Comments on Vedanta
I do not claim any expertise on Vedanta but will share my understanding with you. I will briefly refer to quantum physics and physicists at times and use QP as an explanatory metaphor.
To begin, the Sanskrit symbol that represents “OM” is composed of three sounds a-u-m where a-u combine as O followed by M. It is considered the greatest of all mantras and, when chanted, is thought to reproduce the primordial sound of the universe, which functions like a carrier wave or drone for all that is manifest. The three sounds that contribute to its sound also represent a number of triads in Vedanta; e.g., the three sacred Vedic scriptures (Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda).
Vedanta refers to the worldview or root school of philosophy in what is often referred to as Hinduism. The Vedas are the oldest Sanskrit verse in Hindu philosophy. “Veda” means text and “Anta” means end or conclusion. Vedanta has influenced many traditions in Asia, and possibly some as far away as the Middle East.
Vedanta is generally believed to have its origins as far back as around 3500 years ago. Some scholars argue that it may go back as far as 5000 to 6000 years ago. Vedanta is not polytheistic as is often inferred from the many “gods” in Hinduism. Each of those “gods” is actually a personification of an aspect of Brahman.
To illustrate, consider Ardhanarishvara that is usually depicted in a painting or as a statue. Ardhanarishvara has both male and female features. If we break down the name we get Ardha = half, nari = woman and ishvara = God. Thus, Ardhanarishvara symbolizes the unity of the apparent outward duality of opposites such as maleness and femaleness.
This unity of opposites can also be found in the West. The concept of complementary pairs was advocated by Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum physics. Bohr argued that complementary pairs provide the range of variability that makes possible experience. For example, the pair male-female makes possible the range of experience referred to as sexuality. These experiences wouldn’t be possible if we reproduced using an asexual method such as binary fission .
Vedanta has three foundational texts: The Upanishads provide a summary of the Vedic teachings on spiritual knowledge, the Bhagavad Gita distills these teachings into practical guidance and the Brahma Sutras address philosophical questions arising from the Upanishads. Together, these texts establish a comprehensive framework for Vedantic philosophy.
There are many schools or traditions in Vedanta. Three that illustrate the range of Vedantic traditions are:
1. Dualistic Vedanta: That emphasizes a clear distinction between the Atman or individual self and Brahman or Source Consciousness.
2. Monistic Vedanta: Where Brahman is seen as a personal being with whom the Atman or true self can have a relationship.
3. Nondual Vedanta: Posits ultimate reality to be a singular, undivided whole. This tradition is called Advaita, which means “not two”. Advaita is the worldview followed by Vedanta societies around the world. It is also the most widely recognized Vedantic tradition in the West.
Advaita is thought to have originated with Gaudapada and then was further developed by Shankara. Both were teachers of Advaita during the seventh century.
The central tenet of Advaita is that our true self, the Atman, is identical with Brahman. However, due to ignorance (avidya) and the cosmic illusion (Maya), we perceive ourselves as separate, limited beings. This misperception is the root cause of all suffering.
It is important to make a distinction about the term “self”. The personal self, fictive-self or ego resides in the mind, which is an aspect of the bodymind unity. Atman is beyond the bodymind and is sometimes also referred to as the Self, the true self or the witness. A key teaching in Advaita is that Atman or true self is a projected aspect of Brahman or Source Consciousness and Atman and Brahman are ultimately identical.
Advaita teaches that the relationship between Atman and Brahman must be known through personal experience, not believed as a dogma. Advaita also teaches that to know this relationship is to know your true self and recognize that you and Brahman are inseparable.
When you understand that Atman or Witness Consciousness is identical to Brahman or Source Consciousness, you will begin to understand that your personal awareness originates in Witness Consciousness. If you are like the majority of people, you identify yourself with the bodymind and your fictive-self.
