Bhagavan Buddha started the quest for truth and Sage Sankara completed the journey.+

Bhagavan Buddha:~ There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way... and not starting

Bhagavan Buddha was a Gnani, not his followers. Bhagavan Buddha’s wisdom was lost, it is because it was mixed up and messed up with other religions in Asia wherever it existed. Bhagavan Buddha started the quest for truth and Sage Sankara completed the journey.

Bhagavan Buddha: ~ "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven, or hell."

That is why Buddha said: ~ “Believe nothing because a wise man said it, Believe nothing because it is generally held. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine. Believe nothing because someone else said it. But believe only what you, yourself judge to be true.

Wisdom consists in knowing the truth, that everything (the universe) is consciousness. Freedom (ultimate truth) is always there yet one does not know it. But to those whose reason is turned away from physicality and who have attained the serenity of the Soul or the consciousness, the Self is quite near to realizing the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Ashtavakra: ~ Diamonds are not many; only pebbles and rocks are so common. A single diamond is enough.

Bhagavan Buddha & Sage Sankara both are sages of truth. Humanity has to bow with gratitude to the great sages of truth.

Remember:~

Many people are struck with awe or reverence at the outer indications of renunciation, and thus, blindly accept a religious Guru or Godmen to be a Gnani. The two have no connection. Because he has no wife, no family, and no possessions" they think a man who has merely repressed these desires as though these things had anything to do with the wisdom he is merely religious.

People are quite incompetent to judge who is a Gnani between Godmen, intellectuals, and yogis.

A Gnani is neither a godman, nor a yogi, nor an intellectual.

The man who speaks about religious God, scriptures, and religion, is not a Gnani.

A yogi who speaks about yoga is not a Gnani.

A Godman who indulges in miracles is not a Gnani. An intellectual who argues on his own speculated theories is not a Gnani.

A Gnani is the one who shares knowledge and guides people towards the source of the mind (physical existence) is real Gnani.

A Gnani never claims himself a teacher nor does he accept anyone as a disciple.

Sage Sankara regards personal realization as independent and convincing evidence.

Sage Sankara says that an individual’s experience cannot be disputed because the experience he went through was real to him; though that may not be read from the absolute point of view.

Sage Sankara makes a distinction between the absolute view and the relative view of things.

A Guru who speaks of knowing Brahman within the body is thinking only of his head or heart, i.e. of his body. He is hallucinating.

Remember:~

You will not be able to find the truth because you are blindfolded by dualistic illusion. If you have to traverse the path, you will have to seek the aid of the one who knows the truth beyond the form, time, and space; else you will wind up meandering here and there without gaining anything.

The ‘Self’ is not within you because the ‘Self’ is not the body. If the ‘Self’ is not you, then why do you think the Self is within you.

Deeper Self-search reveals the fact that you and the world are within the Soul, the Self. Perfect understanding and assimilation lead to Advaitic Self-awareness. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Before the appearance of the ‘I’, there was only the Soul . After the disappearance of the ‘I’, the Soul alone prevails.+

Before the appearance of the ‘I’ there was only the Soul, the ‘Self’. After the disappearance of the ‘I’, the Soul, the ‘Self’ alone prevails as the ultimate reality.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ ‘The permanent (consciousness) is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is the cause of the 'I'.

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

First, you must make sure the ‘I’ itself is illusory because the ‘I’ is not permanent.

No second thing existed prior to the appearance of the ‘I’ and ‘I’ never exists now and also ‘I’ never exists in the future. The ‘I’ is merely an illusory appearance.

Let you be clear on one thing. The ‘I’ is merely a dualistic illusion created out of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.

In the Atmic reality, ‘I’ neither exists in the past nor exists now, nor going to exist in the future.

Whatever existed in the past whatever exists now and whatever is going to exist in the future is merely an illusion created out of consciousness.

Whatever has appeared as ‘I’ is nothing but consciousness? The ‘I’ has no value because it is merely an illusion.

You search for the truth and you will find only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness. If you search for the Soul then you will find only the truth, which is beyond the form, time, and space.

The ‘I’ is both real and unreal. It is real because it is a manifestation of the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, but is unreal, in the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.

Some Gurus used the word ‘I’ to indicate the Self. And they think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self.

The ‘I’ is not the Self, but the Soul; the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is real and eternal.

