Philosophies of India

Rating:
Summary: Back Cover
Review: A monumental work, Philosophies of India is divided into three main sections: The Highest Good, a discussion of Eastern and Western thought and their meeting, and of the foundations of Indian philsophy; The philosophies of Time, being the philosophies of success, of pleasure, and of duty; finally, and this forms the major portion of the work, The Philosophies of Eternity: Jainism, Sankhya and Yoga, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Tantra.

"Indian philosophy was at the heart of Zimmer's interest in oriental studies, and this volume therefore represents his major contribution to our understanding of Asia. It is both the most complete and most intelligent account of this extraordinarily rich and complex philosophical tradition yet written."-Alan Watts, New York Times Book Review

"Dr. Zimmer has introduced such order and coherence into the rich profustion of Indian thought that one wonders whether his services to Indian philosophy are not as great as his contribution to Western understanding of India."-R. J. K. Murray, The Philosophical Quarterly

"Unhesitatingly, we call this a great book, one which represents a definite advance in the treatment of the philosophical though of India."-Kurt F. Leidecker, The Personalist

Rating:
Summary: a pleasure
Review: After reading both JN Mohanty's Classical Indian Philosophy and Zimmer's Philosophies of India, I definitely favor the later. He exposes the philosophy of India mainly through religion and history, which makes this massive book much more readable than one would expect... that he takes the questionable liberty of associating sankya/yoga, jainism, and buddhism as having a common pre-aryan origin, but it is not made without support, and ultimately has little effect on the quality of the work. Ample quotations from a range of origional documents are provided (vedas, upanisads, bhagavad-gita, buddhist and jain sutras, etc.) Definitely recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Half indological, half spiritual
Review: Heinrich Zimmer: Very knowledgable indologist. The book: Presenting hinduism, buddhism and tantrism in a colloquial way. Main weight is on hinduism which is presented according to the kama, artha, dharma, moksha pattern. The tendency is to eulogize hinduism, which is not typical for an indologist. The author has a good writing style and shows a lot of his knowledge in this book. He could not finish the book during his lifetime, so the part about tantrism had to be completed according to his notes by others. If someone does not like vedanta, the book may seem to be onesided to him. For me, this was just the right side.

Rating:
Summary: Still a treasured resource
Review: I first read this book around 1976 and it is still a treasured resource for me, reminding me of the deep and quite beautiful nature of Indian insight on mind, psyche and spirit.

Rating:
Summary: A Flawed But Valuable Book
Review: No one surpasses Heinrich Zimmer in the clarity of Indian thought and philosophy for the Western mind. He is amazingly able to swim through the thick sea of Indian imagery and symbolism and give to the reader a heartful understanding of it.

Rating:
Summary: tour de force - no holds barred
Review: The book, of course, is a classic.

Heinrich Zimmer intended this book, and fortunately Joseph Campbell proved the midwife for what would otherwise have been an intellectual stillborn child, due to the former's untimely passing.

My copy was a first edition hardcover: a lovely book to hold and touch.

To my thinking, this book is THE first, (and perhaps final), reference for those interested in the depths and subtleties of the Hindu tradition. I have never found a more accessible and enjoyable read on the broad topic of Indian Spirituality.

The history of Hindu religious development, and the import of its symbols, are nicely embellished throughout with the relevant Sanskrit terminology, which adds a considerable pleasure in the course of the read, especially when Zimmer describes the rich philosophical texture of these terms. One is immediately reminded of the difficult translational passage on leaving the psychologically rich Greek language for our practical, utilitarian English. Zimmer nicely bridges this gap.

Further, the reader is never at a loss to follow the scholarly exposition of ideas.

The presentation nicely dovetails with Campbell's own work in comparative religion and mythology, and for anyone that appreciates his clarity and articulate manner of presentation, or has unhappily fallen back from unsuccessful attempts to appreciate the broad outlines and import of the philosophies of India, this book is simply a gem.

My only proviso is that the book does become mildly tedious toward the middle, as historical minutiae begin to proliferate. Nevertheless, if this topic interests you, be sure to consult Philosophies of India first; it is most certainly an excellent primer.