Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is one of
the most influential and widely studied schools of thought within the Hindu
philosophical tradition. The term "Advaita" means "not
two," signifying the core doctrine of non-dualism. This school of thought
is based on the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita, collectively
known as the "Prasthanatrayi."
Advaita Vedanta was
systematized by the Indian philosopher Adi Shankara (8th century CE), who
consolidated the Advaita Vedanta teachings. According to Shankara, the ultimate
reality (Brahman) is of a singular, unified existence, despite the apparent
diversity and multiplicity in the material world.
Key Concepts of Advaita
Vedanta:
1. Brahman: Advaita
Vedanta asserts that Brahman is the ultimate reality – it is infinite,
formless, eternal, and beyond human comprehension. It is the source, sustainer,
and end of everything.
2. Atman: Atman is the
individual self or soul. According to Advaita, Atman is fundamentally identical
to Brahman. The realization of this identity leads to Moksha (liberation from
the cycle of birth and death).
3. Maya: Maya refers to
the illusory nature of the world. Advaita Vedanta holds that the world as we
perceive it is not the ultimate reality but is shaped by human ignorance
(avidya) of the true nature of reality.
4. Moksha: Moksha is the
liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara). According to Advaita
Vedanta, Moksha can be attained through Jnana (knowledge) that the individual
self (Atman) is essentially the same as the ultimate reality (Brahman).
5. Jnana: Jnana is
knowledge or wisdom, particularly the realization of the unity of Atman and
Brahman. Advaita holds that this realization is the path to Moksha.
Advaita Vedanta has been
influential in shaping Hinduism and has also significantly influenced various
other spiritual and philosophical traditions both within and outside India. It
continues to be a major area of study in Eastern philosophy and comparative
religion.
...
Preamble
Brahman
Maya
The Existence of
Brahman
Jnana Yoga
Moksha
Preamble
"This
(Brahman) is the deepest essence. This is the soul of the whole world. This is
the reality. This is the Atma. This is you".
(Chatoya
Upanishad, 8th-4th century BC).
“This is
conscious neither of subject, nor of object, nor of both. This is neither mere
consciousness, nor detached sensation, nor darkness. It is invisible, without
relation, incomprehensible without reference, indescribable – it is the essence
of Self-Consciousness, the end of maya”
(Manduca
Upanishad, 8th-4th century BC)
Brahman
"Brahman Is
Inconceivable, Limitless, Uncreated, Uncaused, Inconceivable"… (Maitri
Upanιsad)
Brahman Is the
Only Reality, It Is Pure Consciousness, Undifferentiated Consciousness That
Only Realizes Being, there is no subjective or objective differentiation,
determination, whatever ...
Brahman can also
be described as Pure Being. It is; It simply exists, it has no other idiom and does not admit of any
determination…
Brahman, Eternal
Reality, is uncreated, unevolved, unaltered, undifferentiated….
"Truly, all
this (the universe) is Brahman ... In Brahman it arises, is catalyzed and is
maintained"... (Chantoya Upanishad)
Maya
Within Brahman,
the Undifferentiated Consciousness, the Pure Being, the Eternal Unchangeable,
which is outside of space, time, limitation, motion, anything, differentiation
arises, producing all the phenomena (perceptions, actions, phenomena) that make
up the "world of experience". All these are only forms of
Consciousness - limitations -. They emerge in Consciousness and again disappear
in Consciousness. Consciousness, Pure Being, Is the Stable Background, all
other phenomena have no reality of their own, they have a relative existence,
"like waves in the sea". It is Maya…
When there is
Vidya (Brahman Vidya, Jnana - Knowledge) then we realize that Brahman Is the
Only Reality.
Brahman Is Atman
itself, our Ultimate Ontological Reality. We are This.
In this State we
perceive that all phenomena are only activities, states, phenomena, without a
reality of their own.
When the Brahman
Vidya "recedes" (we don't know how and why), when the Perception of
One Reality recedes, then there is Avidya (Ignorance), we are absorbed in the
activity of Consciousness, the situations, the phenomena and perceive them as
if they have their own reality. This phenomenon is called Antiaropa (False
Metaphor – What is only a form of Consciousness is taken as real).
In the State of
Avidya we no longer perceive the One Reality but consider the activities of
Consciousness as reality.
