We are happy to announce the long-anticipated release of Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya's ground-breaking new book "The Vedic Way of Knowing God". Give the gift of Dharma this holiday season. 5% discount if you purchase now!
Author: Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Foreword: Dr. David Frawley
Preface: Professor Klaus K. Klostermaier
Publisher: Dharma Sun Media
Published: November 7, 2010
Language: English
Pages: 408
Price: US$22.79
Binding: Perfect-bound Paperback
Available for purchase here:
http://www.dharmacentral.com/dharmastore/Vedic_Way_of_Knowing_God.php
Introduction
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The foundation of every individual religion and philosophical system on earth is the claim that only that one religion or philosophy possesses the truth...that it alone has the authority to proclaim what is true and what is not. The question of what constitutes the proper derivation of religious authority is one of the most important, and one of the most contentious, issues in the realm of religious and philosophical debate. To greater or lesser extents (though definitely mostly greater), every religious sect, spiritual tradition, denomination, school of philosophy, and spiritual leader makes the claim of having access to the truth. Indeed, for most religious and philosophical systems, whether religious and secular in world-view, it is claimed, either overtly or else by obvious implication, that theirs is the only direct and sure means for knowing truth. Whether we speak of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Marxism, Science, Atheism, or any system of thought on earth, every philosophical system claims that they, and only they, are in a position of bestowing truth. "Only we have access to the real Truth", every religious teacher claims. As a direct result of such competing truth-claims, coupled with the natural variance of such claims that results from multiple individuals claiming to know truth, we have witnessed several millennia of religious and philosophical contention.
While every philosophy can attempt to claim that theirs is the only path to truth, however, before we can even approach the question of what differing religions claim, and thus begin the process of philosophical assessment of these claims, first we need to answer the fundamental question of how any religion can even claim to know the truth at all. For those religions that claim to be revealing the nature of the Absolute, how is it even possible for the Absolute, which is infinite, to be understood by finite humans? Before we can claim to know God, first we need to grapple with the problem of the very possibility of knowing God at all. The question of "how can we claim to know anything at all?" is the domain of the field of epistemology, or the science of human knowledge, cognition and perception.
The scope of the present work is not to attempt to put an end to all religious contention, nor to necessarily insist on a conclusive proof that one system of religious/philosophical thought is in some way superior to all others. Rather it is my desire that this book will greatly add to a larger general understanding of the basic issues of derivation of religious authority as these issues pertain specifically to the realm of epistemology, or the systematic study of the nature of knowing. The focus of this work is centered upon the little studied, and even less understood, school of Vedic epistemology. Though it is undoubtedly one of the most ancient systems in the world dedicated to the study of knowledge derivation, Vedic epistemology is a development in the history of philosophy that has been routinely neglected as a field of serious study by the majority of both academic observers of the history and philosophy of religion, as well as by most Hindu leaders, seekers and lay-persons. It is my hope that this work will mark the beginning of a greater interest in this fascinating subject.
My book focuses directly on issues of epistemology, as well as determining the philosophical bounds of spiritual knowledge. Specifically, I undertake a comparative analysis of the perceptual processes utilized to derive knowledge of ontologically transmaterial realities (God, soul, etc.) in the philosophical systems of Hinduism, Buddhism, and the whole of the Western philosophical tradition (with special emphasis on Plato, Augustine and Anselm). While the ultimate goal of my book is conducting an examination of Vedic epistemology per se, I am purposefully centering the focus of this book on the theories of the 16th Century philosopher, Jiva Gosvami. Jiva Gosvami's epistemological theories represent an interesting approach in the long history of South Asian religion relative to the question of what, precisely, constitutes authoritative knowledge. In many ways, Jiva both personifies radical orthodoxy, while simultaneously being a very original thinker.
I decided to focus on the epistemological ideas of this specific philosopher because his epistemological teachings serve as a highly representative axial milieu around which to understand both the full scope of Hindu epistemology, as well as many of the specific issues and implications that arise from this subject.
Unlike the majority of Hindu philosophers, Jiva Gosvami (c.1511-c.1596) feels that the smrti literature is more authoritative than shruti, and thus rests the basis of his epistemology, not on the Vedas, but on the Purana literature. Additionally, he takes the rather unusual approach of accepting ten distinct ways of knowing (pramanas) as all being epistemically authoritative. Despite the fact that Jiva Gosvami's philosophical theories represent a somewhat unique approach to the field of Hindu epistemology, very sparse research has thus far been attempted in the Western world on this Indian thinker.
I have several aims in this present work. First, since Jiva Gosvami represents a school of thought relatively unknown in the Western world, I will present an outline of his epistemological theories and place them within the greater context of Indian philosophy. This will be accomplished by surveying his theories as contained in his two most important works: Tattva-sandarbha and his autocommentary on the same, the Sarva-samvadini. Second, I will analyze and critique his arguments from a philosophical perspective using propositional, comparative, and veridical analyses. Third, I will explore the significance of Jiva Gosvami's ideas for Vedanta. Lastly, I will speak about the immense implications of these epistemological theories for the future of epistemology and philosophy of religion.
Again, employing Jiva Gosvami's ideas as a philosophical anchor and as a backdrop for the cultural milieu that represented the historical height of inter-philosophical epistemological debate, the ultimate goal of this work is actually to present the profound insights and practical efficacy of the Vedic way of knowing God.
Though this may seem at first glance to be a rigidly academic work, it is my hope that academic scholars will, in actuality, serve as only a secondary audience for this work. My primary audience are those sincere spiritual practitioners, yogis and yoginis, dedicated Hindus, and followers of Sanatana Dharma globally who wish to have a more thorough understanding of precisely what it means to know God in the Vedic tradition, and to thus deepen their own experience of the presence of God in their everyday lives.
As I hope this work will make abundantly clear, God is not merely an interesting idea designed to serve as the theoretical kindling of fueled academic debate. Rather, God is the grounding ontological principle that makes all conceptual and perceptual activities on the part of all human beings even possible. It is, indeed, in knowing the Absolute that we have access to knowing absolute knowledge.
The Vedic path powerfully reveals to us the fact that God is very much real.
Moreover, as this book systematically and thoroughly explains, it is through the Vedic path that God can be intimately known.
Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
(Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.)
The Center for Dharma Studies
International Sanatana Dharma Society
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.
January, 2010
"The Vedic Way of Knowing God", by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya, is available for purchase here:
http://www.dharmacentral.com/dharmastore/Vedic_Way_of_Knowing_God.php
Give the gift of Dharma this holiday season. 5% Discount if you purchase now!
Revealing the profound philosophical insights of the world's most ancient spiritual philosophy, this book not only boldly answers the question "How do I know God?" from the distinctly Vedic (Hindu) perspective, but also explores the further issues of what it even means to be able to know God. With greater detail than any other book ever written to date, it reveals the precise mystical mechanisms employed for knowing the Divine; the psychological conditions necessary for such a spiritual endeavor; the transformative cognitive experiences that occur within the spiritual practitioner upon achieving God-realization; the integral relationship between transcendent Word, spiritually revealed literature, and the important role of living teachers; and the vast implications of the Vedic world-view on contemporary global philosophy and religion. If you have ever asked the question "How do I know God?", this is the book that will give you the precise road-map!
"The Vedic Way of Knowing God", by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL SINCERE SPIRITUAL SEEKERS.
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