Buddhist Sutra and Sage Sankara’s Advaita.+

            Heart sutra: ~ “Gate, gate para gate parasamgate Bodhi svaha”

Heart Sutra is a great sutra. Yes, it takes us to the inner realm but all the Buddhist sutras are limited to form alone not to the entire form, time, and space, we have to go beyond form, time, and space by a perfect understanding of ‘ what is what’.

Since the Self is not the form but the ‘Self’ is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. All the Skandhas are in the physical realm (Form, feeling, perception, mental formation, and consciousness). The Self is not limited to physicality, but it pervades in everything and everywhere in the entire form, time, and space. Thus, the heart sutra yields only half-truths.

The Buddhist scriptures were completely distorted by the time of Sage  Sankara; therefore, it is not possible to get the pure essence of Bhagwan Buddha’s teaching. Buddhism is mixed up and messed up with other religions wherever it existed in Asia.

Sage Sankara had to criticize the Buddhist literature prevailing then as the Buddhists themselves were confused as to what Shunyata is.

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)

Dalai Lama was right in pointing out 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.

Buddhism has not proved the truth of Non-duality. There is no doubt Bhagavan 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 is that the former is mentalism i.e. mind is the real, whereas the latter is idealism, i.e. ideas are real. Advaitins 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 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 religion; such as Bhakti, worship, etc.--to the ignorant masses, as well as wisdom to those of higher intellect.

Sage Sankara gave religious, rituals, and 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 Upanishads have the answer to the existence of the Atama. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) 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).

Remember:~

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

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

Sage Sankara said:~ Talk as much philosophy as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies, and sing devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred eons, without realizing the Oneness.

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture.

This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need 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’s Supreme Brahman is Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes), and Akarta (non-agent). He is above all needs and desires.

Sage Sankara says:~ "This Atman is self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it. Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is below".

Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam, are not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman. Brahman (God) cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than the 'Self'.

The objective world-the world of names and forms has no independent existence. The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only phenomenal.

Sage Sankara was the exponent of Advaita wisdom. His wisdom can be summed up in the following words:~

Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya,

Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Aparah

Brahman alone is real, this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical to Brahman.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never told them to give their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time, he showed just one step forward towards the truth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture. This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence, have no need for this idea of divine causality, and can, therefore, dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.

Scriptural mastery is not wisdom:~

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

The Veda serves only at the starting point. What one has to learn from Veda must be understood through the exercise of reason, as far as reason might go. And what one has understood must be realized in one’s life.

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures. There is no need to study first then realize. One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is the truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.

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

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

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Veda addresses itself to two kinds of audiences - the ordinary ones who desire the transitory heaven and other pleasures obtained as a result of ritual sacrifices, and the most advanced seeker who seeks to know Brahman. Thus, the Purva mimam. sa, with its emphasis on the karma kanda of the Vedas, is meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, the Vedanta, with its emphasis on the jnana kanda, is meant for those who wish to go beyond such transient pleasures.

Remember:~

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

All the conceptual divisions were invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Fortunate is the man who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy but goes straight to the source from which they all arise.

Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the duality (universe or waking) as reality. Thus, eradicating ignorance completely is necessary. And this is possible only through Self-knowledge. 

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

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

Thus, it proves that wisdom is universal irrespective of any religion of faith one belongs to. Thus, religion is not a means to Self-knowledge. Thus, Sage Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

The innocent populace in India is unaware what is God suppose to be according to their own sacred Vedas.+

Religion, belief in God, and rituals, are an escape from reality. Religions are based on ignorance. 

The theosophist’s idea of the universe appearing and dissolving, days and nights of Brahma, entering into pralaya, etc. is intended for mediocre intellects, who cannot rise to the truth. It is a convenient fable representing the philosophic truth that the whole universe dissolves in your mind in deep sleep, thus entering pralaya, and rises again the next morning, i.e. it is all imagination, idea. The Brahman -God has nothing to do with it.

Although Sage Sankara puts the mystic goal highest in his mystical books, he is careful to say that this goal leads to Brahman, not that it is realization.

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 beside it. It is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described because the 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.

