Vedanta : It's All an Illusion!

For many educated Westerners who know anything about Hinduism, Hinduism means Vedanta That's because the first Hindu spiritual leaders to teach widely in the West were the Vedantists. If you hear people say, " Hindus believe this world is just an illusion", you're hearing a rather jumbled version of Vedanta.

Vedanta means both " the last portion of the Veda", referring to the Upanishads, and " the fulfillment of the Veda", meaning the most enlightening portion of the Veda. For over a thousand years, Vedanta has been the most important theological force in India. This is due largely to the immense impact of Shankaracharya, and to the incredible strength of the reaction against him by other Vedanta masters, such as Ramajuna and Madhva.