Until you discard religion you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth,which is hidden by dualistic illusion or Maya.+

People in India identify Advaita and Dvaita as their religious traditions 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.

Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is pure spirituality. Advaitic wisdom is nothing to do with religion and yoga and philosophies. All Advaitic teachings of the Gurus of the east and west are not Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Advaita is universal. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom.

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to realize because you have accumulated mental garbage from different sources in the name of Advaita.

Until you discard religion you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth, which is hidden by dualistic illusion or Maya.

The Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self shines in its own awareness when wisdom dawns.

The Advaita is the Soul is the cause and the support of all that exists as the world in which we exist. Advaita is the nature of God, the Self.

The Advaita is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the root element of the universe. From the Advaita, the universe comes into existence. In the Advaita, the universe resides. And into the Advaita, the universe is dissolved. The Advaita is the parent of all that is there is.

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 of the fact that the individuality and their worldly life is part of the illusion.

Religion is based on the blind belief as truth whereas Spirituality or Adyathma is based on the Athma the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Religion should be discarded in order to realize the real God hidden by ignorance. Religion is regarded as sacred and real by the common people, by the wise as false and by the political class as useful.

Religion preaches that God is one and the ways to God are many. It simply tries to lead them to darkness with its dogma and idea of many Gods, which is apart from the Self.

The religion is based on the false self (ego) and false experience (world) thus; all religious beliefs are a falsehood.

Everyone likes religion because it belongs to the world of sentiments and emotions. Religion changes as it appeals to different emotions. One will find at one pole the nude Sadhu is admired; at the other, the gorgeous life styled Godman is revered. Belief in religious prohibitions arises out of fear of God's punishment.

The man himself suggests that there must be a God. It is an auto-suggestion. To say that one knows God exists always implies he must also exist always. It would be correct to say at this point, he does not know about the existence of God because Gods existence depends on the individualized belief

People magnify every minor coincidence or every petty fact where yogis or Good men were concerned, and they see the miraculous or esoteric significance therein.

Religion is “believers Truth”; spirituality is “Truth for the seeker of truth.” This means a believer takes his feeling of truth whereas the seeker of truth takes his reasoned judgment, which will be the same under test everywhere in the universe.

The position of the seeker of truth is this: he has not seen God. He does not know his capacities, what God can do, and what God cannot do. Therefore any statement he might make about God would only be a lie.

The seeker of truth does not wish to tell a lie. Therefore he does not accept God nor deny Him; he simply refuses to make any statement about God.

Each sect concocts a God to suit its own purposes. Belief in such concocted Gods is a great hindrance in pursuit of truth. The man himself suggests that there must be a God. It is an auto-suggestion. Prayers and sacrifices belong to a premature stage of development. When no answers come to prayers to their belief of God, then the doubt arises about the existence of such God. Belief in religion weakens as the man pays more attention to the facts of his practical life within the practical world.

People who argue that truth is only in their religion are vain logicians based on mere ideas, imaginations. Religions that say "If one follows the religion they will go to heaven, while others “go to hell," are stories invented on the base of false Self within the false experience.

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

Remember:~

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

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

Rituals prayers and ceremonies of different religions and cults are not a tool for Self-realization. They keep one in the cage of ignorance.

Attachment to the rigid devotion to the religious beliefs of God limits one to think within the framework of the illusory division of form, time, and space.

Diverse beliefs of religion and its diverse idea of God create divisions between one religion and another. The rituals and ceremonies become an obstacle in realizing the religious God one believes and worships is not God in truth. Religion becomes an obstacle to realize the real God hidden by ignorance.

The seeker of truth is keener to realize the ‘Self hidden by the dualistic illusion. The seeker of truth has only one desire and longing — that of union with the Soul or God in truth.

A seeker is never entangled in with the religion, rituals, yoga and physical Gurus and never allows himself to be overpowered by any attachment emotions and sentiment

The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the Upanishads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better than a beast.

This seems strange, the latter part of the Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals throughout with karma, while the second or concluding part is all about jnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so far as to divide our scripture into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanishads (Vedanta) to mean the jnanakanda.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul, the ultimate truth, or Brahman or God in truth.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare.

Sage Sankara:~ VC- v6~ 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

Remember:~

Religious Gods are based on blind belief. Belief is not God. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul, the ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, it means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence. God in truth is only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Even 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 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.

Even Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is present in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

Religious Gods are based on blind faith. Religious God cannot be considered as the center because the Soul, the innermost ‘Self’ is the center of all that exists. Without the Soul the world in which you exist ceases to exist, it means the religious God is dependent on the Soul for his existence.

