Advaita Vedanta

Tom, please can you explain verse 32 of Ulladu Narpadu (40 verses on Reality, a text written by Sri Ramana Maharshi)? The vedas have declared ‘Thou art That’ | Self-Enquiry | Tat Tvam Asi

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Questioner: Hi Tom, can you please explain verse 32 of Ulladu Narpadu (40 verses on Reality, a text written by Sri Ramana Maharshi)?

When the Vedas have declared, ‘Thou art That’ – not to seek and find the nature of the Self and abide in It, but to think ‘I am That, not This’ is want of strength. Because, That abides forever as the Self.

Sri Ramana Maharshi, Ulladu Narpadu, Verse 32

Tom: The idea is that we should turn within and discover what we truly are by inwardly and intuitively going towards the sense of ‘I’. When we go within in this way (this is also called self-enquiry) our mind becomes increasingly withdrawn and we start to discover, and eventually do discover, what we actually are: the formless, eternal, birthless, deathless Spirit that is devoid of objectivity, multiplicity, ego and suffering.

If instead of discovering what we truly are, we remain extroverted, sensing and perceiving objects and multiplicity, and merely repeat or think to ourselves ‘I am that’ or ‘all is already one’ or something like this, then we are fooling and deceiving ourselves, and we are weak and uncourageous, for we are not applying ourselves and developing true bravery or strength, which is turning within, away from the world, to discover our actual nature.

🙏

Does Sravana alone lead to liberation? Or are Manana and Nididhyasana also required for Self-Realisation or Jnana? Advaita Vedanta | Swami Satchitanandendra Saraswati (SSS) | Shankara Advaita

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Sravana means hearing the teachings. Manana means contemplating upon the teachings. Nididhyasana means meditating upon the Self or placing one’s attention onto the Self in order to discover its true nature. Together these three traditionally sum up the method or process of self-realisation according to Vedanta teachings.

However…

1) There are some that say that Sravana alone leads to self-realisation, and that Manana and Nididhyasana are ancilary practices to just remove the blocks and purify/ripen the mind and ready it for Sravana, and that Sravana is the liberating factor.

2) There are some that say Sravana is just an initial teaching to allow Nididhyasana to finally occur and it is Nididhyasana that is the primary sadhana (spiritual practice) that allows liberation to arise.

This is further confounded as there are scriptural verses in support of both of the above visions of the teachings.

eg.

‘Thus only is It realised-when these means, viz. hearing, reflection and meditation, have been gone through. When these three are combined, then only true realisation of the unity of Brahman is accomplished, not otherwise – by hearing alone.’

~ Shankara’s commentary on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.5

and seemingly contradicting this is the following:

‘for highly qualified aspirants, [self-] knowledge can arise even from mere listening to the teachings.’

~ Shankara’s commentary of Brahma Sutra 4.1.2

Swami Satchitanandendra Saraswati’s (SSS’s) view on this

Swami Satchitanandendra Saraswati (SSS) in his many books on the teachings of Vedanta and on Shankara’s commentaries makes the following observation, namely that either Sravana, Manana or Nididhyasana can be the direct causes of liberation (ie. direct cause of removing ignorance), depending on the level of maturity of the (apparent) mind of the seeker. For those interested, Sri Ramana Maharshi says the same here, and also goes further to explain how this can be the case and also how both of the above scriptural passages do not actually contradict each other.

Here is SSS writing in the Appendix of his book ‘The Salient Features of Sankara’s Vedanta‘ on page 82:

6. Sravana (study of sacred revelation), Manana (reflective thinking) and Nididhyasana (concentrated contemplation), are all means for realizing Atman. Highly developed souls, however, who can immediately grasp the true meaning of the Vedic teaching, do not stand in need of any additional effort.

Not taking this principle into account is responsible for the divergence of opinion among commentators of Sankara Bhashya [Tom: Shankara’s commentaries] about the relation of Sravana and Nididhyasana. Of these, some aver that Sravana is the principal means and the other two are only ancillary to it; while others insist that nididhyasana is the one means to direct realization and without it mere Sravana would be of no avail.

7. Sravana and the other means [Tom: ie. manana and nididhyasana] are enjoined only in so far as they turn the seeker inwards and direct him to stay his mind on Atman, but the resultant knowledge is no object of any injunction. [Tom: ie. Sravana, manana and nididhyasana all have their intended effect of self-realisation by turning the seeker’s attention towards the Self, but that the Self that is subsequently realised as truth cannot itself be caused or created by any spitirual practice or effort or action, ie. the Self is uncaused and uncreated]

Those who cannot distinguish between the’ effort required for Sravana, etc, and the resultant knowledge in each case, have made it a matter for controversy whether or not ‘srotavyah’ [Tom: lit ‘that which is (to be) heard’, ie. scripture] and similar texts constitute true injunctions. Some of them maintain that these are all injunctions while others insist that they are seemingly injunctions in form but are really statements of fact. Some even think that they are merely eulogistic statements. [Tom: ie. because Shankara says actions or karma cannot lead to liberation or Jnana, there is argument about the ontological status of whether or not the 3 sadhanas of sravana, manana and nididyasana are karmas or not. In truth we should know that the Self is not a product of any action, but that the sadhana is an action that occurs in the phenomenal world of maya, and so if we discern properly between these 2 there is no real conflict.]

8. Manana refers to the type of reasoning suggested by the Sruti itself conducive to experience. Hence the term ‘experience’ here should be understood to mean the supersensuous intuition [Tom: ie. Self knowledge] which results from our enquiry which takes in one sweep the whole field possible of whatever is knowable.

From this the reader has to understand that use might be made of ordinary reasoning also in so far as it is conformable to the reasoning suggested by the Sruti. Advaitins do try to disclose the hollowness of other systems according to the course of reasoning accepted by themselves. But Advaita itself cannot be established by means of pure logical ratiocination. People who are not aware of this fact, often try to apply speculation or inferences based upon partial experiences to Vedanta also. Others condemn all reasoning and affirm that reasoning is of no use in matters taught by the Sruti. So they interpret Sruti according to their own predilection and place their own convictions before seekers as the final Vedantic truth.

9. Nididhyasana is that kind of spiritual discipline by means of which one concentrates one’s mind on the subtle principle, Atman. At the end of this discipline, one becomes conscious of the fact that the mind itself is a superimposition on Atman. Then the mind becomes no mind, that is to say, it is realized essentially as Atman himself.

How to actually do neti neti for self-realisation and liberation | Advaita Vedanta | Buddhism

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Unless the correct meaning of the scriptures is understood, it will not lead to liberation, and the mind will remain forever floundering in scriptural concepts.

Neti neti is the way, removing attention from non-self is the way, but how to do it?

If this is not understood, then liberation will not ensue.

See here, where Sri Ramana Maharshi once again shines a clarifying light upon the true meaning of the scriptures and how to put them into effect:

Sri Ramana Maharshi on the importance of the Guru and power of Satsang | How to get the most out of Satsang | Silence and satsang | Paul Brunton

~ Tom Das ~ 1 Comment

This is one of a series of introductory articles – please see the homepage of tomdas.com for more introductory articles.

The importance and power of satsang

The following are the first 5 verses of a composition by Sri Ramana Maharshi, all on the topic of ‘the company of sages’:

1. In the company of sages, attachment vanishes; and with attachment, illusion. Freed from illusion, one attains stability, and thence liberation while yet alive. Seek therefore the company of sages. (from Bhajagovindam, the “Mohamudagaram Hymn,” by Shankaracharya)

2. Not by listening to preachers, nor by study of books, not by meritorious deeds nor by any other means can one attain that Supreme State, which is attainable only through association with the sages and the clear quest of the Self. (a verse from the Yoga Vasishta, 5 – 12 – v.17)

3. When one has learned to love the company of sages, wherefore all these rules of discipline? When a pleasant, cool southern breeze is blowing, what need is there for a fan? (a verse from the Yoga Vasishta)

4. Fever is overcome by the cool light of the moon; want, by the good wish-yielding tree; and sin by the Holy Ganges. Those three – fever and want and sin – all flee at the august sight of the peerless sage. (Subhashita Ratna Bhandargara, chapt. 3, v. 6)

5. Holy rivers, which are only water, and idols, which are made of stone and clay, are not as mighty as the sages. For while they make one pure in course of countless days, the sage’s eyes by a mere glance purify at once. (from Srimad Bhagavatam, chapt. 48, v. 31, tenth canto)

~ above verses are taken from the Supplement to the 40 verses on Reality by Sri Ramana Maharshi. In these specific verses, rather than writing new verses himself, he incorporated verses from traditional scriptures (source given in brackets). You can read the original text in full here.

How to gain from satsang: Silence and Satsang

Questioner: I want to ask a question. May I do so?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes, what question? You said you had read Paul Brunton’s book ‘The Secret Path’. Read it a thousand times — Paul Brunton has expressed me correctly; then why do you not practice it? Turn to page 73 and see if you don’t find an answer to your question in paragraph 2 [see later in the post for this text].

Silence is never-ending speech. Vocal speech obstructs silent speech. More things are achieved by silence and more thoughts are conveyed by silence to a wider world. Oral questions and answers may appear to benefit the questioner and a few listeners in this hall, but actually they obstruct, delay and interrupt the silent communication of thought-waves to thousands of spiritual aspirants all over the world.

So many sadhaks who come to me for inquiry and elucidation would amply benefit themselves and others by sitting before me silently — absolutely speechless. The greatest and most effective forces are those which are invisible, such as the ether or electricity. Any query you desire to make, ask your own mind or thought — you will, readily find the answer there. The most effective help is with silence.

– above dialogue taken from the book ‘Conscious Immortality’

In the above dialogue Sri Ramana Maharshi referred to page 73 paragraph 2 of Paul Brunton’s book ‘The Secret Path’, which you can read here:

Only in deep silence may we hear the voice of the soul; argument but beclouds it and too much speech stops its appearance. When you have caught your fish you may share it, but while you are angling for it, talk breaks the spell and frightens the fish away. If we could occupy ourselves less with the activities of the larynx and more with the activities of the deeper mind, we might arrive at something worth saying. Speech is an ajunct, no an obligation. To be is the prime duty of man.

Life teaches us silently while men utter their instruction in loud voices.

The treasure-trove of the real self is within us, but it can be lifted only when the mind is still.

– excerpt from ‘The Secret Path’ by Paul Brunton, pages 73-74

The importance of the Guru

Question 4. If it be true that the Guru is one’s own Self (atman), what is the principle underlying the doctrine which says that, however learned a disciple may be or whatever occult powers he may possess, he cannot attain self-realisation (atma-siddhi) without the grace of the Guru?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Although in absolute truth the state of the Guru is that of oneself it is very hard for the Self which has become the individual soul (jiva) through ignorance to realise its true state or nature without the grace of the Guru.

All mental concepts are controlled by the mere presence of the real Guru. If he were to say to one who arrogantly claims that he has seen the further shore of the ocean of learning or one who claims arrogantly that he can perform deeds which are well-nigh impossible, “Yes, you learnt all that is to be learnt, but have you learnt (to know) yourself? And you who are capable of performing deeds which are almost impossible, have you seen yourself?”, they will bow their heads (in shame) and remain silent. Thus it is evident that only by the grace of the Guru and by no other accomplishment is it possible to know oneself.

~ Sri Ramana Maharshi, Spiritual Instruction (Upadesa Manjari)

Q. Tom, if you can, please can you summarise the basic essential teaching in a paragraph? | Advaita | Liberation | Enlightenment

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Questioner: Tom, if you can, please can you summarise the basic essential teaching in a paragraph?

Tom: It cannot be fully put into words, but it is something like this: You are actually and already the One Infinite Divine Spirit whose nature is Eternal Happiness and Bliss.

You are not the body-mind at all, and thinking that you are is the prime illusion, or ignorance, that brings all suffering.

In order to discover this Truth (that is already the case, ie. it is a fact), one must turn away from all objective phenomena, including thoughts, feelings, etc, and intuitively go towards the I AM and discover this for oneself. Cultivating a spirit of love, happiness, affection and devotion can be a great help in this endeavor.

The reason we must turn away from all objects is that in attending to various objective phenomena the notion ‘I am the body-mind’ is perpetuated. This is very important to understand and realise. Only when we turn away from objects, either intentionally or spontaneously/by grace, is there a possibility of Self-Realisation. Otherwise we remain trapped in the (false) beliefs ‘I am a body-mind or person’ and ‘the world is real’.

Once we realise the Self, there is no need to integrate this understanding into daily life or anything like that, as Self-realisation is not an understanding for the mind, and in Self-realisation, all duality ceases: there is no entity left to integrate, no understanding or knowledge to integrate, and nothing left to integrate with. There is only the Infinite Blissful Self.

