Ish Upanishad declares:~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide.+

The Advaitic Truth is simple, but it is very difficult to grasp because people are stuck up with their accumulated knowledge, which blocks their realization.

People don’t realize the Gnana is already there but they have buried it under their accumulated knowledge and they don't want to check that is why they miss it. They refuse to accept anything other than their mental Garbage.

All accumulated knowledge from different Gurus and different sources and different ideologies and different philosophies have buried the truth under mental Garbage. People are stuck with their religion and religious doctrine and Gurus and their Gurus teachings and refuse to accept anything as the truth other than their accepted truth.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ 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.

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 realized. 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.”

That is why Sage Sankara:~ 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.

Fortunate are those who do not lose themselves in the labyrinths of accumulated knowledge. They are conceptual divisions invented by the Gurus in the past by their excessive analysis. All these concepts create so much of doubts and confusion. 

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara:~ (11.2) In short, a person who engages in rituals with the notion “I am an agent, doer, thinker”, according to Sage Sankara, is ignorant, as his behavior implies a distinct, separate doer/agent/knower; and an object that is to be done/achieved/known. That duality is avidya, an error that can be removed by Vidya.  

Adhyasa Bhashya of Sage Sankara: ~ (12) Sage Sankara affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality, drives home the point that Upanishads deal not with rituals but with the knowledge of the Absolute (Brahma Vidya) and the Upanishads give us an insight into the essential nature of the Self which is identical with the Absolute, the Brahman. 

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the innermost self is verily Brahman (God), being equanimous, quiescent, and by nature absolute Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. Atman is not the body that is non-existence itself. This is called true Knowledge by the wise. 

Sage Sankara says:~  Yoga is not the means of liberation. (p-132`133  commentary on Brihadaranyakopanishad).

Brihad Upanishad:~ Even yoga cannot give perfect concentration and the only way to gain it is through philosophical realization. This confirms the Manduka Upanishads' statement that yoga can no more succeed than the ocean can be emptied with a blade of grass. (p~133~Ist par) 

In Sutra Bashya and Manduka:~  Samadhi and sleep are identical. 

Brihad Upanishad does not advocate Samadhi. People are going down, down, and down.

The mantra-yoga consists of repeating the name of God, or even the AUM; thousands of times yield nothing. It can appeal only to the ignorant, to those who cannot think deeper. It is a mere religious fable. The real exercise is to think of the meaning of the name or the AUM and then only do you get something.

Mantras can do nothing. If they really had any power why did not Krishna use one to stop the Mahabharata war? All the magical power of mantras are a religious fable because religion is based on the false self(waking or ego) and false experience(waking or the world)  Visions and Samadhi are illusions from the standpoint of the Soul, the  Self.

That is why Sage Sankara:~ 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.

Ish Upanishad declares ~ Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide.

Those people who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.

This is a condemnation of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge.  In a real sense, they are committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be one’s, own master?

Mundaka Upanishad:~  The study of the Vedas, linguistics, Rituals, astronomy, and all the arts Can be called lower knowledge. The higher Is that which leads to Self-realization. The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it. The deathless Self has neither caste nor race, Neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet. Sages say this Self is infinite in the great And in the small, everlasting and changeless, The source of life.

Manduka Upanishads:~  Those that want ultimate truth Brahman will not practice control of the mind. ( p.231)

In the pursuit of truth discussion of the unimportant subject matter is a great hindrance. Personal attacks and perverted arguments are a hindrance to realizing the truth beyond form, time, and space.

The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification. Agreeing to disagree causes unnecessary friction, everyone has a point of view and everyone must respect others' views wisdom just to maintain harmony irregardless of whether the point made was acceptable or not.

There are millions in search of truth, but one in million will be able to grasp it.  I am just posting what revels from the inner core. I just share with like-minded fellow seekers.   I am just highlighting the obstacle in the pursuit of truth.  Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is not based on any teaching or teacher. The pursuit of truth is the pursuit of verification not the pursuit of an argument.   Intellectual discussion is a great hindrance in the pursuit of truth.

