Primer

Core Terms

Brahman

The infinite, unchanging reality. Not a deity, not a force – the substratum of all that appears. Brahman is sat-cit-ānanda: existence itself, awareness itself, wholeness itself.

Ātman

The self. Not the ego, not the mind, not the body – but the witness of all these. Vedānta's central claim: Ātman is Brahman. The individual self and the infinite are not two.

Māyā

The power by which the one appears as many. Not illusion in the sense of non-existence, but appearance that veils the underlying unity. The world is real as appearance, unreal as separate from Brahman.

Avidyā

Ignorance – not lack of information, but mistaking the self for what it is not. The root confusion: identifying with body, mind, or role rather than with awareness itself.

The Four Mahāvākyas

Four great statements from the Upaniṣads, each pointing to the same truth from a different angle:

Prajñānam Brahma – Consciousness is Brahman
Aitareya Upaniṣad

Ayam Ātmā Brahma – This self is Brahman
Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad

Tat Tvam Asi – You are that
Chāndogya Upaniṣad

Aham Brahmāsmi – I am Brahman
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

Method of Inquiry

Śravaṇa – Listening

Careful attention to the teaching. Not passive hearing, but active engagement with the words of the Upaniṣads and a qualified teacher.

Manana – Reflection

Reasoning through doubts. Every objection is examined, every apparent contradiction resolved. The intellect must be satisfied.

Nididhyāsana – Contemplation

Sustained attention to the truth. Not meditation on an object, but abiding as awareness itself until the understanding becomes unshakeable.