Winston C.

Quilaton
Emmanuel Servants of the Holy Trinity (ESHT)
4th Year AB Philosophy
Indian Philosophy
Dr. James L. Piscos, Ph.D.

The Upanishads

Supreme

Brahman
(p. 78: II.iv. 10)
Sages

personal
god

Brahman Brahman/Isvara
Atman
(Nirguna) (p. 47: III. 3-4) (Saguna)
(p. 38: par. 3) (p. 46: II. 18) (p. 38: par. 3)

qualityless
with
Phenomenal Noumenal qualities
(p. 47: III. 3-4) (p. 46: II. 18)

Spiritual
Moksha Freedom
1. Isa (p. 87: IV.iv. 6b)
2. Kena
3. Katha
4. Prasna
5. Mundaka
6. Mandukya
7. Taittiraya Birth Karma- Death
8. Aitareya Samsara
9. Chandogya
(p. 93: II.4c)
10. Brhadaranyaka
11. Svetasvatara
12. Kausitaki
13. Mahanaraya
14. Maitri
Dharma virtue
(p. 57: I.xi.1)

The Meditation

Upanishads (om)
 Discussion

The Upanishads is “the end of the Vedas”, containing Vedanta philosophy or philosophical commentaries
that is believed to be “Shruti” or heard directly from Brahman. Derived by its name upa- (near), -ni- (down), -
shad/sad (sit), it means that sages received Brahman’s knowledge and told it to his pupil by letting them come
near them and sat to have a dialogue about it whoever seeks spiritual freedom.

Everything starts from Brahman itself, which is the Supreme of the universe. However, Brahman cannot
be actualized in any “logical categories or linguistic symbols (p.38: par.2)” for a reason that he is simply not
quantifiable to anything than humans can think of. Thus, Brahman is All.

“10. Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahman.

It knew only itself: "I am BrahmanV' Therefore it became the
All. Whoever of the gods became awakened to this, he indeed became
it; likewise in the case of seers, likewise in the case of men....
.. .Whoever thus knows "I am Brahman!" becomes this All; even
the gods have not power to prevent his becoming thus, for he becomes
their self...” - (p. 78: II.iv. 10)

On the other hand, sages believed that he can be reflected in such a way that he can be experienced in the
reality by means of two categories of harmony: nirguna and saguna.

“There are, assuredly, two forms of Brahman: the formed and the
formless, the mortal and the immortal, the stationary and the moving,
the actual and the yon.” -(II.iii.1)

Brahman is both incomprehensible nirguna (qualityless) or formless and saguna (with qualities) or the
formed (p. 38: par. 3). We cannot comprehend the first because It is in itself pure Absolute. However, the latter
speaks of the qualities which can be experienced as Brahman or termed as Isvara. Isvara is a “personal god (p.
38: par. 2)”, which means the individual Self that can be actualized by humans. However, it is very difficult to
achieve this because it must be adhered with “inner ascent (p. 38: par. 3)”, or an inward journey to reach the
ultimate reality of Isvara/Brahman. Brahman can manifest itself through Atman, the individual soul or Self, which
means the spiritual freedom of soul or the “ultimate as discovered introspectively (p. 38: par. 2)”. Still, Atman
is identical to Brahman, for a reason that Brahman cannot be realized without ascending to Self (Atman). It has
two forms: the noumenal (the unchanging Self parallel to Brahman) and the phenomenal (the experiential self)
(p. 93: par. 5). Though both qualities of Atman are unlike, they are not to be treated as superior above the other
for both occurs with each other as harmony.

“18. The wise one [i.e., the Atman, the Self] is not born, nor dies.
This one has not come from anywhere, has not become anyone.
Unborn, constant, eternal, primeval, this one
 Is not slain when the body is slain.” - (p. 46: II. 18)

“3. Know thou the self (atman) as riding in a chariot,

The body as the chariot.
Know thou the intellect (buddhi) as the chariot-driver,
And the mind as the reins.
4. The senses, they say, are the horses;
The objects of sense, what they range over.
The self combined with senses and mind
Wise men call "the enjoyer."” - (p. 47: III. 3-4)

Simply speaking, as guided by AI, “noumenal Atman is like the deeper, eternal essence of yourself that
goes beyond what you can see or feel, while phenomenal Atman is the everyday experience of yourself through
your senses and mind.” This states that Atman, though it can be reached as the fulfillment, manifest itself in the
real world through Dharma (fulfillment of duty without attachment), Samsara (transmigration of soul), and
Moksha (realization of unity with Brahman).

Thus, the only way to reach this fulfillment is to learn the greatest learning heard by the sages that were
recorded through the Upanishads’ teachings. There are about two hundred literatures but only fourteen were
recognized by the majority: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiraya, Aitareya, Chandogya,
Brhadaranyaka, Svetasvatara, Kausitaki, Mahanaraya, and Maitri.

Analysis

All of the Upanishads are related to each other and only directed to a single goal: to reach Atman or the
ultimate reality of Brahman by acquiring spiritual enlightenment or freedom (moksha) in it themselves (p.37: par.
6), but only those who are dedicated to seek it. However, to reach Atman, there are also stages of it that must
reach: Dharma, Karma-Samsara, and Moksha. At first, Dharma is the set of ethical and moral obligations, duties,
and virtues which form the basis of one’s life.

“1. Having taught the Veda, a teacher further instructs a pupil:—

Speak the truth.
Practise virtue (dharma).” - (p. 57: I.xi.1)

It encompasses justice, duty, laws, and social structure. Living according to Dharma helps one fulfill their
duties and live a just life. This in turn affects the accumulation of good Karma. Dharma is inside the second, the
cycle of Karma-Samsara. Samsara is a cycle of birth and death driven by Karma. Our souls go through this cycle
until they reach Moksha. Good Karma leads to good experiences and progresses us towards Moksha. Bad Karma
leads to suffering and repeats the cycle.

“4… In this sort of cycle of existence [samsara) what is the good of

 enjoyment of desires, when after a man has fed on them there is seen
repeatedly his return here to earth?” - (p. 93: II.4c)

Simply speaking, the purpose of Samsara is to surpass its cycle to reach Moksha. At its final stage, Moksha
is the ultimate destination of all human life. It is the liberation from the continuous cycle of Karma-Samsara. It is
attained when the Atman soul recognizes its unity with the universal Isvara/Brahman soul, thus breaking the cycle
of rebirth. At this stage, he no longer desires anything for he is nothing, the self who does not differentiates senses
or any material of this world, but only towards the pure soul of the self Atman. Thus, it does not also recognize
Samsara or even Dharma for it was surpassed by the Self. One cannot reach Moksha if it still doing Dharma or
Karma-Samsara.

“6… Now the man who does not desire.—He who is without desire,
Afho is freed from desire, whose desire is satisfied, whose desire is the
self—his breaths do not depart. Being very Brahman, he goes tc
Brahman.” - (p. 87: IV.iv. 6b)”

It is in here that spiritual freedom can be attained as what was written in the Upanishads’ goal. Thus, it
can be summarized into the relationship of Om (medium of meditation), Atman (process towards), and Brahman
(ultimate goal):
“3. Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanisad,
One should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation.
Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,
Penetrate that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.
4. The mystic syllable Om is the bow.. The arrow is the Self (Atman).
Brahman is said to be the mark.
By the undistracted man is It to be penetrated.
One should come to be in It, as the arrow [in the mark].”- (p. 53: n.ii. 3-4)

Reference:

Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalle and Moore, Charles A. (1967). A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton
University Press.