The breath is not the ‘God’.+

The breath, breather, and the world are present in the domain of the dualistic illusion. The dualistic illusion is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

Some Gurus hold their breath as God.   The "Breath is not God". The breath is not the Self.  The Self is the Soul, which is the cause of the universe. 

The breath, body, and the world are created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.   Thus, the breath and breather and the world are part of the illusion created out of single stuff, which is the consciousness. The knowledge of the single stuff is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

The ‘Self is not you. The ‘Self’ is the formless, timeless, and spaceless Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  

The breath, breather, and the world are present in the domain of the dualistic illusion.  The dualistic illusion is created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Even the Sunyavada ultimate of the "void" is really a breath, and, therefore, imagination and not the truth.

Sage Sankara:~  The vital- air-Sheath cannot be the Self because it is the modification of air (Vayu). Like air, it enters the body and goes out of it never knowing the joy and sorrow like others. It is ever dependent on the Self.  ~(VC 165-166)

People who hold their breath as the ‘Self’ are still thinking within the domain of form, time, and space.

Thich Nhat Hanh _-"Breath is the bridge, which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts."

One can breathe only within the world in which he exists.  The ‘Self is not the one who breathes or the breath.  The breather, breathe and the world in which he exists is created out of a single clay. That single clay is consciousness. 

The breather, breathe, and the world in which he exists cease to exist without consciousness. Consciousness can exist with or without the world in which we exist.   The consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.  :~ Santthosh Kumaar 

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is need highlight how they become an obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.+

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become an obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

By condemning the religious Gurus and yogis and the religion,  ignorance will not vanish but the seeker of truth must know their falsity for his own information not to indulge in condemning them.  The religious and yogic paths are meant for the ignorant populace.

As per the scriptures, the three "Ashrams" or stages in life were originally intended for three grades of intelligence thus: ~

v             Religion: low intellects had to do 'karmas' works, ritual actions, chanting of mantras and indulging in bhajans and prayers, etc.

v             Middle intellects:  Yoga: taking yellow robes, going to caves, ashrams, etc.

v             High intellects: wisdom who wanted truth are concerned with no external rites or sannyasa but depend solely on intelligent inquiry for their path.

Everyone is free to choose his path according to his taste and satisfaction which makes them feel happy.  

Yoga Vasistha says: ~ Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a Guru (preceptor) nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works: it is attained only by means of inquiry inspired by the company of wise (Gnani). One’s inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia. 

There is no need to condemn Gurus, but there is a need to highlight how they become an obstacle in realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

By condemning Gurus and yogis and the religion, the ignorance will not vanish but the seeker of truth must know their falsity for his own information not to indulge in condemning them.

Swami Vivekananda 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.”

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.

As the truth of the ‘Self is hidden by the ‘I’ it requires for its extraction competent instruction, excavation, the removal of the ignorance.

Investigating the mind, alone leads to Self-realization. To know what is this mind profits much rather than searching the truth in the external world moving from one ashram to another and one Guru to another and one mountain to another.

When one starts investigating the universe that confronts him then he will be able to move mentally inwards and will reach the ultimate end and become fully aware of “What is the truth?” and “What is untruth?” in his own home or city and establish in truth by realizing what is the untruth.
Remember:~

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 mindsets are 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. The transparent truth of the Self is hidden by the ‘I’, which is the dualistic illusion.

The transparent Truth of the ‘Self’ is to be attained through constantly reading, reasoning, and reflecting on the Advaitic words of wisdom followed by reflection, meditation, and so forth, but not through perverted discussion and arguments. All the penances are external because they are based on individuality.

Nothing is real but the Soul. Nothing Matters but love for the Soul. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness is everywhere and pervades everything in the domain of form, time, and space.  The Soul is hidden within the form, time, and space and it is beyond the form, time, and space.  The Soul alone is and the form, time, and space are merely an illusion. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Self-realization cannot be the result of good works any amount of charity or dip in holy rivers.+

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (10):~  Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (8):~ Fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind.