Remember:~

Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the Self. Advaita is the Soul itself. Advaita is the Soul, God. Advaita is another word for God, which is second to none. 

That is why 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)

People accumulate knowledge from religious books; wear religious symbols and indulge in the worship of God, but do not indicate that they are Gnanis.

People in India indulge in the worship of God based on their blind belief without even bothering to know what is supposed to be God according to their own sacred Vedas and Upanishads, and what not to worship in place of the real  God. 

People who are immersed in blind belief escape from realizing God which is the Soul, the innermost Self. The innocent populace in India is unaware of what is  God supposed to be according to their own sacred Vedas. 

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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”.

Rig Veda declares God is ‘ONE’ and God is Atman, then why believe and worship in place of real God.

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

When Upanishad itself declares: ~   Sarvam khalvidam brahma ~ all this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality (Chandogya Upanishad). 

What happens if one worships which is not the real God in truth with mantras and prayers based on the dummy Gods.  It is only priest-crafted baggage.

In Yajurveda says: ~ 

Translation 1.

They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).

They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. (Sambhuti means created things, for example, table, chair, idol, etc.) (Yajurveda 40:9)

Translation 2.

"Deep into the shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent." (Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538)

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many God s. (7- Verse -20)

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God in truth) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

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).

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 as God other than consciousness.

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.  God in truth is only Atman, the   Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

All the accumulated knowledge of religion and yoga and paths and theories are mere dross in pursuit of truth. Religion and yoga are helpful for the general mass, but they are a barricade in unfolding the mystery of the mind.  

Orthodox people, if they are seeking the truth, then have to drop all accumulated dross to acquire nondual wisdom.  Advaitic wisdom alone is a weapon to eliminate ignorance.  : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

People never accept the universe is an illusion; it is because they are unaware of the fact that they are part and parcel of that illusion.+

People never accept the universe is an illusion; it is because they are unaware of the fact that they are part and parcel of that illusion. The reality of the illusory universe often confuses people.

Sage Vasistha:~ We contemplate that reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged, which is the cause of everything and which is everything. 

Sage Vasistha: ~This world appearance is a confusion, even as the blueness of the sky is an optical illusion. I think it is better not to let the mind dwell on it, but to ignore it. 

The universe is a reality on the base of the false self (you or waking entity) within the false experience (waking). The universe is an illusion from the standpoint of the Soul, the Self’. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

People do not accept the universe is unreal because of logical reasons. Logic is based on the false self and false experience(waking). one has to first analyze the definition of the truth and hence why the universe is not considered true.

The Advaitic wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (mind or universe or physical existence) is the consciousness. Freedom (ultimate truth) is always there yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul, the 'Self' is quite nearer to the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

To think once own body and his experience of the world is an illusion is a difficult matter unless one realizes the 'Self' is not the form (waking entity) but the 'Self’ is formless Soul it is difficult to have a glimpse of the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Remember:~ 

When one realizes the fact that, the 'Self' is neither the waking entity nor the “Self’ is the dream entity, but the “Self’ is the formless Soul, then naturally the body and universe become an illusion.

The mind (universe) is emanating from the Soul (consciousness) means the mind is being the effect from consciousness is not different from it.

A deeper analysis shows it. Analysis needs deeper thinking and reasoning. The mind is the whole universe thus, it has a form. But where is the form in consciousness (Soul) because consciousness is like an ocean and the mind is like a wave? The universe is the same consciousness, as the ocean produces the wave, so consciousness produces the mind(universe).

The moment one knows the mind (universe) is consciousness, and then there is no ignorance. 

If one knows the Soul or consciousness as the 'Self' then everything is consciousness,  consciousness is second to none. The mind is consciousness but due to ignorance one mistakes it for something else. One thinks the 'Self’ is within the body, but the “Self’ is without the body and the world.

The Mind ceases to exist without the matter. Without the matter, the mind ceases to exist as the mind but it exists as matter- less awareness or consciousness. Without the mind, neither the world nor its perceiver can exist.

Remember:~

Without the matter, there is no duality. Without duality, there is no experience. Without experience, it is a non-dualistic reality. Therefore, whatever prevails without the mind is the ultimate reality.

