The truth of a single reality within or underlying the illusory ego is all-important and without it Buddhism becomes fallacious.+

The truth of a single reality within or underlying the illusory ego is all-important and without it Buddhism becomes fallacious.

Vedanta admits the transitoriness and evanescence of thoughts just like Buddhism, but not of the Mind which observes this transitoriness and knows it.

Manduka Upanishad:~ Buddhists borrowed from Upanishads because they were Indians. The Vedantins did not need to borrow from Buddhism therefore (see P.396 v.99)

Buddha taught the illusoriness of ego but did not go further, probably because he thought the world could not understand the higher truth. Hence followers go with him to that point of his and then deny the Vedantic doctrine of one supreme reality when the Buddha himSelf neither denied nor advocated it. Anyway, the refutation of his followers is to ask them “What is it that is aware of the ego's illusoriness?" There must be something that tells you that. That something is the Drik, and if you say this Drik itSelf may be illusory, coming and going, still, there must be something non-transient i.e.permanent, to tell you this.

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

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

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

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

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

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 Sri Ramakrishna was wiser and gave religion; such as Kirtan, puja, etc.--to the ignorant masses, as well as Advaitic wisdom to those like Swami Vivekananda.

Buddha gave as the central feature of his doctrine the great law of Karma in order to reiterate its ethical meaning. He did more good in this to uplift the people than the ritualists.

Tibetan and Chinese Buddhists who say that there are many Buddhas living in spirit bodies and helping our earth from the spiritual world are still in the sphere of religious illusion, not the ultimate truth. Their statements are wrong. Every sage realizes that the only way to help mankind is to come down amongst them, for which he must necessarily take on flesh-body. When people are suffering how can he relieve their suffering unless he appears amongst them? When people are suffering how can he feed them from an unseen world whether their struggle is for material bread or for spiritual truth? No! He must be here actually in the flesh. It is impossible to help them in any other way and all talk of Shiva living on Mount Kailas in a spiritual body or Buddha in Nirmanakaya, the invisible body belongs to the realm of delusion or Self-deception. :~Santthosh Kumaar

Moksha is not a result of ritual action (path of karma) or of devotional service (path of bhakti).+

The devotional path is the religious path, not the spiritual path. Devotion towards an inherited God based on blind faith or blind belief cannot transport the seeker towards the nondual destination.

Devotion is between the person and his belief. The devotion is based on the belief system. The person, who has inherited some belief system, believes in the individualized God and indulges in the devotional path.

Devotional Gods are mythical Gods. Mythical Gods are not Vedic Gods. Vedic God is Athma, the Spirit.

Devotional toward myth produces only myth. Thus, we must have the devotion to exploring God in truth.

The devotion makes one believe that he is a person and God has created this world. Therefore, he believes that he is born in this world and the world existed prior to him, this conviction makes him feel he is the doer. Since he accepts himself as the doer; he will remain ignorant of the true self, which is the Soul. Ignorance makes him feel the illusion as a reality.

The truth-seeker has to reject the devotional path (Bhakti Marga) if wants to realize the truth beyond form, time, and space.

The path of Bhakti is for the ignorant populace. The only 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.

Remember:~

Moksha is not a result of ritual action (path of karma) or of devotional service (path of bhakti). These paths are egocentric paths therefore they will not help anyway to get rid of the ignorance. In fact, Moksha is not a result of anything, for it always exists.

All that is required is the removal of ignorance. The path of wisdom helps the seeker to acquire the Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.

Karma, Bhakti, and Raj yoga are not the means to acquire Advaitic wisdom. And mixing them up with the path of wisdom and trying to assimilate Advaitic truth is an impossibility.

The orthodoxy is based on a personal God. The orthodoxy accepts the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality, whereas Sage Sankara declares the world is unreal Brahman alone is real. 

Thus, the experience of birth, life, and death happening within the unreal world is bound to be a falsehood. Thus, the religion and religious belief and its ritual based on the birth entity are bound to be a falsehood. Thus, the seeker has to realize ‘what is that is real and eternal?

Mythological stories are myths. Whatever is based on myth is merely superstition. Mythology was introduced in the past to the ignorant masses. It has to be discarded as one progresses in his spiritual advancement.

Mythology breeds superstition, blind belief, senseless rituals, and the most irrational and gives them a divine outlook. Religious Gods are not God. One must know God in truth.

Idol worship and the rituals are, therefore, he says, addressed to the ignorant populace.: ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

If the ‘Self ‘is not the body then it is erroneous to judge the truth on the base of the body as the Self.

