The ‘I’ hides the reality of the existence. The nature of the existence is the formless, timeless and spaceless existence.+

The ‘I’ hides the reality of existence. The nature of existence is the formless, timeless and spaceless existence. There is no ‘I’ in reality.    

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion. Whatever belongs to the ‘I’ is merely an illusion. 

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

 ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless and spaceless subject. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time and space are bound to be an illusion. 

If I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of the birth, life, death is bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an illusion. 

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 in order to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space 

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

The ‘I’ hides the truth of the whole. 

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand 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’. is no need to convince such mindsets. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth. 

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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments. 

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Gurus words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else 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

Some Gurus say discard that is false without realizing their own existence itself is a reality within the illusion or Maya.+

Some Gurus say discard that is false without realizing their own existence itself is a reality within the illusion or Maya. They exclude themselves and say everything is an illusion.  

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the illusory world as a reality. Only when ignorance vanishes through Advaitic wisdom the nondual reality hidden by ignorance will reveal itself.  

Remember:~ 

You are not the Self because you are an individual born, live and die within the world which is the dualistic illusion.  The ‘Self is the Soul which is the cause of the illusory world in which you exist.  

When the Soul, the 'Self' wakes up from its sleep of ignorance, the world in which you exist melts away and becomes one with it.  The individuals are many but the Soul is one which is present in the form of consciousness.

All the Gurus propagated the Soul is hidden within the heart whereas in actuality the Soul is hidden by the illusory world in which we exist thus, their teachings are inadequate and useless to unfold the mystery of the ‘Self’ which is hidden by the dualistic illusion.

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

By sentimentally and emotionally getting involved with ‘I-centric Gurus and their teaching is the greatest hindrance in pursuit of truth. 

People hold their Guru as the ultimate authority and drop their pursuit of truth and indulge in their glorifying and worshiping the Gurus, which keeps them in the permanently in ignorance.

Sage Sankara says:~ ~ “VC 63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

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, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths. 

There is no need for a Guru for acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seeker must personally strive by all the means of soulcentric reason to be free from the bondage of the illusory experience of the form, time and space. 

Sage  Sankara asks his opponents "How do you know there are separate individual Souls? Have you seen the Soul of a man? You can only say that you have seen different bodies. To say more is to misuse language. Therefore, I call you liars unless you give proof, which is impossible.

The Soul is not limited to an individual. The individuals are many but the Soul is one.  The individual exists within the universe.  The Soul is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused.  

The Soul is not within the human body.  The universe is created out of single stuff.  That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Thus, whatever universe contains is bound be the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Sage Sankara: ~ “VC~ All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of the form, time and space. 

The world in which we exist is created out of the formless, timeless and spaceless stuff. That stuff is consciousness.  When the world in which you exist created out of consciousness then everything is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

The Soul is hidden within the illusory form, time and space but it is without the form, time and space.  The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the ever-formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, that which is born out of consciousness is consciousness. Like gold is the permanent thing, in ornaments made of gold, similarly, the mind, which is in the form of the universe is born out of the consciousness, is consciousness in its essence.

Sage Sankara says:~    V.63 ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that, you are not the Self, the world in which you exist is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, but consciousness is specifically not an entity or identity or a thing within the world in which you exist. But it is the cause of the world in which you exist and it, itself is uncaused.

The Soul is hidden within the world in which you exist. The nature of the Soul is the formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

Thus, it is necessary to realize the world in which you exist is created out single stuff, which is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Thus, God in truth alone is real; the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Nirvikalpa Samadhi is unquestionably the same as deep sleep.+

Nirvikalpa Samadhi and deep sleep are the same from the standpoint of the Soul, the innermost ‘‘Self’’ the absence of the known. The knower was there.

How does Samadhi give Gnana? Only by preparing yourself to see that the world disappears and re-appears and, that non-duality is here and duality there, to convince the man that in non-duality one won’t disappear as he doesn't disappear in Samadhi or deep sleep. Another advantage of Samadhi is one gets the capacity to forget the external world and to treat it as an idea.

Yoga can never give you the fundamental thing, that the world is an illusion. Only Gnana can give it. Nirvikalpa Samadhi is unquestionably the same as deep sleep, and all ideas are refunded back there too. One must learn what ideas are when all the ideas of the universe-existence go back into one’s mind through Yoga. Then one learns this. How has he to learn that whole universe is consciousness or Brahman if he stops at Nirvikalpa Samadhi? Without perceiving the universe, and having a duality before him, it is impossible.

Nirvikalpa has no duality, hence it cannot tell you about the universe. The yogi who emerging from Samadhi and says he found Gnana there, says it to a second person, hence there is duality again. If he were a real Gnani, there would be nobody for him to tell that he had experienced Gnana.

‘Self’-knowledge will interest only a few people; the rest are interested in Religion, yoga other paths and pleasure hunting.

Bhagavan Buddha gave up his austerities of yoga as impossible and useless. (Page.70/71 "Buddhism in Translation” by Warren)

Bhagavan Buddha got enlightenment only after he gave up Yoga. Unless one exercises his reason--there is no chance of getting the truth.

