Avidya in Buddhism refers to ignorance of the Four Noble Truths and three jewels that leads to suffering and continued rebirth. In Theravada it means ignorance of the nature of things. In Mahayana it means ignorance of emptiness. In Vajrayana, Avidya is removed through tantric practices to attain liberation.
Maya in Advaita Vedanta refers to the cosmic illusion that presents the infinite Brahman as the finite world. It is reflected individually as ignorance of one's true nature as Brahman. Maya obscures reality like clouds obscuring the sun. It is removed through knowledge of one's divine nature.
Both Avidya and Maya refer to ignorance that ve
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu religious texts that provide information about ancient Indian history, genealogies of kings, devas, and sages, and various rituals. There are 18 main Puranas that cover topics like cosmology, genealogy, and mythology. The oldest Purana is the Vishnu Purana, which focuses on Vishnu and his avatars. The largest Purana is the Skanda Purana, which influenced Hindu traditions related to the god Skanda. The Puranas have had a major impact on Indian traditions, festivals, rituals, arts, culture, and pilgrimage sites.
Theory of Error in Classical Indian PhilosophyKangkan Boro
Paper prepared as part of my "Introduction to Classical Indian Philosophy" course at IIT Delhi. It is about the Theory of Error in Classical Indian Philosophy.
The document discusses the Upanishads, which are part of the Vedic literature in Hinduism. It outlines three key components for spiritual knowledge: a guru, sacred texts, and experience. It then summarizes several important Upanishads, explaining their philosophical teachings and dialogues. The Upanishads seek to understand existence, life, death, the soul, universe, and God through mystical experiences and questions. They form the foundation of Hindu philosophy and theology.
Nyaya philosophy was founded by the sage Gotama around 600 BC. It is primarily concerned with epistemology and establishing valid means of obtaining knowledge. Nyaya divides reality into 16 categories or "padarthas" including the sources of knowledge (praman), objects of knowledge (prameya), doubt (samsaya), and inference (anumana). The sources of valid knowledge are direct perception, inference, comparison, and testimony, while doubt, faulty cognition, and hypothetical arguments are not reliable means of knowledge.
The Charvaka philosophy was an ancient Indian school of thought that was atheistic and rejected notions of an afterlife or supernatural beings. It believed that sense perception was the only reliable source of knowledge and that consciousness and pleasure were merely physical phenomena arising from the body. The Charvaka viewed pleasure as the sole purpose of life and advocated enjoying pleasurable things like food, drink, and company while one is alive in the material world. They rejected concepts like dharma and moksha, or liberation, as they saw no evidence of an afterlife or soul separate from the body.
1. The document summarizes the Sankhya philosophy of Indian tradition. It was propounded by Maharshi Kapila and focuses on dualism between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter).
2. Sankhya philosophy categorizes all objects into Purusha and Prakriti. It sees physical events as manifestations of the evolution of Prakriti. It provides a metaphysical distinction between consciousness and matter.
3. The Sankhya system recognizes three Gunas or attributes (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) that influence physical and mental processes. It also recognizes 25 elements that evolve from the 8 primary Prakriti
The Upanishads are sacred Hindu scriptures composed between 800-500 BCE that discuss the ultimate nature of reality. They teach that [1] Brahman is the single, eternal, unchanging reality beneath the illusion of multiplicity. Atman, the true self, is identical to Brahman. However, due to [2] avidya or ignorance, humans experience [3] samsara, the cycle of rebirth governed by [4] karma. The goal is to attain [5] moksha or liberation from samsara through enlightenment of the identity of Atman and Brahman.
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu religious texts that provide information about ancient Indian history, genealogies of kings, devas, and sages, and various rituals. There are 18 main Puranas that cover topics like cosmology, genealogy, and mythology. The oldest Purana is the Vishnu Purana, which focuses on Vishnu and his avatars. The largest Purana is the Skanda Purana, which influenced Hindu traditions related to the god Skanda. The Puranas have had a major impact on Indian traditions, festivals, rituals, arts, culture, and pilgrimage sites.
Theory of Error in Classical Indian PhilosophyKangkan Boro
Paper prepared as part of my "Introduction to Classical Indian Philosophy" course at IIT Delhi. It is about the Theory of Error in Classical Indian Philosophy.
The document discusses the Upanishads, which are part of the Vedic literature in Hinduism. It outlines three key components for spiritual knowledge: a guru, sacred texts, and experience. It then summarizes several important Upanishads, explaining their philosophical teachings and dialogues. The Upanishads seek to understand existence, life, death, the soul, universe, and God through mystical experiences and questions. They form the foundation of Hindu philosophy and theology.
Nyaya philosophy was founded by the sage Gotama around 600 BC. It is primarily concerned with epistemology and establishing valid means of obtaining knowledge. Nyaya divides reality into 16 categories or "padarthas" including the sources of knowledge (praman), objects of knowledge (prameya), doubt (samsaya), and inference (anumana). The sources of valid knowledge are direct perception, inference, comparison, and testimony, while doubt, faulty cognition, and hypothetical arguments are not reliable means of knowledge.
The Charvaka philosophy was an ancient Indian school of thought that was atheistic and rejected notions of an afterlife or supernatural beings. It believed that sense perception was the only reliable source of knowledge and that consciousness and pleasure were merely physical phenomena arising from the body. The Charvaka viewed pleasure as the sole purpose of life and advocated enjoying pleasurable things like food, drink, and company while one is alive in the material world. They rejected concepts like dharma and moksha, or liberation, as they saw no evidence of an afterlife or soul separate from the body.
