Everything about Atman Hinduism totally explained
The
Atman or
Atma (
IAST: Ātmā,
sanskrit: आत्म ) is a philosophical term used within
Hinduism and
Vedanta to identify the
soul. It is one's true self (hence generally translated into English as 'Self') beyond identification with the phenomenal reality of worldly existence.
Etymology
The word ātman is connected with the
Indo-European root *ēt-men (breath) and is cognate with
Old English æthm and
German atem.
Schools of thought
Philosophical schools such as
Advaita (monism) see the soul within each living entity as being fully identical with
Brahman - the all-pervading soul of the
universe, whereas other schools such as
Dvaita (dualism) differentiate between the individual atma in living beings, and the Supreme atma (
Paramatma) as being at least partially separate beings. Thus
atman can be used to describe an individual soul or the impersonal 'supreme' depending on the speaker's philosophical point of view.
Within Advaita Vedanta philosophy the Atman is the universal life-principle, the animator of all
organisms, and the world-soul. This view is of a sort of
panentheism (not
pantheism) and thus is sometimes not equated with the single
creator God of
monotheism. Identification of individual living beings/souls, or jiva-atmas, with the 'One Atman' is the monistic
Advaita Vedanta position, which is critiqued by dualistic/theistic
Dvaita Vedanta. Dvaita Vedanta calls the all-pervading aspect of Brahman
Paramatman quantitatively different from individual Atman and claims reality for both a God functioning as the ultimate metaphorical "soul" of the universe, and for actual individual "souls" as such. The Dvaita, dualist schools, therefore, in contrast to Advaita, advocate an exclusive monotheistic position wherein
Brahman is made synonymous with
Vishnu. Aspects of both philosophies are found within the schools of
Vishishtadvaita Vedanta and
Achintya Bheda Abheda.
In some instances both Advaita and Dvaita schools may accommodate the others's belief as a lower form of worship or practice towards the same ultimate goal.
Miscellaneous
Adherents to
Jainism also use the phrase the
atman to refer to 'the self'. Often atma is mistaken as being interchangeable with the word
jiva with the difference being somewhat subtle. Whereas atman refers to
the self, jiva refers to
the living being, the exact comprehension of which varies throughout the philosophical schools.
Further Information
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