By Victor M Fontane
The vision of a human being in Vedanta Philosophy, Buddhism and it difference with AI
The world disappears when there is no thought such as in deep sleep and in transcendental consciousness, so the world is in the mind. Human beings are divine and their real nature is Atman—infinite, pure, and eternal. Weaknesses, good and bad, right and wrong are all in the mind.
Advaita Vedanta postulates one single reality, Brahman, as the ultimate truth of the world. It then equates this reality with the sole reality of our individual self, called Atman. Advaita says that One alone exists, and the rest is all superimposition on that One, due to ignorance.
The Vedantic View of Life:
From the Universal Soul or Spirit, Brahman, emanates the reality that humans perceive as matter and experience as that superimposition.
These aren then: (1) Brahman, Universal Soul or Spirit; (2) Jivātman, Individual Soul or Life; (3) Prakrti or Matter; (4) Kala or Time; and (5) Karma or Action.
The Vedanta concept of personality development is based on the concept of perfection of each person and self-development for realization of our actual-self. The Gita talks about innumerable forces of negative and positive tendencies (Gunas or Nature qualities) within us, which influence our thoughts and actions.
Vedanta, which guides the steps on our spiritual journey, says that regardless of which path you take, the key to success is to find and align yourself with your Dharma, or true purpose in life. Your Dharma is the path that is most suitable for your growth and evolution.
Then, according to Hinduism, all humans are born with certain duties and obligations. Hindu scriptures teach that when a person fulfills his or her duties, all will benefit and when all people submit to their individual dharma, the society as a whole flourishes.
In Buddhism, humans are just one type of sentient being, that is a being with a mindstream. In Sanskrit Manushya means an Animal with a mind. In Sanskrit the word Manusmriti associated with Manushya was used to describe knowledge through memory. The word Muun or Maan means mind.
Being born a human who has the physical and intellectual capacity to grasp the basic message of the Dharma. Accepting the relationship between good or evil actions and their consequences, believing that good actions will lead to a happier life, a better rebirth or to enlightenment. Confidence in the moral teachings conveyed in the Vinaya. Avoiding crimes against people and against the Dharma. Having sincere compassion for other people.
For this reason, Buddhist teachers say that one’s present condition as a human should be valued very highly, and not allowed to slide by, as the combination of existence as a human and the presence of a Buddha’s teaching may not come again for a very long time. Any human, in this view, who finds himself or herself in a position to learn the Dharma, would be remiss if he or she did not take advantage of it. This view also stands in contrast to those who would claim that, if one is to be reborn multiple times, there is no need to worry about one’s actions in this life as they can always be amended in the future; rather, there is no assurance that in a long series of lives one will ever obtain the right circumstances for enlightenment, so it is important to seize the day.
Rebirth is a very real reality in Buddhism. I have never questioned it as I have absolute faith in rebirth. We have been born as human beings and one day we are going to die. After death, we will invariably keep being reborn as long as we haven’t extinguished out karmic bond to this journey of ours in Samsara.
As of Artificial Intelligence, the Vedanta Tradition explains that the spiritual approach is that consciousness, which is our real self, is not material, it’s transcendent, indivisible and that there are four areas in which AI can’t penetrate:
Attention, Altruistic actions, Devotion, the very philosophical idea of what is a human being, out fundamental reality. So, there is a conflict between the AI version of a human being and the spiritual version of what we truly are.
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