When the Soul is the real Self then how “I” can remain. Only the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness prevails, not the ‘I’.

The world in which you exist is a falsehood. Thus, you are the false self within the falsehood.

The falsehood appears as a waking or dream (duality) and disappears as deep sleep (nonduality). Therefore, realize ‘what is real’ and ‘what is unreal’ to realize the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

A perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ helps to get rid of ignorance, which is the cause of experiencing the dualistic illusion (world) as a reality.

People's approach is more practical, and they stuck with the reality of the world, they take 'I' as real. That is why all the confusion. : ~Santthosh Kumaar

Those who are stuck to the ‘I’ are stuck to the ignorance.+

 The ‘I’ itself is ignorance. Whatever belongs to ‘I’ is bound to be an illusion. Holding the ‘Self’ as the ‘I’, is a great error. Those who are stuck to the ‘I’ are stuck to ignorance.

Those who are stuck up with orthodoxy believing it will get them Advaitic moksha will never be able to realize the Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom and they will rot in the prison of ignorance. The path meant for ignorance will keep them permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Those who want Advaitic wisdom have to discard the theistic Advaita which propagates falsehood as truth without mercy.

Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the ignorant populace, but pure wisdom only to the few who could rise to it. Hence, the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.

Sage Goudpada:~- “The merciful Veda teaches karma and Upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while Jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.

Certain principles are common to all orthodox Advaitic thought, that is taken for granted. Orthodox assume that the doctrine of karma is valid because they accept the experience of birth, life, death, and the world as reality.

If they accept birth, life, death, and the world as a reality then whatever Sage Sankara declaration: ~ Brahman is the ultimate truth. The world is unreal everything is truly Brahman and nothing else has any value. Thus, the Advaitic orthodoxy has nothing to do with the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space.

The Advaita is the Soul ~ the One without a Second

Advaita is the nature of the Soul. The Advaita is the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness itself. The Advaita is the spiritual heart.

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

Advaita is present in the form of consciousness and is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta or Buddhism to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.+

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta or Buddhism to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. All accumulated knowledge is of no use to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space

There is no need to buy the books of Sage Sankara to acquire Self-knowledge. A perfect understanding of 'what is what' is needed. 

Nothing else is needed other than realizing the fact that the form, time, and space, are one in essence and that essence is the Soul, which is present in the form of the consciousness to get the Advaitic Self-awareness.

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 books 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, the concept of God, and the scriptures.

Sage Sankara says:~ VC-63-"Without knowing and examining the external world, one can’t know the Truth, as the idea that the external world exists, won't go. It can go only by an inquiry into the nature of the external world.

There is no need to study Advaita Vedanta to realize the Advaitic truth beyond form, time, and space. Advaita is not a theory or a philosophy. Advaita is the nature of the Soul, the  Self.

There is no need for any theory,  philosophy, or scriptures to acquire Self-knowledge. Only a perfect understanding of ‘what is what’ is needed.

Fortunate are the seekers who do not lose themselves in the labyrinths of philosophy. Vedanta speaks of 15 pranas the names and functions of which the student is asked to commit memory. Will it not be sufficient if he thought only one prana does the whole work of maintaining the body? Again the antakaran is said to think, to desire, to will, to reason, etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen antakarana, or all these pranas? Do they really exist? They are 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 seeker who does not lose himself in the labyrinths of philosophy but goes straight to the source from which they all arise. 

There is only one Reality to be known, the same for all seekers, but the ways to it, are hidden by ignorance. Self-discovery is the only way, toward the non-dualistic 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.

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

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.

That is why Sage Sankara himself says: ~ VC 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 that 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?

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 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 and soulcentric reasoning.

He who has not rectified his reasoning base from the ‘I’(form) base to Soul (formless) base and one who does not have the intense urge to know the non-dualistic or Advaitic truth, and who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not receptive, cannot acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sankara declaration ~ Atman and Brahman, is the ultimate truth, scientific truth, and universal truth.+

Sage Sankara declaration ~ Atman and Brahman, is the ultimate truth, scientific truth, and universal truth.

Direct realization of the truth is possible without the scriptures. Know the Soul to be the true Self. The Soul, the Self is present in the form of consciousness. And realize the consciousness as the ultimate truth or Brahman.

Self-knowledge is the aim of every human being. Since everyone thinks the physical body is the Self their aim is misdirected and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as a reality.

