The Buddhist sutras limited to the form, time and the space, the Advaitic truth is beyond the form,time and space.+

Gate gate para gate parasamgate bodhi svaha.

The heart sutra is a great sutra.  Yes,  it takes us to the inner realm but all the Buddhist sutras are limited to form, time, and space, the Advaitic truth is beyond the form, time, and space.  Since the self is not the form self is formless. All the skandas are in the physical realm (Form, feeling, perception, mental formation, and consciousness).   

The Self has not limited the physicality, but it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states.  Thus, the heart sutra yields only half-truths.  

The Buddhist scriptures were completely distorted by the time of Sage Sankara. Sage Sankara had to criticize the Buddhist literature prevailing then as the Buddhists themselves were confused as to what Shunyata is. Vasubandhu and his disciple Dignaga (the latter lived about a couple of centuries before  Sage Sankara) could not retain the original teachings of Lord Buddha. At first, Vasubandhu did not agree with his half-brother Asanga and wrote one book on Abhidharma and later on, he went to the side of Asanga and wrote a second book, where? he opposed his own earlier views on Abhidharma. Sage Sankara had to criticize the Buddhist knowledge? and literature of his time as he wanted to bring to us back the Pure Vedantic knowledge through his work on the Prasthanatraya. That is why there is a reference to the writing of Dharmakirti in Sutrabashya.

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Non-duality.  There is no doubt Buddha pointed out the unreality of the world. He told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. He came nearest to Advaita in speech but not to Advaita fully.

The distinction between Sage Sankara's Advaita and Vijnanavadin Buddhism are that the former is mentalism i.e. mind is the real, whereas the latter is idealism, i.e. ideas are real. We follow the former.

Buddhism did not graduate its teaching to suit people of varying grades; hence its failure to affect society in Asia.

Bhagavan Buddha's teachings that all life is misery belong to the relative standpoint only. For you cannot form any idea of misery without contrasting it with its opposite, happiness. The two will always go together. 

Bhagavan Buddha taught the goal of cessation of misery, i.e. peace, but took care not to discuss the ultimate standpoint for then he would have had to go above the heads of the people and tell them that misery itself was only an idea, that peace even was an idea (for it contrasted with peacelessness). That the doctrine he gave out was a limited one, is evident because he inculcated compassion. Why should a Buddhist sage practice pity? There is no reason for it.

Advaita is the next step higher than Buddhism because it gives the missing reason, viz. unity, non-difference from others, and because it explains that it used the concept of removing the sufferings of others, of lifting them up to happiness, only as we use one thorn to pick out another, afterward throw both away. Similarly,  Advaita discards both concepts of misery and happiness in the ultimate standpoint of non-duality, which is indescribable.

Buddhists say that a thing exists only for a moment, and if that thing has still got some of the substance from which it was produced, how then can they deny that its cause is continuing in the effect; hence its existence is more than a moment. Vedanta is concerned with whether it is one and the same thing which has come into being or has it come out of nothing.

There is another aspect also, Vishnu Purana also says that Lord Buddha created confusion. In Sarnath, he first taught about the Moral code which is basic. He talked about Anatma. Then? two decades later he taught the concept of Shunyata and? the tenets of Mahayana Buddhism.? In spite of Nagarjuna's telling that Shunyata is not Nihilism and that Parajanaparamita also mentioning about the Shunyata after one leaves? the five? skandhas, there are and there will always be people who will go on calling Buddha's philosophy as Nihilism. About the origin of the? Tantric Buddhism also? there are controversies.

Buddha as a constructive worker committed an error in failing to give the masses a religion, something tangible they could grasp, something materialistic, if symbolic that their limited intellect could take hold of, in addition to his ethics and philosophy. Here Sage Sankara was wiser and gave the religion; such as Bhakti, worship, etc.--to the ignorant masses, as well as wisdom to those of higher intellect.

The Advaita Sage Sankara' gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace 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. 

