Soul, is the innermost self . Soul is in the form of formless consciousness. Soul is not born, nor does it die. Soul did not come from anything else,
nor were made out of something other than itself. Soul is unborn, eternal,
everlasting and always existed. soul is not slain, though the body is slain.
The truth is eternal and the untruth is impermanent. These two lead man to
very different ends. He who chooses the truth attains freedom from experiencing illusory experience of the birth,life,death and the world as reality. He who
prefers the untruth is caught up in experiencing illusory birth, life, death
and world as reality. Gnani is not deceived by the attractions of the illusory
reality. Gnani is the one who has chosen the path of the truth. Ignorant are snared into the mere illusory
reality and perish experiencing the illusory experience of birth, life, death
and the world as reality.
Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana will interest only few
people; the rest are interested in Religion, yoga other paths and pleasure
hunting.
It is not the body that has to get freedom but it is the self
that is seeking freedom from experiencing the birth, life, death and universe
as reality. Only when self-wakes up from the sleep of ignorance by realizing
its formless non-dual true nature the freedom happens. For this it has to drop
the inborn samskara or conditioning of ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ by realizing it not ‘I’ or
‘I AM’.
Thus it is erroneous to think on the body base when the self is
not the body. The self is not the body; therefore the individual life is
nothing to do with the formless self. The experience of birth, life, death and
the universe are part and parcel of the illusion. Thus one need not here enter into any account
of the course that the soul with its ignorance takes after death—along the way
of the fathers, or of the gods, or being debarred from either, according to its
works and knowledge. Nor need one enter into any of the other
psychological-questions connected with the state of the soul
after the death of the body. The self is
not an individual and self is birthless, deathless, therefore it is erroneous
to base the truth of the individual experience of birth, life, death, god and
universe.
Suffice it to say that the round of samsara remains for all
except those who have attained the higher knowledge. He who has attained to the
knowledge of the identity of the self with consciousness, which involves the
distinction of the self from its ignorance and consequently its freedom from
them, has thereby attained Moksha, or freedom. This is a freedom for which one
has not to wait till after death, but it may be possessed even in this very life.
Advaitin orthodox hold virtue and individual conduct is essential for the attainment of
Moksha or freedom. But when the self is not and individual this question is
hardly a relevant one. It is not quite just to interpret the knowledge which
brings freedom as if it were of the nature of a purely intellectual intuition.
As one goes in deeper self –search one
becomes aware of the fact that: - The Upanishads are self-contradictory.
Different scholars give different conflicting interpretations of them. Final
authority therefore is using our own reason. This does not mean one need to
give up the scriptures, but he should apply his reason to them. Reason is
common to all, whereas orthodoxy belongs to separatist.
The scriptures are for ignorant masses,
who wholly accept the material world as it presents itself. Gnana is for those
who have begun to realize that things are not what they seem.
Scriptural citations may be quoted only
after one has shown the reality and proved the truth, for then he can point out
that the texts teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having
demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.
Scriptures are of value only when
dealing with persons who are incapable of understanding truth. They have no
value as authority for those who use reason.
Reason is the common ground for all
humanity, whereas the appeal to scriptural relations reaches only groups. Because
all the religions are based on the false self and the false experience, there are
so many conflicting ideas , many
changes, divisions and subdivisions ,which leads to all sorts of doubts and confusions. When one meets with suffering and
disappointment doubts arises. Doubts are absolutely necessary to make one inquire.
Pursuit of truth is for getting rid of all doubts. The pursuit of truth begins with doubt, that doubts
one’s own self, one’s own beliefs.
The true Self is not perceptible to the senses. It is perceived
by Reason. It is not perceptible as a thing with form and attributes. To those
whose attention is fixed on the body and the world, it is very difficult to
attain Self-knowledge. It is also very difficult for them to see the
consciousness as self. The attention towards the universe [mind] should be
lessened by realizing the self is not the body. The attention has to be focused
on the formless substance and witness of the universe [mind] should be
increased. So long as the attention is directed towards the universe, the
experience of birth, life and death will prevail as reality. But when the
attention is directed towards the formless substance and witness of the mind,
the ignorance vanishes and the sense of reality of the duality will disappear.
Then there is unity in diversity.
This subject is vast and
it has to be grasped only through deeper self-search.
