ajAti vAda

focus one's concentration in an intense manner, an ability to discriminate between
the Real and the non-Real, dispassion, and a desire for liberation. However, it is
important to remember that moksha is not a result of mere ritualistic practice.
Being identical to brahman, moksha always exists. Ritualistic practices help only
to the extent of achieving citta-Suddhi, and in developing the above-mentioned
qualities.
advaita is a non-dual teaching. When asked why duality is perceived in this world,
advaita has a multi-pronged answer to the question. The world of multiplicity can
be explained as due to mAyA, the power of creation wielded by the Creator, who
is therefore also called the mAyin. From the point of view of the individual, the
perception of duality/multiplicity is attributed to avidyA (ignorance) due to which
the unity of brahman is not known, and multiplicity is seen instead. This is akin to
the false perception of a snake in a rope. When the rope is known, the snake
vanishes. Similarly, on brahman-realization, the world of multiplicity vanishes.
This does not mean that the individual's ignorance creates the external world.
However, the perception of multiplicity in the world, instead of the One
brahman, is due to avidyA, i.e. ignorance. When avidyA is removed, the
individual knows his own Self (Atman) to be brahman, so that there is no more
world and paradoxically, no more individual. Here, the Self alone IS. Removal of
avidyA is synonymous with brahman-realization, i.e. moksha.
Read http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-phil.html for a more detailed
description.
4. What is the relationship between advaita and buddhism? Is advaita a mere
copy of buddhism?
No, advaita is not a mere copy of buddhism. For a few centuries now, advaita has
been criticized as being "pracanna bauddham" - buddhism in disguise. This
criticism stems mainly from some of the vaishNava schools of vedAnta, but it is
misplaced. Firstly, there is no one "buddhism" and for the criticism to be valid, it
must be specified which school of buddhism is being referred to. SankarAcArya
expends a lot of effort criticizing many of the philosophical positions taken by
various schools of buddhism in his commentaries. Among modern academic
scholars, advaita vedAnta is most often compared with the madhyamaka and
yogAcAra schools of buddhism. This has been inspired mainly by the fact that the
mANDUkya kArikAs, written by gauDapAda, Sankara's paramaguru, exhibit a
great familiarity with this school of buddhism.
However, if it is held that advaita vedAnta is essentially the same as madhyamaka
buddhism, it must be pointed out that such a view stems from a misunderstanding
of the important tenets of both advaita vedAnta and madhyamaka buddhism.
There are many key details in which advaita differs from the madhyamaka school
of buddhism. As for yogAcAra, the points of similarity arise from the fact that
both advaita vedAnta and yogAcAra buddhism have a place for yogic practice, as