Hindu Philosophy Flashcards
what is the meaning of the word Upanishads?
means ‘to sit at the feet of’
from the meaning of the word upanishad, what are the Upanishads about? and what effect does this have on the reader when trying to understand the text?
- the relationship between guru and chela - disciple
- this means the true meaning may be obscured so one has to read it with a guru
are the stories in the upanishads meant to be literal or not?
no, they are not literal historical accounts, they are teachings with a moral
what type of knowledge do the upanishads try and teach?
experiential knowledge (jnana) rather than intellectual
what are all the texts about generally, at their core?
Brahman and atman
what is the more accurate definition of Brahman and atman rather than western terms?
- God and soul are western terms
- a more accurate definition is the ‘self’ however again in the west we understand that as ‘me’ which is wrong, ‘spirit’ might be better
what is the atman?
- it is the spirit within every living thing
- it is eternal
- passes from one thing to another in death
what is the purpose of jnana?
- to gain moksha, to set the atman free
- becomes one with Brahman
is the atman personal or impersonal? and how can it be described?
- impersonal
- has no characteristics
- can only be described in negative terms
what is the correlation for the purpose of atman and what Brahman does?
what Brahman does for the universe, atman does for living things
what three attributes can be applied to Brahman?
sat, cit, ananda
what is the meaning of sat, cit, ananda?
- being, consciousness, bliss
- meaning Brahman exists, is aware, and is blissful
what is the relationship between Brahman and the atman?
- it is uncertain
- they may be the same, different, or a piece of each other
- they are interchangeable
- both translated as ‘self’
what is the Katha about?
it is a dialogue between Yama, the god of death, and Nachiketa
quote from Bhagavad Gita about the atman:
“as a man leaves his an old garment and puts on one that is new, so the spirit leaves his mortal body and puts on one that is new”
analogy in the Chandogya upanishad about salt and water:
just as salt is dissolved in water, it is invisible and omnipresent, so is Brahman in the universe
quote from Kana upanishad about Brahman:
“that which cannot be seen, but enables your eyes to see, that is Brahman”
what is ‘Om’ in relation to Brahman? and quote in katha about this:
- it is an expression of Brahman as a sound
- “Om means Brahman, means the highest, he who knows that symbol, whatever he desires, is his”
Katha analogy of the chariot:
- the self is sitting in a chariot
- the body is the chariot
- the mind is the reins
- the senses are the horses
what does Vedanta mean? and what does it imply?
- ‘the end of the Vedas’
- implies they complete the ideas explained in the Vedas
analogy in the Chandogya about a gold nugget:
by knowing one gold nugget, we know all things made out of gold, they differ only in name and form
analogy in Chandogya about rivers:
all the different rivers eventually join and become one sea, meaning we all join and become one with the Self, with Brahman
what are all the schools based upon?
all are based upon ideas within the Upanishads
what does Advaita vedanta mean?
advaita means non-dual
what does advaita vedanta emphasise?
emphasises unity
basic beliefs of Advaita vedanta about Brahman:
- only one thing really exists - Brahman
- understood as nirguna
- beyond description, apophatic-only through negative
advaita beliefs on the atman: (3)
- no separate atmans in living things
- atman is unknowable to the intellect but also the root cause of all thought and consciousness
- not an agent, simply a witness to the actions of a person
advaita beliefs on maya: (4)
- everything apart from Brahman is maya
- the entire physical world is illusory
- everything you think makes you individual is maya
- the sense are maya
how are we all one in advaita vedanta?
we are all one because your consciousness is Brahman and so it is identical to every other consciousness
what knowledge will give you moksha in advaita?
the knowledge that you are Brahman
who is the main proponent of Advaita Vedanta?
Shankara
background on Shankara:
- became a sannyasin at an early age
- established an order of monks
what God did Shankara worship?
- believed in the importance of ishvara
- worshipped Shiva
how do we know he worshipped Shiva?
he composed hymns and devotional books
what is atman the root cause of?
of all thought and consciousness
what is the atman not, an idea in the upanishads that Shankara doesn’t agree with?
- the atman is not the ego (an idea in the upanishads)
- the atman is not an agent, it doesn’t act in the world
what are the three levels of reality that Shankara identifies?
- illusory reality
- mundane reality
- absolute reality
what is illusory reality?
it is the internal constructions of our mind e.g. dreams, daydreams, optical illusions, for example seeing a snake when it is really a rope
what is mundane reality?
it is the world of our senses, what our bodies inhabit, the natural world, this is also maya
what is absolute reality?
it is the idea of Brahman nirguna from the Upanishads, is all of awareness
what is avidya for Shankara?
- it is translated as ignorance but more properly described as ‘unknowing’
- avidya allows us to know the physical world but it still conceals ultimate reality
what is the only thing that is real for Shankara?
Brahman, everything else is maya
how are maya and Brahman related?
as Brahman is the only thing that is real then maya must come from Brahman, can be seen as the creative power of Brahman
what is the advaita vedanta idea of adhyasa?
- it means superimposition
- refers to the human tendency to impose what we think is real on that which is not real
what is the main difference between advaita vedanta and vishishtadvaita vedanta
advaita vedanta focuses on Brahman nirguna while vishishtadvaita focuses on Brahman saguna
which school focuses on jana and which on bhakti?
-advaita vedanta thought moksha was through jnana while vishishtadvaita believed liberation was through bhakti
what does vishishtadvaita mean?
means qualified non-dualism
what does vishish believe about atman and Brahman?
- atman (jiva) is an independent existence but originates from Brahman
- atman is a small part of Brahman that becomes separate, but when one experiences one’s own atman, moksha occurs and the atman merges with Brahman again
what is the physical world seen as? (same as advaita)
the physical world is seen as maya, an illusion to distract the mind from searching and experiencing the truth
who was the leading proponent of vishishtadvaita vedanta?
Ramanuja
when did he become a sannyasin?
at age 32
what text did they both write a commentary on? but why did Ramanuja write it?
- Brahma Sutra
- to prove it to be false
what did Ramanuja say about Brahman? and what part of Sankara’s beliefs did this argue against?
- if Brahman is the only thing to exist then it cannot be separate from the world we understand
- this argues against mundane and absolute reality
what does Ramanuja say is the ‘knower’, as opposed to Brahman?
the individual self - the jiva
what is the quality that allows the atman to be aware of itself and the world?
consciousness
according to Ramanuja is the atman consciousness or does it possesses consciousness?
it possesses consciousness and this is what allows it to be the knower
who does Ramanuja see as ishvara?
Vishnu
does Vishishtadvaita believe in Brahman nirguna or saguna?
Brahman saguna
how does Vishishtadvaita vedanta explain Brahman nirguna being used in the Upanishads?
Ramanuja suggests they are describing Brahman as being ‘without inauspicious (negative) qualities’ rather than no qualities at all
what 3 things does Ramanuja says exists?
- ishvara (God)
- jiva (souls)
- prakriti (physical matter)
analogy in Vishishtadvaita about the soul being independent from Brahman but originates from Brahman?
a bucket of water taken from the sea, you can take the bucket a long way away, and the water will simply be thought of as salty water, nevertheless it originated from the sea and if you poured it back into the sea it would lose its independence and difference
what are jiva and prakriti dependent on and created by?
- ishvara
- no soul can affect the world directly
what is prakriti composed of?
three gunas
what are the three gunas?
- sattva - purity
- rajas - passion
- tamas - inertia
relationship between God and souls (free will) in Vishishtadvaita:
God is the inner controller within each soul, yet each soul remains free to fulfil its desires and gain knowledge
how does one achieve moksha in vishishtadvaita vedanta?
- selfless devotion to ishvara
- bhakti
how does one achieve moksha in advaita vedanta?
realisation that you are one with Brahman
what does avidya do according to Ramanuja?
avidya traps the jiva in prakriti
what were the7 things that Ramanuja used to counteract Shankara’s beliefs?
the seven impossible tenets
the rajas and how they relate to people:
- sattva person - calm, spiritual
- rajas - fire, energy, anger
- tamas - lazy, slow
why does avidya arise according to Ramanuja?
arises from the jiva identifying with the body and not comprehending its dependence on ishvara
difference in beliefs about avidya for Ramanuja and Shankara:
Shankara saw it as positive whereas for Ramanuja it is negative
how can ishvara be revealed in Vishish?
through avatars and murtis
key ideas about the atman in the Gita:
- eternal
- indestructible
- subject to rebirth in samsara
key ideas about Brahman in the Gita: (6)
- Brahman is Krishna, not merely an avatar of Vishnu
- Brahman saguna
- transcendent and immanent
- within each living being
- works for the maintenance of dharma
- offers liberation to mankind out of love
did Shankara write a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita?
yes
similarities and differences in ideas between the Upanishads and the Gita:
- ideas of the atman are similar
- ideas about karma being caused by action and keeps the atman attached to the wheel of samsara are similar
- ideas of Brahman are completely different
difference between how to achieve moksha in the Upanishads and the Gita:
- the Upanishads teach that by inaction and internal action one can achieve moksha
- however in the Gita inaction is impossible, to exist action is necessary
what does Krishna in the Gita teach about karma?
- karma arises as a consequence, not of actions themselves, but of the desires that start the actions
- the path to moksha is to act without selfish desire
