In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.+

The mystic who sees God in 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 within the false experience, 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 innermost ‘Self’ itself’ is God.  When you and your experience of the world disappear, then God alone prevails as a formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. 

There is neither Shiva nor Shakti but only consciousness. The consciousness is real God. 

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

When Bhagavad Gita says, God is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted other than consciousness a God. 

Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

The dualistic worship of "God” is only for the ignorant populace. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost ‘Self’.   In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (Spirit), the ‘Self’.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the ‘Self’. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

No dualities, no differentiation. Only Atman exists. Let us see in the words of Bhagavan  Krishna:~

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 22: ~ ".....who has gone beyond the conflicting dualities like the good (happiness) and bad (sorrow)....."

Bhagavad Gita: 4: 42:~ ".....cut all such conflicting dualities (doubts) by the sword (weapon) of knowledge. ....."

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 18:~ “The learned men (who have come out of delusions (Māyā), got rid of Avidya) see no differentiation have equal vision for a revered Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a cāndāla (outcaste, rogue, mleccha, demonic person, etc)"

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 19:~ "Those who have achieved the true knowledge i.e. the '‘Self’-Knowledge' or the 'knowledge of Atman' and see no difference, are free from conflicting dualities have merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 5: 20:~ "One who does not get excited out of happiness on getting good and does not get depressed on getting bad is situated in Brahman i.e. is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 9:~  "The one who has equal vision for a Selfless do-gooder, a friend, a foe, an unbiased, a well-wisher, a depressed and jealous man, relatives, a righteous and a sinner is the best (as he sees no duality and differentiation but sees everything as Ātman)"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 32:~ “.....as one seeks and treats oneself’ with equal vision, the same way one who has an equal vision for good and evil, for everybody is the best of all"

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 8:~ "For whom soil, a pebble, and gold are alike, he is merged in Brahman"

Bhagavad-Gita Gita: 7: 27:~ ".....people are getting entangled in the primordial ignorance (Avidya) of the conflicting dualities like good and evil, happiness and sorrow caused due to attachments, desires, and hatred....."

Bhagavad Gita: 6: 28:~ “.....who have cut-off conflicting dualities (like good and evil) is determinedly in my service. ...."

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of ‘Self’, the knowledge of Atman, in the last birth in the series of many births worships Me as~ Atman alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare"

Sage Goudpada: ~ "There's no plurality here"; "The God (Atman) through his powers appears to be many"; "those who are attached to creation or production or origination go to utter darkness"; "the unborn is never reborn, for who can produce God (Atman)?".

The orthodox people are more enslaved than others because they live in ‘Self’-imposed prison. A householder may have a little freedom, but the Gurus, Yogis Saints are more stuck with their own idea of truth than others. Orthodoxies are just blind followers of tradition. They cannot move freely, they cannot sit freely, and they cannot live freely.

Many people pretend they are ‘Self’-realized just by being orthodox one cannot get Gnana.  Yogi practices Samadhi he will not get rid of the ignorance. Everyone has their own idea of Gnana.

The most important thing is that neither society nor politics nor any religion have anything to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. ‘Self’ –Knowledge helps the seeker transcend emotion, transcending form, time, and space. Perhaps this is why the Atmic path, has not had much impact.

Mythological stories are a myth. Mythological Gods are a myth. Worshipping mythological heroes as God produces only myth.  There is a need to realize ‘what God is supposed to be in actuality'.  Religion has been very influential. Mythology is a synthesis. They are more concerned with synthesis than with truth. The attraction for synthesis is so strong that people accept it blindly without verifying its validity.

Mythology is a hodgepodge containing everything; hence it suits everyone because there is something in it for everyone. It is difficult to find any tradition whose voice is not found in mythology. It is difficult to find anyone who does not take solace from mythology. But for such people ‘Self’-Realization will prove very difficult.

Nondual truth is not for synthesis – it is an uncontradictable truth and it is the ultimate truth. Nondual truth just as it is, without any artifice or coloring.

The knower of nondual truth is not concerned about the listener, he does not care whether his listener will understand or not. The pure expression of truth comes from the source of his existence. 