1. The document summarizes the Sankhya philosophy of Indian tradition. It was propounded by Maharshi Kapila and focuses on dualism between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter).
2. Sankhya philosophy categorizes all objects into Purusha and Prakriti. It sees physical events as manifestations of the evolution of Prakriti. It provides a metaphysical distinction between consciousness and matter.
3. The Sankhya system recognizes three Gunas or attributes (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) that influence physical and mental processes. It also recognizes 25 elements that evolve from the 8 primary Prakriti
The Upanishads are sacred Hindu scriptures composed between 800-500 BCE that discuss the ultimate nature of reality. They teach that [1] Brahman is the single, eternal, unchanging reality beneath the illusion of multiplicity. Atman, the true self, is identical to Brahman. However, due to [2] avidya or ignorance, humans experience [3] samsara, the cycle of rebirth governed by [4] karma. The goal is to attain [5] moksha or liberation from samsara through enlightenment of the identity of Atman and Brahman.
The Sankhya philosophy is one of the oldest schools of Hindu philosophy that sought to explain the process of cosmic evolution through rational analysis and principles of energy transformation. It was founded by Kapila around 1000 BC and enumerates twenty-five principles or categories by which the universe evolves from a primordial state through stages of increasing complexity. Key aspects of Sankhya include the distinction between purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter), the three gunas (qualities) that characterize prakriti, and the evolution of the cosmos from subtle elements to grosser ones and its eventual dissolution back to an unmanifest state.
The document discusses the Charvaka school of Indian philosophy. It states that Charvaka philosophy is a materialist school that believes only in perception as a valid source of knowledge. It rejects concepts like the soul, God, karma, and liberation. Charvaka's metaphysics focus on matter as the only reality and reject spiritualism in favor of establishing materialism. According to Charvaka ethics, pleasure is the ultimate goal and wealth is only valuable as a means to achieve pleasure.
This document provides an overview of the Puranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts. It discusses the main characteristics of Puranas which include the creation of the world, periods of Manus, genealogies of gods and sages, and accounts of royal dynasties. It also describes some key concepts in the Puranas like the four ages (Yugas) and the concept of time. Finally, it summarizes 18 major Puranas including the Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Brahma, Vishnu, Bhagavata, Padma, and Garuda Puranas.
The Vaisheshika system is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. It believes that all physical objects are composed of eternal, indivisible atoms that combine and separate. The system categorizes all objects of knowledge into seven "padarthas" or categories - substance, quality, motion, generality, particularity, inherence, and non-existence. It also believes in an omniscient, omnipotent God that directs the operation of atoms according to moral laws and karma.
The document discusses the key doctrines of Jainism. It states that according to Jain science, the universe is comprised of six universal substances - soul, matter, space, time, dynamic medium, and stationary medium. It describes the Jain view of reality as a combination of soul and matter. Karma is said to occur due to ignorance and is the cause of bondage for souls. The ultimate goal in Jainism is to free the soul from karma through rational perception, knowledge, and conduct. The five main vows of Jainism - nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual purity, and non-possession - are also summarized.
Purva Mimamsa is an orthodox Hindu school of philosophy concerned with interpreting Vedic scriptures. It aims to ascertain the nature of dharma or ethics according to the Vedas. It accepts three pramanas or means of valid knowledge: perception, inference, and testimony of the Vedas. It believes in an eternal, omnipresent self that is distinct from the body and mind. It propounds a pluralistic theory of many individual souls. Through properly observing mandatory and occasional Vedic rituals while avoiding optional rituals, one can become liberated from rebirth through the exhaustion of karma.
The Vaisesika philosophy analyzes aspects of reality according to six categories: substance, quality, action, generality, particularity, and inherence. It describes a world composed of eternal atoms where souls undergo cycles of rebirth determined by past karma and the will of God. The goal is moksha or liberation from rebirth through cultivating virtues, restraining desires, and gaining insight into the true nature of the self and reality.
The document summarizes key aspects of major Upanishads. It discusses three essential components for acquiring spiritual knowledge: a spiritual mentor, sacred texts, and personal experience. It then provides brief overviews of 10 principal Upanishads, highlighting their central teachings around concepts like Atman (soul), Brahman (ultimate reality), karma, rebirth and the path to enlightenment. The document concludes by emphasizing that Brahman is beyond senses, mind and speech, and is the true object of knowledge and worship, not temporary material things.
The Purva Mimamsa school of Indian philosophy focuses on investigating and understanding dharma based on the earliest parts of the Vedas. It believes that dharma can only be known through revelation in the infallible Vedas, not perception or reasoning. The school's goal is to provide enlightenment on dharma, understood as ritual obligations that maintain cosmic and personal harmony. It views the Vedas as eternal and authorless scripture. Perception and inference are valid means of knowledge, but the Vedas are the only source of knowledge regarding dharma. The school believes in karma, rebirth, and moksha as the cessation of pleasure and pain's cycle. While it
The document provides an overview of the Nyaya-Vaisesika school of Indian philosophy through a PowerPoint presentation. It discusses the historical context and founders of Nyaya and Vaisesika, compares their key similarities and differences, outlines the seven categories or "padarthas" that the school uses to analyze reality, and examines some of the core philosophical issues addressed like the theory of causation. The presentation serves to give attendees a general understanding of the Nyaya-Vaisesika system within the landscape of Indian philosophy.
