Until you hold the Self as the ‘I’, you will never be able to get Self-realization.+

The experience of birth, life, death, and the world is happening within the ‘I’, which is a dualistic illusion.

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

Until you hold the Self as the ‘I’, you will never be able to get Self-realization. ‘I’ hides the invisible Soul, which is the Self.

'I’ is ignorant.

‘I’ is the duality.

‘I’ is form, time, and space.

‘I’ is the universe.

‘I’ is the waking.

‘I’ is the dream.

‘I’ is the illusion.

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

Remember:~

Without the ‘I’, there is no ignorance.

Without the ‘I’, there is no duality.

Without the ‘I’, there is no form, time, or space.

Without the ‘I’, there is no universe.

Without the ‘I’, there is no waking.

Without the ‘I’, there is no dream.

Without the ‘I,’ there is no illusion.

Without the ‘I’, there is no experience of birth, life, death

and the world.

The ‘I’ hides the invisible Soul or consciousness. The ‘I’ hides the truth.

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.

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

It is time to discard the ‘I’. Never use the word the I’ or I AM for the Self.

The invisible Soul is not within your body, but the invisible Soul pervades the whole world in which you exist.

Those gurus who think the Self is within the body propagate that the Self is to be ‘I AM and they also propagate that consciousness is limited to the physical body. They think that consciousness is not permanent because it disappears along with physical death.

When the Self is not the body but the invisible Soul, which is birthless and deathless, how can you relate the 'I' to the invisible Soul, which is the ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence?

The ‘I-centric’ teachings are mere imagination based on the dualistic perspective, whereas the truth is based on the nondualistic perspective. : ~Santthosh Kumaar : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Consciousness is God in truth. God in truth is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs.+

People are trying to find solitude within the waking experience, but the solitude without the waking experience that is hidden by the waking experience. Solitude is the nondual nature of the invisible Soul, the Self.

In deep sleep, the invisible Soul is without the waking or dream; thus, there is solitude because the invisible Soul, the witness of the three states, is not witnessing the waking or dream.

Thus, to get the same awareness of the deep sleep, the waking entity (you) has to realize that the witness (Soul) and the witnessed (three states) are one in essence. That essence is the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Consciousness is God in truth. God in truth is Self-evident. It 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 God in truth. God in truth, is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs.

All is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. From consciousness, the universe comes. When the universe disappears, the consciousness still remains without form, time, and space.

People think everything is energy, but without consciousness, how can one know it is energy? It is only intellectual speculation.

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 sun, the moon, the stars, and planets shine because of the Soul or Spirit. The Soul shines, and all things else shine as a result.

Everything in the universe reflects but that light of the invisible Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Merely to know the truth is not enough to escape from the tangle of illusion.: :~Santthosh Kumaar

Never confuse Advaitic Gnana with dualistic knowledge; you may be a dualistic genius, and still, nondualistic, you are ignorant.+

Never confuse Advaitic Gnana with dualistic knowledge, you may be dualistically genius, and still, nondualistic you are ignorant.

Sage Sankara says: ~Whatever thing remains eternal is true, and whatever is non-eternal is untrue. Since the world is created and destroyed, it is not true.

The Truth is the unchanging thing. Since the world is changing, it is not true.

Whatever is independent of space and time is true, and whatever has space and time in itself is untrue.

Just as one sees dreams in sleep, he sees a kind of super-dream when he is waking. The world is compared to this conscious dream.

The world is believed to be a superimposition of the Brahman. Superimposition cannot be true.

On the other hand, Sage Sankara claims that the world is not absolutely false. It appears false only when compared to Brahman. In the pragmatic state, the world is completely true—which occurs as long as we are under the influence of Maya. 

The world cannot be both true and false at the same time; hence, Sage Sankara has classified the world as indescribable. The following points suggest that according to Sage Sankara, the world is not false (Sage   Sankara himself gave most of the arguments)

• If the world were false, then with the liberation of the first human being, the world would have been annihilated. However, the world continues to exist even if a human attains liberation.

•

• Sage  Sankara believes in Karma or good actions. This is a feature of this world. So the world cannot be false.

•

• The Supreme Reality Brahman is the basis of this world. The world is like its reflection. Hence, the world cannot be totally false.

•

• False is something that is ascribed to non-existent things, like Sky-lotus. The world is a logical thing that is perceived by our senses.

•

Consider scientific logic. A pen is placed in front of a mirror. One can see its reflection. To our eyes, the image of the pen is perceived. Now, what should the image be called? It cannot be true because it is an image. The truth is the pen. It cannot be false because it is seen by our eyes.

