Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism
by Hans Torwestern
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Book Summary Information
Author: Hans TorwesternAdapter: Loly Rosset
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1994-01-14
ISBN: 0802132626
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism
Book Review: "Tat Tvam Asi!" Vedanta's origins and development...
Summary: 4 Stars
Once seen as an esoteric, overly intellectual, and atheistic quasi-religious philosophy, Vedanta now has a solid spiritual following in the west. Though not as prevalent as Zen or Buddhism, a dozen or more centers have sprung up in the United States since Swami Vivekananda's daring and rocky 1893 visit. One system, Shankara's Advaita Vedanta, has even found a niche in comparative philosophy circles. But the most prevalent western form of India's mystical masterpiece remains the practice of yoga. Though watered down to a mere nano-morsel of its vast structure, today's monetized yoga industry originated with Vedanta. Regardless of these inroads, the intellectual girth of this mega system still has the power to intimidate newcomers. Anyone diving unprepared into the murky depths of the Upanishads or the Brahma Sutras will find a stultifying unfamiliar labyrinth that refuses to reveal any secrets. Hans Torwesten's short book, originally written in German, helps lift some of the cultural and philosophical veils that obscure Vedanta's inner core.
Nonetheless, though introductory in nature, "Vedanta, Heart of Hinduism" still contains challenges for the uninitiated. The first chapter, "Spirit of the Upanishads," shares some of the esoteric nature of the poetic mystical texts it attempts to elucidate. In a desultory manner, the discussion wavers from revelation to Brahama to the Vedas to the Atman to "Om." Laced with many digressions and sub-discussions, this chapter remains the book's biggest, but by no means insurmountable, hurdle. Regardless, the journey pays off as the foundation of the sometimes impenetrable Upanishads comes ever so slightly into focus. Building on that, the next section outlines the significance of the Bhagavad Gita. One of the world's undisputed religious classics, this tiny work extracted from the mammoth Mahabharata epic serves, along with the Upanishads, as Vedanta's other spiritual leg. Torwesten first deals with the sticky issue of war presented in the Gita's first section. There follows a delineation of Vedanta's major paths: jnana-yoga, or the path of knowledge, Karma-yoga, or the path of selfless action, bhakti-yoga, or the path of devotion, and raja-yoga, or the path of meditation. Jnana-yoga and bhakti-yoga get conjoined in the Gita through knowledge of the absolute Brahman and devotion to the avatar Krishna. The remainder of the book outlines Vedanta's historical development, starting with a delination of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta and the concept of maya. Some found this brainy realization of the absolute rather cold, so Ramanuja build a massive bhakhti-yoga structure in response. These seemingly opposed and irreconcilable viewpoints reigned until the nineteenth century. Then, almost out of nowhere, came a religious polymath, Ramakrishna. He saw the commonality in the world's religions, and even practiced Islam and Christianity. Shakti, or love of the Divine Mother, guided his spiritual practices. His disciple Vivekananda carried Ramakrishna's message to England and the United States. To stunned western audiences he proclaimed "You are all Gods!" Brief expositions of Sri Aurobindo and Ramana Maharishi round out the discussion of Shakti. Vedanta had come a long way from the sages in caves ideal of the first millenium.
An eye-brow raising discussion of Vedanta's relation to the West concludes the book. Torwesten runs the concepts of Vedanta through the history of western philosophy. He finds some convergence with Pythagoras, Plotinus, and Meister Eckhardt (who he calls "a master advaitan"). Then, according to Torwesten, somewhere after the enlightenment the spirituality left western philosophy. But this doesn't mean he finds Vedanta superior. On the contrary, he thinks the east and the west could learn from each other. The last pages of the book build on this notion and discuss a possible synthesis between impersonal Vedanta and the more "neighborly" Christian ethics. Here the infinite meets the mundane. The book thus closes, appropriately, in the spirit of Vedanta itself. In sharp contrast to the Abrahamic traditions, India's impressive religious and philosophical outlook encourages followers to question and seek within the system itself. Both traditions indeed have much to learn from each other. "Vedanta, Heart of Hinduism" provides a great starting point to explore not only the religions of India, but also one's own.
Summary of Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism
Vedanta is the most encompassing and open of the six orthodox systems of Hinduism and is considered the quintessence of Eastern thought and mysticism. At the center of Vedanta lie the texts of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Beginning with the premise that man is a divine being whose greatest source of strength is his intuition, Vedanta seeks not merely the accumulation of knowledge but rather the annihilation of all knowledge. Its goal is an unclouded inner world that will allow us to exist untroubled by the complexity of the outside world. For those interested in the concise and intelligent overview, as well as those who seek a better understanding of what is at the heart of Hinduism, Vedanta is a unique and thought-provoking guide.
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