Formless path is for understanding the Self and the world in a different way

Seeker of truth has to understand, assimilate and constantly reflect on fact that, the soul is the true self. However, "believing in" doctrines about non dualism is not the point of formless path.

Formless path is for understanding the Self and the world in a different way. Scriptures are not meant to be accepted on blind faith. The seeker of truth should not be idolatrous about or bound to any scriptures, theory, or ideology. Formless path is the guiding means; one finds the absolute truth" when he verifies through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the base of the soul as self.

The absolute truth cannot be contained in words and concepts. Thus, merely believing in words and concepts is not the formless path. There is no point in believing in reincarnation/rebirth, for example. Rather, one has to indulge in deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the base of the soul, which is the true self, in order to realize a self not subject to birth, life and death.

To say that doctrines and teachings shouldn't be accepted on blind faith. They are important for religionists. Formless path is like maps to follow on a spiritual journey, or a boat to carry the seekers across a river. Meditation or mantra or rituals and prayers are pointless in pursuit of truth. But for the beginners in pursuit of truth they have a real impact on their life and outlook.

Pursuit of truth is not to accept any belief blindly without verification. Over the centuries religionists have developed diverse schools with distinctive, and sometimes contradictory, doctrines. Often one might read that "one school of thought believe" such and such a thing, when in fact that doctrine belongs only to one school and not to all of other schools of thought.

To compound confusion further, throughout world one can find a kind of folk Belief system in which the Sage/Saints /God men and other iconic characters from religious literature are believed to be divine beings who can hear prayers and grant wishes. Clearly, most people are with beliefs. Focusing on those beliefs will teach them little about the ultimate truth, however.

If one wants to know and assimilate the ultimate truth, he has to put aside all assumptions. Put aside assumptions about belief system, and then assumptions about religion. Put aside assumptions about the nature of the self, of reality, of existence. Keep himself open to new understanding. Whatever beliefs he holds, hold in an open mind and not with preconceived ideas, and see where it takes him.

BIRTH, LIFE AND DEATH ARE HAPPENINGS WITHIN THE MIND.

If one wishes to free his-self from the illusory state of cycle of birth, life and death, which is present as mind, he must awaken to non dual truth, which is hidden within the mind as its invisible substance and witness.

The birth, life and death are happening within the waking experience [mind]. They cease to exist without the mind. It is erroneous to seek truth on the base of 'I'. `I' is the false base, and keeps one in the web of duality. In the clutches of waking experience [duality], he will only able to view and judge the truth, on the physical base, and will be unable to cross the boundaries of the waking experience[ mind or duality].

Since people are unable to cross the boundaries of the waking experience [mind], because they are conditioned to view and judge on the base of 'I' which is the false self. The 'I' base ceases to exist without physicality. Thus 'I' is not the permanent entity. Therefore, it is necessary to know the eternal identity in order to realize the mind is mere illusion.

If one becomes aware of the fact that mind is mere illusion then he becomes aware of the fact that birth, life and death are also illusion, because they are within the mind.

FORMLESS PATH

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To what do these three states relate? It does not relate the physical entity within the waking/dream. The physical entity is not the self, and the physical entity exists within the waking and dream. Therefore, how the physical entity, which is present only in waking/dream, can be the self. The self is that, which is aware of the three states, which appears and disappears in succession. The sense of ‘I’ rises only when the body with the name identified as self within the false experience.
The realization of the self beyond all dualities, as the soul has no attributes. This self-awareness is reached through relentless uncompromising inquiry and reasoning. By the three states and witness analysis, the three states are absorbed and are merged in the witness consciousness, which is the soul/spirit. When the individual identity is lost, a state of universal mental mode of awareness is reached.
He who mistakes ‘I’ as self will never reach the end of the journey. It is very difficult to accept these facts because everyone is viewing and judging the truth on the base of false self within the false experience. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the fact that, the waking entity is not the self, but the soul is the true self. The soul /self is aware of the three states. Therefore, it is necessary to judge the truth on the base of the soul, in order to assimilate and realize the ultimate truth/Brahman.

FORMLESS PATH

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The individual god, religion are based on the false self [‘I’] within the false experience. On the base of true self [soul] neither man nor the world, nor the individual god exists. Only the soul, which is in the form of spirit prevail as ultimate truth. Therefore, religion, god, and scriptures are not helpful in realizing the truth. They are greatest obstacle in pursuit of truth. The one which witness is the falsehood as a whole is not the waking entity but the soul.
Seeking mind has to reject all thoughts mentally except the thoughts of the formless witness and the three states. One finds it hard in the beginning. However, with patience and perseverance, the subconscious become receptive and it starts accepting the truth naturally and spontaneously.
The religion, concept of god and scriptures are part of the illusion. The mind has to merge in the soul. This is possible when one becomes aware of the fact that mind and soul are one in essence. Thus, one has to make sure mind is created out of soul and mind is mere mirage. Once one becomes aware of the fact that mind is myth then the birth, life and death which takes place within the mirage bound to be myth. By assimilating this truth, the one comes out of the inherited conviction of cycle of birth, life and death and frees from inherited physical conditionings.
Jnana is given neither from outside nor from another person. It can be realized by each and everyone in his own Heart. The jnana Guru of everyone is only the Supreme Self that is always revealing its own truth in every Heart through the being-consciousness 'I am, I am.' The granting of true knowledge by him is initiation into jnana. The grace of the Guru is only that Self-awareness that is one's own true nature. It is the inner consciousness by which he is unceasingly revealing his existence. This divine upadesa is always going on naturally in everyone."

