Vedanta in Light of Christian Wisdom | Wolfgang Smith

Unlike his previous books, this monograph by Wolfgang Smith deals explicitly with man's quest of immortality: with religion, that is, properly so called. As a Christian, moreover, who in his earlier life had identified with the Vedic tradition, he is well situated to speak knowledgeably of both. Beginning with recollections of his early days amongst Hindu monks-living lives of almost unbelievable yogic attainment-he introduces the reader to the Vedic religion, which he goes on to contrast with the Judeo-Christian, not to exalt one above the other, but to explain the salient difference. Smith argues that the two religions lead to antipodal Ends: the Vedic to what he terms "the nirvānic option, " in which "the human" does not survive, and the Christian to salvation, in which it does. Not only thus does Smith disprove the so-called "transcendent unity of religions, " but basing himself upon an astounding exegesis discovered by Meister Eckhart, he goes on to show that-contrary again to the prevailing view-the Vedantic categories are in principle subsumed and transcended by the Trinitarian. The author believes that these categorical reflections-admittedly and perforce of an esoteric kind-are called for to terminate the unholy confusion which has for long impeded our comprehension.