Advaita Vedanta: A Comprehensive Teaching Manual

By R.V. LaCroix

In Advaita Vedanta, R. V. LaCroix invites you on a transformative journey into the heart of Advaita Vedanta, revealing the profound truth that You are not separate from the universe—you are the very consciousness in which all things arise.

With clarity, wisdom, and warmth, this book distills the ancient teachings of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and the great sages, guiding you through the practice of self-inquiry and meditation to uncover your true, unchanging nature.

This is not a path to attain something new—it is a path to remember who you truly are.

Step into the timeless truth of non-duality and awaken to the boundless peace, love, and freedom that have always been within you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kery Publishing
• Release date: Mar 28, 2025

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Advaita Vedanta

ADVAITA VEDANTA

A COMPREHENSIVE TEACHING MANUAL

R.V. LACROIX

CONTENTS

Introduction: Why Advaita Vedanta?

1. What Is Advaita Vedanta?

2. The Essence Of Brahman And Atman

3. Maya — The Illusion Of The World

4. The Self (Atman) And The Ego (Ahankara)

5. The World Is Not Two

6. Beyond Suffering — The Realization Of Liberation

7. Meditation As The Path To Self-Realization

8. The Role Of The Guru In Advaita Vedanta

9. Living Non-Duality — The Practice Of Advaita In Daily Life

10. The Ultimate Realization: You Are That

11. The Wisdom Of The Scriptures — Quotes From The Essential Advaita Vedanta Texts

12. Advanced Practices In Advaita Vedanta — Deepening The Journey To Self-Realization

13. Living Non-Duality In The Modern World — Practical Integration Of Advita Vedanta

APPENDIX: MEDITATIONS

Meditations on the Infinite

Part 1 — The Foundations

Part 2 — Deepening Awareness

Part 3 — Expanding the Inner Vision

Part 4 — Dissolving Boundaries

Part 5 — The Path of Realization

Part 6 — Awakening to Oneness

Part 7 — Resting in the Infinite

Part 8 — Dissolving the Ego

Part 9 — The Infinite Within

Part 10 — Timeless Presence

About the Author

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Advaita Vedanta

A Comprehensive Teaching Manual

By  R.V. LaCroix

© 2025, R.V. LaCroix, Ervin K. Kery

All rights reserved.

For permission requests, contact:

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Published by:

Consciousness Books Publishing

www.consciousness-books.com

Gratitude to the readers who bring these teachings into their lives and share the light of awakening with the world.

INTRODUCTION: WHY ADVAITA VEDANTA?

You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. – Rumi

Advaita Vedanta is not just a philosophy—it is a radical invitation to see beyond the veil of separation, to wake up to the truth that has always been within you. But why should we care about Advaita? Why should we embrace its teachings in a world filled with distractions, suffering, and noise?

This teaching manual is here to guide you through the transformative journey of understanding and realizing the profound insights of Advaita Vedanta. You will come to see that everything you’ve ever searched for is already here, in the deepest part of your being.

Advaita Vedanta begins with a deceptively simple question: Who am I? It leads you through the layers of identification with body, mind, emotions, and external circumstances, and finally points you toward a truth that is as vast as the sky—yet as intimate as your own heartbeat.

The beauty of Advaita is that it’s not about learning something new—it’s about unlearning. It’s about stripping away the accumulated layers of conditioning and false identity to discover the boundless consciousness that you truly are.

This manual will walk you through every step of the journey: from understanding the nature of the Self, to discerning the reality of the world, to finding liberation while living in it. Advaita Vedanta is not a distant philosophy to be understood only in the abstract; it is meant to be lived—here and now.

With clarity, depth, and wisdom, this manual will guide you through the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, helping you recognize the fundamental truth: You are not separate from the universe; you are the universe, expressing itself in a unique form.

WHAT IS ADVAITA VEDANTA?

That which cannot be seen with the eyes, but by which the eyes see—know That alone to be Brahman, and not this which people worship here.— Kena Upanishad

A PATH OF NON-DUAL TRUTH

Advaita Vedanta, at its heart, is a bold and revolutionary assertion: there is only One Reality, and you are not separate from it.

This isn’t a poetic metaphor or a comforting idea. It’s an experiential truth that, once realized, dissolves the illusion of separation and reveals that all things—yes, all things—are none other than the Self, infinite and indivisible.

Let’s break this down.

• Advaita means not two. It denies duality—not in the sense of rejecting multiplicity, but in the sense that multiplicity is not ultimately real.

• Vedanta means the end of the Vedas. It refers to the pinnacle of Vedic wisdom, found in texts like the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras.

So, Advaita Vedanta is the non-dualistic interpretation of the highest Vedic teachings, pointing us toward a direct recognition of the Self as Brahman—the Absolute, eternal, infinite awareness.

It’s not about belief. It’s about seeing what’s always been true.

THE CORE STATEMENT: YOU ARE THAT

(TAT TVAM ASI)

Imagine you’ve been searching for treasure your entire life, only to discover one day that the treasure has always been buried under your own floorboards. That’s Advaita.

Its central message can be condensed into one of the Mahavakyas (great sayings) from the Chandogya Upanishad: Tat Tvam Asi — That Thou Art.

That infinite, boundless, ever-present reality that lies behind the stars, the oceans, the galaxies?

You are That.

Not the you who has a favorite ice cream flavor or gets irritated at slow Wi-Fi. That’s the personal ego—the actor on the stage. The true you is the screen on which the movie of life plays—the unchanging Awareness that observes all experience but is not bound by any of it.

This is not mystical poetry. It is the central realization of Advaita Vedanta. The teachings are not designed to give you something new—they are a mirror, lovingly held up, to help you recognize what has always been.

THE THREE PILLARS

OF ADVAITA VEDANTA

To understand the philosophy, we need to look at the three foundational texts, traditionally called the Prasthana Traya:

1. The Upanishads

These are the spiritual climax of the Vedas. Written in deep poetic form, they contain dialogues between sages and students, meditations on the Self, and direct revelations of the nature of Reality.

Key teachings from the Upanishads:

• The Self is unborn, undying, eternal.

• The world is a projection of mind, arising in and dissolving into consciousness.

• The Atman (individual Self) is not different from Brahman (Universal Self).

2. The Bhagavad Gita

A divine conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Gita integrates the philosophy of Vedanta with the art of right action, devotion, and detachment.

Krishna declares:

• The wise see the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.

• Nothing ever truly dies; the Self is beyond birth and death.

• One should act without attachment, realizing that the fruits of action do not belong to the ego.

3. The Brahma Sutras

A logical and systematic presentation of Vedantic philosophy, composed by Sage Vyasa. They provide a framework for understanding the metaphysics of