If the ‘Self ‘is not the body then it is erroneous to judge the truth on the base of the body as the Self. You are not the Self because you are the body with the name. You are the false self within the false experience. Therefore, all your judgment of the truth is a false judgment.

When ‘Self’ is not you then it is erroneous to judge the truth as you as the Self. The judgment has to be based on the Soul, the innermost Self. Only when you learn to view, judge and reason on the base of the Soul as the Self, the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space will start unfolding.

All your judgment is intellectual judgment is useful in practical life within the practical world. Intellectual judgment is a dualistic judgment that is of no use to unfold the mystery of the world in which you exist.

Dualistic intelligence is limited to the dualistic illusion. Nondualistic intelligence is needed to unfold the mystery of form, time, and space.

Your dualistic intelligence judges everything from the dualistic perspective thus its use is limited to the dualistic world. Nondualistic intelligence is required to unfold the mystery of the experience of birth, life, death, and the world.

Your dualistic intelligence is limited to the waking experience. You have to kern to view and judge everything from the non-dualistic perspective to unfold the mystery of the three states.

You are egocentric; therefore your intelligence is egocentric. Only when you become soulcentric you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusion.

Egocentricity is the prison for the Soul, the Self. when you become soulcentric the Soul will wake up from the sleep of ignorance amid the dualistic illusion.

Thus, realize you are not the Self. Come out of the intoxication of the ‘I’. Till you use the word ‘I’ for the ‘Self’, the Soul will remain in the clutches of the dualistic illusion. Stop saying ‘I AM THIS OR I AM THAT’.:~ Santthosh Kumaar

In ignorance, the Soul, the Self forgetful of its nondual true nature.+

It is not you who is in ignorance it is the Soul, which is in ignorance of its own formless, timeless and spaceless true nature.  

It is not you who have to wake up to the reality but it is the Soul that has to wake up from its sleep of ignorance.  

In ignorance, the Soul, the Self forgetful of its non-dual true nature.

In Self-awareness, the Soul wakes up from its sleep of ignorance and remains in its own awareness.

In Self-awareness, the form, time, and space become one with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In Self-awareness, the three states become one with the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In Self-awareness, the mind (universe) merges with consciousness.

In Self-awareness, there is conscious awareness of unity in diversity in the midst of diversity.

Self-awareness is the fullness of consciousness without the illusory division of form, time, and space.

Self-awareness is the conscious Advaitic awareness in the midst of the dualistic illusion. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

It is impossible to watch your mind without knowing what the mind is in actuality.+

Some gurus say watch your mind.

It is impossible to watch your mind without knowing what the mind is in actuality.  How the mind is separate from the watcher. The watcher and watching and the world cease to exist without the mind.

If you stand motionless you will not discover ‘Self’ as the watcher.  First, realize ‘what is this mind in actuality.

Remember the ‘I’ is the whole universe. The universe ceases to exist without the ‘I’.

If you are caught in the grip of the ‘I’ then you will remain permanently in the grip of ignorance.

If you hold the Self as ‘I’ you will never be able to cross the dualistic illusion.    If you follow the ‘I’ based teaching it is like the blind leading the blind

If you inquire “Who am ‘I’?  the ‘I’ will not disappear. You must know the nature of the ‘I’, which appears and disappears.

The Soul is the witness of the ‘I’ which is permeant and eternal. The Soul is the subject and the ‘I’ is an object.

The ‘I’ hides the Soul. Therefore, the seeker has to realize ‘what is this ‘I’ supposed to be in actuality.

Remember:~

First, know what this mind is supposed to be in actuality. The duality is not the creation of the mind because the mind itself is a dualistic illusion.

The mind is not within the body because the world in which you exist itself is the mind. Without the mind, the world in which you exist ceases to exist.

A perfect understanding of what is what leads to unfolds the mystery of the mind.

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

The mind is present in the form of form, time, and space. Thus, whatever belongs to form, time and space are falsehoods. Thus, the universe in which we exist as a reality is a falsehood. Thus, there is a need to know ‘what is what’ in order to realize the truth beyond the form, time, and space.

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

There is really no ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind.

The mind is in the form of the universe. And universe appears as the waking or dream. The ‘I’ or mind or the universe or waking or dream dies disappears as deep sleep.

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

Thus, the universe is a reality on the base of individuality and the universe is unreal on the base of the Soul (consciousness), which is the Self.

The seeker gradually will grasp and realize the unreal nature of the universe or mind. Individuality is illusory because the Self is not an individual because the Self is formless, and it pervades everything and everywhere in all the three states. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshiped idols.+

The Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of Vedism never worshipped idols.

Idol worship was started by the followers of Buddhism and Jains. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one God that is the supreme Self i.e. Atman or Soul but Hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million Gods.

It indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imaginations based on the false self.

Prohibition of idol worship in Yajurveda: ~

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

Yajurveda: ~ There is no image of God in truth. God in truth is unborn and eternal. (Chapter 32, Verse 3)

Yajurveda: ~ God in truth is nondual and pure" (Chapter 40)

Yajurveda: ~ "They are entering darkness, those who worship the natural things (like air, water, fire, etc.), they are sinking more in darkness who worship created things." (Chapter 40, Verse 9)

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

Remember:~

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

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.

Rig Veda: ~"Say this, all one God in many names" (Rigveda, book 1, Hymn 164, Verse 46)

Rig Veda: ~ Do not worship anyone besides God in truth alone, praise God in truth alone" (Book 8, Hymn 1, Verse 1)

Rig Veda: ~ Praise God in truth would matchless and alone" (Book 6, Hymn 45, Verse 16)

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 of God in truth. The ultimate truth itself is God in truth.

Those whose intelligence has been stolen by ignorance worship demigods.

Remember:~

The Vedas as a body of scripture contains many contradictions and they are fragmentary in nature. For Hindus, scriptures like the Bhagavad-Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas are more attractive and appealing than the Vedas. And also the Gods and Goddesses they worship differ considerably from the Vedic ones.

The collection of hymns called Vedas is written in praise of certain deities by poets over several centuries and does not seem to have much significance for the Hindus.

Yajur Veda 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 than 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)

Translation 3.

"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

So, Yajur Veda indicates that:~

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

Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, and bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." (Yajur Veda 40:9.)

The Vedic God is Athma, which is without the form and attributes and ever free.

Vedic Gods, hardly have any significance in the present-day Hindu belief system. The Gods and Goddesses important to the Hindus of today are Ram, Krishna, Kali, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the respective consorts of the last three, namely, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and Shakti. None of these deities figured prominently in the Vedic pantheon and some of them are clearly non-Vedic. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati on Astrology.

Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati's creation, the Arya Samaj, condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as idol worship, animal sacrifice, pilgrimages, priestcraft, and offerings made in temples, the castes, child marriages, and discrimination against women. He argued that all of these practices ran contrary to good sense and the wisdom of the Vedas.

Views on superstitions:~

He severely criticized practices that he considered to be superstitions, including sorcery, and astrology, which were prevalent in India at the time. Below are several quotes from his book, Sathyarth Prakash:

"They should also counsel then against all things that lead to superstition, and are opposed to true religion and science, so that they may never give credence to such imaginary things as ghosts (Bhuts) and spirits (Preta)." — Satyarth Prakash

"All alchemists, magicians, sorcerers, wizards, spiritists, etc. are cheats and all their practices should be looked upon as nothing but downright fraud. Young people should be well counseled against all these frauds, in their very childhood, so that they may not suffer through being duped by an unprincipled person." — Satyarth Prakash

On Astrology, he wrote,

when these ignorant people go to an astrologer and say " O Sir! What is wrong with this person? He replies "The sun and other stars are maleficent to him. If you were to perform a propitiatory ceremony or have magic formulas chanted, or prayers said, or specific acts of charity done, he will recover. Otherwise, I should not be surprised, even if he were to lose his life after a long period of suffering."

Inquirer – Well, Mr. Astrologer, you know, the sun and other stars are but inanimate things like this earth of ours. They can do nothing but give light, heat, etc. Do you take them for conscious being possessed of human passions, of pleasure and anger, that when offended, bring on pain and misery, and when propitiated, bestow happiness on human beings?

Astrologer – Is it not through the influence of stars, then, that some people are rich and others poor, some are rulers, whilst others are their subjects?

Inq. – No, it is all the result of their deeds….good or bad.

Ast. – Is the Science of stars untrue then?

Inq. – No, that part of it which comprises Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, etc., and which goes by the name of Astronomy is true; but the other part that treats of the influence of stars on human beings and their actions and goes by the name of Astrology is all false. — Chapter 2.2 Satyarth Prakash

He makes a clear distinction between Jyotisha Shaastra and astrology, calling astrology a fraud.

"Thereafter, they should thoroughly study the Jyotisha Shaastra – which includes Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Geography, Geology, and Astronomy in two years. They should also have practical training in these Sciences, learn the proper handling of instruments, master their mechanism, and know how to use them. But they should regard Astrology – which treats of the influence of stars and constellation on the destinies of man, of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of time, of horoscopes, etc. – as a fraud, and never learn or teach any books on this subject. — Under "The scheme of studies" Page 73 of the English Version of Satyarth Prakash