Just as the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place, the waking also becomes unreal when nondual wisdom dawns.

All agendas are within the illusion, which appears in the form of mind or universe or waking experience. The self is within the illusion as its formless substance and it is without the illusion as its formless witness. The formless witness is the one which witnesses the body and universe together.  Thus the ordinary awareness is physical awareness (waking) is not self-awareness.  In self-awareness the body is not the body but it is the consciousness, the ego is not ego but it is the consciousness, the world is not the world but it is the consciousness even though they exist but their unreal nature is exposed. Just as the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place, the waking also becomes unreal when non-dual wisdom dawns. 

The consciousness is the innermost self. And nature of the consciousness is formless and non-dual.  One should realize the consciousness as whole universe without parts.  To describe non-duality as a system is erroneous because the dual and non-dual is the nature of the self. Duality is illusory nature of the self and non-duality is real nature of the innermost self, which is consciousness.  Ultimate truth cannot be confined into a narrow set of ideas.  –FORMLESS PATH

Non-dualistic truth is supreme truth; all dualistic systems hold false self as real self and false experience as reality.  Non- dualistic wisdom is culmination of all systems including theistic non-duality.  The true non-dualist will not quarrel and argue with any theoretical philosophy because he is fully aware of the fact that, this orthodox theistic non-dualistic scholars or pundits like Dualist sages could not distinguish between ‘I’ and ‘formless witness.’ The 'I' was the witness. Their highest was the Jiva. One is so much attached to the 'I' that he do not want to think that 'I' does not exist. Again one is unable to detach the ‘I’ from the Real witness.  

There is need to study the scriptures. One has to self-search the truth and realize it without the scriptures. And then when he reads the scriptures he becomes aware the scriptures are also saying the same thing but everything is misinterpreted.  

 Mundaka Upanishad  :- This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature.  3 page70upanhsds by Nikilananda

 

It means the truth is beyond scriptures and egocentric intelligence.  Thus in order to grasp, assimilate and realize the non-dualistic truth the seeker to employ soul-centric reasoning faculty.  

That is why Sri, Sankara says in commentary in Vedanta sutra that what is accepted without proper enquiry will not lead a person to the final goal. On the contrary, such acceptance will result only in evil, in something which is detrimental to our spiritual progress.   Seeker of truth should not believe blindly in traditional orthodox non-duality without verifying all the facts from every angle. One has to reflect through reasoning over and over again without getting tired of the process. 

That is why Sri, Sankara:-   58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.

 59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.

60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.

61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?

62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible and more un-dogmatic insights of Sage Sri, Sankara, is to drop all the theistic non-duality or Advaita which is meant for those who are incapable and not receptive to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman.

If one merely theorizes, tries to understand through his intellect and there contended he cannot become a Gnani but he becomes a scholar or pundit. The   Seeker of truth must make what he has understood and assimilated has to be  realized, to get firm conviction of the non- dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman,   than only it is possible for him to transcend all the limitations of the experience of form, time and space.    

The existence beyond limitations of form, time and space is known as Moksha or Nirvana. Spiritual freedom or self-realization is the goal of every seeker of truth.  –FORMLESS PATH

People who argue there is nothing beyond the universe; there is nothing other than the matter; that the body was the man; and death was end of all.

People who argue there is nothing beyond the universe; there is nothing other than the matter; that the body was the man; and death was end of all.  According to them there is no truth other than the practical life within the practical world, which they hold as reality. Their only agenda is as long as they live in the world live happily with all the pleasant things of life, who can demonstrate that there is something left after the physical death.  Beg, borrow or steal – but live happily is their mantra.     

There are also people who believe strongly there was a spirit which defied the ravages of time, which cannot be confined in space; that spirit transcends the limits of this universe in which the body exists. 

How one can decide what is truth,   when he is bound by birth, life and death or form, time and space?  

The consciousness is the innermost self. And nature of the consciousness is formless and non-dual.  One should realize the consciousness as whole universe without parts.  To describe non-duality as a system is erroneous because the dual and non-dual is the nature of the self. Duality is illusory nature of the self and non-duality is real nature of the innermost self, which is consciousness.  Ultimate truth cannot be confined into a narrow set of ideas.  

Chandogya Upanishads:- This universe comes forth from Brahman and will return to Brahman. Verily, all is Brahman. A person is what his deep desire is. It is our deepest desire in this life that shapes the life to come. So let us direct our deepest desires to realize the Self. 