First Mundaka - Chapter 2 (9):~Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life's purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery-stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

The world in which you exist is a dualistic illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. The only thing which is real and eternal in the world in which you exist is the Soul, the Self. Thus the Soul alone is real and eternal. Whatever is eternal is God.

The one who thinks he is independent apart from the world and believes in action (karma) is not aware of the fact that the world in which he exists is an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Thus, all good karma performed with the dualistic illusion has no value because the karma performed within the dualistic illusion has only value in the state of ignorance.

 Self-realization cannot be the result of good works any amount of charity or dip in holy rivers or by visiting holy mountains or pilgrimaging or even hundreds of pranayamas all types of Kriya yogas.  

That is why 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:~  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)

Liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality through wealth.  (Verses -7)

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

It is clear that liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth.  (Verses -7)

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

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

Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment which, when present, succeeds in the realization of Brahman and In the absence of which the goal is not attained. (18)

(While enumerating the qualifications), first, we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next, comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter; after that is the groups of six virtues beginning with  Calmness; and the last is undoubtedly an intense desire for liberation. (19)

A firm conviction that Brahman alone is Real and the phenomenal world is unreal is known as discrimination between the Real and The unreal. (20)

They have crossed the dreadful ocean of (embodied) existence through their own efforts and without any (personal) motives; they help others to cross it. (37)

Third Mundaka - Chapter 1 (8):~ Brahman is not grasped by the eye, nor by speech, nor by the other senses, nor by penance or good works. A man becomes pure through the serenity of intellect; thereupon, in meditation, he beholds the ‘Self’, which is without parts.

People are stuck to some Gurus and their ‘I’ centric teaching gets stuck permanently to the cage of ignorance thinking their Guru is sacred and their Gurus teaching as final. Such acceptance leads only to hallucination.  

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are within the dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Remember:~ 

Realize you are not you, your body is not the body the world in which you exist is not the world but they are all made of single clay. That single clay is Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the consciousness

Those who Gurus who propagated the ‘Self’ is within the body are erred. This mistake has to be rectified to realize the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of the consciousness, is the fullness of consciousness.  By emotionally sticking to these ’I’-centric gurus and their teachings you will remain permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Because of ignorance, you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world that existed prior to you, you are born in it later on. The ‘I’ is inborn ignorance cause of experiencing the world in which you exist as a reality whereas the world in which you exist is the dualistic illusion.

Whatever belongs to dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion. So, your experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion.

Everyone is holding some teaching or teacher or their accepted truth as a yardstick. All the accumulated egocentric knowledge is inadequate or useless in unfolding the mystery of the mind or universe.

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as the ‘‘Self’’, he is ignorant of the fact that the ‘I’ itself’ is the cause of ignorance. Because of this ‘I’   he has accepted illusion as a reality.   Therefore, there is a need to realize ‘what is this ‘I’?’ - in actuality. Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’?’ in actuality it is impossible to unfold the hidden truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization.  ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self. :~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Soul, the 'Self' does not lie in our body or in our brain.+

In the scientific field of knowledge, one can bank on discoveries of different scientists.  Newton discovered the law of gravity and Einstein formulated the principle of relativity. In addition, scientists take it for granted that these principles are valid. It is not so in pursuit of truth. If one sage discovers the ultimate truth then the seeker without verification cannot accept it as truth blindly.

 The  Seeker has to discover a fresh on his own to realize’ what is the truth’ and ‘what is not the truth’ and accept only the truth and mentally drop the untruth.   Thus, constant reflection on the subject is very much necessary in the pursuit of truth. 

Scientific inventions say:~ 

Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness

by Alva Noë. Hill and Wang, 2009

Alva No, a University of California, Berkeley, philosopher, and cognitive scientist, argues that after decades of a concerted effort on the part of neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers "only one proposition about how the brain makes us conscious ... has emerged unchallenged: we don't have a clue." The reason we have been unable to explain the neural basis of consciousness, he says, is that it does not take place in the brain. Consciousness is not something that happens inside us but something we achieve it is more like dancing than it is like the digestive process. To understand consciousness the fact that we think and feel and that the world shows up for us we need to look at a larger system of which the brain is only one element. Consciousness requires the joint operation of the brain, body, and the world. "You are not your brain. The brain, rather, is part of what you are."

