The Religions Book

104 THE ULTIMATE REALITY

All this is Brahman...

He is my Self

within the heart,

smaller than

a corn of rice...

Chandogya Upanishad

14th Khanda

Understanding Brahman
The Upanishad dialogue about the
fig seed is followed by a second,
which attempts to give us some
sense of what Brahman might be
like. A bowl of water is brought and
the son is asked to taste the liquid
from different parts of the bowl. It
tastes pure throughout. Salt is
then dissolved in the water. Now,
although the appearance remains
the same, all of the water tastes of
salt. In the same way, Brahman,
the absolute reality, is unseen but
present everywhere.
The Mundaka Upanishad uses
a different image for Brahman. Just
as thousands of sparks fly from a
large fire and then fall back into it,
so innumerable beings are created
from Brahman, “the imperishable,”
or “Great One,” which is described
as unborn, breathless, mindless,

and pure—but bringing forth

breath, mind, and all the senses.

“Its heart is the whole world. Truly,

this is the Inner Self of all.”

In this understanding, the way

we experience the world through

the senses, viewing it as consisting

of objects separate from ourselves,

is not the absolute truth; there is a

reality that underlies and sustains

everything, which is invisible and

within our innermost self.

Karma and reincarnation

In the earlier Vedic religion, it was

believed that the act of offering

sacrifices to the gods maintained

the sense of order in the universe.

The Upanishads internalized that

process. They claimed that reality

is to be found as an absolutely

simple, still point, deep within the

self. And that reality is universal,

not individual. Just as making a

sacrifice in the correct way was

thought to align the self with the

universal order, so being aware

of Brahman as the true self is to

align yourself with reality itself.

Hindus believe that karma

(actions) produce consequences

—both good and bad—not just

in the external world, but also for

the person who performs them.

Hinduism developed an idea of

reincarnation in which the self

takes on a succession of bodies

over the course of many lifetimes.

The form each life takes is

determined by karma from the

previous life. However, knowledge

that “atman is Brahman” can

release a person from the constant

cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

(which is known as samsara).

Karma is generated by the actions

of the physical body and the

subtle mental body (such as an

individual’s thoughts and feelings),

but the person who is aware of the

atman, and therefore of Brahman,

residing deep within the self, will

transcend the level of the two

bodies (physical and subtle mental)

at which karma operates.

An endless cycle of lives is what lies
before us, unless we can be released
from the suffering of reincarnation
through the realization of the true
nature of atman or Brahman.