-Sri Ramana Maharshi

Formless Path

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Seeking mind has to establish itself in the conviction that the soul is the true self and all the three states are mere illusion on the standpoint of the soul/self. The soul is the formless substance and witness of the three states. The three states are unreal thus; their reality is reality within the illusion.
An astrological chart is based on the false self within the false experience. It gives a few clues about people's destiny within the falsehood.
The truth is, the soul/self is above the stars and planets, beyond their influence; the soul is free, all-powerful.
When the seeing mind come to firm conviction that the soul is the true self and constantly reflects on the formless nondual nature of the soul/self , it is certainly possible exist without identification with the physical existence.
By grasping the truth hidden within the three states and realizing, the fact that the formless substance of the three states itself is the witness of the three states. No scriptural authority is needed to know the truth, other then knowing:
• “What is the mind?”
• “What is the substance of the mind?”

There is no need to condemn religion, god and scriptures but seeker has to realize they are not the means to self-knowledge.

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To assimilate the “Self-Knowledge” it takes steady, unceasing zeal. Nobody can teach that that zeal. One has to develop that himself. "One can take a horse to water but he cannot make him drink." Yet when the horse is thirsty, it seeks out water with zeal. So, when one has an immense thirst for knowing the truth, when he will not give undue importance to the experience of duality --then it will starts revelling on it own.
Nirkara
By focusing attention on the soul/self, one finds the nondual tranquillity. By learning to view and judge the three states on the standpoint of the soul/self, one finds freedom from experiencing duality as reality. By firm conviction of the truth, one goes beyond the experience of duality. By realzing, the soul is self, one finds the end of the way.
Nirakara

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The whole ignorance is due to the self is considering itself as physical entity and perceiving the world. When the self is the formless soul, how the physical entity/ego can be the self. Therefore it is necessary to decide, whether the physical entity /ego is the self or something other then the physical entity/ego is the self, in order to unfold the ultimate truth.
The witness is not the physical entity but the one that witnesses the waking or dream as the whole, which appear, and disappears as a whole. Thus, the individual experiences are part of the waking and dream cannot be real on the standpoint of the soul, which is permanent.
In order to overcome the duality, the seeking mind has to reflect steadfastly to the nature of the mind, to realize the mind is mere mirage. Therefore, the happenings within the mirage have to be part of the mirage. Thus, individual experiences such as birth, life and death has to be the part of the mirage. Constant reflection on the formless witness helps the seeking mind to divert its attention from the physical existence to its formless existence.
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All the accumulation of physical based knowledge and physical activities are the cause of the impurity of the self. Mind means impurity. Purity means the soul/self in its formless nondual nature.

Purification of the mind means discarding the physicality. Mind cannot be purified through yoga, religious rituals or intellectual thinking or scriptural studies but realizing the fact that the physical entity /ego is not the self ,and also knowing what is mind and what is the substance of the mind. The physical existence that appears as waking or dream sustained due to physical attention. Once the attention of the soul/self is in itself, the physical existence disappears. In deep sleep, the attention of the soul/self is on itself, therefore, there is no duality. Thus, there is a need to know the waking entity is not the self but the true self is the one, which witnesses the three states. Deep sleep is not the self, but the knower of the three states is the true self. The nature of the true self is like deep sleep.
By becoming conscious of the formless witness of the three states leads to self-realization. Self-knowledge frees the seeking mind from experiencing duality as reality.
Self—knowledge is the direct and infallible means of being aware of the ever-present and all enveloping the soul/self. The experience of duality is caused by the ignorance of the soul/self. Self-knowledge is only sure antidote. Through self-knowledge, the seeking mind is able to focus its attention on the very source from where the mind rises and subsides.
Self-knowledge is the potent tool to live a life, which is free from the illusion of birth, life and death. Self-knowledge validity will remain untouched by time. The entire search ends when one assimilates the self-knowledge. The self-knowledge helps to replaces, envelops and fills the space occupied by the illusory physical existence. That is, it helps to realize mind is created out of spirit, sustained by spirit and finally it dissolves as spirit.
Holding the physical body/ego as self is an error, which has to be rectified before proceeding in deeper in pursuit of truth. It is no use of wasting time in physical based accumulated knowledge. The inquiry on the physical base will not yield any fruits. Until and unless the seeking base is rectifies from form to formless it is difficult o understand and assimilate the nondual truth.
People are stuck with their inherited accumulated ideas, and they refuse to verify the validity of their belief. Deeper inquiry revels the fact that, neither the body, nor the’ I’ is the true self. Therefore, it is necessary to find the true self , then base everything on the true self and judge the truth on the base of the true self.
On the base of the physical entity/ego, it is impossible to assimilate the self-knowledge. There is no use of searching for truth in religion and religion based realities or physical based meaning of life. The fundamental error is taking the ‘I’ as self and viewing judging the three states on the base of the ‘I’, which is the false self, within the false experience.