The idea of reincarnation is based on the birth entity, which lives and dies within the illusory world.+

Accepting in rebirth and reincarnation theory as reality is accepting the false self (ego) as real Self and false experience (waking) as reality. Self-realization is impossible if one accepts the present waking entity as the real Self because the Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is the dream entity, but the Self is the formless Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.  

 The three states are impermanent, but the Soul or the 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. There is no second thing exists other than consciousness.  Thus, the consciousness (Soul) is second to none.

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

 This imagined theory based on the waking entity or ego is for the lower mindset 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 the duality as reality. Birth implies duality and duality is falsehood from the ultimate standpoint.

The Soul, the   Self is birthless therefore,  it is deathless. The one which is born, lives, and dies within the world (waking) is not the Self.  The idea of reincarnation is based on the birth entity (waking entity or ego) which lives and dies within the illusory world (waking).   

The Self is the one that  witnesses the coming and going of the dual (waking or dream) nondual (deep sleep) experiences. When the experience of birth, life, and death takes place in the illusion, then rebirth and reincarnation also is part of the same illusion. 

The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. Wisdom dawns when the Soul, the Self, consciously remains awake in its formless nondual nature.  When the substance and the witness of the three states are one in essence and the essence is consciousness. Then what value is there for this universe in, which the experience of birth, life death, and reincarnation happen? 

Even if you take reincarnation as a reality, but reincarnation happens within the world, which is an illusion.  

From the standpoint of the formless Soul, the Self, the present birth, life, and death itself are merely an illusion. The Soul, the  Self is birthless and deathless because it is the ever-formless, timeless and spaceless existence.  

Dalai Lama said:~   Buddhism need not be the best religion though it is most scientific and religious 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).

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 the  dualistic illusion  as a reality

People who believe in reincarnation and rebirth theories are unaware of the fact that their belief is based on the waking entity, 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 the waking entity is bound to be falsehood because the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is birthless because it is unborn and eternal. 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 the false self (waking entity or ego)  as the real self and false experience(waking) as reality. Self-realization is an impossibility  if one accepts the present waking entity as the real self because the Self is neither the waking entity nor the  Self  is dream entity, but the  Self is  the  unborn 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 that exists other than consciousness.  Consciousness is second to none.

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience itself is an illusion. It means the present experience of birth, life, death, and the world is 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 with lower mindsets 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 the duality as reality.   The birth implies duality and the duality is a falsehood from the ultimate standpoint. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Without breaking away from religion and ancient traditions it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Religion and tradition will keep one locked in the ignorance.

People are being conditioned by the religious myth which has made them a non-thinker. People have to come out of the religious myth by realizing God in truth.

The seeker should not mix religion, mysticism, and yoga with the path of wisdom. All the Gurus of the east and west touch on mysticism to make it more attractive to feed the crowd. 

If people have believed in religious propagated myths things over thousands of years, the length of time does not prove it true.

Adyatma is nothing to do with religious sects or creeds and religious beliefs or any philosophy or Guru's teaching. Adyatma is pure spirituality. Knowledge of Atma is Adyatma. Advaita is Adyatma. 

Adyatma is the knowledge of the truth beyond form, time, and space. Bifurcate religion, yoga, and theoretical philosophy and base the truth on the Athma it is Adyathma.

Adyatma is based on the ultimate truth which is based on the Atman or Spirit, which is the Self.

Sage Sankara's Advaitic wisdom is pure spirituality or Adyathma.

All religious injected dogmas and beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies can never be the essence of spirituality. Religion has become merely a matter of external rituals and ceremonies; the religious life has become a prison for the Soul, the Self.

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.

How can you worship the Absolute? That implies two ~ the worshiper and the worshiped, whereas the Absolute is nondual. One can worship his idea of the Absolute only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it apart.

Sage Sankara’s  Brahman or God in truth is impersonal. Worshiping personal Gods is meant for the orthodox people who are ignorant and refuse to accept the truth. 

Remember:~

Without breaking away from religion and ancient traditions, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Religion and tradition will keep one locked in ignorance.

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.

Prayers and sacrifices belong to a premature stage of development. When no answers come to prayers to their Gods based on blind belief or blind faith then doubt arises about the existence of such God.

According to Sage Sankara, it is ignorance of our real nature that causes suffering and pain. The desire for happiness is essentially a longing to awaken who and what we truly are.

Science tells you it is passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going? Thus, you follow up your inquiry into what you can lay your hands on. How can you inquire into Atma which you cannot see? So first we deal with the known and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end.

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.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

One may believe in a position, but he is required to prove the truth of his belief.

A belief is based on the false self (ego) within the false experience (waking). The ultimate truth or Brahman is based on the Soul the Self. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara meditation always means the critical analysis about the self to get salvation from the illusory duality (world).+

There is no hope for those who call themselves realists because they are unwilling to make an inquiry into what is real and what is falsehood. The true seeker indulges in deeper self-search, without relying on first impressions, and hence he is fit for the path of wisdom or truth.

The yogi is unfit for the path of wisdom. The yogi should realize that sitting quietly will bring him peace and not the truth, for he starts his quest without even knowing the meaning of truth. How then can he find the ultimate truth or Brahman?

The truth is not an agreement of different opinions.  The notion that truth is an agreement of opinion with fact, is unacceptable because impossible to attain. One cannot show that his opinion, i.e. his idea is the same as others.    Verification, the investigating and proving of truth, is absolutely necessary for the pursuit of truth to get un-contradictable truth.  The ultimate truth cannot be merely assumed it has to be proved.

Those who claim to have had occult experiences are like the insane because their experiences are similarly incommunicable to others. This breaks the first canon of science, i.e. truth must be communicable and verifiable. Facts must be communicable and verifiable to everyone, and not, hidden as "occult experience,” if they are to be true facts.

 The word Brahman means ultimate truth or reality which cannot be indicated by any word. The Brahman can be expressed through silence because it is beyond the experience of form, time, and space. Therefore, the word Brahma clearly stands for the essence of the three states, which is consciousness only. The final use of the pursuit of truth is to know that self is consciousness.

 Sage Sankara opposed the Buddhists only, who misunderstood Buddha and became atheists. According to Sage Sankara meditation always means the critical analysis of the self to get salvation from the experience of the illusory duality(world). Due to the eccentric ego of the then atheists, Sage Sankara did not go beyond this since the atheists will not accept God beyond themselves. This limitation is not due to limited knowledge of Sage Sankara but is due to the then-existing situation of the psychology of the surrounding society. Even Bhagavan Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt with by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. Bhagavan Buddha says everything including the self is only relatively real (Sunya). This is correct because the self is a part of the universe, which is relatively real with respect to the absolute unimaginable God. Bhagavan Buddha stopped at this point because atheists cannot realize the existence of the unimaginable God indicated through His silence. 

The point of  Bhagavan Buddha is that if God is non-existent, the entire creation including the Self is non-existent. Sage Sankara wanted to establish the existence of the Brahman. For this purpose, He made the Atman as the Brahman. He brought out the identity of the Self with consciousness and made the Atman the Brahman. Since one will not negate the existence of his self, he will accept the existence of the Brahman, which is the Atman or Soul, the Self. Both Buddha and Sage Sankara kept silent about the absolute unimaginable God. The same philosophy was dealt with them at different angles in different situations.

The waking experience which is referred to as the witnessed and the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, referred to as the witness of the witnessed are wrongly looked upon by every one of us as equally real, though the waking experience has no reality in the absolute sense.

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

The waking experience appears to be real in the same manner as,  when a  rope is mistaken for a snake, the illusory snake appears to be real.  The snake is said to be superimposed on the rope. The body and the world are within the waking experience. The waking experience is an object and the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness is the subject.

All three states are an object to the Soul, the Self is the subject.  One finds the object and the subject are of different natures. Their relationship is of the form of superimposition of each on the other as also of their qualities, as a consequence of the absence of discrimination between the real nature of the witnessed and the witness of the witnessed. 

This is like the Association of a  rope,  nacre,  etc.,  with the superimposed snake,  silver, etc, owing to the absence of discrimination between them. The Association of the witnessed and the witness of the witnessed in the form of superimposition is described as false knowledge.    

After having known the distinction between, and the nature of, the witnessed and the witness of the witnessed one becomes aware of the fact that the witness and witnessed are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.  Thus, from the ultimate standpoint, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness, hence it is non-dual.

He who realizes the witness of the witnessed are one in essence and who has the firm conviction realizes the three states are unreal. Though the three states appear as real in the dawn of non-dualistic knowledge their unreal nature is exposed. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankar believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.+

Many people quote Advaita without understanding it really in its highest aspect. One who follows the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is taken the path of ignorance. "How does he know that what Sage  Sankara says is true?  There are conflicting teachings. People get  confused as to which are true?" People will be unable to prove it because they do not know the proper test of truth.

Sage Sankara founded his Advaita Vedanta either on reason independent of sruti or on sruti confirmed by reason."

Sage Sankara's commentary on the Manduka Upanishad, II, 1:  This [the unreality of duality] is borne out by the Srutis ... But it is possible also to show the unreality of the object world even from pure reasoning, and this second chapter is undertaken for that purpose.

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture.  This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter.   Sage Sankar believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage Sankara gave out what was of most use to the greatest number of people. Therefore, in the commentaries on the Upanishads, such as the famous Manduka, he gave the highest non-dual message of the identity of Atman and Brahman, revitalizing the philosophy and practice of Advaita, while in the commentaries on the Brahmasūtra he gave lesser teaching, positing both higher and lower Maya and higher and lower Brahman (Ishvara) to explain the creation for those of lesser intellects until they were ready for the highest truth. 

Remember:~

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.

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ignorant people who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. Thus, All the theistic Advaita is meant for the ignorant populace.

The serious seeker who is seeking the truth is nothing but the truth or Brahman or God the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond the form, time, and space to realize their true existence is formless, timeless and spaceless existence.

All the theistic Advaita belongs to religion it is nothing to do with Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom

Sage Sankara Advaitic wisdom is purely based on soulcentric reason and independent without the support of any scriptures.