The first
differentiation from Brahman is that we no longer perceive Brahman as the
Objectively Existent One Reality but as a personal absolute reality (Atman).
Although Atman is essentially identical with Brahman and is also attributeless,
at the same time it differs because it is Brahman from a personal perspective.
Atman, depending on the degree of Vidya -avidya is perceived as:
1) The
Attributeless, (No Underlying Object Perception).
2) Universal
Consciousness, (Subject object identified).
3) Omnipresent
Existence, (Underlying object are separate but occupy the same space).
(In the
Upanishads the states of consciousness are referred to as prajna, silent
undifferentiated consciousness, taijasa, self-illuminated consciousness moving
inward, visya awakened consciousness moving outward).
The second
activity of Consciousness under the influence of avidya is Manas which can be
characterized as mentality. Manas perceives Existence as individuality within
an objective space. Manas produces all subjective and objective phenomena. A
mental current is created in principle, the perception of an individual
existence (jiva) within the mental space (karana loka – causal, perceptual
field) resulting from all this activity. The jiva (individual existence) within
the mental space is fixed in some specific qualities and appears as a mental
body (karana sarira). This is how individuality and multiplicity arise at the
same time within the mental space. Manas therefore creates both the subjective
states and the objective phenomena. It is both the core of mental existence and
the activity that produces the phenomena.
Manas is an
activity of Consciousness. Although it is a single activity, typologically we
can distinguish several functions:
1) Ahamkara
("I-who"), consciousness of our existence within the world of phenomena.
2) Buddhi,
mentality (determining subject-object, object-object relations, etc.).
3) Manas,
perception of phenomena.
4) Chitta, memory
(all experience accumulated as memory to serve in the creation of knowledge,
its reproduction, etc.).
The differentiation
of Manas is technically called vrtti (rippling) and there are as many types of
vrtti as there are functions of Manas.
Manas
(mindfulness) condenses into Prana (energy) and thus energy space (suksam) is
created loka – subtle, energy field), the energy existence (suksam sarira –
subtle body), the energetic life.
Prana (energy) is
stereotyped and takes the form of material substance (akasa – ether, space)
which is condensed into matter, material universe (stula loka – gross material
realm) where we manifest within a gross body (stula sarira ).
In this way
Brahman works in the space of Maya producing objectively specific fields -
functions, Atman, Manas, Prana and Akasa. Brahman appears to function within
these fields as individualities, within an objective space. In reality
Consciousness Is One, individuality is but a limited perception and object is
but a creation of perception (displaying a relative existence). Brahman is the
Reference Center of all limited perceptual (ontological) states (individual
perceptions, objects).
When there is
Vidya we realize that everything is phenomena. When there is avidya we become
absorbed in this activity and perceive it as reality.
The Existence of
Brahman
Brahman, Being,
Consciousness, Is One and Within Its Perceptual Function all limited perceptual
(ontological) states occur
"Man"
is Brahman operating in the various perceptual fields, Atman Manas, Prana,
Akasa (and matter). In the last field is the Brahman that functions at the
levels of atman, manas (ahamkara, buddhi, manas chitta), prana, akasa.
The composition
of man is shown below.
1) Brahman,
(Sat-Chit-Anand). The Absolute, the One Reality, the Impersonal God the Primal.
2) Atman (due to
avidya Brahman " appears" as Atman). The essential background of
being, identified with the One Reality, Brahman. Three states of consciousnes.
3) Jiva, the
empirical soul, the psychological subject. The andahkarana (ahamkara, buddhi,
manas, chitta).
4) Prana,
intrigue. The etheric, energy body, sense organs and action organs.
5) Rupa, body
Brahman is the
Absolute Background with which every being, every consciousness is identified.
It is the Absolute Principle that exists in the Depth of being, behind the flow
of "external" features, the being in its Depth. It is Eternal and
Immutable. When this is perceived then the Consciousness is in the Vidya State
When this is not perceived then the Consciousness has the illusory perception
of an individual existence. In this sense the Absolute Being that is at the
Basis of every being is the Reality, the Real State of our nature, The spiritual
experience of our Deepest Essence is expressed as an experience of oneness in
which all things sink. The impossibility (weakness of the intellect) to express
this experience with concepts (terms of the intellect) leads to its description
as "Absolute Unity of Being", "Identity", etc ....
