Atman is ... Philosophy of India

во все времена вызывала особый интерес. The philosophy of India has always been of particular interest. It is considered one of the oldest on earth. The religion of India is the most widespread and counts a huge number of followers. Periodization is based on various sources of thought, most of which are known to the world since ancient times. . Let us consider some concepts of Hinduism .

Stages of development

в своем развитии прошла несколько стадий. The philosophy of India in its development has gone through several stages. They are:

1. XV-VI century. BC. E. This stage is called the Vedic period - the stage of orthodox philosophy.
2. VI-II centuries. BC. E. This stage is called an epic period. At this stage, the epic "Ramayana" and "Mahabharta" were created. Many problems of the era are touched upon in them. At this stage, Jainism and Buddhism appear.
3. II century. BC. E. - VII century. N. E. In this period, brief treatises were created - sutras, dealing with specific problems of the era.

Key features

They are listed in the work of Datta and Chatterjdi " Advaita Vedanta". The main characteristics are:

1. Practical orientation of thought. It serves not to satisfy idle curiosity, but is aimed at improving human life.
2. The source of thought is anxiety for a person. It is expressed in a desire to warn people against the mistakes that lead to suffering.
3. Belief in "rita" is a moral eternal world order that exists in the universe.
4. The notion of ignorance as the source of human torment, the understanding that only knowledge can become a condition for the salvation of people.
5. Consideration of the universe as an arena for the performance of moral deeds.
6. The idea of prolonged conscious concentration as the source of any knowledge.
7. Understanding the need for submission of passions and self-control. They are seen as the only way to salvation
8. Faith in the opportunity to be free.

Treatises

Initially, thoughts received their canonical, orthodox expression in the form of collections. They numbered more than a thousand hymns, which included about 10 thousand verses. The sacred books were based on the traditions of the Aryans and were decorated in the middle of the second century. BC. E. But the first four collections were subsequently combined under the general name of the Veda. Literally this name means "knowledge". The Vedas are religious and philosophical treatises. They were created by the tribes of the Aryans who came to India after the XV century. before . E. From the Volga region, Iran, Wed. Asia. Usually tracts consisted of:

1. "Holy Scripture", religious hymns (samhit).
2. Descriptions of rituals composed by priests and used by them in the conduct of ceremonies.
3. Books of forest hermits (Aranyakov).
4. Comments to the treatises (Upanishad).

At present there are 4 collections:

1. "Rigveda." This is the fundamental, the oldest collection. It was designed around 1200 BC. E.
2. "Samavede". It contains songs and sacred spells.
3. "Yajurveda." In this collection are written sacrificial formulas-spells.
4. "Atharvaveda." It contains magic formulas and spells that have survived from pre-Aryan times.

The researchers are most interested in the comments that contain philosophy. дословно переводится как "сидение возле ног учителя". The Upanishad literally translates as "sitting near the feet of the teacher." The commentary provides an interpretation of the contents of the collections.

Brahman

Monotheistic religions, such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, under the concept of God, imply a certain creative power. At the same time, they view the Creator as an inexpressible, to some extent, anthropomorphic entity. He acts as an object for prayer and spiritual fellowship. In this respect, the thinking of the Hindus is fundamentally different from the worldview of representatives of other faiths. On the public (exoteric) level of consciousness there are thousands of goddesses and gods. In the classical pantheon there are 330 million. All of them have a certain sphere of influence, geographical affiliation or patronize a certain type of activity. For example, it is believed that a god with an elephant head - Ganesha - fosters success and brings good luck in scientific research. In this regard, scientists treat him with trepidation and respect. A special place is given in the pantheon of the triad. It is represented by three gods in a functional and ontological unity: the creator of the world is Brahma, the keeper is Vishnu, the destroyer is Shiva. The crown of the triad is the concept of Brahman. It expresses the Absolute Reality. By it we mean the entirety (emptiness) of the universe with all the multitude of goddesses and gods. Brahman is seen as the unmanifest reality of everything. Secondary gods are only functionally limited and secondary aspects of it. имеет все свойства, которыми обладает и Брахман. The purpose of life is to unite with the universe, because its spiritual essence has all the qualities that Brahman possesses. Thus, the identity of man and the creator of the world is proclaimed.

Atman

как раз и есть то внутреннее в человеке, которое обладает свойствами Брахмана. This in philosophy is precisely that which is internal in a person who has the properties of Brahman. However, it is not some kind of mysterious chimera. вполне доступное, очевидное переживание своего присутствия в данный момент времени. Atman - this is quite accessible, obvious experience of its presence at a given moment in time. It is a psychic reality, a sensation of being. In its pure form, it is experienced in the form of boundless freedom. . Thinkers use this word to refer to the Higher Self . It is a personal aspect. то, что человек переживает прямо сейчас, тот миг, в котором есть жизнь. Atman is what a person experiences right now, that moment in which there is life. The clearer the connection with it, the stronger the sense of reality.

