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Upanishads

From about 700 to 500 ВС Indian philosophers expended on the idea of the brahmans. Their commentaries on the Vedas are known as Upanishads. This is the word for "seat near" in Sanskrit, fox the disciples had to be close to hear the teaching of their master, the guru.

The philosophers taught the unity of all reality. The whole physical universe is really one but is expressed in individual bodies. All beings partake of the atman, the spirit that infuses reality. It is indestructible, but the bodies that it inhabits are corruptible; therefore, death and decay are everyday phenomena.

A major concern of the teachers whose wisdom appears in Upanishads was the stress on dharma, which means duty. Everyone who is human has certain responsibilities and obligations. Doing one's duty, fulfilling what is expected of one's role in this life, merits karma for a person. Good actions add to karma throughout one's life. At death, when a person is done with earthly existence, a person's atman will be reborn, either into a higher or lower state, depending on the amount of karma accumulated.

Once a person has enough karma, it is possible to break the cycle of constant rebirth. She or he obtains moshka (enlightenment), which allows a person to be joined with Brahma. A person then loses his or her identity and becomes part of the spirit that inheres in the universe.


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