Advaita – Non-Duality
The first Hindu philosophical system we shall consider is called Adviata, a system of non-duality proposed by Shankara in the 8th century after Jesus. According to Shankara, God (Brahman) alone is eternal (sathyam). The universe (Jagat), he taught, has only the appearance of reality. The illusory nature of the manifest world, in this system, is also known by the more often used word: maya.
Ultimately, the human soul (jivatman), he taught, is identical with God (Brahman). This can be explained with the analogy of water (representing God) and ice (representing us). Ice, as we know, comes from water and melts back to water. It could be said, that a block of ice doesn’t have an existence independent of water. Also, the block of ice always has a beginning and an end — it comes and goes, as we see with glaciers or icebergs.
The iceberg (or ice cube in your drink) is essentially one with the water in which it floats, though it is functionally different. The ice doesn’t become water. It is water. But it isn’t aware that it’s water. Because it’s solid, it imagines, let us say, that it’s an object like a stone. If this were the case, we could say it was in a state of ignorance. It would then need to free itself from this ignorance and realize that it is essentially water … or God.
Shankara proposed a way of wisdom known as jnana marga. The paths of devotion, bhakthi and action, karma can prepare the way, but jnana is the ultimate in his view. Shankara taught that ignorance can be removed only through wisdom or understanding and not by devotion or action, as they’re not the opposite of ignorance.
For Shankara also, God or Brahman is nirguna, without qualities. Brahman is impersonal. Human beings are essentially one with God, but they’re ignorant of this truth. They need to awaken out of ignorance and realize the liberating truth about themselves. According to him, ultimately every one of us can say ahambrahmaasmi, ‘I am Brahman, God and I are one.’ A person who realizes this truth while alive is called jivan muktha — liberated while alive.
In general, Shankara is considered to be a monist, but a better description would be that he’s a non-dualist: God and the universe, he taught, are not two independent or separate realities.
John Martin Sahajananda
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