Vedanta for the West: The Ramakrishna Movement in the United States
"This important book fills a gap in our knowledge.... Highly recommended."—Library Journal\ "... highly recommended... " —Choice\ "With admirable clarity and remarkable brevity, Jackson surveys the history of the movement and raises... important issues... " —The Journal of American History\ An important history of the Ramakrishna movement, the very first and in many ways the most important Asian religious group to appear in the United States.
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"This important book fills a gap in our knowledge.... Highly recommended." — Library Journal"... highly recommended... " — Choice"With admirable clarity and remarkable brevity, Jackson surveys the history of the movement and raises... important issues... " — The Journal of American HistoryAn important history of the Ramakrishna movement, the very first and in many ways the most important Asian religious group to appear in the United States. Library Journal This important book fills a gap in our knowledge. Histories of Vedanta have appeared before, but they have been by devotees; Jackson's work demonstrates the objectivity and thoroughness of a trained historian. He begins with a brief history of the reform movements within Hinduism in the 1800s; explains how Vedanta, a religion related to Hinduism, came to the United States; and then reviews the lives of two primary figures in Vedanta--Ramakrishna and his follower Vivekennanda. Jackson then discusses the organization of the movement, presents the teachings, analyzes the movement since 1920, and muses on its future. An excellent bibliographic essay lists a host of important publications, while an appendix contains a list of Vedanta centers. Highly recommended.-- David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino
ForewordPreface1The Nineteenth-Century Background12The Founders: Ramakrishna and Vivekananda163Trials of Survival: The Organization of an American Movement484Vedanta for Americans: The Teachings of the Ramakrishna Movement675The Appeals of Vedanta886The Movement since the 1920s1087The Ramakrishna Movement in History: Past, Present, and Future130Appendix: Vedanta Centers147Notes151Bibliographical Essay170Index180
\ Library JournalThis important book fills a gap in our knowledge. Histories of Vedanta have appeared before, but they have been by devotees; Jackson's work demonstrates the objectivity and thoroughness of a trained historian. He begins with a brief history of the reform movements within Hinduism in the 1800s; explains how Vedanta, a religion related to Hinduism, came to the United States; and then reviews the lives of two primary figures in Vedanta--Ramakrishna and his follower Vivekennanda. Jackson then discusses the organization of the movement, presents the teachings, analyzes the movement since 1920, and muses on its future. An excellent bibliographic essay lists a host of important publications, while an appendix contains a list of Vedanta centers. Highly recommended.-- David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino\ \
