The Ultimate is a general term embracing the concept of an ultimate supernatural reality which transcends material reality and from which, according to a broad spectrum of Eastern philosophies and religions, material reality derives. The Ultimate is Generally non-anthropomorphic and may or may not (depending on ones specific doctrine) possess discrete will, intelligence, awareness or a personal nature. Transcendental in philosophical contexts In philosophy, transcendental experiences are experiences of an exclusively human nature that are other-worldly or beyond the human realm of understanding. ... In the West, the term Eastern philosophy refers very broadly to the various philosophies of the East, namely Asia, including China, India, Japan, and the general area. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... Intelligence has two different common meanings : Intelligence (trait) Animal intelligence Artificial intelligence Intelligence (information gathering) Business intelligence Military espionage This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... In biological psychology, awareness describes an animals perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event. ...

Examples of religions and philosophies which embrace the concept of The Ultimate in one form or another include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shinto, Taoism and others. Terms which serve to identify The Ultimate among such beliefs include the Tao (the Way), Atman (Universal Spirit), Brahman (The Power), Universal Mind, Universal Intelligence, Dainichi-Nyorai (nature-substance), and numerous other appellations. Even polytheistic Eastern faiths tend to acknowledge a unifying principle which transcends their various gods. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia... Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma, and Vaidika-Dharma ) is a worldwide religious tradition that encompasses many beliefs and ideologies. ... The hand with a wheel on the palm symbolizes the Jain Vow of Ahimsa, meaning non-injury and non-violence. ... A torii at Itsukushima Shrine Shinto (神道 Shintō) (sometimes called Shintoism) is a native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see TAO, Dao or Dao (disambiguation). ... (Redirected from ) This is a disambiguation page for the term atman (or atma). ... Here the underlined vowels carry the Vedic Sanskrit udātta pitch accent. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Monism is the metaphysical view that all is of one essential essence, substance or energy. ... This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ...

The vital essence of Man, soul, spirit, spark of awareness, is said to have originally derived in each case from The Ultimate, and to be indestructible after the nature of The Ultimate, and to be capable of returning to its source. This returning could be said to be the goal of most Eastern religion. Image of a man on the Pioneer plaque sent to interstellar space A man is a male human adult, in contrast to an adult female, which is a woman. ... The soul according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. ... In religion and spirituality, the term spirit has two core meanings: The nature and essential substance of human souls, through which each is connected to all others, and by the experience of such connection is a primary basis for spiritual belief. ... Indestructible is a 2003 punk rock album by Rancid. ...

The general commonalities between the various versions of The Ultimate are: infinity, indescribability, formlessness, and transcendence. An additional commonality is that one must renounce and/or transcend physical existence and its distractions, in some cases even to the point of extinguishing identity and individual awareness, in order to understand or co-exist with The Ultimate. Uniformly, human passions and vices are regarded as barriers to spiritual advancement, and such virtues as humility, charity and righteousness or pacifism are felt to help pave the way to enlightenment. Infinity is a term with very distinct, separate meanings which arise in theology, philosophy, mathematics and everyday life. ... Transcendental in philosophical contexts In philosophy, transcendental experiences are experiences of an exclusively human nature that are other-worldly or beyond the human realm of understanding. ... Humility is the state of being humble. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck Charity is a term in Christian theology (one of the three theological virtues), meaning loving kindness towards others; it is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both... Righteousness is an important concept in the theology of Judaism and Christianity. ... Pacifism is opposition to war. ... For the concept in mysticism, philosophy and psychology, see Enlightenment (concept) For the Hindu religious concept of enlightenment, see moksha For the Buddhist religious concept, see Bodhi, Satori For the Yoga concept of enlightenment, see Yogic Enlightenment For the period in European history, The Age of Enlightenment For the corresponding...

Parallels may be drawn between such tradition and Judeo-Christian-Islamic monotheistic thought. The concept is of a universal subconsciousness, undivided and incapable of being depicted through gods or icons, parent to the individual souls of men, and to which men strive to return. This sought-after return is impaired by evil thought and deed, and facilitated by altruism. In addition, the traditions share a general value system that discourages worldliness and encourages seeking higher, more intangible principles, such as righteousness, justice, and good deeds done for their own sake. The term Parallel has a number of important meanings: Parallel (geometry) occurs in geometry. ... Judeo-Christian-Islamic is a common alternative to the term Judeo-Christian that acknowledges the common roots of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ... The Savior (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek εικων, eikon, image) is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the monitor... Evil is a term describing that which is regarded as morally bad, intrinsically corrupt, wantonly destructive, inhumane, or wicked. ... Altruism is either a practice or habit (in the view of many, a virtue) as well as an ethical doctrine. ... Basic definition: Karma is a concept of eastern religions about the entire cycle of cause and effect. ... Righteousness is an important concept in the theology of Judaism and Christianity. ... JUSTICE is a human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. ...

Where the basic division begins to appear between Eastern and Western spiritual tradition with regard to The Ultimate the separation of God from Creation, nature, and the souls of men themselves. In Eastern thought this is not done, but in western spirituality it often is. In its widest sense, creationism (from the Latin creatio) refers to the theological doctrine that all material in the universe was created by a divine agency, such as God, out of nothingness (ex nihilo). ... The deepest visible-light image of the universe, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ...

See also

• The Absolute
• Absolute Infinite
• Transtheism