The document provides background information on the Upanishads, including their origins, key concepts, authors, and the 10 principal Upanishads. It notes that the Upanishads express the striving of the human mind to understand reality and set forth fundamental conceptions. They contain lofty ideals and poetry that have moved great minds.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra outlines the classical yoga philosophy and practice. It defines yoga as the cessation of mind fluctuations through disciplined practice and detachment. The text describes the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi - which when practiced lead to stillness of body and mind, control of senses, one-pointed concentration, absorption and ultimately liberation of the true self from identification with mind and body. The goal of yoga is to realize the seer's true nature by disentangling consciousness from matter through yoga's transformative practices.
Bhagvad Gita Chapter 3 (Revised 2021): Karma Yoga (The yoga of action), Flowc...Medicherla Kumar
Revised-2021
Dr.Medicherla Shyam Sunder Kumar.
samc108@gmail.com
• Chapter 3: Karma Yoga (The yoga of action) - 43 verses. Confused by listening to Krishna's exaltation of samkhya (jnana) yoga (The yoga of knowledge), Arjuna questions why he should engage in fighting if knowledge is more important than action (3:1-2). Krishna then explains nishkama karma (performing one's duties without desiring its fruits - detached activity) as the appropriate course of action (3:3-8). He explains that both improper action and neglect of duty are impelled by desire and lack of knowledge. Krishna counsels Arjuna to act with knowledge and detachment without falling victim to his own attractions and aversions (3:29-30).
The document provides an overview of Nyaya philosophy founded by the sage Gotama around 600 BC. Nyaya was primarily concerned with the conditions of correct knowledge and the means of receiving knowledge. It divided perceivable and imperceptible reality into 16 categories or "padarthas" including the sources and objects of knowledge, doubt, examples, doctrines, inference, conclusions, and debate tactics. It identified four valid sources of knowledge - direct perception, inference, comparison, and testimony, and considered doubt, faulty cognition and hypothetical arguments as invalid sources.
The document provides an overview of Buddha's life and teachings. It discusses how Buddha sought enlightenment from many teachers but found no satisfaction until looking within. It then summarizes the Four Noble Truths about suffering and the Eightfold Path to end suffering. The document also examines Buddhist philosophy, including dependent origination, karma, impermanence, and the lack of a soul. It outlines the major schools of Buddhist philosophy and how Buddhism spread and evolved, forming the Hinayana and Mahayana traditions with ideals like the Bodhisattva.
Hatha yoga is a system that integrates physical, mental, emotional and spiritual practices. It aims to bring balance through asanas, pranayama, mudras, bandhas and meditation. Regular practice leads to benefits like optimum health, mental clarity, willpower and inner peace. Key texts include Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, Hatharatnavali and Siva Samhita, which describe practices like asanas, purification techniques, pranayama, mudras and meditation. The goal of Hatha yoga is preparation of the body and mind for higher states of consciousness.
The document provides an overview of the Mandukya Upanishad. It discusses that the Upanishad contains 12 verses that describe the four states of consciousness - waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and a fourth transcendent state called Turiya. Each state is represented by a letter of the sacred syllable AUM. The waking state corresponds to A, the dreaming state to U, and dreamless sleep to M. Turiya, as the unmanifest absolute reality, corresponds to the whole of AUM. Realizing the oneness of individual consciousness and absolute consciousness in Turiya leads to liberation.
Gautam Buddha was a religious teacher who founded Buddhism in India in the 6th century BC. He taught that desire and attachment cause suffering, and that one can reach nirvana or eternal peace by following the Noble Eightfold Path of right view, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration and intention. Mahavira was the 24th and last Tirthankara or enlightened teacher of Jainism, who taught nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, chastity and non-attachment as the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth. He organized his followers into a four-fold order of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen.
Advaita Vedanta is a school of Hindu philosophy that believes Brahman, the ultimate reality, is one without a second. It posits that Atman, the soul within, is identical to Brahman. The key concepts of Advaita Vedanta include maya, the illusion of separateness, and mithya, the world as having no existence apart from Brahman. Advaita Vedanta advocates for self-realization through knowledge and discrimination between the permanent self and impermanent world. The path of knowledge involves virtues like detachment and enduring hardships to directly experience existence, consciousness and bliss of the true nature of the self.
The document discusses key concepts and scriptures in Hinduism, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and concepts of Brahman, Atman, and the self. It provides details on:
- The Rig Veda is the oldest Hindu text composed between 1400-900 BCE containing hymns to Rigvedic deities.
- The Upanishads are philosophical texts that identify Atman (the self) with Brahman, the eternal supreme reality and divine ground of all existence.
- Core Hindu scriptures discuss the nature of self and its relationship to Brahman, ultimately concluding that Atman and Brahman are non-different and Atman is beyond an individual's personal identity.
The Upanishads are ancient Sanskrit texts that discuss the nature of Brahman, the ultimate reality, and Atman, the true self. They outline six main concepts: Brahman is the impersonal absolute that pervades all reality; Atman is the pure consciousness within all beings. Avidya is the ignorance that leads people to identify with their bodies and minds instead of their true selves. This causes samsara, the cycle of rebirth fueled by karma. Spiritual practices like meditation and moral discipline can lead to moksha, liberation from samsara by realizing one's identity with Brahman-Atman.
The Sankhya philosophy is one of the oldest schools of Hindu philosophy that sought to explain the process of cosmic evolution through rational analysis and principles of energy transformation. It was founded by Kapila around 1000 BC and enumerates twenty-five principles or categories by which the universe evolves from a primordial state through stages of increasing complexity. Key aspects of Sankhya include the distinction between purusha (consciousness) and prakriti (matter), the three gunas (qualities) that characterize prakriti, and the evolution of the cosmos from subtle elements to grosser ones and its eventual dissolution back to an unmanifest state.
The document discusses the Charvaka school of Indian philosophy. It states that Charvaka philosophy is a materialist school that believes only in perception as a valid source of knowledge. It rejects concepts like the soul, God, karma, and liberation. Charvaka's metaphysics focus on matter as the only reality and reject spiritualism in favor of establishing materialism. According to Charvaka ethics, pleasure is the ultimate goal and wealth is only valuable as a means to achieve pleasure.
This document provides an overview of the Puranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts. It discusses the main characteristics of Puranas which include the creation of the world, periods of Manus, genealogies of gods and sages, and accounts of royal dynasties. It also describes some key concepts in the Puranas like the four ages (Yugas) and the concept of time. Finally, it summarizes 18 major Puranas including the Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Brahma, Vishnu, Bhagavata, Padma, and Garuda Puranas.
The Vaisheshika system is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. It believes that all physical objects are composed of eternal, indivisible atoms that combine and separate. The system categorizes all objects of knowledge into seven "padarthas" or categories - substance, quality, motion, generality, particularity, inherence, and non-existence. It also believes in an omniscient, omnipotent God that directs the operation of atoms according to moral laws and karma.
The document discusses the key doctrines of Jainism. It states that according to Jain science, the universe is comprised of six universal substances - soul, matter, space, time, dynamic medium, and stationary medium. It describes the Jain view of reality as a combination of soul and matter. Karma is said to occur due to ignorance and is the cause of bondage for souls. The ultimate goal in Jainism is to free the soul from karma through rational perception, knowledge, and conduct. The five main vows of Jainism - nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual purity, and non-possession - are also summarized.
Purva Mimamsa is an orthodox Hindu school of philosophy concerned with interpreting Vedic scriptures. It aims to ascertain the nature of dharma or ethics according to the Vedas. It accepts three pramanas or means of valid knowledge: perception, inference, and testimony of the Vedas. It believes in an eternal, omnipresent self that is distinct from the body and mind. It propounds a pluralistic theory of many individual souls. Through properly observing mandatory and occasional Vedic rituals while avoiding optional rituals, one can become liberated from rebirth through the exhaustion of karma.
The Vaisesika philosophy analyzes aspects of reality according to six categories: substance, quality, action, generality, particularity, and inherence. It describes a world composed of eternal atoms where souls undergo cycles of rebirth determined by past karma and the will of God. The goal is moksha or liberation from rebirth through cultivating virtues, restraining desires, and gaining insight into the true nature of the self and reality.
The document summarizes key aspects of major Upanishads. It discusses three essential components for acquiring spiritual knowledge: a spiritual mentor, sacred texts, and personal experience. It then provides brief overviews of 10 principal Upanishads, highlighting their central teachings around concepts like Atman (soul), Brahman (ultimate reality), karma, rebirth and the path to enlightenment. The document concludes by emphasizing that Brahman is beyond senses, mind and speech, and is the true object of knowledge and worship, not temporary material things.
The Purva Mimamsa school of Indian philosophy focuses on investigating and understanding dharma based on the earliest parts of the Vedas. It believes that dharma can only be known through revelation in the infallible Vedas, not perception or reasoning. The school's goal is to provide enlightenment on dharma, understood as ritual obligations that maintain cosmic and personal harmony. It views the Vedas as eternal and authorless scripture. Perception and inference are valid means of knowledge, but the Vedas are the only source of knowledge regarding dharma. The school believes in karma, rebirth, and moksha as the cessation of pleasure and pain's cycle. While it
The document provides an overview of the Nyaya-Vaisesika school of Indian philosophy through a PowerPoint presentation. It discusses the historical context and founders of Nyaya and Vaisesika, compares their key similarities and differences, outlines the seven categories or "padarthas" that the school uses to analyze reality, and examines some of the core philosophical issues addressed like the theory of causation. The presentation serves to give attendees a general understanding of the Nyaya-Vaisesika system within the landscape of Indian philosophy.
The document provides background information on the Upanishads, including their origins, key concepts, authors, and the 10 principal Upanishads. It notes that the Upanishads express the striving of the human mind to understand reality and set forth fundamental conceptions. They contain lofty ideals and poetry that have moved great minds.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra outlines the classical yoga philosophy and practice. It defines yoga as the cessation of mind fluctuations through disciplined practice and detachment. The text describes the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga - yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi - which when practiced lead to stillness of body and mind, control of senses, one-pointed concentration, absorption and ultimately liberation of the true self from identification with mind and body. The goal of yoga is to realize the seer's true nature by disentangling consciousness from matter through yoga's transformative practices.
