Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta [Paperback]

Swami Prabhavananda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 1964

The Sermon on the Mount represents the essence of both Christ's teachings and the teachings of Vedanta. Christ said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." "The kingdom of God is within." "Be ye perfect...." Theologians are apt to explain away these teachings, but we believe Christ meant exactly what he said. Read in this book how Vedanta goes to the heart of Christ's teachings.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A book on the Sermon on the Mount should be no novelty in a Christian community. But when that books is written by a Hindu swami, a follower of Vedanta and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, that certainly is unusual. More so since the swami extols the Sermon as though it were a scripture of his own.

Beautiful as the this interpretation is in itself, it is presented by Swami Prabhavananda not as a far-off, scarcely attainable ideal, which is the way most Occidentals read the Sermon, but as a practical program of daily living and conduct. So clear is the Swami’s reading of this great scripture, that many a Christian by means of it will discover a simpler approach to the teachings of his Master, more direct than any he had found heretofore.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: Vedanta Press & Bookshop (July 4, 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874810507
• ISBN-13: 978-0874810509
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Christology
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More About the Author

Swami Prabhavananda was one of the pioneer swamis sent to America by the direct disciples of Ramakrishna to build on the work started by Swami Vivekananda at the turn of the century.

The swami was born in India on December 26, 1893. In 1914, after graduating from Calcutta University, he joined the Ramakrishna Order of India and was initiated by Swami Brahmananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.

In 1923, Swami Prabhavananda came to the United States. After two years as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco, he established the Vedanta Society of Portland. In December 1929, he came to Los Angeles where he founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California the following year.

Under the able care of the swami, the Society grew into one of the largest Vedanta Societies in the West, with monasteries in Hollywood and Trabuco Canyon and convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.

Swami Prabhavananda was a man of letters as well as a man of God. He wrote and translated a number of books with the object of making the spiritual classics of India available and understandable to Western readers. He was assisted on several of the projects by Christopher Isherwood or Frederick Manchester. His comprehensive knowledge of philosophy and religion attracted such disciples as Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard. His publications, which include the Bhagavad-Gita, The Upanishads, Breath of the Eternal, How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Pantanjali, The Eternal Companion, and The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta, continue to this day to capture interest and draw people to the Vedanta philosophy.

Swami Prabhavananda passed away on the bicentennial of America's independence, July 4th 1976, fitting for one who gave so much of his life to this country.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A PRICELESS JEWEL OF A BOOK..., August 26, 2001

By 

Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta (Paperback)

Over the course of my life, I have been presented on various occasions with texts described as being 'comparative' of different religions -- usually one religion being stood up against Christianity, the author being a Christian, in an attempt to debunk the teachings of non-Christian faiths. I saw those books as little more than thinly-veiled attempts at propaganda, attempts to spread the Christian message (as the authors saw it) to the 'unsaved, misled masses'.

This book, which I originally stumbled across quite by accident, couldn't be further in theme and temperament from that lot -- this is aboslutely the gentlest, most respectful, most loving book that I could imagine on the subject. It makes no attempts at conversion, but in a very scholarly -- yet very readable -- way, takes Christ's Sermon on the Mount (paying special attention to the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer) and makes line-by-line comparisons to the ancient teachings of Hinduism.

Prabhavananda was a monk of the Ramakrishna Order -- and one of Sri Ramakrishna's most fundamental teachings was the 'oneness of all religions', that, when sincerely believed and practiced, 'all paths lead to the same goal'. This incredible, tender book shows how deeply true his teachings were. Ramakrishna -- a Hindu saint of the 19th century who worshiped God in the form of the Divine Mother, and who experienced ecstatic visions of Christ, Mohammed and Buddha as well -- was one of the most unique, unpretentious, all-encompassing figures in any religion. He embraced them all. Would that we had, in this 'modern, civilized era', when people are still killing each other over the way they each worship God, a teacher so unifying, so true of heart, that could shine the light of wisdom on our folly.

Prabhavananda's book brings Ramakrishna's unifying word to modern readers in a wonderful way. I was touched to the core of my soul by this book -- I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who honestly, in their heart, practices ANY faith. It was written to unify, not to divide -- it could be treasured for that alone.

For anyone interested in further readings on Sri Ramakrishna, I can recommend THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA, or (if this 1000+ page volume is too 'heavy' for you) Lex Hixon's stunning book GREAT SWAN -- MEETINGS WITH RAMAKRISHNA.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply evocative and spiritually comforting, December 28, 2002

By 

Charlton Griffin "Charlton" (Thomasville, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta (Paperback)

I'm not the kind of person who generally reads these types of books. I gain most of my spiritual solace from Mozart and wilderness hiking. However, this book is surprising. It illuminates Jesus in ways you have never considered and makes you wonder how Christians got things so muddled. This is a refreshing encounter with a subject I usually shun, and you'll never think of Jesus the same way after reading this wonderful book. I highly recommend it to people of all faiths.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, especially for Christians, November 24, 1999

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta (Paperback)

A rare treat. Seldom are philosophies of Hindu and Christian thought combined and made consistent in one text. Typically a short reference in a larger text will make note of similarities, but here we have a line by line explanation of the Sermon, references to Christ's teachings and the Lord's Prayer all in one small book.

Interesting to note the similarities and differences as I read, side by side, Martin Luther's Small Catechism and the Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta. Is Christ the "only son of God?" This book offers examples from Krishna and Arjuna, Buddha and the Torah and modern Avatar's woven into a consistent theme describing the power of devotional worship. I'm buying a copy for my Mother.