Chandrakirti's Chariot: Self in Madhyamaka Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta

The goal in Advaita Vedanta is the cessation of suffering and the attainment of true fulfillment. Suffering, according to this school, is due to ignorance of the true nature of the self and consequent erroneous identification with the body-mind.

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SWAMI SARVAPRIYANANDA

II. Advaita Vedanta: The Self as the Absolute

The body-mind are taken to be the self and their inherently unstable and incomplete nature gives rise to desire. Action done in the pursuit of desire binds us in karmic consequences, which generate repeated births and deaths. Correction of this error of identifying the self with body-mind will lead to cessation of desire, action and the results of actions (the cycle of repeated births and deaths), thus delivering us from suffering.

The Advaita Vedanta claim about the self can be summarised briefly. The real nature of the self (Atman) is said to be pure being (Sat), pure consciousness (Chit) and pure bliss (Ananda) – the Absolute (Brahman). Being, consciousness, and bliss are not the attributes of the Absolute but its very nature. Brahman is nondual – there is no second reality apart from It. Brahman is infinite i.e, not limited by time or space. Even though Atman is identical with Brahman, the term Atman is not superfluous as it is not enough to know that there is Brahman. Enlightenment is the Realisation that the self (Atman) is the Absolute (Brahman). It is of the form, ‘I am Brahman’ (Aham Brahmasmi).