Even Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from him does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

No mantras help to get rid of ignorance. All the mantras and rituals are meant for the ignorant populace, which strongly believes, the world in which he exists as a reality. For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ VC~.61- For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

VC- v6~ 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

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it, your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

As indicated in ISH Upanishads: ~ “By worshipping Gods and Goddesses you will go after death to the world of Gods and Goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of Gods and Goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus, you go deeper and deeper into darkness.

It clearly indicates that: -If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorifying the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and Gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead, spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Mentally reduce the form, time and space into consciousness by realizing the form, time and space are created out of consciousness.+

Q: ~ We all or say everything come from the single clay. Is the same conscious in every being? If same then why some good or some bad

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ Suppose if you had asked the same question in a dream, the dream becomes unreal when waking takes palace. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when you realize the ‘Self’ is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the world in which you exist is merely an illusion. Thus, all the happening within the illusion is bound to be an illusion. Until ignorance is there, the world in which you exist prevails as a reality.

When the ignorance vanishes through Advaitic wisdom, then the world in which you exist which you think as reality becomes an illusion.

Thus, whatever you have seen, known, believed and experienced as a person within the waking experience is bound to be an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, is real and eternal.

All the good and bad people are a reality within the waking world, but the waking experience is an illusion created out of single clay. And that single clay is the consciousness. Without consciousness, the illusion ceases to exist. The illusion has no value in the Advaitic reality.

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

When 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.

Mentally reduce you; your body and the world in which you exist into consciousness by realizing you, your body and the world in which you exist are mere an illusion created out of consciousness.

Mentally reduce the form, time and space into consciousness by realizing the form, time and space are mere an illusion created out of consciousness.

Mentally reduce the three states into consciousness by realizing the three states are nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

Mentally reduce the universe into consciousness by realizing the universe is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.

Mentally reduce the experience of the birth, life, death and the world into consciousness by realizing the experience of the birth, life, death and world are mere an illusion created out of the consciousness.

When you mentally reduce everything into consciousness, then there is no second thing exists other than consciousness.

The consciousness is second to none that is Advaita. Where there is unity in diversity, that is Advaita. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Those who follow I-centric Gurus and their teaching are blocking themselves from the truth, which is hidden by the ‘I’.+

All Gurus and their teaching of the past and present glorified the ‘I’ and made seekers permanently remain in ignorance.

Most seekers are sentimentally and emotionally get involved with I-centric Gurus and their teaching and refuse to accept anything other than their Gurus teachings. Such seekers who follow I-centric Gurus and their teaching are blocking themselves from the truth, which is hidden by the ‘I’, which itself is ignorance.

Yoga Vasistha says: ~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only by means of inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

That is why 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.”

A Guru is needed in religious and the yogic path. There is no need of a Guru in to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

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.

The ‘I’ becomes ‘I’-less in deep sleep, and the ‘I’-less-Soul appear as waking or dream (duality). The one that appears as the ‘I’, and the one that disappears the I-less, is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. The ‘I’ (mind) and I-less-Soul both are one in essence.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the three states are merely an illusion. The ‘I’ never exists in reality.

The ‘I’ is impermanent. The ‘I’ comes and goes as waking or dream, and disappears as deep sleep. There must be something permanent, to register the coming and going, of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ itself is an illusion. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ is permanent and eternal.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of the consciousness. Consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.

It is for the seeker to go on his own and remove all the obstacles, which are blocking the realization of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The greatest hindrance is mixing religion, God, scriptures, and yogic theories. Moreover, attachment to scriptures, personal God and religious code of conduct keeps one permanently in the grip of the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Embark on the journey of the truth; it frees the Soul from the illusion of the form, time, and space.

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 merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Self-inquiry is to realize the ‘Self’ is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember: ~

You are not the Self.

You are bound by the form, time, and space.

You are bound by the experience of birth, life, death and the world.

You are never free because the world in which you exist is the product of ignorance.

It is not you who is in ignorance, but it is the Soul, which is in ignorance of its own true nature. When the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance and remains in its own nondual awareness, the world in which you exist becomes one with Soul-awareness.

When ignorance vanishes through wisdom, then the world in which you exist never again prevails as a reality.

The world in which you exist, created out of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, is the Self. The Soul is not ‘I’. The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which appears and disappears.

