Advaita of Adi Shankaracharya

Advaita of Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya was an exponent of Advaita Vedanta philosophy which is expounded in the following shloka:
                         ब्रह्म सत्यं जगत् मिथ्या जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः
(Brahman is the only truth, the world is illusory, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self)
 
Adi Shankaracharya was born in 8th century in Kaladi village of Kerala and lived for 32 years. He composed commentaries on the more than 250 Vedic texts (Brahma Sutras, Geeta, Principal Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Vishnushstrnam, Lalitatristi, Vivikcudamani etc.). Vivekcudamani expounds the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. As per Advaita Vedanta philosophy, there are two realities: Vyavaharika (empirical reality, Maya) and Paramarthika (absolute, spiritual Reality, Brahman). Maya create a bondage to the empirical world, preventing the unveiling of the true Self (Real, Atman, Brahman). The major highlights of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy are mentioned as under:

1. These are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God – namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and the protecting care of a perfected sage.
2. The blissful self (Real, Atman, Jiva, Soul) is encased into non-real. The non-real is the gross, subtle and causal bodies which are superimpositions upon the Atman. These bodies are active in waking state, dream state and profound sleep state respectively. In waking state, gross body is active. In dream state, Buddhi takes on the role of the agent and the like, owing to various latent impressions of the waking state, while the Atman witness of everything, and is not touched by the least work that Buddhi does. In the profound sleep, there is cessation of all kinds of perception and bliss of Atman is experienced. Brahdarnayaka, Chandogya, Kausitaki and other Upanishads mentioned this. Brhadaranyaka (4.3.22) says – in the state of profound sleep, the person becomes “untouched by merits and untouched by demerits, for he is then beyond all the afflictions of the heart.” It is cited in shruti that the experience of Susupti state as an illustration of the liberated state, which is the real state of the Atman, beyond all misery. The non-real is derivatives of the Prakriti.
3. The gross body formed of seven ingredients, namely marrow, bones, fat, blood, skin and cuticle. It is produced by one's past actions out of the gross elements formed by the union of the subtle elements with each other, and is the medium of experience for the soul.
4. The subtle body (Suksma Sarrira, linga body) consists of seventeen things - five sensory organs, five motor organs, five Pranas (or according to some five tanmantras), manas and buddhi (intellect). The inner organ (Antahkarana) is called Manas, Buddhi, ego or Chitta, according to their respective functions: Manas, from its considering the pros and cons of a thing; Buddhi, from its property of determining the truth of objects; the ego, from its identification with this body as one's own self & becomes doer or experiencer of happiness & misery; and Chitta, from its function of remembering things it is interested in. Ego reflects “I am doer” which is false image of real “I” i.e. Self.  
5. The causal body (Karana Sarira) consists of Nescience (ignorance).
6. These three bodies make up five koshas or sheaths – Annamay (matter), Pranamy (Prana or force), Manomay (manas), Vijnanamy (intellect) and Annandamay (Bliss). Atman is beyond these.
7. The root of these three bodies is Prakriti which has three attributes viz. sattva, rajas and tamas. The undifferentiated – perfectly balanced state of three gunas, is not manifested in universe. Only when this balance is disturbed, then evolution begins.        Shri Krishna in chapter 14 of Bhagavad Gita has lucidly explained the attributes of three gunas. Inactivity such dullness, lethargy, sleep, stupidity, Hypocrisy, arrogance, prides and anger, harshness and ignorance, are the attributes of tamas. Ignorance binds the soul. The rajas element is of the nature of passion which draws the person to action. It binds the soul through attachment to actions and their fruit. By overpowering Sattva and Tamas, Rajas prevails. Rajas expresses as dynamism, passion, anger, lust, arrogance, egoism, greed, the accusing others, extreme sternness, discontent, fierceness, attachment and like. The attributes of sattva are sublimity, contentment, forgiveness, fortitude, external purity, bearing enmity to none i.e. absence of hatred, absence of fickleness (indecisiveness), Vigour, and absence of self-esteem/pride, perfect purity of mind, uprightness of mind as well as of the body and senses, absolute fearlessness, constant fixity in the Yoga of meditation and knowledge for the sake of Self-realization and liberation. Tamas is destroyed by Rajas & Tamas; Rajas is destroyed by Sattva and sattva by pure (Brahman).
8. The Atman is ever blissful and never suffers misery. This subtle body is the instrument for all activities of the Atman. Atman is neither born nor dies; neither grows nor decays; nor does It undergo any change, eternal. It does not cease to exist even when this body is destroyed, as It is independent.  Sixth chapter of Chandogya Upanishad has explained identity of Jiva and Brahman. In the dictum “Tat-Tvam-Asi”, Tat denotes Brahman and Tvam denote It means the Atman, is wholly or partially identifiable or identical with Brahman.
9. Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute), infinity, pure, supreme, self-existent, eternal and not different from individual soul and devoid of interior and exterior. It is ever triumphant. Whatever is manifested, namely this universe, is the supreme Brahman Itself, the real, one without a second, taintless, devoid of beginning & end, beyond activity, beyond pain, indivisible, immeasurable formless, undifferentiated, nameless, immutable, self-luminous.
10. The subtle body is possessed of latent impressions and causes the soul to experience the fruits of its past life actions (Prarabdha). It is a beginning-less superimposition on the soul brought on by its own ignorance. These impressions (vasanas) are the cause of transmigration. Selfish work, dwelling on the sense-objects and hankering after them, augment transmigration. Karma (Actions) is of three types viz. Prarabdha (results of past actions already initiated in current life), Sanchita (accumulated actions over several lives) and Agami (upcoming actions). The body is fashioned as per Prarabdha karma.
11. Sense objects are even more virulent in their evil effects than the poison of the cobra. If indeed one has a craving for Liberation, he should spurn sense-objects, and always cultivate carefully the virtues of contentment, compassion, forgiveness, straight-forwardness, calmness and self-control.
12. Bondage is identification of the blissful self (Atman) with the body, which is solely due to ignorance or avidya. Ignorance is not outside mind. The mind alone is cause of ignorance or liberation. Ignorance leads to desire which in turn impels us to action, entailing countless sufferings. Bondage cannot be destroyed but by discriminatory knowledge, sharpened by grace of God, in purified mind through sadhana & Bhakti. When all the five sheaths have been eliminated, the self appears – pure, the essence of everlasting and unalloyed bliss. One has to strive personally by “all the means” to be free from bondage caused by fetters of ignorance.
13. The qualified aspirant of liberation from re-births & bondages needs to possess calmness, aversion of all perishable things & enjoyment of fruits & its allied six virtues, able to discriminate between real (Brahman) & unreal (prakriti) and who is longing for liberation (Mumuksuta). The six virtues are Sama (calmness), Dama (Self-control from sense organs & organs of actions), Uparati (self-withdrawal of mind from external objects), Titiksha or Forbearance (bearing of all afflictions without caring to redress them), Shraddha (full faith in instructions of scriptures and Guru) and Samadhana (constant concentration of intellect on Brahman). One should relinquish the observance of social formalities and too much body-consciousness. Cease to identify oneself with the family, lineage, name, form, order of life, post, wealth and like which pertains to rotten corpse. 
14. The means of liberation are dispassion (Vairagya), Shraddha (bhakti), discriminating knowledge (between Purusa & prakriti) and Meditation. But none, if practiced mechanically will get clear illumination. The study of the scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest truth is known. One cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of word Brahman. Constantly revolving on the positive thoughts, “I am That” conquer the identification with the non-self. Dispassion and discrimination are like two wings of a bird. When the sense-objects excite no more desire, then is the culmination of dispassion. The result of dispassion is knowledge which leads to the experience of the bliss of the self. One, who has got a steady illumination and wholly merged in Brahman, enjoys eternal bliss and is liberated in this very life.
15. There is no Liberation without the realization of one’s identity with the Atman. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (2.4.2) says – Neither by rituals, nor by progeny, nor by riches, but by renunciation alone some attained immortality. Bhagavad Gita (6.4) says – when one is attached neither to sense-objects nor to actions, and has given up all desires, then he is said to be Yogarudha or to have ascended to Yoga-path. The realization is neither by bathing in the sacred rivers, nor by donations, nor by Pranayamas. These & other techniques mentioned in scriptures leads to purification of mind only. Then the Truth flashes itself. As the mind becomes gradually established in the self, it proportionately gives up desires for external objects. Person of realization have no food anxiety or humiliation, no requirement of particular conditions; they roam in the avenue of the Vedanta; while their pastime is in the Supreme Brahman.
16. The realization of blissful self during the life time is the Nirvikalpa state of mind, in which there is no distinction between subject (Atman) and object. It is superconscious state. Taittiriya Upanishad (2.7) declares that there is fear for one who sees the least bit of distinction. Brhadaranyaka (1.4.2) affirms that so long as there is second, there is fear. Katha Upanishad (1.2.13) pronounces that one should ascend higher and higher, restraining successively the sense-activities and mental activities, from gross to fine, till at last one is lost in Samadhi.

 
Reference: Sri Sankaracarya’s Vivekacudamani by Svami Madhavananda