Freedom through inner renunciation
Subtitle: Śaṅkara's philosophy in a new light
By: Roger Marcaurelle.
Series: McGill studies in the history of religions
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 269
Subjects: Śaṅkarācārya; Renunciation (Philosophy); Advaita; Vedanta
Description: "This book is the first full-length study of renunciation in Sankara's Advaita Vedanta. It shows that a major misinterpretation occurred concerning Sankara's position on renunciation early within his own tradition, and has persisted amongst modern Indologists. Most interpreters of Sankara understand that he saw the monastic way of living as a sine qua non for full knowledge of the Self and spiritual freedom.

But this study brings Sankara's real position to light and shows that, for him, inner renunciation of ego and doership was the only indispensable form of renunciation. Monasticism was quite useful, but not mandatory. Using Sankara's own hermeneutical principles as well as the modern philological approach, Marcaurelle shows the basic processes of interpretation and misinterpretation that can shape fundamental aspects of a spiritual tradition."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-260) and index.