The most valuable contribution of  Sage Sankar is that he gained general consciousness on the issue that the authoritative explanation of Upanishads, Gita, and Brahma Sutra was the final say in a matter of religion. Anything that goes contrary to the trio is not authentic. He also made a clear distinction between Vedas and Upanishads in his commentary on Gita. He stated that the Karma Kand of the Vedas deals with the injunctions relating to the performance of duties and actions. These are for ordinary householders.

  

The path of religion,  the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.

Sage Sankara’s whole teaching can be summed up into one sentence, ‘There is nothing else, but Brahma  He says that the Absolute Existence, Absolute Knowledge and Absolute Bliss is Real. The universe is not real. He says that Brahma and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances.

In fact, Sage  Sankara states a paradox- the world is and is not. It is neither real nor unreal. It leads us to recognize the existence of Maya. He thinks that the world is illusory from one perspective and from the second it is nothing but Brahma  Itself in manifestation. This apparent world is Maya and has its basis in Brahman, the Eternal. It looks real. It has names and forms and actually, it is not real In the light of true knowledge, it disappears and Self-alone shines as real. However,   Sage  Sankara's  Maya vada has not been accepted by many preachers and philosophers.

When Sage Sankara says clearly, the universe is not real. He says that Brahman and Atman are one. The ultimate and the Absolute Truth is the Self, which is one though appearing as many in different individuals. The individual has no reality. Only the Self is Real; the rest, mental and physical are but passing appearances, then it indicates the form (waking or duality or mind) is unreal the formless witness is real (Soul).  Therefore, only Atman is real because there is no second thing other than Atman.

He also clearly mentions that:~

The path of religion, the theory of karma, the path of yoga, and the path of wisdom were intended for different classes of people. The wisdom is for the advanced seekers of truth. It deals with the nature of the ultimate Truth and Reality. It is meant for superior aspirants who have an inner urge to know the truth and it is not for those who are immersed in earthly desires.

Thus, we have to know the fact that Buddha, Sage Goudpada, and Sage  Sankara are not only reformers but also the greatest scientists. Since their original thesis on the path of wisdom has been lost in the labyrinths of philosophy and mutilated by pundits and priestcraft, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate the wisdom expounded by the great masters. In addition, the conservativeness of the orthodox scholars will not allow any research other than playing with the words, which suits the mass mindset, because of their egocentric outlook.

All the add-ons have to be discarded, in order to understand and assimilate the real fragrance of the wisdom expounded by the great sages of Advaita, but it is a hurricane task.  Thus, it is no use going through all the scriptures, when there is a direct path to non-dual truth.  The same time and effort can be used to reach the non-dual destination, in lesser time and effort.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara wanted to establish the existence of the Brahman or God in truth.+

By saying I know the truth; I know Brahman is not wisdom. The Truth is found only in the Unity of understanding which is the knowledge of both the matter and spirit. That is the matter and the spirit is one in essence.  And that essence is the Spirit, which is present in the form of the soul or the consciousness.

When one knows the matter and  the spirit together, one has “Gnana or wisdom." One must have the humility to get to the very root of the matter.

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

The Upanishads say in effect that: ~ If you believe that you are one and God  (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth. 

Sage Sankara: ~ Atman, the Self is verily Brahman (God in truth), 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. 

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 a critical analysis of the Self to get salvation from worldly tensions. 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 Buddha kept silent about God because the society dealt by Him consisted of Purvamimamsakas, who were strong atheists. Buddha told that 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.  Buddha stopped at this point because the atheists cannot realize the existence of the unimaginable God indicated through His silence. 

The point of 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 self with consciousness and made the Atman the Brahman. Since one will not negate the existence of the 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 by them from different angles in different situations. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

The birth is the birth of ignorance.+

The birth is the birth of ignorance. Physical Life is a life of ignorance. Death is the death of ignorance. Whatever exists without ignorance is a reality. 

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

Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient I comes and goes. (2.18)

The word ‘One’ is not understood anywhere except in the Advaitic path. ‘One’ always means two when analyzed. Hence the Upanishads are careful to show they do not mean this monism, but "One without a Second” which is the Advaita. 

