The word "Upanishad" derives from "sitting at the feet of the master".
The Upanishads are 108 documents that record the views and teachings of Hindu masters and sages who lived from 1000 - 600 BC.
The Upanishads continue the Hindu tradition already found in the Vedas. They deepen the Vedic teaching by further mystical and philosophical reflection. Some of the most beautiful Hindu texts are found in these writings.
"That which transcends all awareness,
which is neither conscious nor unconscious,
which is invisible,
unapproachable,
impalpable,
indefinable,
unthinkable,
unnameable,
whose very essence consists in the experience of its own Self,
which absorbs all diversity,
is tranquil and benign,
without an equal,
which is the ultimate existence --
that is the Atman, the SELF."
Mandukya Upanishad no 7.
