The Great Works of Literature Upanishads Development of the Initial India Metaphysics Centered on the relationship between Self and Not Self Brahman/ātman Also very distinct in their construction of the notion of self/soul/ātman B ṛ hadāra ṇ yaka (Brhadaranyaka) Upanishad Chandogya Upanishad

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad Cākrāyana Gives us a very clear, precise explanation about the relationship between Ātman/Brahman “The self within all is the self of yours” “You can’t see the seer who does the seeing….” This also introduces us to an idea that will later be recognized as Puruśa Prakrti

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad Gārgi Female She takes on Yājñavalkya twice First wave A stanch ontological inquiry into the nature of reality “upon what is ‘X’ woven upon?” Yājñavalkya warns her not too press too hard She concedes

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad Gārgi Second wave A pressing ontological assault Two questions Yājñavalkya gives her two answers Time/Space is woven on Brahman Consciousness Brahman Consciousness is woven on the ‘imperishable’ Puruśa/Witness Consciousness

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad Śākalya This passage begins with the famous ‘how many gods are there’ question 303, and a half 1 Just their powers, no gods 33

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad Śākalya He goes on to aggressively deconstruct several complex factors of Indian Metaphysics Yājñavalkya answers all the questions except those regarding the nature of self Neti Neti

Chandogya Upanishad Nature of Self and its relation to Brahman Central Metaphors Clay in pottery Heart of a seed Salt in water “Tat Tvam Asi”

Understanding the Self The point of Samkhya Yoga is to unify yourself with your most inner self This comes from recognizing the three gunas which make up prakrti Sattva Clarity, light, lucidity Rajas Passion, spice, engagement Tamas Inertia, dullness, darkness

Understanding the Self So, the gunas in, for example, food, would work like this Sattva Water, Couscous, Salt Rajas Peppers, Tomatoes, Sugar Tamas Potatoes, Butter, Red Meat

Understanding the Self The aim of learning about the gunas If you can identify the three components of a given event, be it mental or physical, then you can see that none of it is you It may seem like it’s your passion, but in truth it’s just passion, and you’re watching it This becomes most clear when you ‘balance’ the gunas, as you do in yoga Well, yoga as we think of it anyway