Sharing is giving info for the sake of goodness. As with all things, achieving a balance of peaceful communications is established with respect, humility, understanding, and patience. Balancing an achievement is harder.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Awakening means the Soul, the Self waking up from its sleep of ignorance, and remaining in its own awareness.+

Kabir views humanity as being caught up in the illusion, searching for Ultimate Reality in all the wrong places, always seeking It outside of ourselves in various rituals, temples, forests, and mountaintops, not realizing That for which we seek is already hidden within us. 

God dwells within the mind  like fragrance in the flower; Musk lies within the Musk-deer yet seeks it afar."

The Atman is the Sanskrit word for the Soul, the Self.  The Atman or Soul is present in the form of consciousness.    

This universe in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

The experience of birth, life, death which happens within the universe is merely an illusion.

The form, time, and space are within the universe. Without form, time, and space there is no universe.

The universe is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present when ‘I’ is present.  

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the universe is merely an illusion. 

If the universe is merely an illusion then the experience of birth, life, and death happen within the universe is merely an illusion. 

If the universe is merely an illusion then the form, time, and space are merely an illusion. 

If the form, time and space is merely an illusion then the mind is merely an illusion. 

If the mind is merely an illusion then the ‘I’ is merely an illusion.  

If the ‘I’ is merely an illusion then the substance and the witness of the ‘I’ which is the formless soul alone is real and eternal. 

Awakening is the Soul waking up from its sleep of ignorance, and remaining in its own awareness of its nondual truth nature in the midst of diversity. There is unity in diversity when the Soul, the Self remains in its own awareness of its non-dual true nature.  

Awakening is freedom from experiencing the dualistic illusion as a reality.

Awakening is soulcentric Gnana.

Awakening happens when the soul, the innermost self, witnesses the whole universe in which you exist on non-dualistic or Advaitic perspective. 

On the nondualistic perspective, you and your experience of the universe are made of the same stuff. That stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or  God in truth. Thus, Self-realization is God realization. 

Only in religion and yogic path, one has to follow and practice. Everyone thinks he has to follow some Guru or Godmen.  But all these methods are full of frustrations and give no real satisfaction. 

Reality has no method. The illusion has many methods, many problems, and many concepts. To overcome illusion or concepts, one should know the source of the mind and from where does this mind arise? 

“When the mind is present then only the universe is present. Absent of mind absent of universe.  Absent of universe is absent of duality. 

The absence of duality is the absence of thoughts.  Until one realizes  'What is the mind?' and 'What is the substance of the mind?' and 'What is the source of the mind?' it is impossible to assimilate Advaitic truth.

To know the Advaitic  Reality, deeper thinking is required. The thinking faculty ceases and becomes still when it reaches the source of the mind. One has to realize the waking entity is false self within the false experience from the ultimate standpoint.

Where there is no experience then there is no duality where there is no duality then there is no second thing that exists other than nondualistic  Self-awareness.  

The seeker has to go deeply in and trace and overcome the obstacles. For the sincere and serious seekers the inner guide will guide until the ignorance vanishes and he becomes aware of the fact that the diversity (universe or Illusion) is merely an illusion created out of consciousness (Atman). :~Santthosh Kumaar    

When one is unable to quench his spiritual thirst from his guru or teaching, he has to look elsewhere to clear the cobwebs of his understanding.+

The Advaita propagated by the Gurus of the east and the west is not the Advatic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Religion is a prison of ignorance. People who follow religion locked up in ignorance. God in truth is not what people believe and worship. The belief or faith-based Gods are not God in truth.

Religion belongs to the world of feeling emotions. That is why people like it. Religion changes as it appeals to different feelings and emotions. On one pole the nude saint is admired; at the other, the gorgeously dressed Godmen is revered.

There is no use in quarreling with anyone in matters of religion. There is no need to convince people, let them hold any belief, any imagination they like in that realm. In religion, the question of truth does not arise, only the question of what they believe.

