The Upanishads (800-400BCE)

The Upanishads are among the most important literature in the history of Indian religions and culture, dealing with meditation, philosophy, consciousness and ontological knowledge. 'Ontological' refers to the philosophical study of being, existence and reality. I don't have any ontological knowledge which is why I am very bad at giving directions. How can I tell you how to get somewhere else if I can't be certain I'm here? There are 108 texts considered part of the Upanishads (Upanishad having multiple meanings, but can generally be understood to mean "secret / esoteric doctrines) and as there are bound to be a large variance among English translations, we'll be focusing primarily on what is known as the mukhya Upanishads. They're the main ones, about 12 or so. I didn't want to proscribe a set text as translations are bound to differ in terms of selection, but as long as you're reading the mukhya Upanishads we should be ok. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was deeply impressed by the Upanishads and called them "the most profitable and elevating reading which ... is possible in the world." That's high praise from a man who also said "one can never read too little of bad, or too much of good books; bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind."

As we're dealing with a religious text for the first time, please advise we'll be examining the texts primarily from a literary / secular lens - there is no intention to convert anyone, nor is there an intention to be flippant or disrespectful towards religious beliefs. All are welcome, regardless of experience with books like this (certainly I will be diving in with complete ignorance.)