Bhagvad Gita Chapter 3 (Revised 2021): Karma Yoga (The yoga of action), Flowc...Medicherla Kumar
Revised-2021
Dr.Medicherla Shyam Sunder Kumar.
samc108@gmail.com
• Chapter 3: Karma Yoga (The yoga of action) - 43 verses. Confused by listening to Krishna's exaltation of samkhya (jnana) yoga (The yoga of knowledge), Arjuna questions why he should engage in fighting if knowledge is more important than action (3:1-2). Krishna then explains nishkama karma (performing one's duties without desiring its fruits - detached activity) as the appropriate course of action (3:3-8). He explains that both improper action and neglect of duty are impelled by desire and lack of knowledge. Krishna counsels Arjuna to act with knowledge and detachment without falling victim to his own attractions and aversions (3:29-30).
The document provides an overview of Nyaya philosophy founded by the sage Gotama around 600 BC. Nyaya was primarily concerned with the conditions of correct knowledge and the means of receiving knowledge. It divided perceivable and imperceptible reality into 16 categories or "padarthas" including the sources and objects of knowledge, doubt, examples, doctrines, inference, conclusions, and debate tactics. It identified four valid sources of knowledge - direct perception, inference, comparison, and testimony, and considered doubt, faulty cognition and hypothetical arguments as invalid sources.
The document provides an overview of Buddha's life and teachings. It discusses how Buddha sought enlightenment from many teachers but found no satisfaction until looking within. It then summarizes the Four Noble Truths about suffering and the Eightfold Path to end suffering. The document also examines Buddhist philosophy, including dependent origination, karma, impermanence, and the lack of a soul. It outlines the major schools of Buddhist philosophy and how Buddhism spread and evolved, forming the Hinayana and Mahayana traditions with ideals like the Bodhisattva.
Hatha yoga is a system that integrates physical, mental, emotional and spiritual practices. It aims to bring balance through asanas, pranayama, mudras, bandhas and meditation. Regular practice leads to benefits like optimum health, mental clarity, willpower and inner peace. Key texts include Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, Hatharatnavali and Siva Samhita, which describe practices like asanas, purification techniques, pranayama, mudras and meditation. The goal of Hatha yoga is preparation of the body and mind for higher states of consciousness.
The document provides an overview of the Mandukya Upanishad. It discusses that the Upanishad contains 12 verses that describe the four states of consciousness - waking, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and a fourth transcendent state called Turiya. Each state is represented by a letter of the sacred syllable AUM. The waking state corresponds to A, the dreaming state to U, and dreamless sleep to M. Turiya, as the unmanifest absolute reality, corresponds to the whole of AUM. Realizing the oneness of individual consciousness and absolute consciousness in Turiya leads to liberation.
Gautam Buddha was a religious teacher who founded Buddhism in India in the 6th century BC. He taught that desire and attachment cause suffering, and that one can reach nirvana or eternal peace by following the Noble Eightfold Path of right view, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration and intention. Mahavira was the 24th and last Tirthankara or enlightened teacher of Jainism, who taught nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, chastity and non-attachment as the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth. He organized his followers into a four-fold order of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen.
Advaita Vedanta is a school of Hindu philosophy that believes Brahman, the ultimate reality, is one without a second. It posits that Atman, the soul within, is identical to Brahman. The key concepts of Advaita Vedanta include maya, the illusion of separateness, and mithya, the world as having no existence apart from Brahman. Advaita Vedanta advocates for self-realization through knowledge and discrimination between the permanent self and impermanent world. The path of knowledge involves virtues like detachment and enduring hardships to directly experience existence, consciousness and bliss of the true nature of the self.
The document discusses key concepts and scriptures in Hinduism, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and concepts of Brahman, Atman, and the self. It provides details on:
- The Rig Veda is the oldest Hindu text composed between 1400-900 BCE containing hymns to Rigvedic deities.
- The Upanishads are philosophical texts that identify Atman (the self) with Brahman, the eternal supreme reality and divine ground of all existence.
- Core Hindu scriptures discuss the nature of self and its relationship to Brahman, ultimately concluding that Atman and Brahman are non-different and Atman is beyond an individual's personal identity.
The Upanishads are ancient Sanskrit texts that discuss the nature of Brahman, the ultimate reality, and Atman, the true self. They outline six main concepts: Brahman is the impersonal absolute that pervades all reality; Atman is the pure consciousness within all beings. Avidya is the ignorance that leads people to identify with their bodies and minds instead of their true selves. This causes samsara, the cycle of rebirth fueled by karma. Spiritual practices like meditation and moral discipline can lead to moksha, liberation from samsara by realizing one's identity with Brahman-Atman.
Vedanta is one of the world's oldest spiritual philosophies based on the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. It teaches that God is infinite existence, consciousness and bliss. It also teaches that the soul is divine and all religions teach the same basic truths. Vedanta outlines four paths or yogas to self-realization - the paths of devotion, knowledge, selfless work, and meditation. It teaches that the true self is eternal and identical with Brahman, the absolute reality, while the world is an illusion created by Maya. Liberation is achieved by cultivating virtues and discrimination to see past the illusion and realize the non-dual nature of the self and Brahman.
