Master's Thesis in Non-Abrahamic Religions
Abstract
Ancient Ophenishds are one of the most important sources of philosophical-mystical thinking in India, so that almost all schools that consider themselves within the framework of traditional Hindu beliefs try to prove the validity of their views by citing phrases from these texts. In these texts, which have attracted the attention of many thinkers from all over the world, one can see the most subtle and precise Hindu ruling thoughts. The most important doctrine of Opehnishdi is emphasizing the unity between Brahman and Atman and receiving that single truth. Key words: Opehnishda, Brahman, Atman, unity between Atman and Brahman. A word about Indian philosophy. Indian philosophical-intellectual tradition is one of the oldest human intellectual traditions. which, if not older than Greek thought, is at least as old as that. [1] A group of researchers such as Radha Krishnan, relying on some clues and evidence, believe: "When we look at India in the 6th century BC, we see a completely different picture. This period in India witnessed the evolution of philosophical thought, not its beginning. Here, like in Greece, it was not about the dawn of philosophy, but what can be called the full light of the philosophical day. This was no longer the tattling of human wisdom on the long and difficult path of philosophical scrutiny, but rather a stage chart that can only be reached after a remarkable journey". All schools of thought in India, except in rare cases, gradually took on a religious color or even became a religion like Buddhism, which is exactly opposite to the flow of Greek thought.[3]
Of course, the goal of the intellectual thinking and rational reflections of the Indian philosophers, who were all wise and pure sages, who rose to the status of a philosopher with exhausting austerities and persistent efforts and constant meditations on the highest truths. were, it is proof of religious views. In fact, Indian thinkers dealing with issues that we traditionally place in the realm of philosophy is providing the necessary grounds to achieve a lofty goal, that is, entering the field of religion, ethics, and mysticism. Therefore, it can be said that the meaning of Indian philosophy is those of the pious sages and sages who in the land of India, based on the acceptance or rejection of the authority of the Vedas, have achieved and tried to lay the foundation of coherent philosophical systems with compatible components to answer the fundamental questions of man about concepts such as God, the universe and its creation, what is knowledge, its subject, how to achieve it and valid means of knowledge, the nature of the good life and the ways to achieve it, the goal of human life and . Provide a rational and well-reasoned answer and prove these answers through logic. [4]
In the end, it should be said that philosophical thoughts and moral goals emerged in the period of the expansions and remained natural for a long time without finding any logical connection, or gradually expanded and developed and formed the foundations or principles of intellectual and philosophical schools. [5] Therefore, Indian philosophy is in search of the truth, even if it is incompatible with tangible reality.
Sources of Indian philosophy
Radha Krishnan has divided the history of Indian philosophy into four major periods, which are:
Vedah period [6] (1500 to 600 BC)
Epic period [7] (600 BC to 200 BC) AD)
The period of Sutras[8] which started from the second century AD.
The Madrasi period[9], this period also started from the second century AD.
The Vedic period is the beginning of Rig Veda hymns[10], Brahmins[11] and the beginning of the era of Opahnishads[12]. The songs of Rig and Vada are allegorical songs in praise and praise of God, and the basis of this early way of thinking of the Indian people was to create the unity and continuity of the mortal world of humans with the rest of the world of Gods. According to the Hindus, the Vedas are not the brainchild of any creature, but were revealed to the hearts of the sages [13] of ancient India from a non-human origin, and this causes them to be considered among the revelatory writings [14]. Brahmins also came into existence during the period of domination of the Brahmin and priest class and following the expansion and promotion of religious ceremonies. Gradually and over time, a reaction to this devotional ceremony emerged and led to the emergence of Opahnishads, which are undoubtedly the most valuable works that Hindu spirituality has presented to the philosophical world.Gradually and over time, a reaction to this devotional ceremony emerged and led to the emergence of Opahnishads, which are undoubtedly the most valuable works that Hindu spirituality has presented to the philosophical world.[15] Here, in order to avoid any kind of delay, we will only deal with the desired and main topic in this research, i.e., the Upanishads.
The Opanishids
In the heat of Brahmin writing and the height of Brahmin rule, some people appear in the forests, whose teachings are the books of Aranikhas, and they have an anti-Brahmin color, because basically, the appearance of these people and their residence in the forest is a reaction against The excessive formalism of Brahmins in religious matters and their comprehensive authority in civil matters. Aranikha is considered to be the most serious movement of Vedic teachings in compiling and formalizing indigenous beliefs. But due to the fact that the Aryan Brahmin tradition was still dominant, the founders of this movement were forced to leave the community and live in the forest to write down their beliefs and perform religious rituals free from the supervision of Brahmins. It is natural to live in the pink forest without any religion, which is free from the complex structure of sacrificial rituals and worship related to the temple. Therefore, in this regard, the Arnikas propose different forms of religiosity, which is completely opposed to the approach of the Brahmins. Because they sit in individual theoretical reflections instead of practical rituals. The interesting point here is that the authors of Arnikahs elegantly give priority to the former while acknowledging the latter. In other words, the opinions of this group are not completely in conflict with the Brahmins and their teachings, but they try to include important elements such as thinking and acquiring knowledge as important elements of religiosity. By doing this, they may have intended to remove the danger of apostasy and to find a basis for the development of their teachings, which of course succeeded in their purpose because in the following periods, with the emergence of texts known as Ophenishdas, which come from the hearts of these Aranikhas, we witness a significant retreat of the Brahmanical system. The texts whose main pillar is turning from Brahmin ritualism towards thinking and meditation.
With these interpretations, it is the end of the Vedha era and the foundation of the Vedanta school, and according to Max Müller, human thinking has reached its highest level in this school. For about three thousand years, Ophenishda has had complete influence and influence in the philosophy, religion, and life of many people of India, and although the time of creation of this sacred literature is very far from our time, but its thoughts are not far from the real Taliban. The desired perfection of the opahanishad thinkers is the perfection of the ultimate happiness of mankind and the perfection of knowledge and the achievement of the truth that religious mystics seek to meet directly and philosophy is constantly searching for its truth. This is the desired perfection of thinkers and Taliban of truth. [16] Just as the Sophists in Greece caused the focus of philosophical thought to turn from nature to man, so the Enlightens also caused the effort to understand the sublime to be transferred from the outside world, especially ritualism, to the world within man. On the one hand, Indian philosophy remained based on the foundation of attention and focus on the inner man, but after the renaissance, western philosophy again noticed the natural world. [17]
The Upanishads are the heritage of the second class of Hindu society, namely the ruling class, and they are known as the primary teachers of the Opanishid knowledge. The Brahmin class, which is the preserver of Vedic culture, did not know about the knowledge of Panishdi at first. The way of thinking of the teachers of the Panishidas is different from the way of thinking of the teachers of the Brahmin treatises. In the texts of his treatises, many things have been mentioned that are not compatible with the content of Vedhas and Brahmins. Opehnished teachers have made many efforts to save thought from slavery in the Hindu society, and as a result of the teachings of Opehnished, the school of freedom of thought spread and prospered in the Indian environment, and gradually the thought of Opehnished teachers, that for a long time there was secret science and secret knowledge and the uneducated did not have access to that knowledge, the reasons for its secrecy were removed, and even the Brahmins sought its education and knowledge, and the kings who taught this science They had learned to inherit. In addition, the Ophenishdi writings form the basis of the beliefs of various philosophical schools of India, and not only the schools that believe in the existence of God have been inspired by the Ophenishdis, but also the philosophers of the materialistic schools, such as Buddhism and Jainism, have not benefited from these writings.