No philosophers of the world have seen this point. Monism is really pseudo-monism that is the duality. 

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 but the waking experience itself is merely an illusion.  

Remember:~

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul is the Self. The  Soul or consciousness is the witness 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.

What is not consciousness in the universe?  The universe ceases to exist without consciousness.  The seeker,  the seeking, and his destination are all within the universe. The universe is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

There is only a need to realize the whole universe in which we exist is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the universe is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  

From the ultimate standpoint, no second thing exists other than consciousness. Thus, consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  

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

Remember:~

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 but the waking experience itself is merely an illusion.  

The soul or the consciousness is the witness 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.

There is only a need to realize the whole universe in which we exist is created out of consciousness.  From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, and the universe is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  

From the ultimate standpoint, no second thing exists other than consciousness.  Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  

Remember:~

As ice and clouds are not different from water, so the mind emanating from the soul is not different from it.  The mind (universe or waking) emanating from the Soul (consciousness) means the mind is the effect of the Soul (consciousness) and is not different from it.  A deeper analysis shows it. 

A deeper analysis needs deeper thinking. The ice and clouds have form,  but where is the form in the water.  Where did the form come from? All that one can say is that the water is not different from the ice and cloud. 

The mind is the same as the Soul, as the water produces the ice and clouds, so the Soul or consciousness produces the experiences of the three states.

One has to know this through analysis. As the cloth when analyzed, is found to be nothing but thread, so this mind, when duly considered, is nothing but the Soul or consciousness.:~Santthosh Kumaar  

The Advaitic and the dualists orthodoxy are the path of dogmatism.+

Advaitic pearls of Sage Sankara lead to Advaitic Awareness.

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita (non-duality). Since it was mixed up with orthodoxy there is a lot of confusion. Sage Sankara’s quotes (selected verified) are quoted in my blogs and postings to show what Sage Sankara meant and ‘what is blocking the seekers from realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. There are so many non-dualistic masters of the east and also from the west who expound Advaitic or non-dualistic knowledge, but none of them are helpful to reach the ultimate end.

There is no need to buy books of Sage Sankara to acquire self-knowledge. A perfect understanding of what is what' is needed. Nothing else is needed other than realizing the fact that, the form, time, and space are one in essence and that essence is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness to get nondualistic self-awareness.

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 non-dualistic wisdom.  That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

Sage Sankara’s Advaita as the fairest flower that any country of any age has produced. Sage Sankara’s erudition is very impressive.  Sage Sankara was a Gnani and a practical visionary.

Sage Sankara some philosophers in the world are as misunderstood and misinterpreted Sage Sankara; and, most of the harm came from the orthodoxy. 

Sage Sankara, is the greatest Gnani of all time. This world owes him a deep debt of gratitude. He not only consolidated the classical values of life but also spiritual wisdom. Ironically, most of the harm came from his admirers and followers of the  Advaitic sect because they propagated rituals as a means to attain the lower knowledge which is meant for those who believed in the physical existence (universe or waking)  as reality. 

Sage Sankara emphasizes that the scriptures are not needed to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman, which is beyond form, time, and space. The soulcentric reason is the main aid in the path of wisdom.

That is why Sage Sankara says:~  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.

Sage Sankara set himself the priorities to quest for truth through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-47   All the effects of ignorance, root, and branch, are burnt down by the fire of knowledge, which arises from discrimination between these two—the Self and the not-Self.

Sage  Sankara clearly indicates in the  Viveka Chudamani (2) that the Knower of the Atman (A Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

A Gnani wears no signs which means he does not identify himself as Guru or teacher or swami.  Thus, it is not necessary to become a sanyasi or a yogi, or a swami to acquire self-knowledge.

Sage Sankara page 482: On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his behavior." 

When the knower of Brahman (Gnani) wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as a Guru or a yogi or teacher or Swami. 

