If the 'Self ' is not you, but the 'Self' is the Soul, then the religion you follow, the God in which you believe and your practical life within the practical world has no value.+

If the 'Self ' is not you, but the 'Self'  is the Soul, then the religion you follow,  the God in which you believe, and your practical life within the practical world have no value.   Religion is based on the false self (you) within the false experience (waking).  The religion and its idea of God and its code of conduct and its rituals have importance only in the domain of ignorance.

The paradise or heaven exists according to the imagination, of the religious believers.  But where people have got a little inquiring capacity, they begin to disbelieve through the contradictions of various contending religious claims and descriptions.

Religious scholars say God is a perfect being, but they have never known God, never proved his existence; hence their ascription of the perfection of God is purely self-imagined.

Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on the intelligent: It simply requires belief in the religious idea of God. Has it ever struck a religious believer to doubt whether his religion is true?  Religious believers never use their reason because they start and conclude that, their religion alone is true because they never question.

If one says "his religion is higher" another will reply, "No, it is lower." It is impossible to get anywhere with such talk because both sides are merely imagining.

Spirituality is nothing to do with religion. Spirituality is realizing the truth beyond form, time, and space.

That is why Swami Vivekananda:~

The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these gods?

Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus, fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million gods and still die like dogs. Where are these gods? ... The gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are the infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? ~ Swami Vivekananda  (Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II

As indicated in ISH Upanishads:~  By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The time you spent there is wasted because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and goddesses, you cannot do that, and thus, you go deeper and deeper into the darkness.

It clearly indicates that:-If the human goal is to acquire Self-Knowledge then why one has to indulge in rituals and glorify the conceptual Gods, Goddesses, and Gurus to go into deeper darkness. Instead,   spend that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is one’s prime goal.   

Since it is eternal and infinite, it comprises the only truth. The goal of Vedic religion, through the various yogas, is to realize that consciousness (Atman) is actually nothing but Brahman.

The Vedic pantheon of gods is said, in the Vedas and Upanishads, to be the only higher manifestations of Brahman. For this reason, "ekam sat" (all is one), and all is Brahman.

Thus, the goal is to realize Atman (consciousness).  If Atman (consciousness) is nothing but Brahman and by realizing Atman (consciousness) as Brahman (ultimate truth) is truth realization or Self-Realization, then there is no need to follow a religion, study scriptures or glorify Gods or Gurus and follow the path of doubts and confusion by losing oneself in the labyrinths of philosophy, when there is an easier path.  By mentally tracing the source of the mind from where it rises and subsides one becomes aware of the fallacy of the mind, which rises as waking or dream and subsides as deep sleep.  The mind rises from the soul  (consciousness) and subsides as the soul ( consciousness).

Yajurveda says: - if one worships what is not God in truth:~  

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 is 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:~

They sink deeper in darkness 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, 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 Hindus believed in polytheism, believing all of their Gods to be separate individuals, which were introduced much later by the founders of Hinduism which contains diverse beliefs caste, and creed.  

When the religion of the Veda knows no idols then why so many gods and goddesses with different forms and names are being propagated as Vedic gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when the Vedic concept of God is free from form and attributes. 

Vedic religion was modified and reintroduced with new add-ons by Sri, Sankara a great Advaita Master to uplift the Vedic culture and Santana Dharma,  which was in ruins in the clutches of Buddhism. 18 Puranas are introduced in the name of Veda Vyasa not by Sri, Sankara but someone else because the Puranic gods are non-Vedic Gods. The worship of Such Gods has barred Vedas.  

As one goes deeper into the annals of history, it indicates the fact that somewhere someone has added the Puranas in the name of Veda Vyasa the grandmaster of Vedas. It is impossible to accept and believe that Veda Vyasa authored and introduced Puranas which have all conceptual Gods. 

Remember:~ 

The Vedas talk about Brahman which refers to the ultimate truth or ultimate reality. The consciousness is the ultimate truth, therefore, the consciousness is Brahman and Brahman is God.

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

Thus, Idolatry does not find any support from the Vedas. Vedas do not permit idol worship. All the idols are of the Puranic Gods priests are referring to the Puranic Brahma as God they are ignorant of the God in Vedas even though they speak of Vedas.

Priests do not understand the meaning of the Brahman, which is present in the form of consciousness.

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, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Shakti. None of these deities figured prominently in the Vedic pantheon and some of them are clearly non-Vedic.

Why worship and glorify the non-~Vedic Gods in place of Vedic God when Veda bars such activities and it also warns people who indulge in such activities 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.

God in truth exists prior to form, time, and space. The form, time, and space cease to exist as a reality when wisdom dawns. Thus, the Gods and Gurus have no place in the domain of the Advaitic reality. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, which is  God in truth. Thus, Self-realization is the only way to God-realization.