Brahman, the
Atman of man, can either turn to the Self, rise above the functions within the
material realm, or be present, through the functions, in the objective material
world, or even be "lost" in the functions, fantasies, etc ...
The turning of
Brahman inwards, the Realization of the Self is called turiya or moksha. In
this State the Brahman perceives the Self, the Infinite, the Absolute, etc.,
but at the same time retains the perception of existence in the material world,
maintains a bond, through the material carrier, with the material world. It
experiences the One Reality that assimilates all states and transcends material
existence. The man in this State is a Jivanmukta.
Turiya, or
moksha, is the highest transcendental state that a being can experience in the
material world. By separating from the material body, it can rise to the
higher planes and by successively leaving the higher planes also to sink into
the Self Integral Being.
Jnana Yoga
Brahman, the Absolute
Being (which is our Deepest Essence) Is That Imperishable and Immanent That
Exists behind the constant flow of phenomena that constitute our existence.
Consciousness, states, forms, are all transitory. So, this Immortal and Stable
we must know and realize.
The Absolute
Being is known in the Depth of our Being only through experience. We just need
to realize it. We do not need to realize something, to differentiate ourselves
ontologically, because we are the Absolute Being. We just need to realize it.
This Realization
of the Absolute, as an inner process is called Jnana. Jnana means transcendent
knowledge, knowledge of our Deepest Essence, Brahman. The term Jnana is defined
more as a mode of perception – which is a dynamic concept – as a right mode of perception
rather than acquired knowledge. Generally, the term indicates a spiritual
attitude that varies according to our level of consciousness. When
Consciousness Is in Its Natural State then there is Real Jnana, Right
Perception of Reality, of our Real Being. When Consciousness tends to be
absorbed in phenomenal existence, in mentality, etc., then Jnana is the Calming
of Consciousness, the rejection of mental movement as illusory and the creator
of illusion. When Consciousness absorbed in the operations of phenomenal
existence then Jnana is the calm observation of all this process, mental
becoming, etc., which leads to its exhaustion. Jnana as Realization is called
Dhyana in technical language.
Jnana, Dhyana, as
Realization (as Actualization) of our Real Being, is the Tranquility of
Consciousness, the rejection of mental movement, which tends to plunge us into
delusion. In this sense Dhyana is not an effort, it is not a realization (in
the sense that we realize something). We are already the Absolute and do not
need to realize anything. So, Dhyana is not a process. Every process belongs to
the space of mentality and time. Dhyana is rejection of mental movement. Dhyana
exists, takes place, is completed when all mental movement has ceased. It does
not come with effort… because as we strive, we enter into mental becoming, we
sink into egoic perception, into apparent existence within becoming. Jnana, as
observation of the mental becoming in which we are absorbed, is simply
observation, attention. There is no effort, no process but only observation of
the process. We don't try anything, we don't prevent anything, we let this
whole process exhaust itself.
Jnana is Right
Perception that varies according to our level of consciousness. The ultimate
goal is the Realization of the Real Being (the Absolute). In order to reach
this State, we must with Jnana "ascend" the various levels of
consciousness (starting from the level of consciousness we are in the present
phase) up to the Absolute. This whole "course" is called Jnana Yoga.
Typically, the degrees of "realization" are:
1) BRAHMAN
(Turiya State)
2) Nirvikalpa
Samadhi (Three states of consciousness, prajna, taijasa, visya).
3) Three levels
of dhyana (Elimination of ahamkara, neutralization of bodhi, overcoming of
manas).
4) Control of
prana.
5) Body control.
(Note:
Elimination, neutralization, transcendence, means experiencing a higher, wider
state, which merges within itself the lower state, until we reach the
Perception of the One Reality which merges everything within itself...).
Moksha
According to the
teaching of Advaita Vedanta » Brahman Is the One Reality in which all merge,
all refer. Brahman Is the Deepest Essence of all.
The perception of
an ego is delusion. We are from the beginning and forever Brahman. We don't
have to do anything. We need only realize That We Really Are, freeing ourselves
from the ego's delusion (controlling the functions that distort the perception
of Reality). Then We Realize That We Always Were This…