual God means going beyond illusion. That is the end of the Vedas (Veda –antha).

When one goes into the annals of history, it looks like the true Advaita expounded by Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada was lost or mutilated by the orthodoxy because the orthodox preaching and practice are dualistic and they do not match with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom.

Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is Vedic Spirituality or Adyathma because nonduality is the essence of the Vedas.

The seeker must do his homework and verify the validity of all the claims, rather than blindly believe what others expound as knowledge, till the uncontradicted truth is obtained.

The seeker must have the courage of Buddha to accept the truth and reject the untruth.

Since Buddha rejected religion, the idea of God, and scriptures, therefore, it is evident that he has gone through every aspect and verified and found them to be inadequate and useless for the pursuit of truth.

Even Buddhism is mixed up with regional culture and traditions of the local religion, wherever it existed. Thus, to get the full essence of Buddhism is very difficult.

The scriptures are for the ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Advaitic wisdom is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

Remember:~

Sage Goudpada says:~ The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect. The karma based on the false self is not a qualification for Self-Realization.

Thus, it proves that the Advaitic wisdom is kept away from religious people who are of lower and middling intellect and made them indulge in karma and Upasana. Thus, all the religious prescription is not meant for Self-Realization.

There are two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the more advanced seeker who seeks to know the truth beyond form, time, and space.

The religious orthodoxy is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. The Atmic path, emphasis on the Advaitic wisdom, is meant for those who wish to go beyond form, time, and space.

The conduct-oriented religious orthodoxy is not the means to Self-Realization because all the orthodox theories are based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas the world in which birth, life, and death take place is an illusion.

Religion is for the lower intellect, and Advaitic wisdom is for those who are capable of inquiring into their own existence to know and realize the ultimate truth, which is consciousness. : ~Santthosh Kumaar 

‘I’, me, and mine are a reality within the domain of form, time, and space.+

If you emotionally stick to the ‘I-centric Gurus and their teaching, you will never reach anywhere.

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.

Buddha: - There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting

If you are seriously seeking truth, you must complete your journey. Your emotions and sentiments towards the physical Guru keep you permanently in the mental asylum of the prison of ignorance.

Jesus said: ~ “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find it, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned, they will rest.]"

Meher Baba: ~ “When the reality appears, this ignorance which one thinks as reality becomes unreal.

Swami Vivekananda says: ~ Advaita encompasses everything. Advaita requires heavy-duty intellectualism. From 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda'...

 ‘I’, me and mine belong to you, not to the Soul, which is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

‘I’, me, and mine are a reality within the domain of form, time, and space.

Remember the Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the invisible Soul, the witness of the ‘I’.

Without the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, there is no ‘I’

There is no truth in ‘I’, me, and mine because ‘I’, me,  and mine belong to the dualistic illusion.

‘I’, me and mine are nothing to do with the invisible Soul, the Self, because the invisible  Soul is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind rises from the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

 The ‘I’ rises as the mind.

 The mind is in the form of the universe.

 Thus, ‘I’ is the mind or universe.

The seeker has to divert his attention to the source from where the mind (universe) rises and subsides.

The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe rises from the Soul, the Self, like bubbles from the sea. Thus, know the Self to be one and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

First, find out how this world, in which you exist, has come into existence. If you know the answer, then all your doubts will vanish.

Taittiriya Upanishad: ~ “The Self in man and in the sun are one. Those who understand this see through the world and go beyond the various sheaths of being to realize the unity of life.

The truth is very simple. It is only to realize the world in which we exist is created out of a single stuff. Knowledge of single stuff is Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge frees us all from ignorance.

Swami Vivekananda, “The wicked are always looking for defects. Flies come and seek for the ulcer, and bees come only for the honey in the flower. Do not follow the way of the fly but that of the bee.

The seeker has to have to discard all accumulated knowledge, accumulated from different Gurus and teachers.

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 dwelling in ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round by various blind beliefs and tortuous paths and practices, like the blind led by the blind.

Arise! Awake!

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.”

The invisible  Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman. The Soul only held in the illusory bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukthi - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection, freedom from ignorance."

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.

In Atmic reality, there is no scope for two. Advaita means one without the second. Advaita is the nondual nature of the invisible Soul. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is one without the second.

Consciousness is one without the second because the world in which you exist is created out of consciousness. Thus, everything is consciousness. 

No second thing exists other than consciousness.  Consciousness alone is real and eternal.

Advaitic truth has to be grasped mentally by realizing that form, time, and space are nothing but an illusion created out of the single clay, and that single clay is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single clay is Advaita, the one without the second. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The mind is not considered different from the’ I’, because 'I' itself is the mind. This truth has to be assimilated.+

The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the cause of the world in which you exist, and it itself is uncaused.

The ‘I’ implies the duality. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe.

The universe appears as the waking or dream(duality) and diapers as the invisible Soul in deep sleep nonduality.

The one that becomes duality and the one that becomes nonduality is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

The one which is aware of the coming and going, of the ‘I’, is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance in the midst of duality, it is called Self–awareness.

It is foolish to limit consciousness only to the physical body because consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in the world in which you exist.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad- The Self is indeed Brahman (consciousness), but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything.

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, which is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

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’, because 'I' itself is the mind. 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 invisible 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 of the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes.

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to realize that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the invisible Soul, the cause of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

That is why 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.  : ~Santthosh Kumaar 

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and live like a commoner. +

Meher Baba: ~ "There is no higher or lower goal. There is only one goal, Self-Realization."

A person who declares himself as Self-realized is not Self-realized, because he is unaware of the fact that he is not the Self but the Self is the Soul.

A person who has realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will never declare he is self-realized. If a person says he is Self-realized, he is still ignorant.

If you think you are self-realized, but you still say 'I', and if you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, you are not a Gnani. You are simply ignorant of your accumulated dualistic intellectual knowledge from here and there.

Upanishad says ~ "He who thinks he knows, does not know." This means that to know anything implies a second, an object of knowledge, hence duality, i.e., no Gnana.

Ashtavakra Samhita: ~ "The man of knowledge (Gnani), though living like an ordinary man, is contrary to him, and only those like him understand his state.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and all religious identity and live like a commoner. He never identifies himself as Gnani, nor does he identify himself as superior to others. He only shares his knowledge with fellow seekers.

A Gnani never identifies himself as a Guru or a Yogi, or someone disciple. The one who accepts himself as a Guru or someone’s disciple is not a Gnani.

There is no liberation for a person of mere bookish knowledge, however 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.

Remember:~

The invisible Soul is the Self. The invisible Soul, the Self, is God in truth. The invisible Soul remains in its own awareness, which we identify as deep sleep in the waking experience.

The waking state is the state of ignorance. When ignorance vanishes, then the Soul remains in its own awareness in the midst of duality (waking).

Man cannot see God in truth(Spirit), because man and the world in which he exists are the product of ignorance.

Man cannot see God in truth because God in truth is prior to anything that exists.

When God in truth is present, then man and his world are absent. When the man and his world are present, then God is absent.

God in truth is Advaita. God in truth is prior to any experience. Experience implies duality. In Atmic reality, there is neither experience nor experiencer.

There is no scope for two in Advaitic reality. Experience is possible only within the domain of the dualistic illusion.

The dualistic illusion is created out of the invisible Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is God in truth.

In the domain of the invisible Soul, the real God, the dualistic illusion fades away the same way as the dream fades away when the waking takes place. : ~Santthosh Kumaar