The word Self is a misnomer to indicate Athma. Athma is not you, but the cause of the whole universe.+

The word Self is a misnomer to indicate Athma. Athma is not you, but the cause of the whole universe. The word Self is a misnomer because the word Self refers to physicality (you).

Athma is a Sanskrit word. The word Athma has no proper equivalent in English. English translators used the word 'Self' for Athma. Athma means existence. Athma is the ultimate reality, or the ultimate truth, or Brahman.

All the Gurus of the East and West, however, apply the word Self to the individual. Sages apply it to non-duality. Athma is Brahman. Brahman, or the ultimate truth, is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the seeker.

Brahman ~ “The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is the ultimate reality or ultimate truth.

From the non-dualistic perspective, the words are meaningless. The words are used within the illusory world to indicate the truth, which is hidden by ignorance.

The word Self is not the best word to express because people are attached to the word Self. After all, all the translators used the word Self. The Self really means not you, but the Self means Athma in Adyathma or Spirituality.

Remember:~

BRAHMAN ~The English use of the word real as applied to the material world, whereas we Indians use it as applied to unseen Brahman. Hence, many errors have arisen in translations from the Sanskrit.

Consciousness

BRAHMAN~The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is the ultimate reality or the ultimate truth. The West, however, applies reality to individual objects or to the multiplicity of them all, whereas Advaitins apply it to the non-duality. Brahman is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the seeker.

The Vedas talk about Brahman, which refers to the ultimate truth or ultimate reality. Consciousness is the ultimate truth; therefore, consciousness is Brahman, and Brahman is God.

The Vedas do not permit idol worship. All the idols are of the Puranic Gods. Priests are referring to the Puranic Brahma as God; they are ignorant of the God in the Vedas, even though they speak of the Vedas.

Priests do not know who understands the meaning of the Brahman, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The scientists and their invention are based on the physical Self and its experience world as a reality, whereas the truth lies beyond physical existence.

Until Scientists discover the truth beyond form, time, and space, the mystery of the universe will not be unfolded.

Mundaka Upanishad: - The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy, and all the arts can be called lower knowledge. The highest is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless Self has neither caste nor race, neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great and in the small, everlasting and changeless, the source of life.

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.: : ~ Santthosh Kumaar  

Those who use the word ‘I’ for the Self will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion.+

The Self is not you but the Sou, which is present in the form of consciousness. If the Self is not you but the Self is the invisble  Soul, then your judgment of the truth has to be based on the invisible  Soul. The Soulcentric judgment reveals the truth hidden by ignorance.

You are bound by birth, life, death, and the world. Without realizing what the ‘Self’ is supposed to be, simply saying ‘I AM THAT’ shows are merely imagining the ‘Self’.

'I-centric' knowledge is based on imagination is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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

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:~

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

The form, time, and space are connected to the ‘I’.

The experience of birth, life, death, and the world is connected to the ‘I’.

The waking experience is connected to the ‘I’

The dream is connected to the ‘I’

The universe in which you exist is connected to the ‘I.

The mind is connected to the ‘I’

The Self is not the ‘I’.

The ‘I’ hides the invisible  Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The ‘I-LESS Soul is permanent because it is a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

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

Why are you struggling to find out who you are? You will never find the answer if you get stuck on the ‘I’. 

Find out ‘what is this ‘I’, which appears and disappears. What is it that is aware of the coming and going of the ‘I’?

Without realizing ‘What is this ‘I’? You will never be able to realize the mystery of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is the most intoxicating stuff. 

Those who use the word ‘I’ for the Self will never be able to cross the threshold of the dualistic illusion.

The ‘I-centric Gurus and their teachings will not help the seeker transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding.

The ‘I’ is the cage for the invisible Soul. ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, is the only weapon to get rid of ignorance.

The ‘I-centric Gurus and their teachings will not transport the seeker to the ultimate end of understanding. Perfect understanding of ‘what is this ‘I’ leads to the realization of the truth beyond form, time, and space. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

If people have believed false Gods propageted by religion over millions of years, the length of time does not prove it is God in truth.+

If people have believed false Gods propagated by religion over millions of years, the length of time does not prove it is God in truth.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained knowledge of Atman. Atman is God in truth. Atman alone exists. Everything is Atman; there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare.

Bhagavad Gita Krishna says: ~It is only one amongst thousands of people who strive for spiritual salvation. Even amongst such seekers, it is only the rare person who gets to know the Self correctly.’ (7.3)

People’s observation is based on a dualistic (matter or body or ego) perspective, whereas a Gnanis' judgment is based on the nondualistic (Soul or spirit or consciousness) perspective.

There is neither the projection (the world in which we all exist), nor the projector that exists as a reality when the invisible Soul, the Self, remains in its own nondual awareness when Advaitic wisdom dawns.

The purpose of the spiritual pursuit is to realize that the whole universe is, in which we exist is created out of a single stuff. And that single stuff is the invisible Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The invisible Soul is the Self. From the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self, the three states are merely an illusion.

God in truth 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 or consciousness 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. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or God in truth. :~ Santthosh Kumaar

Until a man is ripe to receive Self-knowledge, it is fatal to ask him to give up meditation.+

Ashtavakra says:~ "This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”

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.

Meditation is not the means to Self–Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Meditation is not the goal itself. It is an important and useful tool to quiet the body, mind, and emotions and allow one to enter a deep and quiet state of mind. Once the turbulent tendencies of the body or ego and emotions are brought into harmony, clarity and renewed strength are available to meet and overcome each life challenge as it presents itself.

Meditation will not eliminate our life challenges, but can enable us to harmonize our body, mind, emotions, and spirit and to focus that energy like a powerful beam of light on the challenges that lie ahead in worldly life.

When one sits down to meditate, he is thinking first of sitting, i.e., his body; then he tries to have only the thoughts of getting rid of the thoughts, with the thoughts of getting rid of the thought.

Thus, he is thinking as a person within the world. Thus, he remains a person practicing meditation, thinking the ego alone is illusory, and the rest (the universe) is a reality within the illusion. He only thinks of the object, within the object, as an object. But he is never aware of the formless subject.

People dip into meditation, but they do not understand that that is only one-half of the truth and that this dipping is also a mental discipline for them to understand the true nature of the external universe, which understanding they must next get if they are to become

Remember:~

Religion and yoga were not the ends, for they can never directly lead to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Meditation is not a mechanical process of forcing your attention upon an idea or object.

Without realizing the Self is not you but the invisible Soul, meditating is useless because it is not meditation but an imitation of the formless existence.

Meditation is not Advaitic wisdom. Meditation is not a means to find the truth hidden by form, time, and space. Without realizing that the Self is not you, but the Self is the invisible Soul, all the effort used in the meditation leads to hallucinatory thoughtlessness.

The thoughtlessness is not wisdom. By ending the thoughts, you may get peace, not Advaitic wisdom.

Ashtavakra says: ~ “This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”

Meditation is a progressive step, and there is no need to condemn it. Religion and yoga are not the ends, for they can never directly lead to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

All other teachings and practices other than Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, are for beginners only. There are stages in comprehending the truth.

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance. The ignorance will not vanish by reaming without the thoughts or focusing attention on some object.

Sage Sri, Sankara says ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why are you indulging in other types of meditation.

Until a man is ripe to receive Self-knowledge, it is fatal to ask him to give up meditation.

The novice seekers must understand that yoga is all right in its places and that it is good at the beginning of the pursuit of truth, but when yoga is made ends in itself and not a means to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

It is all made so complicated, and books written by different yogis have made it still more complicated.

No amount of reading and understanding can lead to Self-realization.

All other teachings and practices other than self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana, are for beginners only. There are stages in comprehending the truth.

Advaitic truth is the ultimate truth for the seeker of truth. All religion, Yoga, mysticism, or theology is for the lower and middling intellect.

The seekers' aim is the search for the Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The search to find the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth that in actuality, was never lost, only hidden.

Religious truth is not the truth because it always shows a contradiction. A contradiction arises because a different person's interpretation may disagree with others.

Poets are at liberty to imagine whatever they like, but the only thing wrong is that they take their feelings and sentiments for reality, or when they think that whatever seems, must exist.

Remember:~

Meditation is not meditating on the object, but to realize that the object is not the Subject.

The Soul is the subject. The world is an object.

The world in which you exist is an object to the Soul, the Self.

Remember, you are part of the objective world.

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.

People dip into meditation, but they do not understand that that is only one-half of the truth and that this dipping is also a mental discipline for them to understand the true nature of the external universe, which understanding they must next get if they are to become a Gnani.

Ashtavakra says:~ "This is your bondage, that you practice Samadhi or meditation.”

For meditation, one need not sit and chant God's name or concentrate on some object. Anything you do will not be meditation. If there is a doer, then it is not meditation. As long as there is doing, there is ignorance. As long as the doer is present, the ego is present.

If the ego is present, the whole world is present. If the world is present, the duality is present. If the duality is present, then there is an illusion. If the illusion is present, the birth, life, death, and the world are experienced as reality.

By realizing the world in which you exist is 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. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads to Self-awareness.

In Self-awareness, the invisible Soul, the Self, remains in its own awareness in the midst of form, time, and space. Thus, Self-awareness is real meditation. Mediation is the nature of the Soul, the Self.:~ Santthosh Kumaar

People are themselves not aware that the individuality and their worldly life is part of the illusion.+

In India, Advaita and Dvaita are mere religious traditions that they inherited from their ancestors. No one questions their validity because it is considered blasphemy to question their religion, their Guru, and Godmen or the pundits.

People who are attached to their religious code of conduct and trying to preach Advaita, that is mixing the individual life, and the concept of God, and all mixed up hotchpotch religious doctrine and feed the seeking people, are themselves not aware that the individuality and their worldly life is part of the illusion.

Remember:~

The truth seekers from different walks of life from all over the world are struggling to know the mystery of their own existence. Due to inborn and inherited conditioning or samskara, it becomes difficult to grasp the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Religious beliefs, social and cultural bondage, personal predilections, and phobias become the greatest obstacles to discovering the ultimate truth. However, an intense inner urge to know the ultimate truth will not be satisfied until the journey to the unknown is completed. The seeker has to cross many obstacles and barricades imposed by religion and society and beliefs, and behaviors.

The fact is something that has to be proved beyond all doubt and cannot be challenged. The truth cannot be found in an antique shop. There is no use in trying one old idea after another; it leads to confusion.

Nothing can be achieved or attained since the very base of seeking the truth is based on the false self (ego) and false experience (waking).

The seeker has to learn to view and judge the three states from the standpoint of the invisible Soul, the Self. Only when the seeker becomes Soulcentric then the truth starts unfolding gradually according to the spiritual maturity of the seeker. .: ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Yoga helps to free us from physical, emotional stress but it is not a tool to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Athma Gnana.+

Yoga is a holistic approach to well-being. It helps to free us from physical, emotional stress, but it is not a tool to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Athma Gnana.

Manduka Upanishads:- Those who want Brahman will not practice control of the mind. That is Yoga for duffers. The others will inquire and practice discrimination. (p.231)

Sage Sankara in the commentary to "Brahma Sutras:` " "The highest beatitude is not to be attained by Yoga." (Sacred Books of the East Series page 298 Vol. 1.) And he also says Samadhi is the same as sleep (p.312) ---this indicates that yoga is not the means to Self-realization. And yogic Samadhi is not Advaitic Self-awareness.

Panchadasi: - ‘The impossibility of yoga arrives at a successful end to its practices. (P.509 v, 109)

Brih Upanishad: page 32:~ "Yoga does not yield truth or liberation."

One may read all philosophical, yogic, and cosmological teachings, but at the end, it finally says, "All is imaginative."

Brihad Upanishad: ~ It too declares Yoga cannot give you the truth.

Sage Sankara says: - Yoga is not the means of liberation. (one thirty-two and thirty-three of his commentary on Brihadaranyakopanishad).

Brihad Upanishad. (Page one thirty-three- first para)- Even yoga cannot give perfect concentration, and the only way to gain it is through philosophical realization. This confirms Manduka Upanishad's statement that yoga can no more succeed than the ocean can be emptied with a blade of grass. (Page 133 – first para)

In Sutra Bashya and Manduka: ~ Samadhi and sleep are identical.

The Brihad Upanishad does not advocate Samadhi.

Avadhuta Gita:-“The Atman cannot be purified through the practice of the six limbs of the yoga, or through the annihilation of the mind, or through the instruction of a teacher. The Atman is the Reality Itself and It is Purity Itself."

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ The fool tries to control the mind with the mind - what folly! The wise one delights in ‘Self’ alone. There is no mind to master.

Upanishad and one will see that it says Atman, the Self is known by Reason alone, by the sharpened and Soulcentric intellect. Yet still, people worship Yoga and mysticism as the sole means of attaining Atman. The illuminations gained by yoga or by trance states are always temporary ones.

The essence of Mundaka is: Do not be satisfied with rituals, yoga, etc., which are good in their own way, but inquire. Into what? Brahman and Atman are things you can never see. So do not inquire into them. Inquire into the world around you, which you can see. Science tells you it is passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus, you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay your hands on. How can you inquire into Atma, which you cannot see? So first, we deal with the known and seen; this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end.

Ish Upanishad declares: ~ “Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide.

Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death. This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense, committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s own master? :~Santthosh Kumaar

The invisible Soul, the Self is the cause of the ‘I’.+

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take it 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.

The one who holds the ‘I’ as the Self will never be able to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana, or Atma Gnana.

Thus, it is necessary to realize first that the ‘I’ is not the invisible Soul, the Self, but the invisible Soul, the Self, is the cause of the ‘I’.

The ‘I-centric’ teaching and teachers are not a yardstick in the path of wisdom. ‘I-centric’ teaching will not lead the seeker to the ultimate end of his inner journey.

Different Gurus and teachers are pointing out the understanding of the Advaitic truth from a different standpoint. All such understanding of Advaita is on a dualistic perspective accumulated from here and there.

Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the invisible Soul, the Self.

There is no need for any theory or philosophy, or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

The citations from scriptures are not proofs. The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures. The ultimate truth is the universal truth, and it does not belong to any religion.

The religion causes diversity in unity, whereas the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity.

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures. There is no need to study first, then realize. One has to realize first, then only he will know ‘what is the truth?’ and ‘what is untruth?’.

One has to make use of his discoveries through the process of rational thinking.

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. People 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