From the United States
George Hardeen
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect match of author and subject
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2012
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I finished reading Phil Goldberg's "American Veda" over Thanksgiving. It was wonderful, easily the best and most enjoyable book I've read this year!
What Phil did is really remarkable. The book is great history, great storytelling and best of all GREAT writing. His research is thoroughly exhaustive. His knowledge just shines through. The organization of the book is really great, too, giving just the right amount of space in the right order to each of his numerous subjects right to the end.
I can only imagine the amount of reading that was required to write this. It's a college course, one I'd love to take. The information he presents is just the right amount to illustrate the innumerable points he makes. When I wonder what I might like to read, I can thumb through American Veda to find an interesting title and follow Phil's trail.
The book has great chapter titles and great subheads, too; double entendres and word play. No one who didn't live through this period could have written this book. No one born sooner could have done it, either. Talk about the right man for the job, Phil was it.
Back to the writing, as everyone knows a lot of books frontload the best, most poetic of an author's work right at the beginning. That makes sense. They're just starting, investing the most thought and time where it will do the most good to hook a reader. Often, you notice the quality taper off as a book progresses toward the end. Not here. Phil's writing stays fresh, lively, bright and smart right to the last page. I looked for that inevitable taper and it never showed. I really appreciate that. His phrasing is brilliant right where it needs to be. You can see he never stops thinking about what he's discussing. I appreciate that a lot of work went into make every sentence sing. It shows.
After I read American Veda I listened to Phil's interview with Rick Archer on Buddha at the Gaspump on YouTube. That's really good but, like a movie, there's a lot more in the book. I'm listening to Phil's interviews linked on the americanveda.com website and I'm enjoying them, too.
This book is great history, great storytelling, great writing and a great resource of Vedantic knowledge. Phil Goldberg and the history of the Vedas coming to and influencing America were a perfect match of author and subject.
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anonymous name
5.0 out of 5 stars A must book for all spiritual aspirants
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2010
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
American Veda is a thorough, comprehensive,balanced and informative report of the tremendous influence of Vedic thought in the United States; from the most obvious literary filters that came through in the 19th century and early 20th centuries (fine treatment of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman) to the more subtle reformation of key Vedic concepts into "Americanese" by the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The author provides a good taste of the deeper esoteric models of mystical experience, without overwhelming the beginner reader who may be still lingering at lower stages of integration. Yet, for the more advanced learner the author gives plenty of historical material that is fascinating and helps thread the missing pieces of fabric.
There is no doubt in my mind that any serious student of American spirituality should have this book on their shelf. As well, aspirants who are beginning their journey beyond the spiritual kindergarten of religion should read this book before venturing too far out beyond the shore.
The author's comments on "fallen gurus" never come across as judgmental or biased. Now this is exceptional reporting at its best.
Goldberg's chronicles of more recent integrations of science (i.e. quantum theory) and eastern structures of consciousness/reality are superb. I have been impressed by some of the more recent dialogue which is learning more about the limits of the brain; i.e. that this organ is not a creator but a transmitter/processer of thought. The author's use of the metaphor of the "tv. set" to describe the primary function of the brain is useful and accessible to the layperson.
I appreciated Goldberg's consistent commitment to objective reporting; naming the controversy between the more programmatic schools of Vedic teaching (for example, TM ) and the popular "self-help" books that foster entry level techniques; such as those promoting meditation-as-relaxation, foregoing the more arduous path of transcendental awareness (for example, Herbert Benson's Relaxation Response). Both have their uses and strengths.
Again, I applaud Philip Goldberg for a fine read and congratulations on providing the spiritual aspirant with an excellent learning and discerning tool as they begin or as they advance their experiential studies in integrative awareness.
Neale Lundgren, Ph.D.
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Elasticity
4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of useful and engaging information, but needs better editing.
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
With a spare morning after an excellent teacher training course at Rishikesh Yogis/ Yoga Sadhana, I went with friends to the "Beatles Ashram" on bank of the Ganges opposite our school. Previously we had visited the well-appointed Beatles Cafe (which acknowledges the group never went there), and I expected something like that: sleek design, crowds, and a gift shop. Basically, the "ashram"- where the entry gate bears only the name "84 Huts"- is a ruin. Officially, it is a tiger reserve. Visitors are free to roam around and determine for themselves what is safe to tread on and not- and try to figure out what happened.