If one is seeking truth then it is necessary to bifurcate and drop the traditional Advaitic path which is not the means to self-knowledge and move ahead without the traditional baggage to get direct realization on his own as suggest by the great sages. 

Thus seeker of truth has to know what this universe? What is this ultimate truth or Brahman?  in order to realize the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth?  

No one can escape the waking experience which is the very basis of the physical existence. What was the waking experience before it appeared? Was their existence before the appearance of the waking experience?  When the waking perishes, does the soul or consciousness survive alone?  Is there a self or soul?  The seeker has to find answers for all these doubts in order to realize ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.  

 As one goes deeper in self-search one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity not self is the dream entity but the self is formless substance and witness of the three states. And the formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness.  If the formless substance and witness are one in essence, than there is second thing can exist, other than consciousness?  Thus consciousness alone is real and all else is mere illusion created out of consciousness, which is the innermost self.

Not by intellectual speculation but only by an awakening to the reality of his true existence he gets soul-centric vision.

Second-hand knowledge accumulated from books or gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realization leads to non-dual self-awareness. 

The seeker of truth read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider and discover the truth by using his own reason.  The greatest and noblest pleasure which seeker can have is to discover new truths; and drop old prejudices and accumulated knowledge.

When the ultimate truth is rightly known and one attains eternal life thereby. Through soul, the innermost self he gains strength and through its knowledge immortality.

Not by intellectual   speculation but only by an awakening to the reality of his true existence he gets soul-centric vision. The Soul, the innermost self’s nature is like state of deep sleep.

Religion, yoga and intellectualism are not the means to acquire self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.  Without getting rid of the ignorance and trying to get self-awareness through religion and yoga is like a sleeping man trying to know what he is about, without waking up. As sleep is to waking, so is ordinary life to the state of realization. 

Religion needs a guru to propagate its belief system, whereas in pursuit of truth there is no need for a guru. The ultimate truth has to be ascertained by seeker alone.  Yoga needs guru to guide its student to practice Samadhi. 

Religion encourages one  who can induce himself to feel convinced that he has realized the Self, or has  an admirer who believes that he has done so, the it  opens up for  him the way for the founding of a new sect based on Guru-worship. People, too, have developed curious credulousness. Often they would install an earnest seeker and devotee, or a pious saint, on the throne of God and begin to offer him worship and homage even if he protested and resisted such acts. They would lay prostrate, sing hymns, wave lights (arati) and burn incense before him, and present to him food which was to be returned by him as prasada, wash his toes and sip the wash. At times the disciple would go to the length of getting food, fruit or a betel-nut leaf chewed by him, and taking the morsel back from it.

They would place his photo in the private temples of their homes and perform all these rites and ceremonies which are usually offered to temple-idols.  In this way there might be at present in our country scores of individuals who are worshiped as living God, with a following varying in numbers.

If one is seeking truth one has to drop all religious based dogmas and blind beliefs ritualistic baggage and move forward in their pursuit of truth.   

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. 

All the attributed are mere illusion. It is the Self that is in illusion and it is the self that has to get free from the bondage of the illusion. The illusion is present in the form of mind. Mind is in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep.  The individual experiences of birth, life, death and the world are within the waking experience.  The dream is parallel waking experience and waking is parallel dream.

Deeper self-search reveals the fact that the, self is neither the waking entity nor the self is the dream entity but the self is formless soul, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states in succession without the physical apparatus.  This has to be mentally grasped and assimilated to realize the formless soul, the innermost   self is nothing to do with the three states. On the standpoint of the formless soul, the innermost self, the three states are mere illusion. 

The practical life within the practical world, which is present as waking experience, is mere illusion. If waking experience is mere illusion than the individual experience of birth, life, death and world are mere illusion.   If the experience birth, life death and the world are mere illusion, it means the form; time and space are mere illusion.  If form, time and space are mere illusion, it means the past, present and future is mere illusion. Thus it is necessary for the seeker to realize the fact that,   form, time and space are one in essence, in order to realize the three states are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. Thus all the diversity is created out of   formless consciousness. Thus no second thing exist other than consciousness, the innermost self. Seeker of truth has to constantly reflect on the subject in order to get firm conviction of the truth.  Seeker has to reflect on the same truth again and again until it becomes reality. One needs to constant reflect on the subject until he gets firm conviction of what is what.