Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is the only tool to unfold the mystery of the ‘I'.+

The main hurdle in his way of thinking is the fact that Sage Sankara did not claim to be an original thinker at all, and his philosophy took the form of commentaries on the generality of the scriptures, particularly the Upanishads and the Gita.

Sage Sankara was an independent thinker. His wisdom has not been taken seriously by many in India because most of the followers of Sage Sankara are religious orthodox.

It is that philosophy in India was for centuries more an exposition of the ancient classics than the independent thought of individual thinkers as in ancient Greece or modern Europe and America.

Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada are independent thinkers; other schools of Indian philosophy are mere theologies. Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is the only tool to unfold the mystery of the ‘I'. The dualistic philosophy cannot escape the charge of dogmatism.

Intelligence and thought do not apply to Advaitism; intelligence and thought are based on the false self (waking entity) within the false experience (waking state). The whole Advaitic philosophy is an attempt to transcend the limitations of intelligence and thought.

The two points of view, A Gnani is not cut off from the experience of practical life within the practical world because Advaitic truth is neither realism nor idealism; it is beyond both these.

Sage Sankara said: - Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many Gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing devotional hymns, but the liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons, without realizing the Oneness.

The Advaitic wisdom does not begin with the ultimate truth. Ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Hence, so-called philosophers who take Brahman for granted are not philosophers at all.

Many Advaitin scholars will teach that all is yourself, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is required so that one arrives at knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman, i.e., Gnana.

Theirs is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

Sage Sankara endeavored to establish 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 Vedic religion that flourished before the Buddhist revolution in its pure form is discernible.

Sage Sankara gave out what was of most use to the greatest number of people. Therefore, in the commentaries on the Upanishads, such as the famous Manduka upanishad he gave the highest nondual message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and practise of Advaita, while in the commentaries on the Brahmasūtra he gave a lesser teaching, positing both higher and lower Maya and higher and lower Brahman (Ishvara) to explain creation for those of lesser intellects until they were ready for the highest truth.

Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, negation of duality is possible. The invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Consciousness is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe in Advaita (i.e., non-dual); it means that consciousness transcends all conceptions, both 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.

The nature of the invisible Soul, the Self, is the non-dualistic awareness, indicating that the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self, is inexplicable, indescribable, and unimaginable. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The ‘I’ itself is the illusory bondage because the ‘I’ itself is the cause of the ignorance.+

The ‘I’ itself is the illusory bondage because the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance.

Only in ignorance, the Soul bound by the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

In reality, there is no second thing that exists other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

If the invisible Soul is free from the ‘I’, then it is free from ignorance.

If the invisible Soul is free from ignorance, then there is no bondage of form, time, and space. The bondage is present only when the ‘I’ is present.

When the invisible Soul is free from the ‘I’, then it is free from the bondage of form, time, and space.

If the invisible Soul is free from the bondage of form, time, and space, then it is free from the bondage of the universe.

If the invisible Soul is free from the bondage of the universe, then it is free from the waking experience.

If the invisible Soul is free from the waking experience, then it is free from the experience of birth, life, and death.

If the invisible Soul is free from the experience of birth, life, and death, then it is free from the dualistic illusion.

If the invisible Soul is free from the dualistic illusion, then it is in its own awareness.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Gnani can point at the sky, but the seeing of the star is the seeker's own work.

It is necessary to reflect on the same truth again and again till it becomes a reality. One needs to constantly reflect on the subject until one gets a firm conviction of 'what is what'. Words of wisdom are needed until one gets a firm conviction of ‘what is what’.

People need to read and hear the words of wisdom to think, reason, and reflect deeply and reach the ultimate end.

Swami Vivekananda: ~Jñāna Yoga is divided into three parts. First: hearing the truth--that the Atman is the only reality and that everything else is Maya. Second: reasoning upon this philosophy from all points of view. Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from being certain that Brahman is real and everything else is unreal.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is truth’ and ’what is untruth’. It takes time for the invisible Soul, the Self, to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

All the Gurus glorified the ‘I’. Thus, it becomes very difficult to discard the ‘I’.+

All the Gurus glorified the ‘I’. Thus, it becomes very difficult to discard the ‘I’. Those who have accepted the ‘I-centric teaching refuse to accept anything other than their accepted truth.

Till you hold the Self as the ‘I’, your knowledge remains skin deep.

What is it that appears as the ‘I’ and disappears as the ‘I-less-? It is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not make the mistake of holding the ‘I’ as the Self because it is not permanent. ‘I’ disappears and becomes ‘I’-less.

‘I’ is an illusion, and the ‘I-less-Soul’ is real and eternal. The ‘I-less-Soul ‘appears as ‘I’ and ‘I' disappears as I-less-Soul.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “The permanent 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. The invisible Soul is the cause of the 'I'.

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

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to realize that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness 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.

Remember this:- “The ‘Self’ is not the ‘I’ but the Self is the invisible Soul, the witness of the ‘I’, which comes and goes.

