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# Advaita Philosophy

## Overview

Advaita Vedanta is a non-dualistic school of Hindu philosophy that teaches the ultimate reality, Brahman, alone is real, while the phenomenal world is an illusory appearance known as maya. It asserts that the individual self (ātman) and Brahman are identical, and liberation (moksha) is attained by realizing this oneness through knowledge (jñāna).

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## Core Principles

- Non-duality (Advaita): There is no second reality beyond Brahman; all distinctions arise from ignorance (avidyā).  

- Maya and superimposition: The world appears due to māyā, the power that projects multiplicity on the one Brahman, much like mistaking rope for snake in dim light.  

- Mahāvākyas (Great Sayings): Scriptural statements such as “tat tvam asi” (“that thou art”) directly point to the identity of ātman and Brahman.  

- Moksha through knowledge: True liberation comes from dispelling ignorance by direct insight into one’s own nature, not by ritual action alone.

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## Historical Development

- Early Advaita: Gaudapāda’s Māṇḍūkya-kārikā (7th c. CE) laid the groundwork by integrating Upanishadic monism with Buddhist concepts of emptiness.  

- Śaṅkarācārya (8th c. CE): Systematized Advaita through commentaries on the Upaniṣads, Brahma-sūtras, and Bhagavad-gītā, emphasizing nirguṇa Brahman (attributeless Absolute) and introducing the theory of vivarta-vāda (apparent transformation).  

- Neo-Vedānta: In the 19th century, figures like Swami Vivekananda revived Advaita for a global audience, stressing its practical ethics and universal appeal.

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## Practices and Ethics

Advaita Vedanta encourages:

- Self-inquiry (ātma-vicāra): Observing the “seer” versus the “seen” to discern the true Self beneath thoughts and perceptions.  

- Discrimination (viveka) between real (Brahman) and unreal (worldly phenomena) to overcome attachment and fear.  

- Moral conduct grounded in the recognition of one-ness: harming another is harm to oneself; service and compassion flow naturally from realizing universal Selfhood.

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## Key Texts and Further Reading

| Text                                           | Author/Source               | Citation |

|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|----------|

| Advaita Vedanta                                | Encyclopedia Britannica     |      |

| Advaita Vedanta Explained – Philosophy of Non-Dualism | VedicFeed                   |      |

| Commentaries on Upaniṣads, Brahma-sūtras, Gītā | Adi Śaṅkarācārya            |      |

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Whether you’re drawn to its metaphysical subtlety, its spiritual practices, or its ethical vision, Advaita Vedanta offers a path to recognize the ever-present unity underlying all experience.

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