Teachings, such as those that talk about being adverse to the world, and all genuine spiritual teachings in fact, are just there to encourage and facilitate this discovery, and the form the teaching takes depends on the context in which they are given, including where the apparent seeker is at.

It is not about being some block of wood (a body-mind) that is detached and cut off, but about discovering something, the only thing, that is true and real – your True Nature, your Self.

This discovery is truly the most wonderful ‘thing’. (It is not a thing)

This discovery is not for or by the body-mind (or ego) at all, but is ‘by the Self’ so to speak…here words fall short, but poetically we say the Self itself discovers or realises the Self.

Hope that makes sense

Thank you

🙏

(much longer than a paragraph, I know!)

Questioner: can you support the above teaching you have given using authoritative quotes from Sri Ramana Maharshi or the Scriptures?

Tom: yes, sure, if you carefully read this article here, you will see all these above points mentioned and backed up by quotes from Sri Ramana Maharshi. The only point not backed up by quotes in that article is about not needing to integrate the teachings after realisation/liberation, for more on that see here. For quotes from the Vedanta scriptures see here.

Best wishes & namaste.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Arunachala Ramanaya Om | Sacred Chants | Devotion …

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

We have started playing this at the beginning of our satsang meetings for people to chant along to if they wish to.

Let this take you to your Source, with heart-melting love and devotion for Bhagavan Sri Arunachala Ramana, also known as Sri Ramana Maharshi, the True Guru, your own very Self 🙏🙏🙏

🙏 Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Arunachala Ramanaya Om 🙏

Created by volunteers/ devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi

Vocals by Tom Das
Video by Demetrius Fuller
Produced by Gordon Sinclair

Shankara explains some fundamentals of Advaita Vedanta teachings in his introduction to his commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad | Do objects/does the world continue to appear in liberation? Gaudapada

~ Tom Das ~ 23 Comments

Tom: Here in Shankara’s introduction to his commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad and his commentary on Sri Gaudapada’s Karika (ie. Sri Gaudapadas commentary on the same Mandukya Upanishad), Shankara explains some fundamental teachings of vedanta which may (or may not) suprise you!

Throughout, Shankara’s writings are in black whilst my comments are in italicised red.

Shankara gives these same teachings throughout his commentaries, eg. in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad but also in many other places too. However these teachings are often missed, glossed over or re-interpreted by many current so-called traditional teachers of Vedanta.

The following translation is my own, and I have simplified the language to aid understanding. Below I have also provided the PDF of a more literal translation of this commentary by Shankara on the Mandukya Upanishad from Swami Gambhirananda of Advaita Ashrama (this is the translation that I recommend as it is the most literal of the available translations in English, and so has the smallest amount of distortion and re-interpretation according to the prior beliefs and prejudices of the translator) which you can also read, which states the same as my translation but perhaps using more complex and at times archaic language.

Shankara’s Introduction to his commentary on Mandukya Upanishad

Translated by Tom Das

Invocatory Mantra

Om! O gods, may we hear auspicious words with
the ears; while engaged in sacrifices, may we see
auspicious things with the eyes; while praising the
gods with steady limbs, may we enjoy a life that is
beneficial to the gods.

May Indra of ancient fame be auspicious to us;
may the supremely rich and all-knowing Pisa, god
of the earth, be propitious to us; may Garuda, the
destroyer of evil, be well disposed towards us; may
Brihashpati ensure our welfare.

Om! Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!
(Om! May there be peace! May there be peace! May there be peace!)

Tom: Some say that the Mandukya Upanishad, which is the smallest of the Upanishads consisting only of 12 verses, has no mention of God within it. They clearly have not read the invocatory verses above! Devotion and worship has always been a part of the nondual tradition of Vedanta. Below Shankara will provide 2 more invocatory verses that he has written:

Invocation by Shankara

I bow to that Brahman,
which after having enjoyed the gross objects [in the waking state],
by pervading all the worldly objects through a diffusion of Its rays of unchanging consciousness that embraces all that moves or does not move;
Which after having ‘drunk’ [during the dream state] all the variety of objects, produced by desire and lighted up by the intellect,
And sleeps [in the deep sleep state] while enjoying bliss
and making us enjoy through Maya;
and which is [in liberation] counted as the Fourth from the point of view of Maya,
and is supreme, immortal, and birthless.

