Brahman-Atman: The Sacred Heart of the Upanishads

In this video we explore the heart of the Upanishads and the single-most important idea in Vedanta philosophy: Brahman-Atman.

[@singh.navendu]

You're a good human, dear sir. Keep sharing knowledge with us ignorant ones. Pranaam 🙏

[@PeterBolland]

Your kindness and generosity of spirit tells me the same about you. I'm just trying to be helpful. We're all "ignorant," and hungry for more.

[@KishoreG2396]

It's interesting to note that the concept of "Brahman" exists in the early Rig Veda Samhitas as well, albeit in a rudimentary form. Many people believe that Brahman was only developed in the Upanishads, and that the early Rig Vedic people were complete polytheists (just like their Indo-European counterparts elsewhere). However, this is not the case, as we have seen in the Nasadiya Suktam and elsewhere, where the "One" is described. In other verses of the Rig Veda it is alluded to as the origin point of all the Devas, and "It" is called by multiple names. We even see the concept of "Atman" in the RV samhitas as well, where they refer to the Atman as the sacrificial fire Agni. In that context, Agni is used metaohorically to the Spirit/Arman, not the Deva Agni nor the sacrificial fire of the Yagna. Because the early Indo-Aryans were tribal and lacked the precise language that was refined in the later Upanishadic era, they only had natural elements to describe metaphysical concepts, so they used nature, like Agni, in this case, to describe deeper spiritual concepts.

[@PeterBolland]

I agree. In my video here on the Rig Veda, I explore this very point. Thanks for commenting. Great insights.

[@Buddha98]

You have simplified the vast knowledge so that common man can understand too. This is so calming to listen to you. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you so much. That is exactly what I am trying to do.

[@kullal007]

I was aimlessly surfing the internet, and accidentally came across this video at 2 in the morning last night. OMG, I am speechless!!!!! I have not read/heard from anywhere such a detailed dissection of the terms Brahman and Atman. You have not only managed to breakdown such an esoteric subject in the most simplistic and detailed manner, but have anticipated all the questions, anyone might ask during a live conversation. Even the most reputed Hindu priests and /or, some popular mystics have not managed explain so effectively. I am lucky to have found you. I watched this video twice, and then I watched the video on Maya. Again another Gem of a video. I am blown away with you knowledge of the vedas, upnishads. I bearly slept last night. Just woke up and eager to watch other videos. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Can’t thank enough for spreading this knowledge. 🙏🙏🙏

[@PeterBolland]

Oh my what a gift you’ve given me. I am very grateful for your glowing assessment of my work. Thank you so much! 🙏🏼

[@josesantana27]

Nameste Peter, I am a new subscriber to your channel. I have been on a spiritual journey studying Hinduism the last few years. I absolutely love Hinduism's scared texts. Just wanted to say thank you for explaining the reality called Brahman. You have done an awesome articulating the complexities of Brahman and Atman. Thank you!

[@PeterBolland]

Hi Jose. Thank you so much for your kind feedback and for subscribing. I really appreciate it! 🙏🏼 Check out my Asian Philosophy playlist as well as my playlists on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Dao de Jing.

[@dulanigu_]

Name Buddhaya, Peter! Thank you so much for giving such an elaborate description and explanation about this sacred concept: Brahman-Atman. I'm currently researching and taking notes for a class about Religions in India in my university, and frankly out of all the videos I've been watching to get a better understanding, this video of yours is very comprehensive. I've learned about Hinduism fairly not much in the past, but these days I'm writing a paper about this topic. Thank you for your time to come here and give us a descriptive explanation. This topic, as I can say for myself, is interesting but also somewhat complex to understand. Your knowledge is truly acknowledgeable for your kindness and patience with us all. After watching your video, I have come to have grasped a better understanding about Brahman-Atman. Your inclusion of examples was very helpful and it gave us a clear and transparent connection to helping us with analogies. May the Noble Triple Gem bless you! Have a good rest of your day, sir. Sādhu 🙏

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you so much for your kind, supportive, and thoughtful comments about my work. I really appreciate it! Many blessings to you in return.

[@candaniel]

I love that you connected the Vedantic teachings about Brahman-Atman to the teachings of Jesus in this video! I've been on the search of a spiritual tradition and language in the last few years of my life, and I am thoroughly disappointed of what Christianity is or has become in the modern world, compared to what I understand Jesus teachings to quite clearly point to. Thank you for this.

[@PeterBolland]

I’m on that search with you. 🙏🏼

[@leavandenbosch9090]

I bought and read the Upanishads in Kovalam, it was a version of wisdoms and stories adjusted to our modern time, it was an enlightement I experienced. I too bought a second hand book of Siddhartha from Herman Hess, Thanks to these books I got insight in many things . I understood how rich India's culture was

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you Lea for watching and commenting. I love Herman Hesse--read all of his books in high school, and now I teach Siddartha in my Asian Philosophy classes--it's a perfect entry point into a deepening study of both Hinduism and Buddhism.

[@bryantcofty2709]

Thank you for the eloquent and consice dileniation of Brahman and Atman. It's by far the most clear distinction I've heard described and exactly what I had surmised it to be through the consumption of many other descriptions. In fact I had posted a question on another video asking if the difference was what you described here. Thanks again.

[@PeterBolland]

Thanks for the kind feedback Bryant. 🙏🏼

[@SomethingImpromptu]

I think it’s an important distinction that’s worth noting; Brahmanism is a panentheistic tradition, rather than a pantheistic one. As you described it, Brahman/Atman includes not only the physical world that we call material reality (the property of *immanence*, which characterizes pantheism) & all the information/form that underlies it, but it’s also “The One-“ it is the nondual source which underlies all of. This is the property of transcendence. Brahmanism & Advaita Vedanta describe a boundless, nondual, infinite source & ground of being beyond the bounds of spacetime (Brahman, Plotinus’ The One, Absolute Spirit; the transcendent aspect of the Divine; whatever you want to call a seemingly intelligent/conscious/aware infinite being), so I would definitely qualify them as panentheistic. Panentheists argue that god is both immanent and transcendent, rather than only immanent. Anyway, excellent video. You articulate all these incredibly profound, esoteric concepts with such eloquence & vividness- it’s really a pleasure to listen to. I grew up in a very Christian society, but was extremely skeptical/atheist-leaning-agnostic from childhood, but I was always somewhat open to spiritual ideas (just not superstition, dogma, or religious hierarchy)… The notion that Atman = Brahman was the first spiritual concept (certainly the first coming from a mainstream religion) which I ever heard which actually resonated with me, provoked a lot of philosophical thought, & was a lens of considering nature which I always kind of carried with me as a framework that I found plausible (& which didn’t seem to contradict our body of scientific evidence at all). Since then, I’ve given it a lot of consideration/inquiry & weighed the evidence we have about the nature of the physical universe. I’ve had many mystical experiences & experiences of insane synchronicity which only really are explainable IMO in a mind-like or spirit-like, basically objective idealist, nondualistic universe- and I do hold subjective experience as a less weighty or reliable form of evidence (it’s like an anecdote except that I don’t have to take someone’s word for it being accurate to what was experienced, because I lived it), but nonetheless I know how life-changingly, undeniably hyper-real it feels & that it is of a nature that I have a hard time believing is illusory. Anyway, despite coming at spirituality from a pretty skeptical, rationalistic, empirically-grounded view, through all of this thought & experience I’ve definitely had to come to the conclusion that something along the lines of Atman=Brahman certainly seems to be the case (in fact, something fairly similar to the basic general ontology of a whole diversity of other nondualistic, panentheistic, objective idealist-leaning esoteric traditions, from Kabbalah to Hermeticism to Taoism, which all shared a lot of common metaphysical conceptions- something that philosophers & mystics around the world have been figuring out independently of one another going all the way back 5,000 years to the ancient Vedantist. The basic cosmology of neo-Platonism (The One/Nous/physical world) especially maps insanely perfectly onto the holographic model of the universe & information theory that’s coming out of contemporary physical cosmology & astrophysics. I have to drop a mention of the Pribram-Bohm hypothesis, because it’s a prime example of how some physicists in this area have been developing amazing theories which really attempt to integrate consciousness, the observer, & the external world, the observed, which could provide a physical explanation how our minds serve as an interface between the informational aspect of the cosmos (or in a different lens, perhaps the realm of Platonic forms is the same thing, or what Plotinus called Nous, the Divine Mind) and the 4D physical spacetime aspect that we experience ourselves as living in. This could lead to an explanation of why we experience ourselves as having free will, a mechanism by which we could explain the ability of the mind to influence the physical world, both shaping each other in a continuous dialectical process. Klee Irwin’s Emergence Theory is also amazing in this respect. It’s a theory derived from the E8 lattice (an 8 dimensional quasicrystalline lattice, which is the one geometric shape in nature which seems to encode the information describing all of the fundamental forces & particles of the standard model & important constants, which makes it seem very special). Irwin’s theory would claim that our universe is informational, but that it’s not a deterministic algorithm- it’s a code, which he suggests is a language. The important difference is that a language has syntactic degrees of freedom; it allows you to make decisions about how to apply it’s rules to use it to receive or transmit meaning, to convey meaningful information. If it’s a language with syntactical degrees of freedom & consciousness is an integral part of it, then that could provide some path to explain how it’s possible that we can seem to make decisions at will (obviously with the constraints of spacetime & the laws of physics limiting them, but still some degrees of freedom) which seem to have distinct consequences for us & others. Sorry to go way off on a tangent. It’s just fascinating stuff. But yeah, great talk. Just wanted to put that one correction out there for people because I think the distinction between pantheism & panentheism is really profound & important to understand. They’re the two positions I’ve been most torn between, & ultimately I think it may be fundamentally impossible to actually ever prove which would be right… But in light of nondualism (which I think there’s a strong case for) & some other philosophical lines of reasoning, I lean towards panentheism.

[@PeterBolland]

Dear Matthew, thank you for leaving what just might be my most favorite KZbin comment ever. You just dropped a knowledge bomb on any would-be reader who might happen by. I completely agree with you that panentheism is the right and most accurate label for the Vedanta metaphysical stance. I love how you connect so many things together here. And you took me back to my grad school days with your discussion of Plotinus -- I took a whole course on him. Brilliant. And what you say about him is absolutely true. One of my many weaknesses is in physics, so thank you especially for your discussion of some of those piece. Looking forward to whatever feedback you'd care to offer on any of my other videos, if you get around to them. Thanks for the gift. Cheers!

[@drawitout]

Ooh. Just found you. 30 seconds in and subbed. Love the way you sound. I look forward to (re)learning from you. I took an Asian Philosophies course in university years ago and loved it.

[@PeterBolland]

Thanks and welcome!

[@Techno_Guys.]

Thank u so much sir for this Brahman-atman explanation ❤

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@luisalfredomartinezesteves9251]

you have opened my mind and changed my life! Thank youuuu. You are now my personal guru

[@PeterBolland]

You're so welcome! I honestly believe that we are all each other's teachers (or gurus), which I guess is another way of saying that we are all our own gurus. I really appreciate your kind and supportive words!

[@BharaniNath]

The way you explain things is amazing. I just happened to stumble upon your channel. Subscribing. Will share as well.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you very much Bharani! I really appreciate it!

[@heatherturner3837]

Oh my! I've been going crazy trying to find this out! For the last 55 years I've known but needed this corroborated by someone who can correlate the words of Christ and the vedic principles! Your video has been like drinking fresh water from a well that I knew was there but couldn't find! Thank you so much and bless you! I particularly love your analogy of waves upon the ocean waving to each other but not knowing we're part of the vast sea of love! 💖🙏💖

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you so much for the kind words Heather! 🙏🏼 You might enjoy my World Religions and Asian Philosophy playlists on my channel.

