In this last section, I'd like to introduce you to the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, non dualism. So in vitae Vedanta, there are five basic concepts and learning these really helped me see things from another perspective. The first concept is Brahman, which translates in English into that without attributes, so it's kind of like when you see g dash D in the Bible, it's beyond your conception, its ultimate reality. That's Brahman. The second is samsara, which is the wheel of reincarnation, that we're on. There's only 20% of Americans that believe in reincarnation, but just go with it for the purpose of this exercise.
The third term is karma, which is as you probably know the law of action and reaction. The fourth is Othman, which means the soul, the self that with a big ass within you. And then the fifth concept is Maya which best translates into the illusory or ephemeral everything that's changing within the system of Advaita Vedanta, we meditate to transcend Maya, which is everything that we perceive through our five senses. And the reason we want to transcend Maya is because we will realize that Atzmon, the individual self, equals whereas that one with Brahman, the ultimate reality. So, the goal of yoga and meditation is to go to the other side of your thoughts, because the other side of your thoughts is divine reality. Let's take a look at what Einstein said.
A human being is part of a whole, called by us the universe apart, limited in time and space. He experiences himself his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion, to embrace all living creatures, and the whole of nature and its beauty. So when dealing with human emotions, we need to learn patience. Like they stay on many tropical islands.
If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes If you're experiencing negative emotions, and cultivate patience, learn how to ride it out. This too shall pass. And realize that although you may be suffering from negative emotions or bad mood right now that you have so many things to be grateful for your consciousness are alive. You have the means to watch this video, which probably means you have shelter and roof over your head. probably saved from imminent bodily harm. You may have even gotten a decent night's sleep last night.
Compared with 99% of human beings who have traversed Planet Earth, you are living in abundance. We have to learn how to replace resentment with gratitude. If you need to write out a gratitude list every morning, then please do so. You have so many things to be grateful for. But your mind has a negativity bias. It obsesses on all the things you imagine you don't have instead of focusing on the things that you do have before our last meditation, let me just summarize this video by saying that what is often diagnosed as depression for urban dwellers is usually either the result of negative thoughts about the past, or our inability to connect with and securely attach with people in the present.
The good news is that both of these situations have solutions. We can recognize our minds negativity bias, we can learn how to dis identify with the thoughts in our head, and we can cultivate loving, authentic, meaningful relationships. So really, I know this is going to seem ridiculous. People who've been taking antidepressants for many years but if you look at all the recent scientific literature, I think it's easy to conclude that happiness is a choice. So close your eyes, sink into the breath and be grateful for having human consciousness. Be grateful for experiencing the myriad feelings and emotions that life has to offer.
Be grateful for being alive.