Unity With Ultimate Reality

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However, states Gonda, the verses suggest that this ancient meaning was never the only meaning, and the concept evolved and expanded in ancient India. Barbara Holdrege states that the concept Brahman is discussed in the Vedas along four major themes: The primary focus on the early Upanishads is Brahmavidya and Atmavidya , that is the knowledge of Brahman and the knowledge of Atman self, soul , what it is and how it is understood. Paul Deussen states that the concept of Brahman in the Upanishads expands to metaphysical , ontological and soteriological themes, such as it being the "primordial reality that creates, maintains and withdraws within it the universe", [39] the "principle of the world", [39] the " absolute ", [40] the "general, universal", [41] the "cosmic principle", [42] the "ultimate that is the cause of everything including all gods", [43] the "divine being, Lord, distinct God, or God within oneself", [44] the "knowledge", [45] the "soul, sense of self of each human being that is fearless, luminuous, exalted and blissful", [46] the "essence of liberation, of spiritual freedom", [47] the "universe within each living being and the universe outside", [46] the "essence and everything innate in all that exists inside, outside and everywhere".

Gavin Flood summarizes the concept of Brahman in the Upanishads to be the "essence, the smallest particle of the cosmos and the infinite universe", the "essence of all things which cannot be seen, though it can be experienced", the "self, soul within each person, each being", the "truth", the "reality", the "absolute", the "bliss" ananda. According to Radhakrishnan , the sages of the Upanishads teach Brahman as the ultimate essence of material phenomena that cannot be seen or heard, but whose nature can be known through the development of self-knowledge atma jnana.

It asserts that Atman Soul, Self inside man exists, the Brahman is identical with Atman, that the Brahman is inside man—thematic quotations that are frequently cited by later schools of Hinduism and modern studies on Indian philosophies. This whole universe is Brahman.

In tranquility, let one worship It, as Tajjalan that from which he came forth, as that into which he will be dissolved, as that in which he breathes.

Let him therefore have for himself this will, this purpose: The intelligent, whose body is imbued with life-principle, whose form is light, whose thoughts are driven by truth, whose self is like space invisible but ever present , from whom all works, all desires, all sensory feelings encompassing this whole world, the silent, the unconcerned, this is me, my Self, my Soul within my heart.

This is my Soul in the innermost heart, greater than the earth, greater than the aerial space, greater than these worlds. This Soul, this Self of mine is that Brahman. Paul Deussen notes that teachings similar to above on Brahman, re-appeared centuries later in the words of the 3rd century CE Neoplatonic Roman philosopher Plotinus in Enneades 5. The concept Brahman has a lot of undertones of meaning and is difficult to understand.

It has relevance in:. Brahman is the key metaphysical concept in various schools of Hindu philosophy. It is the theme in its diverse discussions to the two central questions of metaphysics: In addition to the concept of Brahman, Hindu metaphysics includes the concept of Atman —or soul, self—which is also considered ultimately real. Those that consider Brahman and Atman as distinct are theistic, and Dvaita Vedanta and later Nyaya schools illustrate this premise. In the metaphysics of the major schools of Hinduism, Maya is perceived reality, one that does not reveal the hidden principles, the true reality—the Brahman.

Maya is unconscious, Brahman-Atman is conscious.

Atman-Brahman is eternal, unchanging, invisible principle, unaffected absolute and resplendent consciousness. Maya concept, states Archibald Gough, is "the indifferent aggregate of all the possibilities of emanatory or derived existences, pre-existing with Brahman", just like the possibility of a future tree pre-exists in the seed of the tree.

While Hinduism sub-schools such as Advaita Vedanta emphasize the complete equivalence of Brahman and Atman , they also expound on Brahman as saguna Brahman —the Brahman with attributes, and nirguna Brahman —the Brahman without attributes. Buddhism and Carvaka school of Hinduism deny that there exists anything called "a soul, a self" individual Atman or Brahman in the cosmic sense , while the orthodox schools of Hinduism, Jainism and Ajivikas hold that there exists "a soul, a self".

Brahman as well the Atman in every human being and living being is considered equivalent and the sole reality, the eternal, self-born, unlimited, innately free, blissful Absolute in schools of Hinduism such as the Advaita Vedanta and Yoga. The nature of Atman-Brahman is held in these schools, states Barbara Holdrege, to be as a pure being sat , consciousness cit and full of bliss ananda , and it is formless, distinctionless, nonchanging and unbounded. 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.

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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. 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. 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.

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

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. 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.

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