| Advaita Vedanta is one of the oldest schools of Indian | | | | no absolute reality, its reality is of the nature of Maya, it |
| philosophy. It was strengthened immensely by the | | | | is only relatively real, that is, its reality is ambiguous. It is |
| teachings of Shri Shankaracharya in the eight century, | | | | only God, which here is called Brahman or the |
| but its roots go to far more ancient times, right to the | | | | Oneness, which has true reality. For humans also, our |
| Vedic age. | | | | individual consciousness has no absolute reality, our |
| The Vedantas or the Upanishads are a part of the | | | | individual identity is only relatively real, and it is only the |
| Vedas, the ancient scriptures of Hinduism. There are | | | | Brahman or Oneness which lies at the root of our |
| three schools of philosophy based on the Vedantas, | | | | consciousness, which is real. |
| the Dvaita, Vishista-dvaita and A-dvaita. | | | | The difference with Vishista-dvaita is that in |
| Dvaita is the dualistic school of Indian philosophy. In this, | | | | Vishista-dvaita, the universe and humans also are |
| God and the universe are two entirely separate | | | | considered to be real though a part of God, but in |
| realities, God has created the universe and all humans | | | | Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the universe and our |
| and hence humans have a lower level of existence | | | | consciousness is not considered real in itself and it is |
| than God. | | | | only the Oneness which lies at our base, both the base |
| Vishista-dvaita is the philosophy of qualified monoism. In | | | | of the universe and our individual consciousness, which |
| this also, God has created the universe and all humans, | | | | is real. |
| but they were created out of God himself, out of His | | | | There is hence no question of creation or divine |
| own Divine substance. Therefore, here, all humans also | | | | intervention in case of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. |
| have a divine origin and are a part of God, though | | | | The Brahman or Oneness is an immanent principle |
| having a separate reality. | | | | only, it gives reality to the world which would not exist |
| The third and most intellectually strong school is the | | | | without it. The world has arisen from it because of the |
| Advaita Vedanta philosophy of monism. Here, the | | | | cycle of expansion and contraction through which the |
| universe has no separate reality at all. This does not | | | | universe moves, and this cycle is a natural cycle which |
| mean that the Universe does not exist, but that it has | | | | is neither willed nor controlled. |