Moksha
Moksha (
Sanskrit: मोक्ष,
liberation) or
Mukti (
Sanskrit: मुक्ति,
release) refers, in Indian religions, to liberation from the
cycle of death and
rebirth and all the suffering and limitation entailed in embodied worldly existence. In higher
Hindu philosophy, it is seen as a transcendence of phenomenal being, of any sense of
consciousness of
time,
space, and
causation (
karma). It is not seen as a
soteriological goal in the same sense as in, say, a
Christian context, but signifies rather a dissolution of the sense of self as an egoistic personality - the undoing of conditioned mentality-materiality or
nama-roopa (lit. name-form). Liberation is achieved by (and accompanied with) the complete stilling of all passions - a state of being known as
Nirvana.
Buddhist thought differs slightly from the
Advaita Vedantist reading of liberation.
Jainism and
Surat Shabda Yoga traditions also believe in Moksha.
In
Hinduism, liberation occurs when the individual soul (human mind/spirit) or
atman recognizes its identity with the Ground of all being - the Source of all phenomenal existence known as
Brahman. It is technically incorrect, nonetheless, to view them - both often spoken of as
Self - as a monist being of sorts, something possessing substances, qualities or attributes. In actuality,
Hindu scripture like the
Upanishads and
Bhagavad Gita, and especially the non-dual Hindu school of
Advaita Vedanta, say that the Self or Super-Soul is beyond being and non-being, beyond any sense of tangibility and comprehension. Moksha is seen as a final release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackle of experiential duality and a re-establishment in one's own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state of salvation is seen differently depending on one's beliefs.
* In
Advaita philosophy, the ultimate truth is not a singular Godhead, per se, but rather is oneness without form or being, something that essentially is without manifestation. Moksha is union with this oneness. The concepts of Moksha and Buddhist Nirvana are comparable. Indeed, there is much overlap in their views of consciousness and attainment of enlightenment. For liberal Advaitists, Moksha is seen as complementing, rather than denying, the 'voidness' of Buddhism.
* In
dualist and
qualified advaitic Hinduism, Moksha means union or close association with God. See
Krishnology.
In Hinduism also, Moksha is different from Nastik religions such as Jainism and Buddhism although there are many Jains and some Buddhists that believe in the Hindu Moksha. In Hinduism, it is a union with God and to the Nastiks it is a union with all that is, regardless of whether there is a God or not. After
Nirvana one obtains Moksha. The Nirvana of Hinduism is Brahma-Nirvana meaning that it will lead to God.
Means to achieve Moksha
In Hinduism, self-realization (atma siddhi) is the key to obtaining Moksha. The Hindu is one who practices karma and bhakti, known that God exists in many forms for the achievement of Moksha. There are however, other ways in addition to this.
There are believed to be four
yogas (disciplines) or
margs (paths) for the attainment of Moksha. They are the ways of selfless work (
Karma Yoga), of self-dissolving love (
Bhakti Yoga), of absolute discernment (
Jnana Yoga), and of 'royal' meditative immersion (
Raja Yoga). Different schools of
Hinduism place varying emphasis on one path or other, some of the most famous being the
tantric and
yogic practices developed in
Hinduism. Today, the two major schools of thought are
Advaita Vedanta and
Bhakti branches.
 |
Moksha in the sacred Hindu temple dance |
# Bhakti sees the Self as God, most often a personified monotheistic conception of
Vishnu,
Shiva or
Devi (the Mother Goddess). Unlike in Abrahamic traditions, this monotheism does not prevent a Hindu from worship of other aspects of God, beings or teachers, as they are all seen as rays from a single source. However, it is worthy of note that the Bhagavad Gita condemns worship of demigods, as it does not lead to Moksha. The concept is essentially of self-dissolution in love, since the ideal nature of being is seen as that of harmony, euphony, its manifest essence being love. By immersing oneself in the love of God, one's
Karmas (good or bad, regardless) slough off, one's illusions about beings decay and 'truth' is soon known and lived. #
Vedanta finds itself split three-fold, though the dualist and modified non-dualist schools are primarily associated with the foregoing thought of
Bhakti. The most famous today is
Advaita Vedanta, a non-dual (i.e. no separation between the individual and reality/God/etc.) perspective which often played the role of
Hindu foil to contemporary
Buddhist philosophy. In general, it focused on intense meditation and moral realignment, its bedrock being the
Upanishads,
Brahma Sutras and the teachings of its putative founder,
Adi Shankara. Through discernment of the real and the unreal, as a peeling of the layers of an onion, the
sadhak (practitioner) would unravel the
maya (illusion) of being and the cosmos to find nothing within, a nothingness which was paradoxically being, and transcendentally beyond both such inadequate descriptions. This was
Moksha, this was
atman and
Brahman realized as the substance and void of existential duality.
Moksha in the sacred Hindu temple dance, as in the
classical Indian dance too, is symbolized by Shiva raising his right leg, as if freeing himself from the gravitation of the material world.
One must achieve Moksha on his or her own. An
Arhant or a
Siddha may inspire, but does not intervene.
Components of Moksha
Within Moksha or Mukti, there lies the ultimate peace (Shanti), the ultimate knowledge (Videh), the ultimate enlightenment (kaivalya) and the ultimate paradise (
Swarga.) One Moksha is beyond the conception of any being other than God but these are some of the known components of the stage of union.
In
Buddhism, the concept of liberation,
Nirvana, is slightly different from
Jainism and
Hinduism. It occurs when the
self is
extinguished from the cycle of
rebirth.
''See also:
NirvanaIn
Jainism, Moksha and Nirvana are the same. When a soul (atman) achieves Nirvana, it is released from the cycle of births and deaths, and achieves its pure self. It then becomes a
Siddha (literally one who has accomplished his ultimate objective), and hence a god, worthy of worship.
In
Jainism, attaining Moksha requires annihilation of all karmas, good and bad; because if karma is left, it must bear fruit.
In
Surat Shabda Yoga beliefs, attaining Self-Realization and above results in
Jivan
Moksha/Mukti (liberation/release from the cycle of
karma and
reincarnation while in the physical body " spiritual freedom here and now).
*
Baqaa*
Egolessness*
Fanaa*
Nirvana*
Muktikā*
Vipassana Literature on Moksha*
Buddha & Moksha *
Buddhist Literature on Moksha *
Moksha English Dictionary from
Webster's Online Dictionary*
MOKSHA French rock band*
Site discusses theistic view of moksha.