There is nothing to realize other than realizing that you and the world in which you exist are created out of a single stuff, and that single stuff is the invisible Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you and the world in which you exist are nothing but consciousness. Thus, by realizing this truth, the invisible Soul becomes free from the cage of the illusory form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Religion can never make you know God in truth.+

Religion can never make you know God in truth. Only an intense urge to know what God is supposed to be in truth can make you realize God in truth. The invisible Soul, the Self, is the Infinite God.

By bathing in the holy rivers or by reciting mantras based on Gods of blind faith or blind belief or through charity or by studying philosophy or serving the holy men, God in truth will not be realized.

Only ignorant people believe in bathing in the river to get rid of their sins to get Moksha.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC- Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about the Self. The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

An intense desire for truth-realization is itself the way to it. The Soul, the Self, is God in truth.

The nature of God is Advaita. Therefore, one need not accept anything as God other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

All indeed is this Consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of the objective universe. It is difficult to explain it in a dualistic setup. Consciousness is beyond the senses, beyond form, time, and space, beyond dualistic intelligence, beyond imagination, because it is ever nondual.

Consciousness is beyond both existence and non-existence, and thus can never be known as an object.

Consciousness alone is real and eternal. The world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, no second thing exists, other than consciousness.

God in truth is the Self. God in truth, is not physical. God in truth, means the ultimate truth. The ultimate truth is Spirit. The Spirit is God in truth. The Spirit is the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:~

A firm conviction that Brahman alone is real and the universe is unreal is gained through discrimination between the real and the unreal.

The seeker will be able to cross the ocean of ignorance through perfect understanding and realization of the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

Remember:~

The invisible Soul, the Self, is the Infinite God.

The invisible Soul is the Self. God in truth, is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. God in truth is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space. Therefore, there is nothing apart from it.

God in truth is Self-evident. God in truth is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God in truth because God in truth is the very essence of the one who denies it.

God in truth, is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. God in truth is hidden by the universe in which you exist; God in truth is without the universe in which you exist.

No second thing exists other than the invisible Soul, which is the fullness of consciousness without the division of form, time, and space.

From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, there is neither form nor time nor space.

Religion propagates the creator and the creation theory, hence people are forced to admit it. People are stuck believing in the creator and the creation theory; thus, they are stuck in the reality of the world in which they exist.

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit.

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

Do not accept any other God other than the invisible Soul. The invisible Soul is God in truth. Nothing is real but the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realizing God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth, is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal, and all else is an illusion.

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth. The ultimate truth itself is God in truth.

Vedas and Upanishad confirm that the invisible Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or that consciousness is God in truth.

If God is Spirit, then how does man know God created the world? There is no proof. If man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence? (i.e., were created).

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the invisible Soul, the Self. The invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there.

He meant Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana (pearls) should not be given to the ignorant populace (pigs).

Jesus really said? To the multitude, he said, “God is in heaven; try to go there,” and to reach that end, he said to overcome certain temptations and sufferings.

To his followers, he said, “God is everywhere; try to see Him,” and gave explanations to that effect.

To the close circle of apostles, he said, “God is in me and in you too,” and actually revealed this to them.

Why did Jesus say different things? Owing to the time and the persons, according to their readiness to listen and understand. What Jesus meant was to leave all and follow him; that means to know him, see him, and experience him.

The teachings that are being followed by Christians are not the real teachings that Christ gave. The priests have altered his words, added to his teachings, and spoiled them.

Jesus said: ~ Seek and ye shall find. Knock the doors shall open to you.

The Spirit is present in the form of consciousness. Everything is consciousness. All the moments are within the dualistic illusion. Whatever happens within the dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, consciousness alone is real and all else is merely an illusion.

“Spirit is my father, and I and my father are one.”

If the Spirit is the Father, the Son is bound to be the Spirit. The Spirit, the beloved alone, is real and all else is merely an illusion.

There is no God in the dualistic illusion because the dualistic illusion is created out of God, which is present in the form of the Spirit or the consciousness. Thus, God alone is real.

Spirit is prior to Love. Love implies duality. The love hides God. When love disappears the God appears. Find the Self and Love the Self and rest in God, which is the Spirit. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara says: ~Without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual.+

Sage Sankara says: ~ 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.

The seeker of truth has to accept the truth as God and reject the untruth to realize other than the Atman, the real God alone is real and all else is an illusion created out of the Atman, the only God.

Some gurus say:~

Find the 'I' thought.

Find out who the thinker is?

Find who the doubter is?

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that:

Remember this ‘I’ is not the thought"

The ‘I’ is the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep(nonduality).

It is foolish to limit the ‘I’ as a thought, because. Without the ‘I’, the universe ceases to exist.

You are the thinker because the thinker and thoughts exist in the domain of form, time, and space. The form, time, and space cease to exist without the ‘I’.

Thus, it proves that the ‘I’ is not limited to the thought or thinker or doubter.

The seeker should not get entangled with ‘I’ based Gurus and their teaching. Sentimentally and emotionally getting entangled with physical Gurus, living or dead, blocks the realization of the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

That is why Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you yourself 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.

Buddha:~ "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven, or hell."