When the yogi enters this highest Nirvikalpa (effortless) Samadhi, he will at once enter deep sleep. This will make plain to him after he wakes, that the inner ‘Self’ he sought and found, the Atman, is reached only when all his ideas are refunded into it, when there is then all the features of non-duality, one without a second. However, the yogi must later wake up, emerge from Samadhi and there is duality again, for the world of objects confronts him. So now he has to work on the next stage which is to find consciously in the waking experience the same non-duality that he unconsciously knew in sleep. This is done by learning that the universe is an object for the formless subject, and then refunding the universe ~idea back into its source, which is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. Only at this final stage, he says "Atman, which is present in the form of the consciousness, is the same as the Brahman. Brahman is the ultimate truth.  Now he is fully aware of it.

All yogic visions, however, wonderful will pass away; they go as they come. They have the value of dreams. They are not the truth which is un-passing and beyond change.

One can’t shut his eye to the universe, which confronts him as in Samadhi of yoga and see supreme reality. One can know it only by keeping himself’ clear and open.

Sage Sankara says:~ ‘The yogi must add discrimination to his quest. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

You and your experience of the birth, life, death and the world is nothing to do with the invisible Soul, the Self.+

Remember:  The ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self is the Soul. You and your experience of the birth, life, death and the world is nothing to do with the Soul, the Self. 

You are born, live and die within the world whereas the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the consciousness birthless and deathless because it is the ever formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

When the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self is the Soul it is erroneous to judge the experience of the birth, life, death, and the world as ‘Self’, as you.   

You have to learn to view and judge the worldview on the base of the Soul, the Self then only, you will be able to realize that the experience of birth, life, death,,, and the world is merely an illusion.

Remember:~

Your individual experiences of birth, life, death, and the world are within the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The Soul is nothing to do with your individual experience of birth, life and death, and the world because it is hidden by the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The Soul, the Self, which present in the form of consciousness, is the substance and the witness of the dualistic illusion.

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is the substance of the dualistic illusion because the dualistic illusion is created out of consciousness.

The Soul, the Self is birthless and deathless, because, it is an ever-formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The dualistic illusion appears as ‘I’. 

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as the waking. 

The waking appears as ‘I’ (duality) disappears as ‘I- less (non-duality).   That is Soul; the Self appears as universe and universe diapers as the Soul. Whatever appears as ‘I’ is the dualistic illusion?

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the witness-consciousness that experiences the action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart, the light shines to reveal their absence. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance.+

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

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are 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 place and that it is good at the beginning of the pursuit of truth, but when yoga is made ends in itself and not means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Yoga and meditation are not useless, they are useful to bring the restless ego under control.  Yoga and meditation are not final. Indulging in yoga and meditation will not lead to the ultimate end of understanding. Yoga cannot remove ignorance. It is only a step. It removes obstructions.

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 the present individual experience of birth, life, death, and the world is experienced as reality.

Realizing the world in which you exist is created out of single stuff.  That single stuff is the 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 Soul, the Self remains in its own awareness in the midst of the form, time, and space. Thus, Self-awareness is real meditation. Mediation is the nature of the Soul, the  Self.

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

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

Thoughts come only in the domain of form, time, and space. Without form, time, and space the thoughts will not rise. Whatever efforts you make toward Self-realization without realizing the Self is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

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

The meditation, meditator, and the world in which meditation is performed is an illusion created out of a single clay. That single clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads to Self-awareness. In self-awareness, the Soul, the Self remains in its own nondual awareness in the midst of the dualistic illusion. Self-awareness is real meditation.  Self-awareness is real meditation. Mediation is the nature of the Soul, the  Self.

Meditation always means the critical analysis of the Self to get rid of ignorance. 

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

A great majority of Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as ultimate truth.+

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 besides 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 Sage  Sankara is impersonal.

The Puranas:~

The PURANAS, including Vishnu Purana and Siva Puranas, are based on the false idea of a personal God because the writers have thought of Him as a glorified man and woman.

The translations made till now of Indian philosophical works have represented religion and mythology, not philosophy. The greatest pundits do not understand it, for they do not understand science. What has this mythological teaching done for India? Look at its state today. Look at the conversions. Imagining that God has ashes on his forehead or blazing like the sun-- that is all poetry and depends only on faith.

The Saiva Siddhanta sect is a dualistic, unphilosophical religion like Ramanujan’s sect.

Why did not Ramanuja and Madhva write commentaries on the Upanishads (as Sankara did to establish Brahman) but stop, content with writing the commentary on Vyas Sutras, and culling some paras only from the Upanishads with convenient vagueness to establish their God and Theology?

Indians are more religious than other people. The six systems of Indian Philosophy are really six systems of Indian speculation. For there is only one Truth.

The ancient Hindu tenet borrowed by theosophists of the universe appearing and dissolving, days and nights of Brahma, entering into pralaya, etc. is intended for mediocre intellects who cannot rise to the truth. It is a convenient fable representing the philosophic truth that the whole universe dissolves in your mind in deep sleep, thus entering pralaya, and rises again the next morning, i.e. it is all imagination, idea. The Brahma or God in truth has nothing to do with it. 

