Vedanta philosophy and way of thinking have their roots in the ancient Indian philosophical texts of the Upanishads. It is based on a monist worldview, which means that all things in this world are one and all these things are basically God, which is called Brahminism. This type of idea favors devotion over belief in a Supreme Being as monotheism does. This allows it to erase the feuds between religion over which god is right and instead states that any central god, from the sun to Jesus, can be correct as long as the focus is on recognizing all as one. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The main goal of Vedanta is to understand this so-called Brahmin as the source of all things while also existing as all things which simultaneously ultimately renounce the material things of the physical world called maya. This is referred to in the first part of the Upanishads: “By Lord Iśa all this must be wrapped: whatever moving things there are in the moving world. By giving up this, you will be able to enjoy. Do not covet anyone's wealth at all." The ultimate goal is to recognize your true self called man, this however is not the traditional “soul” of Western thought but rather an essence that encompasses more than what is within you. The point at which you finally recognize this atman is called moksha and this can only be achieved once you renounce material things and proud egos called maya. It is almost impossible to achieve moksha in one lifetime, so it is believed that we will go differently. life after death in a cycle of reincarnation called samsara. The social class a person is born into after death is based on whether they have fulfilled the duties of their social class, called dharma, to help the world as a whole. A person's dharma is assigned based on the social class they were born into, priests and religious leaders are at the top, workers and military personnel at the bottom, and the homeless at the bottom. This system is meant to make people all work together as one, but it ultimately leads to racism and injustice and still does today. Actions taken in everyday life carry with them an innate moral law called karma and karma works in a flow of cause and effect that carries positive or negative energy based on your actions, if you do good, good should come to you and vice versa. The moral laws of life are influenced by the cosmic universal law called rita, which is often interpreted by the upper priestly class of the caste system. Living away from these laws will create your false sense of happiness called samskara based on selfishness and pride in a lifestyle that often involves putting yourself above others instead of with them. An Upanishad passage condemning life based on samskaras says: “Therefore one looks outward, not within oneself. A certain wise man, while seeking immortality, introspectively saw the Self face to face. Infantile people seek external pleasures; They enter a widespread network of death. Even though the teachings of Vedanta are not entirely accurate, I see them as a way to live life peacefully and make the world a better place. As they are focused on treating everything with respect as you would yourself. This encourages you to be good to yourself, which I think should be a first step to finding happiness, where it also encourages you to be good to your fellow man, to animals and also to nature. The idea that the world is more than we can see or that it is transcendental, however, is not a view I embrace.