Any differences that we might imagine to exist between the *advaita* taught
by Sri Ramana and that taught by Sri Adi Sankara exist only in our
understanding of their teachings, and not in the non-dual truth that they
actually taught. One of the principal causes of our failure to recognise
the essential oneness of the non-dual truth taught by all true sages or
*jnanis* lies not in their teachings but only in the so-called
"traditional" interpretation of their teachings. If we have read and
understood the teachings of Sri Ramana correctly, and if we then read the
teachings of Sri Adi Sankara and other ancient sages, we can clearly
recognise the truth that those ancient sages taught the same means as Sri
Ramana, namely the practice of *atma-vichara* or 'self-enquiry'. For
example, in verse 11 of *Vivekachudamani*, which I have quoted and
explained on page 429 of my book, *Happiness and the Art of Being*
<https://www.sriramanateachings.org/happiness_art_being.html>, Sri Adi
Sankara says: Action [*karma*] is [prescribed only] for [achieving]
*chitta-suddhi* [purification of mind] and not for [attaining]
*vastu-upalabdhi* [direct knowledge or experience of the reality, the true
substance or essence, which is absolute being]. The attainment of [this
non-dual experience of] the reality [can be achieved only] by *vichara* and
not at all by [even] ten million actions.
From this verse, it is clear not only that Sri Sankara taught that
*vichara* or 'investigation' is the only means by which we can attain the
non-dual experience of true self-knowledge, but also that such *vichara* is
not any form of action. What is this action-free practice of *vichara* or
'investigation'? So long as our attention is directed towards anything
other than our own self or essential being, it assumes the form of a
thought or mental activity. Therefore the only form of attention or
'investigation' (*vichara*) which is not an action is self-attention, that
is, attention or consciousness that rests in itself, its own essential
being or 'am'-ness.
This is the practice of *atma-vichara* or 'self-enquiry' that was
taught both by Sri Sankara and by Sri Ramana as the sole means by which we
can attain non-dual self-knowledge. In other words, since our goal is
non-dual self-consciousness, the only means by which we can attain it is to
cultivate or practise the same non-dual self-consciousness, which is not a
state of action or 'doing', but only a state of just being (*summa iruppadu*).
Meditation upon a *mahavayka* such as 'I am *brahman*' is an action, a
process of thinking or imagination (*bhavana*), and hence it can never lead
us to the non-dual state of just being. Such meditation may help to
strengthen our conviction that we are *brahman*, the absolute reality, but
once we are convinced of this truth we should give up attending to the
thought 'I am *brahman*' and should instead attend only to our own
essential being, our non-dual self-consciousness 'I am'.
Advaitham was explained by me on several occasions. ADVAAILTHAM
CONFIRMS ALL BUT ONE ARE MAYA. ALL ONE SEES PERCEIEVES SMELLS TOUCHES AND
SENSED, ARE MERE MANIFESTATIONS FROM THAT ONE BRAHMAM. MAYA IN UNREAL AS
LONG AS ONE IS DWELLING IN DUALITY. MAYA IS REAL, ONCE REALISATION SETS IN.
WHO AM I IS THE INQUIRY. ADISHANKARA SPEAKS IN VIVEKA CHOODAMANI IN DETAIL
WHICH RAMANA SPEAKS IN “WHO AM I” . PEOPLE WHO DID NOT UNDERSTAND MAYA
PRONOUNCED AS SRI RAMANUJA DID ADI SHANKARA AS A BUDDHIST, PRONOUNCED
RAMANA AS ATHEIST -BUDDIST. K RAJARAM IRS 19526
On Tue, 19 May 2026 at 11:41, Venkatachalam Subramanian <
[email protected]> wrote:
> https://youtu.be/-cxARmxyB_I?si=xWNBU8u9KbUZF-Ws
>
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