Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God
The Indian guru Swami Vivekananda had the gift of being bicultural. He brought the Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism to the 1893 World Parliament of Religions and prepared the way for the flowering of yoga in the West. Vivekananda's accessible teachings have been edited and compiled in countless ways, and this edition by DeLuca, a student of Vedanta, is intended to offer students of yoga something to think about, since Indian yoga is more than a series of physical postures. The guru gently introduces what may be unfamiliar ideas from Hinduism, such asmaya, or illusion. The book's organization into broad themes, including the four yoga paths, is logical in concept yet fuzzy in execution, because the writing doesn't always lend itself to clear differentiation. "Oneness" is a pervasive teaching for Vivekananda, and ruminations on it end up scattered throughout the book. The result is somewhat repetitive and disorganized. Nor are there citations showing where the writing is drawn from, except in the appendix. End material, including a reading list, glossary and biographical material, is helpful. This is not the best introduction to Vivekananda, but the swami is so clear himself that he needs little help.(June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.