The true nature of the Soul (consciousness) is camouflaged by the illusion/duality. To know the truth, one has to discover and realize the formless substance of the mind or illusion. One has to learn to view and judge the worldview on the standpoint of the formless Soul as the Self’. 

Self’-Knowledge is the prime goal of the truth seeker. This goal is hidden within the mind as its invisible substance and witness. Therefore, it is necessary to inquire, analyze and reason into the nature of the mind (duality/illusion) to unfold the mystery of the mind (duality or illusion).

The person, who stamped their foot on the ground to refute to show the world, is real, ignores that in a dream he would do exactly the same--stamp his dream foot on the ground and assert it to be real. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Soul is the witness (Seer) and the Soul is witnessed (Seen).+

The world in which you exist is the dualistic illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The dualistic illusion has appeared on its own and it will disappear on its own.

Your birth, life, death is happening within the dualistic illusion. You did not choose your birth, but it just happened. You think you are responsible for your success and failure in your life. You think it is your destiny, but your destiny is within the dualistic illusion or Maya.

Suppose in a dream you are successful in your life and accumulated wealth enough for your lifetime with a caring wife and children but when you wake up you will realize the dream becomes unreal because you are unsuccessful in your life and you do not have enough money to live, your wife has divorced and gone in the waking experience.

The waking experience also becomes unreal when you realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Self-realization is to realize the fact that the ‘Self is not you, but the ‘Self’ is the Soul.

If the Self is not you, but the Self is the Soul automatically the waking experience (the world in which you exist) becomes unreal, the same way, the dream became unreal when the waking took place.

Within the dualistic illusion whatever is not to happen will not happen try as you may. Within the dualistic illusion, whatever is to happen will happen, whatever you may do to prevent it. The best course, therefore, is to realize the ‘Self’ is not you but the Soul, the  Self.

Just wait and watch. Everything is a passing show. Our suffering is part of the illusory play of consciousness. Suffering comes to turn our attention from outward to inward to find answers to many questions.

The one that appears as waking and one that appears as a dream and one that remains without the waking or dream is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

The one that witnessed the dream as a whole is not you but Soul. The same witness is the witness of the waking experience. And the same witness remains without the waking or dream in deep sleep.

The Soul is the witness (Seer) and the Soul is witnessed (Seen). In reality, there is neither the witness (Seer) nor the witnessed (Seen) because they are one in essence. That essence is the Soul, the Advaita.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Yajur Veda :~ It is the right of all people irrespective of caste, colour and sex to read Vedas.+

In the past, the orthodoxy barred women and Shudras from studying Vedas the reason is the truth of the Vedas will expose,  the truth hidden by them by introducing non~Vedic Gods in the name of Vedas time to time,  by different founders of the different sects of Hinduism. It is a high time people of India must realize the Santana Dharma or Vedic religion is not present-day Hinduism. Santana Dharma or Vedic religion is buried under the debris of the non-Vedic belief system. 

Vedas were read by the people in the olden days. Gargi, a woman had read it. Janshruti, a Shudra by birth, had read it under Raikya Muni.

Yajur Veda ch. 26-ii states:~  It is the right of all people irrespective of caste, color, and sex to read Vedas.’

Orthodoxy barred and restricted women from studying scriptures restricted women only to household and bearing children.  In modern days, women are capable has more capable of grasping truth like in the Vedic era.

Sage Sankara: ~ “Even women can realize truth if they persist. (Mand.P.351 and also in Vivekachoodamani)

Thus it proves that Sage Sankara wanted even women to acquire Advaitic wisdom, whereas the orthodox Advaitins bars women from indulging in the path of wisdom even in these modern days.  The orthodoxy is based on the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as a reality whereas the ultimate truth is based on the formless Soul, the Self.   Thus, Advaitic wisdom is for the whole universe irrespective of any gender, race, creed, or religion. 

     Rig Veda: ~ The Atman (Soul) 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)

Rig-Veda 1-164-46 and Y.V 32-1 clearly mention that God is “One”. And never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman

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

The Upanishads say in effect that ~ if you believe that the Soul is one and God (Brahman) is another you cannot understand Truth.