The Soul is the only permanent thing, and the ‘I’ is mere an illusion. If you do not understand this truth, you will never be able to cross the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure 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 Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that the fact 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.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take it as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. There is no need to convince a such mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth, nothing but the truth.

Advaita is the true nature of the existence. The ‘I’ hides the Advaitic reality. Realize the ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of consciousness, which is Advaita. Consciousness is Advaita because it is second to none.

The world in which you exist is the Dvaita (duality) is mere an illusion created out of consciousness, which is Advaita. The Advaita (nonduality) is real and eternal, the Dvaita (duality) is merely an illusion.

Holding ‘I’ as the ‘Self’ is the cause of ignorance. Realize the ‘I’ is mere an illusion. Stop identifying the Self as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’. Till you identify the Self as ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ the Soul will remain in the cage of ignorance. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

There is no need for any practice, there is no need to follow any Guru to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.+

Upanishads says: ~ The human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, and they indicate that belief in the personal Gods, yoga scriptures, worship, and rituals are not the means to Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana then why anyone should indulge in it.

The religion, religious God and scriptures are a great obstacle to Self-realization because they are based on false self.

The seeker of truth has to search the ultimate truth without losing himself in the labyrinths of philosophy, through deeper Self-search and assimilate and realize it.

That is why Sage Sankara, indicated in Bhaja Govindam says: - (Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) ~ one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Thus, the path of wisdom is the only means. Then it is no use going a roundabout way, to trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and the witness of the universe (mind). By tracing the source of the mind or the universe, one will be able to realize the Brahman or God in truth.

Those Saints and Sages in the past introduced Glorifying God and Guru and rituals for the mass who immersed themselves in the worldly life and incapable of inquiring or not ready for the pursuit of truth.

Glorifying personal Gods and Guru and rituals might also be regarded as harmful, as it might cause doubt and confusion in the minds of some seekers who strive with simple faith and earnestness to practice the discipline for Self- realization.

If one is seeking truth, then this application of the theoretical philosophy is erroneous and improper. It has been instrumental in spreading sophistry and delusion in the guise of philosophy and direct realization, and must be abandoned.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~ "He who worships the deities as entities entirely separate from the ‘Self’ does not know the truth. For the Gods, he is like a pasu (beast)". (1. 4. 10)

Isa Upanishad says: ~ 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 lieu, 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 (our true 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 truth and have no time for it. (Gita –Chap- IV-v.2)

In 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 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, there is no need to follow any Guru to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God, which is hidden by the ignorance. Perfect understanding assimilation of ‘what is what’ is very much necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, which is God. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Everyone has to discover the truth afresh for himself by verifying all the facts.+

If someone has acquired Self-knowledge and shares his acquired knowledge with others, they cannot say that there is nothing for them to do.

Everyone has to discover afresh for himself by verifying all the facts. Each one has to grasp, assimilate and realize it until he gets a firm conviction of the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

Select Works of Sage Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad: ~ Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread.

So, it proves those who are wearing religious robe it is only for the sake of bread.

A person who realized the ultimate truth or Brahman will throw off his religious robe and his religious identity and becomes Avadhuta and live as he wishes.

Some branded dollar-centric Gurus, teachers, and preachers dominate humanity, and they are not right people ~ not right in the sense they don't accept other than ‘what they think it as the ultimate truth. They simply go on fabricating beautiful words and theories and creating an illusion in the minds of people that perhaps they are authentic seers, enlightened people.

People emotionally get stuck with their physical Gurus. This is a great mistake. If you are seeking truth then you neither require the grace of the physical Guru nor his love, nor his blessings.

Remember this, you and your physical Guru and the world in which you exist is the dualistic illusion. If you stick to anything of the dualistic illusion, you will never be able to transcend the dualistic illusion because you will never be able to come out of the grip of the ignorance.

Sage Sankara: On Gnani:~ "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior."

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs, it means he does not identify himself as Guru or yogi or teacher or Swami.

Sage Sankara says the transparent Truth of the Self, which is hidden by the illusion, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, (Gnani)

~ Then why you are sticking a Guru who is not a Gnani.

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 Gnani is neither anyone’s gurus nor anyone’s disciple. He respects all the sage of the past, and he highlights good points in their teaching, and he also highlights the obstacles, which block the realization of the ultimate truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Dalai Lama:~ “Mind is mysterious and has myriad appearances. It cannot be identified in the way external objects can.+

Dalai Lama ~All living beings have experience of pleasure and pain, and we are among them. What makes human beings different is that we have a powerful intelligence and a much greater ability to achieve happiness and avoid suffering. Real happiness and friendship come not from money or even knowledge, but from warmheartedness. Once we recognize this we will be more inclined to cultivate it.

