Mixing the Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom is like mixing oil and water.+

There are so many obstacles if one tries to reach the Advaitic realization because of orthodox adulteration.  Advaitic wisdom and orthodox or theistic Advaita are not the same.

Mixing the Advaitic orthodoxy with Advaitic wisdom is like mixing oil and water.     Most of the scholars are sentimentally and emotionally involved with orthodoxy because both Advaitic orthodoxy and Advaitic wisdom are propagated by the same founder (Sage  Sankara).  They mix up two viewpoints together, therefore, it becomes difficult to get the Advaitic truth expounded by Sage Sankara.

It is very difficult to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman without bifurcating the religion, scriptures, philosophy, and idea of individualized God.  Ultimate truth or Brahman directly realized without Advaitic philosophy and Buddhism by Soulcentric reasoning.  

That is why Sage Sankara says:~ VC-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.

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible, and more un-dogmatic insights of Sage  Sankara is to drop all the theistic nonduality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

If one merely theorizes, tries to understand through his intellect, and there contended he cannot become a Gnani, but he becomes a scholar or pundit.   Seeker of truth must make what he has understood and assimilated has to be realized, to get a firm conviction of the non-dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman, then only it is possible for him to transcend all the limitations of the experience of form, time and space.   

The existence beyond limitations of form, time, and space is known as Moksha or Nirvana. Spiritual freedom or Self-realization is the goal of every seeker of truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar  

Sage Sankara says If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.+

Sage Sankara indicated in Bhaja Govindam  One without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows. 

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 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.

Sage Sankara VC~.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?

VC-  v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not  even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it,  your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation

Sage Sankara has enjoined upon the seekers of truth to see and realize the unity in diversity, but one gets confused when he comes across the multifarious objects seemingly quite separate from him. Even while one threads his path he should constantly think what he sees around him has emanated from the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness. The world in which he exists is created out of single stuff and that single stuff is the consciousness. Till he becomes fully aware of this single stuff firmly establishes in the consciousness he should keep remembering this fact often and often.

Self-Knowledge is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the Self their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as a reality.

Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million will be able to grasp and realize it. By focusing more attention on the Soul, the innermost Self, by reading, writing, reflecting only of the Soul the inner conviction about the Soul grows and becomes firmer, and then the reality of the dualistic illusion fades away.

Ashtavakra Gita 3:9-10: ~ But he who is truly wise Always sees the absolute Self. Celebrated, he is not delighted. Spurned, he is not angry. Pure of heart, He watches his own actions As if they were another's. How can praise or blame disturb him?

An intense desire for truth -realization is itself the way to it. The Lord is The Self in Advaita. Therefore, one need not accept anything other than the Self, which is consciousness. Thus consciousness alone is the ultimate truth or Brahman that is free from falsehood.

Advaita (non-duality) and dvaita (duality) are the states of the Soul, the innermost Self. It is not some intellectual theory. Religious-based Advaitins believe the Atman (Soul) is Brahman and the world is an illusion. Religious dvaitins believe in the body as Self, and they believe the world is a reality, and they believe in the creator and creation theory. In India Advaita and Dvaita is a merely religious traditions, which they inherited from their ancestors. No one questions their validity because it is considered blasphemy to question any guru and God-men or pundits.

People who are attached to their religious code of conduct and trying to preach Advaita, that is mixing the individual life, and the concept of God, and all mixed up hotchpotch religious doctrine and feed the seeking minds, are themselves not aware of the fact that the individuality and the worldly life is part of the illusion.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Advaita is not the path of exchange of views or discussion.+

Advaita is not the path of exchange of views or discussion. The seeker has to read think deeply and reflect on the subject constantly until the truth becomes firm. When the seeker has a  firm conviction of what is a reality,  then the unreality fades on its own. 

Everyone’s inner work is on. Until a man is ripe to receive Self-knowledge, he will not be able to understand what I am saying. 

