The Indian philosophy is divided into seven systems, which lay stress to answer the most basic philosophical inquiries. The scholars within theses systems regard them as many millennia older. These important questions are :

1. Who am I ? From where have I come and why have I come ? What is my relationship with the manifold universe and other human beings ?

2. What is the essential nature of my being, and what is the essential nature of the manifested world, and its cause ?

3. What is the relationship of the center of consciousness and the objects of the world ?

4. What is the nature of the forms and names of the objects of the world, and how do they serve the essential nature of man or universal consciousness ?

5. What are the guidelines for action as long as we live in the natural body ? Do we live after death ?

6. What is truth, and how do we arrive at rational conclusions on question of truth ?

Note : The dates given for the teachers of the systems below have been stipulated by Western scholars.

Vedanta

It is the philosophy of Upanishads. Vedanta lay stress upon the character and provide guidelines of how a human being should be. So it goes on saying, I am self-existent consciousness and bliss—these are not my attributes but my very being. I do not come from anywhere or go anywhere, but rather I assume many forms having many names. My essential nature is free from all qualifications and limitations. I am like an ocean, and all the creatures are like the waves. The genderless AUM is its name; it is nucleus—and the universe is its expansion. It is the absolute, transcendent, attributeless reality, and it also eternally embodies the capacity to bring to measure within itself its own inner shakti. Below are some important statements of the Vedanta philosophy :

1. There is nothing manifold here. From death to death he wanders who sees anything here as if it were manifold.

2. He who is tranquil dwells in Brahman, from whom the universe emanates and into whom it dissolves.

This philosophy was taught by the seers of the Vedas (2000 to 500 B.C.) was passed down through a long line of sages (such as Vyasa, Gaudapada, and Govindapada), who codified these ancient philosophies. Shankaracharya finally systematized the monistic schools in the eighth century A.D.

Yoga

In this system of philosophy, the individual soul is a seeker, and cosmic consciousness is the ultimate reality it finds within. Yoga accommodates all religions and all systems of philosophy as fas as the practical aspects are concerned. In this system the individual must practice the highest principle of behaviour and the control of the various modifications of mind through the commitments called yama and niyama. By practicing stillness in posture and breath, on them transforms oneself by having control over the senses with concentration and meditation. The final goal of this system is to attain kaivalya [“aloneness”]. This system was known several millennia before Patanjali, who codified it in the first century A.D. by compiling 196 aphorisms, called the Yoga Sutras.

Sankhya

The Sankhya system is dualistic and believes the conscious Purusha and the unconscious Prakriti to be separate, co-existent, and interdependent realities. All the schools of the Sankhya system believe in removing the pain and miseries which arise from Purusha’s involvement with Prakriti, forgetting its ever-pure, ever-wise, and ever-free nature. Prakriti has three attributes called sattva, rajas, and tamas [tranquility, activity, and sloth]. All phenomena of the universe, including mental operations are nothing but interactions among these three gunas (qualities) of Prakriti. When the three gunas are in balance, Prakriti is in a state of equilibrium. All the schools of Indian philosophy have taken some things from Sankhya philosophy in their systems. The founder of the Sankhya school was Asuri, and Kapila, one of the most ancient seers. Then followed Ishvara Krishna, who systematized the philosophy into the Sankhya karika around the third century A.D.

Vaisheshika

It deals with the physics and chemistry of the body and the universe. Discussing the particular elements, their atoms, and their mutual interactions, Kanada, perhaps 300 B.C., states the subject of his philosophy to be dharma, the code of conduct which leads human beings to prosperity in this life and the highest good in the next. This philosophy discusses nine subjects—earth, water, fire, air, space, time, dimension, mind, and soul—and their mutual relationships. This philosophy was developed by Prashastapada in the fourth century A.D.

Mimasa

This was founded by Jamini. In this system the Vedas are accepted as self-evident scriptures revealing internal knowledge. This system believes in salvation through action. It established a detailed philosophy of the efficacy of ritual, worship, and ethical conduct, which developed into the philosophy of karma. It was perhaps dated 400 B.C.

Nyaya

Nyaya is the school of logicians founded by Gautama, one of the ancient sages. It regards doubt as a prerequisite for philosophical inquiry, and elaborates rules for debate. All the schools of Indian philosophy to this day follow the Nyaya system of logic, which was further developed in the sixteenth century and which is now called neologic, a complex system which is similar to the mathematical logic of the West today.

Buddhism

Gautama the Buddha was born 2,600 years ago in kapilavastu at the site of the ancient ashram of the sage Kapila. Gautama studied Sankhya philosophy under a teacher name Adara Kalama , and he later discovered the four noble truths :

1. There exists sorrow.

2. There is a cause of sorrow.

3. The sorrow can be eradicated.

4. There are means for the eradication of sorrow.

These noble truths are already found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, but the difference lies in Buddha’s doctrine of anatta, or non-self. The Buddha refused to participate in metaphysical speculation. He would not discuss the existence of God, and he would not answer the question of whether the Buddhas exist after nirvana. He considered such questions were not worthy of consideration. The enlightened one, a highly practical teacher, wanted his disciples to practice the eightfold path of action that would lead them to bodhi, the finest level of consciousness. He accepted Pali as a language for communication.

Note : The word Purusha and Prakriti I used while explaining Sankhya concept shouldn’t be mistaken for one’s gender, for it has nothing to do with particular sex. In these two words, Purusha stands for cosmic being or higher consciousness (which equally applies on both male and female), while Prakriti stands for the manifold world which creates obstacles in one’s path to self-enlightenment.