People and Places – The Swami 4 – The Same Thing

People and Places – The Swami 4 – The Same Thing



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Swami: So you have the five senses.
Mark: Mm. Mm.What is the relationship between Atman and Brahman?
Swami: Brahman and Atman are the same thing.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Brahman is the lingua franca… is the terminology for “the formless infinite” as described in the Upanishads. Upanishads are the end of the Vedas. “Vedas” means “Knowledge”.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: The essence of all Vedas; ultimately the culmination; the genitor; the innermost, subtle most; the essence of the highest truth is contained in Upanishads.
Mark: Refined.
Swami: Ah. In Upanishadic terminology. In “Upanishadic” or “Vedic” terminology “Brahman” is the eternal formless infinite.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: “Atman” is used to attribute it when you want to classify “Brahman” as “Param-atman” (the supreme self), “Jiv-atman” (the individual self). So it is for the sake of creation; for the sake of differentiation; for the sake of explanation that the word “Atman” has been introduced. Again in the Vedas.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Like that.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: That is the difference between “Brahman” and “Atman”. When we say “Param-atman”, we mean “Brahman”. The ultimate reality as said in the Upanishads.
Swami: All this is getting recorded?
Mark: Yes. Yes.
Swami: Wonderful.
Mark: I want to put this on the internet so many people can hear this knowledge.
Swami: Wonderful. We can put a lot of things that way and…