A person who has
gained ultimate soul liberation while still alive (jivanmukti) and continues to
exist in a condition of freedom in Indian philosophy.
Many forms of Advaita Vedanta, one of the six schools of
traditional Indian philosophy, include the notion of jivanmukta.
The Advaita school adheres to a philosophical viewpoint
known as monism, which believes that everything is essentially different
manifestations of a single Ultimate Reality known as Brahman.
The difficulty of human bonding, according to Advaita
proponents, is that human beings, blinded by avidya or erroneous understanding,
fail to see this ultimate oneness and continue to regard the universe as made
up of distinct and varied entities.
The prospect of achieving jivanmukta status is important to
the Advaita school because it supports their concept that bondage and
liberation are achieved by replacing a faulty understanding with a true one,
rather than by doing or becoming something.
After this has occurred, one will continue to exist, but their lives will never be the same due to the drastic shift in awareness.
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