Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction

Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction
by Eliot Deutsch

Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction
List Price: $10.00
Our Price: $7.89
You Save: $2.11 (21%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.56 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Eliot Deutsch
Edition: 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.

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in The Giants of Enlightenment
Nobody Home ImageNobody Home
by Jan Kersschot
Non-Duality Press; Published: 2007-11-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.22
Price in other shops: $16.95
Being: the bottom line ImageBeing: the bottom line
by Nathan Gill
Non-Duality Press; Published: 2006-03-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.85
Price in other shops: $13.95
Already Awake ImageAlready Awake
by Nathan Gill
Non-Duality Press; Published: 2004-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.84
Price in other shops: $19.00
Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being ImageFree Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being
by Sundance Burke
Awake Spirit Publishing; Published: 2008-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.20
Price in other shops: $22.95
Nothing Personal: Seeing Beyond the Illusion of a Separate Self ImageNothing Personal: Seeing Beyond the Illusion of a Separate Self
by Nirmala
Endless Satsang Foundation; Published: 2008-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.10
Price in other shops: $16.95
Radical Happiness: A Guide to Awakening ImageRadical Happiness: A Guide to Awakening
by Gina Lake
Endless Satsang Foundation; Published: 2007-08-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.32
Price in other shops: $14.95
Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening ImageHappiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening
by Gary Weber
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2007-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.69
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Book of One: The Spiritual Path of Advaita ImageThe Book of One: The Spiritual Path of Advaita
by Dennis Waite
O Books; Published: 2004-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.13
Price in other shops: $17.95
Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment ImageAwake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment
by Katie Davis
Awake Spirit Publishing; Published: 2008-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.44
Price in other shops: $22.95
THE MOST DIRECT AND RAPID MEANS TO ETERNAL BLISS ImageTHE MOST DIRECT AND RAPID MEANS TO ETERNAL BLISS
by Michael Langford
The Freedom Religion Press; Published: 2007-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.95
Similar Books and other products
Yoga: Discipline of Freedom: The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali ImageYoga: Discipline of Freedom: The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali
by Barbara Miller
Bantam; Published: 1998-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.35
Price in other shops: $15.00
Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination ImageShankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination
by Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood
Vedanta Press; Published: 1970-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.14
Price in other shops: $8.95
I Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta ImageI Am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta
by Nisargadatta Maharaj
Acorn Press (NC); Published: 1990-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.98
Price in other shops: $26.95
Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta ImageSermon on the Mount According to Vedanta
by Swami Prabhavananda
Vedanta Pr; Published: 1991-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.25
Price in other shops: $9.95
Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy ImageNonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy
by David Loy
Humanity Books; Published: 1997-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.06
Price in other shops: $32.00
The Book of One: The Spiritual Path of Advaita ImageThe Book of One: The Spiritual Path of Advaita
by Dennis Waite
O Books; Published: 2004-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.48
Price in other shops: $17.95
Back to the Truth: 5000 years of Advaita ImageBack to the Truth: 5000 years of Advaita
by Dennis Waite
O Books; Published: 2007-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.87
Price in other shops: $49.95
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality ImageOne: Essential Writings on Nonduality
by Jerry Katz
Sentient Publications; Published: 2007-01-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.17
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta (Treasures of the World's Religions) ImageThe Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta (Treasures of the World's Religions)
by Eliot Deutsch, Rohit Dalvi
World Wisdom; Published: 2004-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.67
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal ImageThe Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal
Signet Classics; Published: 2002-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.23
Price in other shops: $6.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories