An Introduction To Vedanta
In order to understand himself, man has to turn inwards. For many, this involves removing themselves from the trapping of religious dogma and taking a philosophical approach to life.
Hindus, on the other hand, turn to vedanta, a philosophy that forms the foundations of Hinduism. With vedanta, initiates do not have to walk away from religion, but integrate the knowledge they have about the pantheon of gods to help unveil the complex wisdom vedanta tries to explain.
Vedanta is an ancient philosophy – one of the oldest we know of. It is an ancient Sanskrit word which translates to modern English as [seeking] ‘the goal of knowledge.’
However, the “goal” is not literal knowledge you can learn like you do when reading a book. It is knowledge of the Self – the true nature of mankind which can only be acquired through introspection and practice.
Self-discovery is the most advanced knowledge of spirituality – or if you like organised religions. Priests may show you the path, but it is the choice of the individual to stop and taste the fruits of nature along the way.
Vedanta not only teaches you how to pick the fruits, but how to enjoy them. When the advanced philosophies encoded within Vedic literature is practiced, initiates learn to transcend from the trappings of the material world in the higher Lokas of consciousness.
The teachings of Vedanta are mostly found in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras. The Upanishads state the goal, the BG provides practical advice, and the Sutras explain the true nature of human existence described in the Upanishads in a concise way.
The Essence of Vedanta
Vedic literature explains that all creation comes from one primal matter known as Akasha. Modern science explains that Akasha are the universal forces that begin motionless and unmanifested, before combining attraction and repulsion to create gross forms.
The ancient accounts go some way to explaining how the Universe was created. But beyond that, they help to describe the true nature of man, who is essentially made from the same elements as the Universe and ultimately works by a similar functionality.
Vendanta philosophy explains we experience the world through sense perceptions. However, a group of people in one room seeing and hearing the same thing will all be having different experiences. This is what makes us all unique despite all being “one.”
Philosophy confuses the concept of “oneness”. Vedantist commentators are no different. However, for the sake of this article, let’s keep the basics intact in order to navigate the risk of confusion.
Vedanta teaches that consciousness is an all-evading presence. Even if you were knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, consciousness is still working in the background. Even when we consider the concept of life after death, and rebirth, consciousness never ceases to exist.
Given the Universe and everything in it is energy, we are to presume that consciousness is energy. Energy and matter create everything we see, hear, smell, touch and taste. But what is it that decides how things look, sounds, feel, smell and taste?
It has to be consciousness – the Universal Mind or Brahman. And whilst consciousness is Universal, it is also individual. When a drop of rain falls into the ocean, it becomes the ocean. You are the drop of rain; your thoughts, emotions and actions are driven by consciousness but produces energy which transforms consciousness.
We transform energy by acquiring knowledge and acting upon that knowledge to generate different frequencies of energy. This is how we create our experiences. Yet everything comes from the Universal Mind of Brahman and everything returns to Brahman. You are merely a part of Brahman.
How we experience that world is determined by how we perceive the world. And our perceptions are formulated by past experiences. And so flows the cycle of life.
The world and the ego
Our past experiences basically mold our attitudes, beliefs, personalities and perceptions. This is ego. In turn, these “qualities” determine how we experience life. Our day to day experiences are a result of the energy we project from the inside world into the outer world.
This is why it is important to observe your inner-world. And you can do this to great effect by observing what happens to you in the outside world on a daily basis.
Ego becomes accustomed to programs we develop on a daily basis. These programs are coded through sensory information and stored in the subconscious mind. When we find ourselves in similar situations, the subconscious pulls out related files for the brain to process.
The conscious thought that enters your head is the result of all the information you have stored in your subconscious. Regardless of whether the information is correct or false, you will make a decision based on your past experiences. This is why Vedanta, and quantum physicists of the modern day, say the world we experience is an illusion.
What they mean by this is that our experience is not pure as nature intended. Our mental programs are corrupted with questionable information. The only way to correct faulty information with “True” wisdom is by self-observation; by being mindful of thoughts, emotions and actions.
Egoism is a reflection of the Buddha mind. Buddha simply means “to become aware.” The ancient writers of India that composed the Vedas, and thus formulated Vedanta, had reached levels of awareness in which they realised the mind was controlling them as opposed to them controlling the mind.
This disease of mankind is a problem we still battle with today on a daily basis. Delusion, anger, indecision, hate, jealousy, lust etc are all ailments Vedanta describes as poisons. These “qualities” do not reflect our true nature, but rather resemble the animal nature of mankind; our lower consciousness.
Vedantists affirm the individual can become the purified essence of Brahman if we choose to allow the higher conscious self to guide us. Do not do things; allow them to happen.
This does not mean we should not do anything. We still have a responsibility to act, otherwise we will not change our energies, or indeed create anything but stagnation.
Vedantists claim individuals that are in-tune with their true nature do not have to think about what to do or what they should do, they just know. When you move away from ego and into the mind of Brahman, we instinctively know.
