People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.+

 

The dualist Sages declare the world is real. According to dualists Sages, the reality is very much that we live in this world.

In context to Sage Sankara calling this materialistic world as a dream, the dualist sage says that we are not yet awakened from the dream to say that this is a dream. Hence, what is happening at this moment is to be considered. And the world is for real.

People refuse to accept the universe is an illusion, it is because they are part and parcel of that illusion. The reality of the illusory universe often confuses people.

Only when one acquires Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then he realizes the world in which he exists is mere an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self.

The universe is a reality on the base of ‘you (ego). You are the false Self within the false experience (waking). The universe is an illusion on the standpoint of the Soul, which is the Self.

The Soul is in the form of nondual consciousness. This is because of some logical reasons. First, you have to analyze the definition of truth and hence why the universe is not considered as a reality.

Remember

Many people think Sage Sankara's path of wisdom is the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is substantially not true. Some philosophers in the world are as misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Most of the harm came from his orthodox followers. The ideas that Sage Sankara rejected came back to the Advaita fold and, the wisdom –oriented teachings of Sage Sankara became as much a face of Advaita as the rituals, worships, and other practices.

Sage Sankara treated ignorance as an error, the removal of which led to wisdom, He left it at that. His followers, however, wrote tomes speculating the causes for ignorance, nature of ignorance, different forms of ignorance etc. had the Guru watched his disciples at work he might have wondered whether they were studying about Brahman or about ignorance.

Brahman— The One Without A Second

The Atman is self-evident. 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, beyond the reach of the physical 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 a void. 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 (Saakshi).

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth) is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object, as It is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not the distinction of substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the effect is non-different from the cause. However, in the realm of duality, cause is different from the effect. The non-difference of the effect from the cause has to be grasped perfectly to realize from the ultimate standpoint there is neither the cause nor the effect because the cause and effect are one in essence. That essence is consciousness.

Sage Sankara says: - If the cause is destroyed, the effect will no longer exist. For example, if from the effect, cotton cloth, the cause, threads, are removed, there will be no cloth, i.e., the cloth is destroyed. Similarly, if in the effect, thread, the cause, cotton, is removed, there will be no thread, i.e., the thread is destroyed. (Brahma-sutra Bhashya, commentary on the Brahma-sutra, [9] 2.1.9)

Despite the non-difference of cause and effect, the effect has its self in the cause but not the cause in the effect. The effect is of the nature of the cause, and not the cause is the nature of the effect.

Therefore, the qualities of the effect cannot touch the case because the cause and effect are present only when the duality is present.

The duality is present only when there is an illusion. The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. When there is no ignorance, then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion, then there is no duality. When there is no duality, then there is no cause and effect. When there is no cause and effect, then there is the nondual reality.

Sage Sankara says:~ During the time of its existence, one can easily grasp that the effect is not different from the cause. However, that the cause is different from the effect is not readily understood. As to this, it is not really possible to separate cause from effect. But this is possible by imagining so. For example, the reflection of the gold ornament seen in the mirror is only the form of the ornament but is not the ornament itself as it (the reflection) has no gold in it at all. (commentary on the Chandogya Upanishad, 6.3.2)

All names and forms are real when seen with the Sat (Brahman) but are false when seen independent of Brahman.

This way, the seeker of truth establishes the non-difference of effect from cause.

In the context of Advaita Vedanta: ~ Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman; however, Brahman is different from Jagat

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness, it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth in a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the Soul, the Self, is present in the form of consciousness.

To realize the Advaitic truth, the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contamination. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana alone.'

A Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of man in his search for Truth.

People who strongly believe this world is real must realize: ~

A person, who stamped his foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignore that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real.

When you finally realize the ‘Self ‘is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, then you will realize the world in which you exist is mere an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you, your experience of birth, life, death and the world mere an illusion created out of the consciousness, the consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

In Self-awareness: the witness and witnessed are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. There is no second thing exists other than consciousness.

Thus, whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as a person is a reality within the waking experience (duality) but waking experience (duality) itself is mere illusion created out of consciousness.

Remember: ~

People, who stamped their foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignore that in the dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the three states, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the universe will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same universe. Each one interprets the three states that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death and the world as reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness, and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. And the whole universe is nothing but consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. Wisdom dawns when you (waking entity or ego) realize the fact that, the self is not you, but the self is the formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.:~Santthosh Kumaar