ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cause and effect in Advaita Vedanta

Okay kiddo, let's talk about cause and effect in Advaita Vedanta.

Do you know what cause is? It means something that makes something else happen. For example, if you eat too much candy, the cause is that you might get a stomach ache.

And do you know what effect means? It means the result of something happening. So if you eat too much candy, the effect might be a stomach ache.

In Advaita Vedanta, they believe that there are two types of causes: the material cause and the efficient cause.

The material cause is what something is made of. For example, a statue is made of clay. So the clay is the material cause of the statue.

The efficient cause is the force or energy that makes something happen. For example, a artist taking the clay and shaping it into the statue. So the artist is the efficient cause of the statue.

Now, Advaita Vedanta also believes in the concept of causality meaning everything is connected and has a cause and effect relationship. In Advaita Vedanta, they believe that everything in the world is connected through one ultimate reality called Brahman. Brahman is the ultimate reality, which is the cause of the universe, and everything within the universe is the effect.

So in summary, cause and effect in Advaita Vedanta means that everything in the world is connected through one ultimate reality, and the cause and effect relationship determines the way things happen. Does that make sense, kiddo?