Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
little book, big wisdom, April 7 2002
Shankara was a 7th century hindu mystic/saint. he founded a number of monastic orders in his short life,[32 yrs], and showed remarkable spiritual talents and insights from a very early age. this book is a true classic in the field of the jnani yoga tradition. his directives are clear, succint, and leave no doubt in the readers mind he knew where of he spoke. i wouldn't say this should be your entry level book into the advaita philosophy but if the idea of your oneness with brahman, the impersonal ground of being, appeals to you and you're ready for the genuine article, then this little book is for you and will reward your careful study. i'll be quiet now and let the master have the last word with a few quotes from the book: "when the vision of Reality comes, the veil of ignorance is completely removed. when our false perception is corrected, misery ends." and "the self controlled man is illumined when he enjoys eternal bliss. he is entirely merged in Brahman. he knows himself to be the unchangeable reality". and, "teachers and scriptures can stimulate spiritual awareness. but the wise disciple overcomes ignorance by direct illumination, through the grace of God". and, "the treasure i have found cannot be described in words, i am one with Brahman".
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Translation of the Vivekachudamani, April 18 2001
Prabhavananda used to be an indian monk of the Ramakrishna order directing the hollywood branch of that organisation in the first half of the last century. Isherwood was a famous writer who worked together with Prabhavananda. They translated indian scriptures and wrote several books, either together or independently. This particular book is a translation of the Vivekachudamani, a compact presentation of advaita vedanta, attributed to Shankara. It's pleasant to read and contains deep wisdom. The Ramakrishna Vivekananda Organisation has also another version of the Vivekachudamani on sale, which contains the Sanskrit text as well.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
You can't miss the point of this book, Dec 25 2000
By A Customer
In trying to learn something of the non-dualism that Hinduism teaches, I came across this little "jewel" of a book by Shankara. The language and message are extremely clear: it's all Brahman looking at Brahman. Atman is Brahman. Nothin' else but Brahman. Okay, having read it, now I can understand quite easily the message of the Upanishads and the Gita. Eknath Easwaran, for all his religious synthesis, is also clear. His books are good commentaries on the life-applications of the teachings of this book. Alan Watts' philosophy is a slightly more wacked-out version of vedanta, but, having read Shankara, I can understand his books now, too. All together, a worthwhile read.
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