There is no need to study scriptures or indulge in glorifying God and Guru performing religious rituals. Since they are not the means to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is a waste of time and effort to indulge in those things.

All sect-based beliefs are dualistic and unphilosophical nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. In spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. Sage Sri, Sankara’s wisdom has nothing to do with orthodox belief systems.

That is why Sage  Sankara says: ~ VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let Gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal Gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (verses-6)

In Spirituality, the ultimate truth is God. The Atman is the ultimate truth or Brahman or God in truth.

That is why Sage Sankara himself says:~ VC- 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 that 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 utters the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.

63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word? — It would result merely in an effort of speech.

Sage  Sankara’s wisdom has nothing to do with orthodox belief systems. Sage Sankara is the only sage who has final authority on the Advaitic truth. The Advaitic truth is rational truth and scientific truth without dogmas.

The Advaitic orthodoxy is not the means to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Advaitic orthodoxy is meant for the ignorant populace that is unfit to grasp the highest truth. 

The Advaitic orthodoxy has nothing to do with the ultimate truth or Brahman. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

Sage Sankara:-All names and forms are real when seen with the Brahman (Soul) but are false when seen independent of Brahman.+

Yoga Vasistha: ~ “Even as particles of sand floating in water settle down when the water is absolutely steady, the mind of the man who has gained the knowledge of truth settles down in total peace.

Yoga Vasistha: ~ “The sun and the worlds become non-objects of perception, to those who have gone beyond the realm of objective perception and knowledge, even as lamps lose their luminosity while the mid-day sun shines.

From the standpoint of the formless Soul, the ‘Self’, the effect is non-different from the cause. However, in the realm of duality cause is different from the effect. The non-difference of the effect from the cause has to be grasped perfectly to realize from the ultimate standpoint there is neither the cause nor the effect because the cause and effect are one, in essence. That essence is consciousness.

Sage Sankara says:~ If the cause is destroyed, the effect will no longer exist. For example, if from the effect, cotton cloth, the cause, threads, are removed, there will be no cloth, i.e., the cloth is destroyed. Similarly if in the effect, thread, the cause, cotton, is removed, there will be no thread, i.e., the thread is destroyed. (Brahmasūtra Bhashya, commentary on the Brahma-sutra- (9) 2.1.9)

Despite the non-difference between cause and effect, the effect has its ‘Self’ in the cause but not the cause in the effect. The effect is of the nature of the cause and not the cause, the nature of the effect. Therefore the qualities of the effect cannot touch the cause because the cause and effect are present only when the duality is present.

The duality is present only when there is an illusion. The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. When there is no ignorance then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion then there is no duality. When there is no duality then there is no cause and effect. When there is no cause and effect then there is a non-dualistic reality.

Sage Sankara says:~ During the time of its existence, one can easily grasp that the effect is not different from the cause. However, the cause is different from the effect which is not readily understood. As to this, it is not possible to separate cause from effect. But this is possible by imagining so. For example, the reflection of the gold ornament seen in the mirror is only the form of the ornament but is not the ornament itself as it (the reflection) has no gold in it at all. All names and forms are real when seen with the Brahman but are false when seen independent of Brahman (Soul). This way the seeker of truth establishes the non-difference of the effect from the cause.

In the context of Advaita Vedanta: ~ Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman (Soul); however, Brahman (Soul) is different from Jagat.

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the Soul the innermost ‘Self’ is present in the form of consciousness.

To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana alone.'

A Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of man in his search for Truth.

The ‘Self ‘ is not the ‘I’. the 'Self' is not within the body. The ‘Self is hidden by the ‘I’. the ‘I’ is ignorance. the ‘I’ is an illusion.

Remember:~

Bhagavad Gita: ~ “You must first see the ‘I’ as illusory before you see others as illusory. ~ CH.2 v.16

The seeker has to make sure what is this ‘I’ supposed to be? The seeker has to make sure the unreal nature of the ‘I’ comes and goes to realize the truth, which is hidden by the illusory form, time, and space.

That is why Bhagavad Gita: ~ The permanent is always there, only the transient ‘I’ comes and goes. (2.18)

The ‘I’ hides the Soul, the Self, which is Brahman or God in truth.

People think the ‘I’ without the body is the Self. The seeker has to understand the fact that ‘I’ is not the Self, but the witness of the ‘I’ is the true Self, which is eternal.

