Peoples, views of Advaita are based on dualistic perspective that is why all confusion.+

People's views and judgment of Advaita are based on the dualistic perspective which is why all confusion.  From the nondualistic perspective, ‘me’, you, others, and including the world and all our discussion and argument have no value because there is unity in diversity.

By saying ‘Self’  is everything Self is an endless river within the domain of duality or ‘Self' is this or ‘Self is that’, without realizing ‘what Self is?’ is not Advaitic wisdom.

The Soul, the 'Self'  is self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, 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. 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. The Soul is not an object, as it is, beyond the reach of the human eyes.

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.

Self-knowledge is the ultimate knowledge based on the soul. the innermost self, whereas scientific knowledge is based on the ego(you), which is the false self within the false experience. 

When one goes into the annals of the history, t looks like the true Advaita expounded by Sage Sankara and Sage Goudpada was lost or mutilated by the Advaitic orthodoxy because the preaching and practice do not match. The Advaitic Orthodoxy is based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality, whereas the Sage Sri, Sankar declared the world is an illusion. thus, the experience of birth,  life, and death that happens within the illusory world is bound to be an illusion. 

 

It is necessary for the seeker to do his homework, and verify the validity of all the claims, rather than blindly believe, what others expound as knowledge, till; the un-contradicted truth is obtained.

The seeker must have the courage of Bhagavan Buddha to accept the truth and reject the untruth. Since Buddha rejected religion, the idea of God, and scriptures, therefore, it is evident that he has gone through every aspect and verified and found them to be inadequate and useless for the pursuit of truth.

Even Buddhism is mixed up with regional culture and traditions of the local religion, wherever it existed. Thus getting the full essence of Buddhism is very difficult.

The scriptures are for ignorant masses, who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Advaitic Wisdom is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.:~Santthosh Kumaar