Once you recognize witness consciousness, the next task to work on is the subject-object relationship. You must learn to recognize that everything that you are aware of is an object of consciousness. This includes your bodymind. This also includes all the thoughts, memories and feelings generated by the bodymind as well as everything that is perceived through the sense organs of the bodymind. In short, if you experience it, it is an object of consciousness, and you are the subject or experiencer that is aware of it.
When this is realized, you recognize that everything you perceive is experienced in witness consciousness and not by your fictive-self, you are identifying with witness consciousness as the true source of your being. An American mystic, the late Franklin Merrell-Wolff, describes identity with witness consciousness as “living from high indifference.” Which is not being indifferent in the common meaning of that term but rather engaging the world with discernment and without becoming emotionally entangled in it and reactive to it.
This is a big step but not the last step. After you identify with witness consciousness, your next step is to realize that Atman is Brahman, and by way of that unity you are unlimited consciousness, unbound by spacetime and with infinite potential.
This realization often manifests through a temporary enfolding of Atman into Brahman. This experience is called Samadhi in Advaita, and some describe it as Self-realization or Enlightenment. The late Franklin Merrell-Wolff described this experience as “consciousness without an object.” If you have not experienced this by the time you die, you will experience the enfolding of Atman into Brahman as the transition from a physical existence into Source Consciousness takes place.
Brahman or Source Consciousness is the ground from which everything manifest arises. Every star, every planet, every plant, every animal and so on in the universe arises from and exists within Brahman – the ground of all being. Brahman is described in Vedanta as having two aspects:
Shiva
– The unchanging, transcendent aspect of Brahman.
– Pure consciousness, stillness, and the witness state.
– The masculine principle in creation.
– Formless, unmanifest potential.
Shakti (a.k.a. Parvati)
– The dynamic, creative energy of Brahman.
– The power of manifestation and transformation.
– The feminine principle of creation.
– The active force that brings the universe into being.
Shiva and Shakti are ultimately not different, being two aspects of the same non-dual Brahman. They are often described as inseparable, like fire and heat. Shakti is seen as the active potency of Shiva, through which creation manifests. Their union represents the dynamic interplay between consciousness and energy in the cosmos.
Shiva and Shakti are understood to be reflecting different facets of the singular, nondual Brahman that is ultimate reality. Their complementary nature illustrates the paradox, especially for Westerners, of unity and diversity within nondual philosophy. In the West, the principal logic is either/or while the logic of nonduality is closer to both/and.
I think the Vedantic model is similar to the reformulation of quantum physics proposed by the late David Bohm. In Bohm’s model there are three orders. The first is what he calls the Super Implicate Order and the source of all possibilities, which parallels Shiva in the Vedantic model. The second is the Implicate Order and is responsible for manifesting possibilities, which parallels Shakti in the Vedantic model. Finally, there is the Explicate Order that is the result of the unfolding of possibilities by the Implicate Order, which parallels the manifestation of the physical world brought about through the creative actions of Shakti.
Advaita challenges you to reconsider your understanding of spirituality and recognize that spirituality is not a journey or a quest, but rather an exploration of your own true nature. To facilitate this recognition, one should study and understand the worldview of Advaita, as briefly described above, and then use that worldview as a working hypothesis until you have validated it through your own experience. Thus, it is not a “faith” based religion as is commonly the case in Western religions and even some traditions in the East.
Advaita encourages everyone to realize their true nature through methods called yogas. None of the yogas asks you to give up your reason and independence of thought. Advaita is less formal than a faith-based religion and focuses on spiritual support and practical guidance to those seeking their true nature. There are several methods or yogas that can be used and students of Advaita may use those that most resonate with them; however, Jnana and Raja Yoga are preferred by many Advaita practitioners. The methods are:
Bhakti Yoga, which is for the person with an emotional nature. It teaches a devotional relationship with Brahman. In this yoga, Brahman is associated with divine love or unconditional acceptance.
Jnana Yoga is an approach to self-realization through discrimination and reason. It is for those with a philosophical nature who want to go beyond the apparent universe and understand the underlying nature of reality, that is, to have a metaphysical understanding of reality.
Karma Yoga is for the action-oriented and is often the choice of “householders” or those with a commitment to the everyday world of work and family. It teaches how to act in a manner that will bring peace of mind and at the same time harness the natural desire to be productive.
Raja Yoga is sometimes called the yoga of meditation. The emphasis here is on disciplining the mind through contemplation and meditation. Raja yoga is also called the psychological path to union with Brahman.
Hatha Yoga, or physical yoga, is what is often brought to mind in the West by the word “yoga”. It is not an exercise program but a method for recognizing and exploring the relationship between the mind and body components of the bodymind. In addition to postures, an essential component of its practice is meditation.
Swami Sarvapriyananda (a.k.a. Swami Ji), who is the head of the Vedanta Society of New York, thinks that Advaita is particularly relevant to the modern mind due to its focus on experience and reason rather than theology. He asserts that ultimate or absolute reality is a singular, undivided whole called Brahman.
Several modern quantum physicists offer a similar description. One such physicist is Menas Kafatos (The Conscious Universe) and another is Fredrico Faggin (Irreducible). Faggin is the inventor of the microprocessor and funds a foundation that supports research on consciousness. Using quantum physics as a metaphor, I think both might suggest that Brahman or Source Consciousness is a single, unified quantum field of infinite potential, unlimited by spacetime.
Two goals of the Vedantic worldview, including Advaita, are to overcome suffering and attain fulfillment in life. Swami Ji says that the spiritual journey in Advaita is about a transition from spiritual ignorance to spiritual understanding.
Advaita suggests that we misunderstand our own nature. While we typically view ourselves as small, limited beings in a vast, uncaring universe, Advaita argues that we are, in fact, unlimited consciousness, which has no beginning or end. If we are grounded in unlimited consciousness, the divine is not separate from us but intrinsic to our very being. Accepting this as a possibility leads to an exploration of our nature, particularly of the self, mind, and consciousness.
In exploring this, Advaita uses “sat-chit-ananda” (existence-consciousness-bliss) to describe the ultimate nature of reality. These three terms address the three main questions of philosophy:
1. What is real? (sat – pure being)
2. How do we know or experience anything? (chit – consciousness)
3. What is the point of it all? (ananda – bliss or the end of spiritual ignorance)
Advaita asserts that this ultimate nature (sat-chit-ananda) is our true self. Full realization of this truth is said to resolve all of our existential problems, e.g., the inevitability of death.
The method Advaita uses to bring us to an understanding of our true self is purely philosophical, based on reason and experience. It doesn’t require belief in dogmas. Instead, it uses analytical procedures from Jnana Yoga to examine and understand the structure of our conscious experience.
Advaita uses Raja Yoga to help us recognize the apparent division between subject (consciousness) and object (everything that is experienced). Through this analysis, Advaita concludes that not only the external world but also our bodymind are objects appearing to consciousness.
A practice to aid this recognition was introduced by a highly respected Advaita teacher, Ramana Maharshi who lived and taught in the twentieth century. The practice is called Self-inquiry. The practice can be done in formal meditation and/or as you go about daily life. It seeks to identify who the I in a question like, Who am I? is referring to.
In essence, you are looking for the subject amongst the objects of consciousness that you are aware of. If you are aware of a tree you could ask yourself if the statement “I am the tree” is true or false. This can carry forward to include anything you become aware of whether it is an animal, an insect, a fence, a car and so on. These types of objects are easy to eliminate. Examples of other “objects of consciousness” follow. The next examples might include such things as emotions; e.g., anger or joy; thoughts; e.g., about your brother or sister or a task that you need to take care of; memories; e.g., of your recent vacation or a deceased friend; impulses; e.g., to call someone on the phone or to invest in a stock tip and so on. Another set might include the body; e.g., a pain in your foot or the appearance of your hands or the appearance of your face in a mirror and so on. The final set might include thoughts about descriptors about the fictive-self; I am a father or mother or I am a salesman or a nurse or I am an amateur tennis player or Bridge player and so on. Ultimately, you convince your mind that you the subject cannot be any of these things because for them to be in your awareness demonstrates that they are not the subject who is aware of them. This is the opening that permits a shift in identity from the fictive-self to witness consciousness.