The craving for religion, the fear that not to follow its rites and dogmas will bring punishment, the inability to give up the notion of its truth even when your reason demonstrates its fallacies and absurdities are merely forms of mild obsessions, i.e. a thought constantly repeating itself’ automatically; hence it is a mental disease.

Unless you give up the ideas of heaven and hell, it is impossible to realize the Advaitic truth which is beyond form, time, and space. The ultimate Truth must be realized here and now, in this very life. Without realizing the ultimate truth, it is not possible to consider the existence of heaven and hell as untrue.

Remember:~

Sage Sankara says:~  Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae), and medicines to such a one?

For one who wants to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the mantas will not help to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

For one who has been bitten by the serpent of ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman.  there is no use in studying the Vedas and other Scriptures and reciting mantras (sacred formulae)  to realize God in truth. 

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

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.

The world in which you and guru exist is the product of ignorance. If there is no ignorance, then the world in which you and your guru exist cease to exist as a reality.

When reality appears this ignorance that one thinks as reality becomes unreal. The ultimate truth has to be realized first without any philosophy, then only it is possible to know what the scriptures are saying.

Reality is simply the loss of ignorance. Till ignorance is there the body, ego and the world exist as a reality. When ignorance vanishes,  then the Soul, the Self remains in its own awareness. In Self - awareness there is unity in diversity, thus there is only oneness.  

When one is unable to quench his spiritual thirst from his guru or guru's teaching he has to look elsewhere to clear the cobwebs of his understanding and move forward in his spiritual quest.

It is difficult for tradition-bound people to accept anything as truth other than what they inherited from their parental grooming. Only with an intense urge to know the truth and the courage to accept the truth after verification with better understanding one will be able to drop all his accumulated dross, which is the main obstacle to Self-realization.

People are making unlimited sacrifices and enduring unlimited suffering in the name of protecting their religion and god. They are therefore ignorant about the truth and incapable of understanding the ultimate truth, which is the universal God. 

Remember:~

All organized religions have unequivocally claimed man for life in the truth; thus, it is sheer folly to fight in the name of religion and god. 

It is time that humanity had a fresh vision of that truth that is beyond form, time, and space. the form, time and space are one in essence.  That essence is the Soul or consciousness. and consciousness is the only thing that is real and that matters.  

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the practical life is a vain and empty pursuit of illusory values. 

Parental grooming is the main cause of religious influence upon the mass mindset and it cannot be wiped out without knowing the truth of one’s own existence. Thus, teaching children to view and judge everything from the religious point of view of their parents, warps the minds and destroys the capacity to think beyond the belief system of their grooming.

Remember:~

People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it what they are seeking. Religious truth is an individual truth, and it is not the universal truth because religion is based on individuality. 

As one goes into the deeper investigation find nothing satisfying in any religion.  The more he investigates any religious doctrine he becomes aware of the fact that religion is not the means for Self-realization. 

Religion is based on the false self (ego) and false experience (universe). Religion takes the false self as real Self and false experience as reality. Thus, whatever is based on the false self and false experience is bound to be a falsehood.     

The obsession with "our sins" having been "washed away by the water of river would be regarded as evidence of a serious mental illness in an individual within any sane society, but when this is an obsession of millions of people it becomes "religious faith", held by many others to be something that should never be criticized.

It was desperately important for the believers of their belief system for some reason that others shared their beliefs because they assume that their religious doctrine is literally true, and then justify their beliefs because "God says so in their doctrine ".

It is no use of arguing with someone who has faith in his belief system because for him there can be no possible refutation of what he believes, so rational argument is entirely useless. He clings to his belief so strongly that he makes no distinction between the truth and his belief. One has to know the fact that God cannot exist without his existence. 

The truth does not depend on God’s existence, but it entirely depends on the existence of the universe.   Thus, it is foolish to venture into knowing the truth of God's existence without verifying the facts about the existence of the universe. 

A deeper inquiry reveals the fact that the Self is neither the body nor the ego.  If the Self is not the body then it proves the fact that, whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced on the base of the body as the Self,  is bound to be a falsehood. 

