Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta holds that the ultimate reality is Brahman — pure, undivided, infinite consciousness — and that the individual self (Atman) is ultimately identical with Brahman. The apparent multiplicity and materiality of the world is due to maya (cosmic illusion). Liberation (moksha) is the realization of this non-dual identity.
I. Time
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Grain | Continuous |
| Freedom | Non-Deterministic |
| Traversability | Cyclical |
| Dimensionality | N |
| Direction | Non-directional |
Time is emergent and infinite — it is a feature of maya (cosmic illusion), not of ultimate reality (Brahman). In the realm of appearance, time is cyclical, extending infinitely through cosmic cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Time is continuous and non-directional because the cycles repeat endlessly. For the realized soul, time is dissolved in the timeless awareness of Brahman: pure Being-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda).
II. Space
| Extent | Infinite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Curvature | Undefined |
| Dimensionality | N |
| Locality | Non-local |
Space is emergent and infinite — it is part of maya, the cosmic illusion that veils the non-dual reality of Brahman. Space is undefined in curvature and non-local because the distinctions of here and there are products of ignorance (avidya). For the liberated observer, space dissolves into the spaceless, omnipresent reality of Brahman.
III. Matter
| Extent | Finite |
| Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Conservation | Conserved |
| Dimensionality | Three |
| Locality | Non-local |
Matter is emergent and finite — it is the product of maya superimposed upon the formless, attributeless Brahman. The world of material forms is neither fully real (sat) nor completely unreal (asat) but has a dependent, conventional reality (mithya). Matter is conserved at the conventional level through the persistence of cosmic cycles, but non-local because all spatial distinctions belong to the realm of illusion.
IV. Observer
| Time Instance | Multiple |
| Space Instance | Multiple |
| Extent of Knowledge | Total |
| Retainment of Knowledge | Total |
| Physicality | Disembodied |
| Agency | Passive |
| Number | Singular |
V. Energy
Infinite — all energy is a manifestation of the infinite power (shakti) of Brahman. Existence: Emerging — energy as a distinct category arises only within the realm of maya. Conservation: Conserved conventionally; ultimately, all distinctions dissolve in Brahman. Usage: Multiple within the conventional world; at the ultimate level, the very distinction between use and non-use is irrelevant.
VI. Information
Informational multiplicity is maya (illusion) — in ultimate reality (Brahman), there is no differentiated information, only undivided awareness.