Shunya / शून्य

<p>Ah the life-changing brain-stretching and occasionally reality-shattering philosophy of Advaita Vedanta! Before we dive into the reasons why you should read this book on ancient school of thought let’s start with a fair warning: attempting to understand Advaita Vedanta is like trying to untangle your headphones after they’ve been in your pocket for three months. Only instead of headphones it’s your entire concept of reality and instead of your pocket it’s the infinite cosmos. Intrigued? You should be!</p><p>Advaita Vedanta—the philosophy of non-dualism—declares with the confidence of a cat knocking over a glass of water that the world as you know it is an illusion. That’s right everything you think you know—your job your mortgage that leftover pizza in the fridge—is Maya or cosmic trickery. The only true reality according to Advaita is Brahman: the infinite eternal formless essence that’s simultaneously you me and that leftover pizza. This is philosophy with a capital “Whoa.”</p>