The Upanishads are a collection of ancient Sanskrit texts that are part of the Hindu Vedas and focus on philosophical and spiritual concepts. They discuss six key concepts: Brahman is the ultimate reality and single transcendent principle of the universe; Atman is the eternal soul or true self within each person, which is identical to Brahman; karma and samsara refer to the cycle of death and rebirth governed by the law of karma; avidya is ignorance of the true nature of reality and self; and moksha is the ultimate state of liberation, enlightenment, and freedom from samsara achieved by realizing the identity of Atman and Brahman.
Approaches to Self Realization in Various Religionsurvashi parmar
The document discusses approaches to self-realization in various religions. It explains that self-realization means realizing the true nature of the self and involves overcoming ignorance. It then discusses views of self-realization in Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In Jainism, self-realization is called samyak darshan and involves realizing the separation of the soul from the body. In Hinduism, it can mean merging with Brahman or realizing the non-duality of Brahman and the soul. In Buddhism, self-realization means realizing emptiness and the divine states through practices like meditation.
Human body is the battlefield where this perpetual inner war is going on between the gods representing the spiritual or restraining forces and the demons representing the material bound natural inclinations. The seeker of Truth has to win this war if he has to regain his unity with the Universal Reality.
Basic Spiritual Primer 8 (Inward Contemplation of Reality)Pardeep Sehgal
We always think in terms of something. That something is what we call life, or at least an aspect of life. We never see at any time our own mind contemplating its own self. The inward contemplation of Universal Reality is the theme of this Primer.
Diversity is visible only in space, and this space is in the Self, which in turn projects it at the moment when differentiation starts although it is not then clear. Rama! Look within.
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• What you perceive as space within is the expanse wherein all creatures exist, and it forms their ‘Self’ or consciousness.
• What they look upon as space is your ‘Self’.
• Thus, the ‘Self’ in one is space in another, and vice versa.
• The same thing cannot differ in its nature.
• Therefore there is no difference between space and ‘Self’ - which is full and perfect Bliss-Consciousness.
The strongest fetter is the certainty that one is bound. It is as false as the fearful hallucinations of a frightened child. Even the best of men cannot find release by any amount of efforts unless his sense of bondage is destroyed.
A Bird’s Eye View of Reality in Aurobindo’s Philosophyinventionjournals
ABSTRACT: The concept of Reality is the basic problem of metaphysics to which Sri Aurobindo has given impetus in his philosophical writings. We observe new interpretation of the concept in Sri Aurobindo’s Philosophy. The ultimate Reality involves himself into the lower forms of matter and matter can ascend up to the level of higher consciousness through the process of evolution. Nobody can deny the fact that some kind of consciousness is inherent in the material objects. The ultimate Reality is Sachchidamanda which is existence (sat) Consciousness force (cit) and Bliss (Ananda). Sri Aurobindo followed Vedanta’s concept of Brahman but has given a re-orientation to it. The object of this paper is to highlight Aurobindo’s concept of Reality which isdifferent from other Indian and western philosophers.
This document summarizes Sri Sankaracharya's teachings on direct realization and the nature of the self from his book Select Works. It discusses qualifications needed for spiritual inquiry such as detachment, discrimination, and faith. It then describes the process of inquiry where one questions if they are the body or senses and realizes they are the eternal, pure self. Through reasoning and scriptural evidence, it rejects identifying the self with the impermanent body and establishes that one's true nature is the infinite, secondless Brahman.
The Jaina philosophy is based on the principles of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity, and non-possessiveness. It believes that liberation from bondage is achieved through right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. Jainism presents a religion without belief in God, arguing that neither perception nor valid inference can prove God's existence. Instead, Jainas worship liberated souls who have attained perfect knowledge, power, and bliss.
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Purva Mimamsa is an orthodox Hindu school of philosophy concerned with interpreting Vedic scriptures. It aims to ascertain the nature of dharma or ethics according to the Vedas. It accepts three pramanas or means of valid knowledge: perception, inference, and testimony of the Vedas. It believes in an eternal, omnipresent self that is distinct from the body and mind. It propounds a pluralistic theory of many individual souls. Through properly observing mandatory and occasional Vedic rituals while avoiding optional rituals, one can become liberated from rebirth.
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3. Key points of debate include whether the soul can be equated with the ego or personality, or if it is a deeper dimension beyond impermanence and connected to the eternal spirit.
Existence of Brahman According to Taittiriya Upanisadijtsrd
According to Vedantins, Brahman is the only real entity. Brahman is of the nature of existence, awareness and fullness. The World is apparently true. But before the truth of Brahman can be ascertained, Its existence must be proved because the real nature of Brahman that has been known as merely existing, becomes favorable for self revelation. Although the self manifestation of Brahman is famous, this article presents the proof of the existence of Brahman for calming the minds of those who love to present reason in every deeds. Therefore, there are four proofs in Taittiriya Upani ad for proving the existence of Brahman suk tatva self creator , rasatva source of happiness , pra anadi kriya darsana the act of breathing , bhayabhayahetutva the cause of fear and fearlessness . Avi Pal "Existence of Brahman: According to Taittiriya Upanisad" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-2 , February 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd38438.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/sanskrit/38438/existence-of-brahman-according-to-taittiriya-upanisad/avi-pal
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Avidya in Buddhism & Maya in Advaita Vedanta
1. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Department of philosophy
Name: Ali sheeraz
Enrollment no: gk0600
Subject: classical indian philosophy (pym-7003)
Std: master of arts 1st
sem
Topic: differencesandsimilaritiesbetweentheconceptofavidya in buddhism and
the concept of maya in advaita vedanta
2. Introduction to Avidya(Nescience) & Maya(illusion):
Concept of Avidya in Buddhism:
Avidya, or ignorance, is the inability to distinguish between the transitory and eternal aspects of
experience. The term has a specific sense in Buddhist philosophy. It means being unaware of the
Four Noble Truths, the three precious jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), and the
truth of karma—in other words, the truths of Buddha’s teachings.