From the standpoint of the Soul, the ‘Self’: ~

There is nothing to accept,

Nothing to reject,

Nothing to hold on to,

Nothing to let go of,

Nothing to grasp,

Nothing to spurn,

Nothing to embrace,

Nothing to relinquish,

Nothing to dissolve

Because the Soul is free from the illusory form, time, and space. Only within the dualistic illusion, the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is caught up in the illusory experience of the form, time, and space.   This is the truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Buddhist do not believe in the existence of the Athma. Buddhist believe in emptiness and they fail to realize the emptiness is the nature of the Athma.+

Dalai Lama said: ~ Buddhism need not be the best religion though it is most scientific and religion and inquisitive. But Buddhism has no answer to certain questions like the existence of Atama (Soul) and rebirth. Dali Lama said that as an individual he believes in rebirth as he had come across a few cases of rebirth. Modern science, Dalai Lama hoped would unearth the mystery behind the rebirth. (In DH –dec-212009-Gulbarga)

The Upanishads have the answer to the existence of the Atama.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God in truth) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

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.

Sage Sankara disagrees with Buddhists who say, there is nothing - a nonentity. Sage Sankara believes there is some reality, even though things are not what they appear to be. If one knows the truth, he will know what to do to find inspiration for action. The seeker of truth‘s subject is to know what is it that is Real.

Buddhism says:~ All things are illusory and nothing exists. However, Advaita avers that it is not so. It says that the universe, of course, is illusory, but there is Brahman (consciousness), that exists forming the very substratum of all things (illusion or universe).

Advaita is very different from Buddhism. Advaita regards consciousness as permanent and all-pervading while Buddhists regard it as momentary. Madhyamikas regard that a non-existent entity can appear in perception like it does in the snake in the rope illusion.

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Nonduality because Buddhists do not believe in the existence of the Athma. Buddhist believe in emptiness and they fail to realize that emptiness is the nature of the Athma. 

Bhagavan Buddha pointed out the unreality of the world, and Advaitic Sages agree. Bhagavan Buddha told people they were foolish to cling to it. But he stopped there. He came nearest to Vedanta in speech but not to Vedanta fully.

Only when we independently search for the truth without religion and its doctrine then we will be able to realize the truth beyond form, time, and space.

Unless one exercises his Buddhi--reason--there is no chance of getting the ultimate truth or Brahman.   

Buddhism is not Bhagavan Buddha's wisdom because Bhagavan Buddha's wisdom is lost in diverse Buddhist theories. Bhagavan Buddha is not the founder of Buddhism because Bhagavan  Buddha rejected religion, the religious idea of God, and the scriptures.

Advatic wisdom does not belong to neither   Buddhism nor Hinduism because Advatic wisdom is pure spirituality. Buddhism and Hinduism are based on form, time, and space whereas Advatic wisdom is based on the Athma (Spirit), which formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. 

Remember:~

You cannot live without the physical world; it is the basis of your life, so it must be the starting point of your inquiry. Things, not imaginations, must be the truth seeker's material.

Without knowing the nature of the world in which you exist, it is impossible to know the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. What is the use of trying to find our inner Self before we understand the world, which confronts us?  You have to realize the fact that, this world that confronts you is also consciousness. 

If you do not make his induction from facts from the world before you, then you are only drawing on your imaginations. By saying the  ‘Self’ is like this, or like that." but it will be only your imagination.

You must inquire into the nature of the ‘I’ i.e. matter. Second, he must inquire into the nature of the Soul, the innermost Self. To say the world in which you exist as an illusion without first examining them and inquiring into them thoroughly is to delude yourself.

This world is common to all of us, therefore you must begin our inquiry with it and not avoid it. It is only after you have inquired into the nature of the objective world, that you should inquire into who is the knower. If, however,  you inquire into the knower before the inquiry into the world in which you exist, then it is mere mysticism.

‘What is this world?’ must precede ‘What is this I? in the Atmic path.

Look at everything in its essence because in everything there is consciousness.  You should not avoid them, do not shut your eyes to the world in which you exist; do not shut yourself away from the world which is as much consciousness, as anywhere else.

Those who are weak and those who are not sharp enough to grasp the truth beyond the form, time, and space advise others to be non-observant and to withdraw.  Soulcentric reasoning will help, not hinder your pursuit of truth.  There is no need to run away from worldly life in ascetic fear or shyness of them.

