neti-neti to reconcile sāṁkhya and advaita

(Background: understand the Vedantic neti-neti technique - to reach the absolute Self by systematically discarding subtler and subtler, yet not eternal, selves by going inward. Sāṁkhya texts don't talk about practical techniques, but from satkārya vāda and yoga's, or Sahaj Marg's, laya technique, neti-neti can be applied with a twist. The twist is that a self at every level is real, but to reach the absolute Self, the subtler cause of each self - yet another real self - has to be reached and, in turn, transcended, until all lower selves are in laya, and finally the puruṣa is totally uncovered.)

For a one-word reconciliation of "illusoriness" of advaita and "realism" of sāṁkhya - translate neti, neti as:

not (only) this, not (only) this

Or,

not (just) this, not (just) this

An extended traditional translation considers the second iti to point to a different "thing".

not (only) this, not (only) that

Or

not (just) this, not (just) that

EXPANDING IMMANENCE TO IMMANENCE+TRANSCENDENCE

It is like thinking that God is found only in temples. That is OK at first. Then one shifts to God is found in churches and mosques and other religious and not obviously-religious or spiritual places as well. Then:

God is everywhere.

God is inside everyone.

God is in living and non-living things.

God is in all living and non-living things.

God is also beyond all living and non-living things.

God then becomes more abstract, more like a principle or a field.

Yet, God is something that can be felt palpably, tangibly, continuously - every-where and every-when.

(Also see Stages in Vedanta and  The Absolute - Time, Space, and Causation - redux)

NOTES

It is good to 1) discard everything except what one is studying. Initially. Then, after a certain level of understanding, one is able to shift from a tunnel vision of limited data to 2) encompass larger and larger scope or area or volume and reconcile the seemingly diverse and irreconcilable data with the general and minimal theory. Finally, or even at the beginning, 3) spiritual experiences underlying limited theories help in understanding variegated data and theories. Respectively, 1) tamasic, 2) rajasic, and 3) sāttvic jñāna.