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Brahman in Hindu Philosophy
by
Kenneth Shouler, Ph.D., & Susai Anthony
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- Brahman may be the most mysterious Hindu term
- Brahman is essential to Hindu metaphysics
- Brahman is the Absolute One in Hinduism
It has been said that there is nothing in Hinduism more mysterious than Brahman. It is not a physical entity that you can point to, touch, or smell. The term “Brahman” means “the one without a second” or “the one that is multiple.” Unlike Brahma, Brahman is not a personal, creator god.
Yet the term Brahman is essential to Hindu metaphysics. Brahman is the divine force that sustains the entire cosmos or world order. The stage for Brahman is the Upanishads, where it is exalted above all other forms of god. Brahman is an absolute godhead—infinite, changeless, and impersonal.
The term “Brahman” was developed in the Upanishads to mean “the All” or “ultimate reality.” Even each individual self or atman is identical to the Brahman. Interestingly, the different views of Brahman were both theistic, in which it is identified with a god or goddess, and nontheistic, in which the Brahman was seen as a reality that lay beneath everything else.
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