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

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

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness (Spirit), 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 (Spirit) which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material then nothing has to be accepted as God other than consciousness. 

All the above description is the nature of the Soul (Atman).

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God.  Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

It means the ultimate truth is God.  That is Atman is Brahman.  That is the Soul, the innermost Self, is the ultimate truth. Thus, the ‘Soul’ is ‘God’.

The Soul, the Self, is in the form of the Spirit (consciousness) is the ultimate truth and it is God.   

The Soul is hidden within the mind. And the mind is within the Soul.  The mind is present in the form of the universe and the Soul is present in the form of the consciousness. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality).  The one that witnesses the coming and going of the three states is the Soul.   From the standpoint of the Soul, the three states which come and go are merely an illusion.:~Santthosh Kumaar

A Gnani bears no outward mark of a holy man.+

Self-inquiry is for finding out the ‘Self’ which is hidden within the world, in which we exist. By inquiring ‘Who am I?’, the ignorance will not vanish. Without getting rid of ignorance, the Advaitic wisdom will not dawn. Without the Advaitic wisdom, it is not possible to realize the truth, which is hidden by the world in which we exist.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ 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.

What is the use of saying ‘I AM THAT’- without knowing what the ‘Self’ is in actuality? Without knowing the truth of the Self, without realizing the truth of the world in which you exist it is impossible to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space. By a mere utterance of the word ‘I AM THAT', the truth will not be revealed. 

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known.

A Guru is needed in the religious and the yogic path.  There is no need for a Guru to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Unless you realize the Self as the Soul, you are all blinded by the dualistic illusion or Maya.

The Guru who pretends to be Self- realized and plays with the emotions and sentiments of the seeker is a fraud, not a Gnani.

All the Guru Parampara is for religious people.  There is no need for a Guru who wants to tread the Atmic path.

Even Swami Vivekananda was Ramakrishna Paramahansa's disciple.  Swami Vivekananda himself said: ~   “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher, but your own Soul.”

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 most advanced seeker who seeks to know the ultimate truth or Brahman.  The Guru and Guru paramparas are meant for the first audience, to help lead its followers along the way. However, there is no need to follow any parampara and follow any Guru those who wish to realize the truth which is beyond the form, time, and space. We should not mix religion with spirituality because religion is based on the ego and spirituality is based on the Soul.   Religion is concerned with its paramparas, not truth whereas spirituality is concerned only with the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. Religion is not spirituality.

Sage Sankara: ~ "Though I wear these robes of a Sanyasin, it is only for the sake of bread." (Select Works of Sage Sri, Sankara" also his commentary on Brihad)

Thus, the above passage proves that all those who were the sanyasin robes are wearing it for the sake of bread belongs to the religion; they are nothing to do with the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. There is no need to criticize and condemn the Gurus, yogis, and swamis because they are needed for the welfare of ignorant masses in the dualistic world.

Sage Sankara in Viveka Chudamani (2), states that the Knower of the Atman (i.e., a Gnani) "bears no outward mark of a holy man" (Stanza 539).

It means the Gurus, Swamis, and Yogis who identify themselves as holy people are not Gnanis.

 Those who are seeking truth need not follow any Guru or any teaching. The one who thinks of himself as a Guru and the one who thinks of himself as a chela (disciple) will not be able to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana because both of them accepted themselves as the body. And all their understanding, practices, knowledge are based on the false self (ego or you).  Therefore, the Guru –Shisya concept is a great obstacle in the pursuit of truth.   A Gnani never accepts himself as a Guru nor accepted anyone as his disciple because he is fully immersed in Self-awareness. There was no division in his consciousness even though he was in the midst of division or duality.   

The consciousness is like the ocean. Love is like a wave. When waves love each other then they become one with the ocean. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

Religious Gods are not real God. One must know God in truth.+

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. God in truth is only Atman, the  Self’. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists. 

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

Religion can never make you know God because it propagates blind belief as God. Only an intense urge to know what God is supposed to be in truth can make you realize God.  

