Vedanta x Spinoza

“In these and other instances, even allowing for translation into another language, we appear to be looking at the same words in Spinoza’s writing and the Vedanta written two thousand years earlier. How could this be? Max Muller, in his lectures on the subject, noted the striking connection between the Vedanta and the philosophical system of Spinoza, saying that “the Brahman, as conceived in the Upanishads and defined by Sankara, is clearly the same as Spinoza’s ‘Substantia.’”11 Helena Blavatsky, a founder of the Theosophical Society, spells out the core detail of Spinoza’s religious thought as compared to the Vedanta when she says, “As to Spinoza’s Deity—natura naturans—it is the Vedantic Deity pure and simple.”

“So, even supposing we could illustrate any probable linkage with Eastern thought, Spinoza would have good reason to shield any connection with the Hindu Vedanta. As it is, he wore a signet ring that he used to mark his letters and that was engraved with the word caute (Latin for “cautiously”)13 under a rose, suggesting his familiarity with the Vendata legend in which two divinities, “Brahma, the creator and Vishnu, the protector, were discussing which flower was the most beautiful. Brahma favoured the lotus and Vishnu the rose. After seeing the arbour laden with fragrant roses in Vishnu’s celestial garden, Brahma acknowledged the supremacy of the rose over all the flowers, including the lotus,”14 and the rose became a flower associated with the Vendata. This symbol was adopted by Spinoza, “cautiously,” as expressed on his seal.”