Vedanta 2.0 and Modernity: Toward an Integral Framework for Human Flourishing

Title
Vedanta 2.0 and Modernity: Toward an Integral Framework for Human Flourishing

Authors
Manish Kumar (Agyat Agyani) — Independent Researcher & Philosopher
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8083-0685

Description

In an age of unprecedented scientific and technological progress, many individuals experience inner fragmentation, psychological stress, and loss of existential depth. This paper re-articulates classical Vedantic insights as "Vedanta 2.0" — not as a new religion or anti-science stance, but as a conceptual orientation summarized by the maxim: "No path, no ritual, no rigid rule — only understanding."

Vedanta 2.0 proposes that human flourishing requires the integration of five dimensions — body, mind, intellect, heart, and Self-awareness (Ātman) — and that outer modernity and inner clarity are complementary, not antagonistic. Drawing on the Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā, Vivekananda, Radhakrishnan, and contemporary research on mindfulness, well-being, and resilience, the paper argues that scientific rationality, when guided by contemplative understanding, can support a more sustainable model of civilization.

The paper clarifies the scope of Vedanta 2.0: it does not replace science, religion, psychology, or medicine; it begins only when an individual, through lived experience, encounters the limits of external fulfillment. It offers an integral framework for dialogue between ancient Indian wisdom and twenty-first-century psychology, technology, and ethics.

Keywords
Vedanta; Vedanta 2.0; modernity; consciousness; well-being; mindfulness; human flourishing; science and spirituality; Advaita; integral psychology; Indian philosophy