Sage Sankara:~ “This (the unreality of duality) is borne out by the Srutis ... But it is possible also to show the unreality of the objective world even from pure reasoning. (Commentary on the Manduka Upanishad, II, 1)

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his Advaitic wisdom was based on Shruti or revealed scripture. This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Shruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Self-knowledge or brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to realize God in truth.+

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to realize God in truth. 

Sage Sankara's commentary to Brahma Sutras (Chap.3.4.50) shows that the Gnani "should pass through life", not run away from life, and should take a middle course between seeking worldly honor and worldly abasement. 

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never advised them to give up their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time, he showed just one step forward towards the truth.  Sri, Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. 

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, and dogmatic instruction to the mass but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd. 

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage Sankara’s supreme Brahman is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires. 

Sage Sankara says, "This Atman is self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is below".

Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam is not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than He.

The objective world-the world of names and forms-has no independent existence. The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only phenomenal.

Sage  Sankara was the exponent of the  Advaitic wisdom. His Advaitic wisdom can be summed up in the following words:-

Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya,

Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Aparah

Brahman alone is real, this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical to Brahman.

Sage Sankara:~  Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, this world and this body are superimposed on Brahman or the Soul, the Self. If one gets knowledge of the rope, the illusion of the snake will vanish. Even so, if he gets knowledge of Brahman, the illusion of the body and the world will vanish.

The snake is only an idea: it disappears on inquiry but deeper self-search reveals the fact that the rope is also an idea and its reality will be exposed when wisdom dawns. There is neither the snake nor the rope in reality because from the ultimate standpoint the duality is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Consciousness is the root element of the universe. From consciousness, the universe comes into existence. In consciousness, the universe resides. And into the consciousness, the universe is dissolved.   Consciousness is the parent of all that is there.

Consciousness is the only reality, and the universe too but an illusory manifestation.  The Veda serves only as the starting point. What one has to learn from Veda must be understood through the exercise of reason, as far as reason might go. And what one has understood must be realized in one’s life.

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures.  There is no need to study first, than realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.

One has make of his discoveries through the process of rational thinking. "Religions place God as the unknown reality”.  Every religious believer has a different idea of God. Every man has a different idea of the real. Hence the need for definition before the study.

The fallacy of orthodoxy’s appeal to scripture lies in the varying and conflicting interpretations of the same scripture that different men feel entitled to give or hold.

The mystic who sees or experiences something in his meditation and he takes it as the highest does not know the ultimate truth or Brahman.   

There is in religion the element of imagination and sentiments. The ordinary man is happy because religion gives him satisfaction, and pleases his taste. In pursuit of truth, the seeker has to discard religion because religion is based on the false self within the false experience.

How is one to know that the scriptures are true? The seeker has to look into the facts, for proof of what has the worship of God done for the people! When a tsunami occurred in Japan  God did not save the believers of Japan. Thus God saves one who prays such an argument is of no value in pursuit of truth.

One has to investigate “Why Yoga is right and other paths can't give truth?" Or how is one to know that Yoga leads to final truth?"

People believe that they have their religion inherited from their forefathers, therefore, why bother to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

The ultimate truth or Brahman will interest only less than 5% of people. Religion pleases minds which are stuck believing their practical life within the practical world as reality.

The scriptures are for the ignorant masses, who wholly accept the practical life within the practical world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.

People believe scripture is infallible but deeper self-search reveals the fact that they are a mere book of words. The words are merely an expression of thoughts. Then it is impossible to see if the scripture-writers thoughts are founded in fact or not.

All three states have to be resolutely weighed, and accurately, observed in the pursuit of truth. The seeker must inquire “What is this universe?”, “What is this  I?”  Hence inquiry is a necessary foundation. The Yogi who looks only inside and ignores the world throws away part of the materials needed to find the truth.

Without knowing the nature of the three states, it is impossible to know the truth. What is the use of trying to find the Self before he understands the world, which confronts him? "The world which confronts him is also consciousness."

If the seeker does not make your induction from facts from the world before him then he has only drawn on his imaginations. Then he says “The Brahman is like this, or like that." but it will be only his mental construction.

Those who are of a dulled mind say that to be non-observant and to withdraw: keen powers of observation are desirable and will help, not hinder the pursuit of truth. The seeker has to take experiences as they come to him and he should not run away from the world in ascetic fear.

To say the universe is an illusion without first examining it and inquiring into its nature thoroughly is to delude oneself. This world is common to every one of us; therefore the seeker of truth must begin his inquiry with it. It is only after he has inquired into the nature of the objective world that he realizes the universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness and is absolutely free from all the limitations of Maya.

 First, the seeker must inquire into the nature of the three states to realize the three states are one in essence.  One has to observe everything in the three states because all three states are one in essence and that essence is consciousness (Soul or Atman) Atman is Brahman. The seeker should not shut his eyes to the nature of the three states, because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Form, time, and space are one is the essence. That essence is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.  Brahman is God. Brahman cannot be described, because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than self.

The three states have no independent existence. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, has real existence. The three states are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. 

Without breaking away from religion and ancient traditions it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Religion and tradition will keep one locked in the ignorance.:~Santthosh Kumaar