Description: This book reads the Upanisads "as they are," emphasizing aspects of them that are often completely overlooked, among them.
Brief description: James D. Ryan is Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Integral Studies, USA.
Review Quotes: "This book makes a substantial contribution to scholarship on ancient Indian religion and philosophy by reassessing the early Upani?ads within their original Vedic context. Through a close analysis of the texts' language and imagery, this book liberates the Upani?ads from both Vedanta commentators and modern scholars to reveal their often surprising and delightful insights. By letting the Upani?ads speak for themselves, Ryan reintroduces their mysteries, while pointing towards their paradoxical wisdom" --Brian Black, author of The Character of the Self in Ancient India: Priests, Kings, and Women in the Early Upani?ads