The Upanishads are a collection of philosophical texts that form the later part of the Vedas. They explore deep questions: What is the self? What is the ultimate reality behind the world?
Key ideas
- Brahman: the ultimate reality underlying everything.
- Atman: the true, inner self.
- A central teaching of many Upanishads is that atman and Brahman are, at their deepest level, one.
Teaching through conversation
Many Upanishads take the form of dialogues between teachers and students, using stories and images to point to ideas that are hard to put into words.
Their influence
The Upanishads deeply shaped later Hindu philosophy, especially the Vedanta schools.