The Bhagavad Gita itself says: ~ Brahmano hi pratisthaham ~ Brahman (God) is considered the all-pervading consciousness, which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (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. The God in truth is only Atman, the innermost Self. In reality, there is no duality, no differentiation. Only Atman exists.

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

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)

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

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I: ~ “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I:~ That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I:~ That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I:~ That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

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

Thus, it clearly indicates the God is without the form and attributes and ever free. The real God is stolen by ignorance and people worship ignorance as God.

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. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

The Self is not your brain. The Self is not you but the Soul. The brain, body and the world are one in essence.+

Max Planck: ~ “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of nature and therefore part of the mystery that we are trying to solve”

***

All the scientific inventions are based on the dualistic perspective whereas the ultimate truth of existence is based on the nondualistic perspective.

Scientific inventions are limited to the domain of form, time, and space whereas the truth is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.

The scientists and the world in which they exist and their inventions are created out of single stuff. And that single stuff is consciousness. Knowledge of the single stuff is Advaita.

Advaita is the rational truth, scientific truth, the ultimate truth, and universal truth cannot be contradicted. The Advaitic truth was declared by the Sage Scientist  Sankara 1200 years back.

One day the scientist also will confirm and declare that the universe is nothing but consciousness.

Remember:~

Scientists now concluded that you are not the brain (body). 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 Biology of Consciousness

by Alva Noë. Hill and Wang, 2009

Alva Noe, a University of California, Berkeley, philosopher, and cognitive scientist, argues that after decades of 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."

Thus, science is going in the right direction in its invention, and one day it will declare that everything is consciousness, which Sage Sankara declared 1200 years back~~everything is Atman ~~ because Atman is in the form of consciousness. 

The "Self" is not your brain. The Self is not you but the Self is the Soul.  The brain,  body, and the world are one in essence.  That essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  The Soul is the Self. 

Thus, we have to know the fact that Sage Goudpada and  Sage Sankara are not only religious reformers but also the greatest scientists. Since their original thesis has been lost in the labyrinths of philosophy and mutilated by pundits and priestcraft, it becomes very difficult to understand and assimilate the wisdom expounded by the great masters. In addition, the conservativeness of the orthodox scholars will not allow any research other than playing with the words, which suits the mass mindset, because of their egocentric outlook.

All the add-ons have to be deleted, in order to understand and assimilate the real fragrance of the wisdom expounded by the great masters of Advaita, but it is a hurricane task.  Thus, it is no use going through all the scriptures, when there is a direct path to non-dualistic truth.  

The same time and effort can be used to reach the nondual destination, in lesser time and effort.  :~Santthosh Kumaar 

It is not “I AM GOD, but it’s correct to say ‘the SELF IS GOD, because the Self is not the ‘I’ or ’I AM”.+

The Self is not the ‘I’.  The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. The origin of the mind is the Soul. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The soul is present in the form of consciousness.  The root of the universe is consciousness. 

By saying ‘I AM God’ keeps one in duality. The duality is not reality. Duality is the product of ignorance. The body, ego, and the world are of ignorance. When the wisdom dawns then the ignorance disappears. 

When ignorance disappears, then the duality will never be a reality even though there is duality, it is merely an illusion created out of single stuff. That single stuff is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  The Soul is the Self. The Soul, the Self is God in truth.  

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 realize  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. 

It is not “I AM GOD, but it’s correct to say ‘the SELF IS GOD because the Self is not the ‘I’ or ’I AM”.  

People say Aham Brahmasmi~ I am God, I am Brahman. But when Brahman is, how can "I" remain? Only Brahman remains, not the ‘I’.  

Without knowing what is Self, holding ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as Self is erroneous. People say ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as the Self because they have read it or someone has told them or they think it is the ultimate truth without verification through deeper self-search. 

Accepting truth without verification is mere assumption or speculation. Such assumptions and speculation block one from realizing the nondualistic Advaitic truth. Holding ‘I’ or ‘I AM ‘as the Self is holding the Self as the ego.   

The ‘I’ awareness is absent when the mind is absent. The mind is absent then the universe or waking or dream is absent. Thus ‘I’ awareness is merely an illusion. The Self-awareness is ‘I- LESS AWARENESS.

Self is not ‘I’. The ‘I’ is present in the form of the mind. By limiting the mind (’I’) to the waking entity (you) is the main hurdle in pursuit of truth. 

It is necessary for the seeker of truth to investigate ‘what is mind?’ to realize the mind ('I')  is not limited to ego or waking entity but ‘I’ is mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. And the universe appears as waking or dream.  

When the Soul, the  Self is neither the waking entity (ego) nor 'I' then 'WHO AM 'I'?- inquiry will not yield the full truth because it yields only fallacy of the form, not time and space.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

The Self does not reside in the human heart.The Spiritual heart is the Soul, the Self.+

The Self does not reside in the human heart. The human being is an individual entity within the dualistic illusion or Maya.  The Self is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness that pervades in everything and everywhere in the universe, which is the dualistic illusion or Maya.  