Explanations

During the daytime a person is awake, performing some kind of routine activity. In this case, he is relatively conscious. Meanwhile, if a person is asked to retell what happened to him throughout the day, including mental activities, movements, feelings and all sensations of the sense organs, he will not be able to recall a percentage of the percentage. People remember only the basic moments that are necessary to him in the future. They are associated with the projections of their small self. The rest of the memory goes into the unconscious. From this it follows that the daily awareness of a person is a relative phenomenon. During sleep, her level falls even more. After awakening, a person can remember only very little, only the brightest moments of sleep, and most often nothing. In this state, the sense of reality is significantly reduced. As a result, it is practically not fixed at all. In contrast to sleep, there is a superconscious state. In comparison with him, even daytime wakefulness may seem like a lack of life and a dream.

Purpose of perception

? Why is the awareness of the Higher Self necessary? The philistine almost does not realize his existence. He perceives everything through some or other indirect experiences. So, a person fixes certain objects with his mind and draws conclusions about what he really is, because otherwise there would be no one to perceive this world. , крепко зацепленная на уме. Questions about the practical value of realizing the psychic reality gives rise to an entity firmly entangled in the mind. Attention in this case is not able to break away from the mind and go into the depth, the cause, the essence of the processes taking place at the moment. When questions arise about the practical value of awareness, it is necessary to pay attention to the following paradox. At the time of their appearance, the inquirer himself is absent. What is the point of asking about consequences if there is no understanding of the original cause of the phenomenon? What are the secondary manifestations of the "I", if a person does not realize it at all?

Difficulties

четкое осознание присутствия. Atman is a clear realization of presence. People in ordinary life have vague feelings of soft, tasty, hard, boring, important, certain pictures, feelings, a lot of superficial thoughts. But where is the Atman among all this ? вопрос, который заставляет оторваться от обыденности вещей и посмотреть вглубь сознания. This is a question that makes you break away from the ordinary things and look deep into your consciousness. A person can, of course, calm himself. For example, he can accept as truth, that I am the totality of everything. In that case, where is the line that separates the presence from the absence? If a person understands his self, then it turns out that there are two of them. One is watching the other, or they are watching each other one by one. In this case, the third self emerges. It observes the activities of the other two. And so on. All these concepts are games of the mind.

Enlightenment

The spirit (soul) for man is considered a transcendent reality. She is God. Even a second awareness of this connection gives joy and awareness of freedom, which does not depend on anything. Atman - this is life in its absolute aspect, the invisible background is the true essence of man. In esoteric teaching, the acceptance of the psychic reality is called enlightenment. "Advaita Vedanta" speaks of awareness as who truly is. In yoga, the acceptance of one's presence is described as the Purusha. It is characterized as subtle, without beginning, knowing, conscious, eternal, transcendent, contemplative, eating, untainted, inactive, nothing generating.

The process of awareness

For the discovery of the Self, there is no need to do something, to strive for something, to strain in some way. At first this happens in the form of natural relaxation. The condition is like diving into a dream, but the person is awake. After that, individual reality is opened, it is revealed to what exists, has always existed and will always be. At this moment, the person realizes that nothing else has happened and could not be. It is life itself, naturalness, unchanging spiritual essence, which nothing can prevent. It just is, it contains different moments. But with it nothing can affect it. On a conscious level, a person understands that energy has neither a beginning nor an end. Reality can not increase or decrease. There is no attachment to anything, rejection of anything, because everything that happens is a spontaneous river, in contemplation of which everything is accepted as it is, without distorting the Truth and even its interpretation. A person only enjoys the voice of the stream, gives himself to him. The only thing you need is to trust your life. Everything flows in a natural way, it happens on its own.

Doubts

They are an illusion. Doubts attract man to mental activity, to limited private knowledge. They make you feel and fear, give rise to dissatisfaction, instability. Trust in life will make the mind eat, piercing, give an illuminating intuitive mindset. It is a manifestation of the connection between the relative and paradoxical world, the person and the higher "I".

Conclusion

Individuality is what a person thinks is going on inside him, but it's not himself. Personality and name - this is the hero, the character of the game. He acts in the world together with other forms. Reality is only that which exists against the background of the higher "I". The surrounding people are different parts of the human consciousness. Reality exists, it simply is. It is the true abode of man. Selecting these or other objects to fully pay attention to them is comparable to choosing one point at infinity to devote all of itself to it. It has no significance against the background of a real, absolute existence. Reality will tear a person away from it for an infinite distance. But he, frightened by the loss, will rush to her. This is what a person does when he gives himself to identification with transitional forms. He misses something incommensurably more important, majestic, all-encompassing - life itself. The existence of being as such, of any form, is an inexplicable miracle. For the philistine, realizing this may seem meaningless and difficult. For followers of Hinduism, understanding the existence of being and its presence in the world is natural.