Tom: Shankara in his first invocatory verses states that liberation, or Turiya, is called the Fourth state, but that this is only from the point of view of Maya (or ignorance), which admits of the 3 states. In true liberation, the 3 states, which are superimpositions on the Self, do not exist in any way shape or form, so Turiya is actually the Singular Reality and not the Forth state at all. This is explained in more detail later in the text by both Shankara and Gaudapada, and Shankara also explains this in more detail here in the text he wrote called Upadesa Sahasri.

The structure of Shankara’s invocatory verses also mimics the structure of the actual Mandukya Upanishad, which first explains the nature of the 3 states of waking, dream and deep dreamless sleep, before lastly explaining the nature of liberation (see verse 7 of the Mandukya Upanishad here), also known as the Self or Turiya, Turiya literally meaning ‘the fourth’ in Sanskrit. Let us continue with Shankara’s second invocatory verse:

May that Fourth one protect us which,
after having [in the waking state] identified Itself with the universe,
enjoys the gross objects created by the merits (and demerits) of past deeds;
After having [in the dream state] experienced through its own light the subtle objects of enjoyment that are called up by its own intellect;
Which [in deep sleep] withdraws promptly all these into Itself;
and which lastly [in liberation] becomes free from all attributes,
by discarding every distinction and difference [ie. by discarding all phenomenal appearances/objects].

Tom: the implication is that in liberation, there are no appearances of any objects, for these have been cast out, and that the appearance of any objects is tantamount to duality. This is further explained below. Let us read Shankara’s introduction to both the Mandukya Upanishad and to Gaudapada’s Karika:

Introduction to the text by Shankara

The word [or letter] Om is everything [idam sarvam, literally meaning ‘all this’ or ‘all things’]. This will all be explained in the rest of this following text.

The four chapters of Sri Gaudapada’s commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, that sum up the quintessence of Vedanta, starts with the phrase ‘The word Om is everything…’. Because Gaudapada starts with this phrase, the stated aim and purpose of this text, which we would usually state at the start of any text on Vedanta, should be obvious and need not be stated here. Clearly the aim and purpose of the text is the unfolding of Vedanta.

However, as I am giving a commentary here, I should briefly state the purpose of the text. The text, as it explains the spiritual disciplines that lead to a desired goal, will naturally have an aim and subject matter.

What is the aim of the text? Let me explain: just as a healthy person afflicted by disease will seek a cure for the disease in order to regain the natural state of health, the natural state of being the Self, when afflicted by suffering, will be returned to its ‘natural state of health’ through the cessation of the phenomenal universe of duality.

The aim therefore is the realisation of non-duality. Since the phenomenal world of duality is a creation of ignorance, it can be eradicated through knowledge.

Hence this text aims to reveal the knowledge of Brahman.

Tom: Shankara here is stating that the entire phenomenal world is a creation of ignorance, and that it needs to be eradicated for liberation to occur. This eradication of the phenomenal world can be attained through knowledge of Brahman, which is the same as liberation. The exact nature of knowledge of Brahman is explained later in this commentary here and how to attain this knowledge is explained by Gaudapada here and here.

Compare to Sri Ramana Maharshi when he says in the text Guru Vachaka Kovai in the following verses:

23. The Realised, who do not know anything as being other than Self, which is absolute Consciousness, will not say that the world, which has no existence in the view of the Supreme Brahman, is real.

28. O aspirants who hide yourselves away fearing this world, nothing such as a world exists! Fearing this false world which appears to exist, is like fearing the false snake which appears in a rope.

35. Since this world of dyads [knower-known] and triads [perceiver-perceiving-perceived] appears only in the mind, like the illusory ring of fire formed [in darkness] by whirling the single point of a glowing rope-end, it is false, and it does not exist in the clear sight of Self.

[Tom: The illusory ring of fire is a metaphor that Gaudapada himself uses throughout Chapter 4 of Gaudapada’s Karika].

87. Self appearing as the world is just like a rope seeing itself as a snake; just as the snake is, on scrutiny, found to be ever non-existent, so is the world found to be ever non-existent, even as an appearance.

Also compare also to Sri Ramana Maharshi when he writes in the beginning few paragraphs of his work entitled ‘Who Am I?’:

Q. When will the realization of the Self be gained?
A. When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realization of the Self which is the seer.

