Preaching and teaching is not wisdom, but by very careful reasoning, the seeker has to determine the nature of reality. Thinking in right direction alone helps seekers determine the nature of reality.
The sugar cannot know itself its sweetness. The true self without ignorance is without the experience of duality or illusion. Thus, one has to base on the sugar not on its sweetness. Without the sugar, there is no sweetness. Similarly, without consciousness, the three states cease to exist as reality.
Seeker of truth is in the in the quest of the knowledge of ever being conscious of eternality of one Self, and understanding, assimilating and realizing it inextricably linked to the what constitute bondage and liberation.
Non-attachment for the three states is freedom or liberation from experiencing the illusory birth, life, death, and world as reality. Love for practical life within the practical world is bondage.
By deeper thinking and realizing the self is not the form but self is formless consciousness and mentally shifting the attention from the objectified subject to the formless subject, which is consciousness the inner most self.
By realizing the invisible consciousness is the ultimate truthf, one realizes consciousness alone exists; the three states are merely an illusion created out of consciousness. Thus, the three states are unreal created out of consciousness, which alone is real.
The one who discriminates between the Real and the unreal, whose focus of attention is turned away from the illusory physical existence, who possesses calmness, and who is longing for freedom from experiencing the illusion as reality, is alone considered qualified to take the path of reason.
People who are yearning for spiritual truth will not find it through intellectual speculation and assumption. Intellectual truth is individual truth. Love implies duality, and love is individual feelings within the falsehood.
Love is necessary and valuable in the state of ignorance but it is not the means to acquire wisdom. Love is a religious tool to lead life in practical world. And Religious truth is individual truth and it is not universal truth because the religion is based on individuality.
It becomes difficult for the orthodox cult to accept anything else as truth other than their accepted belief, which they hold as truth. Although all religious followers are participants alike in the spiritual endeavour of the world, overzealous followers of each religion are not prepared to accord equal status to other faiths and assert the superiority of their own.
Thus, universal brotherhood is a total impossibility because it is difficult to accept anything other than their inherited belief system.
Most of the pundits are egoic and they try to snub others who question them. They think they are unquestionable authority. They quote the citation from the scriptuers as proof without verifying the validity. All punditry is a great obstacle in realizing the Advaitic truth expounded by the Sage Sankara and Sage Goudapada.
One finds lots of differences between Adavita preaching and practice. There is need to bifurcate religion, concept of god and scriptures from Adavitic philosophy to assimilate the essence of Adavita.
Sage Sankara says in Brahma Sutras: that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Manduka Upanishad he denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed.
Sage Sankara himself has warned us not to use ambiguous words and to practice semantic analysis in his book "Definition of one's own Self. [" Page 199, v.24 of "Sankara's Selected Works]
Sage Sankara founded his Advaita Vedanta either on reason independent of sruti or on sruti confirmed by reason." Sage Sankara's commentary on the Manduka Upanishad, II, 1: This [the unreality of duality] is borne out by the Srutis ... But it is possible also to show the unreality of the object world even from pure reasoning, and this second chapter is undertaken for that purpose.
Sage Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti, or revealed scripture. This may be because Sage Sankara addressed the ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed that those of superior intelligence have no need of this idea of divine causality and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason.
Nonduality does not need the support of any Scripture or Revelation like the Veda. For it is based not upon the varying theological fancies, which are as numerous as the sands of the sea, but upon reason, the common heritage of all mankind, irrespective of colour or creed or clime.
When Upanishad itself says: sarvam khalvidam brahma - All this (universe) is verily Brahman. By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality [ Chandogya Upanishad].
Then it is no use going roundabout way, trace the Brahman which is the formless substance and witness of the universe, which is in the form of mind. By tracing the source of the mind or universe one will be able to realize the Brahman.
Thus, self-knowledge is meant only for those who have an intense urge and courage to accept the truth with humility and reject the untruth. Since people start comparing with their scriptural knowledge, it becomes impossible to assimilate and realize the non-dual truth. Therefore, there is no need to convince anyone other than our own selves to get the firm conviction.
Sage Gaudapada says:- the merciful Veda teaches karma and upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
So they clearly indicate rituals and theories are not meant for those who are searching for higher knowledge or wisdom.
All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and immerse themselves in a ritualistic-oriented lifestyle and preach theoretical philosophies, which are obstacles in realizing the Advaitic truth. Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good to learn the conceptual Advaita meant for those orthodox who believe their conduct-oriented lifestyle leads to liberation. But those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework to acquire Self-knowledge. :~ Santthosh Kumaar
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