he popular and often misunderstood Mandukya Upanishad is considered the "king" of the Upanishads because its simple, elegant logic in the hands of an accomplished teacher removes the belief that the Self is a finite entity, revealing its limitless fullness. The famous commentaries of Gaudapada, a great sage of the Vedantic sampradaya, presents a radical Creation teaching, non-origination. Creation teachings are important because the Upanishads unequivocally state that reality is non-dual consciousness/existence. If it is, then how can we explain the presence of duality, which we continually experience?

This book, first published in 1962, is an analysis of the history of the philosophy of a country that has never distinguished philosophy from religion. Indian philosophy is not merely metaphysical speculation, but has its foundation in immediate perception. This insistence upon immediate perception rather than abstract reasoning is what distinguishes the Indian philosophy of religion from philosophy as Western nations know it.

The Upanishads are called shruti, revelations. Mandukya Upanishad, though the shortest of all Upanishads, is a revered, profound Upnaishad that teaches us about four states of consciousness: the waking, dreaming and sleeping states and Turiya, the fourth state, beyond the first three. In this Upanishad, there is a unique combination of psychology and profound philosophy, a clear exposition of the four states of consciousness.

This book clarifies the relationship between God and the creation for Gaudapada, Bhartrhari, and Shankara, and by doing so, demonstrates a major continuity of thought from Gaudapada through Bhartrhari to Abhinavagupta and Kashmir Shaivism.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the doctrines of early Advaita and Buddhism that has important implications for the question of the relationship between Hindu and Buddhist thought. The author examines the central doctrines of the Gaudapadiya-karikain a series of chapters that discuss early Advaita in relation to the Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, and Yogacara schools of Buddhism. The question of the doctrinal diversity of Indian Buddhism is also discussed through an analysis of the concept of 'Buddha-Nature' and its relationship with Vedantic thought.