Soul or consciousness, the innermost self is the nameless, contentless, effortless and spontaneous state, beyond form, time and space existence.

 

The whole objects universe is created out of consciousness. In self-awareness the universe ceases to exist.  Nature of the innermost self is formless and non-dual.  In self-awareness the ignorance disappears therefore the reality of the illusory universe ceases.  Consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman. Soul or consciousness, the innermost self is the nameless, contentless, effortless and spontaneous state, beyond form, time and space existence. 

The self is not ‘I’ but ‘I’ is mind.      Mind is in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep.  The ‘I’, which appears as mind or universe is impermanent. The self is ‘I’-less. ‘I’-less self is that witnesses the coming and going of the ‘I’.    If one holds ‘I’ as self he will never be able to cross the threshold of duality. Without crossing the threshold of duality it is impossible to realize the non-dual truth.  Holding the ‘I’ as self is keeps one in the realm of ignorance.   Therefore, Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is necessary to get rid of the ignorance.   

A Gnani is free from experiencing the illusion [body + universe] as reality, he is fully aware of the fact that, his body and his experience of the world as consciousness, which is ultimate truth.  

People who are incapable to inquire and reason are tending to follow some philosophy without verification. Therefore the more ignorant they are the easier to get them into a religious fold. Religion is so strong and popular because it makes no demand on the intelligent; it simply requires belief in guru and his teachings. 

It never strikes believer to doubt whether his inherited belief system is true. They never use their reason because they start and conclude that their belief system   alone is true, because they never question the validity of their inherited belief.  

For religion one can interpret texts as he likes, in whatever way that pleases him, he simply imagine away.  The idea of god injected in the past and inherited by people and they refuse to verify the facts, because they think it blasphemy even to question their inherited belief system.  

 

In pursuit of truth the ultimate truth has to be proved, not assumed. Pundits who take scriptures for granted are not Gnanis. 

Pundits teach that all is your-self, but none of them can show that this is so, none has analysed it scientifically, and none can prove it. Rational proof is needed, so that one arrive at knowing truth i.e. wisdom; punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. 

Scriptures are not yardstick and scriptural truth is not proof.   Pundits take scriptures as authority.   Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what another says, but what has yet to be proved.

One has to test truth in this world not in the next world.  There is no proof other than blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not truth.  So, doctrines are not the means to realize the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.

 

Sri,Sankara said(VC) 65:- As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.

66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.

Thus one has to know what is real by realizing our body and our experience of the world is mere illusion created out of consciousness, which the inner most self.  The nature of the self is emptiness. And it is identified by different masters with different name, such as Brahman, Buddha’s nature, Christ consciousness, Self, Ultimate Truth.

When self becomes aware of its formless non-dual nature it becomes empty of ignorance or illusion or duality or experience of waking or dream.  Thus whatever remains empty of duality or ignorance or illusion is non-dual reality. Only through wisdom one becomes aware of the truth in the midst of duality.

 That is why "Sri, Sankara said: - Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation. -63- (VC)”

Universe will not remain as reality when wisdom dawns. Universe is mere mirage created out of consciousness and there is conscious awareness of unity in diversity because there is no second thing exist other than consciousness.

One thinks he is imprisoned within this body; whereas the body and his experience of the world are within the mind. The consciousness is hidden within the three states but it is without the three states.  The one, which has the awareness of the three states, is not the body but the soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Thus consciousness is not limited to waking experience alone because it pervades all the three states. Till one views and judges the world-view on base of ego or waking entity, he is in the grip of individuality or intellectuality.  The self is not an individual because it is universal. And it pervades in everything and everywhere in all the three states. Thus individualized judgment will not lead one non-dual destination.