Before leaving for another part of India, I had time to start exploring the answer in the Wikipedia entry "Beatles in India," which led me to Goldberg's book. To the Wikipedia article's information about tensions between the Beatles and Transcendental Meditation founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, it added developments in TM that factored in its decline. Perhaps somewhere there is a more complete account of the establishment, popularity, decline, and fall of what is now known as "84 Huts"- for that number of interesting meditation structure that hobbits might have built.
Goldberg's book includes much more. Anyone with more than passing interest in the global reach of Indian thought and spirituality will have heard of its influence on Emerson and Thoreau. Through careful research, Goldberg persuaded me of a direct connection: Both of those thinkers actually read widely in translations of the body of literature he terms "Vedanta." He discusses subsequent establishment of Vedanta societies in the US, and presents fascinating stories of figures- mostly male but some female- who promoted the interchange of Indian and American ideas, by attracting followers and establishing institutions, some of which are still in operation.
With better editing, this could be a fine book for intellectually oriented book clubs and perhaps even syllabi for college courses in American Studies and Comparative Religion. Alas, presentation of substantial and detailed information is marred by cliches, hyperbole, and casual colloquialisms. A certain guru's existential crisis in youth makes other adolescent anguish "seem like [nothing more than] bad dreams." Why is it necessary to judge anyone else's experience to make the point? Presumably, insecurity over writing skill. It is not necessary to have taught English to know that decent writing consists in allowing readers to feel, rather than stating what should be felt.
Referring to police forces as "the fuzz" just seems lazy.
Beyond continual lapses into sloppy style, in the substance, Goldberg barely touches on issues of commercialization of ideas. He seems to have too much personal investment in "Vedantic" principles and practices to grapple critically with the American context himself, although he does discuss criticisms of most of the thinkers and movements he refers to. Of course, "Truth is one; Paths are many," can seem like a perfectly admirable guiding precept. But to dismiss, for example, conservative Christian backlash as parochial, misses opportunity for some important arguments, such as how moral and ethical values are to be inculcated.
As an American leaning strongly on Hindu traditions, while having to work out my life in the United States for now, I am glad to have read Goldberg's book- at least the first 70% or so about Vedantic movements. I was less interested in later chapters that lose the historical thread, in discussions of research on a "unified field theory" of consciousness. Given the flaws, however, I think it will be a long time before I will meet anyone else with the interest and background that would motivate me to recommend it.
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Jeffery D. Long
5.0 out of 5 stars Chronicling the Emergence of a Distinctively American Hinduism
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2011
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This excellent book relates, probably for the first time in a single volume, the history of Hindu-inspired religious movements in America. Unlike the equally excellent volume by Lola Williamson, 'Transcendent in America,' which focuses in great depth upon three such movements (Transcendental Meditation, Siddha Yoga, and Self-Realization Fellowship), 'American Veda' has a wide scope that includes not only these three important groups, but also the Vedanta Society, ISKCON, and a host of other institutions and personalities, as well as the more diffused but nevertheless pervasive influence of Hindu thought upon the American ethos, consciousness, and cultural lexicon. From karma to gurus to yoga, it's all here.
The author, a TM practitioner, writes as a sympathetic insider, but also with a sufficient degree of detachment and integrity to assure the reader that the material is presented in a way that is fair and reasonably unbiased. (Everyone has a bias, after all.) Bringing the many fascinating personalities that it covers to life in a way that is vivid, informative, and even entertaining, Philip Goldberg's book is neither hagiography nor hatchet job. Based on solid research, but also written in a highly accessible fashion, American Veda is a very good starting point for anyone who is interested in learning more about the influence of Hinduism in America.
As one of the people who is mentioned in the book, I can also say that reading 'American Veda' is a wonderful way to contextualize one's own practice in the larger history of the movement of which it is a part. Goldberg "gets it." He understands what draws many of us to these movements, as well as the various challenges and drawbacks that they face. His writing rings true. I think his chronicle of what may yet emerge as a distinctively American form of Hinduism will continue to be a valuable reference work for many decades to come.
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Bob Weisenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars True or False? Physical Yoga Has Influenced America More than Spiritual Yoga.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2011
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
(This review from Elephant Journal [...] )
True or False? Physical Yoga Has Influenced America More than Spiritual Yoga.
Answer: False! The reverse is true. Spiritual Yoga has had a far bigger impact on America than the physical poses most people think of as Yoga.
You'll almost certainly agree after reading the startling new book American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation How Indian Spirituality Changed the West by Philip Goldberg
(See accompanying interview with Phil Goldberg. [...])
The spirituality of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, the original texts of Yoga, has found its way into the very core of spiritual life in America, according to Goldberg, even though this is often masked by the form it has taken, and sometimes through outright repression of historical facts.
American Veda is an absolute must-read for anyone serious about Yoga. It is one of the most important books I've personally ever read about Yoga, or anything else, for that matter. It is surprising, entertaining, and highly readable throughout, and it will cause you to forever think differently about the impact of Yoga in America.
This book is so momentous, that at first I had trouble imagining how I could adequately describe it's message and scope in a "review". Then I suddenly realized that this would be the easiest review I've ever written. Here it is:
The following is just a partial list, just to give you an idea, of the famous people who, as documented in American Veda, have been profoundly influenced, not just a little bit influenced, but profoundly and pivotally influenced, by the Yoga of the original ancient Yoga texts, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, often referred to as "Vedanta Yoga" (Most are Americans, but I also included others who heavily influenced Americans.):
Authors
Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman Aldous Huxley
Samuel Taylor Coleridge William Wordsworth William Blake Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost Jack Kerouac Allen Ginsberg Alan Watts Gotham Chopra
Tim Gallwey (Inner Game of Tennis) Herman Hesse Oliver Wendell Holmes
Somerset Maugham J. D. Salinger Christopher Isherwood Timothy Leary
Huston Smith T.S. Eliot William Butler Yeats
Psychologists
William James Carl Jung Abraham Maslow Stanislav Grof Daniel Goleman
New Spirituality/Self-help
Eckhart Tolle Deepak Chopra Michael Beckwith (Agape) Ken Wilber
Joseph Cambell Madame Blavatsky (Theosophical Society) Wayne Dyer
Marianne Williamson Norman Vincent Peale Tony Robbins
John Gray Joan Borysenko Andrew Harvey
Musicians & Entertainers
The Beatles (especially George Harrison) Philip Glass Judy Collins
Russell Simmons Elvis Presley John Coltrane Alice Coltrane Donovan
Mick Jagger Marianne Faithful Mia Farrow Mike Love
Paul Horn Madonna John McGlaughlin
Yehudi Menuhin Van Morrison David Lynch Shirley McClaine
Jerry Seinfeld And many others
Religious Figures
Mary Baker Eddy (founder Christian Science) Ernest Holmes (Religious Science)
Thomas Keating Thomas Merton Father Bede Griffiths Rabbi David Gelberman
The "New Thought" Movement (source of many modern congregations)
Politicians/Activists
John Adams Martin Luther King (through Mahatma Gandhi) Booker T. Washington
Philosophers
Arthur Schoepenhauer Friedrich Hegel Alfred North Whitehead
Scientists
David Bohm (quantum physicist) Rupert Sheldrake (biologist) Fritjof Capra (The Tao of Physics)
J. Robert Oppenheimer Erwin Shroedinger (physicist, close friend of Einstein)
Nikola Tesla (legendary inventor) John Hagelin Amrit Goswami
Health and Wellness
Andrew Weil Dean Ornish Mehmet "Dr." Oz. Herbert Benson (The Relaxation Response)
See also: How Yoga Has Transformed American Spirtuality: An Interview with Phil Goldberg, Author of "American Veda", and then read the book! [...]
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MD on the Search
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Mystery Tour
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2010
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Phil Goldberg is a highly skillful tour guide. He brings not only a nimble mind and an open heart to the party as he chronicles India's impact on the West, but also a gentle humor and a finely balanced thoughtfulness that unobtrusively suggest his own depth and clarity. In a tour of intellectual history I found both entertaining and enriching, he begins with early roots, showing how yogic philosophy influenced Emerson, Thoreau, and other 19th century thinkers. He turns then to 20th century disciples, from the Beatles and Ram Dass to a procession of other celebrities and less known figures as he describes the many Indian teachers whose wisdom has reached our shores at the same time. In the process, he re-tells the story of the 1960's, its creative ferment and legacy, in a new light. He also makes an engaging contribution to interfaith understanding. He neither glosses over controversy nor gets lost in it.