The Soul, the ‘Self is the Infinite God. 

The Soul is the Self. God in truth is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. God in truth is the fullness of the consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space.  Therefore, there is nothing apart from it. 

God is Self-evident. God is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny God because God is the very essence of the one who denies it. God is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. God is within the universe in which you exist, God is without the universe in which you exist.

The Vedas confirm God is Atman (spirit), the  Self.

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.

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)

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 is itself real worship

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

People, who worship  Gods based on blind faith or blind belief hallucinate that they become one with such God.

How can you worship God? That implies two ~ the worshipper and the worshiped, whereas God is nondual. One can worship his idea of God only or realize his unity with it when he can’t worship it as apart.

When Upanishads and Vedas declare that God is present in the form of the Athma, and God is indeed Athma itself” then why accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

God is the Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible consciousness, and intelligence, which is beyond form, time, and space. To which the Sages describe in a variety of ways through diverse words.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship many Gods. (7- Verse -20)

Only the path of wisdom leads the seeker of truth on his journey to the ultimate realization of the true nature of the Universal Essence, which is the Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.

Bhagavad Gita: 7: 19:~ "Such a man who has attained true knowledge, the knowledge of Self, the knowledge of Atman, worships ‘Self’ as~ Atman (God) alone exists~ everything is Atman, there exists nothing except Atman. Such a man is extremely rare."

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 as God other than consciousness.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV-13:~ ‘As a mass of salt has neither inside nor outside, but is entirely a mass of taste, thus indeed, has that Self neither inside nor outside but is altogether a mass of Knowledge. Just as a lump of salt has inside as well as outside one and the same saltish taste, not any other taste, so also that Brahman (consciousness) has inside as well as outside one and the same intelligence. Inside and outside are mental creations only. When the mind melts in silence, ideas of inside and outside vanish. The sages cognize one illimitable, homogeneous mass of consciousness only.

Causality taught in the Upanishads is only to enable us to understand the supreme truth of no-origination. The world is not different from the consciousness and the consciousness is not different from the Soul, the innermost Self, and the Soul is not different from the ultimate truth or Brahman. That the consciousness appears as the diverse world is only an illusion. If it really became diverse then the immortal would become mortal.

The dualists who seek to prove the origination of the unborn, by that very enterprise try to make the immortal, mortal. Ultimate nature can never change - the immortal can never become mortal and vice versa.

Sage Goudapada quotes from the Upanishads: ~ "There's no plurality here"; "The Soul through its powers appears to be many"; "those who are attached to the creation or production or origination 

Bible says: ~ “God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship God 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 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: ~ Brahman (God) is in the form of the Athma, and it is indeed Athma itself. 

There is a clear-cut idea of God in the Vedas, Upanishad, and Bhagavad Gita. And also there is a clear-cut idea of what not to worship as God in place of real God.  Thus, it proves from the Vedic perspective the Puranic Gods are not Vedic Gods.

Vedas says never accept another God in place of the Atman nor worship other than the Atman.

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That is why 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.

Hindus assert their religion is monotheistic, even though they honor a number of Gods, including Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.  Hindus claim these various Gods are all manifestations of the oneness of the universe.  Hindu religious practices vary from place to place, but they frequently include yoga, physical and mental discipline to harmonize body and the Soul, and ritual bathing.

Belief in multiple Gods, The worship of idols; and worship of images that are not God, The worship of sacred images, ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priestcraft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, the hereditary caste system because all these lacks Vedic sanction.

Hinduism indulges non-Vedic beliefs such as idolatry, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, and child marriages. All these lack Vedic sanctions, therefore, Hinduism is not Ancient Vedic religion or Santana Dharma.

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

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It is very difficult to talk to people about the ultimate truth or Brahman because everyone thinks he knows the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. 

This I know business is dangerous.  And whatever his reached conclusion is second-hand stuff.  Therefore, accepting accumulated knowledge without verification will lead the seekers to hallucinated realization based on the ego.  

One may have some flashes of truth when someone tries to indicate it through fewer words. But it takes nearer to the truth, not realization. :~Santthosh Kumaar