Advaita Vedanta
Definition
Advaita Vedanta (lit. “non-dual end of the Vedas”) is a Hindu philosophical school, classically systematized by Adi Shankara (8th century CE). It teaches that Brahman (ultimate reality) and Atman (self) are ultimately identical, and the perception of multiplicity is due to Maya (illusion).
Historical Development
- Upanishadic roots – early non-dual passages (“Tat Tvam Asi” – Chandogya Upanishad).
- Shankara – systematized Advaita, critiqued Buddhism, rival schools (Mimamsa, Nyaya).
- Post-Shankara debates – controversies with Dvaita (Madhva), Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja).
- Modern reception – popularized by Vivekananda, appropriated into Hindu reform and even Western New Age thought.
Critiques
- Dvaita Vedanta (Madhva): rejects non-dualism; insists on eternal distinction between God and soul.
- Islamic critique: collapses Creator/creation distinction; undermines tawhid.
- Catholic critique: denies personal God, reduces theology to metaphysical abstraction.
- Buddhist critique: illusion vs emptiness — Maya conflated with Shunyata, but lacks the radical rejection of selfhood.
Cross-links
References
- Primary: Chandogya Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Brahma Sutras.
- Commentarial: Shankara’s Brahmasutrabhashya.
- Modern: Radhakrishnan, Vivekananda.
- Critiques: Abul A‘la Maududi on pantheism, Catholic missionaries’ 16th–19th c. debates in India.