According to the Upanishads, the ancient scriptures of Hinduism, Brahman is the cosmic soul, is everything, is nothing, uncreated, infinite, all-embracing, external, and the ultimate cause of everything that exists. It is also taught that Brahman is also the goal of all existence and that everything returns to Brahman which is the source. Atman is described in the Upanishads as the true self. Atman is also used to describe the individual soul or the primary living energy of every creature and plant and human. It is the belief of the Hindus that the body is merely a holder for the Atman until the body dies because the Atman is eternal and immortal. Compared to other sects of Hinduism, Upanishadic Hindus do not believe that there is both a saguna brahman and nirguna brahman. Rater the Upanishadic Hindus believe that saguna and nirguna brahman are the same being and that saguna brahman is simply a temporary form of nirguna brahman. This belief is one of the key differences between the different sects of Hinduism and what makes Upanishadic Hinduism a mystical monism. …show more content…
The loose translation of Brahman-Atman is that the cosmic soul is the individual soul. This is an incredibly important concept for Hindus because of their belief in reincarnation. The importance comes from the fact that you as an individual are actually in essence the same as the divine being Brahman. The individual soul is made of the cosmic soul. There is no distinction between us and the ultimate divine reality. Meaning that in the deepest part of yourself you are in fact divine. This phrase and belief is where the practice of bowing and saying “namaste” came from. Namaste loosely translates to ‘the divine in me honors the divine in