The Goldberg tour is sufficiently well-written that it is fully accessible to the most uninformed reader. The unfolding set of mini-topics is presented simply and deftly, like a refreshing series of breezes. Not too heavy, not too light. Anyone interested in philosophic ideas within an historical context will discover a treasure trove of intriguing vignettes and asides herein. That will hold doubly for anyone who practices meditation or yoga. For them, this superb overview will be a wonderfully welcome gift.
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Anna Hourihan
5.0 out of 5 stars I Didn't Know That!
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2011
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
With Vedantin terms like "yoga," "karma," "mantra" and "meditation" so commonplace, it's surprising that the term "Vedanta" is relatively unknown in America and around the world. Reading Philip Goldberg's fascinating and comprehensive exploration of Vedanta's influence is surely one way to remedy that.
In "American Veda," Mr. Goldberg reveals how Vedantin concepts such as the unity of existence and "One Truth, many paths" came to be incorporated in the fabric of American society. He shows us how this ancient philosophy has influenced and continues to influence not only the way we think about spirituality and religion, but also how its concepts have impacted modern health care, psychology and the arts.
His extensive research turns up many interesting facts and stories that he expertly threads through the text. I knew, for example, that the Beatles' John Lennon and George Harrison were influenced by Indian thought, but had no idea that T.S. Eliot studied Vedantic texts, Sanskrit and Pali.
Goldberg carefully chronicles the arrival, unique approach to the Vedas and impact of the many gurus and teachers--Indian as well as American-born. Although very readable, it can feel somewhat encyclopedic at times. In spite of being very much involved in yoga and meditation since the 1960s, Goldberg manages an unbiased, non-judgmental treatment of the subject--including the occasional scandal and controversy. The transparency is refreshing.
This is a valuable reference text that I hope makes its way onto the shelves of our public libraries and into the hands of anyone interested in spirituality, religion and especially Vedanta's influence in America.
- by Anna Hourihan, publisher and editor of "Children of Immortal Bliss," an introduction to the Vedanta teachings of India.
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Julian Lynn
4.0 out of 5 stars Panoramic in Scope with Narrative Irregularities
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
"American Veda" is a singularly ambitious and panoramic report and, in some cases, review of the many ways in which Indian spirituality has impacted and informed American culture and cultural precepts over the past two-hundred-plus years.
Readers new to this field of inquiry may initially be overwhelmed by the vast number of names, events, organizations and statistical information presented in this seemingly comprehensive book. Readers who have a good command of US social and intellectual history and/or a strong bent toward serious spiritual inquiry may find Goldberg's work very helpful. And, to the author's credit, copious endnotes provide serious readers with additional material and leads to supplement the chapters' many narrative threads.
Because this work is being used as a teaching tool, two aspects of Goldberg's work caused this reviewer concern. First is the issue of the author's voice. Goldberg seems to be entrenched in hippie-era slang circa 1970. As a point of fact, the verbal phrase "turn on" instead of "introduce" peppers the book's pages—to the extent that this reader almost started tracking the instances of its appearance. What can I say? "Bummer drag, man." Also, in an attempt to contextualize certain events, the author sometimes makes sweeping and sensationally-worded statements about US history. These passages would benefit from a more careful rewording.
The second and more serious concern, regarding Goldberg's book, has to do with the nuanced "details" of events and cause-effect relationships and how they are reported. The author, perhaps because of the sheer scope of material covered, has in several instances become mildly confused. For example, Goldberg reports that the meeting between the XIV Dalai Lama and a delegation of Jewish Rabbis, "Chronicled by Rodger Kamenetz in the best seller "The Jew in the Lotus," [that] the purpose of the trip was to learn why so many Jews were drawn to the East." In contrast, Kamenetz himself writes, "In 1989, the same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts, the Dalai Lama turned for the first time to the Jewish people for help. 'Tell me your secret,' he said, 'the secret of Jewish spiritual survival in exile.'" Readers, using this text as a teaching tool, need to be aware that the narrative contains such irregularities.
Read the book; enjoy it. With a more careful edit and, perhaps, some additional scholarly peer reviews, a revised edition of "American Veda" might become a trusted resource for serious students of Indian spirituality in the West for years to come.
