ONE WITHOUT A SECOND

“Vedanta  teaches that Brahman (the ultimate reality behind the phenomenal universe) is ‘one without a second.’  Brahman is beyond all attributes.  Brahman is not conscious; Brahman is consciousness.  Brahman does not exist; Brahman is existence.  Brahman is the Atman (the eternal nature) of every human being, creature, and object.

“Vedanta teaches us that life has no other purpose than this: that we shall learn to know ourselves for what we really are, that we shall reject the superficial ego-personality which claims that ‘I am Mr. Smith; I am other than Mr. Brown,’ and know, instead, that ‘I am the Atman; Mr. Brown is the Atman; the Atman is Brahman; there is nothing anywhere but Brahman; all else is appearance, transience, and unreality.’”--Christopher Isherwood in Vedanta for Modern Man.