A Practical Commentary on India’s Classical Scriptures
With penetrating insight, Abbot George Burke illumines the Upanishads’ practical value for spiritual seekers. With a unique perspective from a lifetime of study and practice of both Eastern and Western spirituality, he presents the treasures of the Upanishads in an easily intelligible fashion.
The sacred scriptures of India are vast. Yet they are only different ways of seeing the same thing, the One Thing which makes them both valid and ultimately harmonious. That unifying subject is Brahman: God the Absolute, beyond and besides whom there is no “other” whatsoever. The thirteen major Upanishads are the fountainhead of all expositions of Brahman. The word “upanishad” itself comes from the root word upasana, which means to draw or sit near, and is usually considered to mean that which was heard when the student sat near the teacher to learn the eternal truths.
We do not know who wrote the Upanishads. This has a distinct advantage in that the image of a historical, finite personality does not intervene to obscure the revelation handed on to spiritual aspirants. The authority of the Upanishads rests not upon those who wrote them, but upon the demonstrable truths they express. They are as self-sufficient and self-evident as the multiplication tables or the Table of Elements. They are simply the complete and unobscured truth. And realization of that Truth alone matters.
What Readers Say:
★★★★★ It is always a delight to see how [Abbot George] seamlessly integrates the wisdom of the west into the east. I truly feel that this book would be a perfect addition to a seeker’s collection to start off at the easiest level in order to imbibe the true essence of the teachings.
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About the Author
Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) is the founder and director of Atma Jyoti Ashram (Light of the Spirit Monastery) in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA. He is the author of numerous books on meditation and practical spiritual life. He writes at OCOY.org.
