It is no use arguing Bhagavan Buddha is wrong or sage Sri Sankara is right, but where we are going wrong in our understanding the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.+

It is no use arguing Bhagavan Buddha is wrong or Sage Sankara is right, but where we are going wrong in our understanding of the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth, propagated by the great sages of the past. Some say, that without the sunyavada, Advaita philosophy could not have come into existence because Advaita starts from where sunyavada ends. That is why they say it is an extension of Buddhism. If Advaita existed prior to Buddha, he would not have advocated sunyavada at all because Advaita is the final and ultimate truth.

Since the Buddhist and the Vedic scriptures have been passed down by hearing, they were written down only relatively late so one wouldn't know whether to rely on the times they give. Also, a lot depends on the translation. Each 'Sloka' or sutta is open to many layers of interpretation.

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.

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.  He 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,  are not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than Brahman (God).

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 Advaita philosophy. His teachings 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.

As one indulges in deeper self-search he becomes aware: - As per the religious archaeologists' view: the date of Sage Sankara may be taken most correctly as that of the 9th century. Some claims are made in India that he lived two thousand years ago, but there is absolutely no proof for this claim. They do not go back farther than the 12th century A.D. and all so-called evidence for Sage Sankara having lived two centuries before Christ is either were conjectures or orthodox fabrication.

Regarding the question of Sage Sankara's death, one may dismiss the legend that he did not die, at the age of 32, but disappeared into a cave. This is another orthodox story that is quite unfounded. He did really die in the Himalayas at that age.

As one goes into the annals of history, one becomes aware of the fact that; the spiritual Advaita is mixed up with punditry. Therefore, there is a need to do his own research to know the true essence of Advaita propounded by Sage  Sankara, and  Sage  Gudapada, and the emptiness of the  Bhagavan Buddha.

How it was possible for  Sage Sankara to have written so many books during such a short term of existence. The fact is that he wrote very few books. Those actually written by him were Commentaries on Brahma Sutras and the Upanishads and on the Gita. All other books ascribed to him were not written down by his own hand.

Sage Sankara wrote his Manduka commentary first, and then as this revealed that he thoroughly understood the subject, his gurus requested him to write the commentary on Badarayana's Brahma Sutras, which was a popular theological work universally studied throughout India. That is why his commentary is written from a lower dualistic point, for those who cannot rise higher, save that here and there Sage  Sankara occasionally has strewn a few truly Advaitic sentences.

Sage Sankara had only four fully trained disciples, although he advised some kings. His doctrines spread after his lifetime. Sage Sankara’s books were dictated to secretaries as he traveled, therefore,  only a few were capable of understanding his philosophy.

Nearly all orthodox hold views of Maya which are entirely incorrect and untenable. They do not know  Sage Sankara's Upanishad Bashyas, but only the Brahma Sutra Bashya.

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never told them to give 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.

In Brahma Sutras, Sage Sankara says that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Manduka he denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed.

Brahma Sutras, i.e. "Vedanta Sutras" by Badarayana, are intended for those of middling intellects, not for those who have the best brains:  it is a semi-theological, semi-philosophical work; it starts with the assumption that Brahman exists.

The opening sentence is "All this is Brahman." But nobody knows or has seen Brahman.

If one says "All this is gold" and shows a piece of gold, the words are understandable. Suppose one has never seen gold. Then what is the use it becomes meaningless when the object indicated is seen by none.

Hence, the Brahma Sutra opening is equivalent to "All this is Brahman". Both have no meaning so long as they are not understood if we take them as the data to start from. It is for this reason, the Brahma Sutra is intended for theological mindsets because it begins with dogma although its reasoning is close. For it starts with something imagined.

Critics who declare Sage Sankara's philosophy as negative (because of his Neti, Neti) do not know that this is applied only to the witnessed (three states), the critic ignorantly believes that it is also applied to the formless witness (soul). The seeker should never negate the formless witness, only witnessed.

