Vedanta: Heart of HinduismVedanta is the most encompassing and open of the six orthodox systems of Hinduism and is considered the quintessence of Eastern thought and mysticism. An important part of modern intellectual Hinduism, Vedanta is often regarded as a truly universal religion and had many adherents in the West. 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. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
THE SPIRIT OF THE UPANISHADS | 17 |
Revelation and Mysticism | 22 |
A Larger Whole | 26 |
Seeking and Finding | 32 |
Brahman | 36 |
Dualistic Influences | 41 |
The Convergence of Opposites | 44 |
The Great Shankara | 117 |
Maya the Indian Sphinx | 121 |
The Sword of Discriminating Insight | 126 |
Maya and Evil | 129 |
The Maya Concept | 135 |
Advaita and Yoga | 139 |
Summary of the MayaTeaching | 142 |
LOVE OF THE PERSONAL GOD | 151 |
Atman | 49 |
The Freedom of the Inner Self | 55 |
Deep Sleep and Illumination | 58 |
Brahman Seen with Eyes Open | 63 |
The Mystic Syllable OM | 65 |
Mysticism and Ethics | 67 |
Job and Nachiketa | 71 |
THE MESSAGE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA | 75 |
A God of War? | 78 |
JnanaYoga | 88 |
Karma Yoga | 97 |
BhaktiYoga | 101 |
The Awesome Majesty of God | 109 |
THE PHILOSOPHY OF NONDUALITY | 115 |
Ramanuja | 153 |
Distinction or Identity? | 162 |
GODS CREATIVE POWER | 169 |
You Are Gods | 178 |
Shakti as Creative Energy | 187 |
Pure Being | 193 |
VEDANTA AND THE WEST | 199 |
Eastern Mysticism and Christianity | 200 |
Reflections in Western Philosophy and Literature | 206 |
Europe and America | 212 |
A Living Synthesis | 215 |
Notes | 221 |
Glossary | 225 |
Common terms and phrases
absolute Advaita Vedanta Arjuna Atman Atman teaching Aurobindo become Bhagavad Gita bhakta bliss Brah Brahma Sutras Buddhism Christian concept concerned consciousness cosmic course Creation creative creator-god death deities Divine Mother dualistic enlightened eternal everything evil existence gunas guru heart highest Hindu Hinduism human ideas impersonal incarnation Indian individual soul insight Isha Upanishad Ishvara jnana jnani karma-yoga kind knowledge Krishna later living look Lord maya meditation Meister Eckhart mind Mundaka Upanishad mysticism nature negative never Nirguna Brahman nishads non-duality path philosophical positive prakriti pure purusha question radical Ramakrishna Ramana Maharshi Ramanuja reality realization realm relative religion religious revealed rishis sage samadhi Sankhya says scriptures seems seers sense Shakti Shankara Shiva someone speak spirit supra-personal Svetasvatara Upanishad Swami texts theistic things thou art tion transcendent true truth ultimate universe Vedantin Vedas Vedic verse Vivekananda Western wisdom words worldview worship yoga yogi