Until we understand that we are not the doer, and nothing is ever really done, devotion, meditation, and knowledge are practiced. What do we 'do' in Vedānta?

We follow the methodology, the prakriya. Of course, we cannot deny that there is life, and that a world appears. We know all this from the representation in our mind, which is a meaning-giving instrument. As long as the self-inquirer still experiences that the objects that appear to her or him are real independent entities, she or he will have to make use of the teacher who again and again releases the right methodologies on the mind.

Until ignorance tilts and disappears, and non-dual knowledge is firm. As long as there is ignorance, prakriyas are needed for realization. So we practice knowledge according to a methodology. Why? Because ignorance also follows logic and methodologies, though fallacious. That may be corrected.

Suffering is also following a certain logic: ‘I am not completely okay, and the outside world is against me.’ As long as I experience traces of suffering, it is grace to practice devotional yoga (karma yoga and upāsana) and knowledge yoga.

Vedānta is the knowledge yoga that uses methods of discriminative, analytical investigation (viveka) to correct confusion about ātmā. In general, these methods amount to first imagine that consciousness stands free from the objects that appear to it and then reveal that the objects are nothing but this consciousness itself. A mind that has reached a certain purity after a bit of objectivity and detachment (vairāgya) and a (dual) dissociation through discrimination (viveka), can more easily understand the non-duality of reality (myself). Examples:

• adhyāropa apavāda viveka prakriyā - Method of recognizing a superposition (adhyāropa), something 'placed upon it', and cognitively removing it (apavāda, apa, away from the vāda, proposition, especially the fallacy of the truth of an object or argument), by recognizing its dependent state (mithyā). All objects, even the most unmanifest subtle vṛttis, are superpositions. They do exist but are in reality nothing other than that of which they are a temporary expression, namely the truth of myself: free, peaceful, open, infinite, attributeless consciousness.

• avastha traya viveka prakriyā - Method for the logical recognition of the three states of deep sleep, dream, and waking as mithyā (relatively dependent truth, not standing alone, but an expression of something else). It is recognized that these three states arise in myself, as myself, independent existence-consciousness (satya). The self is then called the fourth (turiya): original consciousness, brahman, ātmā. This is the central teaching of the shortest 'king of the’ Upaniṣads the māṇḍūkyopaniṣad.

• dṛg dṛśya viveka prakriyā - Method for the distinction of seer - seen. The seer (dṛk) in this method stands for awareness itself, and is invariable and independent, the seen (dṛśya) is variable and dependent. First it is established that the unstable, moving world is sense-perceived and represented in the mind. Then it is seen that the contents of the mind are also moving, unstable and very transient, and perceived by a deeper principle. So I cannot be the mind. Then it is pointed out that the seen is nothing but an effect, manifestation, or expression of the seer, but that the seer is free from the seen. It is good to mention that in this analysis the seer (dṛk) is the silent witness principle (sākṣī) that makes everything possible, and not the knower (pramātṛ) in the mind that interprets. This knower is nothing but a combination of intellect and ego (ahaṅkāra), which belong to the seen (dṛśya), as a vain, transient phenomenon. An excellent analysis of this is given in the text dṛg dṛśya viveka traditionally attributed to Ādi Śaṅkara (or according to many scholars Bharatī Tīrtha).

• kārya kāraṇa viveka prakriyā - Method of distinguishing between cause (kāraṇa, this is the consciousness, the carrier of everything) and (the apparent) effect (kārya). The effect carries its cause within itself. The nature of the change of cause into effect is vivarta (apparent). Why? Cause is satya (independent existence), sāra (essential, substantial), ekam (one) and nitya (infinite). Consciousness appears to take on a new form (pariṇāma), but remains unchanged. It is temporary appearance of names, concepts, functions, and material forms. Therefore, reality is non-dual. A similar method is called sṛṣṭi (creation) viveka prakriyā (where creation appears to be, in reality consciousness is). The beauty of such methods is that with such a method in mind, everything can remind me of the true freedom of the self.

• pañca kośa viveka prakriyā - Method for recognizing and cognitively removing the five sheaths of a living being like man, discussed in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. The sheaths are: annamaya kośa (sheath, kośa made of, maya, food, anna). prāṇamaya kośa (life energy, prāṇa sheath), manomaya kośa (mind, manas sheath), vijñānamaya kośa (intellect, vijñāna sheath) and the ānandamaya kośa (bliss, ānanda sheath). The important thing is that they are not layers stacked on top of each other, but that according to the reality from ānandamaya kośa to annamaya kośa the domains seem to interpenetrate each other in their functioning from subtle to gross. For each sheath or layer, it can be shown that I cannot be them as such. Four proofs of this: 1. Anityatvam, all the sheaths (kośas) are not infinite (nitya), but impermanent. 2. Dṛśyatvam, all the sheaths are objects, and therefore perceptible. 3. Jaḍatvam, all the sheaths are (subtle or not but) matter and therefore, as such, inert (jaḍa), dead material. The body is not aware of me, nor of itself, nor are thought. And: This is a subtle one. Is there sensitivity in my body? Well, there must be consciousness to be aware of something. So the real living thing about anything, including the body, is consciousness itself. This also applies to the mind. 4. Duḥkha miśritatvam, mixed with suffering. Every shell has some form of suffering or attachment. I, sat cit am ānanda, blissful, so I cannot be the kośas. The conclusion can only be that consciousness permeates all layers, domains, and sheaths, in a non-dual ' ‘arrangement’. Better formulated, all sheaths are nothing but pure consciousness, the only thing that is.

• śarīra traya viveka prakriyā - Method for recognizing and distinguishing the three material bodies of a living being, from the substrate that underlies them. From subtle to gross: kāraṇa śarīra (causal body), sūkṣma-śarīra (subtle body, including the nervous system, where feeling manifests, which falls under prāṇa, energy body) and sthūla śarīra (gross material body). It is important to realize that they are all made of matter. Even though kāraṇa śarīra is only a very subtle vṛtti that permeates the other bodies. The real, shining in all this is sat cit, the untouchable reality, I. The bodies, feelings, thoughts seemingly dance on me, the stable (anvil, kūṭastha of) consciousness. I stand infinitely radiant still.

• tanmātra viveka prakriyā - Method to distinguish the entire material creation from their subtle, unmanifest form. Tanmātras are the five subtle elements space, air, fire, water, earth in their pure un-recombined form. The still pure sattva portions of each tanmātra form the sense instruments (jñānendriyāṇi), the still pure rajas portions form the instruments of action (karmendriyāṇi). Once they start combining according to a certain formula, grosser, manifested forms take place such as mind (manas) and intellect (buddhi) of sattva guṇa, the prāṇas of rajas guṇa and the body and the material world of tamas guṇa. I am the only conscious being, permeating this mathematical play of matter within myself, consciousness.