[@heatherturner3837]

Thanks Peter, I read Patanjalis yoga sutras in the late 60s and have always studied the vedas and Upanishads which spoke to me far more than the Bible. I go to church as my sacrifice of praise for Christ, but I detest what Paramahansa Yogananda calls churchianity! I went to Truro cathedral Cornwall last Sunday. Wonderful choir but what a self satisfied ego trip lacking in spiritual depth apart from the amazing surroundings! I have been so confused up till now. Thanks to your teachings I now have some clarity! Ah, that's what I wanted to ask, do you think Jesus was an avatar in the same sense as Krishna? Cornwall

[@PeterBolland]

Heather, I'm envious that you got to attend church at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. That part of England is very dear to me. My wife and I attend an Episcopalian Church here in San Diego, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral -- not quite as old as Truro, but a beloved place for us. As you probably know, the American Episcopalian movement tends to be much more progressive and liberal than the Anglican Church of England, which suits us fine. But the liturgy is still terribly (and wonderfully) traditional, which also suits us. I made my peace with Christianity, and found a good church home here. But I'm still essentially agnostic. So as to your last question, "Was Jesus an avatar in the same sense as Krishna?" Sure, why not? But I'm not dogmatic about any of it anymore. My opinions and beliefs mean less and less to me these days -- it's experience I'm after, not doctrine. When I hear doctrines contrary to my own inclinations I simply say to myself, "Oh, that's interesting," and move on. I leave people to the autonomy of their own experience and understanding. Church is for me just another window into the Real and into the Mystery. If the sermon that day wasn't that hot, or a parishoner rubs you the wrong way, so what? I'm not looking for the perfect aesthetic experience. I just want a "thin place" where I can feel the luminous slipping through the cracks in our ordinary lives.

[@caitlinager6676]

You explain and give forth information with such a calming presence

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@emilygrunthal1061]

This is incredible - thank you.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you so much for watching Emily. I appreciate it.

[@AgniAdiGiri]

Thank you so much for this deeply inspiring lecture! You talk so beautifully about the unspeakable.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you so much! 🙏🏼

[@raymanhein5920]

The analogy of the prism have done a great job. It make me clear to understand how to take in the Brahman. I'm just searching some metaphysical arguments of the nature of reality. This explains me well with some sort of knowledge. Thanks you.

[@PeterBolland]

Glad it was helpful! I find that the prism analogy really helped me reconcile dualism and non-dualism, and the whole Brahman/maya question. I trot it out every chance I get!

[@haroldozaeta3614]

Thanks ❤️👊🏼👍🏼☮️

[@nijinskihind]

beautifully spoken...perhaps the best overview I have ever heard or read. Thank you.

[@PeterBolland]

Aw thanks Robert! 🙏🏼

[@nijinskihind]

You are very welcome Peter. I have been a lay student of world religions for many years, and I have arrived at m/l the same conceptualized road map as what you describe here. For my own purposes alone I take it one step further and live with the understanding that my main work in this existence is to "clean up my prism" so that I refract that pure light in a less distorted way. That is a whole trip in itself, eh, but for me somewhat answers the difficult question of how "evil" can exist alongside the concept of "God is Love". I am happy to have found you and your site, and I will no doubt be watching more of your videos. I appreciate your presence. Thank you.

[@starwarslover234456]

very well worded and understandable!!!! should have more views

[@PeterBolland]

I appreciate that. Thanks for watching!

[@bajajones5093]

my sincere compliments Brother. thank you!

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@79jeni]

That is a perfect analogy to describe Brahman vs. Human {The prism}. You also used a key word; 'Remember'. In the spiritual study or in the quest for Self Realization, the word 'Remember' was so important. We remember who we truly are~

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you Jeni for watching, and for your thoughtful comments.

[@yahya2925]

That's so interesting. I follow the Sufi, Muslim path myself and Allah (The God, Whose one of His 99 names is Al-Haqq, The Truth/THE Reality) gives one of the names of The Qur'an [The Recital] and calls it Al-Dhikr [The Remembrance]! I love seeing these words unfold, subhanallah!

[@sreedharankm7399]

Superb explanation. Many thanks 🙏

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@vijaysapna]

So well explained, amazing

[@PeterBolland]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BrumbleBush]

The ocean analogy is really great. Thank you for all your really great videos.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you!

[@gaminglegion5i656]

What a way to explain. You have a great clarity of explaining

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@R247Success]

You really clarified everything very well. Thank you.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@willmosse3684]

This is really wonderful

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@shirishkokatay9751]

Mysticism is the simplest idea to understand and it is at the same time nearly impossible to contemplate. It is a mystery that defies and mocks human rationalism and it eludes the wisests amongst us and yet it reveals itself to those whose faith is untarnished by the allures of maya.

[@ainbo8028]

Amazing content, thank you!

[@PeterBolland]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!

[@henripepels815]

Jee, you are doing such a great job! What makes me want to watch all the vids, is the splendid mixture of academic, professional acquired knowledge on the one hand, and the living, realized love for comparative religion on the other, and all this moulded in the hands of a real teacher. This love originates in a perennial perspective, I guess, at least that's where I feel at home. Emerson uses the analogy of the 'well' as the one source for all the 'fountains'. Another could be the 'rizomatic' (using a concept of Deleuze) connection between all things. Some like to emphasize the differences, the distinctiveness of the different traditions. I like to focus on the similarities., or on the 'common ground'.

[@PeterBolland]

What a lovely comment Henri. Thank you so much! 🙏🏼

[@Lara-ry5ez]

I love this explanation Peter, you have a very eloquent way of presenting these teachings to others. I personally believe what you are saying, and believe that the Holy Spirit, Kundalini and Chi are the same, I haven't read too much into other religions but i would believe they have that same internal driving force, just a different name. I think all religions are the same, there is unity in all religions, again like you mentioned, just different waves.

[@PeterBolland]

Lara, thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙏🏼

[@raghunandan9290]

Not true

[@andg_rodg_4_real710]

Thank you for helping us ,🙏

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you for watching!

[@brandydinsmore8214]

Thank you for your excellent unbiased explanation of world religions. I have sent your links to my 16 yo son who is very interested in mythology but a bit uncomfortable about the origin and use of “religion” in out faith as there are so many differences just under the Christian umbrella. I am so glad you added mythology and “hero journey” in your lessons as well. I want him to be familiar with many, not just his religion and denomination and make up his own mind. He has had a childhood in active participation in the Episcopal church but is reluctant to participate and say creeds he is now not so sure he believes. I wonder as well, at times, can you attend a church, such as an Episcopal church ( or any church that is open to a congregant having an open mind about other religions/more non-dual than many other Christian churches), with integrity, and still understand that much of our creeds are not originating directly from the teachings of Jesus and more part of the man-generated (inspired or not) structure given to a people to provide order to their collective spiritual understanding? And with the understanding that Jesus wasn’t the only one sharing divine understanding with less enlightened people.

[@PeterBolland]

Oh boy I could talk about this for hours. But in the brief space of a KZbin comment thread, I'll say this. The answer to your last question is "yes." I'm new to the Episcopal Church. I love the formal liturgy, the de-emphasis of clergy, and the progressive theology. (So many churches are minister-centric, and little more than life-coach, self-help meetings -- I wanted more depth, mysticism, and gravitas). But as someone who did not grow up in Christianity, or any spiritual community or tradition, its tough for me to recite the Nicene Creed. I spoke to my priest about it here at St. Paul's in San Diego, and she assured me that in the Episcopal tradition, there are no doctrinal requirements (as there would be in some other churches). As you indicated, each of us recites the liturgy with our own understanding of it. For some, the scriptures are literally true, for others (like me) they are deeply metaphorical. I like Fr. Richard Rohr's distinction between orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right action). As a teacher of world religions, I can't be a part of an ideology that claims exclusive access to the truth. For me, religions are like languages, or maps. They all work, even if on the surface it looks like we're all working at cross purposes. Your son has to go on his own journey. It's his job to doubt and reject his earlier understandings. Letting go of old ideas is the only way to make room for the new ones. I still chafe a bit at some of the language of the liturgy, but I don't debate with it anymore. I know (and I learned this more from the Eastern traditions than the Western) that all words, all ideas, all concepts, all doctrines, all narratives, and all beliefs are fingers pointing at the moon. So when I come across statements I disagree with, I just smile, humble myself, and let it go. Like Joseph Campbell puts it, "you don't have to throw it out, you just have to understand what its saying." For me, now, Christian practice is opening a door to a depth I'd longed for throughout my lifelong immersion in religious studies, and mysticism in particular. I'm finding a community of people who understand that real spirituality isn't adherence to any creed -- it's the broken-openness beyond all thoughts and forms. You know, Brahman-Atman. One last thing -- Fr. Richard Rohr is such a good voice on all of this -- how to be a non-dual Christian. His book "Universal Christ" is a game changer.

[@geetarao4864]

So so beautifully said, you have articulated so well what people like me have felt but could not put into words! Over the new year, I tested positive for Covid and I chanced upon your lectures and I feel so blessed to have this time, without the pressure of worldly responsibilities, to listen, to read, to ponder, and to understand! I have always believed that all religious texts, especially those of the Abrahamic tradition, have a wealth of metaphorical meaning to offer, and yet people are so bogged down by their prescriptive and literal messaging. The only and ultimate spirituality is to be able to experience our own innate divinity, actually experience that connection, and not merely as an intellectual construct or idea. As a Hindu (I was born into a Hindu family but do not adhere to any ritualistic practice), I feel comfortable and happy in any place of worship, be it a mosque, church, synagogue, or temple and see no contradictions. I wonder why people kill each other in the name of religion!

[@sree18697]

bro.. is more hindu than most of the hindus in india...deep knowledge about sanatan dharma..salute❤

[@PeterBolland]

Well I doubt that but thank you. 🙏🏼

[@ajas7851]

Beautiful, engaging and lucid explanation of a very important concept of Hindu philosophy..I must indeed deeply appreciate the fact that despite being a person from a completely different culture of the western world, you are able to innately and naturally grasp the essence of Hindu philosophy of the East without any sort of effort or stress.. I somehow feel that you may have been an Indian Hindu in your previous birth😀 😃😃just joking..brahman, aatman and Maya are indeed very important concepts in Hindu philosophy and you have also very nicely shown the differences between abrahamic religions like Christianity and Islam compared to Hinduism on concepts like God, soul etc..I would just like to mention some of my random thoughts here (not exactly linked with the subject).. in the last 200-300 years western culture has dominated and heavily influenced the world..This culture has emanated from Europe with its dominant offshoot being USA..I would like to make a difference between modern western culture and Christianity in that western culture is largely based on science, logic and especially hedonistic materialism and consumerism whereas Christianity having originated from west Asia still carries certain spiritual ethos though very different from Hinduism..Samuel Huntington (a great political scientist and thinker) has mentioned that while most political ideologies (like liberalism, communism, facism, nazism etc) have come from the west, most religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, buddhism etc) and spirituality have emanated from the east.. In the last 200-300 years and especially since the 20th century western materialism has had maximum influence in the world..this type of thinking or culture worships money and material achievements/accomplishments..It considers a person successful based on how rich, powerful, famous or intellectually brilliant they are (especially modern science)..you have Forbes and nobel prizes and various other mechanisms to evaluate this..body consciousness is paramount in western materialism..that is why the cosmetics/beauty industry and bodybuilding /sports industry thrives hugely in the western world..I am not criticizing or saying that it's bad, just mentioning that it is a fact..So a very rich guy (a billionaire) or a very powerful person or a celebrity (movie star, football/basket-ball player in usa or say a cricketer in India) is noticed or very visible among the public..the western culture has had a huge influence worldover (India included) and people elsewhere try to copy that behaviour..western culture is materialistic and based on body consciousness and glorification of material achievements..human emotional values and spirituality obviously take a huge backseat in this environment..this is the dominant theme in our modern, materialistic and hyperconsumeristic world today..this while looking very colorful and attractive from outside leads to many ills like obesity (junk food addiction), drug addiction, vanity over looks, arrogance of money and power, alcoholism, mental illness, pornography, promiscuity, racism, casteism, bullying, gun violence (in usa especially), nuclear warfare, elitism and all leading to VIOLENCE..the Hindu philosophy and more especially Vedanta and even buddhism, jainism or these eastern ideas understand that materialism while looking very glamorous from outside is plagued with many problems stemming from desire or vaasna..it is also ephemeral as obsession with body leads to false consciousness as this body has to perish one day..sense organs while being very helpful for survival do not also give a proper idea of right or wrong to a person (for example junk food tastes good while many healthy foods don't taste that good so it can be said as a misleading signal by the tongue or taste sense)..there has to be something beyond materialism and body consciousness, since this is ephemeral and short lived..the concepts of brahman and atman transcend this and enter into spirituality which is the essence of eastern thought in contrast to the materialism and modern science of the west..therefore since the body has to perish and material desires are ephemeral, there has to be something beyond that..That in Hindu thought as you rightly pointed out is the brahman and atman (even quantum mechanics has started looking at eastern mysticism for answers)..the material world is akin to maaya which is a sort of trap and is heaven to some and hell to others..in the Gita it is said that the atman or soul cannot be cut by a sword, burnt by fire and drenched by water..essentially my personal feeling is that the concept of brahman and atman is to transcend the material world and internalize intuitively the fact that while material desires (money, power, fame, good looks, brilliant intelligence etc) are very tempting however they are a trap and actually a field of quicksand..spirituality transcends this boundary where it doesn't really matter whether you are rich, powerful, good looking or smart..what matters is whether you are yourself and one with brahman..also as an example just because USA or Russia are extremely powerful nations and have huge amount of nuclear arsenal which can wipe the world out, doesn't mean they are right or have won even if they do it..As the great saying goes "you can kill and destroy the body but not the atman/soul"..That is the essence of Hindu philosophy and eastern thought.. PS: These are just my silly, random thoughts😃😃 and no intention to hurt or injure any feelings..incase unintentionally done my apologies for the same.

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you for taking the time to share your reflections here. I don't know how many people will read your post (dude, it is long!), but I read it and I thought it was great--full of insight and very informative. And thank you for the very kind things you say about my work--I really appreciate it.

[@ajas7851]

@@PeterBolland Thanks for the kind words and also for your patience to read my whole post 😃😃yeah those were my random thoughts which came spontaneously on the subject, and sometimes brevity is a casualty😃..the basic idea was that in today's modern world many people are stuck up in the web of western influenced materialistic culture and consumerism..concepts like "brahman and atman" help one to move beyond materialism and evolve spiritually..this will also help in removing the cobwebs of negativities, false thinking and conflicts created by modern materialistic culture.

[@thelucidinstitute]

thanks for this!

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you for watching!

[@georgesilva1737]

Very informative thank you

[@PeterBolland]

Glad it was helpful!

[@michaelashby9654]

Its like trying to describe a color in words. You can't. "Red" is something that all sighted people understand but you can't even describe color sufficiently to explain "red" to a blind person or explain a light red with some violet in sufficient words to exactly convey the color. Or consider trying to explain pain. You can't explain pain exactly yet its something we all know. So what chance is there to explain things like Brahman? Poetry is probably the best we can do.

[@PeterBolland]

Exactly.

[@sudfromindia5763]

The concept of Brahman and Atman is so strong that Hinduism can subsume any theistic tradition into it. It has philosophical Panenthiesm/Non-dualism and also theistic devotionalism/dualism. And that provides it the endurance to deal with proselytizing Faiths. The only drawback of Hinduism has been the rigidity that came in form to caste system and superstitions. If it could deal with these, it can become purely intellectual religions like Buddhism, Jainism or Taoism. The USP of Hinduism is pluralism, mutual respect, acceptance of all and its malleability to offer to person the god of his wish..

[@Contextcatcher]

Can 't wait for a talk about Nagarjuna :)

[@annabear6459]

How can I find others who have experienced Brahman? I have experienced it in a series, one leading up to the next. It’s extremely hard to explain and more memories will pop in. I can’t even explain how much my mind can’t process this but still am and getting more information downloads from my experiences. Would love to connect with others who can in some way relate

[@wesleygovender6579]

“ I am not a drop in the ocean, I am the ocean in a drop” Rumi

[@sanjithmenon8150]

Brahman is a consciousness field, and the atman (individual spirit), are the quantum, in that field of consciousness.

[@PeterBolland]

That is a beautiful way to put it.

[@easybake8420]

I like the onion analogy, but the way I've always seen it is the outer layers are our physical bodies, the middle layers are our personalities (separate self), and the center most or most translucent is the invisible energy/energies that are our most transcendent being. Spirit, Pure Energy, the immaterial. In Buddhist terms, it is the water (energy) while we mistakenly believe we are what we appear to be (an individual separate wave). The wave is really the great ocean. The individual is really Atman/Brahman. Thou are That.

[@PeterBolland]

Indeed.

[@sudfromindia5763]

Professor, I found you spot-on. Hinduism in essence is most likely a Panenthietic religion although it has shades all kinds of theism of Polytheism, Monotheism, Henothiesm, etc. It even has skepticism in it. Following is what I find to be most accurate God conception(In Sanskrit it's called as tattva gyana) - God in Hinduism is Panenthietic. IT contains and encompasses whole material but also has beyond it(spiritual realm). In Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapurana, God is referred to as Brahmeti-Parmatmeti-Bhagwaniti shabdyet. A) So, Vedas describe this Brahman(God without attributes and only as a an consciousness) as "Neti-Neti"(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad-White Yajurveda). Neti-Neti means not this not this ie:- Any object in this world is not equal to Brahman. Whatever we conceive the Brahman is beyond that. However, Vedas also proclaim "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahman"(Chhandogya Upanishad- Samaveda). This means everything is Brahman. Brahman manifests itself(Brahman is neither gender term since its without attribute) into all this world. But it is also beyond what is conceived or seen by us. This is paradox of concept of Brahman. B) Paramatma is a swaroop(or form) of same entity/god(Brahman) as the one sitting inside the heart/body/cell of each living being and noting his karma (Analogy of two birds on twig. One eats the fruit(Individual Atman) and gets attached which normal soul does and thus is affected by Karma. While another bird that is Parmatman/Brahman only observes. He is unattached and thus is out of range of Maya and Karma. Refer this analogy in Rigveda Samhita Dirghtamas Hymn 01.164 and Mundaka Upanishad-Atharvaveda). Note both are conceived as birds and thus have same essence but while one is entangled in this world and thus limited while the other one is beyond the boundation of Karma and Maya(material world). The great sentences of Upanishads culled from all 4 Vedas describes the relation/properties of Brahman and relation with individual Brahman a) Prajyanam Brahman(Brahman is the consciousness- from Aiterya Upanishad of Rigveda) b) Aham Brahmasmi(I am Brahman ie:- I in essence is same to that Brahman- from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad of White Yajurveda). c) Tat tvam Asi( You are that ie Other Individual Atman is also same as that Brahman thus making a case of equality of all souls even trees and animals. This is from Chhandogya Upanishad of melodius Samaveda) d) Satyam Gyanam Anantam Brahman(Brahman is truth, knowledge and is Infinite- From Taittiriya Upanishad of Black Yajurveda) e) Ayam Atma Brahman( My atman is essentially Brahman. From Mandukya Upanishad of AtharvaVeda) C) The third category is of Bhagwan. It's the concept of limited, with attribute and personal God. Like incarnations of Lord Vishnu/Shiva. They come and interact with humans and living beings to share their love, enhance Dharma and diminish the evil from time to time( Yada Yada hi Dharmasya- shloka Bhagwad Gita chapter 4). It is this form that the theists worship and normal humans can relate to. And this God performs LEELA(pastimes/activities) just like humans. So Lord Krishna was castigated by Mata Yashoda for stealing butter, eating mud or breaking pot(these were Lord's pastimes to look like ordinary human among his devotees). But the same lord showed Universe to that same mother in his mouth when she asked him to open his mouth after eating mud. That was his true glory. But he hides his original form from devotees so as to do his pastimes otherwise a bhakta/devotee can't act in relationship manner with an infinite god. Also this reference should have been given that when Arjuna saw the Viratroop(the great vision) of Lord in 11th chapter of Bhagwad Gita he closed his eyes and was fearful of Lord. But same Arjuna acted normally with him when doing war with Kauravas while lord was his charioteer. That same Lord Krishna is the bhagwan(personal god), parmatma(sitting in each living being) and Brahman(The ultimate unchanging reality beyond any comprehension). And this he elaborates in Bhagwad Gita..

[@PeterBolland]

Thank you for this. For anyone wanting the fullest possible understanding, read Sud’s comment.

[@durra1992]

Wow just wow

[@PeterBolland]

🙏🏼

[@GnosticCushite]

This was a great video. I have always known about my divinity and my fellow brothers and sisters divinity, as well. What I don't understand is, if we are all One and Divine then why do the Vedas/Hindus have a caste system?

[@PeterBolland]

That is such a great question, with a very complex answer. Two contrasting things can be true at once. One can hold the view that all is one, while also recognizing that as the One emanates into the many, differentiation occurs. A stone is not the same thing as a waterfall, and a worm is not a bird. So is it possible for human beings to be different from one another? Obviously. But codifying that into a hereditary class or caste system seems a bit rigid, or extreme for many. Already in the fifth century BCE Buddha taught against the caste system, as did Gandhi in the 20th century. But class or caste exists all over the world in all cultures. It is more of cultural, sociological, or political question than a religious or spiritual question. We love discriminating against other people--we just do. Sad.

[@vickyverma6852]

From what I understand, the earliest form of caste system was a simple division of labor which was intended to benefit society just like the modern day division of labor that exists everywhere. If you're holding a law degree, you're not going to be allowed to perform surgeries at a hospital; if you're not the natural-born citizen of your country, you can't run for president, cry discrimination all you want. The caste system was similar, but later on a lot of corruption and selfishness crept into it and it took an ugly form. Hinduism doesn't follow any commandments, India has always been the land of seekers rather than believers, that's why you see multiple religions coming out of this place. This openness makes Hinduism vulnerable to corruption and perhaps that's why the caste system assumed its ugliest form while India suffered foreign occupation for about a thousand years. Thankfully, the present day version of the caste system is off its earlier peak and is in decline. The head of the state, the prime minister, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the president, both belong to what you'd call low-caste.

[@PeterBolland]

@@vickyverma6852 Thank you. Very well said.

[@doc_verma]

Anyone who is more interested in knowing more about Advaita (non duality), look for videos of swami sarvapriyananda. You could not get much more clear ideas about this than his presentation.

[@kullal007]

@PeterBolland At present I am watching your Upanishad series. However, your knowledge compelles me to exapnd my thought and therefore raise some questions for you to clarify for me, if possible. The premise of my questions are with reference to our universe as a whole and it's emergence. In the beginnig, there was no space or time. It was a singularity with infinite energy in the form of a point (For the lack of a better word). It suddenly exploded with the big band, and that is how space and time was created, some 13.8 Billion years ago. as time passed, the hot gasses, mainly Hydrogen and their eliments (The most basic elements in the periodic table). As they cooled and started to drift closer due to gravity in various parts in space and time, other elements of the periodic tables were created. Our star and the planets around them were formed to form billions of cluster of galaxies. Some gaseous and some solid planets, all held by the gravity that supported their formations. Our earth was formed, some 4 Billion years ago. It eveolved from having intert objects to life forms and finally intelligent life forms. So my question is, Brahman is relevant to life alone? Atman is a trace of the Brahman, which is only exisitng in living oblects? Was Brahman existed in the singularity before our universe was formed? What happens if hypothetically in an acopolypse, earth is destroyed and along with it all the XO planets (Where there is a possibily of life) are destroyed. Imagine for a moment, the whole universe is only with intert/lifeless objects. Would Atman still be existing as a part of the Brahman? Thanks in advance.

[@kullal007]

I found my answer through this video. Basically it speaks the same thing that you have explained. Here is the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3jYaoWYbt2Lb7M

[@PeterBolland]

I think of it this way--there is nothing that is NOT Brahman. That helps me keep it simple.

[@kullal007]

@@PeterBolland Perfect. Thanks.

[@martinmuller3244]

It might be fun to link the Brahman/Atman into modern philosophy. In the idealist project along Descarte' lines solopsism is hard to avoid, which the Oneness of eastern philosophy affirms. It really is Kant that sees that the Ocean has structure, and that the ocean is actually the structure of our mind. It is Hegel that sees that the wavelets are connected through public discourse. It is really Nietsche that sees that we yearn to live in a transcendental way, to really be extraordinary, and that that is always calling in us. So there is an instinct in us to transcend. A useful sideshow might be how we have come to learn that the path to knowledge is through careful logical picking apart of systems we need to control using what we can gain through careful integration of the sense data about them we have and the strictly and tersely phrased ideas we have of about them, in short the scientific method.

[@PeterBolland]

I agree. Comparing and contrasting insights from world philosophy is what I do for fun. It's endlessly fascinating to explore the philosophical expressions of the world's brightest, most creative voices and when you do you can't help but come away with the impression that they're all approaching the same mystery from many different directions and experiential frameworks. Thank you for your insightful comment!

[@martinmuller3244]

@@PeterBolland For me it is a fascination with transcendance. We have that fascinating ability to take different ways of looking at things and integrate it it a way that transcends the original. It requires an obscession with detail to bring each of the different ways of looking at things into focus. There is something in us that recognises when that focus is as accurate as it needs to be; a kind of stillness. When it is in focus, we have that strange ability to change the framing and bring something new into focus that takes the best and essence of the old. What is further fascinating is that for this to work it does not really matter how poor the material is that you work from, as long as it is True (the constraints Kant was ordered to work under were quite extreme, for example). It is almost as if our collective society has to mature with a set of ideas being lived for a long time, and then someone focusses their attention and sees a little more clearly ...

[@martinmuller3244]

@@PeterBolland You talk about "peeling away the Onion", and I assume you discuss that in your videos on the Katha Upanishad. I have seen it once, following Shankara's discussion of the Manduka Upanishad. Kant, of course argues the onion too. He argues that we do not know how the logic of analysis and synthesis works at the level of purely metaphysical objects. So that process can only reliably be done at the level of the material. Now Kant's and Shankara's argument work in opposite ways. I would love to see whether Kant's argument holds true here also ...

[@martinmuller3244]

@@PeterBolland I am immersed in the Moravian tradition. They were the first of the modern sects to break with Catholocism, and they believed that they had another pentacost, and so the Holy Spirit was very dear to them. They saw the Holy Spirit as the ardent prayer of the Mother for the Son. The Trinity is then tought as the Holy family. In that form the link to a much older Trinity becomes clear. Essentially it is the transcendant wishes for our offspring, combined with The Word, everything that has been conributed for the public Good in the public Sphere (The Father) are what the transcendant Son (He who takes on all Sin) uses to create the higher present from the future. It is in this directionality of the divine where there seems to be a programme that in its essence seems different from the Indian programme of discovering the true Self.

[@PeterBolland]

I am not familiar with the Moravian tradition. I'll have to look into it.

[@sudfromindia5763]

But Prof I think there is an essential difference in traditional Christian concept of holy spirit and Hindu conception of Brahman. I would say that I am not much aware of Christian concepts but as far as I am aware " to be with Holy spirit(living with christ)" only applies to believers. It doesn't apply to non-believers/animals/plants. Having said that I think Christianity doesn't consider other animals/plants having soul too. While atman is present in all living beings irrespective of their beliefs/dispositions and Brahman permeates across all the visible and invisible space/time. This also causes a difference in each religion's theology and mythology too. While in christianity demons/villains killed by god go to hell without any doubt but in Hinduism the demons like Ravana, Hiranyakashyapa, Kamsa, Shishupal, etc merge with god/get out of bound from life-birth. They are also devotees to god but in negative way and are punished(in terms of death) and then rewarded for their devotion(In terms it Moksha) too.

[@kiranadhikari4192]

Very nice lecture. I wonder why creation has to be started at all.

[@PeterBolland]

Great question. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@ChiefCowpie]

God is everything Even that which is not God Is God For how could God know Itself as God unless there was that which was not God? For us, we can continue to go on in the not God state and give unconscious meaning to the All Or we can Awaken and give life and meaning and purpose and wonder and amazement to all that is God

[@Newfoundmike]

KIRAN So God could experience ITSELF 🤗✌️❤️

[@darknesstolight3345]

Brahman cannot be seen but only experienced and again, it's subjective. Ramakrishna paramhansa says different persons standing at different places on the beach can only phantom so much they can see the ocean, but they expects the rest of the ocean to be same, the experience based on the place they stand. Similarly, a blind person can only hear waves from a distance and knows ocean to be some sound and sand. When he goes closer, he knows it's water, as his feet wet. When he tastes, it's salty, and may learn it to be very deep inside. Each experience is subjective to how closer he is, and what he experiences. With respect to God, we are all blind.

[@kingsurya3215]

Brahman can be felt only

[@Mahdi-Khazraji]

Dear me, nice song ...

[@PeterBolland]

Did I sing in this one? I don't remember. Sometimes I do just break out in song so you never know!

[@Mahdi-Khazraji]

@@PeterBolland all what you do is singing, everything is a great song. Your talking is a small part of it...

[@KrishGandhi787]

Bhraman and dao are the same we can learn more about Brahman by learning about the dao.

[@PeterBolland]

I agree.

[@watermelonlalala]

At-Ma, father, mother. Indo-European. BHRI - breathe? Breeze? Personally, I don't get anything out of being told my bedroom carpet is Brahmin, and I am Brahmin, and everything is Brahmin. I clicked on this because the words "Sacred Heart" have been following me around for a couple of weeks, in a Jungian coincidence way.

[@chookskapow]

Agreed. I get it… Brahman is everything. Now what?

[@canjian1783]

I think you could've simplified your metaphor to Brahman is the sea, Atman is the wave. That would have been close enough. To continue the metaphor further. Ripples on the wave being the perceptual experience of reality unique to the Atman - a fractal representation in miniature of the ocean at large. Thus we have our trinity after a fashion:- The Father: The collective seascape of the ocean, waves, ripples and all. The Son: The Atman with its unique ripple interpretation of the whole being man in general, and Jesus specifically where the fractal ripple accurately reflects the oceanic whole. The Holy Spirit: The seawater substance if you like, as consciousness itself. Three in one all being the same, God, and yet simultaneously different.

[@PeterBolland]

Hi Can. Wait, first you suggest that I simplify the metaphor, then you go on to make it way more sophisticated. So which is it? Ha! I love how metaphors work--they stimulate conversation eh? Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@canjian1783]

@@PeterBolland : So which is it? Both surely - if nothing else the whole allusion to the nature of Brahman-Atman is just this, haha. I merely commented on your video as an editor might read an author's work - I felt you'd brought in the imagery of an ocean and waves here then elucidated on the distinction yet sameness of Brahman-Atman there when, to my mind, these two both said the same thing and it was just simpler to put it thus. Elaborating on a simple metaphor might be seen as the whole point of bringing in a simple metaphor in the first place in such a discussion, but irrespective of this, my elaboration alludes more to your final pondering on the Western conception of the Trinity and its possible relationship to this Eastern conception. With you bringing up pantheism and panentheism, I thought it fitting. EDIT: Incidentally, experience, albeit non-personal, of The Holy Spirit would seemingly be the professed fourth state of consciousness Turiya, and experience of The Father the professed further fifth state of consciousness Turiyatitta, although to many the fourth is considered more fundamental than the fifth. In either case, I think such experience comes more through grace rather than any form of devotional practice.

[@Newfoundmike]

God created us so IT experience ITSELF

[@lovetwentyfourseven7428]

Atman is literally “at man” the being who is “at” in a location; bara man is the “para man” as in being all over!

