The Upanishads belong to the core philosophical teachings of ancient India. If you read the overview of Upanishads you will know that they are arguably some of the most influential books that help us to understand the innate nature of consciousness within man and the intimate relationship we have with the world around us.
The principle focus of the Upanishads is to teach man how the ‘Atman’ (individual soul) – which is body and mind – connect with the supreme spirit; the Brahman which is absolute consciousness and the root of our origin.
Upanishad means ‘sitting close to.’ It implies the mystic doctrines of the ancients that in each of us is a God. This is the fundamental teaching of the Upanishads; that we can convert from the ego mind of the physical world and connect with our true self.
“Brahman is the only Truth,
the world is unreal, and
there is ultimately no difference between
Brahman and Atman, individual self.”
In discovering the true self, we liberate the ego mind from the false trappings of the world around us. As Buddha – inspired by the Upanishads – taught years later, the false mind is the cause of our suffering. Only by dissolving ego, will you find inner peace.
The most important Upanishads
Over 200 books were written as part of the Upanishad canon, fourteen of which have been identified as the most important; Mahanarayana
Chandogya, Kena, Aitareya, Kaushitaki, Katha, Mundaka, Taittriyaka, Brihadaranyaka, Svetasvatara, Isa, Prasna, Mandukya and the Maitra.
These texts are rich in philosophical meanings and are intended to provide inspiration to initiates looking for moksha – the liberation of the ego mind. But the basic understanding is that moksha cannot be reached through intellect, only by dissolving the mind of thoughts and memories.
The core teachings evoke the metaphysical principles of samsara, karma, dharma and moksha. If the concepts of the Upanishads are taken too literally, they are typically viewed with consternation and disbelief.
For example, samsara promotes the idea of reincarnation, that after the physical body dies, the soul goes to ‘heaven’ (or hell) and is later reincarnated. The idea of death and rebirth is prominent in every religion.
But the cycle of death and rebirth is not limited to the concept of a reincarnated soul once we die. Our soul has to evolve during this human life. Whenever we adopt new attitudes, habits and views of the world, we experience samsara; old values die so that new values are reborn.
Karma is a concept that is more widely accepted in modern thinking, principally because the idea is backed by Newton’s third rule of physics – the universal law of cause and effect.
Science explains that for every action there is a reaction. So again, we see that the idea of karma presented ancient texts is not a concept that is restricted to the afterlife, but effects conditions of our current existence.
“As it does, so it becomes; by doing good it becomes good, and by doing evil it becomes evil, it becomes pure by pure acts and bad by bad acts.”
Karma is heavily influenced by dharma – ‘right action.’ We have an obligation to ourselves and others and by adhering to that responsibility, we project positive energy that subsequently returns as positive energy.
Liberating the mind
The ultimate teaching of the Upanishads is moksha, liberating the mind so that one can be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. But what is death and rebirth and how can we liberate the mind to escape the cycle?
Let’s not forget that earth life also has repetitive cycles. We are born as babies with no understanding of the world and develop our understanding, through infancy, childhood, adolescence and various stages of maturity.
Through each progressive stage of life, we adopt belief systems. These belief systems are then stored in the unconscious mind to serve us through life. Yet the programs we learn in the early years of life do not serve us as adults.
We therefore have to liberate our minds from the mental programs we adopted as children. This is moksha, freeing our minds of belief systems that no longer serve us. Forgetting the false beliefs stored in our subconscious programming.
The Upanishads explain that the body and mind are merely vehicles we use on earth to have a human experience. But our true self, the essence of the soul, the origin of our consciousness, is the Brahman. Brahman is the supreme being, the Holy Spirit of Christianity.
Before we can return to Brahman, it is our objective to discover Atman, the individual self, or rather the god within us. But to do that we have to abandon the false programs stored in the unconscious mind. Only then can we liberate the mind and discover the deepest levels of our existence.
Understanding Brahman
The ancient sages that scribed the Upanishads used the term Brahman to describe the essence of nature. Consciousness and energy created the entire universe and – just as modern science predicts – came from one point of origin.
“That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that supreme Brahman alone.”
Brahman is the source of everything and in everything. One of the greatest insights offered by the Upanishads is that man and Brahman are thus made of the same essence. The route to Brahman is through understanding the Atman – the individual soul that we can physically feel and experience. The True Self.
When we discover the True Self and understand that everything is connected to the origin of consciousness, the Atman connects with Brahman and the mind is liberated. This realization frees us from ego whereby all suffering is dissolved.
The Upanishads speak undeniable truths. Because they include a practical understanding of life we all experience, they are not considered as pure philosophy. Look beyond the veil erected by organized religions and you will find pure knowledge in the Upanishads that will help you find salvation.
