Vedanta explains the Vedas in the light of knowledge. It is of common interest to all Vedic schools to find 'absolute reality', the answers to questions such as the nature of the self, what happens after death, what the senses are, what is known and unknown, and where all physical and mental phenomena in the body originate. It is of even more interest to understand the nature of the self (who am I?) than the nature of God.
All other Vedic philosophies are Dvaita (dualism), differentiating between God and creation as well as matter and energy. However,Vedanta sees no difference between God and self, or between matter and spirit or matter and energy. Advaita (monism) is always highlighted in Vedanta.
The Vedas were written or compiled between 10,000 and 5,000 BCE. Around 2000 years ago, 500 years after the Buddha's lifetime, (the Buddhist era lasted around a thousand years) Buddhism overtook Mimansa and blocked its practice. However it probably continued to be practised at home during this period and later emerged again.
Hindus kept Tantra out of mainstream society, though shamanistic rites are still practised in esoteric sects, eg cemetery rituals, sacrifice rituals. Tantra is another Indus valley philosophy but has remained a minority practice
The concept of self or Atman according to Vedanta is quite different from Nayaya - the self is all-pervading, highest truth, beyond mind, cause, effect, space. It cannot be experienced by the sense of mind, as it is an unconditional reality that has no beginning or end, is within and without the body at the same time, it is untouched by external changes and mutations, always the same, permanent, changeless and immortal. Further, it is not subject to Karma, which is another product of Maya (illusion). Mahatma and Atma are the same and witness all changing phenomenon.
Mind consists of the flow of thoughts and emotions, underneath a permanent unchanging reality that remains constant and is witness to all phenomenon. There is no difference between the self/soul and God. Absolute reality is existence. Thoughts, emotions and moods arise and pass away but ''one who is witness to all these changes is beyond the reach of mind, ego and intellect''.
The self provides vital energy for the functions of mind, body and intellect. When brain and mind are at rest during sleep, there is still a self which experiences the resting state of mind. Dreams are mind, but who sees resting or knows he or she is dreaming is the self which can see the truth. For mind the dream seems real and true, just as everyday life seems real to us. It is the permanent self which experiences the mental state of dreaming and awakening, but which is beyond mind, ego and intellect.
Atman is like an ocean of consciousness and the physical appearance of an individual or this world is like a wave in that ocean. The waves appear and disappear. ''Those who think that waves are different from the ocean are ignorant''. Even the wave motion is also an illusion. Ultimately everything merges back into the ocean – absolute reality. Drops lead to rivers and rivers lead to the sea.
''Life is a continuous existence from eternity to eternity, in the beginningless and endless journey of the self''.
It is us who wants to live here in this world. We can stop playing the game and be free at any moment, just as God is free. We create the game and play it and therefore we can stop it when we want to.
When enlightenment comes, then ego vanishes away, and the existence of the body (but not the self!) is in danger. This does not matter for an enlightened being, some people call it the side effect of being enlightened.
Concept of Supreme Brahm
Sankacarya says whatever exists is Brahm and whatever doesn't exist is also Brahm- nothing exists separately from Brahm, it is inside and outside and also in the middle! If we perceive differently, it is due to ignorance and Maya. Maya is also part of Brahm, given that there is nothing which is not. Atman and Brahm are identical –like the forest and the trees. Brahm is the state of reality which even destroys the concept of death.
It is the imagination of the mind, through the senses, that gives colour, touch, sound, vision, smell and taste. as well as meaning to experience. Brahm is hidden from the ignorant, but those who see things in reality as reflections of Brahm live in Brahm consciousness, free from all suffering and pain. Everything is Brahm consciousness and in that sense permanent.
Rice is Brahm. There is no killing when eating grains, whereas there is more pain and pleasure if you kill animals for food. What arises from Brahm goes back to Brahm. Enlightened people can't be outside of this existence, there is nothing else. We are always creating a little suffering, even if we live consciously, because we sacrifice others to live ourselves, creating a chain of suffering. Brahm is supreme consciousness, everything comes out of it or goes back into it and so everything is divine. When everything is divine, there is no higher God. When you don't see the difference between yourself, God and animals you can't kill or hurt anything. There is no need for Mimansa rituals if everything is equally divine, because there is nothing separate to you and nothing to do puja for.
Practising Vedanta is like the Sanyasin stage after householder stage in Mimansa and impossible to practice in ordinary life, as it goes beyond all illusion to true non-attachment. When we step back to observe our 'happiness' and our 'suffering' we can see that, although it feels very real, it is only relatively true, it is not absolutely true, not ultimate reality. Vedanta doesn't accept the theory of the bondage and liberation of the soul. Brahm is cause and effect on the physical level but we are all free at every moment. Neither is there absolute good or bad. In a pure state, only love exists.
Vedanta doesn't accept the reincarnation journey, because once absolute reality is understood we are beyond Maya, including Karma. Brahm is not affected. There is no concept of a good or bad soul and few people are bad for everyone. We are always free, although we cannot see the reality. Vedanta says love motivates everyone, whether in the form of attraction or mixed with desire. However the purest attraction is pure love and the cause of everything.
However, we want to play the game. The world creates Maya and we playing the game with ourselves. Maya is cause of desire, the illusion of separation, the illusion of self- protection, making a difference between you and others. We don't want the illusion of suffering, but we want the illusion of happiness! If you want to live in this world, you have to live with Maya. Maya helps us to live here, because without ego and illusion it's impossible to live and function in this world.
The Upanishads say ''fake truth is a wheel covered with the golden disk of Maya.'' If the goal is absolute freedom, we must realise absolute reality – that whether we live or die doesn't really matter. In Maya there is time and space, in Maya there is karmic debt. When the knowledge is there karmic debt is burnt.
''If you have wings, why don't you fly now?'' Sankacarya points out that although making good karma for the next life is a good idea, why have a next life at all if freedom is available now? We don't want to see the reality and are fearful rather than blissful at the prospect of death. Death is a good moment to be free from the fear of death...
Absolute Brahm appears in many forms and is infinite, the power of becoming finite is Maya. What we see is Maya not Brahm, although Brahm is what is there. If you have a superconscious mind then you can see that everything is, in reality, Brahm. Maya is the tangible 'reality' ie the multitude of forms we see around us. However, absolute reality is one.
''The infinite, the eternal truth, Brahm pervades the whole universe, the visible and invisible. If the visible is taken away, what is left is Brahm.'' The visible is also Brahm but we can't see that. When we see the world we always see Maya, so we can't perceive Brahm. When asked who Brahm was, Sankacarya answered ''Aham Brahmsami - tat tvam asi'' (I am that (Brahm) and you are that too)
When you realise this you will never harm anybody nor is there need for worship.
Vedanta was the first to say matter and energy is not different. (Einstein said matter and energy are not different) Sankacarya argued with Buddhism. If there is reincarnation how can you say that everything is impermanent? The soul must surely go on.
According to Vedanta, we're here only to realise we don't need to be. We should be here as God, in fact we are God and should be living as God. Life and death has no meaning. Vedic philosophies are about the nature of the self and the search for freedom from life, the self and suffering, while Western philosophies tend to search for the meaning of life, the self and suffering. Whereas the Vedas ask 'who am I?', Western philosophies tend to ask 'why am I here?' From a Vedantic point of view the whole purpose of human life is to get liberation. Animals can't get liberation, so to have human life gives us the possibility of liberation. Vedanta says life is going from eternity to eternity, a journey towards realisation /understanding and there is no suffering.
''The preferable or the pleasurable? The intelligent, having considered them, separates the two. The intelligent select the electable in preference to the delectable. The non-intelligent selects the delectable for the sake of protection of the body.''
''If the killer thinks in terms of killing and if the killed thinks he has been killed both of them are ignorant because Brahm does not kill and is not killed''
Brahm cannot be known through much intellect, nor through much study or hearing. It can only be known through personal experience through clear and peaceful mind. '' Know yourself'' . You have to seek your self as all realisation is purely personal and experiential: it cannot be taught to others.
''He is hidden in all beings and hence he does not appear, he is seen through the pointed clear intellect (sattva) of he who can see the truth.''
''The unintelligent people follow their desires, leading to the widespread death. Having known immortality in the midst of mortal items, intelligent people don´t pray for anything here''.
Prayer can be an obstacle in the sense that when we pray we are accepting dualism, seeing God as higher and more powerful and ourselves as lower and weaker. In a way, we give over responsibility to others. Praying may denote a fearful, rather than free, attitude to life. Vedanta calls for self-responsibility- we are 100 % responsible for what happens to us,/how we perceive what happens to us. We are entangled in karma, but we could be free in a moment.
Even if partially followed, Vedanta could improve the health and strength of our minds. If we are not seeking absolute freedom, but our goal is just to have a good life and a good rebirth, it would still help to clarify and improve our thinking and health.
''The entangled man sees the outer things and not the inner self. The rare discriminating man, desiring immortality, turns his eyes away and then sees the indwelling self.''
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