Advaita Vedānta does employ practices and even ritual, but it consistently subordinates them to the primacy of liberating knowledge (jñāna). The tradition presents a graded path: preparatory disciplines that purify and steady the mind, and core contemplative methods that directly reveal the non-dual identity of Ātman and Brahman. Among the foundational qualifications (sādhana-catuṣṭaya) are discrimination (viveka) between the eternal and the transient, dispassion (vairāgya) toward worldly and heavenly enjoyments, the sixfold virtues (śamādi-ṣaṭka-sampatti), and an intense longing for liberation (mumukṣutva). These are not mere ethical ornaments; they shape a mind capable of sustained inquiry into the Self.

The heart of the Advaitic discipline is often summarized as śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana. Śravaṇa is systematic listening to, or study of, the Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā, Brahma Sūtras, and their commentaries under a competent teacher, allowing the non-dual vision to be heard in its traditional form. Manana is reflective contemplation, using reasoning to remove doubts and internal conflicts about what has been heard, often employing methods such as “neti, neti” (not this, not this) and meditation on mahāvākyas like “tat tvam asi.” Nididhyāsana is deep, sustained contemplation in which the teaching “ahaṃ brahmāsmi” (I am Brahman) is allowed to permeate one’s whole being until it becomes direct, living knowledge rather than mere conceptual understanding.

Alongside these, Advaita recognizes supporting practices that steady the mind and refine attention. Self-inquiry (ātma-vicāra), expressed as a persistent questioning of “Who am I?”, serves to separate the witnessing consciousness from the shifting body–mind complex. Yogic elements such as meditation (dhyāna), breath regulation (prāṇāyāma), and ethical observances akin to yama and niyama are often integrated to cultivate mental quietude and clarity. Devotional expressions—such as hymn recitation, kīrtan, and surrender of the sense of doership to Īśvara—are valued as powerful means of purification that harmonize emotion with insight.

Ritual in the narrower sense is not rejected but reinterpreted within this framework. Daily observances like sandhyā-vandana, pūjā at home or in temples, mantra repetition (japa), and participation in vows, festivals, and pilgrimages are acknowledged as part of a traditional life that can prepare the mind for higher inquiry. However, Advaita consistently maintains that such ritual actions, while beneficial for inner refinement, do not by themselves bestow liberation. The culmination of the path lies in the clear, unwavering recognition that one’s own Self is none other than non-dual Brahman, a recognition stabilized by the very practices that, step by step, have made the mind fit to receive it.