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The Greatest Weight
4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough overview of Indian transmissions to Europe/America
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Although not a scholarly work, Goldberg’s history of the influence and transmission of Indian religious ideas covers a wide range of narratives and figures, from the ancient period to the present. Everything from the Alexander the Great's encounter with Indian yogis, the Transcendentalists’ reception of eastern religious texts, which influenced New Thought and Positive thinking, Huxley’s perennialism, Joseph Campbell’s comparative mythology, Huston Smith’s and Mircea Eliade’s comparative religion, to Eastern transmitters of tradition - some who came to America like Vivekananda, Yogananda, Maharishi, DT Suzuki, Rajneesh, and Muktananda, and others whose influence came via texts and reputation; Aurobindo, Ramana Maharsi, Gandhi. Additional lines of transmission and integration come from scholars of Asian religions, yoga’s 19th century innovations (particularly hatha), home grown gurus like Pierre Barnard and Richard Alpert/Ram Dass, the worlds of art and music (the Beatles, the Coltranes, John McLaughlin, Phillip Glass, Kandinsky), as well as the sciences, particularly “new” physics (Capra, Bohm) and psychology (Jung, Maslow).
Some of the internal complexities of Indian religious traditions are glossed over such that everything is basically included in Goldberg’s use of Vedanta-Yoga (2 distinct philosophical darsanas), from Vedanta to Tantra, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. There is also a somewhat troubling equation of “Vedanta” with the perennial truth of all religions - basically the same old problem of perennialism that posits a transcendental core to all religions, but then stipulates the conditions of that core itself. Goldberg admits he is writing from the perspective of an author-practitioner, so it is not surprising that more sober critiques of some of the figures and ideas included are missing, with everything painted over with a somewhat rosy, sandalwood-smelling veneer (one chapter on scandals is severely lacking, and many additional figures discussed elsewhere in the book have had very serious accusations of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse made against them more recently). A few of the Sanskrit terms are also incorrect (sanatanadharma where it should be svadharma, savikalpasamadhi where it should be nirvikalpa), but these are minor points. Overall, a useful, if nonobjective, history of the recent (historical) interactions between India and Euro-America.
Prehistorical mythic substrates linking Indian and other major religious traditions can be posited from the work being done in more recent comparative mythology (Michael Witzel, Wim van Binsbergen), revealing commonalities that are preprogrammed far before the Vedic rsis composed their visionary poems or the Upanishadic thinkers contemplated the identity of Brahman and Atman, and which inform these developments. But this is beyond the scope of the Goldberg’s project.
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Lydia Beckham
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title scare you!
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2011
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Ok, I am writing this at the request of Cousin Phil (and hopefully not to his regret), because I had lunch with him today and said something to him that prompted him to ask me to write a review of his book on Amazon. As you can probably already tell I'm not a scholar. I also have never studied or been involved with anything Indian, and have done yoga only once. The yoga teacher was very nice and lent me a spare floor matte. The floor was freezing cold. I did the whole class, but had no idea why I was doing anything, and it didn't make me or my body feel any different and I said, "never again." A friend explained "chakras" to me once. Although it seemed somewhat meaningful at the time, I've since forgotten what they are. I have been on a quest my whole life, but my answers came from people, movies, every day life, stage shows like "Hair." I've been telling people ever since I saw "Hair" (1968? 1969?) that the "Age of Aquarius" is upon us. I always knew this was a time of Great Awakening. But I had no idea someone documented its path! That's what Phil did. He took my life and documented its path. It is SO fascinating. If you are someone that has lived in the West, he has probably documented yours too. This book is like a self-indulgence. I'm learning all about me and my culture (and since I had been in a cult most of my adult life I need to!). What a pleasure. Oh, by the way, as I told the author at lunch today, I have only read the acknowledgments, intro, and first 3 pages so far, but I looove his book (honestly, I only started reading it this morning because I knew I was having lunch with him and wanted to discuss his book). But I could hardly put it down! In fact, as soon as I finish this up I'm going back to reading it. So, Phil told me, "My friend said the same thing. I told him, I hope you continue to enjoy it. After another 50 pages he called me and told me he was still enjoying it. After more pages he called me and told me he was still enjoying it. He did that till he got to the end." So, I have faith that even I will actually enjoy Phil's book all the way to the end also! If not, I will come back and change my review. That being said, this book is relevant for anybody in the West that has ever wondered, "Hey, what's going on? What's happenin', man?"
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