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.  He 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. 

Scriptural mastery is not wisdom:~

That is why Mundaka Upanishad:~ This Atman cannot be attained through the study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is the Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3 page-70- Mundaka Upanishad.  Upanishads by Nikilanada)

The Veda serves only at 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 then realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.

There are hundreds of commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita. Each one goes on spinning yarns imagining as he likes what the meaning may be. But once one acquires Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana he will know what they really meant, he will see that there is only one possible interpretation, irrespective of his opinion or imagination.

A permanent view of the world as unreal can come only after soul-centric reasoning; such knowledge cannot change. Were the seeker who is sufficiently sharpness he could grasp the unreal nature of the world by soul-centric reasoning alone.  To know the whole truth, one must know the whole universe, otherwise, he gets only half-truth. 

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.

As one goes deeper into the subject one becomes aware of the fact that the religion, scriptures, and concept of God is nothing to do with the religious side of Advaita, the present religious-based Advaitic knowledge and theories are meant for the ignorant mass, who hold the religion as high, not the ultimate truth because religion is based on the form (waking entity) and they view and judge and argue on the base of the waking entity(ego)   as self, but Gnanic  Advaita is based on the formless (soul) and it negates everything other than the formless  Soul, the Self.

Sage Ramana Maharishi said:~  All the conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the duality (universe or waking) as reality. Thus, eradicating ignorance completely is necessary. And this is possible only through self-knowledge.   Thus, there is no other road to freedom other than Gnana.  

There is no other entrance other than Gnana.  The ignorance will vanish only when the nondual wisdom dawns. Detachment to attachment is impossible without wisdom. Only when one realizes the fact that the 'Self' is not the form but the 'Self' is non-dual, then only it is possible to detach the ‘Self’ from the false attachment. 

That is Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says:~ [Jnana Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena] - One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.

Thus, it proves that wisdom is universal irrespective of any religion of faith one belongs to.  Thus, religion is not the means to Self-knowledge. 

Sage  Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

A Gnani will not be so foolish as to argue with the irrational people.+

A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. When one identifies the Self with the form then only the form, time and space are present. But when one transcends form, time, and space the duality never remains as reality.

A Gnani is a rational thinker. A Gnani will not be so foolish as to argue with the irrational people. A Gnani will remain cool and calm-headed, not wasting his time in attempting to reason with someone incapable of reasoning calmly.  The feelings, sentiments, and emotions are nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman because the feelings, sentiments, and emotions are part of the duality. The duality is not a reality from the ultimate standpoint.   Thus,  the dualistic perspective, the feeling, sentiments, and emotions have their value,  whereas on the non-dualistic perspective they are valueless.

It is wrong to say that, a Gnani must be ever absorbed in the consciousness, hence wrapt in meditation or indifferent to what is going on around him are wrong. If he is absorbed in consciousness,  then the whole world in which he exists also is consciousness, thus whatever happening within the world is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  

Through reflecting constantly on the Soul, the Self, one becomes more receptive to receiving Gnana

Books, essays, articles on nonduality cannot truly teach Advaita, they are mere signposts, and that is the only fit way described in the Upanishads. People will argue about some sages’ writings, one saying the sage meant this, another the Sage meant that even as interpretations of the ancient sages multiply now.  It is better to meet a Gnani face to face and get a clear glimpse of the truth. 

The one who boasts and bluff of their greatness about their accumulated knowledge is not Gnanis.  The one who talks about religion, God, and Miracles of   God men are not Gnanis. Atma Gnana is nothing to do with religion, God, and the world because on the dawns Atma Gnana all these cease to exist as a reality because there is only oneness.

Gnani shows the seeker the right way to the ultimate reality, and by making them realize that form, time and space are one in essence. A Gnani is not meant to be known outwardly. One can never detect him by outward behavior.

 A false Gnani is merely advertising his physical body as being different from others. There is positively no means of detection or distinguishing a true Gnani by the ignorant. He sees and knows the world just as others do,  but he also knows it to be consciousness. Both separate from and consciousness go together in his hand.

