Unity With Ultimate Reality

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In theistic schools, in contrast, such as Dvaita Vedanta , the nature of Brahman is held as eternal, unlimited, innately free, blissful Absolute, while each individual's soul is held as distinct and limited which can at best come close in eternal blissful love of the Brahman therein viewed as the Godhead. Other schools of Hinduism have their own ontological premises relating to Brahman, reality and nature of existence. Vaisheshika school of Hinduism, for example, holds a substantial, realist ontology. Brahman and Atman are key concepts to Hindu theories of axiology: The axiological concepts of Brahman and Atman is central to Hindu theory of values.

In these schools of Hinduism, states Tietge, the theory of action are derived from and centered in compassion for the other, and not egotistical concern for the self. The axiological theory of values emerges implicitly from the concepts of Brahman and Atman, states Bauer. Brahman and Atman are very important teleological concepts.

Teleology deals with the apparent purpose, principle or goal of something. In the first chapter of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad , these questions are dealt with. What is the cause of Brahman? Why were we born? By what do we live?

On what are we established? Governed by whom, O you who know Brahman, do we live in pleasure and in pain, each in our respective situation? The main purpose of the Brahman and why it exists is a subjective question according to the Upanishads. One can only find out its true purpose when one becomes the Brahman as the 'Brahman' is all the knowledge one can know itself.

Hence, complete answers for anything in life can only be determined or obtained when the Brahman is realized as the Brahman is all the complete knowledge itself. This is said in the Aitareya Upanishad 3. Knowledge is the eye of all that, and on knowledge it is founded.

Knowledge is the eye of the world, and knowledge, the foundation. One of the reasons to why the Brahman should be realized according to the Upanishads is because it removes suffering from a person's life. This is because the person has the ability and knowledge to discriminate between the unchanging Atman and Brahman and the ever-changing Prakrit and so the person is not attached to the transient.

Hence, the person is only content with the self and not his body or anything other than the self. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3. Therefore, the apparent purpose of Brahman is in discussion in the Upanishads but the Brahman itself is the only self-contained purpose and true goal according to the Upanishads , so posing the question is redundant. The Upanishads consider the Brahman the only actual worthwhile goal in life and ultimately one should aim to become it as it is the means and an end in and of itself to ultimate knowledge, immortality, etc.

So the question of what is the ultimate purpose of everything including the Brahman is answered by realizing or attaining the Brahman as the Brahman itself is ultimate knowledge. Hence, the Brahman is a teleological concept as it is the ultimate purpose and goal of everything possible and permeates everything and is in everything.

Is ultimate reality a unity? And, if so, what kind?

The orthodox schools of Hinduism, particularly Vedanta, Samkhya and Yoga schools, focus on the concept of Brahman and Atman in their discussion of moksha. The knowledge of Atman Self-knowledge is synonymous to the knowledge of Brahman inside the person and outside the person.

Furthermore, the knowledge of Brahman leads to a sense of oneness with all existence, self-realization, indescribable joy, and moksha freedom, bliss , [] because Brahman-Atman is the origin and end of all things, the universal principle behind and at source of everything that exists, consciousness that pervades everything and everyone. The theistic sub-school such as Dvaita Vedanta of Hinduism, starts with the same premises, but adds the premise that individual souls and Brahman are distinct, and thereby reaches entirely different conclusions where Brahman is conceptualized in a manner similar to God in other major world religions.

Brahman, in these sub-schools of Hinduism is considered the highest perfection of existence, which every soul journeys towards in its own way for moksha. The concept of Brahman, its nature and its relationship with Atman and the observed universe, is a major point of difference between the various sub-schools of the Vedanta school of Hinduism. Advaita Vedanta espouses nondualism. Brahman is the sole unchanging reality, [70] there is no duality, no limited individual souls nor a separate unlimited cosmic soul, rather all souls, all of existence, across all space and time, is one and the same.

Brahman is the origin and end of all things, material and spiritual. Brahman is the root source of everything that exists. He states that Brahman can neither be taught nor perceived as an object of intellectual knowledge , but it can be learned and realized by all human beings.

Brahman is all that is eternal, unchanging and that which truly exists. The universe does not simply come from Brahman, it is Brahman. According to Adi Shankara , a proponent of Advaita Vedanta , the knowledge of Brahman that shruti provides cannot be obtained by any other means besides self inquiry.

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In Advaita Vedanta , nirguna Brahman, that is the Brahman without attributes, is held to be the ultimate and sole reality. In this respect, Advaita Vedanta differs from other Vedanta schools. Example verses from Bhagavad-Gita include:. The offering is Brahman; the oblation is Brahman; offered by Brahman into the fire of Brahman. Brahman will be attained by him, who always sees Brahman in action.

Brahman of Dvaita is a concept similar to God in major world religions. Dvaita propounds Tattvavada which means understanding differences between Tattvas significant properties of entities within the universal substrate as follows: The Acintya Bheda Abheda philosophy is similar to Dvaitadvaita differential monism. In this philosophy, Brahman is not just impersonal, but also personal.