The critical experience in Advaita is to recognize that the objects of our perception are not distinct from consciousness itself. Everything, known and unknown, is seen as appearing in and as consciousness. With this, there a dissolution of the apparent duality of subject and object.
This dissolution is realized through the experience of the enfolding of Atman (individual consciousness) into Brahman (Source Consciousness) even though it is only a temporary merging. Or, in the words of the late Franklin Merrill-Wolff, the ultimate attainment is to experience “consciousness without an object.” To have this experience as a living entity is often referred to as Self-realization or Enlightenment, which liberates us from spiritual ignorance. You are also said to have this experience through death when the bodymind expires and one’s personal consciousness is folded into Source Consciousness.
An interesting anecdote told about Ramana Maharshi when on his death bed illustrates an implication of knowing that everything appears in and as consciousness. A group of students were standing around the dying teacher’s bed and one beseeched him not to leave them. He responded, “Where would I go?” If you don’t “get it” think about it until it reveals itself to you.
In summary, Vedanta is a profound worldview that serves as the heart of Hinduism. It invites individuals to engage in a transformative journey of self-discovery. By exploring the teachings of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras, practitioners can uncover the deeper truths of existence and their own identity. Vedanta thus stands not only as a philosophical doctrine but as a practical guide for living a life of awareness and realization for those inclined to embrace it.
If you are interested in knowing more about Vedanta, there is a Vedanta Society of Atlanta located in Tucker, GA. You can also find many books on Vedanta at the online bookstore of the Vedanta Society of Southern California. Further, you can find many video talks by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of NY and on YouTube. The three main texts on Vedanta mentioned herein can be ordered on Amazon. A good first read on Vedanta would be The Essence of Vedanta: The Ancient Wisdom of Indian Philosophy by Brian Hodgkinson (also available on Amazon).
Finally, if you are interested in the perspective of Vedanta but reluctant to delve into a philosophy that is deeply embedded in an unfamiliar culture, I would suggest following the teachings of Western nondualists, such as Rupert Spira or the late Robert Wolfe.
Alternatively, you might investigate a parallel line of thought in Western philosophy generally referred to as “idealism,” of which there are multiple schools. Idealism has been out of favor since the rise of physicalism, which is the default metaphysics associated with scientific materialism. However, many scientists argue that science would work just as well or better under idealism than it has under physicalism.
There has been a resurgence of interest in idealism brought about by quantum physics, which Fredrico Faggin calls the physics of subjectivity. A strong contemporary proponent of idealism is Bernardo Kastrup. Kastrup is an engineer, scientist and philosopher. He has worked at CERN, in the tech industry, been an tech entrepreneur and currently is Director of the Essentia Foundation.
Kastrup became interested in idealism and consciousness through working on the problem of strong AI. His version of idealism is called analytic idealism, which he says is so-called because it is based on reason, logical argument and support from science, especially quantum physics.
If this philosophy interests you, I would recommend starting with one of Kastrup’s early books titled Rationalist Spirituality, which was one of the first books read by the Spirituality and Philosophy book group here at ML. It is a small book of around 120 pages but a large book in its scope and thought.
Kastrup has written around a dozen books on idealism and related topics and has a new book in press titled Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell. The English version will be published in November 2024 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon. You can find a lot of material on idealism on the Essentia Foundation’s website, on his personal website and on YouTube, where you will find many interviews and discussions in which he participates.
By the way, there is a school of Raja Yoga called Kriya Yoga that has a retreat center in Lakemont, GA, just south of Clayton, GA. It is called Center for Spiritual Awareness and there is a connection between the founder of this center and Unitarianism. There is also a Vedanta Society of Atlanta located in Tucker, GA.