Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do orthodox Advaitic sect or religion.+

Religious upbringing is a major cause, which blocks one from realizing the Self hidden by ignorance. The orthodox people have a narrow-minded outlook because they think what religious samskaras they inherited from their forefathers as the ultimate truth.

The garbage of the religious beliefs dogmas superstition is confounded with the human imagination. The great reality of the glory of the religious Gods is hyped and obscured by so much tinsel and commercialism.

Spirituality is not theology. Advaita is not a philosophy but Advaita is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. Advaita is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana or knowledge of the Spirit or God in truth

Hindus get samskara as Hindu. Christian gets samskara as Christian. Muslim get samskara as Muslims. Buddhist get samskara as Buddhists.

The seeker of truth should not start with the idea of God. The seeker does not know whether there is God or not. There is no proof. The seeker needs proof of God's existence.

There is need not doubt that people saw Shiva, Jesus, etc. That they saw visions may be an undeniable fact. But the question is “Was what they saw the Truth?" They no doubt had such visions but they never stopped to inquire if their visions be true.

Remember:~

After years of effort glorifying Christ when Christian closes his eyes and Christ comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Krishna when a Hindu closes his eyes and Krishna comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Buddha when a Buddhist closes his eyes and Buddha comes to him.

After years of effort glorifying Mahavira when a Jain closes his eyes and Mahavira comes to him.

Christ doesn’t come to a Hindu; Mahavira doesn’t come to a Christian. Buddha doesn’t come to a Jain: only the image projected in the subconscious will come. The image became almost solid. It became so real from constant repetition, from continuous remembering, that it seemed a projected deity was standing in from of him. No one was standing there.

Wherever is projected is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness. Any experience is possible only within the domain of form, time, and space. Whatever belongs to the form, time and space are merely an illusion.

The illusion is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness. The knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

In reality, consciousness alone exists without the division of form, time, and space. There is no second here, no other. From the standpoint of the Soul, form, time and space are merely an illusion.

The seeker has to take all the facts, and then proceed to examine and analyze, how far is it true?”

To talk of seeking God is as meaningless as saying "seeking dog". It is only a hollow word. one must know God in truth. 

Remember:~

All sect-based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. 

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)

In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God. 

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. Sage  Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma. 

The Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. The Advaitic orthodoxy is nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman.

All sect-based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality,  the ultimate truth is God. Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy is a sect is nothing to do with the Advaitic wisdom of the Sage Sri, Sankara. The Advaitic orthodox sect is meant for the ignorant populace. 

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

Mundaka Upanishad condemns rituals. The Para or Higher knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Being while the Apara or Lower Knowledge is that of following sacrificial rites and ceremonies. (1/2/ 1 – 6)

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) 

Lord Krishna confesses that the oldest wisdom of India (our true Advaita philosophy) 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 the 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." Lord Krishna points out that 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: ~ “Those who know me 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. ( Ch~ V)

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 theosophist’s idea 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 Brahman -God has nothing to do with it. 

Although Sage Sankara puts the mystic goal highest in his mystical books, he is careful to say that this goal leads to Brahman, not that it is the realization.:~Santthsoh Kumaar