The man who claims to be a Gnani is not a Gnani.  The man who wears a religious robe and symbol, or sitting in a cave or staying always in one spot, or remains nude, is thereby proving that he is thinking of the body, is attached to it; he is not a Gnani. For a Gnani, there is no need to distinguish himself when he knows all is One. The Gnani knows that all things and actions are only consciousness and, therefore, he does not need to shut himself in a cave. The ignorant man thinks that everything is different from everything else, including himself. This is the only difference between them.  The Gnani sees unity in multiplicity ~ it is a rational, practical view.  

Q:~ How can one know the true Gnani?

SK: It is impossible unless one has sharp grasping power. He does not want any external marks to identify, i.e. separate him from others.

The word “mark” means sitting in ashrams, wearing religious robes, sitting in Samadhi, performing miracles, etc. He lives a normal householder’s life.

The difference between the worldly enjoyments of the Gnani and the ordinary man is latter is unhappy if his desire or habitual wants are denied satisfaction, whereas Gnani does not become miserable when pleasures to which he is habituated do not come. For the soul, the innermost self, in which he knowingly believes, is the only thing that does not change, whereas the ordinary man lives in the ever-changing world.

The Gnani who enters deep sleep will not feel be is entering anything different or new. He knows the whole waking experience is an illusion and sleep is merely the disappearance of the illusion. Where has it gone? Only back into the Soul, the innermost Self. Nothing is lost. Thus, using the dream illustration, the cities and ocean of his dream, when they disappear, are still not other than consciousness (Soul)  and so the latter is unchanged by such disappearance. Similarly, the Gnani does not lose his Gnana because he loses consciousness of the illusory waking experience in sleep.

If one thinks he ought to retain gnanic consciousness in deep sleep,  then he is in error, for who is to be conscious? The one which is conscious of the coming and going of the three states is not the waking entity (you) but the Soul, the innermost Self.  

The formless soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states. The formless Soul also is the substance of the three states. And the Soul also is the source of the three states.  In reality, the substance and witness and the source are one in essence.  That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Soul is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.+

The 'Self' simply means the non-dual Source which is the Soul.  The source is also known as - Primal Energy, Consciousness, Awareness, Plenitude, God - is Unicity, Oneness, and Non-duality. 

Truth is hidden in everything and everywhere as formless substance and witness of the three states. To be enlightened is to know the formless substance and witness as the ultimate truth.  The formless substance and witness is the Soul, the Self.  The experience of diversity rises and subsides from the soul. 

Thus, the Soul is the source the dual  (waking or dream) and nondual (deep sleep)  experiences.  The three states are unreality on the standpoint of the Soul as the Self. Thus, the true Self is not the physical entity (ego) within the waking and dream, but the Soul is the true Self. Therefore, there is a need to learn to view and judge the three states on the base of the Soul as the self, in order to know and realize the ultimate truth or Brahman or God.

Truth is to know the facts of one’s true existence. To know the facts is to know the ultimate truth or Brahman. Most people are unaware of the fact that physical existence is a mere mirage and live in a delusion. Ultimate Truth is the Gateway to freedom from experiencing duality as reality, therefore there is a need to find the fact that,  the soul is the real  Self, and the Soul is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God. One has to remember that, and there is no truth without Soul.

The Self is not the ‘I’.  If the ‘I’ is merely an illusion, then it is no use of basing the Self as ‘I’,   the ‘I’ which appears and disappears has no permanence.  

Whenever one talks of God, he refers to his belief. Hence, any idea of God, he forms is entirely based on his belief. The blind belief-based God is not God in truth.

The Soul, the Self is God in truth. God in truth has no reality apart from the Soul, the Self. Hence, religious believers are unable to give proof of their God and are merely hallucinating based on their inherited beliefs.

