1. The Upanisads I Asian Religions Berger

2. Upanisads in the Religious Life  Asrama-s (Life Stages) for upper three castes  Apprenticeship (brahmacarya): 12 years  Householder (grihastha): till birth of grandchildren  Forest-dweller (vanaprastha): purification  Renouncer (sannyasin): final pursuit of release  Upanisads as “advanced,” “higher” religious study  Upanisad = “comparison,” “correspondence”

3. Early Upanisads (800-500 BCE)  Brhadaranyaka (Great Forest) Upanisad  Written in NW India, Videha Kingdom region  Yajnavalkya as great teacher in royal court  Search for ultimate self through inward analysis  Chandogya (Vedic Singers) Upanisad  Written in NC India, Pancala Kingdom region  Uddalaka as great teacher of Vedic priests  Search for being through outward observation

4. Brhadaranyaka Upanisad  The source of body, sacrifice and consciousness  (pp. 12-13: BU 3, 7:2-31)  The undescribable source of bodily powers  (p. 15: BU 4, 2:1-6)  Consciousness and its states (OM/AUM)  (pp. 16-18: BU 4, 3:2-31)  The self, rebirth, deeds and desire  (pp. 19-20: BU 4, 4:1-8)

5. Chandogya Upanisad  The origin of things from existence (sat)  (p. 25: CU 6:2)  The analogies of the tree sap and the ocean  (p. 28: CU 6:9-10)  The analogies of the seed/tree and salty water  (p. 28-29: CU 6:12-13)

6. Reading for Next Class  Bhagavad Gita (pp, 32-49)