As we peep into the annals of the religious history of India:~

A great majority of Hindus are not in contact with their religious history therefore, they believe their inherited beliefs as the ultimate truth.

Hinduism is based on myths and thus, the people of India are unaware of the facts of their inherited religious history. The Vedic Culture and Vedas are complete in themselves but Hinduism which is a non-Vedic belief system with all its ritual and conduct-oriented practices has been contributed largely by the orthodox priests to suit their convenience!

Vedas are in the Vedic language which was a high-class language. Rig Veda (excluding chapters II and X) was written before the Christian Era in Vedic language.  Vedic language is not Sanskrit.  It is the same language in which the Zoroastrian Scripture Zend Avesta is written – a form of Persian language.  All the other scriptures of India are written in Sanskrit.  

These include Rig Veda Chapters II and X and the Upanishads, Brahmanas, Puranas, and the Vedanta.  These were written during the Christian Era after the Thomas ministry. As the use of this language diminished, it became a tough language for the commoners. The priests, who were supposed to be experts in this language, translated it into Sanskrit language and manipulated the meanings in time and gradually, all the practices changed.

The DaVita, Vedanta borrows the concept from Abrahamic religions, such as Eternal Damanation (of certain Souls destined to hell forever) which goes against the belief of most Vedanta schools, which state that the Soul, the Self attain liberation. 

 It looks like the creator-creation theory is also borrowed from Abrahamic religion and on the base of a new belief system has been introduced giving it a Vedic outlook and propagating all non-Vedic rituals and worship by someone in the past.  

The vast ocean of Vedic religion or Santana Dharma was consistently steady and calm for a very long period. It appears that as a consequence of the rage of the Buddhist revolution, it got suddenly disturbed and flowed down to us in disorder. 

Even today Vedic religion or Santana Dharma has not recovered from the onslaught of Buddhism and Jainism and is not able to settle in people's hearts in its original form in the same old measure.

Hinduism indulges non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriages. All these lack Vedic sanction, therefore, Hinduism is not an Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

All Hindu Gods are non-Vedic Gods. The Vedas exclaim from time immemorial: ~

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~, God is  Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Rig Veda, 1-164-146:~ Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti, Existence is One. 

God is one and universal.

God is the Spirit.  The Spirit is the Soul, the Self.  God is the Soul, the  Self.  The Soul is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness, and intelligence, which is beyond form, time, and space.   To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

God is one and universal.

God is the Spirit.  The Spirit is the Soul, the Self.  God is the Soul, the  Self.  The Soul is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness and intelligence, which is beyond consciousness.   To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul) 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)

Bhagavad Gita: ~ 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 (Gita 14.27)

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ If you believe that the Soul is one and God (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God there is no truth."

Religion advocates extreme asceticism. Asceticism is a waste of time. Religion is nothing but remaining in the false belief, dogmas, and superstition.  

Mundaka Upanishad:~  The rituals and the sacrifices described in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of Samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind.

Sage Sankara says: ~ “The scriptures dealing with rituals, and rewards are therefore addressed to an ignorant person. Thus, the rituals are meant for ignorant people.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread."

~ this shows he was wearing the religious robe only for the sake of bread." Thus, it means those who are wearing religious robes for the sake of bread.

All the rituals based on the false belief of Gods will not yield any fruits and they are meant for the ignorant populace who are unable to grasp the God beyond the form, time, and space.

One of Sage Sankara’s missions was to wean people away from a ritualistic approach advocated by Mimamsakas and to project wisdom (jnana) as the means of liberation in the light of Upanishad teachings.

Sage Sankara criticized severely the ritualistic attitude and those who advocated such practices. However, the orthodox texts that combined rituals with wisdom (jnana_karma_samucchaya) more in favor of the Mimamsaka position came into vogue, projecting Sage  Sankara as the rallying force of the doctrine.

Supreme Court of Hinduism, as a religion, incorporates all forms of belief without mandating the selection or elimination of any one single belief,“ It is a religion that has no single founder, no single scripture and no single set of teachings. It has been described as Santana Dharma, namely, eternal faith, as it is the collective wisdom and inspiration of the centuries that Hinduism seeks to preach and propagate,” ---Hinduism has no single founder or scripture: SC, The Times of India (Delhi) Dec 17, 2015

The Vedic system did not have a caste system.  The caste system was a fake created in the name of Hinduism. This non-Vedic belief system called Hinduism has created hatred in the low-caste Hindus for the higher caste. 

Conclusion: ~ 

Sage Sankara gave ritual, karma, and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect which is followed by the Hindus of today as dualistic. Many founders of sect castes and groups of Hinduism were introduced with different scriptures different non-Vedic Gods and Goddesses and rituals.   

Hinduism is dualistic and has nothing to do with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom, which is nondualistic. Those who want to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana have to drop all the non-Vedic beliefs, which is a hindrance in the path of wisdom.

Sage Sankara's wisdom has nothing to do with Hinduism. Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is the pure Vedic essence of the Vedic religion or Santana Dharma. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar