The person-atman

• Atman


  A person's inner self, soul or spirit; the living force in all of nature
• Atman


  • Hindus believe it is the real and eternal 'self'
  • All living beings, including insects, animals and plants, have atman inside them
  • If they did not have atman, then they would be non-moving matter
• Body (matter)


  Ever-changing, temporary, unconscious, unable to move, dead
• Story explaining reincarnation


  1. Atman was created after the universe

  2. Atman travelled through the universe and came to Earth

  3. Atman helped bring alive new beings

  4. As these beings' bodies died, their atman remained
• Story explaining how a father helps his son understand Brahman


  1. Father asked son to put salt in water and leave overnight

  2. In the morning, son could not find the salt, but it had dissolved

  3. Father had son sip water from different sides, all tasting salty

  4. Father said Brahman, the spirit of the whole universe, is like 'an invisible and subtle essence'
• Brahman


  The spirit of the whole universe
• Atman


  Some Hindus believe it is the same as Brahman, others believe it contains only part of Brahman
• When Hindus greet someone, they often say 'Namaste' which means 'bow down to God in you'
• Hindus might join the palms of their hands together and perhaps bow their head, which means they respect the Supreme Spirit in all humans
• Saguna Brahman


  Brahman has a form, identity and purpose, which may vary over time
• Saguna Brahman


  • Hindus who believe in Saguna Brahman see deities as a way for people to understand Brahman's vast nature
  • These deities help Hindu worshippers to focus on images or statues, also known as murtis
  • This type of devotion is known as bhakti and is one of the ways identified by Lord Krishna in the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita to achieve union with Brahman
• Lord Krishna: '"But you cannot see me [Brahman] with your present eyes, therefore I will give you divine eyes. Behold My mystic opulence!"'
• Nirguna Brahman


  The concept that Brahman is beyond time and space, has no particular form, and is present within all living beings and everywhere
• Brahman


  • Means that which is large and expansive, i.e. infinite
  • Is one but has many attributes and functions
  • Is formless and worshipped in diverse forms – male, female, animal and human
  • Cannot be fully defined – to define is to limit
  • Total knowledge about Brahman is beyond human comprehension
  • Humans can at best say what Brahman is not rather than what it is
• Nirguna Brahman allows Hindus to focus on Brahman's eternal qualities rather than getting distracted by names and forms
• Nirguna Brahman


  The eternal all-pervading and omnipresent divine consciousness. Infinite, unchanging and eternal.
• Saguna Brahman


  The manifestation of God in form (and in visions).
• Many Hindus believe that their ultimate goal in life is to achieve spiritual union with the supreme spirit - Brahman
• Different groups or denominations within Hinduism focus on different features of Brahman
• Brahman is described in two main ways by Hindus – as Nirguna Brahman or Saguna Brahman
• Brahman is both all-pervading and within the heart of an individual (antaryami)
• Knowledge of Brahman


  Achieved by understanding the true nature of the Atman (soul) leads to moksha (liberation)