UPANISHADS

Lecture by Clinton Bennett, PhD with Laju Balani, M.Div.

Upanishads - The fourth part of all the Vedas Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Athaevaveda
• Hymns- Samhitas, Ritual texts (Brahmanas) Forest Treatises, Aranyakas
• Upanishads- philosophical disclosure
• All forms of philosophy based on the Upanishad, are called Vedanta
• This means the end of the Vedas since it is the last part OR the final teaching of the Vedas.
• Contains teachings of Seers who realized the reality of life inwardly
• The personal dimension is Atman
• The supreme spirit is Brahman
• Brahman= "ever-growing" or "ever-expanding"
• Corresponds to western concept of the absolute
• Atman="the self"
• The Upanishads are many, and were not composed at the same time, place or by same person
• The Upanishads spoke of the Atman as the highest reality
• IT is the personal aspect of the Brahman (p 36)
• Atman can sometimes refer to Brahman itself, but in most instances it means the individual "true self" (E. p 33)
• Not the self as in the understanding of our individuality, but the "I" in our experience of Brahman
• Ideas of Atman and Brahman occur in the earlier parts of the Vedas.
• The change in the meaning of the words could indicate that the Aryans became more reflective
• Saw deeper significance in the same word
• Atman in the Brahmanas Means the "I" but not in the metaphysical sense
• May have meant breath
• Brahman originally meant prayer in the Brahmanas
• Moves to the power of prayer
• Then the creative power behind the universe
• Also meant sacrifice and its power (inner, not outer, eg Brahmanical sacrifice, p 31).
• Human beings in the Upanishads represent the microcosm of the Brahmanic macrocosm
• Karma Marga: Prayer and performance of sacrifice
• The four stages of a person:Brahmachaya-student,Garhastya-householder, Vanaprastya-forest dweller, Sanyasa-ascetic/monk.
• These are present in the Vedas
• In the third and fourth stage one pursues the path of Jnana Marga after living a life of Karma Marga
• But the Upanishads develop these more and may have been written by the forest dwellers and ascetics
• The Atman has four manifestations: (E p 33) The Waking State, The Dreaming State, Dreamless State, Undifferentiated consciousness or complete unconsciousness, Pure Consciousness - Beyond thoughts, speech and senses
• In the 4th stage the Atman and Brahman are seen as one
• So how does existence come into being? Maya: The power of Brahman that created the world
• Manas-Five Senses Combines all aspects of an object
• Ego (Ahamkara)-The I as in the individual
• Buddhi-Understanding
• Citta- collecting all the above three and building it into an unconnected system

Main Ideas of the Upanishads:

Jnana Marga, Asceticism, Monism (samadhi: awareness of true ‘self’), Kama and Samsara, Desire lies behind Karma, Brahman - atman Maya- ignorance,

(2) Ramanuja (1017 - 1137). Brahman is both non- personal and Isvara: the many are the One’s modes of expression. Individuals are distinct but participate in God, its essence. Samadhi = realization of absolute dependence on God. (E p 297 - 8).