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." Exploring if an outside observer can, in all cases, determine if a person is Enlightened or not, the venerated Indian Sanyasin, Sage Sankara (788-820), in his work The Crest Jewel of Discrimination (1)or as it is sometimes known, Viveka Chudamani (2), states that the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

Continuing, although there are variances found in the actual wording between various translators and translations the gist behind the words remains the same, Sage Sri, Sankara writes: - “Sometimes he appears to be a Fool, sometimes a wise man. Sometimes he seems splendid as a king, sometimes feeble-minded. Sometimes he is calm and silent. Sometimes he draws men to him. Sometimes people honor him greatly, sometimes they insult him. Sometimes they ignore him.

Sage Sankara exclaims:~  The soul is unattached, its pure awareness isn’t identified with any labels, it isn’t attached to anything it is not entangled with anything at all…’

Sage Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogma.

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

Sage Sankara:~VC-  Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together. (verses-6)

Actions help to purify the mind but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of the Reality is brought about only by Self Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts. (11)

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking. (12)

Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavors depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker.  Auxiliary conveniences such as time And place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary. (14)

He alone is considered qualified to enquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of Calmness, etc., and a burning desire for liberation. The four-fold qualifications. (17)

The ultimate truth has to be ascertained without the scriptures, by realizing the self is neither the waking entity (you) nor the dream entity, but the Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In the realm of truth the form, time, and space are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. 

Realizing the single stuff as the ultimate truth is self-realization or truth realization. To realize this truth, there is no need for the scriptures. This I am highlighting again and again in my blogs. 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable, eternal, and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an object as it is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one without a second. It has no other besides it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In Brahman, there is not a distinction between substance and attribute. Sat-Chit-Ananda constitutes the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sage Sankara is impersonal.

Sage Sankara:~ VC~"All this universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the limitations of human thought

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 more 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

Sage Sankara founded his Advaita Vedanta either on reason independent of Sruti or on Sruti confirmed by reason."   Sage Sankara's commentary on the Mandukya 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.  He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need for this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. 

Sage Sankara:~ (11) As regards the rituals, Sage Sankara says, the person who performs rituals and aspires for rewards will view himself in terms of the caste into which he is born, his age, and the stage of his life, his standing in society, etc. In addition, he is required to perform rituals all through his life. However, the 'Self' has none of those attributes or tags. Hence, the person who superimposes all those attributes on the changeless, eternal Self and identifies Self with the body is confusing one for the other, and is, therefore, an ignorant person. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are therefore addressed to an ignorant person. -Adhyasa Bhashya 

Sage Sankara:~ (11.1) This ignorance (mistaking the body for Self) brings in its wake a desire for the well-being of the body, aversion for its disease or discomfort, fear of its destruction, and thus a host of miseries(anartha). This anartha is caused by projecting karthvya(“doer” sense) and bhokthavya (object) on the Atman. Sankara calls this adhyasa. The scriptures dealing with rituals, rewards, etc. are, therefore, he says, addressed to an ignorant person.-Adhyasa Bhashya 

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 

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.-Adhyasa Bhashya 

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: ~VC~ if the universe is true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like dreams.  

Sage Sankara says: ~ one must first know what is before him. If he cannot know that, what else can he know or understand? If he gives up the external world in his inquiry, he cannot get the whole truth.

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. 

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.  Sage Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. 

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or 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. 

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ VC~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.

Thus, one has to know what is real by realizing our body and our experience of the world is merely an illusion created out of the soul or consciousness. The Soul is the Self.  The nature of the Soul, the Self is emptiness. And it is identified by different masters with different names, such as God or Brahman or Consciousness or Self or Ultimate Truth.

The orthodoxy is egocentric; therefore, it is based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world, whereas Sage Sankara declared the world is an illusion. Brahman alone is real. If the Brahman is taken as a rule, then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world automatically becomes an illusion. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Soul, the Self is that witnesses the coming and going of the 'I'.+

Mundaka Upanishad 1.3:~ Complete knowledge includes knowledge of the phenomenal world, the spirit behind it, and the source of both of them.  When the cause of all causes becomes known, then everything knowable becomes known, and nothing remains unknown.”

Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient 'I' comes and goes. (2.18)

It is erroneous to identify the Soul, the innermost self as 'I' or 'I AM' because the Soul, the Self is not 'I' or I AM’. The Soul, the Self is that witness of the 'I'. 