Avidya in Theravada:
Bhikkhu Bodhi says that Avidya is an important part of the doctrine of the Abhidharma of the
Theravada on dependent arising, on the terms on which keeps the wheel of birth and death. One
of these conditions is a karmic formations, which arise from ignorance. In other words, the state
of Bodhi, ignorance is avijja obscures "the perception of the true nature of things just as a
cataract obscures perception of visible objects". In the Suttanta literature, this ignorance means
ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. In the literature of the Abhidharma, in addition to the four
noble truths, it is not the knowledge of the past life, prenatal and postmortem life, and dependent
arising.
Avidya in Mahayan:
In the tradition of Mahayana considers ignorance about the nature of reality and ancient past
lives to be a primordial force that can be destroyed only through the understanding of emptiness,
shunyata. However, compared to other Buddhist traditions States Braarvig, Jens, Avidya is not
so much the accent, not the focus on "in construing an illusory reality" is based on a concept
where ultimate reality-emptiness.
Avidya is the greatest impurity and the main cause of suffering, rebirth. Insight into emptiness,
the state of Garfield and Edelglass that this "lack of intrinsic nature of all phenomena, including
himself, cuts the contaminants," understanding the void gives full awakening.
Avidya in Vajrayana:
The Vajrayana tradition believes ignorance, the yoke of bondage in Samsara, and his teachings
were focused on the tantric path under the guidance of a teacher to remove Avidya and attain
liberation in one life.
Avidya is defined as the first of the twelve links of dependent arising of the twelve nidanas, the
chain of links that describe why a being is reborn and remains within samsara, the cycle of
repeated birth and death in the six worlds of existence. Twelve nidanas the application of the
Buddhist concept of dependent arising, pratītyasamutpāda. This theory, presented in Samyutta
Nikaya second.2-4 and Digha Nikaya second.55-63, says that rebirth, again and again aging is
3. death ultimately result of a series of twelve nidanas or one ultimately rooted in avidly, and the
twelfth step Jarāmarana provokes dependent arising of Avicii, creating an endless cycle of
dukkha.
Concept of Maya in Advaita Vedanta:
Maya, (Sanskrit: “magic” or “illusion”) a fundamental concept in Hindu philosophy, notably in
the Advaita (Nondualist) school of Vedanta. Maya originally denoted the magic power with
which a god can make human beings believe in what turns out to be an illusion. By extension, it
later came to mean the powerful force that creates the cosmic illusion that the phenomenal world
is real. For the Nondualists, maya is thus that cosmic force that presents the infinite brahman (the
supreme being) as the finite phenomenal world. Maya is reflected on the individual level by
human ignorance (ajnana) of the real nature of the self, which is mistaken for the empirical ego
but which is in reality identical with brahman.
Vedanta declares that our real nature is divine: pure, perfect, eternally free. We do not have to
become Brahman, we are Brahman. Our true Self, the Atman, is one with Brahman.
But if our real nature is divine, why then are we so appallingly unaware of it?
The answer to this question lies in the concept of maya, or ignorance. Maya is the veil that
covers our real nature and the real nature of the world around us. Maya is fundamentally
inscrutable: we don’t know why it exists and we don’t know when it began. What we do know is
that, like any form of ignorance, maya ceases to exist at the dawn of knowledge, the knowledge
of our own divine nature.
Brahman is the real truth of our existence: in Brahman we live, move, and have our being. “All
this is indeed Brahman,” the Upanishads—the scriptures that form Vedanta philosophy—declare.
The changing world that we see around us can be compared to the moving images on a movie
screen: without the unchanging screen in the background, there can be no movie. Similarly, it is
the unchanging Brahman—the substratum of existence—in the background of this changing
world that gives the world its reality.
Yet for us this reality is conditioned, like a warped mirror, by time, space, and causality—the law
of cause and effect. Our vision of reality is further obscured by wrong identification: we identify
ourselves with the body, mind, and ego rather than the Atman, the divine Self.
This original misperception creates more ignorance and pain in a domino effect: identifying
ourselves with the body and mind, we fear disease, old age and death; identifying ourselves with
the ego, we suffer from anger, hatred, and a hundred other miseries. Yet none of this affects our
real nature, the Atman.
Maya can be compared to clouds which cover the sun: the sun remains in the sky but a dense
cloud cover prevents us from seeing it. When the clouds disperse, we become aware that the sun
has been there all the time. Our clouds—maya appearing as egotism, selfishness, hatred, greed,
lust, anger, ambition—are pushed away when we meditate upon our real nature, when we engage
in unselfish action, and when we consistently act and think in ways that manifest our true nature:
4. that is, through truthfulness, purity, contentment, self-restraint, and forbearance. This mental
purification drives away the clouds of maya and allows our divine nature to shine forth.