Brahman— The One Without A Second

The Atman is self-evident (Svatah-Siddha). It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Atman because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Self is within, Self is without; Self is before, Self is behind; Self is on the right, Self is on the left; Self is above and Self is below. Brahman is not an object, as it is Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes. Hence the Upanishads declare: “Neti Neti—not this, not this....” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or avoid. It is not another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, self-existent, self-delight, self-knowledge, and self-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is the essence of the witness. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya), and Silent Witness (Sakshi).

Sage  Sankara’s Supreme Brahman 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 the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a 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 Sankara is impersonal.

Sage Sankara's commentary to Brahma Sutras: ~ A Gnani "should pass through life", not run away from life, and should take a middle course between seeking worldly honor and worldly abasement. (ch-3.4.50)

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never advised them to give up their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time, he showed just one step forward towards the truth. Sri, Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words.

Sage  Sankara gave religious, ritual, and dogmatic instruction to the masses but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Sage Sankara’s supreme Brahman is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires. Sage Sankara says, "This Atman is self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Blind acceptance anything as truth without proper inquiry will result only in ignorance in something which is detrimental to spiritual progress.+

Any word one may utter is, after all, they are the words and words that have meaning only within the illusory universe or Maya.

Blind acceptance anything as truth without proper inquiry will result only in ignorance in something which is detrimental to spiritual progress.

The seeker of truth should not become attached to words as being in perfect conformity with meaning because Truth is not in the letters.

The words may give different meanings at different levels of understanding.

The words and their discrimination bind one to the duality; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual awareness. Meaning is attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the sticklers for particular words.

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 history of Advaita is replete with interpretation and reinterpretation of Sage Sankara’s philosophical work. The generation of Advaita followers that succeeded Sage  Sankara wrote many commentaries on Sage  Sankara’s work. Each commentator claimed that he grasped the essence and true intent of Sage   Sankara and went on to write according to his own understanding. In that process, he wove into the commentaries his personal views and hoisted them on Sage  Sankara.

This kind of adulation gave rise to several versions of Advaita. The numerous glosses written by his followers tried to blend a ritualistic attitude with the monistic inclination of the Master. The result was the distortion of Sage Sankara’s position.

The purpose of the scriptures, Sage  Sankara said, was to describe the reality as it is. Sage  Sankara rejected the Mimamsa view and argued that scriptures were not mandatory in character, at least where it concerned the pursuit of wisdom. 

Upanishads, he remarked, dealt with Brahman (God) and that Brahman (God) could not be a subject matter of injunction and prohibitions.

Sage Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads and, at the same time, cautioned that the study of Upanishads alone would not lead to liberation. In matters such as spiritual attainment, one’s own experience was the sole authority, and it cannot be disputed.

Sage Sankara also said the study of the Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.

Sage Sankara pointed out; even those who were outside the Upanishad fold were as eligible to moksha as those within the fold were.

Sage Sankara declared that all beings are Brahman, and therefore the question of discrimination did not arise. All that one was required to do was to get rid of ignorance (Duality). :~Santthosh Kumaar

The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it.+

Isa Upanishad says: ~

Andharh tamah pravisanti ye Vidyam upasate,

tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u vidyayarh ratah.

Into blinding darkness enter those who cling to ignorance, but into still deeper darkness go those who flirt with knowledge. It is the promotion of nescience with the help of scholarship to justify the worship of a mortal in place of God. It makes no difference whether God is conceived as clothed with attributes (saguna) or as absolute attribute-less existence (nirguna).

Sage Sankara:~ VC 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 (verses-6)

Sage Sankara said: ~ Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg 25

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (Advaitic wisdom) has been lost: people misinterpret and falsify it today as they did then. It is not yoga but the philosophic truth. But nobody knows it. 

The teachers of philosophy and leaders of mysticism or religion do not want to inquire into the truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2)

In the Gita Chap.IV where Lord Krishna says: ~ "This yoga has been lost for ages" the word yoga refers to Gnana yoga, not other yogas: the force of the word this is to point this out.

Lord Krishna describes some of the other yogas, but devotes this chapter separately to Gnana Yoga. So one sees even in those ancient days, people did not care for Advaita; they wanted religion; hence, Gnana got lost. That is why Krishna calls it "the supreme secret." Krishna points out that the yoga must-see "Brahman in action."

Gita Chap.IV: "He who achieves perfection in Yoga finds the Self in time." This means that after his yoga is finished, he begins the inquiry into the ultimate truth, and in due course, this inquiry produces the realization of the universal spirit as the result.

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

There is no need for any practice to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, or God. Perfect understanding and assimilation of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, which is God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

To be aware of the ultimate truth at all times is Satsang.+

Atmic Satsang is an association with the invisible Soul, the Self which is the unborn eternal. To be aware of the invisible  Soul, the Self at all times is Satsang.

