Advaita Vedanta
Sanskrit: अद्वैत वेदान्त, from advaita ('not two') and vedanta ('the culmination of the Vedas').
Advaita Vedanta is a school of Indian philosophy, systematized by the 8th-century teacher Adi Shankara, holding that the individual self (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman) are one and the same. Apparent separateness is attributed to ignorance (avidya), and self-inquiry is the traditional means of dispelling it.
Advaita Vedanta draws on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras as its scriptural foundation. Its central teaching, often summarized in phrases like 'tat tvam asi' (that thou art), is that the individual self is never actually separate from ultimate reality, and that this can be directly recognized through disciplined self-inquiry rather than merely believed as doctrine.
The tradition was systematized by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century CE, building on the Upanishads, and its signature method of inquiry is neti neti, 'not this, not this', progressively setting aside everything the Self is not until only awareness itself remains. Advaita is one of several Vedanta schools; others, such as Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita, affirm some real distinction between soul and Brahman, so Advaita's claim of complete non-difference is a specific philosophical position, not the only reading of the Upanishads.
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Related Terms
Nonduality
Nonduality (or non-duality) is the direct recognition that awareness and its contents, such as thoughts, sensations, and the sense of being a separate self, are not two separate things but a single, seamless reality. It is a description of direct experience, central to Advaita Vedanta and related contemplative traditions.
Self-Inquiry
Self-inquiry is a contemplative method, most closely associated with the sage Ramana Maharshi, of persistently asking 'Who am I?' to trace attention back to its source. The practice uses the question to dissolve identification with the thinking mind and reveal awareness itself.
Jnana Yoga
Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge and discernment, one of the four classical yogic paths, using rigorous self-inquiry and philosophical study to distinguish the eternal Self (Atman) from the temporary, changing contents of body and mind. It is often considered the most intellectually demanding of the classical paths.