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127-582: The Upanishad states that renunciation and self-knowledge is the path to moksha (liberation and spiritual freedom). According to Maitreya, "the Lord is within the heart of each person, he is the witness of the reason's dance, and the object of the utmost love". One must renounce the world, to achieve the rapture of the Self and become one with Brahman . The best renunciation is one, states Maitreya, where one abandons pride, wealth, delusion and lust; when delusion dies in

254-590: A Paramukta. Jivanmukta experience liberation while alive and also after death i.e., after becoming paramukta, while Videhmukta experiences liberation only after death. Samsara Saṃsāra ( Devanagari : संसार) is a Sanskrit word that means "wandering" as well as "world," wherein the term connotes "cyclic change" or, less formally, "running around in circles." Saṃsāra is referred to with terms or phrases such as transmigration/reincarnation , karmic cycle , or Punarjanman , and "cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence". When related to

381-473: A bad karma to injure plants and minor life forms with negative impact on a soul's saṃsāra . However, some texts in Buddhism and Hinduism do caution a person from injuring all life forms, including plants and seeds. Saṃsāra in Buddhism, states Jeff Wilson, is the "suffering-laden cycle of life, death, and rebirth, without beginning or end". Also referred to as the wheel of existence ( Bhavacakra ), it

508-445: A beautiful face in a soiled mirror, Seeing that reflection I wish myself you, an individual soul, as if I could be finite! A finite soul, an infinite Goddess – these are false concepts, in the minds of those unacquainted with truth, No space, my loving devotee, exists between your self and my self, Know this and you are free. This is the secret wisdom. The concept of moksha , according to Daniel Ingalls , represented one of

635-527: A class of souls that can never attain moksha (liberation). The Ābhāvya state of soul is entered after an intentional and shockingly evil act. Jainism considers souls as pluralistic each in a karma- saṃsāra cycle, and does not subscribe to Advaita style nondualism of Hinduism, or Advaya style nondualism of Buddhism. The Jaina theosophy, like ancient Ajivika , but unlike Hindu and Buddhist theosophies, asserts that each soul passes through 8,400,000 birth-situations, as they circle through saṃsāra . As

762-415: A concept common in Buddhism, is accompanied by the realization that all experienced phenomena are not self ; while moksha , a concept common in many schools of Hinduism, is acceptance of Self (soul), realization of liberating knowledge, the consciousness of Oneness with Brahman, all existence and understanding the whole universe as the Self. Nirvana starts with the premise that there is no Self, moksha on

889-408: A list of six realms of rebirth, adding demi-gods ( asuras ), which were included in gods realm in earlier traditions. The "hungry ghost, heavenly, hellish realms" respectively formulate the ritual, literary and moral spheres of many contemporary Buddhist traditions. The saṃsāra concept, in Buddhism, envisions that these six realms are interconnected, and everyone cycles life after life, and death

1016-410: A man who seeks after freedom to undergo repeated births. A recluse, therefore, shall worship only within his heart, to avoid rebirth let him shun outward worship. Worship the Self (soul) within you, that which shines before the act of sight, the state which is beyond waking consciousness and sleeping consciousness, one that is the highest and essential state within, assert verses 2.3.20 and 2.3.21 of

1143-469: A means of liberation from saṃsāra it calls bondage. The various sub-traditions of Hinduism, and of Buddhism, accepted free will, avoided asceticism, accepted renunciation and monastic life, and developed their own ideas on liberation through realization of the true nature of existence. In Hinduism , saṃsāra is a journey of the Ātman . The body dies but not the Ātman , which is eternal reality, indestructible, and bliss. Everything and all existence

1270-405: A middle Upanishadic-era script dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE, is among the earliest expositions about saṃsāra and moksha . In Book I, Section III, the legend of boy Naciketa queries Yama , the lord of death to explain what causes saṃsāra and what leads to liberation. Naciketa inquires: what causes sorrow? Yama explains that suffering and saṃsāra results from a life that

1397-521: A person should reach an inner state that has an aversion to all worldly goods. Once one has reached that state, and renounced, one must contemplate about spiritual truths, states the text. The Upanishad asserts, translates Olivelle, that "to reflect on the scriptures is middling, to ponder over mantras is worse, to think about sacred bathing spots is even worse". The Upanishad recommends that the truly spiritual man should not worship idols: Worship of idols made of stone, metal, clay or precious stones, causes

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1524-592: A person to be more truly a person in the full sense; the concept presumes an unused human potential of creativity, compassion and understanding which had been blocked and shut out. Moksha is more than liberation from a life-rebirth cycle of suffering ( samsara ); the Vedantic school separates this into two: jivanmukti (liberation in this life) and videhamukti (liberation after death). Moksha in this life includes psychological liberation from adhyasa (fears besetting one's life) and avidya (ignorance or anything that

1651-503: A person, enlightenment is born. In chapters 2 and 3 of the Upanishad, Lord Shiva preaches sage Maitreya the secret of highest reality (Brahman). The text states that Atman (soul, self), Brahman and Shiva are the same, one must understand one's true essence that is soul, and one must worship with the thought, "I am he". The Maitreya Upanishad, states Patrick Olivelle , is a record of Sandhya rituals and rites that were abandoned in

1778-500: A repeated process of rebirth. This bondage to repeated rebirth and life, each life subject to injury, disease and aging, was seen as a cycle of suffering. By release from this cycle, the suffering involved in this cycle also ended. This release was called moksha , nirvana , kaivalya , mukti and other terms in various Indian religious traditions but as per Hindu scripture veda one can attain mokhsha by giving up shadripu ( kama, lobha, krodha, moha, mada and matsarya). A desire for

1905-514: A state which is considered synonymous with Nirvāṇa . Sikhism incorporates the concepts of saṃsāra (sometimes spelled as Saṅsāra in Sikh texts), karma and cyclical nature of time and existence. Founded in the 15th century, its founder Guru Nanak incorporated the cyclical concept of ancient Indian religions and the cyclical concept of time, state Cole and Sambhi. However, states Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, there are important differences between

2032-507: A way to liberation ( moksha ). In Sāmkhya literature, liberation is commonly referred to as kaivalya . In this school, kaivalya means the realization of purusa , the principle of consciousness, as independent from mind and body, as different from prakrti . Like many schools of Hinduism, in Sāmkhya and Yoga schools, the emphasis is on the attainment of knowledge, vidyā or jñāna , as necessary for salvific liberation, moksha . Yoga's purpose

2159-527: Is Karma Yoga , the way of works. The fourth mārga is Rāja Yoga , the way of contemplation and meditation. These mārgas are part of different schools in Hinduism, and their definition and methods to moksha . For example, the Advaita Vedanta school relies on Jñāna Yoga in its teachings of moksha . The marga s need not lead to all forms of moksha, according to some schools of Hinduism. For example,

2286-594: Is Shiva, it is the fruit of all holiness, and it is pure spirit. The soul, states the text, is free from six changes (existence, birth, growth, maturity, decay and death), is free from six sheaths (skin, blood, flesh, fat, marrow and bones), and is free from six inner enemies (desire, hatred, greed, delusion, pride and envy). This soul is "light of pure consciousness" and without attributes, declares Maitreya Upanishad. Moksha Traditional Moksha ( / ˈ m oʊ k ʃ ə / ; Sanskrit : मोक्ष , mokṣa ), also called vimoksha , vimukti , and mukti ,

2413-689: Is a central concept and the utmost aim of human life; the other three aims are dharma (virtuous, proper, moral life), artha (material prosperity, income security, means of life), and kama (pleasure, sensuality, emotional fulfillment). Together, these four concepts are called Puruṣārtha in Hinduism. In some schools of Indian religions, moksha is considered equivalent to and used interchangeably with other terms such as vimoksha , vimukti , kaivalya , apavarga , mukti , nihsreyasa , and nirvana . However, terms such as moksha and nirvana differ and mean different states between various schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The term nirvana

2540-467: Is a compound word of sara and sva , meaning "essence of self". After the prayer verses, the Upanishad inquires about the secret to freedom and liberation (mukti). Sarasvati's reply in the Upanishad is: It was through me the Creator himself gained liberating knowledge, I am being, consciousness, bliss, eternal freedom: unsullied, unlimited, unending. My perfect consciousness shines your world, like

2667-523: Is a soul or after life moksha . Both Sāmkhya and Yoga systems of religious thought are mokshaśāstras , suggests Knut Jacobsen , they are systems of salvific liberation and release. Sāmkhya is a system of interpretation, primarily a theory about the world. Yoga is both a theory and a practice. Yoga gained wide acceptance in ancient India, its ideas and practices became part of many religious schools in Hinduism, including those that were very different from Sāmkhya. The eight limbs of yoga can be interpreted as

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2794-492: Is a term in Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism , and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, nirvana , or release. In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from saṃsāra , the cycle of death and rebirth . In its epistemological and psychological senses, moksha is freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge. In Hindu traditions, moksha

2921-459: Is because a guru can help one develop knowledge of maya (the illusionary nature of the world), a critical step on the path to moksha. Shankara cautions that the guru and historic knowledge may be distorted, so traditions and historical assumptions must be questioned by the individual seeking moksha . Those who are on their path to moksha (samnyasin), suggests Klaus Klostermaier , are quintessentially free individuals, without craving for anything in

3048-433: Is born and dies, to be reborn elsewhere in accordance with the completely impersonal causal nature of one's own karma; This endless cycle of birth, rebirth, and redeath is saṃsāra ". The Four Noble Truths , accepted by all Buddhist traditions, are aimed at ending this saṃsāra-related re-becoming (rebirth) and associated cycles of suffering. Like Jainism, Buddhism developed its own saṃsāra theory, that evolved over time

3175-661: Is calm and profound, states the Upanishad. He is neither light nor darkness, He is changeless and without false appearances, He is knowledge, He is free, He is true, He is subtle, He is an ocean of bliss, and He is I, the inner essence of a person, asserts the Maitreya Upanishad. For refuge, one must return to one's innate bliss. To the one who is without attachments, nothing affects and no grief overtakes him. Those who do not accept social class, subdivisions, duties imposed by others, live by their conscience and are sated by their own bliss, no torment can touch their core, states

3302-521: Is closely associated with the belief that the person continues to be born and reborn in various realms and forms. The earliest layers of Vedic text incorporate the concept of life, followed by an afterlife in heaven and hell based on cumulative virtues (merit) or vices (demerit). However, the ancient Vedic Rishis challenged this idea of afterlife as simplistic, because people do not live an equally moral or immoral life. Between generally virtuous lives, some are more virtuous; while evil too has degrees, and

3429-562: Is connected, cyclical, and composed of two things: the Self, or Ātman , and the body, or matter . This eternal Self called Ātman never reincarnates, it does not change and cannot change in the Hindu belief. In contrast, the body and personality, can change, constantly changes, is born and dies. Current karma impacts the future circumstances in this life, as well as the future forms and realms of lives. Good intent and actions lead to good future, bad intent and actions lead to bad future, in

3556-530: Is considered a sin in Jainism, with negative karmic effects. A liberated soul in Jainism is one who has gone beyond saṃsāra , is at the apex, is omniscient, remains there eternally, and is known as a Siddha . A male human being is considered closest to the apex with the potential to achieve liberation, particularly through asceticism. Women must gain karmic merit, to be reborn as man, and only then can they achieve spiritual liberation in Jainism, particularly in

3683-496: Is considered timeless, eliminating the cycle of birth and death ( samsara ). Advaita Vedanta emphasizes Jnana Yoga as the means of achieving moksha . Bliss, claims this school, is the fruit of knowledge (vidya) and work (karma). The Dvaita (dualism) traditions define moksha as the loving, eternal union with God and considered the highest perfection of existence. Dvaita schools suggest every soul encounters liberation differently. Dualist traditions (e.g. Vaishnava ) see God as

3810-467: Is continuous and everywhere. Moksha , suggests Shankara, is a final perfect, blissful state where there can be no change, where there can be no plurality of states. It has to be a state of thought and consciousness that excludes action. He questioned: "How can action-oriented techniques by which we attain the first three goals of man ( kama , artha and dharma ) be useful to attain the last goal, namely moksha ?" Scholars suggest Shankara's challenge to

3937-400: Is defined as that which never changes or Sat (eternal truth, reality), and moksha as the realization of Brahman and freedom from saṃsāra . The dualistic devotional traditions such as Madhvacharya 's Dvaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism champion a theistic premise, assert the individual human Self and Brahman ( Vishnu , Krishna ) are two different realities, loving devotion to Vishnu

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4064-435: Is derived from the verbal root sṛ with the prefix saṃ , Saṃsṛ (संसृ), meaning "to go round, revolve, pass through a succession of states, to go towards or obtain, moving in a circuit". A nominal derivative formed from this root appears in ancient texts as saṃsaraṇa , which means "going around through a succession of states, birth, rebirth of living beings and the world", without obstruction. Another nominal derivative from

4191-410: Is difference between these ideas, as explained elsewhere in this article, but they are all soteriological concepts of various Indian religious traditions. The six major orthodox schools of Hinduism have had a historic debate, and disagree over whether moksha can be achieved in this life, or only after this life. Many of the 108 Upanishads discuss amongst other things moksha . These discussions show

4318-526: Is essential to Buddhist nirvana. Realization of atman (atta) is essential to Hindu moksha . Ancient literature of different schools of Hinduism sometimes use different phrases for moksha . For example, Keval jnana or kaivalya ("state of Absolute"), Apavarga , Nihsreyasa , Paramapada , Brahmabhava , Brahmajnana and Brahmi sthiti . Modern literature additionally uses the Buddhist term nirvana interchangeably with moksha of Hinduism. There

4445-584: Is freedom. Kathaka Upanishad also explains the role of yoga in personal liberation, moksha . The Svetasvatara Upanishad , another middle-era Upanishad written after Kathaka Upanishad , begins with questions such as why is man born? what is the primal cause behind the universe? what causes joy and sorrow in life? It then examines the various theories, that were then existing, about saṃsāra and release from bondage. Svetasvatara claims that bondage results from ignorance, illusion or delusion; deliverance comes from knowledge. The Supreme Being dwells in every being, he

4572-441: Is just a state for an afterlife, through these realms, because of a combination of ignorance, desires and purposeful karma, or ethical and unethical actions. Nirvāṇa is typically described as the freedom from rebirth and the only alternative to suffering of saṃsāra , in Buddhism. However, the Buddhist texts developed a more comprehensive theory of rebirth, states Steven Collins, from fears of redeath, called amata (death-free),

4699-468: Is lived absent-mindedly, with impurity, with neither the use of intelligence nor self-examination, where neither mind nor senses are guided by one's atma (soul, self). Liberation comes from a life lived with inner purity, alert mind, led by buddhi (reason, intelligence), realization of the Supreme Self ( purusha ) who dwells in all beings. Kathaka Upanishad asserts knowledge liberates, knowledge

4826-521: Is more common in Buddhism, while moksha is more prevalent in Hinduism . Moksha is derived from the Sanskrit root word, muc , which means to free, let go, release, liberate. According to Jain scriptures, it is a combination of two Sanskrit words, moh (attachment) and kshay (its destruction) The definition and meaning of moksha varies between various schools of Indian religions. Moksha means freedom, liberation, but from what and how

4953-454: Is not true knowledge). Many schools of Hinduism according to Daniel Ingalls , see moksha as a state of perfection. The concept was seen as a natural goal beyond dharma . Moksha , in the epics and ancient literature of Hinduism, is seen as achievable by the same techniques necessary to practice dharma . Self-discipline is the path to dharma , moksha is self-discipline that is so perfect that it becomes unconscious, second nature. Dharma

5080-433: Is often mentioned in Buddhist texts with the term punarbhava (rebirth, re-becoming); the liberation from this cycle of existence, Nirvāṇa , is the foundation and the most important purpose of Buddhism. Saṃsāra is considered permanent in Buddhism, just like other Indian religions. Karma drives this permanent saṃsāra in Buddhist thought, states Paul Williams, and "short of attaining enlightenment, in each rebirth one

5207-464: Is release from such avidya, towards the intuition and eternal union with God. Among the Samkhya, Yoga and Vedanta schools of Hinduism, liberation and freedom reached within one's life is referred to as jivanmukti , and the individual who has experienced this state is called jivanmukta (self-realized person). Dozens of Upanishads, including those from middle Upanishadic period, mention or describe

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5334-451: Is seen as a final release from illusion, and through knowledge ( anubhava ) of one's own fundamental nature, which is Satcitananda . Advaita holds there is no being/non-being distinction between Atman , Brahman , and Paramatman . True knowledge is a direct, permanent realization that the Atman and Brahman are one. This realization instantly removes ignorance and leads to moksha , and

5461-503: Is self-liberation (moksha) from saṃsāra . The Upanishads , part of the scriptures of the Hindu traditions, primarily focus on self-liberation from saṃsāra . The Bhagavad Gita discusses various paths to liberation. The Upanishads, states Harold Coward, offer a "very optimistic view regarding the perfectibility of human nature", and the goal of human effort in these texts is a continuous journey to self-perfection and self-knowledge so as to end saṃsāra . The aim of spiritual quest in

5588-467: Is somehow connected to the ultimate unchanging immortal reality and bliss called Brahman , and that the rest is the always-changing subject (body) in a phenomenal world ( Maya ). Redeath, in the Vedic theosophical speculations, reflected the end of "blissful years spent in svarga or heaven", and it was followed by rebirth back in the phenomenal world. Saṃsāra developed into a foundational theory of

5715-527: Is suffering with each cycle of rebirth. These features of Sikhism, along with its belief in Saṅsāra and the grace of God, are similar to some bhakti-oriented sub-traditions within Hinduism such as those found in Vaishnavism . Sikhism does not believe that ascetic life, as recommended in Jainism, is the path to liberation. Rather, it cherishes social engagement and householder's life combined with devotion to

5842-501: Is the means to release from saṃsāra , it is the grace of Vishnu which leads to moksha, and spiritual liberation is achievable only in after-life ( videhamukti ). The nondualistic traditions such as Adi Shankara 's Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism champion a monistic premise, asserting that the individual Atman and Brahman are identical, and only ignorance, impulsiveness and inertia leads to suffering through saṃsāra . In reality they are no dualities, meditation and self-knowledge

5969-416: Is the path to liberation, the realization that one's Ātman is identical to Brahman is moksha , and spiritual liberation is achievable in this life ( jivanmukti ). In Jainism , the saṃsāra and karma doctrine are central to its theological foundations, as evidenced by the extensive literature on it in the major sects of Jainism, and their pioneering ideas on karma and saṃsāra from the earliest times of

6096-485: Is the primal cause, he is the eternal law, he is the essence of everything, he is nature, he is not a separate entity. Liberation comes to those who know Supreme Being is present as the Universal Spirit and Principle, just as they know butter is present in milk. Such realization, claims Svetasvatara, come from self-knowledge and self-discipline; and this knowledge and realization is liberation from transmigration,

6223-517: Is then seen as a means to remove the avidyā – that is, ignorance or misleading/incorrect knowledge about one self and the universe. It seeks to end ordinary reflexive awareness ( cittavrtti nirodhah ) with deeper, purer and holistic awareness ( asamprājñāta samādhi ). Yoga, during the pursuit of moksha , encourages practice ( abhyāsa ) with detachment ( vairāgya ), which over time leads to deep concentration ( samādhi ). Detachment means withdrawal from outer world and calming of mind, while practice means

6350-406: Is thus a means to moksha . The Samkhya school of Hinduism, for example, suggests that one of the paths to moksha is to magnify one's sattvam . To magnify one's sattvam , one must develop oneself where one's sattvam becomes one's instinctive nature. Many schools of Hinduism thus understood dharma and moksha as two points of a single journey of life, a journey for which the viaticum

6477-436: Is truly Shiva. Discard the faded flower offerings of ignorance, Worship with the thought: "I am he". The human body, states the text, is a "filthy house of joy and grief", one that is built with humors, is born, suffers from diseases over its life, and ultimately dies. The section 2 of chapter 2 states that the one who seeks liberation must seek, states the Upanishad, the "internal or spiritual bath that consists of cleansing

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6604-411: Is unworldly understanding, a state of bliss. "How can the worldly thought-process lead to unworldly understanding?", asked Nagarjuna. Karl Potter explains the answer to this challenge as one of context and framework, the emergence of broader general principles of understanding from thought processes that are limited in one framework. Adi Shankara in the 8th century AD, like Nagarjuna earlier, examined

6731-482: Is usually described as rebirth and reincarnation ( Punarjanman ) of living beings ( Jiva ), the chronological development of the idea over its history began with the questions on what is the true nature of human existence and whether people die only once. This led first to the concepts of Punarmṛtyu ("redeath") and Punaravṛtti ("return"). These early theories asserted that the nature of human existence involves two realities, one unchanging absolute Atman (Self) which

6858-405: Is where the schools differ. Moksha is also a concept that means liberation from rebirth or saṃsāra . This liberation can be attained while one is on earth ( jivanmukti ), or eschatologically ( karmamukti , videhamukti ). Some Indian traditions have emphasized liberation on concrete, ethical action within the world. This liberation is an epistemological transformation that permits one to see

6985-520: The bhakti schools of Hinduism, is devoted to the worship of God, sings his name, anoints his image or idol, and has many sub-schools. Vaishnavas (followers of Vaishnavism) suggest that dharma and moksha cannot be two different or sequential goals or states of life. Instead, they suggest God should be kept in mind constantly to simultaneously achieve dharma and moksha , so constantly that one comes to feel one cannot live without God's loving presence. This school emphasized love and adoration of God as

7112-555: The Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism , along with the rationale for this development. The word "Maitreya" means "benevolent" or "friendly". It is a descendant of the name of a Rigvedic deity, namely Mitra . The name of the Upanishad likely reflects the name of the author. The text is also known as Maitreyopanishad Patrick Olivelle states that six Sannyasa Upanishads – Aruni , Laghu-Sannyasa, Kathasruti Paramahamsa , Jabala and Brahma Upanishads – were completed in

7239-542: The Digambara sect of Jainism; however, this view has been historically debated within Jainism and different Jaina sects have expressed different views, particularly the Shvetambara sect that believes that women too can achieve liberation from saṃsāra . In contrast to Buddhist texts which do not expressly or unambiguously condemn injuring or killing plants and minor life forms, Jaina texts do. Jainism considers it

7366-681: The Ekasarana dharma denies the sayujya form of mukti, where the complete absorption in God deprives jiva of the sweetness and bliss associated with bhakti . Madhavadeva begins the Namghoxa by declaring his admiration for devotees who do not prefer mukti . The three main sub-schools in Vedanta school of Hinduism – Advaita Vedanta , Vishistadvaita and Dvaita – each have their own views about moksha . The Vedantic school of Hinduism suggests

7493-640: The Katha Upanishad , verse 6.16 of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad , verses 1.4 and 6.34 of the Maitri Upanishad . The word saṃsāra is related to Saṃsṛti , the latter referring to the "course of mundane existence, transmigration, flow, circuit or stream". The word literally means "wandering through, flowing on", states Stephen J. Laumakis, in the sense of "aimless and directionless wandering". The concept of saṃsāra

7620-593: The Mahabharata and section 6.10 of the Devi Bhagavata Purana . The historical origins of the concept of reincarnation , or Punarjanman , are obscure but, the idea appears in texts of both India and ancient Greece during the first millennium BC. The idea of saṃsāra is hinted in the late Vedic texts such as the Rigveda , but the theory is absent. According to Sayers, the earliest layers of

7747-460: The Saṅsāra concept in Sikhism from the saṃsāra concept in many traditions within Hinduism. The difference is that Sikhism firmly believes in the grace of God as the means to salvation, and its precepts encourage the bhakti of One Lord for mukti (salvation). Sikhism, like the three ancient Indian traditions, believes that body is perishable, that there is a cycle of rebirth, and that there

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7874-503: The saṃsāra doctrine is found in early Buddhism and Jainism , as well as in various schools of Hindu philosophy . The saṃsāra doctrine is tied to the karma theory of Hinduism , and the liberation from saṃsāra has been at the core of the spiritual quest of Indian traditions, as well as their internal disagreements. The liberation from saṃsāra is called Moksha , Nirvāṇa , Mukti, or Kaivalya . Saṃsāra ( Devanagari : संसार) means "wandering", as well as "world" wherein

8001-414: The saṃsāra theories evolved in respective Indian traditions. For example, in their saṃsāra theories, states Obeyesekere, the Hindu traditions accepted Ātman or Self exists and asserted it to be the unchanging essence of each living being, while Buddhist traditions denied such a soul exists and developed the concept of Anattā . Salvation ( moksha , mukti) in the Hindu traditions was described using

8128-566: The 8th century AD, until the arrival of a Mimamsa scholar named Kumarila . Instead of moksha , the Mimamsa school of Hinduism considered the concept of heaven as sufficient to answer the question: what lay beyond this world after death. Other schools of Hinduism, over time, accepted the moksha concept and refined it over time. It is unclear when the core ideas of samsara and moksha developed in ancient India. Patrick Olivelle suggests these ideas likely originated with new religious movements in

8255-466: The Brahman, Atman and unity of the two. King Brihadratha renounces his kingdom, and retires into wilderness. He performs Tapas for a thousand days to Surya (sun god), after which he is visited by sage Sakayanya , the one who knows the Self. Pleased with Brihadratha, the sage asks him to seek a boon. The sannyasi Brihadratha asks the sage for the knowledge of soul. Initially the sage says that

8382-427: The Buddhist traditions. However, saṃsāra or the cycle of rebirths, has a definite beginning and end in Jainism. Souls begin their journey in a primordial state, and exist in a state of consciousness continuum that is constantly evolving through saṃsāra . Some evolve to a higher state, while some regress, a movement that is driven by karma. Further, Jaina traditions believe that there exist Ābhāvya (incapable), or

8509-484: The Hindu view of life. The journey of samsara allows the atman the opportunity to perform positive or negative karmas throughout each birth and make spiritual efforts to attain moksha . A virtuous life, actions consistent with dharma, are believed by Hindus to contribute to a better future, whether in this life or future lives. The aim of spiritual pursuits, whether it be through the path of bhakti (devotion), karma (work), jñāna (knowledge), or raja (meditation)

8636-458: The Jaina tradition. Saṃsāra in Jainism represents the worldly life characterized by continuous rebirths and suffering in various realms of existence. The conceptual framework of the saṃsāra doctrine differs between the Jainism traditions and other Indian religions. For instance, in Jaina traditions, soul ( jiva ) is accepted as a truth, as is assumed in the Hindu traditions, but not assumed in

8763-400: The Maitreya Upanishad. The second chapter of the Upanishad opens with Maitreya meeting god Shiva in mount Kailasha , and asking him about the knowledge of highest reality. He requests Him to enlighten him on the secrets of Tattva . Shiva explains to him stating that the human body is a shrine with Jiva imbibed in it representing Him alone. The body is said to be a temple, and the soul

8890-542: The Nirvana of Buddhism is same as the Brahman in Hinduism, a view other scholars and he disagree with. Buddhism rejects the idea of Brahman , and the metaphysical ideas about soul (atman) are also rejected by Buddhism, while those ideas are essential to moksha in Hinduism. In Buddhism, nirvana is 'blowing out' or 'extinction'. In Hinduism, moksha is 'identity or oneness with Brahman'. Realization of anatta (anatman)

9017-606: The Purusha from what one is not), but from Vedic studies, observance of the Svadharma (personal duties), sticking to Asramas (stages of life). The six major orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy offer the following views on moksha , each for their own reasons: the Nyaya, Vaisesika and Mimamsa schools of Hinduism consider moksha as possible only after death. Samkhya and Yoga schools consider moksha as possible in this life. In

9144-699: The Upanishad. Chapter 3 is a celebration and praise of one who has achieved living liberation. It also includes statements about the inner state and characteristics of a person who has achieved moksha . I am I, but also the other; I am Brahman, I am the source, I am the teacher of the whole world, I am the whole world, I am he! I am only I, I am perfect, I am pure, I am supreme, I am spotless and eternal, I am I, I am always he! From honor and dishonor and from qualities I am free, I am Shiva, From oneness and duality and from opposites I am free, I am he! From coming into being and ceasing to be, and from light I am free, I am both ugly and beautiful, I am free from

9271-503: The Upanishadic traditions is to find the true self within and to know one's Self, a state that it believes leads to blissful state of freedom, moksha . All Hindu traditions share the concept of saṃsāra , but they differ in details and what they describe the state of liberation from saṃsāra to be. The saṃsāra is viewed as the cycle of rebirth in a temporal world of always changing reality or Maya (appearance, illusive), Brahman

9398-454: The Vedanta school, the Advaita sub-school concludes moksha is possible in this life, while Dvaita, Visistadvaita, Shuddhadvait sub-schools of Vedanta tradition believes that moksha is a continuous event, one assisted by loving devotion to God, that extends from this life to post-mortem. Beyond these six orthodox schools, some heterodox schools of Hindu tradition, such as Carvaka, deny there

9525-581: The Vedic literature show ancestor worship and rites such as sraddha (offering food to the ancestors). The later Vedic texts such as the Aranyakas and the Upanishads show a different soteriology based on reincarnation, they show little concern with ancestor rites, and they begin to philosophically interpret the earlier rituals, although the idea is not fully developed yet. It is in the early Upanishads where these ideas are more fully developed, but there too

9652-427: The ancient scholars observed that people vary in the quality of virtuous or sinful life they lead, and began questioning how differences in each person's puṇya (merit, good deeds) or pāp (demerit, sin) as human beings affected their afterlife. This question led to the conception of an afterlife where the person stayed in heaven or hell, in proportion to their merit or demerit, then returned to earth and were reborn,

9779-416: The application of effort over time. Such steps are claimed by Yoga school as leading to samādhi, a state of deep awareness, release and bliss called kaivalya . Yoga, or mārga (meaning "way" or "path"), in Hinduism is widely classified into four spiritual approaches. The first mārga is Jñāna Yoga , the way of knowledge. The second mārga is Bhakti Yoga , the way of loving devotion to God. The third mārga

9906-506: The concept of moksha appears in three forms: Vedic, yogic and bhakti. In the Vedic period, moksha was ritualistic. Mokṣa was claimed to result from properly completed rituals such as those before Agni – the fire deity. The significance of these rituals was to reproduce and recite the cosmic-creation event described in the Vedas; the description of knowledge on different levels – adhilokam , adhibhutam , adhiyajnam , adhyatmam – helped

10033-609: The concept of moksha parallels those of Plotinus against the Gnostics , with one important difference: Plotinus accused the Gnostics of exchanging an anthropocentric set of virtues with a theocentric set in pursuit of salvation ; Shankara challenged that the concept of moksha implied an exchange of anthropocentric set of virtues ( dharma ) with a blissful state that has no need for values. Shankara goes on to suggest that anthropocentric virtues suffice. Vaishnavism , one of

10160-432: The concepts of Ātman (self) and Brahman (universal reality), while in Buddhism it (nirvāṇa, nibbāna) was described through the concept of Anattā (no self) and Śūnyatā (emptiness). The Ajivika tradition combined saṃsāra with the premise that there is no free will, while the Jainism tradition accepted the concept of soul (calling it "jiva" ) with free will, but emphasized asceticism and cessation of action as

10287-559: The cycle continuing indefinitely. The rebirth idea ultimately flowered into the ideas of saṃsāra , or transmigration – where one's balance sheet of karma determined one's rebirth. Along with this idea of saṃsāra , the ancient scholars developed the concept of moksha , as a state that released a person from the saṃsāra cycle. Moksha release in eschatological sense in these ancient literature of Hinduism, suggests van Buitenen , comes from self-knowledge and consciousness of oneness of supreme soul. Scholars provide various explanations of

10414-673: The cycle of birth and death. The concept of saṃsāra developed in the post- Vedic times, and is traceable in the Samhita layers such as in sections 1.164, 4.55, 6.70 and 10.14 of the Rigveda . While the idea is mentioned in the Samhita layers of the Vedas, there is lack of clear exposition there, and the idea fully develops in the early Upanishads . Damien Keown states that the notion of "cyclic birth and death" appears around 800 BC. The word saṃsāra appears, along with Moksha , in several Principal Upanishads such as in verse 1.3.7 of

10541-403: The cycle of life. Sakayanya then expounds the nature of human life, starting with the statement that "Artha is Anartha", or "objects of senses are in truth worthless", that a soul that craves and attaches to hedonistic pleasures never reaches its highest potential. By Tapas a man reaches goodness, through goodness he takes hold of the mind. Through the mind he reaches the self, reaching

10668-420: The difference between the world one lives in and moksha , a state of freedom and release one hopes for. Unlike Nagarjuna, Shankara considers the characteristics between the two. The world one lives in requires action as well as thought; our world, he suggests, is impossible without vyavahara (action and plurality). The world is interconnected, one object works on another, input is transformed into output, change

10795-463: The differences between the schools of Hinduism, a lack of consensus, with a few attempting to conflate the contrasting perspectives between various schools. For example, freedom and deliverance from birth-rebirth, argues Maitrayana Upanishad, comes neither from the Vedanta school's doctrine (the knowledge of one's own Self as the Supreme Soul) nor from the Samkhya school's doctrine (distinction of

10922-533: The discussion does not provide specific mechanistic details. The detailed doctrines flower with unique characteristics, starting around the mid 1st millennium BC, in diverse traditions such as in Buddhism, Jainism and various schools of Hindu philosophy . The evidence for who influenced whom in the ancient times, is slim and speculative, and the odds are the historic development of the Saṃsāra theories likely happened in parallel with mutual influences. While saṃsāra

11049-508: The equal and unequal, I am free from the All and the Non-all, I have the nature of goodness, I always am, I have no refuge, I am no refuge, I am pure, I am Brahman, I am he! The chapter states that the liberated soul is eternal, is Om , and beyond meditator, meditation and the object meditated on, it is Brahman, it is "being-consciousness-bliss", it is essence of "all sacred bathing spots", it

11176-405: The final goal of the Upanishad. Starting with the middle Upanishad era, moksha – or equivalent terms such as mukti and kaivalya – is a major theme in many Upanishads . For example, Sarasvati Rahasya Upanishad, one of several Upanishads of the bhakti school of Hinduism, starts out with prayers to Goddess Sarasvati. She is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, learning and creative arts; her name

11303-549: The first millennium BCE. The concepts of mukti and moksha , suggests J. A. B. van Buitenen , seem traceable to yogis in Hinduism, with long hair, who chose to live on the fringes of society, given to self-induced states of intoxication and ecstasy, possibly accepted as medicine-men and "sadhus" by ancient Indian society. Moksha to these early concept-developers, was the abandonment of the established order, not in favor of anarchy, but in favor of self-realization, to achieve release from this world. In its historical development,

11430-399: The first step towards mokṣa begins with mumuksutva , that is desire of liberation. This takes the form of questions about self, what is true, why do things or events make us happy or cause suffering, and so on. This longing for liberating knowledge is assisted by, claims Adi Shankara of Advaita Vedanta, a guru (teacher), study of historical knowledge and viveka (critical thinking). This

11557-436: The first three of which are prose, and the last section has a prose prologue and fourteen verses, all structured as a dialogue between ascetic king Brhadratha and Sakayanya . The second chapter starts with a prose prologue, has three sections with a total of thirty verses, structured as knowledge from god Shiva to Maitreya. Chapter three has no separated sections and consists of 24 verses, further elaborating Shiva's wisdom on

11684-732: The individual transcend to moksa. Knowledge was the means, the ritual its application. By the middle to late Upanishadic period, the emphasis shifted to knowledge, and ritual activities were considered irrelevant to the attainment of moksha . Yogic moksha replaced Vedic rituals with personal development and meditation, with hierarchical creation of the ultimate knowledge in self as the path to moksha . Yogic moksha principles were accepted in many other schools of Hinduism, albeit with differences. For example, Adi Shankara in his book on moksha suggests: अर्थस्य निश्चयो दृष्टो विचारेण हितोक्तितः | न स्नानेन न दानेन प्राणायमशतेन वा || १३ || By reflection, reasoning and instructions of teachers,

11811-518: The larger context, placing rebirth, redeath and truth of pain at the center and the start of religious life. Sramanas view s aṃsāra as a beginningless cyclical process with each birth and death as punctuations in that process, and spiritual liberation as freedom from rebirth and redeath. The saṃsāric rebirth and redeath ideas are discussed in these religions with various terms, such as Āgatigati in many early Pali Suttas of Buddhism. Across different religions, different soteriology were emphasized as

11938-475: The last few centuries of the 1st-millennium BCE, followed by Ashrama Upanishad which was completed around 300 CE. The Maitreya Upanishad is one of the younger Upanishads that likely followed the Ashrama in medieval period of the 1st millennium CE. Two versions of Maitreya Upanishad manuscripts have survived into the modern times, one from north India and one from south . These differ primarily in chapter 2, but

12065-481: The many expansions in Hindu Vedic ideas of life and the afterlife. In the Vedas, there were three stages of life: studentship, householdship and retirement. During the Upanishadic era, Hinduism expanded this to include a fourth stage of life: complete abandonment . In Vedic literature, there are three modes of experience: waking, dream and deep sleep. The Upanishadic era expanded these modes to include turiyam –

12192-420: The meaning of moksha in epistemological and psychological senses. For example, Deutsche sees moksha as transcendental consciousness, the perfect state of being, of self-realization, of freedom and of "realizing the whole universe as the Self". Moksha in Hinduism, suggests Klaus Klostermaier , implies a setting-free of hitherto fettered faculties, a removing of obstacles to an unrestricted life, permitting

12319-513: The means and the end, transcending moksha ; the fruit of bhakti is bhakti itself. In the history of Indian religious traditions, additional ideas and paths to moksha beyond these three, appeared over time. The words moksha , nirvana ( nibbana ) and kaivalya are sometimes used synonymously, because they all refer to the state that liberates a person from all causes of sorrow and suffering. However, in modern era literature, these concepts have different premises in different religions. Nirvana,

12446-570: The means of achieving moksha . The Vishistadvaita tradition, led by Ramanuja , defines avidya and moksha differently from the Advaita tradition. To Ramanuja, avidya is a focus on the self, and vidya is a focus on a loving god. The Vishistadvaita school argues that other schools of Hinduism create a false sense of agency in individuals, which makes the individual think oneself as potential or self-realized god. Such ideas, claims Ramanuja, decay to materialism, hedonism and self worship. Individuals forget Ishvara (God). Mukti, to Vishistadvaita school,

12573-408: The mechanistic details on how the wheel of mundane existence works over the endless cycles of rebirth and redeath. In early Buddhist traditions, saṃsāra cosmology consisted of five realms through which wheel of existence recycled. This included hells ( niraya ), hungry ghosts ( pretas ), animals ( tiryak ), humans ( manushya ), and gods ( devas , heavenly). In latter traditions, this list grew to

12700-405: The message is essentially the same. The south Indian manuscript is part of 108 Upanishads collection, and is typically the oft translated version. The Maitreya Upanishad is also named as Maitreyi Upanishad in two anthologies. Schrader states this is an error, but one which has spread to many manuscript collections. The Upanishad is structured in three chapters. The first chapter has four sections,

12827-413: The mind alone is samsara ! Let a man purify it with zeal. The mind a man possesses shapes his future course: that is the eternal mystery. The Lord (God) is within the heart of each person, translates Olivelle, "He is the witness of the reason's dance, and the object of the utmost love". This Lord has no beginning and no end, is pure light, can neither be seized nor abandoned, is without mark or sign,

12954-415: The mind". The true purification is achieved by "washing with the soil of knowledge and the water of detachment", bringing purity to mind. A man who seeks liberation, asserts the Upanishad, should renounce everything and leave his native land. He should abandon pride, abandon wealth, abandon delusion and abandon lust . When delusion dies, states verse 2.3.4, enlightenment is born. In section 3 of chapter 2,

13081-443: The muddled mind and cognitive apparatus. For example, Patanjali 's Yoga Sutra suggests: After the dissolution of avidya (ignorance), comes removal of communion with material world, this is the path to Kaivalyam. Nirvana and moksha , in all traditions, represent resting in one's true essence, named Purusha or Atman, or pointed at as Nirvana, but described in a very different way. Some scholars, states Jayatilleke, assert that

13208-433: The nature of existence, shared by all Indian religions. Rebirth as a human being, states John Bowker, was then presented as a "rare opportunity to break the sequence of rebirth, thus attaining Moksha, release". Each Indian spiritual tradition developed its own assumptions and paths ( marga or yoga ) for this spiritual release, with some developing the ideas of Jivanmukti (liberation and freedom in this life), while

13335-434: The object of love, for example, a personified monotheistic conception of Shiva , Vishnu or Adishakti . By immersing oneself in the love of God, one's karmas slough off, one's illusions decay, and truth is lived. Both the worshiped and worshiper gradually lose their illusory sense of separation and only One beyond all names remains. This is salvation to dualist schools of Hinduism. Dvaita Vedanta emphasizes Bhakti Yoga as

13462-470: The other hand, starts with the premise that everything is the Self; there is no consciousness in the state of nirvana, but everything is One unified consciousness in the state of moksha . Kaivalya, a concept akin to moksha , rather than nirvana, is found in some schools of Hinduism such as the Yoga school. Kaivalya is the realization of aloofness with liberating knowledge of one's self and disentanglement from

13589-450: The others content with Videhamukti (liberation and freedom in after-life). The First Truth The first truth, suffering (Pali: dukkha; Sanskrit: duhkha), is characteristic of existence in the realm of rebirth, called samsara (literally “wandering”). — Four Noble Truths , Donald Lopez The Sramanas traditions (Buddhism and Jainism) added novel ideas, starting about the 6th century BC. They emphasized human suffering in

13716-600: The path of moksha include (1) vivekah (discrimination, critical reasoning) between everlasting principles and fleeting world; (2) viragah (indifference, lack of craving) for material rewards; (3) samah (calmness of mind), and (4) damah (self restraint, temperance ). The Brahmasutrabhasya adds to the above four requirements, the following: uparati (lack of bias, dispassion), titiksa (endurance, patience), sraddha (faith) and samadhana (intentness, commitment). The Advaita tradition considers moksha achievable by removing avidya (ignorance) by knowledge. Moksha

13843-513: The path to moksha , as: Beyond caste, creed, family or lineage, That which is without name and form, beyond merit and demerit, That which is beyond space, time and sense-objects, You are that, God himself; Meditate this within yourself. ||Verse 254|| Moksha is a concept associated with saṃsāra (birth-rebirth cycle). Samsara originated with religious movements in the first millennium BCE. These movements such as Buddhism, Jainism and new schools within Hinduism, saw human life as bondage to

13970-476: The path to "moksha" (salvation and release), rather than works and knowledge. Their focus became divine virtues, rather than anthropocentric virtues. Daniel Ingalls regards Vaishnavas' position on moksha as similar to the Christian position on salvation, and Vaishnavism as the school whose views on dharma , karma and moksha dominated the initial impressions and colonial-era literature on Hinduism, through

14097-579: The release from pain and suffering seems to lie at the root of striving for moksha, and it is commonly believed that moksha is an otherwordly reality, only achievable at the end of life, not during. However there is also a notion that moksha can be achieved during life in the form of a state of liberation, known as jivan-mukti , although this is still reliant on personal and spiritual endeavours attributed to attaining moksha. Eschatological ideas evolved in Hinduism. In earliest Vedic literature, heaven and hell sufficed soteriological curiosities. Over time,

14224-455: The same root is saṃsāra , referring to the same concept: a "passage through successive states of mundane existence", transmigration, metempsychosis , a circuit of living where one repeats previous states, from one body to another, a worldly life of constant change, that is rebirth, growth, decay and redeath. Saṃsāra is understood as opposite of moksha , also known as mukti , nirvāṇa , nibbāna or kaivalya , which refers to liberation from

14351-459: The self he comes to rest. The Maitreya Upanishad, in verse 1.4.4 states that the pursuit of rituals and rites are false, that it is the mind that travels the path of truth which self-liberates and attains freedom. A man with tranquil mind is serene, it is he who abides in his soul and enjoys undecaying bliss, states the Upanishad. One must set one's mind on Brahman, as one does for sensory object, and those who do so are on their path to release. For

14478-466: The soul cycles, states Padmanabh Jaini, Jainism traditions believe that it goes through five types of bodies: earth bodies, water bodies, fire bodies, air bodies and vegetable lives. With all human and non-human activities, such as rainfall, agriculture, eating and even breathing, minuscule living beings are taking birth or dying, their souls are believed to be constantly changing bodies. Perturbing, harming or killing any life form, including any human being,

14605-399: The stage beyond deep sleep. The Vedas suggest three goals of man: kama , artha and dharma . To these, the Upanishadic era added moksha . The acceptance of the concept of moksha in some schools of Hindu philosophy was slow. These refused to recognize moksha for centuries, considering it irrelevant. The Mimamsa school, for example, denied the goal and relevance of moksha well into

14732-430: The state of liberation, jivanmukti . Some contrast jivanmukti with videhamukti ( moksha from samsara after death). Jivanmukti is a state that transforms the nature, attributes and behaviors of an individual, claim these ancient texts of Hindu philosophy. For example, according to Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, the liberated individual shows attributes such as: When a Jivanmukta dies he achieves Paramukti and becomes

14859-433: The subject of Brahman or Atma was difficult to explain, old fashioned knowledge, and the ascetic king should ask for something else. The ascetic king states that everything is transient, lofty peaks crumble down, pole star swerves with seasons, oceans dry up and gods fall with time. Just like everything in universe, states the renunciant king, desires and joy are transitory, rebirth a part of existence. He seeks deliverance from

14986-496: The term connotes "cyclic change". S aṃsāra , a fundamental concept in all Indian religions , is linked to the karma theory and refers to the belief that all living beings cyclically go through births and rebirths. The term is related to phrases such as "the cycle of successive existence", "transmigration", "karmic cycle", "the wheel of life", and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence". Many scholarly texts spell saṃsāra as samsara . According to Monier-Williams, saṃsāra

15113-438: The text questions the value of rituals to spiritual enlightenment, as well as the need for a cloister and life in a forest. These verses, states Patrick Olivelle, summarize the reasons why Advaita Vedanta tradition abandoned rituals, and redefined what solitude and path to self-knowledge means: The sun of consciousness always shines brightly, in the sky of our hearts, It does not set and it does not rise, how can we perform

15240-440: The texts assert that it would be unfair for god Yama to judge and reward people with varying degrees of virtue or vices, in an "either or,” and disproportionate manner. They introduced the idea of an afterlife in heaven or hell in proportion to one's merit, and when this runs out, one returns and is reborn. This idea appears in ancient and medieval texts, as the cycle of life, death, rebirth and redeath, such as section 6:31 of

15367-463: The theory of karma it is the cycle of death and rebirth . The "cyclicity of all life, matter, and existence" is a fundamental belief of most Indian religions . The concept of saṃsāra has roots in the post- Vedic literature ; the theory is not discussed in the Vedas themselves. It appears in developed form, but without mechanistic details, in the early Upanishads . The full exposition of

15494-536: The truth and reality behind the fog of ignorance. Moksha has been defined not merely as absence of suffering and release from bondage to saṃsāra. Various schools of Hinduism also explain the concept as presence of the state of paripurna-brahmanubhava (the experience of oneness with Brahman , the One Supreme Self), a state of knowledge, peace and bliss. For example, Vivekachudamani – an ancient book on moksha , explains one of many meditative steps on

15621-433: The truth is known, Not by ablutions, not by making donations, nor by performing hundreds of breath control exercises. || Verse 13 || Bhakti moksha created the third historical path, where neither rituals nor meditative self-development were the way, rather it was inspired by constant love and contemplation of God, which over time results in a perfect union with God. Some Bhakti schools evolved their ideas where God became

15748-497: The twilight worship. There is one alone without a second: this conviction arrived at through these teacher's words, they say, this is true solitude, not a cloister nor a forest's depth. This sentiment is repeated in verses 2.3.8 onward in the Upanishad, but the text adds that "forsaking rites and chanting renunciation" alone does not lead to knowledge. It is meditation about the oneness of "soul and supreme self" that leads to enlightenment. Before renouncing, suggests Maitreya,

15875-520: The works of Thibaut, Max Müller and others. The concept of moksha appears much later in ancient Indian literature than the concept of dharma . The proto-concept that first appears in the ancient Sanskrit verses and early Upanishads is mucyate , which means "freed" or "released". In the middle and later Upanishads, such as the Svetasvatara and Maitri , the word moksha appears and begins becoming an important concept. The Katha Upanishad ,

16002-413: The worldly life, thus are neither dominated by, nor dominating anyone else. Vivekachudamani , which literally means "Crown Jewel of Discriminatory Reasoning", is a book devoted to moksa in Vedanta philosophy. It explains what behaviors and pursuits lead to moksha , as well what actions and assumptions hinder moksha . The four essential conditions, according to Vivekachudamani, before one can commence on

16129-435: Was discipline and self-training. Over time, these ideas about moksha were challenged. Dharma and moksha , suggested Nagarjuna in the 2nd century, cannot be goals on the same journey. He pointed to the differences between the world we live in, and the freedom implied in the concept of moksha . They are so different that dharma and moksha could not be intellectually related. Dharma requires worldly thought, moksha

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