Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction
by Eliot Deutsch
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Book Summary Information
Author: Eliot DeutschEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1969-06
ISBN: 0824802713
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Book Reviews of Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction
Book Review: A rare and unusual book and must have introduction...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a personal growth coach who uses an integral approach to psychology to work with clients. This approach places the study of psychology within the larger context of the world's wisdom traditions. I have my graduate education in this area including a lot of sacred psychology and I have been a student of world religions for 25 years. I have also studied philosophy quite deeply as part of my academic education and attended school at a Jesuit University. In addition, I teach meditation including multiple Eastern approaches. It is out of this context that I'm writing this review.
In my opinion, Advaita Vedanta is a remarkable book. In about 115 pages it captures the philosophy and spirit of this complex territory. Every word in this book is carefully chosen and it is a model for good philosophical writing and general writing as well. It manages to both educate and keep the reader's attention very well.
The general approach in this book is to assume a very broad audience. What is truly amazing is that Deutsch succeeds in addressing this audience in an effective, deep and meaningful way. This is not a dead lifeless analysis and contextualization of Eastern concepts. I feel it captures the heart of the tradition, the most important concepts and is successful in presenting these ideas to a Western audience concisely.
I would also like to add that in no way is this book superficial. It is all meat and no fluff. While it's not the type of book you would read at the beach, it isn't inaccessible to the average educated person. The way the ideas are presented, also provides great food for thought on the big existential questions for anyone.
The symbolism and mythology that underlies Hinduism is not emphasized here. What is most important are the ideas and the underlying reality of the ideas. The ontology (study of Being) and epistemology (theory of knowledge) in this worldview is handled very skillfully, which is a must of a Western reader approaching the study of this area from a much different perspective.
Lastly, the author has good credibility. In addition to being a professor of philosophy, he was the editor of the Philosophy East and West journal, authored a book on the Bhagavad Gita and coauthored The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta (Treasures of the World's Religions). He also spent some time in India and has an in-depth understanding of both Eastern and Western thought.
At it's core, Advaita Vedanta is about experiencing reality and it's approach is a via negativa (or path of negation) with respect to concepts. This is something that the author understands and conveys very well. Considering he is a philosopher, this is quite an achievement. While he is not a follower of any particular lineage, he handles the topic in the manner of someone with a deep understanding and felt sense of what it's about.
For Westerners, it's hard to imagine a better introduction. This book gets right to the point and untangles the basic tenets and ideas from the symbolism and cultural baggage that can often accompany an in-depth study. At the same time, he respects the cultural mileau out of which the tradition arose and does a good job of giving the reader a sense of this without overwhelming him or her with unnecessary detail.
This is one of the best books in the area of religion that I have read period. It is certainly my top choice for Westerners who want to get started with Advaita Vedanta. From this book, you can branch out to the area which most interest you. If you have no background in religion of philosopy, then I would recommend that you read Huston Smith's The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions first. If you want to take both of these and contextualize them for applicability to a modern context, then another good read would be A Brief History of Everything. If you are more of an audio person, then Kosmic Consciousness is an even better place to bring all of your thinking together and integrate it with the modern world, sociology, science, etc.
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