Jnana Yoga

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Summary: Pinnacle of Philosophy
Review: A beautiful book elucidating the crux of Vedanta, one of the oldest philosophies of the world. Jnana Yoga is the method of 'realizing' religion or God through knowledge and discussion. The other methods are Karma(work), Bhakti(devotion) and Raja(mind) and everybody should select a method according to his/her interests/capabilities. Jnana Yoga presents an extremely logical and intellectually satisfying view of God and religion. Vivekanand has been quite impressive, his style very 'scientific' and language : simple and superb. Must read for people with an inquisitional bent of mind. I especially recommend the chapter called "Atma".

Rating:
Summary: Contains many intersting points
Review: Lectures of Vivekananda. Jnana yoga was his main field and he presents many insights and interesting thoughts about it. For anyone on the spiritual path, this will be interesting reading. But it's from a hundred years back, so it may not necessearly appeal to the modern mind.

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Summary: are you ready for the REAL thing?
Review: swami vivekananda is/was one of the giant intellects of all time. a direct disciple of the great 19th century indian god-man, sri ramakrishna, vivekananda learned his lessons well at an early age and built upon it to the point of sometimes surpassing his master. especially in the sense of providing a bridge from the worlds oldest extant religious traditions to plain spoken accessability for the spiritual seeker of our own time. jnana yoga is the approach of experiencing oneness with God using the path of knowledge/philosophy/contemplation. this book is among the very best in laying out the methods and ideas the aspirant can use for his own search [ thru the path of knowledge ] of direct experience of God, i.e. being-conciousness-bliss absolute. the book carefully and clearly leads us thru our most primitive lowest levels of humanity up the ladder of understanding spiritually we are truly One with the highest of all realities. that indeed, "thou art that". the good swami's writings on all the yoga paths are among the best the world has yet seen. this particular volume is a must read for the student practitioner of jnani yoga. if i could spend an hour having a cup of tea with any person who ever lived, swami vivekananda might well be the one i would choose. not only for his giant intellect but his purity and holiness and breadth of understanding man's need for transcendence and the ways of actually doing so. this is a great book and not to be missed by he who would be, "the spiritual philosopher king".

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Summary: Rare view into Wisdom by a Master
Review: Swami Vivekananda, a major (if not the main) disciple of the famous Ramakrishna, has done both Hinduism and comparative religion a great service by writing several works that address the main types of transformational yoga. Interestingly, Hinduism has constructed a wonderful model that differentiates among and between these seemingly divergent paths up the spiritual mountain (or paths to God for Theists). These include: Karma Yoga (addressing action) and Bhakti Yoga (of devotion) included in one volume; Raja Yoga (of mind, but addressing more psychic development); and Jnana Yoga (of wisdom). The latter is more difficult, IMHO, to find out about. Religions generally specialize in one of these four with additional elements (sometimes only in subsets such as clerics or monks) from some of the other ones. Jnana or Gnani appears to be among the rarest. Thus, having read this book is a great coup in understanding the higher philosophies and theological approaches to Omneity or spiritual development. In Tibetan Buddhism, for example, it would be applicable to Dzogchen and Mahamudra as opposed to the more normal or pervasive Vajrayana practices. IMHO, Jnana (and its equivalents in other religions) is the most profound of teachings. Vivekananda was obviously a Master and has presented a wonderful exposition on this esoteric subject. We are privileged to have the opportunity to read and study it.

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Summary: Marriage between religion and science
Review: This book if anyone was to read it is amazing and I find it difficult to find words of praise that could do it justice. Therefore the best thing would be to read it. Some one said that this 'does not appeal to the modern mind' This is certainly proof that the person has not read the book or read it with closed eyes, what a pity! Vivekananda blends ancient hindu texts, into modern thought and also weaves into his work modern scintific thought into the ever so ancient wisdom of India. Whosoever reads this book is bound to become transformed, trasfigured and awakened to higher truths in this universe. This rare crest-jewel of a book has come from a great soul, and I feel blessed and thrilled to have come accross this precious gem.

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Summary: Vivekananda's best lectures...
Review: Though Jnana yoga is presumably the favorite subject of Vivekananda, he himself is supposed to have quoted that his bhakti is covered by a cloak of jnana, while his guru's (Sri Ramakrishna) jnana is covered by a cloak of bhakti. Whatever he may have learnt from Ramakrishna, who spoke in parables, Vivekananda transforms them into powerful words with striking sentences to give a sublime meaning. He is at his best while expounding the Vedanta philosophy.

His examples simplify the understanding of such a complex and profound philosophy. The way he coins the words and grammar in his lectures is unbelievable. His logic is almost always unarguable. One of the best lectures is "The Real and Apparent Man" where he lays a solid foundation of the nature of man, the support of which comes in later lectures on Maya and Cosmos . The exposition of Katha upanishad is beautiful and one does not get that picture and depth of understanding while reading the original upanishad. The final lectures delivered in Pasadena, California appeals to the unity of religions and friendship with science - a subject which is probably never more important than now.

No wonder during his lectures in America, he was the last to deliver, as the audience would wait patiently to listen to him.