atman

1. The individual soul or essence.
2. Atman The essence that is eternal, unchanging, and indistinguishable from the essence of the universe.

[Sanskrit ātman, breath, spirit.]

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A succinct definition of Hinduism might read, "The Universe is profoundly One." This unity can best be understood by exploring the Hindu concepts of Brahman and Atman.

The Upanishads, which form part of the Hindu scripture, speak of Brahman as "Him the eye does not see, nor the tongue express, nor the mind grasp." Brahman is not a God, but rather the ultimate, unexplainable principle encompassing all of creation. Because creation preceded language, words cannot grasp the totality of Brahman. Any and every definition falls short. Brahman then becomes a word used to speak of what can be called a "macro" metaphysical principle.

But there is also a "micro" metaphysical principle. The subtle presence intuited within, identified as "soul" or "self" by other traditions, is called Atman. Atman, thus, perceives Brahman. But this perception leads to a central meditation discovered by the Hindu rishis, or sages, described in the Chandogya Upanishad:

In the beginning there was Existence alone-One only, without a second. He, the One [Brahman], thought to himself: "Let me be many, let me grow forth." Thus out of himself he projected the universe, and having projected out of himself the universe, he entered into every being. All that is has its self in him alone. Of all things he is the subtle essence. He is the truth. He is the Self. And that … THAT ART THOU!

When one discovers that Atman, the inner self, and Brahman, the essence of the universe, are indeed one, the experienced result is said to be one of immense peace and harmony, of coming home. The human perception of life is often that of a small, fragile being gazing out into an infinite, unknowable space. Hinduism teaches that the intuitive leap of realizing "that art thou" tells us we belong. We have a place. We are one with the stars and the consciousness that brought them into being.

(See also Hinduism)

Sources: Fisher, Mary Pat, and Lee W. Bailey. An Anthology of Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. Vedanta Society of Southern California. The Upanishads. Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester, trans. New York: Mentor Books, 1957.

In Buddhism the self or soul, conceived of as lying behind the empirical self, and in Hindu thought an eternal unity, identified with brahman. The Buddhist doctrine of anatman (anatta) denies the existence of the atman, holding that there is no ongoing owner of the fleeting perceptions and attributes that make up our lives. Although this doctrine is often applauded as a precursor of the bundle theory of the mind or self, the matter is complex, for Buddhism makes a distinction between the surface self, or false self, and the true self that can be discovered by spiritual exercise. For the bundle theorist there can be no application for this notion of spiritual depth.

(Sanskrit, self, soul). In a philosophical context, the concept of an independent, unchanging, and eternal identity at the core of individuals and entities. Normally the existence of such a self is denied in Buddhism (see anātman) although a minority of modern scholars have claimed that the Buddha merely denied a lower ego-self. Additionally, some later Mahāyāna texts, such as the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, speak of a transcendent Buddha-nature as the true self.

In Advaita Vedānta (see Advaita Vedānta) and other branches of Hinduism (see Hinduism), Brahman (see Brahman) is the absolute that is transcendent—nowhere—but imminent—everywhere—as the Self or Ātman within all things. In the Upaniṣads (see Upaniṣads) Brahman is the ultimate whole, while Ātman is the individual soul that can merge with Brahman in mystical oneness, a state of ultimate consciousness or identity.

Usually translated "Soul" but better rendered "Self." In the Hindu religion, Atman means the union of the collective human soul with God (Brahma), eventually merged in the absolute totality of Brahman. It is believed that the soul is neither body nor mind, nor even thought, but that these are merely conditions by which the soul is clouded so that it loses its sense of oneness with God. In the Upanishads it is said, "The Self, smaller than small, greater than great, is hidden in the heart of the creature" and "In the beginning there was Self."

Sources:

Davis, Roy Eugene. The Path of Soul Liberation. Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1975.

Mishra, Shri Ramamurti. Self Analysis and Self Knowledge. Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1977.

Prabhavananda, Swami, with Frederick Manchester. The Spiritual Heritage of India. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1963.