Be an independent thinker.

Jesus said:~"Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all." (Gospel of Thomas 2)

Jesus said: ~” Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. (The Gospel of Thmos- Saying 5)

***

Jesus said:~ Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew -7:6)

~ Jesus meant Self-knowledge (pearls) should not be shared with unqualified people(pigs).

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.”

Blindly believing in some path, following some guru, practicing some so-called spiritual practice without verification will not help you get rid of ignorance.

The truth - realization is very simple. We make it complicated by mixing diverse theories, different ideologies, religions, and yoga.

All our accumulated knowledge is the greatest hindrance in the pursuit of truth. To realize the truth beyond form, time, and space, one must have the courage of Buddha. Buddha got enlightenment only after dropping the religion, the Vedas, and the concept of God.

To realize the Advaitic truth, there is no need to go from one mountain to another, one Ashram to another, or worship the Godmen or Guru as a God, or convert from one faith to another.

The truth is universal. Anyone can realize it if they have an intense urge. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. In the world in which we exist, all our thoughts, words, beliefs, and experiences are nothing but consciousness. Realizing consciousness is everything, is truth realization, or Self-realization, or God-realization. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Atman or Soul is above duality and non-duality. +

Nirguna (attributeless) is the nondual nature of the invisible Soul, the Self.

The Saguna (attributed) is the illusory nature of the mind, which is present in the form of the universe.

The invisible Soul is the knower of the Saguna (mind). The Saguna (mind or the universe) is merely an illusion, from the standpoint of the nirguna, which is the invisible Soul, the Self.

Thus, the Saguna (mind or world) is a myth from the standpoint of the nirguna, which is the invisible Soul, the Self.

The invisible Soul is the real Self and eternal identity. The nirguna (Soul) can remain with or without the Saguna (mind), whereas the Saguna (mind) is dependent on the Nirguna (Soul) for its existence

Nirguna and Saguna are classified only in duality. In nondual reality, there is neither the nirguna nor the saguna; everything is one. Therefore, the nirguna and the Saguna are one; in essence, that is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The Saguna is mind because when the mind is present, then all the attributes are present, and when the mind is absent, then the attributes are absent.

The Samadhi is the natural state of the invisible Soul, the Self. In the natural state, the attributes are non-existent, and in duality ( the mind), all the attributes are present.

Thus, the duality and nonduality are the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self. The duality and the nonduality are not some theory. The theoretical duality and nonduality have nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The world in which we exist is present in the form of objective awareness. The whole objective awareness is created out of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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

The dual (waking or dream) and nondual (deep sleep) experiences appear and disappear. The Soul is the witness of the coming and going, of the three states. All three states are made of a single stuff. That single stuff is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, the single stuff alone is real and eternal, and the entire three states are merely an illusion created out of the Single stuff.

Realization of the single stuff, which is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is Self-realization.

Until ignorance is there, the three states are experienced as a reality. Thus, it is very much necessary to realize that there is no second thing that exists other than the invisible Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:~

Maya and Brahman, Jagat (world) and Ishvara (creator), Guru (teacher) and Shishya (disciple), the holy rituals, traditions, the three worlds, the three bodies, and so forth are realities within the illusory duality.

This seeming duality is a hypothesis, not to establish duality, but to disprove it. Advaitic or non-dualistic truth has nothing to do with the illusory universe or Maya, which is dualistic.

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

Consciousness is neither dual nor non-dual. Some orthodox claim that Atman is dual, while others claim that Atman is non-dual; they do not know the ultimate truth.

The Atman or Soul is above duality and non-duality. The seeker has to realize that duality is a reality only from the standpoint of the waking entity or ego. The ego is part and parcel of the illusory universe or Maya.

One thinks that he is an individual separate from the world and the world that existed prior to him, and he is born in it afterward. Till this conviction is there, he will not be able to grasp the Advaitic or non-dualistic truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani is fully aware of what God is supposed to be in actuality.+

A Gnani is not opposed to God; he is not an atheist, but he wants God free from the imagination.  

A Gnani is fully aware of what God is supposed to be in actuality.  God exists apart from human imaginations. Imagined Gods are not God in truth. 

Gnani does not say God is not there; God is, but not as one imagines God. God is above all imaginations. God exists as truth. Hence, in the path of wisdom, the ultimate truth or Brahman or  God in truth. Thus, Brahman means the ultimate truth is God in truth. 

Advaitic wisdom may be as bitter as poison, but the seeker must like it as nectar. Those who cannot do this are unfit for Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.  

The right kind of seeker of truth will accept and search for truth, whether it brings bitterness or sweetness, whatever it tastes like. He must be prepared to find God as impersonal and to lose his own individuality for the sake of Advaitic wisdom. 

As the seeker starts mentally chewing the Advaitic wisdom, it becomes tastier like nectar. The seeker starts seeing the consciousness as it is by realizing the world in which he exists is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. 

Thus, the seeker gains the fruits of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom ~ Atman is Brahman. The world is an illusion and sees only consciousness as it is in the midst of diversity (world).  : ~Santthosh Kumaar