Q. Will there not be realization of the Self even while the world is there?
A. There will not be.

Shankara will now justify his assertions by quoting from the highest scriptural authority in Vedanta, the Upanishads, let us see:

This fact is established by such Vedic texts as:

‘Because when there is duality, as it were, then one-smells something, one sees something…’ and so on (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad II. iv. 14);

‘When there is something else, as it were, then one can see something, on can know something’ (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV. iii. 31);

‘But when to the knower of Brahman everything has become the Self, then what should one see and through what? What should one know and through what?” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad II. iv. 14).

Tom: we can see that Shankara is providing 3 quotes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad to back up this assertion, namely that appearances in the world, or perceiving things (apparently) through the senses, is the same as duality, and that all perceptions of the sense organs and all knowledge in the mind ceases with liberation. Now Shankara will summarise the contents of the 4 chapters of Gaudapa’s Karika (commentary) on the Mandukya Upanishad:

That being so, the first chapter explains the meaning of Om based on the traditional teachings [of Vedanta] and helps us to attain the reality that is the Self.

The second chapter aims to rationally prove the unreality of that phenomenal world of duality, on the cessation of which non-duality is attained, just as the reality of the rope is known on the elimination of the illusion of a snake imagined on it.

Tom: Shankara is again stating that non-duality or liberation is attained upon the cessation of the phenomenal world, which is duality, and Shankara gives the example of the rope and snake to justify his claim. We will only see the rope when the wrong-seeing or illusion of the snake (which causes fear and suffering) goes. Compare with Sri Ramana Maharshi when he writes in ‘Who Am I?’:

‘Just as the knowledge of the rope, which is the base, will not be obtained unless the knowledge of the snake, the superimposition, goes, so the realization of Self, which is the base, will not be obtained unless the perception of the world, which is a superimposition, ceases.’

Shankara continues to summarise the contents of the last 2 chapters of Gaudapa’s Karika, and thus ends Shankara’s introduction to the Mandukya Upanishad. If you wish, you can compare my translation of Shankara’s introduction to this wonderful text to the more scholarly translation below by Swami Gambhirananda:

The third chapter aims to rationally establish the truth of non-duality, and to prevent it too from being negated by a similar process of argument.

The fourth chapter seeks to logically refute all the non-Vedic points of view, which are counterproductive to attaining of the truth of non-duality, and which remain concerned with this unreal duality.

Tom: we can see that in the last sentence of his introduction, Shankara is stating that the false teachings, ie. the teachings that do not lead to liberation, keep on coming back to the unreal duality, ie. false teachings keep on wanting to come back to the world of names and form, also known as maya. There is no Maya in the Self, and in truth there never was. This is the doctrine of ajata vada (no creation or no birth) that is famously explained in Gaudapada’s commentary on this Mandukya Upanishad.

The two main ways that the truly liberating teaching is distorted is firstly by stating that we do not need to turn within in order to realise the self, and secondly by stating that once the self has been realised we must turn back towards the world and integrate our newly-found non-dual understanding/ knowledge/ realisation with the world of phenomenal appearances.

Click here to a PDF of the full text as translated by Swami Gambhirananda of Ramakrishna Mission (Advaita Ashrama)

The truth of Eternal Bliss and Nonduality/ Advaita

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Some people say that eternal bliss is a fanciful myth, but eternal bliss is actually our true nature, and realisation of this, which DOES actually result in eternal bliss, is the entire point of the non-dual teachings.

If someone says this eternal bliss is not possible, it just means they have not found it themselves, not that it is not possible.

All the great sages testified that eternal bliss is our true nature and is the fruit of liberation, and to discover it, and thus also end all suffering, we must turn within.

Anything less than this eternal bliss will not satisfy us, and seeking (and suffering) will necessarily continue.

Anything less than eternal bliss means we have not truly discovered what the term ‘non-duality’ points to, and that we are still engaging, however subtly, on the mental/intellectual realm, where ego and suffering continue to (apparently) exist.

See what Ramana says here, in Guru Vachaka Kovai:

1062. The ever-present Self, the radiant
Gem, this is the rarest, richest
Treasure. Look within and find
And hold it fast. Your penury,
The grand illusion, source of every
Trouble on earth, will vanish forthwith.

1063. Not knowing the value of this treasure,
Their own by birthright, people perish
Through mere sloth. The great ones who
Have found the clue and traced and gained it,
They enjoy eternal bliss.

~ Sri Ramana Maharshi, Guru Vachaka Kovai, verses 1062 and 1063

🙏🙏🙏