Even they may find it difficult in the first as they go on reading and reflecting repeatedly the post their subconscious will start dropping the dualistic egocentric knowledge and start accepting the Soul-centric Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

Grasping the truth depends on the spiritual maturity of the seeker. My mission is to share the knowledge by inspiring the serious and sincere seekers of truth and diverting their attention towards the inward reality. 

As their urge is at the seed level and As they go on reading the words of wisdom it will start growing. 

It takes time for the seeker to gain a 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 to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. 

Self-knowledge is not a  question and answers session. As the seeker digs into old and new posts, he will gradually start understanding and assimilating the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. 

It is a waste of time to spend time discussing. There are many posts and blogs that help you to get rid of ignorance.

If the Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul then from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self: ~ 

Where is the ‘I’? 

Where is the ego? 

Where is the body? 

Where is the mind?

Where is the world in which you exist?

Where are the form, time, and space? 

Where is the waking experience?

Where is the duality? 

Where is void?

They are or have become one with the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present only when the world is present. The world is present only when there is the waking experience. 

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the waking experience is not considered different from the world. The world is not considered different from the mind. The mind is not considered different from the’ I’. This truth has to be assimilated. 

The ‘I’ is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. ‘I’ is not the subject. The ‘I’ is an object to the Soul, which is the formless, timeless, and spaceless subject. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the world in which you exist is bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then three states, are bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the form, time, and space are bound to be an illusion. 

If I’ is an illusion then the individual experience of birth, life, death is bound to be an illusion. 

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the words and thoughts are bound to be an illusion.

If the ‘I’ is an illusion then the duality is bound to be an illusion. 

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ which comes and goes to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space

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

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self. 

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal. 

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "I," If you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, You are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers. 

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth. 

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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Gurus words. For them, their Gurus words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset. 

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

ZEN Satori is not highest Advaitic or non-dualistic Gnana.+

Nothingness is an erroneous conclusion because every thought has its opposite every word is tied to its coordinate for all thought and speech can only operate under such dualism. Hence, taking the most fundamental word, existence its implied opposite non-existence is also there, and vice versa. So nothingness or “non-entity" is meaningless without "entity". Both are there.

Buddhist Idealism: speaks only of ideas. But they are unaware of the knower of these ideas? It is a thought. The thinker of these thoughts is part of the dualistic illusion without the thinker there are no thoughts. Without form, time, and space there is no thinker.

The Bhagavan Buddha was asked by one of his students, "Are you the Messiah?"

"No", answered Bhagavan Buddha. 

"Then are you a healer?"

"No", Bhagavan Buddha replied. 

"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted. 

"No, I am not a teacher."

"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated. 

"I am awake", Bhagavan Buddha replied.

Bhagavan Buddha said:~ Buddha is not a man, but a state. I have found the way. Enter all of you!

Bhagavan Buddha kept silent, refusing to answer questions about the ultimate. Therefore,  he was the wisest man in refusing to commit himself.

ZEN Satori is not the highest Advaitic or non-dualistic Gnana because it comes as flashes, it does not depend on seeing the world and does not depend upon the mental sharpness so much as intuition. Zen Buddhists are only mystics--they do not offer proof. How is their main method different from that of Christian mystics, Hindu mystics, all of whom do not seek to prove by reason, but by "I know," intuition?

Zen is quite alright in mentioning the nonduality: it is the nearest to Advaita, but nevertheless, it is still inferior because it fails to prove non-duality, it illogically gives loan exercises as a means of attaining that which is beyond attainment, because always here, and it talks of insight or intuition to see Reality when sight involves a second thing, duality.

Zen gives a high important place to meditation practice. The truth is that Zen advocates the necessity of meditation for those of its adherents who cannot grasp the absolute truth.

ZEN is also on this lower stage of Yoga because it depends on flashes of Intuition gained by meditation, not by reasoning.

