Can I Get Enlightened Without BELIEF in Hindu Gods, Temples, Rebirth, etc?

Can the non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta actually lead to moksha (liberation) if you don't embrace all the Hindu beliefs and practices that traditionally accompany it? Q&A series #24

Ayan, a 23-year-old from West Bengal, writes, "Even though I have great respect for Advaita Vedanta, I have no respect for any rituals, scriptural commandments, casteism or the ideologies of politically motivated religious groups. I don't perform puja, prayers or mantra japa, and frankly speaking, I have no faith in mythological deities, avatars, saviors or prophets of any religion. I don't believe that the words of God are revealed in scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Puranas, Bible, and Quran. So my question is, can I, as a non-believer and as a lover of reason, practice Advaita Vedanta and gain moksha in this life without accepting all those beliefs?"

The non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta are rigorously supported by reason and by personal experience. Thus, they are said to be based on scripture, reasoning, and experience, on shruti, yukti, and anubhava. This three-fold foundation was embraced by every teacher of Advaita Vedanta, including the greatest of them, Adi Shankara. More than 1200 years ago, Shankara himself wrote, "If thousands of scriptural statements were to declare that fire is cold, I would reject them all."

The Hindu principle of adhikari bhedha recognizes and accommodates the diversity of spiritual and religious aspirants. So the Vedas prescribe different doctrines and practices for different kinds of people. For example, for those who want to go to heaven, the Vedas prescribe elaborate rituals that can produce the punya or religious merit needed to reach heavenly realms. Those rituals are found in the first section of the Vedas, known as the karma kanda. For those who are not inclined to perform such rituals, the Vedas prescribe special meditation practices which are found in the second section of the Vedas, the upasana kanda. And, for those who seek moksha, liberation, freedom from suffering, the Vedas prescribe a profound method of self-inquiry and spiritual growth that's found in the final section of the Vedas, the jnana kanda, also known as the Upanishads.

Each of the Veda's three sections are meant to serve the religious and spiritual needs of different kinds of people. So, there's no problem if you ignore the rituals and meditations found in the first two sections of the Vedas, and instead, focus exclusively on the spiritual teachings found in the Upanishads and other related scriptures.

In keeping with the principle of adhikari bhedha, you can pray to God in any form, or you can pray to God without any particular form. You can pray to a formless form, so to speak. In Advaita Vedanta, Ishvara is the name for God without form. Ishvara is the all-powerful, supreme, intelligent being who is the ultimate source of all that exists.

Whether the Vedas are truly of divine origin or not is a matter of great importance for religious scholars. But, is it equally important for spiritual seekers? For followers of Advaita Vedanta, the true value of any scripture depends entirely on its contents, on its capacity to lead you towards moksha. That capacity doesn't depend on the origin, age, or authorship of a scripture. We know, from the testimony of so many saints and sages, that the teachings found in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and other scriptures are powerful and effective, regardless of where they came from.

Moksha doesn't depend on any kind of belief or faith because moksha is a matter of knowledge. Adi Shankara said quite boldly, "jnanam eva mokshah," moksha is gained through knowledge alone. By knowledge, he meant the personal discovery of your true inner nature, atma, which is pure consciousness, unborn, uncreated, limitless, vast, and utterly untouched by suffering. The teachings of Vedanta can remove the so-called veil of ignorance that covers your true divine nature, leading you to self-realization, moksha, liberation, enlightenment.

Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: https://www.arshabodha.org/