The brain (body) is not the Self. The  'Self' does not lie in our body or in our brain, or our ego, but it is the essence of the dual and non-dual experiences, which come and go as waking dream (duality) and deep sleep (nonduality). 

There is a need to understand and assimilate the knowledge of the Self through deeper Self-search in order to unfold the mystery of the ‘I’. 

Until the scientists become the seeker of truth of his existence, the truth will not reveal. The truth of the whole cannot be got under the microscope.    When all their invention fails to yield truth they have to use their reason to reach the ultimate core of their existence.

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

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Reason as a means to reality. (Chap.18 verse 37)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says ~ I cannot save you, but I can give you Buddhi (reason). (chap. 10)

In chap. 10 of in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: ~ "I have given you the most secret teaching, now reflect over it all" Krishna plainly says reflect, think. (Verse 63 of Chap. 18)

Mundaka Upanishad says: ~  “Both states are harmful and take you away from the path of inquiry into truth. (Page 234)

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

The final state is that consciousness is everything, the whole; there is no second thing that exists other than consciousness, whereas to say, "God is in me" is mysticism. Consciousness is God in truth is the rational truth, scientific truth, ultimate truth, and universal truth.

 There is a need for facts of physical proof in scientific invention, whereas in pursuit of truth the proof has to be grasped mentally and realized.  Therefore, the truth is realized only by a few who take this mental pursuit. “Whatever facts revealed, which is uncontradictable has to be accepted as truth.

The truth based on the formless Soul, the Self is worthwhile; without it, one has something else, not the truth. Most people refuse to venture into the pursuit of truth; because they do not want to go to the root of things.

The seeker of truth has to study, inquire, and reason, at the beginning of the pursuit of truth, because it is absolutely necessary, in the pursuit of truth.

One has to know the Self is not physical, but the Self is the formless Spirit. The Spirit or Soul or the Self is present in the form of consciousness. Consciousness gives awareness to the three states.

The ignorance of the true Self is the cause of experiencing the duality as reality. Ignorance vanishes through the realization of the Self, which is the Soul or Spirit or consciousness.:~Ssntthosh Kumaar 

You cannot get rid of the ego because you are the ego.+

Know what this mind is in actuality. People mistake the ego for the mind. The illusion is not the projection of the mind. 

It is high time to realize the mind is not within the body, but their body and the world are within the mind. The mind itself is an illusion.

Without knowing what is mind it is impossible to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears as the waking or the dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). 

The one that becomes dual and nondual is consciousness. Thus, all three states are nothing but consciousness. Consciousness alone is real and all the three states are merely an illusion.

When the conviction about the consciousness becomes firm, then it leads to Advaitic awareness in the midst of the duality.

Thus, it is necessary to have a perfect understanding of ‘what is ‘what’ to realize the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The mind is virtually the universe. The universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and disappears deep sleep (nonduality). Efforts should be made to understand the mind. Advaitic is wisdom is an ancient truth preserved as a secret by sages of truth.

We are within the illusion. Whatever we have seen, feel, known, believed, and experienced are also within the illusion. The formless substance and witness of the illusion is the Soul, the Self.

In Self-awareness, the substance and witness are one in essence. That essence is the Soul which is present in the form of consciousness (Spirit).

The dream entity and the dream world are within the dream. Similarly, you and your experience of the world are within the waking experience. The witness of the dream is not the waking entity. Similarly, the witness of the waking experience is not the waking entity. The Soul is the witness of the coming and going of the three states.

The three states are nothing to do with the Soul the Self because, from the standpoint of the Soul the  Self, the three states are non-existent as reality.

Remember:~

The only understanding is that there is no ‘I’ exist in actuality.

 If there is no ‘I’ then there is no mind. 

If there is no mind then there is no universe

If there is no universe then there is no waking.

If there is no universe there is no form, time, and space.

 If there is no form, time, and space then there is only the Soul, the fullness of consciousness. 

How to destroy the mind? 

You cannot destroy the mind because the world in which you exist itself is the mind.

How to destroy the ego?

You cannot get rid of the ego because you are the ego. You and the world in which you exist cease to exist without the ego.

 You, ego, and the world in which you exist are created out of single clay.  That single clay is the consciousness. Knowledge of the Single clay is Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

 Ignorance is the cause of experiencing the world in which you exist as a reality. Only through Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, the ignorance vanishes.

Perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is ‘what’ helps you to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana

The world in which you exist will not disappear but the unreal nature of the world in which we exist is exposed by realizing the world in which we exist is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, the  ‘Self. 

The Soul is present in the form of consciousness.   Thus, the Soul alone is real, the world in which we exist is the dualistic illusion is a superimposition of consciousness. Thus, the world in which we exist is nothing but consciousness.

The person within the dualistic illusion recognizes his body as the body, his ego as the ego, his experience of the world as the world; he is unaware of the fact that he is the product of ignorance. 

Once ignorance vanishes through wisdom, then the body will not remain as a body, the ego will not remain as the ego, the world will not remain as the world because everything merges into the substance from which they are created. That substance is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.    Consciousness is the ultimate reality or Brahman or God in truth.

It is necessary to drop all accumulated knowledge that is blocking our realization.   A perfect understanding and realization of ‘what is what’, leads to Advaitic Self-awareness.:~Santthosh Kumaar  

The seeker of truth must know the difference between the religious God and the Spiritual God.+

The seeker of truth must know the difference between the religious God and the Spiritual God.  Spiritual God is  God in truth. 

Religious Gods with forms and names belong to the universe, which is a  dualistic illusion whereas the Spiritual God is the Spirit, which is the cause of the whole universe.

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

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

God is not physical. God is present in the form of the Spirit. The Spirit is the cause of the world and the Spirit itself is uncaused.

In Spirituality the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

From the standpoint of the Spirit, the form, time, space, and name are merely an illusion. The spirit alone is real and all else is an illusion.  In reality, the Spirit (God in truth) and matter (the universe in which we exist) are one.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God in truth) 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. 

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 ‘Self’.   In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

Chandogya Upanishad : ~   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. 

Sage Sankara’s Supreme Brahman (God in truth) 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

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 Soul, and ritual bathing.

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.

Remember:~

A Guru who speaks of knowing Brahman (God in truth) within his body is thinking only of his head or heart, i.e. of his body. He is ignorant.

Many people are struck with awe or reverence at the outer indications of renunciation, and thus blindly accept a religious Guru or Godmen to be a Gnani. The two have no connection. Because he has no wife, no family, and no possessions" they think a man who has merely repressed these desires as though these things had anything to do with Advaitic wisdom he is merely a religious man. People are quite incompetent to judge who is a Gnani between Godmen, intellectuals, and yogis. A Gnani is neither Godmen, nor a yogi, nor an intellectual.

The path of wisdom attracts only those who are in search of truth and they appreciate it greatly. The ignorant are not spiritually mature the receive Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The ignorant indulge in argument and provocation and personal attack, which hinder their own realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman.

That is why Jesus said: - Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew -7:6)

~ Jesus meant knowledge of the Spirit or God or Self-knowledge, or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Bhagavad Gita says: ~ “Don't unsettle the minds of the ignorant by revealing the esoteric truth."

The Soul, the Self is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. The ‘Self’ is not found in the universe in which you exist. The ‘Self’ is hidden by the universe in which you exist because the universe in which you exist is created out of the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness.

Remember:~

Belief in multiple Gods, The worship of idols; the worship of images that are not God, The worship of sacred images,  ancestor worship, pilgrimage, priestcraft, the belief in avatars or incarnations of God, and the hereditary caste system on the grounds that 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 of 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.

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. 

I know attitude 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 truth, not realization.:~Santthosh Kumaar