In Indian
philosophical thought, the most basic denotation for “that which (really and
truly) exists.” The term is a present participle of the verb “to be,” so a
fairly common translation is “Being,” but the word also carries connotations
relating to the idea of Truth—that things that exist are both “real” and
“true.” Sat is the first of the three attributes tradi tionally ascribed to the
unqualified, ulti mate Brahman as sacchidananda, along with consciousness
(chit) and bliss (ananda) (ananda).
