Advaita Vedanta: The Non-Duality of Existence
Advaita Vedanta teaches that reality is non-dual. There is no actual separation between anything. It describes Consciousness, or Brahman, as the eternal, infinite backdrop of all existence.
The Vedanta and Upanishads delve into profound concepts, including Non-Duality (Advaita), Brahman (the ultimate reality), ātman (the true Self), and Māyā (the illusion or appearance).
Who are you, truly?
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You are the knower, the seer of all experiences.
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What does the seer have? Awareness.
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The body and mind are not awareness; they are reflections of consciousness.
Name and form, as well as all phenomena, eventually dissolve back into one Consciousness.
Advaita invites us to push our identity wider:
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From man or woman → to human.
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From human → to living being.
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From body and mind → to Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss).
We transition from identifying with the changing aspects of our body, mind, and emotions to realizing our nature as the unchanging, pure Being.
Every particle of dust, every being, the entire cosmos are one with Brahman.