That is why Ashtavakra Gita 16:10:~ If you desire liberation, but you still say "I," If you feel the ‘Self’ is the ‘I’, You are not a wise man or a seeker. You are simply a man who suffers.

People are stuck with the reality of the ‘I’, which they take 'I' as real because some Gurus have propagated that the Self is the ‘I’. is no need to convince such a mindset. The seeker of truth accepts only the truth nothing but the truth.

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.

People refuse to accept anything other than their Guru's words. For them, their Guru's words are the ultimate truth. They do not accept anything else other than their accepted truth. There is no need to convince such a mindset.

Such a mindset is not fit to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. The seekers of truth accept only the truth nothing but the uncontradictable truth. : ~ Santthosh Kumaar

When you are the false self (ego)within the false experience (waking) then what is the use of saying I AM THIS or I AM THAT.+

When you are the false self (ego)within the false experience (waking) then what is the use of saying I AM THIS or I AM THAT.

First, realize the 'Self' is not the ‘I’ but the Self is the Soul, the witness of the ‘I’. Till you hold the ‘I’ as the Self you are in the prison of ignorance.

Some gurus declared the ‘I’ as the Self in the past. Deeper self-search reveals the fact that: their teaching does not lead to the realization of the ultimate truth or Brahman, which is revealed in the clear reflection of the soulcentric reason.

All the teachings are good in the elementary stages of the pursuit of truth but in advanced stages, the seekers will find they are inadequate and useless to reach the ultimate end of understanding.

The seeker has to do his homework to understand, assimilate, and realize the Nondualistic or Advaitic truth.

People are stuck to some Gurus and their ‘I’ centric teaching gets stuck permanently to the cage of ignorance thinking their Guru is sacred and their Guru's teaching is final. Such acceptance leads only to hallucination.

You, your body, and the world in which you exist are within the dualistic illusion, which is present in the form of the ‘I’.

Realize you are not you, your body is not the body the world in which you exist is not the world but they are all made of single clay. That single clay is the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness

Those Gurus who propagated the ‘Self’ within the body are erred. This mistake has to be rectified to realize the Soul, the Self, which is present in the form of consciousness. The Soul, the Self is the fullness of consciousness.

By emotionally sticking to these ’I’-centric gurus and their teachings you will remain permanently in the domain of ignorance.

Because of ignorance, you think you are an individual separate from the world and the world existed prior to you, you are born in it later on.

The ‘I’ is inborn ignorance cause of experiencing the world in which you exist as a reality whereas the world in which you exist is a dualistic illusion.

Whatever belongs to a dualistic illusion is bound to be an illusion. So, your experience of birth, life, death, and the world is bound to be an illusion.

Everyone is holding some teaching or teacher or their accepted truth as a yardstick. All the accumulated egocentric knowledge is inadequate or useless in unfolding the mystery of the mind or universe.

The ‘I’ is inborn samskara or conditioning, and because of this inborn samskara or conditioning one has accepted the ‘I’ as the ‘‘Self’’, he is ignorant of the fact that the ‘I’ itself is the cause of ignorance.

Because of this ‘I’ he has accepted illusion as a reality. Therefore, there is a need to realize ‘What is this ‘I’?’ in actuality.

Without knowing ‘what is this ‘I’?’ in actuality it is impossible to unfold the hidden truth which is beyond the form, time, and space.

Till you hold the ‘Self ‘as the ‘I’ you will never be able to get Self-realization. ‘I’ hides the Soul, which is the Self. ‘

The ‘I’ is present only when the mind is present. Without the ‘I’ the mind ceases to exist.

The mind is present when the universe is present. Without the mind, the universe ceases to exist.

The universe is present only when the waking is present. Without the universe, the waking ceases to exist.

So, without the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking ceases to exist.

From the standpoint of the Soul is the ‘Self’, the ‘I’ the mind or universe or the waking cease exists as a reality.

The Soul is the ‘Self’ that can remain with or without the ‘I’.

Slowly but surely you must imbibe the truth, which is beyond form, time, and space by realizing that form, time and space are one in essence.

When you enthrone the Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness in your subconscious, you will realize the world in which you exist is merely an illusory play of consciousness.

Consciousness is ‘One’, and all divisions of form, time, and space are illusory. Be established in this Advaitic Truth, which is eternal.  :~Santthosh Kumaar