Truth is one - sages call it by various names. (Rig Veda)
God exists. He can be known. The purpose of life is to realize our oneness with Him. There are many paths to the goal. (Swami Prabhavananda)
THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE
There is one ultimate reality. Vedanta calls it Brahman. Brahman is beyond words. The best we can do is to say what it is not.
Brahman is that
1) Infinite, (not finite),
2) Undivided, (not divided) and
3) unchanging (not changing)
reality.
The positive qualities that best point to Brahman are:
1) absolute existence,
2) absolute consciousness,
3) absolute bliss.
This world is a misperception of that one reality. It is an apparent reality.
This apparent reality is nothing but the play of consciousness. Thus pure consciousness pervades this manifest universe.
THE NATURE OF HUMAN BEINGS Our true nature is divine, one with Brahman. We fail to realize our own divine nature because our senses misperceive the ultimate reality as a finite, divided, changing universe in space and time with laws of causation.
Our genetic programming functioning through our ego makes us identify with our body and mind. We feel finite, separated, and subject to change, disease, death.
THE GOAL OF LIFE The goal of life is to see through our mistake and realize our true nature. As seen within the context of the illusion of space and time, we are individual souls--jivas--seeking to be reunited with that absolute Brahman. That absolute Brahman in the context of the individual is called the Atman.
KARMA AND REINCARNATION For every action there is a reaction. All our actions, thoughts, and desires create vibrational impressions (samskaras) on us. These samskaras are what give us our tendencies. The law of karma simply states that until one transcends this relative plane of existence (the world as we ordinarily perceive it), every action will have its reaction on us. Our karma (actions) may not bear fruit in this life, but may be stored until a future life. The individual soul (jiva) after death will reincarnate in a new body according to the stored karmas.
WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT THIS WORLD
We can say that the infinite, undivided, unchanging reality is disguised as this manifest universe. Or we can think that the world we perceive is but a poor reflection of that absolute reality behind it.
Because the world is a mis-perception of the reality, there is always an uncertainty about it. If you mistake a rope for a snake, you will always be uncertain about what species it is. And in terms of the world, we can never fully understand the nature of Brahman. Once we realize Brahman as our true nature, we will have no uncertainty about it. But we will still not be able to accurately describe it in words. Once you realize the rope is not a snake, but just a rope, you will know it as a rope, but it is still not accurately describable in terms of snakes.
This manifest universe can be thought of as the dream of Brahman, just as we dream up a dream world when we sleep. Our dream world has no reality compared to our waking state. We project the dream and enter into it. Similarly, our perception of this world has no reality when compared to the realization of God. God has projected this universe and entered into it.
Curiosity and desire bring us into this plane of relative existence.
When the one appears manifest as many, it must do so in pairs of opposites. The dividing of everything with names and forms is also a major characteristic of this cosmic dream.
We can think that Brahman is like a musical instrument. Music is like the creation. The vibrations of the sound occur equally in both directions-(manifestation occurs as pairs of opposites).
The male-female duality is sometimes used to symbolize and personify the active and inactive aspects of the absolute God (Brahman.) The active principle is the feminine - the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother is Brahman's power to manifest, to create the cosmic illusion - maya - of the many out of the one.
THE FRUSTRATION OF THE WORLD
If our true nature is really infinite, undivided, and unchanging; it stands to reason that we would seek those qualities within this world. Our yearning for freedom, love, and peace in this world can be seen as a misguided attempt at re-discovering our true infinite, undivided, and unchanging nature respectively. The more you get of one the less you have of one of the other two. It is only through spiritual practices that one can “wake up” to his or her true nature and find absolute freedom, love, and peace.
THE FOUR MAIN SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
The four main spiritual practices for realizing our true nature are:
1) Karma Yoga - the path of selfless action. Do your work with the attitude of unselfishness and detachment from the results. Do not expect to make the world perfect. Serve the divine in other beings.
2) Jnana Yoga - affirm your true nature. Say "I am not the mind. I am not the body. I am pure existence, pure consciousness, pure bliss."
3) Bhakti Yoga - develop a loving relationship with a personal aspect of God.
4) Raja Yoga - gaining control over the mind, meditation, calming the mind to get a clear view of its true nature. Using mantras and breath control to amplify the spiritual vibrations.