ISHERWOOD, Christopher (foreword); ABHEDANANDA, Swami (trans.).

£475 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Gospel of Ramakrishna. First edition thus, first printing, signed by Isherwood at the end of the foreword. Ramakrishna was a 19th-century Indian Hindu mystic, who became popular in the USA and Europe after his death. Isherwood was a dedicated Vedantist and devotee of Ramakrishna, describing him as "extraordinary and mysterious" (Isherwood, p. 1).Dissatisfaction with capitalism grew in mid-20th-century Western societies, and Hindu and Buddhist religious orders that rejected materialism in favour of spirituality attracted increasing followers. Many Hindu and Buddhist teachings additionally rejected violence, which resonated with many after the World Wars, including Isherwood. Having realized he was a pacifist, Isherwood was encouraged to join the Vedanta Society of Southern California by Gerald Heard and Aldous Huxley, who were also members.

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