Advaita – Non Duality and Freedom from Illusion
Tat Tvam Asi – Thou are That. This is the summary and condensed teaching of Advaita Vedanta, the ancient Indian philosophy of non-duality. It is the pinnacle and the basis of all Vedic teachings and gives the ultimate insight into our psyche as well as the whole cosmos of existence. Advaita denies no other doctrine or philosophy but accomplishes it to acknowledge and including all religious and spiritual ideas and incorporating these teachings in their own way.
Advaita is not mere philosophy or theology. It is the most accurate and precise description of reality as it is and as we as human beings experience it. Based upon the Upanishads, sacred Vedic texts dating back some 5,000 years, Advaita is a complete scientific description of the microcosm and the macrocosm combined. At the core of the teaching lies the absolute certainty that we are neither body nor mind nor senses or our accumulated experiences but the pure consciousness and the witness of all this phenomenal universe that plays like a colorful movie on the empty screen of awareness.
We are pure consciousness which is reflected in the mirrors of our minds
One of the most well-known approaches of Advaita is “neti – neti” or “not this – not this”. Step by step the intellect is used to discover what I am not. It starts with the senses, the body, and the mind. As all of these faculties can be experienced and witnessed by that which lies beyond, we come to the conclusion that what is always changing, and passing before us like a movie, cannot be me as I am the witness of all these phenomena. Therefore I must be the non-changing, ever-aware witness-consciousness that is aware of all the movements that appear in consciousness.
Another wonderful way of teaching non-duality is by giving very powerful allegories of universal phenomena. In these examples, vivid pictures are used to turn the mind inwards and realize its true identity. Pure consciousness is described as the ever-shining sun that illumines the whole cosmos and all beings are like little droplets of water. Each of the droplets has a different quality of water but all reflect the same sun and are not really separate from that unifying principle. In fact, the sun is the ultimate reality and the droplets are appearances in consciousness. So it is with the Jiva or Ego-Self of man. Each one of us has a unique mind and body but in all of these multiple minds and bodies the one principle, the ever-shining awareness, is reflected. In the pure ones, the reflection is clearer while others still have to clear their minds and become rid of some clouding and distorting views that obscure the clear reflection.
The ever shining sun of pure consciousness illumines the whole universe and we are That
The Upanishads are full of such splendid allegories that can immediately turn the minds towards their source. One more way of looking at ultimate reality uses the sun allegory in this way: The empty space in the Universe appears as completely black. Yet this seemingly empty space is full of light, energy, and information. As soon as an object like a planet, a star or a meteorite crosses the empty space, the ever-shining light of the sun is reflected in this object and thus becomes revealed to our eyes. What seems to be a void, is full of light always. We simply can´t see this light as it needs an object to become visible. So it is with pure consciousness. It is always shining and present everywhere in the whole Universe. As pure consciousness, it is not aware of its own existence but shines ever the same. Only when it becomes reflected in a mind and body it becomes aware of its existence and becomes visible. The only mistake that we as conscious beings make, is to confuse the reflection with its source. We believe we are bodies and minds and we become very attached to these and thus we forget the source of consciousness. We start to truly identify with that which illumines all bodies and minds, we become free from the notion that we are mere mortals going from birth to death and we realize our true nature. The reflection can go on in its own way and do whatever is necessary in the material world. But inwardly a dramatic change has occurred. We are now aware of where our source is and as we go on being conscious of our true nature, we become more and more detached from our obsession with the reflection and therefore become free from suffering and bondage.
One more very interesting way of approaching non-duality lies in the way of using paradoxes. Language is used to point the minds towards their own paradoxical existence. Duality is the play of opposites and these opposites neutralize each other eventually. These paradoxes are also very popular amongst followers of Zen Buddhism.
Matter only appears to our senses to be solid in reality it is empty
Anyhow what the ancient Buddhist proverb said 2500 years ago “form is emptiness and emptiness is form” is nowadays acknowledged and proved to be true by quantum physics. More than 99% of what we perceive as matter is empty space. Science has not yet found that which holds that empty space together and which guides the photons, protons, and neurons on their path. It is now even verified, that atoms can not be accurately described as they seem to behave differently under observation. What was found in many interesting and revealing scientific experiments was described in minute detail in the Upanishads and Buddhist texts thousands of years ago. Only a different kind of language was used. And how were these truths and cosmic laws discovered? They were discovered by the ancient rishis and seers who used meditation and yoga and applied their refined mental instruments to figure out what constitutes the universe and the human psyche.
The conclusion must be that what one person was able to discover and find thousands of years ago must still be possible for every other human who really puts his mind on these matters. If we want to decode reality and discover our true identity, we have to plunge into the art of Meditation and Yoga, apply our logical reasoning, and contemplate on the highest knowledge and discoveries available to us. By understanding who we really are, we come to a complete understanding of the Universe and the source of all phenomena appearing in this vast cosmos.
If you want to know more about the teachings of Advaita Vedanta you can find some useful links here: