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portrayal of gods and goddesses
as having particular qualities
or acting within the world.
However, this devotion is no
more than a preliminary step on
the path toward knowledge and
liberation. Liberation can only
be achieved through the mental
discipline required for a level of
meditation that leads to insight.
And that insight, for Shankara,
is of a single reality; there is no
separate world of the gods. This
means that if there is only one
reality that is knowable through
inner consciousness, then no
religious ceremonies are
necessary; all a person needs
to do is develop insight through
the practice of meditation.
It is tempting to say that
Shankara promotes philosophy
rather than religion, but that would
not be strictly true: the quest
for an awareness of the unity of
atman and Brahman requires
disciplines of meditation that
are more of a religious exercise
than a philosophical questioning.
The sort of self-control required for
insight is not merely intellectual.
Shankara’s approach allows
him to draw together two very
different traditions into a single
system: the religious ceremonies
of the Vedas and the later
commentaries on them; and the
mental discipline of the ascetics,
who saw themselves as beyond
the stage of religious rituals.Science and reality
Modern scientific theories are
based on the premise that the
universe is comprised of objects,
structures, events, and sense
experiences that are measurable
and knowable. However, such
theories—although considered
by many to provide a reliable
way to understand the world—
often reflect only scientists’
interpretation of the phenomena
they examine and are always
open to modification. The world
of sense experience, for example,
even when explored at the limits
of scientific knowledge, is just an
approximation of reality, measured
through the tools available, as
opposed to reality itself.
In addition, the scientific
methods used in attempting to
discover reality may actually
interfere with and influence the
nature of what is observed. For
instance, the very act of observing
and measuring an experiment at
quantum level can significantly
alter the outcome.
What science may perceive
as truth or reality would, in
Shankara’s philosophy, still be
considered an illusion, on
the grounds that there are two
completely different levels of truth,
and that gods and scientific laws
alike can only approximate to
an ultimate reality beyond both
reason and sense experience.
Instead, pure consciouness can
only be achieved by transcending
illusion through meditation. ■HINDUISM
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara, the founder of
the Advaita Vedanta tradition
of Indian philosophy, was
born in 788 into a Brahmin
family in Kerala, and trained
under a guru (teacher) from the
age of seven. He later moved
to Varanasi, where he gained
his first followers, and then
to Badrinatha, where, aged
only 12, he is believed to have
written a commentary on
the Brahma Sutras.
Shankara became a guru
and attracted many followers.
He was also instrumental
in a revival of Hinduism and
establishing a number of
monasteries. Shankara died
at the age of 32. A number of
works, mainly commentaries
on the Upanishads, have
been attributed to Shankara.
His philosophy, which offered
a systematic development
of the Vedanta tradition in
the Upanishads, remains
a major contribution to
Hindu doctrine.Key works8th century The Brahma Sutra
Bhaysa
8th century The Crest-Jewel
of Discrimination
8th century A Thousand
TeachingsThe pure truth of Atman,
which is buried under Maya
[...], can be reached by
meditation, contemplation,
and other spiritual disciplines
such as a knower of
Brahman
may prescribe...
Adi Shankara