Shankara, the great philosopher-sage of seventh-century India, used the example of the rope and
the snake to illustrate the concept of maya. Walking down a darkened road, a man sees a snake;
his heart pounds, his pulse quickens. On closer inspection the “snake” turns out to be a piece of
coiled rope. Once the delusion breaks, the snake vanishes forever.
Similarly, walking down the darkened road of ignorance, we see ourselves as mortal creatures,
and around us, the universe of name and form, the universe conditioned by time, space, and
causation. We become aware of our limitations, bondage, and suffering. On “closer inspection”
both the mortal creature as well as the universe turn out to be Brahman. Once the delusion
breaks, our mortality as well as the universe disappear forever. We see Brahman existing
everywhere and in everything.
Differnces Between Avidya and Maya:
Maya is totally related to God (Māyāvacchinna Īśvaraḥ) and Avidya is totally related to the
individual soul (Avidyāvacchinno jīvaḥ). In both of them, the truth is hidden and falsehood is
experienced. In both, there is theoretical ignorance (Ajñāna āvaraṇam) as well as practical
ignorance (Ajñāna vikṣepaḥ). In both, the theoretical ignorance can be removed through
knowledge and analysis. In the case of Maya, the practical ignorance can never be removed by
any soul since the divine power of Maya greatly exceedes the power of any soul. In Avidya too,
practical ignorance cannot be removed immediately. It exists for a little time after the theoretical
ignorance is removed and then it vanishes.
A rope is mistaken to be a snake in dim light. On shining the torch light on it, the snake
disappears and the rope appears. This is the removal of theoretical ignorance. But even after the
rope is seen, the fear of the snake persists for a little time and then it disappears permanently.
Thus, practical ignorance persists for some time even after the truth (rope) is realized, in the case
of Avidya .
Energy appearing to be matter is an example of Maya. You may study atoms using powerful
microscopes and instruments and realize that the sub-atomic particles are after all, only waves of
energy. That scientific knowledge and analysis only removes your theoretical ignorance. But in
spite of it, your practical experience of matter will not disappear, throughout your life or even
throughout all your future lives! Therefore, Maya is the divine power of God, whereas Avidya is
just like a shadow, which is the soul’s ignorance of true knowledge.
According to Swami Sivananda ; The primitive dead principle, which is essentially one, is called
Maya, when we take into account the predominance of its projecting power, and is called Avidya
when we take into consideration the predominance of its enveloping power. Thus the material
principle of which the projecting power is superior to the concealing power is the limiting
condition of Isa; and the same principle with its concealing power predominant is the limiting
5. condition of Jiva. The Avidya which forms the limiting adjunct of Jiva is otherwise called
Ajnana.
That the projecting power is predominant in Isa follows from His being the creator of this great
world. He is always conscious of His free state, and hence is untouched by the concealing power.
Jiva, on the contrary, labours under ignorance of Brahman his true nature owing to the
predominance of the concealing power of the material principle working in him. He is
incompetent to create the great universe as he lacks the predominance of the projecting power.
Vedanta-Siddhanta Bheda.
Just as the mirror is rendered dim by a layer of dirt attaching to it, so also Knowledge is veiled
by Avidya. Therefore all people are deluded. They cling to things unreal and mistake the body
for the pure Atman. They think that this illusory world of names and forms is quite real.
Mula Prakriti is the slumbering or latent state of the Universe called also Maha Sushupti when
the Gunas are in a state of equilibrium. When the Gunas are disturbed, Mula Prakriti is called by
the different names as Maya, Avidya, Tamas, etc. Brahman is beginningless and endless. Maya
is beginningless but She has an end. She vanishes as soon as one gets the Knowledge of the Self.
Similarities Between Avidya And Maya:
According to Swami Sivananda, The reflection of intelligence is Maya which has no beginning,
which is indescribable, which is the source of inorganic world, and which is connected only with
the intelligence called Isa or the Supreme Being. The reflections in numerous small portions of
that Maya, which are possessed of two powers of enveloping and projecting and which are
known as Avidya are said to be Jivas.
It may be noticed here that in this view Maya and Avidya are looked upon as one element, and
are related with each other as the whole and its parts. The former is the adjunct (Upadhi) of Isa,
the latter of Jiva (Prakartha Vivarana).
In Tattva-Viveka, a chapter of Panchadasi, the matter is thus elucidated:
The primitive non-intelligent principle (Mulaprakriti) which consists of three Gunas (Primordia
rerum) has two forms, (1) Maya and (2) Avidya. According to the text, That non-intelligent
principle divided itself into two forms named Maya and Avidya, which are the reflectors, as it
were, of Isa and Jiva respectively.
Maya is that portion of the primitive non-intelligent principle in which pure Sattva is not
subordinated to Rajas and Tamas. In other words, that portion in which Pure Sattva is
predominant is called Maya, whereas that in which the Sattva is subordinated to Rajas and
Tamas and is consequently impure, is known as Avidya. Reflections of intelligence in Maya and
Avidya are Isa and Jiva respectively.
6. Conclusion:
The effect of avidya is to suppress the real nature of things and present something else in its
place. In effect it is not different from Maya (pronounced Māyā) or illusion. Avidya relates to the
individual Self (Ātman), while Maya is an adjunct of the cosmic Self (Brahman). So, Avidya in
the concept of buddhism and Maya in the concept of Advaita Vedanta are closely related to each
other.