The truth has to be rightly investigated and realzed through direct realization.+

To say the universe is an illusion without first examining it and inquiring into its nature thoroughly is to delude oneself. This world is common to every one of us; therefore the seeker of truth must begin his inquiry with it. 

It is only after he has inquired into the nature of the objective world realizes the universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms, is nothing else but the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness absolutely free from all the limitations of Maya.

 First, the seeker must inquire into the nature of the three states to realize the three states are one in essence.  One has to observe everything in the three states because all three states are one in essence and that essence is consciousness. 

The Soul, the   Self is Brahman. The seeker should not shut his eyes to the nature of the three states, because they are merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Form, time, and space are one in essence. That essence is consciousness. Consciousness is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than the Soul, the  Self.

People think ‘I’ is the Self and their body is an illusion, whereas, the body, world, and the ‘I’, all are part of the illusion. 

They think whatever exists within the waking experience that is, man and his experience of the world is a reality but they are unaware of the fact that the waking experience is a reality within the illusion. 

If the waking experience is a reality within the illusion then the experience of birth, life, death, and the world is a reality within the dualistic illusion or Maya.

There are so many obstacles if one tries to reach the non-dual destination through Advaitic because of orthodox adulteration.  Advaita philosophy and orthodox or theistic Advaita are not the same. Mixing the orthodoxy Advaita with Advaitic philosophy is mixing oil and water.     

Most scholars are sentimentally and emotionally involved with orthodoxy because both Advaitic orthodoxy and Advaitic philosophy are propagated by the same founder (Sage Sankara).  They mix two viewpoints together, therefore, it becomes difficult to get the Advaitic truth expounded by Sage Sankara.

It is very difficult to understand and assimilate the ultimate truth or Brahman without bifurcating the religion, scriptures, philosophy, and idea of the personal God.  The ultimate truth or Brahman can be directly realized without Advaitic philosophy and Buddhism by Soulcentric reasoning.  

There is nothing more rational, more intelligible, and more un-dogmatic insights of Sri, Sankara, is to drop all the theistic nonduality 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 contends 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 a firm conviction of the non-dualistic truth or ultimate truth or Brahman,   then only it is possible for him to transcend all the limitations of the experience of form, time, and space.   

The existence beyond the 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. 

Upanishads~ Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. (Ch. II-5 P-14)

Only Deeper self-search helps the seeker to remove all the obstacles in pursuit of truth.  There are so many scholars in India who mastered Advaitic philosophy.  

It is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge in the present form of Advaitic philosophy. Because their preaching is based on non-duality and practices are based on duality.  Becoming Soul-centric is the only way.

Katha Upanishad: ~ The Soul, the Self cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one the Soul, the Self, reveals its own form. (Katha Upanishad Ch.-II -23-P-20)

It is very difficult to talk to people about Advaita because everyone thinks he is the scholar and authority on Advaita. This- I know business is dangerous.  And whatever his reached conclusion is secondhand stuff.

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

The essence of Advaita is:

"DVI" means two. DVI" connotes dual existence and "Advaita" the non-dual, which of these two is non-existence? People think that there is God and that the Jivas~Souls-- like them form the second, other than them. There is no such duality at all. "Brahman” is the only reality and there is nothing other than this Absolute Supreme Being. That Brahman through Maya or the multiplying power of illusion appears as many Jivas. But this is just the play of Brahman, even as an actor in a drama remains unchanged throughout although Brahman plays different roles. The seemingly obvious duality between Brahman and Jiva does not actually exist because both are one and the same the Soul, the Self. If only one transcends this phenomenal illusion and experience of duality with Brahman, he would then be not the individual Souls with all his little failings but one with it--the Absolute, infinite Reality. This is the tenet of Advaita philosophy taught by the great Sage Sankara.

The seeker has to think and reason deeply then only it is possible to acquire  Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.   The seeker has to find ‘What are the obstacles in Sage Sankara Advaitic teachings?’ ‘Where the scholars are going wrong?’ How to overcome all the obstacles?

Self-knowledge cannot be attained by the study of the scriptures and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge.  Therefore there is no use in studying the scriptures and other scriptures to acquire non-dual wisdom. 

 That is why Bhagavan Buddha rejected the scriptures, and even Sage Sankara indicated that the ultimate truth lies beyond religion,  gods based on blind faith or blind belief, and the scriptures.

Scriptures are being added from time to time. This process will go on. There is the final authority among them? One contradicts the other: duality reigns supreme.

I quote Scriptural citation only after verification of the reality and is proven truth to point out that the scriptures teach the same thing. If one quotes them before having demonstrated truth, then it is scholasticism.

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by the religion. Self-discovery is the only way, toward a non-dual Absolute without any religious doctrines, which will help the seekers to unfold the mystery of the illusion in which we all are searching for the truth of our true existence.

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you, yourself test and judge to be true.

Many people quote Advaita without understanding it really in its highest aspect. One who follows the path of Advaitic orthodoxy is taken the path of ignorance. "How does he know that what Sage Sankara says is true?  There are conflicting teachings. 

People get confused as to which are true?" People will be unable to prove because they do not know the proper test of truth.

The Veda serves 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.

Only pretenders show such external works or claims. People who do not understand the scriptures generally misinterpret all scripture's references to the ‘indifference’ of the sage as meaning sitting idle, remote from worldly concerns. 

Though the scripters speak of direct knowledge of ultimate truth by a study of the holy texts it does not become established. It is, therefore, not enough to understand the theories of Advaita; he may grasp idealism and Manduka but it is not enough.

The citations from scriptures are not proofs.  The ultimate truth has to be proved without the scriptures.  The ultimate truth is the universal truth and it does not belong to any religion.  Religion causes diversity in unity, whereas, the ultimate truth brings unity in diversity. 

It is not that one should pore over the ancient scriptures.  There is no need to study first and then realize. 

One has to realize first then only he will know ‘what is truth’ and ‘what is untruth’.  One has to make his discoveries through the process of rational thinking.

That is why Sage Sankara says: ~ 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.

It means searching truth independently on your own, therefore, there is no need for any teacher or teaching. The truth has to be ascertained by the seeker himself. 

Until the seeker realizes the truth, he will not be able to know what is untruth.  How can one know if the teacher knows the truth or if the teaching speaks the truth?  The seeker should not accept anything as truth without deeper introspection. 

Only uncontradictable truth has to be accepted as the ultimate truth of Brahman or God in truth. The path of truth is the path of verification. Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verification.

The Guru is useless so long as the ultimate truth is unknown, and the Guru is equally useless when the ultimate truth or Brahman has already been known Guru is needed in the religious and yogic path.  There is no need for the guru to acquire  Self-knowledge. :~Santthosh Kumaar