[@benwtf5539]

2:00 very wrong. There is no darkness radiating from the Self. Also there is no "coldness" radiating from the infinite sun of the Self

[@Newfoundmike]

RUMI Poetry , we are not Drops In the ocean. We are the Oceans in a DROP . AND yes anytime you label or name something it loses a certain part of it's ESSENCE . P S . I Quoted Rumi ( the ocean statement ) before you touched on it ! Cosmic 😉

[@Mahdi-Khazraji]

Atman is one living person, only him perceive brahman in him. Only him can say ..I am brahman with absolute understanding. Brahman-atman is an other duality that lead to an other manifestation of the One. There is no One yet, since everything is expanding eternally . Atman only, get beyond spacetime to experience the One. Atman is a mind before personification, a mind who can embrace all contradictions. All the love.

[@buddhadebsarkar1708]

34.09-74.81... where the last remaining of jisus...👍

[@raghunandan9290]

While I appreciate the very good expositions on Brahman, Hindu Philosophy, I think this video is for Christian Theologists in their training for missionary work . I find it amusing funny how he layers layers his new knowledge into Jesus message . ... So the point of imbibing a foreign Theologiy is to destroy it . Good one 👍

[@PeterBolland]

I don't blame you for wondering about this, but trust me--that was the last thing on my mind when I made this video. Studying the religions of others in order to conquer them and coerce them into converting to your religion is in my opinion an ugly misuse of education. I certainly want nothing to do with that. I'm speaking to an American, largely Christian audience. That's why I make comparisons to Jesus and his teachings--to give my audience an on-ramp into Vedanta philosophy.

[@raghunandan9290]

@@PeterBolland 👍

[@lovetwentyfourseven7428]

The old man is the atman caught in sin; Christ is the param atman super self; who can get us into touch with the father; or like the Brahman!

[@TheYezdi]

😂

[@sckumar6812]

there are no thousands of God in hinduism , it is just 33 koti , which means 33 diff. forms of trinity

[@vajraloka1]

How do they view the horrors ?everyone always talks about the beautiful nature and healthy happy environments ...are the slaughtered children Brahman ? I'm not saying this in argument but it disturbs my trust in this view.

[@PeterBolland]

Great question. In any non-dualistic system, where all is one, it is always difficult to understand how there can be horror and suffering. The bottom line is that yes, even all of that is part of the divine unfolding. Human beings, caught by the ignorance of maya, are lost in illusion and base their lives on a series of errors--that they are separate beings, that they must compete with others, that violence is the answer. Until we awaken from the dream of separateness, suffering will always be with us.

[@vajraloka1]

@@PeterBolland yes I get the cause and effect aspect but ....

[@CanonOfArun]

Thought you were Glenn Beck for a sec

[@PeterBolland]

He's much richer than me.

[@Newfoundmike]

He got rich dividing people , your path is better, Glen is miserable

[@Contextcatcher]

union = onion 😊

[@abidinglawasliveuk.9858]

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.. The Creator is Allaah Exalted and Most High ☝️🕋 as is well known. To whom belongs the Kingdom of the Seven Heaven's and Earth 🌎 and all in Between. Everything comes as his Creation so Worship is only for him for which we are Created too. Idol Diety and Statue Worship,Norse,Sumerian,Aztek,Avatars and Greek Gods or Goddesses are no more than Untrue Myths that have no right to be Worshipped and this why all False Dietys are forbidden by the Prophet Ibraheem until the last day.. God's Grace and Mercy is more than we can imagine so nobody needs to go through any Idols or Dieties. Prophet Ibraheem was the Father of the Prophet's and all The Prophet's were Paternal Brothers so no exemption can be made, even with the Final and Seal of the Messengers. Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon them all and families. .

[@smoke.on.thewater]

Be mindful. Once you choose the Vedanta philosophy, it's hard to come back. I have gotten many sneak peeks of what it has to offer and it is precisely this thought that scares me To go and merge with Brahman, I am going to need to lose first my identity, my ego and myself. Sitting and waiting at Event horizon

[@saurabhawasthi6769]

Who is jews are Brahmans

[@SajiSNairNair-tu9dk]

🕵️👉😂☺️

[@VIJENDRAKUMAR-ur1fd]

Kaushitiki Upanishads are copied from Mahayana Buddhism.

[@metatron-scribeofgod6572]

No it not .many philosophy raised during sramana movement ( 8 th bce) which are added to both buddhist and hindu literature with time. So we find lot comman between them. I suggest you to watch the video of lets talk religion on sramana movement.

[@devolishash3946]

There is not much difference between sanatan dharma and buddhism.

[@alpha-vs1fx]

Mahayana buddhism is pretty primitive compared to upanishads.

[@VIJENDRAKUMAR-ur1fd]

@@alpha-vs1fx Without a doubt. As the Buddhists of India claim that the Brahmans after destroying Buddhism in India stole the Janaka stories Modified it then wrote in theire scriptures. And I agree with them.

[@alpha-vs1fx]

@@VIJENDRAKUMAR-ur1fd there are no Buddhists in india. Only those who ambedkar 'converted'. They are not buddhists they are bhimta. 99% of them haven't read any hindu or buddhist scripture, and those who have read dont understand them.

[@islamaboyy588]

ISLAM

[@PeterBolland]

Yes? Go on...

[@islamaboyy588]

@@PeterBolland I believe Islam is the ultimate truth ....but the Quran does mention God or Allah as the ultimate reality....so it's quite interesting about this vedas and what you are explaining...I'm jus still very curious about this life thing lol

[@BirenderSinghJalal]

Great video!! Can you help me understand something...who am I?? Am I the conscious who is observing this physical world through my body..the conscious who is observing my dream world while asleep..? Am i the conscious? Or am I the soul or spirit??

[@PeterBolland]

Great questions. And the answer is yes. 🙏🏼 All of the above.

[@rockydj1000]

Wonderful explanation Peter but both christianity and islam have similar teaching. Neo-platonism explain reality very similar to Vedanta. You can see some prominent theologians inspired by Neo-platonism in both of these faiths.

[@PeterBolland]

I completely agree. The deeper you dig in the world's theologies, the closer together they align.

[@rockydj1000]

@@PeterBolland Totally agreed. They have to align. Truth is One, after all. Thank you again for this series on world religions. 🙏🏽

[@ibcgovindsharma9507]

He doesn't know anything about upnishad if you want to know really truth of upnishad then you should have to watch Acharya Prashant videos

[@PeterBolland]

By "he" do you mean me? You know I'm right here right?