Bhagavan Buddha gave up his austerities of yoga as impossible and useless. (Page.70/71 "Buddhism in Translation” by Warren)

Bhagavan Buddha got enlightenment only after he gave up Yoga. Unless one exercises his reason--there is no chance of getting the truth.

When one says "Nothing is" what is the meaning of "is"? "Nothingness” is something that exists: one cannot prove that consciousness does not exist.

Has the Void a meaning? If so then it is only your imagination.  Buddha gave up yoga after practicing it for six years. He saw it could not yield truth.

The 'Void' of the emptiness of Buddhism is only a stage. It cannot be ultimate. It says there is really nothing. The mistake of Hinayana Buddhism is to jump to assumptions where Buddha kept silent. :~Santthosh Kumaar

The belief that people born in Brahmin caste, automatically become Brahmins, is a much later concept in the very ancient India.+

The one who is born in the Brahmin caste is not a Brahmin,  but Brahmin is the one who has realized the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality,  Brahmin is not a caste or sect.   

In the Vedic era, a Brahmin was a person who had acquired Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana Atma Gnana. This was an extremely difficult path of the discipline of body, mind, and intellect, and people irrespective of their birth or class, who were dedicated to such an austere life, were recognized as Brahmins. 

A great example of this tradition (that a person becoming a Brahmin, rather than born as one) is the case of Vishwamitra, a warrior (Kshatriya), who became a Brahmin after attaining Atma Jnana or Self-Knowledge.

A smritis or code of conduct composed by sage Atri defines brahminhood very clearly:

"By birth, every man is a Shudra (an ignorant person). Through various types of disciplines (samskaras), he becomes a dwija (twice-born). Through the studies of scriptures, he becomes a vipra (or a scholar). Through the  realization of supreme spirit (Brahma Gnana), he becomes a Brahmin.”

The belief that people born in the Brahmin caste, automatically become Brahmins, is a much later concept in very ancient India.  Thus, Brahmin means not a caste but one who has attained Atma Jnana or Brahma Jnana. 

Bhagavata clearly says in 7.11.35 that: ~ “Just because one is born to a Brahmin doesn’t automatically make him a Brahmin. But he has more chances of becoming a Brahmin by acquiring Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the only qualification of Brahmin to become a Brahmin. If a person born to a non-Brahmin who acquires Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana possesses he/she should be immediately accepted as a Brahmin.”

Anyone can become Brahmin by realizing the ultimate truth of Brahman.  A Gnani is a Brahmin because he has realized the ultimate truth or Brahman.  The one who knows Brahman knows his body and his experience of the world are merely an illusion and also he knows his body and his experience of the world are also as Atman (consciousness), which is Brahman. 

Thus, the priestcraft which is crafted on the body-based theories will lead one to hallucinated moksha. But real moksha or freedom is possible only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

If you are seeking truth then you should follow the Atmic path not the path of the Advaitic orthodoxy. Drop all the accumulated orthodox baggage. The orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace.  Perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ leads to Self-awareness.  

Sage Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam, says: ~ “(JnanaViheena 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 religion is not the means to Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is inexhaustible wealth. +

Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is inexhaustible wealth. And all other wealth disappears as one spends, but with the ‘Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the more one shares more he gains. The origin of the mind is the Soul. The Soul is the Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The mind appears as the waking or the dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). 
The ego is the physical Self. The nature of the ego is restless in its nature. Self’-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana cannot be surmised by merely reading the Vedas and Upanishads.

