Jason O'Kelley, age 16, of Middletown, Ohio, for his question:

WHAT ARE THE UPANISHADS?

Upanishads are a group of writings that make up the last section of a collection of Hindu scriptures called the Vedas. The Upanishads form a basic part of Hinduism and have greatly influenced most Indian philosophy.

Sometimes the Upanishads are called Vedanta, which means "the summing up of the Veda." The word "Upanishads" actually means "to sit close to" and it suggests that this sacred material was originally secret.

The Upanishads were composed as dialogues between a teacher and a student. The most important ones appeared between 800 and 600 B.C.

A number of important Hindu schools of thought, including the sankhya and yoga schools, were founded on the teachings of the Upanishads. These teachings follow two basic philosophies. One states that there is a single fundamental reality, called Brahman or God, which corresponds to the soul. Thus, there is no real distinction between the soul and God. The other Upanishadic philosophy states that each soul is individually divine.