Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta - The Message of Oneness
Basic principles of Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Philosophy of Sankaracharya
Nature of Self - Advaita View Point
Nature Of The Jiva in Advaita Vedanta
Brahman in Advaita Vedanta
Status of the world in Advaita Vedanta
Ajati Vada - Creation theories in Advaita Vedanta
Srushti-Drushti Vada - Creation [...]
According to Advaita Vedanta, moksha is obtained only through knowledge of identity with Brahman and not through any karma or upasana.
Support from Upanishads
Kaivalya Upanishad 3
– “It is through renunciation that a few seekers have attained immortality – not through rituals, not through progeny, not through wealth…..” (“ na karmana na prajaya na dhanena tyaganaike amrutatvamanasuh”).
According to Advaita Vedanta, in our real nature, we are the very infinite Brahman. Maya has a two-fold power - (i) veiling power (“avarana sakti”) and (2) projecting power (“vikshepa sakti”).
Through avarana sakti Maya hides Brahman, as it were,from us; i.e., makes us ignorant about our real nature as Brahman and through vikshepa sakti, having [...]
Apart from karma, there is scope for free will ( called “purushartha”) in human lives. Good action and good thought can reduce papa and increase punya. Whether free will or karma will prevail or to what extent free will can mitigate karma depends on the relative strength of the two.
Advaita teachings that the universe is false often confuse people. Adi Shankara says that the world is not true, it is an illusion, but this is because of some logical reasons. Let us first analyse Adi Shankara’s definition of Truth, and hence why the world is not considered true.
In Advaita Vedanta philosophy, maya is the limited, purely physical and mental reality in which our everyday consciousness has become entangled. Maya is believed to be an illusion, a veiling of the true, unitary Self—the Cosmic Spirit also known as Brahman. Maya originated in the Hindu scriptures known as the Upanishads. Many philosphies or religions [...]
Whether of the bhAmatI or of the vivaraNa school of post-Sankaran advaita, most authors start off assuming the universe. For the beginning student, this makes sense, because everybody starts off by observing a universe distinct from “oneself”, and believing that this observed universe has a distinct reality apart from “oneself”. So long as this “oneself” [...]
For a few centuries now, Advaita has been criticized as being “pracanna bauddham” - buddhism in disguise. This criticism stems mainly from some of the vaishNava schools of vedAnta, but it is misplaced. Firstly, there is no one “buddhism” and for the criticism to be valid, it must be specified which school of buddhism is [...]
The essential identity of the Atman and Brahman is the most important tenet of Advaita. Brahman is the substratum on which all phenomena are experienced, and also the antaryAmin, the One Lord who dwells in all beings. The innermost Atman, the real Self, is the same as this antaryAmin, and identical to Brahman. Liberation (moksha) [...]
To Sankaracharya (in Advaita Vedanta Doctrine), this world is only relatively real (Vyavaharika Satta). He advocated Vivarta-Vada or theory of appearance or superimposition (Adhyasa). Just as snake is superimposed on the rope in twilight, this world and body are superimposed on Brahman or the Supreme Self. If you get knowledge of the rope, the illusion [...]