An urge to know the truth of existence arises in the Soul itself. It is the Soul, which is in the sleep of ignorance. It is the Soul that has to come out of ignorance.  The mind or the universe is the product of ignorance. The true nature of the mind can be recognized with the power of discrimination between the real and the unreal. Discrimination between the eternal and non-eternal is necessary in order to acquire ’Self’ –knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Self-realization is an impossibility, without understanding ‘what is the mind?’  ‘What is the substance of the mind?’ and “What is the source of the mind?”. The mind and its substance and its source are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  By realizing the consciousness alone is real all else is merely an illusion created out of the consciousness The world in which we exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is consciousness. This knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana leads one to Self-awareness

Trying to make the mind still is an impossibility without Advaitic wisdom.  Thus, a perfect understanding of  'what is what' is needed to realize the truth beyond form, time, and space.
The Soul is the  Self. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The world in which we exist is created out of consciousness.  The consciousness alone is real and the world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.  This knowledge of the single stuff (consciousness) leads one to Self-awareness. Self-awareness brings unity in diversity in the midst of duality. Unity in diversity in the midst of the dualistic illusion is the state of the Soul, the Self. The nature of the Soul is stillness. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Self-inquiry is not for finding out 'Who AM I?’ but to realize what the 'Self is in actuality?+

If the inquiry does not include the universe then it is incomplete. The universe itself is what God is all about. The totality of the universe is what God is all about.

You just study the nature of the universe with all the seriousness and sincerity to unfold the mystery of the universe. That is all you have to do. The universe is the seeker's school.

Sage Sankara: ~ VC-63- "Without knowing and examining the universe, 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.

All the religious scriptures and holy books are irrelevant -- God's greatest book is just in front of you.

That is why Sag 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.

Remember:~

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

All the egocentric (religious) adulteration has to be bifurcated to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman to know the truth propagated by the ancient sages of the truth. The sages of truth Gnanis. Sages of truth are not religious gurus or saints

Remember:~

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.

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

Ashtavakra Gita: ~ “The universe raises from the Soul, the innermost Self like bubbles from the sea. Thus know the Self to be One and in this way enter into the state of dissolution."

You are not the ‘Self’ because you are mortal. You are mortal because you are bound by the experience of birth, life, death, and the world. The ‘Self’ is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness and is immortal because it is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The one that is in ignorance is the Soul; the one that has to wake up from the sleep of ignorance is the Soul, the Self.

The world in which you exist is the product of ignorance. When ignorance vanishes the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Without the illusion,  the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone will prevail as the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth. Thus, consciousness is Brahman or God in truth.

Self-realization is necessary to realize ‘what is the truth? and ‘what is the untruth?

Self-realization is to realize the 'Self' is not you, but the 'Self' is the Soul, which is the substance and witness of the world in which you exist.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the world, in which you exist is merely an illusion. The world in which you exist is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Thus, the 'Self' is not limited to you, but it is the cause of the world in which you exist. Therefore, what is the use of inquiring ‘Who am ‘I’ when the ‘Self’ is not he or she?

Self-inquiry is not for finding out 'Who AM I?’ but to realize what the 'Self is in actuality? 

The Self-inquiry is for finding out the fact that, the ‘Self' is not the ‘I’, but the Self is the Soul, which witnesses the 'I'. The world in which you exist is present only when the 'I' is present. Without the 'I', the world, in which you exist ceases to exist.

From the standpoint of the Soul, the Self, the world in which you exist is merely an illusion. If the world is an illusion then the world in which you exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. In reality, your existence as an individual is non-existent as a reality.

That is why Sage Sankara VC~.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?

VC-  v6~ Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity with the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together. 

Sage Sankara goes on to say: ~A sickness of not cured by saying the word “medicine.” You must take the medicine. Liberation does not come by merely saying the word “Brahman.” Brahman must be experienced. Until you allow this apparent universe to dissolve from your consciousness until you have realized Brahman, how can you find liberation just by saying the word Brahman? The result is merely noise. Until a man has destroyed his enemies and taken possession of the splendor and wealth of the kingdom, he cannot become a king by simply saying “I am a king.”

A buried treasure is not uncovered by merely uttering the words: “Come forth.” You must follow the right directions, dig, remove the stones and earth from above it, and then make it, your own. In the same way, the pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual disciplines but never by subtle arguments.

Thus, a perfect understanding of ‘what is what' leads to Advaitic Self-awareness. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar