In post-Christian Europe, many no longer subscribe to traditional theology or atheism, instead calling themselves “Something-ists” or “spiritual but not religious.” This vague belief in “Something” echoes ancient Indian thought, where the Vedic word Tad—“That”—points to the Absolute beyond description. Found in the Ṛg-Veda, Upaniṣads, and Bhagavad Gītā, Tad represents the witness-consciousness, the essence beyond qualities. The clearest enunciation of Tad, at once one of the profoundest Vedic phrases is the assurance Tat tvam asi, “that thou art” in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. Thus, what seems modern is rooted in one of humanity’s oldest insights into the ultimate reality.