It is impossible to get rid of any conditioning without getting rid of the inborn samskara or conditioning.   ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the inborn samskara or conditioning. ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ is the mother of all conditioning. Because of this inborn conditioning, one thinks he is an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to him and he is born in it afterward. 

Until this inborn conditioning is present one is in the grip of duality and he experiences the birth, life, death, and the world as reality.  This inborn conditioning makes one experience the illusory duality as reality. 

First, the seeker has to know ‘What is the mind” What is the substance of the mind? And ‘what is the source of the mind? , in order to realize ‘what is what’?  The ego is the physical mind, whereas the mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as a waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep).  Thus, a  perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is necessary to realize that form, time, and space are merely an illusion created out of single stuff. 

A deeper self-search reveals the fact that: ~   

The duality is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe is present in the form of form, time, and space.  Without form, time, and space, there is no duality.

The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe is present in the form of form, time, and space.  Without form, time, and space, there is no duality. The duality is not a reality from the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self.

The mind is present in the form of the form, time, and space. Thus, whatever belongs to form, time and space is a falsehood. Thus, the universe in which we exist as a reality is a falsehood.   

Thus, there is a need to know ‘what is what’ in order to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ disappears as deep sleep, so what is the use of being attached to it? It is impermanent and illusory because ‘I’ is physical awareness. Physical awareness is not self-awareness. ‘I-less awareness is self-awareness.

There is really no ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. And the mind is in the form of the universe. And the universe appears as a waking or dream. The ‘I’ or mind or the universe or waking or dream disappears as deep sleep.  

Thus, one that appears as ‘I’ or mind or the universe or waking or dream is consciousness and it disappears as deep sleep is also consciousness.  In deep sleep, it is in its formless nondual true nature.  The one, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states, is also the consciousness.   Thus, the witness and witnessed are one in essence.   

Thus, the universe is a reality on the base of individuality (ego) and the universe is unreal on the base of the Soul, the Self. The seeker gradually will grasp and realize the unreal nature of the universe or mind. Individuality is illusory because the Self is not an individual because the Soul, the Self is formless,  and it pervades everything and everywhere in all three states.

An ignorant observation is based on the dualistic (matter or body or ego) perspective, whereas a Gnanis judgment is based on the nondualistic (Soul or Spirit or consciousness) perspective.  There is neither the stone, nor the animal, nor does the world exist as a reality, when the Soul, the innermost 'Self' remains in its own awareness.

When the Self is not the form (ego or waking entity or you) then the reason based on the form (waking entity or you) will not yield truth. Thus, one has to learn to reason on the base of the formless soul, the innermost self to reach the ultimate end of understanding. 

Where is the duality in the nonduality?  From the standpoint of the soul, the innermost self, the manifestation is merely an illusion.  The illusion has no value in the realm of the ultimate truth or Brahman.  And also the manifestation is the consciousness because it is,  it is created out of consciousness.

When the whole waking, movable and immovable, is known to be the soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, then there is no room to say the waking is real, because the Soul and the three states are one in essence.

Only when the duality is present there is a manifestation. The manifestation is merely an illusion (duality).  The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. When there is no ignorance, then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion, then there is no duality. When there is no duality, then there is no manifestation. When there is no cause and effect,  then there is the nondualistic or Advaitic reality.  

Remember:~  

 The Soul, the  Self is that witnesses the coming and going of the  'I'. 

The Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness, is the witness 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 waking entity (ego or you) is not the witness.  The waking entity and waking world are merely an illusion. A Gnani is in Advaitic awareness in the midst of the illusory world; he used to witness everything on the base of the Soul the innermost Self. For a Gnani his body, his ego, and his experience of the world are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

‘I’ is not the witness.   ‘I’ is witnessed. The witness is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Consciousness is real and eternal. The Self is not ‘I’, but the Self is the Soul which is the witness of the ‘I’.  Holding the ‘I as the 'Self' leads to hallucination based on the dualistic imagination.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar