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Date Posted: 08:14:24 01/21/16 Thu
Author: Rashed Ahmed
Subject: Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta[note 1] is a school of Hindu philosophy and religious practice, and one of the classic Indian paths to spiritual realization.[1] Advaita (Sanskrit; not-two, "no second") refers to the idea that the true Self, Atman, is the same as the highest Reality, Brahman. It gives "a unifying interpretation of the whole body of Upanishads",[2] providing scriptural authority for the postulation of the nonduality of Atman and Brahman.

Followers seek liberation/release by acquiring vidyā (knowledge)[3] of the identity of Atman and Brahman. Liberation is believed to be attainable after long preparation and training under the guidance of a guru. It emphasizes Jivanmukta, the idea that moksha (freedom, liberation) is achievable in this life.[4][5]

Advaita Vedanta is the oldest extant sub-school of Vedanta[note 2] – one of six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy.[6][7] The school uses concepts such as Brahman, Atman, Maya and others that are found in major Indian religious traditions,[8] but interprets them in its own way for its theories of moksha.[9][10] Advaita Vedanta traces its roots in the oldest Upanishads, with Bādarāyaṇa’s Brahma Sutra consolidating the central premises of this tradition.[8] The principal, though not the first, exponent of the Advaita Vedanta-interpretation was Adi Shankara in the 8th century, who systematised the works of preceding philosophers.[11]

Advaita Vedanta, like all Indian philosophies, developed in a multi-faceted religious and philosophical landscape, in interaction with the other traditions of India such as Jainism and Buddhism.[12] In its history, it influenced and was influenced by various traditions and texts of Hindu philosophies such as Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, other sub-schools of Vedanta, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, the Puranas, the Agamas as well as social movements such as the Bhakti movement.[13][14][15]

Advaita Vedanta is one of the most studied and most influential schools of classical Indian thought.[16][17][18] In modern times, due to developments already set in at medieaval times with Hindu responses to Muslim rule,[19] and further developed by neo-Vedantins and Hindu nationalists in colonial times, Advaita Vedanta has acquired a broad acceptance in Indian culture and beyond as the paradigmatic example of Hindu spirituality.[20] Many scholars describe it as a form of monism,[21][22][23] some as nondualism.[24][25] Advaita Vedanta texts espouse a spectrum of views from idealism, including illusionism, to realist or nearly realist positions expressed in the early works of Sankara.[26]

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