Product Description

"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."--The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #374881 in Books
• Published on: 1969-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 708 pages

Review
"This book was at the heart of Zimmer's interest in Oriental studies, and this volume represents his major contribution to our understanding of Asia." New York Times book review

Review
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.
("The New York Times Book Review" )

From the Back Cover
"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."--The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews

Tour de force - no holds barred
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 beginning to explore the depths and subtleties of the Hindu tradition. I have never found a more accessible and enjoyable introduction to 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.

a pleasure
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.

Authoritative, substantial, accessible
Professor Zimmer composed most of this book during the last years of his life. He died in 1943 while teaching at Columbia University. Joseph Campbell, who was one of his students, took up the task of editing and completing the work some years later. This 687-page volume is the result, published by Pantheon Books as part of the distinguished Bollingen Series in 1951.

Zimmer goes beyond the six orthodox systems of Indian philosophy to include Buddhism, Tantra, and various minor philosophies which are identified as philosophies of e.g., "success," "pleasure," and "duty." These are practical philosophies in the Indian constellation aimed at advising kings and princes on how to maintain power and govern (much in the manner of Machiavelli's Prince, by the way), and laypersons on how to live within the caste system and conduct one's daily life. In the Arthasastra (the science of wealth) and the voluminous Mahabharata, for example, one learns how to approach a neighbor--that is, a neighboring tribe--safely and profitably. The seven ways are (1) saman, conciliation or negotiation; (2) danda, attack, assault; (3) dana, with presents; (4) bheda, divide and confuse; (5) maya, trick, deceive; (6) upeksa, pretending not to notice; and (7) indrajala, trickery in war, such as using a Trojan horse. What Zimmer has achieved here is something beyond the usual presentation of the ideas and tenets of the Indian philosophies. We are given a rich source of material for understanding the Indian mind and how it differs from the Western.

Unlike Western philosophy, Indian philosophy is intricately interwoven with religious ideas and practices. Unlike Western philosophy, Indian philosophy does not attempt a rigorous logical expression. Rather ideas are asserted and truths acknowledged symbolically and metaphorically. Analogy is a frequent device. Zimmer explains why this is so on pages 312-313:

"...[T]he ultimate and real task of philosophy, according to Indian thought, and to such classical Occidental philosophers as Plato, transcends the power and the task of reason. Access to truth demands a passage beyond the compass of ordered thought. And by the same token: the teaching of transcendent truth cannot be by logic, but only by pregnant paradox and by symbol and image."

Western readers of an analytical philosophic mind should not be put off by the Indian style (as I once was), but instead might profit from an open-minded approach that accepts things on a symbolic level and does not get bogged down in the quicksand of apparent contradiction, because there will be contradictions aplenty! It is useful, I think, to see, for example, how the ideas of Brahmanism and the Sankhya philosophy were incorporated into the Buddhist teachings, how the Upanishads anticipated the Bhagavad Gita, and how rite and ritual evolved into something close to rationalism. Also interesting is how the unquestioned authority of the Vedas on matters of belief have been maintained in the "orthodox" philosophies of modern Indian and how they have been augmented or transplanted by the "heterodox" systems such as Buddhism and Tantra.

In the final analysis, the Indian mind sees reality as paradox. "Indian philosophy insists that the sphere of logical thought is far exceeded by that of the mind's possible experiences of reality. To express and communicate knowledge gained in moments of grammar-transcending insight [compare Zen "enlightenments"] metaphors must be used, similes and allegories." Zimmer calls these "the very vehicles of meaning." He adds, "Indian philosophy, therefore, frankly avails itself of the symbols and images of myth, and is not finally at variance with the patterns and sense of mythological belief." (p. 25)

Zimmer's style is relatively easy to read and is without obvious cant or prejudice. He writes as a historian with the emphasis on what was and why, rather than as a critical philosopher who would critique and criticize--although he is not above guiding the reader's sensibilities. Campbell's editing is substantial of course, as it must be with an uncompleted work of this size, compiled some years after the fact of composition; but his famous voice is subdued in favor of his distinguished mentor.

There is both a general and a Sanskrit index, both substantial, and a bibliography by philosophic category (Jainism, Buddhism, etc.). An appendix on "The Six Systems," Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, Vedanta, Vaisesika, and Nyaya, which Zimmer regards as "points of view" and "aspects of a single orthodox tradition" is given and there is a time line juxtaposing events in India with those in the West.

There is a reason this book is still in print, and that reason is simple: Zimmer's work is one of the best on Indian philosophy ever written and is a storehouse of insight into the mind set of India. It would make a fine addition to almost anyone's library.