Santthosh Kumaar: ~ The pain and pleasure and the world are made of the single stuff. The single stuff is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self.

Realizing the Soul as the Self-leads one to nondualistic or Advaitic Self-awareness. Thus all the egocentric paths keep one in the grip of diversity (duality).

Thus the seeker has to drop all the accumulated knowledge and start fresh to realize the truth beyond form, time and space.

Dalai Lama said: ~ Buddhism need not be the best religion, though it is most scientific and religion and inquisitive. But Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Atama [Soul] and rebirth. Dali Lama said that as an individual he believes in rebirth as he had come across a few cases of rebirth. Modern science, Dalai Lama hoped, would unearth the mystery behind the rebirth. (In DH –dec-212009-Gulbarga)

Santthosh Kumaar:~ 1, The Soul or Atama is ever present. The Soul is present in the form of the consciousness. Without the Soul, the world, in which we exist, cease to exist. The Soul is Self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Soul because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. The Soul is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. The Soul is everything. Thus, the Soul is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

2. People who believe in reincarnation and rebirth theories are unaware of the fact that, their belief is based on the waking entity (ego), which is the false self within the false experience. The waking entity itself is a false self within the false experience, it means the present experience of birth, life, death and the world is a falsehood.

Thus, whatever is seen, known, believed and experienced as waking entity is bound to be falsehood because the Soul or consciousness the Self is birthless because it is formless. Therefore, the rebirth and reincarnation theory based on the false Self is bound to be a falsehood

Accepting in rebirth and reincarnation theory as reality is accepting false Self (waking entity or ego) as real Self and false experience (waking) as reality. Self-realization is an impossibility if one accepts the present waking entity as real Self because the Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is dream entity, but the Self is formless Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states without the physical apparatus.

The three states are impermanent but the Soul or consciousness, which is the witness of the three states, is permanent and eternal.

In reality, the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing exists other than consciousness. Thus consciousness (Soul) is second to none.

Deeper Self -search reveals the fact that, the waking experiences itself is an illusion. It means the present experience of birth, life, death and the world are an illusion.

Thus the reincarnation theory based on the false Self within the false experience is bound to be a falsehood. When the waking entity is not the Self, then whatever theories are based on the waking entity imagined theory.

This imagined theory based on the waking entity or ego is for those lower minds set who are incapable of grasping the ultimate truth or Brahman.

People who are caught up with the idea of reincarnation and rebirth theories are not qualified for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because they accepted duality as reality. Birth implies duality and duality is falsehood from the ultimate standpoint.

Dalai Lama:~ Mind is mysterious and has myriad appearances. It cannot be identified in the way external objects can. It has no shape, form or color. This mere clear awareness is of the nature of experience and feeling. It is something like colored water—although the water is not of the same nature as the color, so long as they are mixed, the true color of the water is not obvious. Similarly, the mind does not have the nature of external objects such as physical form, and so forth. However, the mind is so habituated to following the five sensory consciousnesses that it becomes almost indistinguishable from the physical form, shape, color and so forth, that it experiences.

Santthosh Kumaar ~ Know what this mind is supposed to be in actuality. Without knowing, what is this mind? ‘What is the substance of the mind?’ and ‘WHAT is the source of the mind, it is not possible to unfold the mystery of the mind.

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

The ‘I’ is inborn ignorance; because of this inborn ignorance, the mind is born. Without the ignorance, there is no mind.

Without the mind, there is no universe. Without universe, there is no waking or dream. Without waking or dream, there is no duality.

Without the duality, there is the only nondual reality. Nonduality is the nature of the Soul, the Self.

Ignorance of the true Self-gives rises to the universe’, which appears as waking or dream. The waking or dream is full of form, shapes colors.

The waking or dream is bound by form, time and space.

The waking or dream is bound by birth, life, and death.

The individual experiences are happenings within the waking or dream. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place. The waking becomes unreal when one becomes aware of the fact that, the Soul is the true Self.

On the base of the soul, the three states are unreal. Therefore, the Soul alone is real and eternal. Therefore, Atman, which is in the form of consciousness, is ultimate truth or Brahman. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Without realizing what is truth and what is the untruth, it is impossible to assimilate the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.+

Who am I? - is not Self-inquiry. The ‘Self-inquiry’ is finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden by the ‘I’.