The truth is hidden within the universe. Thus, one must know the whole universe is created out of the soul, which is present in the form of the spirit. And the Spirit is God in truth.

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ If you believe that the Self is one and God is another you cannot understand Truth.

No conceptual God can exist, apart from consciousness. People are not aware of the fact that there is no individual God can exist, apart from the Soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus, the Soul or consciousness is the true Self.   If there is no consciousness, then there is no-body, no ego, no universe, no religion, and no conceptual God.

Brihad Upanishad: ~ “If you think there is another entity, whether man or God,  there is no truth."

People think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks physical entity or ego as Self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks the Soul as the Self, then there is nothing exists other than the Soul, the Self or consciousness. 

If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see many things beside himself and postulate a God, the creator. The Body, the idea of the God and world rise and set together from, and into, the soul or consciousness, the innermost self. If God is apart from the ‘Self ‘, then He would be Selfless, that is, outside existence, that is, non-existent.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, ( 14.27)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~ God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. He cannot be seen directly by anyone. He pervades all beings and all directions. Thus,   Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)”,

Mythreyi Upanishad 2:26 says: ~ All those who desire to have salvation without taking several births, should worship God in spirit and truth.  

In Vedas, God has been described as: ~

Rig Veda: ~ 'Prajnanam Brahma'- Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

Do not accept any other God other than the Soul. The Soul is God in truth,  Nothing is real but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Nothing matters but realizing God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything. Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

God in truth is hidden by the illusory universe. God in truth alone is real and eternal and all else is an illusion.

Brahman is merely a word to indicate the ultimate truth or God in truth.  The ultimate truth itself is God in truth. 

The nature of the Soul, the Self:~

v  Sakshi (Witness)   

v  Chetan (conscious)

v  Nirguna (Without form and properties).

v  Nitya (eternal)

v  Shuddha (pure)

v  Buddha (omniscient)

v  Mukta (unattached). 

So, it clearly indicates that God is formless thus there is no scope for form-based God. The religion and its ideas of gods, and its theories of karma, heaven, hell, papa, punya, rebirth, reincarnation are based on the false self (ego), within the false experience (waking). Therefore, they are meant for lower mindset, they are of no use for those who are seeking higher truth as indicated in the scriptures.   : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.+

Sage Sankara says:~ VC-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.

Sage Sankara indicates that scriptural studies are useless in the pursuit of truth, therefore, it is no use of indulging in scriptural studies and wasting their precious time and life.   

 Even Upanishads also confirm this:~  

Katha Upanishad:~  This Ataman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. (Ch-II -23-P-20)

Mundaka Upanishad:-This Ataman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Ataman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Ataman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature.   (3-page -70 Upanishads nililaananda) 

The scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman and Brahman is the ultimate truth. Therefore, the soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the ultimate truth.  Thus realizing the ultimate truth is the prime goal.   A well-directed inquiry, analysis, and reasoning will lead one to his non-dual destination.

Self-Realization is a direct realization of the ultimate truth or real god, in contrast with traditional paths, which are indirect. And the other paths cannot lead to the ultimate destination, because they are based on the false self (you or ego), which they hold as a real self, and false experience (world)  as reality.  

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is no final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme. 

Bhagavan Buddha rejected the Vedas, religion, and the concept of God and yoga, and he clearly said: ~  Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.

Sage Sankara:~ 'like a servant who carries a lamp in front of you to find your way, and you have found it, so becomes the Veda to that person. What is the Veda? -- utterances of those who have known the Truth. Here is one who has known the Truth; why should he or she depend upon the Veda further? Actual realization takes you beyond books. At a certain stage, books become a botheration. The Upanishad itself says that the 'words are only so much of the distraction for such minds'.

The scriptural knowledge is not of any use in the pursuit of truth. Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore,  there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire the Advaitic wisdom.  That is why Bhagavan 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 religion.  Self-discovery is the only way, towards the non-dualistic or 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.

