Jivanmukta

In Indian philosophy, a person who has
attained final liberation of the soul while
still living (jivanmukti) and who continues to live in a state of liberation. The
concept of the jivanmukta is essential in
many branches of Advaita Vedanta, one
of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. The Advaita school upholds a
philosophical position known as
monism, which is the belief that a single
Ultimate Reality known as Brahman lies
behind all things, and that all things are
merely differing forms of that reality. For
Advaita proponents, the problem of
human bondage is that human beings,
blinded by avidya or mistaken understanding, do not recognize this ultimate
unity, but mistakenly persist in seeing
the world as made up of separate and
diverse things. The possibility of attaining jivanmukta status is essential to the
Advaita school because it supports their
belief that bondage and liberation are
attained not by doing or becoming anything, but rather by replacing a mistaken
understanding with a correct one. After
this has happened one will continue
to live, but because of the radical change
in consciousness one’s life will never
be the same.