Vedanta - Wikipedia

[Lucas Oliveira]

Vedanta - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedanta

[DNS]

Vedanta is an interesting philosophy and has some similarities in New Age and some of the mystical teachings of the Abrahamic religions; but is in contrast to Buddhism and Jainism. There are some Buddhists, perhaps some newbies who have some Vedanta type beliefs, not realizing that Buddhism is not compatible to Vedanta. I can recall some Buddhists taking the BeliefNet quiz about which religion they most match to and some were surprised to see that they fit mostly toward Hindu and New Age teachings, not Buddhism.

[Nicholas]

Even this Wiki article shows that the richness & variety of so-called Vedanta cannot be accurately described or defined.

The minds of countless brilliant philosophers & mystics over thousands of years produced a galaxy of ideas & paths, as this old thread points out:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=407

[DNS]

Yes, I agree it is very rich and vast. However, there are some common themes among all the various forms:

Common features

Despite their differences, all schools of Vedanta share some common features:

* Brahman exists as the unchanging material cause and instrumental cause of the world.[105]
* The Upanishads are a reliable source of knowledge (Sruti Śabda in Pramana);[106] Vedanta is the pursuit of knowledge into the Brahman and the Ātman.[107]
* Belief in rebirth and the desirability of release from the cycle of rebirths, (mokşa).[108]
* The self (Ātman / Jivātman) is the agent of its own acts (karma) and the recipient of the consequences of these actions.[108]
* Rejection of Buddhism and Jainism and conclusions of the other Vedic schools (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, and, to some extent, the Purva Mimamsa.[108]

Metaphysics

Vedanta philosophies discuss three fundamental metaphysical categories and the relations between the three.[109]

Brahman or Ishvara: the ultimate reality[110]
Ātman or Jivātman: the individual soul, self[111]
Prakriti/Jagat:[17] the empirical world, ever–changing physical universe, body and matter[112]

(from the wikipedia article)

[Nicholas]

Wiki is just repeating the consensus view. However, if one goes back far enough in time, these conceptual differences among Indian schools were just and only that - conceptual. Any of the ancient paths (Veda based or pre-Vedic) led to moksha or liberation. They attracted minds with characteristics that were in harmony with their approach.