What is the nature of liberation (moksha) in Hinduism in relation to the soul of the individual?
A.009: One way of describing moksha in Hinduism would be to say that it involves the discovery of the true nature of ones self or atman. Almost all schools of not just Hindu but also Indian thought might be willing to accept this summary statement, but they diverge in the details involved because of their different conceptions of the true of self. The two main views, however, may be identified in terms of a vocabulary in which atman stands for the individual soul, and Brahman for the Ultimate Reality. According to one view, the atman is identical with Brahman in its true relationship, but has lost sight of this fact through ignorance. Example: While seeing a photograph, one might sometimes not realize that one is looking at ones own picture, till one realizes this to be the case. One form of Hinduism gives a metaphysical form to this kind of error, upon overcoming which, one realizes ones identity with Brahman. Note that one loses ones false identity, which one had earlier, and gains o