All Vaishnava schools are panentheistic and perceive the Advaita concept of identification of Atman with the impersonal Brahman as an intermediate step of self-realization, but not Mukti , or final liberation of complete God-realization through Bhakti Yoga. The Bhakti movement of Hinduism built its theosophy around two concepts of Brahman— Nirguna and Saguna. Jeaneane Fowler states that the concepts of Nirguna and Saguna Brahman, at the root of Bhakti movement theosophy , underwent more profound development with the ideas of Vedanta school of Hinduism, particularly those of Adi Shankara 's Advaita Vedanta, Ramanuja 's Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, and Madhvacharya 's Dvaita Vedanta.

Nirguna and Saguna Brahman concepts of the Bhakti movement has been a baffling one to scholars, particularly the Nirguni tradition because it offers, states David Lorenzen, "heart-felt devotion to a God without attributes, without even any definable personality". Buddhism rejects the Upanishadic doctrine of Brahman and Atman soul, permanent self, essence. According to Merv Fowler, some forms of Buddhism have incorporated concepts that resemble that of Brahman.

The spiritual concept of Brahman is far older in the Vedic literature, and some scholars suggest deity Brahma may have emerged as a personal conception and icon with form and attributes saguna version of the impersonal, nirguna without attributes , formless universal principle called Brahman. The early Buddhists attacked the concept of Brahma, states Gananath Obeyesekere, and thereby polemically attacked the Vedic and Upanishadic concept of gender neutral, abstract metaphysical Brahman.

The early Buddhist approach to Brahma was to reject any creator aspect, while retaining the value system in the Vedic Brahmavihara concepts, in the Buddhist value system. The metaphysical concept of Brahman, particularly as nirguni Brahman —attributeless, formless, eternal Highest Reality—is at the foundation of Sikhism.

In Gauri, which is part of the Guru Granth Sahib , Brahman is declared as "One without a second", in Sri Rag "everything is born of Him, and is finally absorbed in Him", in Var Asa "whatever we see or hear is the manifestation of Brahman". Similar emphasis on "One without a second" for metaphysical concept of Brahman, is found in ancient texts of Hinduism, such as the Chandogya Upanishad's chapter 6. Scholars contest whether the concept of Brahman is rejected or accepted in Jainism.

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The concept of a theistic God is rejected by Jainism, but Jiva or "Atman soul exists" is held to be a metaphysical truth and central to its theory of rebirths and Kevala Jnana. Bissett states that Jainism accepts the "material world" and "Atman", but rejects Brahman—the metaphysical concept of Ultimate Reality and Cosmic Principles found in the ancient texts of Hinduism. This doctrine holds that "reality is irreducibly complex" and no human view or description can represent the Absolute Truth.

Brahma is distinct from Brahman.

He is envisioned in some Hindu texts to have emerged from the metaphysical Brahman along with Vishnu preserver , Shiva destroyer , all other gods, goddesses, matter and other beings. Brahman is a metaphysical concept of Hinduism referring to the ultimate unchanging reality, [] [] [] that, states Doniger, is uncreated, eternal, infinite, transcendent, the cause, the foundation, the source and the goal of all existence.

Some texts suggest that god Vishnu created Brahma Vaishnavism , [] others suggest god Shiva created Brahma Shaivism , [] yet others suggest goddess Devi created Brahma Shaktism , [] and these texts then go on to state that Brahma is a secondary creator of the world working respectively on their behalf. Brahmin is a varna in Hinduism specialising in theory as priests, preservers and transmitters of sacred literature across generations. The Brahmanas are one of the four ancient layers of texts within the Vedas.

They are primarily a digest incorporating myths, legends, the explanation of Vedic rituals and in some cases philosophy. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Not to be confused with Brahma the Hindu god , Brahmana a layer of text in the Vedas , Brahmanism the religion , or Brahmin the caste-varna. For other uses, see Brahman disambiguation. Moksha Anubhava Turiya Sahaja. Academic Paul Deussen Daniel H. The unchanging, infinite , immanent , and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter , energy , time, space , being , and everything beyond in this Universe ; that is the one supreme, universal spirit.

Beliefs and Practices Brighton: Sussex Academic, , p. This indescribable Absolute is called Brahman [ Known as the Brahman-Atman synthesis, this theory, which is central to Upanisadic thought, is the cornerstone of Indian philosophy. The Brahman-Atman synthesis, which posits the theory of a permanent, unchanging self, was anathema to Buddhists, and it was as a reaction to the synthesis that Buddhism first drew breath. The authors of the Lankavatara strenuously denied that the womb of Tathagatahood, [ Similarly, the claim in the Nirvana Sutra that the Buddha regarded Buddhahood as a 'great atman' caused the Yogacarins considerable distress.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism. The Rosen Publishing Group. Clooney , Hindu God, Christian God: A Voyage of Discovery 3rd ed. The named reference sphilips was invoked but never defined see the help page. The named reference Hananya Goodman page was invoked but never defined see the help page. Madhavananda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1. Madhavananda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4. Max Muller, Chandogya Upanishad 3. Max Muller, Chandogya Upanishad 6. Robert Hume, Chandogya Upanishad 6.

Max Muller, Aitareya Upanishad 3. Approaches to the Asian Classics Editors: