Scripture mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman or God in truth.+

In India, people think that religion as a stepping stone to higher truth, but it is not so because the religion is based on the false self  (ego or you) within the false experience (waking or the world).

One must go beyond form, time and space. The theistic tradition has been kept alive by the orthodoxy. The orthodoxy is the path of ignorance because it is based on ignorance.  The orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus, it is not the path of ultimate truth or Brahman.

People who stuck to orthodoxy never will be able to cross the prison of duality. Without crossing the prison of duality Self-awareness is an impossibility.  Thus, Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana is necessary to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

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)

The scripture mastery, the force of religious merit--none of these lead to the realization of that Ultimate Truth or Brahman. The ultimate truth is revealed in the clear understanding and realization of ‘what is the truth and ‘what is the untruth.  When one realizes the untruth (universe) is created out of single stuff, the Self-awareness rises in the midst of duality exposing the unreal nature of the form, time and space.

Scriptural citation and also the citation of the sages of truth only after verification reality and proved the truth, to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore, there is no use of studying the scriptures and other scriptures in order to acquire the  Advaitic wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion.  Self-discovery is the only way, towards the non-dualistic or the Advaitic truth without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence

The ultimate truth has to be realized first, and then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying. I do not require any scriptures.

The ultimate truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures, by realizing the Self is neither the waking entity (you),  nor the self is the dream entity,  but the Self is formless Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness.

In the realm of truth the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Realizing the single stuff as the ultimate truth is Self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth there is no need to study the scriptures. This truth  I am highlighting again and again in my blogs.

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 a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth 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 innermost Self is present in the form of consciousness.   

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

Remember:~ 

All the Advaitic Gurus of the east and the west are based on the dualistic perspective. Dualistic knowledge is egocentric knowledge. All egocentric Advaita or nonduality is based on imagination. All imagined Advaita is will not help to cross the domain of the form, time and space.

The egocentric knowledge keeps the Soul in the intoxication of the ‘I’. The ‘I’ hides the whole truth.  The Gurus and the teachers of the nonduality of the east and west are stuck up with their own accepted truth gathered from here and there and  Their egoic attitude blocks than by realizing the Advaita hidden by the dvaita, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Mundaka Upanishads: ~ So-called spiritual pundits and learned are called children because a child takes whatever it thinks as truth. The question never occurs to children “Is what I have seen or thought really the truth?" (P.334 line 9)

Scriptures are not needed in pursuit of truth. Even the Upanishads and the Advaitic Sages declare the same.

The ultimate truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures by realizing the Self is neither the waking entity not the dream entity but the Self is formless Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. In the realm of truth the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Realizing the single stuff as ultimate truth is Self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth there is no need for the scriptures. 

The ultimate truth has to be realized first then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC 56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by good work, nor by learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.

58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar but are no good for Liberation.

59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest that merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. Advaita is second to none. Advaita is universal wisdom reveals on its own to all the serious and sincere seekers of truth.

The real Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is Soulcentric knowledge.  Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is Soulcentric knowledge that destroys ignorance. :~Santthosh Kumaar