Tag: Hinduism

Spiritual Path Simplified: A Guided Journey Through Advaita and Self-Realization


This post presents a distilled guide to understanding the spiritual journey through the lens of Advaita Vedanta. It brings together 12 essential writings that explain the nature of reality as name-and-form, the illusory role of the ego, and the discovery of inner happiness. Readers are encouraged to explore each linked article while keeping in mind three key insights: the world is an appearance, the ego is not the thinker-doer, and true happiness lies within. For deeper study, the book “Happiness & Consciousness” is recommended as a concise yet comprehensive companion.

Why the Knower Cannot Be “Known”: Advaita Vedanta and the Hard Problem of Consciousness


The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad asks, “By what can one know the Knower?” Modern neuroscience and philosophy of mind echo the same puzzle in the “hard problem of consciousness.” Instruments and theories can track brain states and behavior, but never Awareness itself—the very light by which all knowing occurs. Advaita Vedānta makes the radical move: the Knower is not an object of study but the Self, svayam-prakāśa, self-luminous. To seek it as an object is like the eye trying to see itself. Liberation lies in abiding as That, not in endless inquiry.

What Has Shakespeare/Socrates to Do With Shankaracharya?


What has Shakespeare or Socrates to do with Shankaracharya? Nothing. Shakespeare glorifies the theater of Maya, making us weep and laugh at dream-characters. Socrates spins webs of thought, trapping us in endless dialogue. Both literature and philosophy grant solidity to illusion, deepening our bondage to samsara. Shankaracharya is not another voice in their marketplace; he is the firebrand who torches the whole bazaar. Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya—the world is false, Brahman alone is real. Advaita is not here to polish the dream but to shatter it. Wake up. The play is over.

Para Vidya (Higher Learning) Vs. Apara Vidya (Lower Learning)


The Mundaka Upanishad divides knowledge into two streams. Apara Vidya embraces all sciences and arts—the brilliance of mathematics, the sweep of history, the beauty of literature and philosophy. These disciplines teach us about the world of names and forms, yet remain within the realm of duality. Para Vidya, by contrast, points only to the essence—Brahman, Consciousness, the clay beneath all pots. The first refines the intellect, the second liberates the self. To honor both is wisdom: to study the many with care, and to seek the One with devotion.

Beyond Meditation: Ashtavakra and Advaita’s Deeper Call


In the Ashtavakra Gītā, two seemingly opposite statements puzzle many: “The practice of meditation keeps one in bondage” (1.15) and “When a weak man gives up meditation he falls prey to whims and desires” (18.75). Advaita Vedānta resolves this by distinguishing between dhyāna (technique-based meditation) and nididhyāsana (natural abidance in Self). For the immature seeker, meditation steadies the mind. For the mature knower, clinging to meditation sustains duality. Liberation is not attained by practice but by knowledge, effortlessly lived.

Justice, Injustice, and the Law of Karma: A Vedantic Reflection


“We deserve all the justices and injustices that happen to us in life.” This aphorism holds weight when seen through the law of karma and Advaita Vedanta. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that while we must act against adharma, the outcomes—justice or injustice—unfold according to past karma. What appears as unfair is not random, but a ripened consequence (prārabdha) shaping our soul’s journey. For the realized Self, untouched by dualities, justice and injustice dissolve altogether. To act dharmically while surrendering fruits is the highest freedom.