The yogi shuts his eyes against the world and then has the temerity to declare that he knows the world to be Brahman! Because he has not inquired into the world in which he exists, he knows nothing.  Yoga cannot remove ignorance. It is only a step. It removes obstructions.

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

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

Brihad Upanishad does not advocate Samadhi.

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot come if anything is left out. The whole universe must be included. For only when all is known can all be known to be but ideation. Hence,  yogis blotting all out in Samadhi cannot lead to Gnana.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis, is unreal.+

You exist within the world.  The world in which you exist is present only when the mind is present.  The mind is present only when the ‘I’ is present. So, how can you limit ‘I’ only to you when ‘I’ is the world in which you exist? Without the ‘I’ the world, in which you exist cease to exist.

Think deeply, reason deeply then only you will be able to realize ‘what is what’. Without realizing ‘what is what’ you will never be able to realize ‘what is the truth and ‘what is untruth’?

Yogi may see a hill in his Yoga, but how does he know that hill is Brahman? 

Sage Goudapada’s rational exposition of Advaita: ~ Whatever is seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis, is unreal

First of all, you must give the meaning of Brahman!

A madman can say, “This rock is an elephant.” So until he defines an elephant we cannot say what he means.

It is no use seeing the personal God everywhere. You must see the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness everywhere, and then you will be able to treat the world in which you exist as consciousness.

First, you must know what God is supposed to be.

There is a clear-cut idea in the scriptures, what supposed to be God. And what not to worship in place of God then why worship the belief of God, which is not God in truth.

That is why Lord Krishna says Ch ~V: ~ “Those who know the Self in truth.". The last two words (tattvataha) are usually ignored by pundits, but they make all the difference between the ordinary concept of God and the truth about God.

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

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman the innermost Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~  God is Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material shape. God cannot be seen directly by anyone. God pervades all beings and all directions. 

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself.

People, who worship the belief of God, are hallucinating that they become one with such God.

Vedas itself declares: May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman? Thus, to know the real God Self-realization is necessary. Self-realization is God-realization. Self-realization itself is real worship.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Yogi thinks the blankness or thoughtlessness in his samadhis as Brahman.+

Sage Sankara said:~ -Neither by the practice of yoga nor philosophy, nor by good works nor by learning, does liberation come, but only through the realization that Atman and Brahman are one in no other way. (1) Vivekachoodamani v 56, pg~25

Sage Sankara’s wisdom is nothing to do with religion and yoga. There are 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 the truth beyond the form, time, and space. Religion and yoga are meant for the first audience, to help lead their followers along the way. 

In Yogic Samadhi, the yogi is unaware of the universe, and hence of the ultimate truth or Brahman. To talk of Brahman without knowing the meaning of the universe is like utterly meaningless. Nirvikalpa gives only the idea of the Soul but not the truth of the whole.

Yogi thinks, of the blankness or thoughtlessness in his samadhis as Brahman.  It is not enough to see a mere blank, Nirvikalpa. You have to see the ‘Soul’ the universal Self, which is the cause of the world in which you exist and it itself is uncaused.

 The Soul, the innermost Self is free from ignorance not when it sees nothing at all, as in Yogic Samadhi but only when it sees this entire universe in itself. Hence, there is a need to know

“What is this universe?”

The attention must be drawn to the external world. Advaitic wisdom is the only weapon to bring peace, love and harmony, and universal welfare. This is the highest aim of Advaita to realize the world in its essence is Advaita.

It is no use seeing the personal God everywhere. You must see the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness everywhere, and then you will be able to treat the world in which you exist as consciousness.

Panchadasi: ~ the impossibility of yoga arriving at a successful end to its practices.  P.509 v, 109

The ‘Self-realization' through yoga is not philosophic. Every yogi who shuts himself in a cave is not thereby freed from thinking. 

Yoga can lead only to temporary peace because the world is subject to change. Only Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana can yield Advaitic awareness in the midst of the form, time,  and space. :~Santthosh Kumaar  

Real meditation.+

Exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation. 

Meher Baba: ~ ‘Meditation has often been misunderstood as a mechanical process of forcing the mind upon some idea or object. 

Chandogya Upanishad:~ One who meditates upon and realizes the 'Self 'discovers that everything in the cosmos-- energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantrams and meditation--all come from the Self.

Sage  Sankara says: ~ “The exercise in discrimination between real and unreal and renunciation of the false is real meditation, then why you are indulging in other types of meditation.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness. By holding on to theories one remains in the realm of duality. You have to mentally go on dropping what is not the truth through deeper Self-search. Finally when you become aware of the fact that, your ego, your body, and the world are one in essence then there is Self-awareness in the midst of duality. 

Sage Sankara says ~ VC-63 -"Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know 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.

In Advaitic  Self-awareness, the ego is not considered as ego, even though ego is present, the body is not considered as body even though body is present, the world which confronts him is not considered as the world even though the world is present, the duality ceases even though the duality is present, because of wisdom everything is considered as consciousness. Thus there is conscious oneness.

Only in ignorance, the world in which we exist is an illusion created out of the Soul, the ‘Self’. 

The universe 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.

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 world, observed and experienced. The commoner viewing the world will see differently from a Gnani viewing the same world. Each one interprets the world that they see in terms of their existing knowledge. The commoner sees everything based on the ego, therefore, experiences the birth, life, death and the world as a reality, whereas a Gnani sees everything as consciousness and he is fully aware of the fact that, there is no second thing exists other than the Soul or consciousness. Thus, all the egocentric (religious) adulteration has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.

The Soul, the  'Self' reveals ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal” when the seeker is receptive and ready.

It takes time for the seeker to gain the perfect understanding of ‘what is the truth’ and ‘’what is untruth’. It takes time for the Soul, the Self to wake up from the sleep of ignorance, and it takes time for one realizes the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

Sage Sankara says: ~ VC-162-  “There is no liberation for a person of mere book-knowledge, howsoever well-read in the philosophy of Vedanta, so long as one does not give up the false identification with the body, sense-organs, etc., which are unreal.

First, realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Mentally hold on to the Soul and mentally reduce the world in which you exist as consciousness by realizing the world in which you exist is nothing but an illusion created out of consciousness.  

Advaita means the Soul, the Self, which is second to none. The Soul, which is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness, is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Advaita is the nature of God in truth, the Soul, the Self. Advaita is God in truth. Advaita is the fullness of consciousness.

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

God in truth is the Atman, the Self. Atman is present in the form of consciousness.

Do not accept any other God other than Atman not worship other than Atman.

Let these words be inscribed in your subconscious.

Nothing is real but God. Nothing Matters but love for God in truth. God in truth is everywhere and in everything.

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

Yajurveda – chapter- 32:~   God is  Supreme Spirit.

Vedas and Upanishad confirm the Soul, the Self, is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness.

Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul or Spirit) is the cause; Atman is the support of all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn away from the Atman, the Self. May ye never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman?" (10:48, 5)

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

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is. 

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

If God is the formless, timeless and spaceless Spirit, then how does the man know God created the world? There is no proof. If the man had seen God creating the world, he could admit it, but how could he have seen God before he came into existence? (i.e. were created).

The Spirit is the root element of the universe. The Spirit is present in the form of the Soul, the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. From the Spirit, the universe comes into existence. In the Spirit, the universe resides. And into the Spirit, the universe is dissolved. The Spirit is the parent of all that is there is. 

Jesus meant Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana (pearls) should not be given to the ignorant populace (pigs). 

Advaita is universal. Advaita is not for sale. Do not buy Advaita from the spiritual supermarket. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the innermost Self. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaitic wisdom. 

Advaitic truth is very simple, but it is very difficult to realize because you have accumulated mental garbage from different sources in the name of Advaita. Until you discard all the accumulated knowledge you will never be able to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space. 

The Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the 'Self' shines on its own awareness when wisdom dawns. 

The Advaita is the Soul is the cause and the support of all that exists as the world in which we exist.

The Advaita is present in the form of consciousness. Advaita is the root element of the universe. From the Advaita, the universe comes into existence. In the Advaita, the universe resides. And into the Advaita, the universe is dissolved. The Advaita is the parent of all that is there is. :~Santthosh Kumaar