Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s8.t3.2

v1.c7.s8.t3.2

In the view of many ideologists of Upanishad, *Vimukti* in the highest level is directly related to the understanding of the relationship between *Brahman* and *Atman*. *Brahman* is the core concept of the Upanishad and even the entire Indian philosophy. In Upanishad, Brahman is described as the noumenon of everything and the highest reality of the universe by most ideologists. Brahman is a kind of consciousness in essence, but it is different from those common ones in the world. Brahman cannot be understood as and described by common concepts. Atman’s transliteration is Ateman, and it is usually used with two meanings in Upanishad. One refers to “ego” or the individual soul, ie it is taken as the subject of human’s body organs or the centre of human’s life activities for use, and the other refers to Brahman. When discussing the Brahman as the noumenon of the world, many Upanishads will not use Brahman, but only use Atman, and such “ego” is the so-called “spiritual self”. Among the discussions in Upanishad on the relationship between Brahman and Atman by many ideologists, the dominant view is the so-called “Brahman and Atman are one”. They think that the Brahman (spiritual self) as the noumenon of universe and the Atman (ego) as the individual are same in essence. Brahman is the root of everything, and is the essence of the ego. The worldly people regard Brahman and ego as different things, think that only the ego is the root of human, and do not know Brahman, which is ignorance. Ignorance urges people to pursue things that does not exist in fact, which will need the concrete behaviour. People think that behaviour will produce a variety of “karma”, promoting people to suffer in the Samsara. Therefore, to get rid of the pain for achieving the Vimukti, people shall obtain the greatest wisdom, and the wisdom is the cognition of “Brahman and Atman are one”. In such state, people will no longer pursue something outside the Brahman, and no longer believe that there is difference between Brahman (spiritual self) and Atman (ego). People who have such cognition will no longer have the desire and behaviour, and no behaviour means no karma, then no karma means no Samsara, finally Vimukti is achieved. One sentence in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is that “people understanding the Brahman will go to heaven and achieve Vimukti after they die.” The concept of Vimukti in Upanishad produces some influence upon that of many schools of philosophy of religion in India.