Advaita Vedanta: Four steps to a logical understanding of God/Brahman/Absolute.

In trying to form a metaphysical explanation for the world, we can argue through these four steps which lead ultimately to the Advaita Vedanta conception of god.

1. The world is a non-absolute or relative reality.

2. There is an absolute principle which exists beyond the world.

3. This absolute principle also forms the basis for existence of the individual consciousness.

4. The individual consciousness can ‘touch’ this absolute consciousness for a mystical experience.

4 steps to God/Brahman/Absolute

1. The world is a non-absolute or relative reality.

This is something which is pointed at by quantum mechanics, relativity, etc. which all show that the world does not have an absolute reality. Of course, this has also been argued quite effectively by Advaita Vedanta and also western philosophers like Hume. Advaita Vedanta has always said that the world is only relatively real. This was considered a play of words by other philosophers or something which was too high to understand. But now modern science through Quantum Physics and Relativity has said exactly the same thing.

Because science has proven this step of logic of Advaita Vedanta, there is often a tendency to say that science has proven Advaita Vedanta in total. But I would not like to claim this. In my view, it is only this first step that has been proven till now by science, the further steps of Advaita Vedanta philosophy are something which science has not gone into as yet, although we can hope that perhaps this too will happen someday.

2. There is an Absolute Existence beyond this worldly existence.

Let us take an example. Take a candle which burns from wax and dissipates into smoke and heat. Now as the candle changes its form, we know that there was one thing which was constant, it was the matter in the form of molecules and energy. It was this matter-energy which was initially in the form of a candle, later in the form of dissolved wax, smoke and flame and finally dissolved altogether into the air as smoke. So in this, it was matter-energy which was the constant, the absolute reality behind the ‘fuzzy’ reality of the candle. I am using the word ‘fuzzy’ here to show the non-absolute reality of the candle, in that it can change its form and disappear.

Now, we know from physics that matter and energy are two ends of the same spectrum of existence, they are like two sides of the same coin. They are equivalent, and this equivalence is determined by E=MC2. So this suggests that there must be something which is common to both. Now we know that matter and energy has opposite properties in the present universe. So that which is common to both must be neither but something from which both can be manifested, hence it must be something which has the absoluteness which can manifest both these contradictory properties. It has to be something which is ‘beyond’ both matter and energy, which lies at the base of matter and energy. (To read more on matter-energy equivalence, please go to my website article, Mass-Energy Equivalence.)

Similarly, we know that time-space is connected to matter-energy, it is related only to this, and time-space is relative. So that from which matter and energy is manifested has also time-space manifested at the same time. So the absolute is something which lies ‘beyond’ time and space, something from which time and space are manifested. It is this Absolute which is the Brahman or the Absolute Principle of Advaita.

Lack of absolute reality as in Quantum Physics and Relativity means not in the sense that the world or particles do not exist, but that theories like quantum physics ascribe opposing properties to particles which are paradoxical and  which cannot be explained by the present theory in itself . To explain such phenomenon, quantum physics would have to define something beyond the phenomena itself, a theory at a deeper level, just as relative mechanics lies beyond Newtonian mechanics, particles lie beyond atoms, etc. In this way,  physics would have to go on defining more and more general theories till one day it comes to a theory of an Absolute Field. The theory of an absolute field of Brahman would be consistent by explaining such phenomena. (To read more on the interplay of Advaita for quantum physics, please go to my article, Advaita Vedanta and Quantum Physics.)

As can be seen from this definition, the Brahman here is not a creative God, it is not a God to whom we can pray or ask for blessings. It is a principle only. In fact, any scientist can believe up to this point and still consider himself or herself an Atheist. It is only when going beyond this stage that Advaita Vedanta becomes a spiritual path and not a physical explanation for the world.

The alternative to this explanation is that ‘there is no Absolute beyond this worldly existence’ This is an alternative conclusion and is also a valid conclusion. This is the Buddhist conclusion. Starting from here, Buddhists go on to explain that since there is nothing permanent, sorrow also is not permanent, hence can be got rid of following the eight fold path and so on. Some atheists can also follow this conclusion and follow alternative paths of their own system of ethics and philosophy.

There is really no third conclusion, once we accept that the world which we experience has relative reality, then we have to postulate either an absolute beyond it or say there is no absolute.

However, between these two conclusions, the conclusion that there is an absolute is more logical and effective in explaining worldly existence, as it provides a basis for understanding contradictory properties like matter and energy and also properties like time and space. Moreover, it is impossible in Hindu logic for the universe to exist if all existence is relative, there must be something which has a true, an absolute existence.

3. This absolute principle also forms the basis for existence of the individual consciousness.

Modern rationalists may easily accept an absolute field of existence for the matter-energy of the world, but find it difficult to accept such a field for consciousness. But consciousness is a part of this world itself, it is not a separate existence from the world. Consciousness is ultimately information, an individual consciousness is nothing but a pool of information. This information is intimately connected and is a part of the existence of the rest of matter-energy, although it can be said that it is a different dimension of existence. Hence anything which forms the basis of existence of the universe must also be the basis of the individual consciousnesses in the universe.

Hence the absolute field of existence is also the basis of existence for the individual consciousness.

4. The individual consciousness can ‘touch’ this absolute consciousness for a mystical experience.

This again is often difficult to accept for modern rationalists.

But this follows logically from 3. If there is an absolute field of existence which forms the basis of existence of the individual consciousness, then this absolute field must have the property which allows for the manifestation of individual consciousness. Hence we can say that this field has absolute consciousness. Hence we can see that it can be possible for the individual consciousness to ‘merge’ or ‘touch’ this absolute consciousness which lies as its basis. Therefore mystical experiences are true.

If we can accept till 3, it does not seem logical not to accept 4.

By arguing in these four steps, we can see that we have a spiritual path, the path to understanding the absolute, and a spiritual goal, the goal of having the mystical experience.

This is basically the path argued by Advaita Vedanta. Although here I have placed the argument in a very concise and simplified form, this should give an idea of the direction of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

Of course, this conception of the Absolute does not give us a God who loves us or listens to our prayers, or who will reward us with heaven for being obedient.

But it is not a dry non-useful conception either, because the ultimate goal, to have the mystical experience, is our true goal. Moreover, to achieve this goal, we have to pursue paths like Bhakti Yoga which lead us to conceive of the Absolute in a form for which we can develop love, etc.

Thus defining the Brahman in logical terms is not the endpoint of Advaita. After reaching this stage, of having defined the Brahman in logical terms, there is a further stage, and this is the stage of Samadhi. In this there is no further ‘knowledge’ of Brahman but a stage of ‘union’ with Brahman, so to say. Brahman is defined in logical terms as an Absolute Field, and the final step in Advaita Vedanta is a merger in this Absolute Field, a merger of one’s individual consciousness in the absolute consciousness of this field. After reaching the furthest stage which knowledge and logic can lead us, one reaches a cul-de-sac as it were. After reaching this end point, the next step is not further knowledge but this experience of Samadhi, and this experience is the final goal of Advaita.

Advaita and Buddhism stands on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Both define the world on strictly logical and rational terms without any appeal to anything above reason, but they arrive at diametrically opposite definitions of the truth. There are many weaknesses in Buddhist logic. Advaita (Non-duality) rose in challenge against the weaknesses of Buddhist logic around the 8^th century and it was this superior logical system that led to the downfall of Buddhism in India.

To understand some of the weakness of Buddhist logic, please look up this page on my website, TheCircleofFire.com.

Traditional Advaita Vedanta does have some theories like reincarnation which are not supported on strictly logical terms. However, such theories are not the core beliefs of either Advaita Vedanta  or Buddhism. They can be dispensed with without affecting the essential principles of Advaita Vedanta (Non-duality) and Buddhism. They were most likely appended from the cultural milieu of dualistic Hinduism prevalent at that time.

In my website I have discussed this for Advaita Vedanta, showing that based on the scriptures (the Upanishads), we can support the principles of Advaita without accepting beliefs like Reincarnation. Please look up the discussion page on www.thecircleoffire.com for this.

This four step conception of the spiritual in Advaita Vedanta relies solely on logic and reason and is also not contradictory to science. This can no doubt be the way forward for a modern conception of spirituality.

If you wish to read more on this topic, Advaita Vedanta and the search for God, you can look up my book, The Circle of Fire- the Metaphysics of Yoga.