Journey From Many to One / Essentials of Advaita Vedanta [Paperback]

Swami Bhaskarananda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

The book presents the essentials of Advaita Vedanta in simple language using easy to understand analogies. Advaita Vedanta is the ancient, secretive, esoteric philosophy of India which explains the true nature of Reality, God and the world. Some of the topics it discusses are: the Ultimate Reality called Brahman; Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman (Transcendental Brahman and Personal God); Atman or the individual soul; the relationship between Brahman and Atman; the illusory nature of the world; Maya or the illusive creative power of God; Maya and creation; different theories about creation; Pramanas or sources of valid knowledge; Asti, Bhati & Priya aspects of Brahman; Nama and Rupa (name and form) aspects of this world; the four states of existence-Sushupti (deep sleep state), Swapna (dream state), Jagrat (waking state) & Turiya (the fourth state identical with Transcendental Brahman);the antiquity of Advaita Vedanta and its well-known teachers, etc. It also discusses how to experience the Ultimate Reality by developing a purified mind. A whole chapter is used to explain the meaning of the expression "pure mind."

Editorial Reviews

Review

For many Westerners, the ideas contained in the Upanishads, the philosophical books of India, are puzzling, abstruse, and complex. In this extraordinary book, Swami Bhaskarananda leads readers step-by-step, chapter by chapter, to an understanding of the core of Vedic philosophy: the unity of being. The Swami accomplishes this philosophical and spiritual journey through the skillful use of apt analogies and well-directed reasoning that make the concepts of Hinduism accessible. Readers will find that this book will open their minds to new and rewarding possibilities of thought, while providing an uplifting appreciation of their own divine nature. --Terri Storseth, Ph.D., Asst Prof of Rhetoric, American University of Sharjah

A book which seeks to present in an easily understandable form the ancient teaching of Advaita is fraught with challenges. Only a person who is fully conversant with its complexities and has a solid background in its language can deliver something of its richness without compromising its integrity. Swami Bhaskarananda is fully qualified for this task. His presentation is a joy to read. It cuts to the core of Advaita and elucidates its principles with apt, fresh analogies and stories. The swami covers all the salient points helpful in understanding the nature of Brahman. The essential aspects of time (eternity), space (infinity) and causation (changelessness). The importance of a pure mind is intelligently explained and the conundrum of whether the world exists or not is convincingly presented. There is much food for reflection. --Mountain Path, January-March 2010 issue

Swami Bhaskarananda has done it again. He has written his seventh book on the very challenging topic of Advaita Vedanta, and has explained lofty concepts in such a clear and simple way that by using the powers of logical thinking and concentration, the average person can easily understand these concepts. --Maryte Racys, Seattle Public Librarian

About the Author

Swami Bhaskarananda is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India. He was born and educated in India and joined the Order as a monk in January 1958. He was attached to the Headquarters of the Order at Belur (near Calcutta) for 12 years before being posted to Seattle in 1974. He has been President of the Vedanta Society of Western Washington in Seattle since 1980. He is also the spiritual head of the Vedanta Society in Hawaii and the Vedanta Society in Vancouver (Canada). On invitation, the Swami has traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, England, France, Japan, Iceland, and the Netherlands, giving talks on Hinduism and other spiritual topics. He has also visited Myanmar, Thailand, China, Russia, New Zealand and Australia. He is a founding member and past President of the Interfaith Council of Washington State. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal Global Vedanta. Swami Bhaskarananda is the author of the books The Essentials of Hinduism, Meditation, Mind and Patanjali's Yoga, Life in Indian Monasteries, Reminiscences of Swami Brahmananda, and The Philosophical Verses of Yogavasishtha.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viveka Press (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884852122
• ISBN-13: 978-1884852121
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great companion book for Advaita Vedanta Enthusiasts, May 23, 2009

By 

Eashwar Thiagarajan "eashwar" (bothell, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Journey From Many to One / Essentials of Advaita Vedanta (Paperback)

The Swami leads the reader systematically through a whole gamut of philosophical concepts, in a clear and comprehensive way. This book is not a substitute for some of the original scriptures like Upanishads and the various Advaita commentaries (by Gaudapada, Shankara etc) on them, but this is definitely a great companion book to refer to, while studying various Advaita scriptures, because of the high quality subject matter description.

While reading Advaita literature of the old or modern, sometimes it is very easy to get lost in the myriad of concepts and viewpoints presented by various scholars. We could easily mistake one concept for another. It is to remove such discrepancies and strengthen our fundamental underatanding of the precepts and concepts of Advaita, I would recommend this book.

Would recommend it for all Advaita Enthusiasts.