An ignorant is always egocentric. He thinks what he knows is the truth.  The ignorant always indulge in the pursuit of an argument. An ignorant is sentimentalized to his belief system.  An ignorant person just to prove that he is correct and others are wrong because the ignorant presumes he already knows and wants to see whether others know or not. 

The ignorant person provokes others to snub them. Ignorants accumulate knowledge and try to show their intellectual wealth. Such intellectual sharing of knowledge is mere garbage. It is of no use in the pursuit of truth. Because they are egocentric based on ignorance thus they will not yield any truth.

Scriptures deal only with the Objects, the Seen, not with the Seer. If one starts with the idea that Samsara (universe) exists, he can never see Atman, because Samsara is an illusion and only ignorant people read it as a reality

Hence,  Sage Sankara: ~ VC~63 ~ "Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

Sage Sankara himself says: ~ VC ~ 56- Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by 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.

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?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization, one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendor of the entire surrounding the region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.

65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it, and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore, the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

Then where is the need for the scriptures, religion, and idea of God?  One has to be more rational to realize the Advaitic truth, which is the ultimate truth or scientific truth. Thus, the seeker has to drop all the accumulated knowledge and start fresh. 

Realizing the universe is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness leads to non-dualistic or Advaitic self-awareness. Self-awareness is freedom or Moksha. Moksha is unity in diversity in the midst of duality.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The man who possesses the highest intellect can grasp Advaita, by merely hearing the truth mentioned will know it.+

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the knowledge that unfolds the mystery of the universe. The universe is created out of single stuff. And that single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. Without the ‘I’ the mind ceases to exist.

The mind is present when the universe is present. Without mind, the universe ceases to exist.

The universe is present only when the waking is present. Without the universe, the waking ceases to exist.

So, without the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking ceases to exist.

From the standpoint of the Soul is the ‘Self’, the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking cease exists as a reality.

The Soul is the ‘Self’ that can remain with or without the ‘I’.

The world is subjected to creation and dissolution only from the standpoint of the ego. The Soul, the ‘Self’ cannot be subjected to creation and dissolution because the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness is the formless, timeless and spaceless existence. The Soul is as it is.

Let you be clear on one thing. The world in which you exist is mere a dualistic illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. but in reality, the world in which you exist neither exists in the past nor exists now, nor going to exist in the future. Whatever existed in the past and whatever exists now and whatever is going to exists in the future is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness.

All our experience of birth, life, and death is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. the only real thing in the world in which we exist is the consciousness, which is the cause of this world and it itself is uncaused.

All your doubts and confusions are based on an unsupported assumption because your views and judgments are based on the dualistic perspective.

You presume that the cause-effect relationship is valid and real. But causal relationships have no reality. they lack reality because, on the nondualistic perspective, there is neither the cause nor the effect there is no second thing exist other than the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Whatever is perceived, the one who perceives and the perception within the dualistic illusion is not different from the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, because, the dualistic illusion or Maya is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness.

Remember:~

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ It is not the absence of Buddhi that can grasp Advaita, but the man who possesses the highest intellect. Brains are necessary. Such a man, by merely hearing the truth mentioned will know it. (Page~ 224).

The mystic must become a constant slave to some line of "thought" or rather an imagination, and then he will really see visions confirming his imaginations.

The mystic who sees God in the vision has seen Him during the waking state. The waking experience itself is an illusion. Thus, whatever is seen within the illusion is bound to be an illusion. Thus it is necessary for the mystic to realize his existence is a reality within the illusion. 

Whatever belief of God one is familiar with through his inherited conditioning or samskara that he will see in his visions.  When a man is a false self (ego)  within the false experience(waking), then whatever he believes is bound to be a falsehood. 

God is the Soul, the Self.  The soul is present in the form of consciousness. God is not within you, but you and your experience of the world,  are within God.  Self-realization is God-realization because the Soul, the Self itself is God.  When you and your experience of the world disappear then God alone prevails as formless, timeless and spaceless existence.  

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana makes one perfect to explain the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

When the soul, the innermost self, establishes itself in its own awareness, then you and your experience of the world will become one with it.

When Self is not you then what is the use of saying ‘I AM THIS’ OR ‘I AM THAT’.  The Self is not physical because the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  The Soul or the Spirit is genderless because it is ever nondual. 

The Soul is birthless and deathless because it is ever formless, timeless and spaceless existence.  

The Self cannot be identified as he or she, thus the physical-based inquiry does not hold water. 

To realize the truth beyond form, time and space the seeker has to drop all the accumulated egocentric knowledge.   Becoming more and more soulcentric leads the seeker towards Advaitic self-awareness. 

A Gnani cannot be serious; there is nothing to be serious about. The whole of life is fun; it is a play, a play of soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Moreover, that is what deeper self-search reveals - that the whole of life is a beautiful play of the  Soul.

The same Soul is in the trees, in the stars, in the rivers, in the mountains, in everyone, in animals. It is the same Soul dancing in different forms. Life means play of the  Soul:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Nisargadatta Maharaja :- Is all of humanity either a guru or a fake guru.+

Nisargadatta Maharaj:~  Is all of humanity either a guru or a fake guru? Playing with words because maybe the meaning is floating somewhere in between the spaces of words...

People who think themselves to be in a position to air their knowledge forget one basic fact, namely that they go by mere appearances. Someone expounds knowledge and the one who receives it begins to ape the person from whom he has received the knowledge. Thus, whatever the teacher wears, he will wear; whatever mannerisms the teacher affects, he will imitate. And the transfer of so-called "knowledge" has been only of concepts. This is essentially how tradition becomes established and traditional forms of worship come into being, all of which have nothing to do with Self-knowledge.

Whatever you have heard, whatever you have been told, will have no value as far as I am concerned. I want to know whether you accept the fact that the only knowledge that you really have is the knowledge that you are, this consciousness. Other than that, whatever knowledge you think you have, is mere hearsay, something acquired, based on the illusory consciousness. Is that so or is it not so? -- The Ultimate Medicine by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, p. 149 (chapter: "Eventually, You have to give up this Association with the Consciousness")

There is so not much on Self-knowledge, but there is plenty of information on cults, gurus and their film flam, scandals, etc.  Real Self-knowledge requires that one find out for himself. This also means discovering, exploring, and thinking for oneself.

Looking for mystical gurus and yogis is not related to finding real Self Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. A vast majority of these spiritual problems disappear as one takes full responsibility for his own "enlightenment-- free of religion, god glorification, scriptural knowledge, cultural dogma, and burnt-out historical traditions.

In the pursuit of truth, everything is all summed up in inquiring, analyzing, and reasoning on the base of the soul as the Self which is something one tries for himself and finds out for himself.

Therefore, once one has that pointer, that direction, there is no need to waste time and effort. If one is interested in the history of gurus and yogis, or if one finds his transcribed talks entertaining or soothing, that is OK. Otherwise, once one becomes aware of the fact that ‘I’ is not the self, but the soul is the true self he will be able to drop all the accumulated dross.

The soul is the innermost self. The soul the inner guru guides us all till we get the stillness of its Advaitic true nature. It is the soul which is in ignorance it is the soul that has to wake from the sleep of ignorance.

Katha Upanishad says: ~ This Atman is attained by him alone whom It chooses. (II -23-P-20)

Thus, those who have taken paths of wisdom are chosen ones.  The chosen one will get the grace of the soul, the inner guru. The path of wisdom is the soulcentric path, whereas all other paths are egocentric.  All egocentric paths are leads to a hallucination.

The inner self revels ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

Sages of truth restrained themselves from parting the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and only a selected few. It was hidden from the mass who were not qualified and receptive to it. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. Thus, religion was given to the mass, and knowledge of the spirit is given to only a selected few. Thus we find traces of knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables. : ~Santthosh Kumaar