The Soul is ‘one’ but individuals are many. There are no separate individual Souls.   No one has seen the Soul of a man. You can only say that you have seen different bodies.

The Soul is ‘One’ but individuals are many. Many souls' idea is religious idea. People believe the Soul is within the human heart.  But in reality, the Soul is hidden by the universe because the universe is merely an illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.  Advaita means the Soul, the one without the second. There is no scope for the second Soul. Advaita is ekathma vada.

Sage Sankara asks his opponents "How do you know there are separate individual Souls? Have you seen the Soul of a man? You can only say that you have seen different bodies. To say more is to misuse language. Therefore, I call you liars unless you give proof, which is impossible.

Dattatreya's Song of the Avadhut 1.36-42:~ Non-duality is taught by some; some others teach duality. They don't understand that the all-pervading Reality is beyond both duality and non-duality.

Sage Ramana Maharshi: ~ "The location of the Heart is of the chest and not on the left. The light of the consciousness flows from the heart to through Sushumna's channel to ‘Sahasrarara’.(KNOW YOUR SELF~page 31)

From ‘Sahasrarara’ consciousness spreads all over the body, then the experience of the world arises. Viewing themselves as different from that consciousness human beings get caught up in the cycle of birth and death.  

 The ‘Sahasrarara’ of one who abides in the Self is pure light only. Any thoughts which approach it cannot survive.

Even when objects are perceived, because of their nearness, it does not destroy yoga as the mind sees no differences.

The state in which awareness is firm,  even when objects are sensed, is called the natural state.  In Nivikalpa Samadhi, there is no objective perception.

The entire universe is in the body and the whole body is in the Heart. Hence, the universe is contained within the Heart. 

Sage Ramana Maharishi: ~ He placed his right hand on his right breast and continued, "Here lies the Heart, the dynamic, spiritual Heart. It is called Hridaya and is located on the right side of the chest and is clearly visible to the inner eye of an adept on the spiritual path. Through meditation, you can learn to find the Self in the cave of this Heart." ~ Mercedes de Acosta, Here Lies the Heart


Santthosh Kumaar: ~ When the Self is not the body,  but the Self is the formless Soul, then the question of  ‘Sahasrara’ and  'Sushumna’ does not arise,  because ‘Sahasrara’ and  ‘Sushumna' are within the body. 

The spiritual heart is the Soul, the Self, not the physical heart. The world in which you exist is within the Soul, the spiritual heart. 

Mistaking the spiritual heart within the body is a great error. Even some Advaitic guru says that the Self is within the spiritual heart. And the spiritual heart is on the left side.  Such a declaration is merely an imagination, based on the false self. When the Self is bodiless, then the question of the heart being left side or right side does not arise.  

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:~  The Self is indeed Brahman, but through ignorance, people identify it with intellect, mind, senses, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that and appears to be everything. 

The Self is not ‘I’ but the Self is the formless Soul. The Soul is present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the substance and witness of the ‘I’. When one realizes the Soul is the Self then he is freed from experiencing the dualistic illusion or Maya as reality.

The falsehood is present in the form of ‘I’ (mind or universe).the ‘I’ is the cause of ignorance.  If one crosses the ‘I’ (mind or universe) then the Self in the kingdom of nondual heaven without the body and without the experience of the world (waking).

The seeker must realize the Soul, the Self, itself is the spiritual heart.  The Soul the spiritual heart is ever formless. The Soul itself is the spiritual heart that is present in the form of the Spirit or consciousness.

Without the form, time, and space, the Soul, the Self, becomes naked. The nature of the Soul, the Self is formless, timeless, and spaceless existence. 

The consciousness is self-evident. It is not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny consciousness because it is the very essence of the one who denies it. Consciousness is the basis of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions, and proofs. Consciousness is the true Self.  

Consciousness is within, the consciousness is without; the consciousness is before, the consciousness is behind; the consciousness is on the right, the consciousness is on the left; the consciousness is above and the consciousness is below.  

Until one thinks of his body as body, ego as ego the universe as the universe he remains in ignorance because he is still in ignorance and he is unaware of the fact that they too are the consciousness.  

A Gnani sees only unity in diversity, just like a goldsmith estimating the gold in various items of jewelry sees only gold. When one identifies the self with the form then only the form, time, and space are present. But when one transcends form, time, and space the duality never remains as reality.:~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara restrained himself parting the Advaitic wisdom to the mass and he shared only with selected few.+

It is time to free oneself from the prison of orthodoxy and strive to acquire the Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.

Adyatma is nothing to do with religious sects or creeds and religious beliefs or any philosophy or thinkers teaching. Adyatma is pure spirituality. Knowledge of Atma is Adyatma. Advaita is Adyatma. 

Adyatma is the knowledge of the truth beyond form, time, and space. Bifurcate religion, yoga, and theoretical philosophy and base the truth on the Athma it is Adyathma.

Adyatma is based on the ultimate truth which is based on the Atman or Spirit, which is the Self.

Sage Sankara's Advaitic wisdom is pure spirituality or Adyathma.

Without Sage Sankara, there is no Advaita (nonduality).  Since it was mixed up with orthodoxy there is a lot of confusion. I am highlighting all the obstacles, which are blocking one from realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman. There are so many non-dualistic masters of the east and also from the west who expound Advaitic or non-dualistic knowledge but none of them are helpful to reach the ultimate end.

One has to know and realize the Self is Soul and identify it as his true identity to find liberation from the bondage of the illusion of birth, life, death, and the world(duality).   The goal of our life is to find and realize our identity with our Soul, which is our innermost Self. 

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

To come to a more precise understanding of what non-duality is or might mean, we must return to the original linguistic and philosophic backgrounds from which the word has been translated into English.

 If we limit a probe of the meaning of non-duality to Hindu Sanskrit literature, we find that the most frequently used term is “Advaita.

Advaita” is not a religious concept.  Advaita is the nature of the existence hidden by form, time, and space.   The seeker has to attempt to rule out from the start a false understanding of reality by a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’.

The Advaita is hidden by the dvaita. Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. Dvaita is the universe.

Advaita is basically a denial; it is literally the negation of the dvaita.  That means whatever remains by negating the universe by realizing the universe is created out of single clay and that clay is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness, the hidden truth by dvaita uncovered.  The consciousness is the cause of the universe and it itself is uncaused. 

Tripura Rahasya:~ Second-hand knowledge of the self-gathered from books or gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; the only direct realization will do that. Realize yourself, turning the mind inward. :~  18: 89

Many think they know the truth, thus what they know is the ultimate truth and the accumulated as knowledge is not Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. It is of no use of indulging in Atmic discussion with such a mindset because it is a waste of time. 

Katha Upanishad says: ~ This Atman is attained by him alone whom It chooses. (II -23-P-20)

Thus, those who have taken the path of wisdom are chosen ones.  The path of wisdom is the soulcentric path, whereas all other paths are egocentric.  All egocentric paths are lead to hallucination.

Sage Sankara restrained himself parting the Advaitic wisdom or Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana to the mass and he shared only with selected few. It was hidden from the mass who were not qualified and receptive to it. Advaitic wisdom or Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana was not written down but was imparted orally to the chosen few. 

Thus, religion was given to the mass and knowledge of the spirit is given to only a selected few.  Thus, we find traces of knowledge of the spirit in the religious books in the form of parables. 

All the theories are based on the ego (you).  Whatever is based on the ego is dualistic. Whatever is based on dualistic perspective is bound to be falsehood, because,  form the ultimate standpoint the duality mere an illusion.  

No theory can be based on the Soul, the Self, because the soul is ever formless, timeless, and spaceless existence.  The Soul is nondualistic because there is no second thing that exists other than the soul because the whole universe is created out of the soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. 

When the Self is not the body, then why are you following all the body based theories and believe in the body based truth propagated by the gurus of the past?   The body-based knowledge keeps one in an imaginary world of duality. Body-based knowledge is egocentric knowledge. Egocentric knowledge is based on the false self (ego) within the false experience (waking). 

 If the Self is not the body, then where are you?  Where is your body, where is the ego? and where is your experience of the world?  If the Self is not the body, then why are you thinking as the body as the Self? if the Self is not the body, it means you are not the self.

Then find out about the Self, which is not you?  Simply saying ‘I AM’ THIS or ‘I AM THAT’ is not Advaitic wisdom. 

Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is soulcentric knowledge.   Soulcentric knowledge leads to Advaitic Self-awareness.

When the soul, the innermost self, wakes up and remains in its own awareness in the midst of duality, then it is called enlightenment. It is no you who has to get enlightenment, because when enlightenment happens, then you and your experience of the world become one with the Soul because there is unity in diversity. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

It is no use arguing Bhagavan Buddha is wrong or sage Sri Sankara is right, but where we are going wrong in our understanding the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth.+

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 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 aeons, 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 of 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. The 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 cannot be described because the description implies a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than Brahman (God).

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 philosophy. His teachings 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 archaeologists' view: the date of Sage 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 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 of 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 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 who 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.

As one goes deeper into 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.

Sage Ramana Maharishi said:~  All the conceptual divisions invented by teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts end? Why should confusion be created and then explained away? 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 non-dual, 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 the means to Self-knowledge. 

Sage  Sankara’s Advaita minus orthodoxy is true Advaita.:~Santthosh Kumaar