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.”

To be aware of the ultimate truth at all times is Satsang. Constant reflecting on the nature of the invisible Soul is Satsang, or association with Gnani is Satsang.

Satsanga is neither hearing the sermons of the guru or priest nor indulging in religious activates nor hearing the stories of mythological stories by swamis nor reading biographies of saints and sages nor intellectual discussion but Satsang is trying to discover the truth about our true existence with like-minded fellow seekers by discussing and interacting and sharing views.

Consciousness is not by bound form, time, and space and is ever free from all the limitations because all the forms' names and time and space are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. 

The one, who is immersed in practical life within the practical world, will not have any interest in the pursuit of truth and in any sort of spiritual discussion. 

Well-directed Spiritual discussion in depth leads without argument but with perfect understanding and assimilation leads to non-dual wisdom. Knowledge of truth leads to self-awareness.

Consciousness is ever homogeneous, excelled eternal. The seductive power of the experience of duality is momentary as the flashes of lightning. In the presence of the truth, the universe loses all luster and appears as a glow-worm in the presence of the sun.

 

Proving one religion wrong does not make another better. Proving a follower of one religion wrong does not make a follower of another religion better. All religions have their own flaws. We have to admit it.

One has to find out within for himself by following any religion whether he has become a better human being, more peaceful, more tolerant, and more spiritual. If not, vomiting our venom against others' religion shows where we really stand and how far away we are from the Ultimate reality/truth.

One has to remember, the ultimate truth or God on truth, or whatever one may want to call is independent of religions and independent of what every one of us has to think about it. 

When one has a little glimpse of the ultimate reality or ultimate truth and he will keep become aware of the fact in the realm of truth the experience of diversity [duality] is merely an illusion.

The seeker of truth has to think about it. A Gnani does not belong to any religion/sect. For him, the three states are just a passing show. 

Thus the godly business such as prayer, worship, glorifying is merely an illusion within the duality. For a Gnani the ultimate truth is god. The ultimate truth is Ataman is the true self.

The insight from the holy Koran declared: ANAL HAQ-- I am the truth -- spiritual meaning is the self is the ultimate truth. ( Self is not ‘I’ but the Soul or Spirit).

Insights from the Bhagvad Gita say:~ Ahum Bramasmi –I am Brahman- spiritual meaning is: the Self is Brahman (Sage Sankara says Atman is Brahman). Spiritual meaning is that the Self is Brahman – that means Atman or Soul is Brahman.

Insight from the Bible says: The Spirit is my Father. The Father and I are one. The Father can do anything." – Spiritual –meaning - the Spirit, the invisible Soul – the invisible Soul is the Self – the Soul and mind (‘I’)are one in essence.

Seeker of truth has to realize the fact that all the spiritual insights of all religions direct to the invisible Soul, the Self, which is the formless substance and witness of the experience of diversity(duality).

The object of Self-knowledge is to bring unity in diversity, not criticizing my religion is superior and others' religion is inferior because religion and god and scriptures are not the subject matter in pursuit of truth.

It is necessary to bifurcate religion, yoga, and theoretical philosophy from spirituality because religion is based on the individuality and practical life within the practical world, whereas Spirituality is only discovering and knowing the truth of one’s true existence is not the waking entity within the waking world but it is invisible  Spirit, which pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. ~ Santthosh Kumaaar

Sage Sankara also said the study of the Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha.+

The history of Advaita is replete with the interpretation and reinterpretation of Sage Sankara’s philosophical work. The generation of Advaita followers that succeeded Sage Sankara wrote many commentaries on Sage Sankara’s work. Each commentator claimed that he grasped the essence and true intent of Sage Sankara and went on to write according to his own understanding. In that process, he wove into the commentaries his personal views and attributed them to Sage Sankara.

This kind of adulation gave rise to several versions of Advaita. The numerous glosses written by his followers tried to blend a ritualistic attitude with the monistic inclination of the Master. The result was the distortion of Sage Sankara’s position.

The purpose of the scriptures, Sage Sankara said, was to describe the reality as it is. Sage Sankara rejected the Mimamsa view and argued that scriptures were not mandatory in character, at least where it concerned the pursuit of wisdom.

Upanishads, he remarked, dealt with Brahman (God in truth) and that Brahman could not be a subject matter of injunctions and prohibitions.

Sage Sankara strongly advocated the study of Upanishads and, at the same time, cautioned that the study of Upanishads alone would not lead to liberation. In matters such as spiritual attainment, one’s own experience was the sole authority, and it cannot be disputed.

Sage Sankara also said the study of the Upanishad was neither indispensable nor a necessary prerequisite for attaining the human goal, the moksha. :~ Santthosh Kumaar