Without breaking away from religion and ancient traditions, it is impossible to acquire Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara.+

Religion is a prison of ignorance. People who follow religion are locked up in ignorance.

God in truth is not what people believe and worship. Gods based on blind belief or blind faith are not God in truth.

Religion belongs to the world of feeling emotions. That is why people like it. Religion changes as it appeals to different feelings and emotions. On one pole, the nude saint is admired; at the other, the gorgeously dressed Godmen is revered.

There is no use in quarreling with anyone in matters of religion. There is no need to convince people, let them hold any belief, any imagination they like in that realm. In religion, the question of truth does not arise; only the question of what they believe.

The craving for religion, the fear that not to follow its rites and dogmas will bring punishment, the inability to give up the notion of its truth even when your reason demonstrates its fallacies and absurdities are merely forms of mild obsessions, i.e. a thought constantly repeating itself’ automatically; hence it is a mental disease.

Unless you give up the ideas of heaven and hell, it is impossible to realize the Advaitic truth, which is beyond form, time, and space. The ultimate Truth must be realized here and now, in this very life. Without realizing the ultimate truth, it is not possible to consider the existence of heaven and hell as untrue.

Remember~

Mundaka Upanishad 3:2:3:- “The weak and timid cannot realize the Self. Self-realization is not possible through intellect or hearing spiritual discourse. One who welcomes God in every activity, through a thorough controlled and disciplined life, to him also the Soul is revealed

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 everyone 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, he 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, is absolutely free from all the limitations of form, time, and space

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

If the inquiry does not include the universe, then it is incomplete.

Sage Sankara gave religious rituals and dogmatic instruction to the orthodox populace, but Advaitic 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 Sankara pointed out that those rituals could in no way bring about wisdom, much less Moksha.

Manduka Upanishad has no assumptions whatsoever. It is an honest and bold inquiry into truth. It rises above scripture.

Manduka Upanishad:~ Reality and illusion together make Brahman: nothing can be left out.

Manduka Upanishad:~ Reality and illusion together make Brahman: nothing can be left out.

 Manduka Upanishad:~ Only a few will be able to understand and assimilate it 

Manduka Upanishad is not meant for all, as it is based entirely on reasoning.

Look into the nature of the universe. And you will be able to see that the universe, by its very nature, is illusory. The moment you understand that the universe is illusory, ignorance disappears and Self-awareness arises.

Self-awareness is the state of non-dual reality. That is the state of Advaita.

People never realize non-dualistic awareness through religion and yoga.

Self-awareness arises only by mentally transcending the dualistic illusion into non-dualistic reality. 

Remember:~

First, the seeker must inquire into the nature of the three states to realize that they 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 (Soul or Atman). Atman is Brahman.

The seeker should not shut his eyes to the nature of the three states because they are a mere mirage 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 a distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than the invisible Soul, the Self.

The three states have no independent existence. The Soul, which is present in the form of consciousness alone, has real existence. The three states are a mere illusion created out of consciousness.

Without breaking away from religion and ancient traditions, it is impossible to acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. Religion and tradition will keep the invisible Soul locked in the prison of ignorance.

The modern generation has superior intelligence; they will not accept the belief-based dogmas and religious truth based on imagination. The modern generation will arrive at the Advaitic truth by pure reason.

Sage Sankara believed that those of superior intelligence have no need of this idea of divine causality, and can therefore dispense with Shruti and arrive at the truth of Non-Dualism by pure reason. :~Santthosh Kumaar