The Upanishads

How was moksha reached?

By severing all ties to the physical world and identifying with the ultimate reality of Brahman.

What was moksha?

A deep, dreamless sleep that came with permanent liberation from physical incarnation.

Who was Brahman and what was his teachings?

Brahman was the universal soul. Each person participates in a larger cosmic order and forms a small pet of Brahman.

How was karma determined?

It was based off of good acts or bad acts. People who committed positive crimes would be good while a man of bad acts would become bad.

What were the Upanishads and when were they composed?

The Upanishads were a compilation of works that taught that appearances are deceiving and that individual humans are not separate and autonomous. They were written during the late Vedic age (800-400 BC).

What was karma?

The specific incarnations that a soul experienced.

What was the highest goal of the individual soul?

To escape the cycle of birth and rebirth and enter into a permanent union with Brahman.

What did the Upanishads teach people to do?

To observe high ethical standards. It would discourage greed, envy, and vice.

What was samsara?

Upon death, individual souls go to the world of fathers and then return to earth in a new incarnation. Individual souls were reborn many times.