Arguing from the standpoint of the body or ego, which is not the Self, is erroneous.  Thus, the whole argument has to be based on the  Soul, the Self, which is not the body or ego.   Thus,  it is necessary to realize the fact that, the Self is not the form but the Self is formless in order to realize the Advaitic truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar  

The Upanishad has spoken of the deep sleep state at length.+

It is erroneous to judge and reason the Advaitic truth from the dualistic perspective. Advaitic truth is the soulcentric truth, whereas dualistic truth is egocentric.  The ego (you) is the false self within the false experience (duality). The Soul is the real Self.  Thus, whatever is based on the ego is bound to be a falsehood, and whatever is based on the soul is real and eternal. 

Every minute the waking experience is changing.  The waking experience becomes deep sleep and deep sleep becomes the dream. Thus, continuous change is going on and on in consciousness.  

The one which becomes waking, that one that becomes a dream and that becomes the deep sleep is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, all three states are created out of single stuff and that stuff is consciousness.  Thus, one, which becomes the duality (waking or dream) and the one which becomes the nonduality (deep sleep) is the same consciousness. Thus, consciousness alone is real and all three states are merely an illusion. 

The ego is present only in the waking or dream. The dream ego is limited to the dream. Similarly, the waking ego is limited to the waking experience alone.  The ego, body, and the world of the dream appear together and disappear together. Similarly, the ego, body, and the world of the waking experience appear together and disappear together. 

 The Self is neither the dream entity nor the Self is the waking entity (you) but the Self is the  Soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states.   The Soul, the   Self is nothing to do with the three states because it is not an entity or identity within the three states. 

Sage Goudpada: ~ To establish the truth of Non-duality by sheer reasoning alone. He begins by defining "What is real?" "What is unreal?" etc, because that is the right way to discuss or teach. People must first know what they are talking about. (Mandukya Karika)

How does one see various objects, scenes, and persons during dreams? If the dream is experienced without the physical body, then what is it that experiences the dream? Therefore, there must be a formless witness of the dream world. This formless witness is the same witness that is witnessed this Waking experience also. Therefore the Waking experience and dream both are witnessed by one and only formless witness of which the seeker is not aware. Since he considers the physical body (I) as the self or witness and views and judges the world-view from the standpoint of the false self, within the false experience. The formless witness can exist with or without waking or dream. But the waking/dream ceases to exist, without the formless witness.

The gross Waking experience is merged into the mental experience in the sense that, when it is analyzed, it is found to exist inseparably in and as the mind alone. All "spiritual" planes are really mental: those who regard them as different or higher are deceiving themselves. The dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place; similarly, the waking becomes unreal when the wisdom dawns. Therefore, everything has to be grasped mentally, not argued from an intellectual point of view, which is limited to the false physical entity within the false experience.

The waking experience is a state of ignorance. In the state of ignorance, the self (soul) remains to experience the illusion as a reality.  

Till illusion remains a reality, he will remain ignorant of the fact that the cycle of birth, life, and death is merely an illusion.  Therefore, it is not possible for one to accept the fact that the world is an illusion, till he becomes aware of the fact that, the Self is neither the waking entity nor the Self is dream entity but the Self the formless soul or consciousness, which is substance and witness of the three states.  Therefore, those who believe the waking entity as the Self, and refuse to accept the Soul as the Self and they think by getting rid of the ego or by surrendering to their Guru is the means to Self-realization. 

All three states and their substance and witness are one in essence. That essence is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit). Thus,  the experience of duality is made of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. That single stuff becomes many and many (duality) become the single stuff (non-duality). Thus,  it is necessary to realize what is it that becomes duality and what is it that becomes non-duality.

In the dream, the mountain which is apparently insentient and material is nevertheless still your mind alone. Whether living or dead, conscious or unconscious thought or matter; all things are appearances of one and the same consciousness. All these distinctions are seen by Gnani as only the consciousness. 

The look of an object will depend upon the medium through which the observer views it. In fact, our mental and intellectual conditions determine the three states, observed and experienced.  The commoner viewing the three states will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same three states. Each one interprets the three states that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences birth, life, karma,  death, and the world as reality,  whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

The Sleep State:~

The Upanishad has spoken of the deep sleep state at length.  This has several purposes.

   1. To reiterate that the objective world does not have a permanent reality

   2. To demonstrate that the subject alone remains as the non-dual reality in the sleep state and therefore in all the states.

   3. To prove that the sleep state, being non-dual, gives the greatest bliss to the subject consciousness.

   4. To prove to the subject-enquirer that bliss is obtained not from objects but on the contrary, in the absence of objects.

   5. To prove that duality is samsara, misery and non-duality are liberations, and bliss.

   6. To give to the sAdhaka a? preview? a foretaste,  of the liberated state.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.22 alludes to this experience:-  (In this state a father is no father, a mother no mother, gods no gods, the Vedas no Vedas.  In this state, a thief is no thief, the killer of a noble brahmaNa no killer? a monk no monk, a hermit no hermit. This form of his is untouched by good work and untouched by evil work, for he is then beyond all the woes of his intellect.)

Sage Sankara says:  VC- How can the talk of diversity, dvaita (duality), apply to the Supreme Reality which is one and homogeneous, Advaita (Nonduality)? Who has ever observed diversity, dvaita, in the unmixed bliss of the state of profound sleep?

**

Q:~ If one goes under anesthesia. Totally blank state. There’s no witness even.pls, explain. 

(“Dear Santthosh Kumaarji one doubt I have to get clarified, last week one of my friends go thru surgery. After the seduction injection what he experienced was nothingness .free from body and mind .and felt totally blank'.pls, explain that state. Is that state is the sushupthi?”)

 Santthosh Kumaar:~Suppose if you had asked the  same question to me in a dream: ~ 

 (“Dear Santthosh Kumaarji one doubt I have to get clarified, last week one of my friends go thru surgery. After the seduction injection what he experienced was nothingness .free from body and mind .and felt totally blank'.please explain that state. Is that state is the sushupthi?”)

 Suppose Anastasia is given in a dream then the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Similarly, the waking becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when one realizes the existence of the witness of the three states. The soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states.  From the standpoint of the soul, the three states are non-existent as reality. Thus, our individual experiences within the waking are as real as a dream. 

Sushupthi is still the state of ignorance because we become aware of the sushupthi in the waking experience. The waking experience is a state of ignorance.  Thus, just getting blankness is not self-awareness.

Self-awareness arises in the midst of waking when one realizes, that his body and his experience of the world (form, time, and space)   are made of single stuff. That single stuff is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Thus, realizing our body and our experience of the world are made out of single stuff leads to Advaitic self-awareness in the midst of diversity (duality).   

One has to imagine by holding the deep sleep state as the Soul, the Self, then view and judge the waking or dream just to realize there is no form, time and space have become one in essence in the state of deep sleep. That is,  there is no duality of any sort.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Moksha only means knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman.+

The real Moksha or freedom is to realize the fact that ‘I’-awareness is merely a physical awareness. Physical awareness is not Self-awareness. The Self –awareness is when the formless Soul, the  Self remains aware of its own awareness.

The world in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

When you realize the ‘Self ‘ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul then you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, you, your experience of birth, life, death, and the world are merely an illusion created out of the consciousness, the consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

The world is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take it as real. That is why all the confusion.

In Self-awareness-- the witness and witnessed are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. There is no second thing that exists other than consciousness.

Thus, whatever is seen, known, believed, and experienced as a person is a reality within the waking experience (duality) but the waking experience (duality) itself is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

A person who refuses to accept the world is an illusion ~ and he stamped his foot on the ground to refute to show the world is real ignores that in the dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real.

A Gnani is fully aware of the fact that the world in which he exists is a passing show. The witness of the passing show is the Soul; the  Self is real and eternal. A Gnani vision is based on the Soul, not on his body.

In Self-awareness, the body is not the body, but it is the consciousness, the ego is not the ego, but it is consciousness, and the world is not the world, but it is consciousness even though they exist but their unreal nature is exposed.

Just as the dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place, the waking also becomes unreal when Advaitic wisdom dawns.

Gnani and Illusion:~

A King who was greatly incensed at the wisdom taught by Gnani that everything here below is an illusion? He wanted to teach the exponent of this doctrine a lesson. So he invited the then Gnani to his palace. That Gnani went there and stoutly maintained that everything in this world is an illusion.

The king had arranged to let loose a hungry lion against Gnani. The beast rushed at Gnani who took to a precipitate flight to save himself.

'Oh, Venerable Sir,' shouted the king, 'why do you run so fast seeing that the lion is only an illusion?'

'Oh, king,' said Gnani in the course of his flight, 'my running too is an illusion. Everything in this world is an illusion.’

Similarly, we all are searching for truth within the illusory universe or Maya not being aware of the fact that the illusion is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, searching for the truth in the illusion with the illusory Self, within the illusory experience, has to be an illusion. The illusion is created and sustained, and finally, dissolves as the Soul or the consciousness. There is no second thing other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

The wisdom dawns in the midst of duality (falsehood or waking). When wisdom dawns the universe (waking) will not disappear, but its unreal nature is exposed. And one realizes the unity in diversity in the consciousness because consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in the universe. Thus everything is consciousness.

Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is God. Thus God is the whole, not part.

To get Self-realization or God-realization the seeker has to drop all the accumulated knowledge and start afresh. 

Remember 

The Duality and the non-duality are philosophic terms but in perfect perception one never perceives the real and the unreal at the same time.

Till you think the mind is within the body you will not be able to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. A deeper self-search reveals the fact that. The mind is the universe in which you exist. 

When the mind (I) is there the universe in which you exist is there. If the mind disappears the universe in which you exist also disappears. 

You and your senses and your experience of the world are made of the same stuff. That stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit. From the standpoint of the Soul or the Spirit, you and your senses and your experience of the world are nothing but the spirit. Thus, the Spirit alone is real and you and your senses and your experience of the world are merely an illusion.

Moksha is interpreted in various ways. It means the dispelling of ignorance, freeing the Soul, the Self from the bondage of the illusory experience of birth, life, death, and the world--all other meanings regarding heaven, etc. are all imagination. Moksha only means knowing the ultimate truth or Brahman. That is why they have coined the word Jivanmukta.

The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.   Consciousness pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.  The three states are nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.  Thus, consciousness is all-pervading.

Remember:~

The seeker should realize that the Soul is the cause of the form, time, and space and it itself is uncaused. The form is consciousness. Time is consciousness and space is also consciousness. Therefore, there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness. Thus,  consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

The universe is the product of ignorance. The five senses (body) are nothing to do with the Soul, the Self because the Soul, the Self is ever formless. From the standpoint, the Soul, the Self, and the universe in which the body (you) exists are merely an illusion.

The dream universe and the five senses (dream body) become unreal when the waking takes place. Similarly, the waking experience in which you and the waking world exist becomes unreal when wisdom dawns. The wisdom dawns when the soul remains in its own awareness in the midst of the duality. 

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.

The Soul, the Self. The Soul or consciousness is Self-illumined. So how can the body which is inert (insentient) and illumined by an external agent be consciousness, which is present only within the waking or dream?

The Soul or consciousness is apart from the three states and permanent, as it endures even after the death of the body and the world within the waking or dream.

Even the subtle body consists of many parts and is unstable. It is also an object of perception and is changeable, limited, and non-existent by nature. So how can this be the true self, when the body exists only within the duality (universe)?

The immutable Soul, the substratum of the ego, is thus different from these two bodies and is the true Self. The Soul or consciousness is the formless witness of the three states.  And it is present in everything and everywhere in all the three states and yet transcends them all.:~Santthosh Kumaar