The Advaitic wisdom will not dawn by adopting ‘Who AM ‘I’, teachings because they are based on individuality. The individual exists with the illusory universe or Maya. ‘Who AM ‘I’, teachings will not yield the truth hidden by the illusory universe or Maya. The illusory universe or Maya is a product of ignorance.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC~ All this universe, which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman (Consciousness) which is absolutely free from all the limitations of Maya.

All the ‘I-centric’ Gurus propagate that the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’ is limited to an individual, but it is not so because the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’ pervades everywhere and everything in the universe. The universe is merely an illusion created out of the Athma or the Soul or ‘Self’, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember

Sage Sankara introduced Who AM 'I' - inquiry for the beginners. As the seeker progresses in his quest for the truth, he has to discard and go deeper to reach the ultimate realization.

WHO AM ‘I’- inquiry AND ‘I AM THAT’ -teaching is only for a lower stage where one gives up externally in order exposing the false nature of the ego, which is not the full truth. To get ultimate truth one has to inquire into the nature of the mind, which is in the form of the universe.

Inquiring into the nature of the mind or the universe is higher. Thus, the ‘WHO AM ‘I’ or ‘I AM THAT’ is not complete wisdom, and the journey is incomplete.

The ‘WHO AM ‘I’?’ inquiry is good at the starting point of the pursuit of truth, but later stages it created lots of confusions.

When the Self is genderless, then it is not He/She. Therefore, using the word ‘I AM’ for the ‘Self’ is erroneous. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that, the self is not the ‘I’, therefore ‘WHO AM I - inquiry will not help to unfold the truth beyond the form, time and space.

Not by listening to the sermons of the pundits, nor by the study of the scriptures, not by meritorious deeds, nor by any other means can one attain Self-awareness, which is attainable only through association with the Grants and the clear quest of the Self.

People from all over the world come to India to get guidance from Gurus and their teaching and get stuck up emotionally with their chosen Guru and end up by glorifying the Gurus and their teaching. So, they forget their quest of truth. So, their quest is incomplete hanging to the Gurus and their teaching.

After studying their Gurus teaching, many become Gurus and start propagating what they know as the ultimate truth.

Many write books on Advaita. But such books are based on the borrowed knowledge from here and there. Such knowledge is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

All accumulated knowledge is of no use in the path of wisdom. Without realizing, What is the truth, it is impossible to realize “What is untruth?”

Without realizing what is truth and what is the untruth, it is impossible to assimilate the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara or Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Thus, one must know with full and firm conviction what truth is.

Fortunate are the one who do not lose themselves in the ‘I-centric’ Gurus and their teachings. Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in glorifying and worshiping Gurus and personal Gods but goes straight to the source from where the ‘I’ arise.

First, one has to mentally detach the ‘I’ from the Soul, the Self. The Soul is the formless witness is unaffected by coming and going, of the ‘I’

Remember: ~

Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara reveals both the real and the unreal nature of the existence.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Rest in consciousness, by realizing the universe in which you exist is nothing but consciousness.+

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 a 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 that form, time, and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. The invisible 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.

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 life times of a hundred Brahmas put together (6)

Liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth. (7)

Actions help to purify the mind, but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of the Reality brought about only by Self-Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts. (11)

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking. (12)

Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own 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)

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavors depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker. Auxiliary conveniences such as time and place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary. (14)

He alone is considered qualified to inquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of Calmness, etc., and a burning desire for liberation. The four-fold qualifications (17)

Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment which, when present, succeed in the realization of Brahman, and in the absence of which the goal is not attained. (18)

(While enumerating the qualifications), First, we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter; after that are the groups of six virtues beginning with Calmness; and the last is undoubtedly an intense desire for liberation. (19)

A firm conviction that Brahman alone is Real, and the phenomenal World is unreal, is known as discrimination between the Real and the unreal. (20)

They have crossed the dreadful ocean of (embodied) existence through their own efforts and without any (personal) motives; they help others to cross it. (37)

Swami Vivekananda: ~ The Higher your ideal is, the more miserable you are, for such a thing as an ideal cannot be attained in the world — or in this life, even. He who wants perfection in the world is a madman, for it cannot be. How can you find the infinite in the finite?

Consciousness is the root element of the universe. Consciousness is present in the form of the invisible Soul, the Self.

From the invisible Soul, the universe comes into existence. In the invisible Soul, the universe resides. In addition, into the invisible Soul the universe dissolves. The invisible Soul is the parent of all that is there.

Rest in consciousness by realizing the universe in which you exist is nothing but consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar