Victor A. van Bijlert (ret.) was a lecturer in the Department of Beliefs and Practices, Faculty of Religion and Theology, at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The nineteenth-century Hindu modernity, it is argued, sought both individual flourishing and collective emancipation from Western domination. For the first time Hinduism began to be constructed as a religion of sacred texts, the Vedantic canonical sources like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The book traces the major ideological paths taken in this cultural-religious reformation from its originator Rammohun Roy up to its last major influence, Rabindranath Tagore.
Wie Ben Ik? Het Directe Pad naar Zelfkennis volgens Ramana Maharshi
Gerrit Broekstra
Quist Publishers (www.quist.nl)
ISBN 978-94-91918-26-1
They say that if you want to save the world, you’ll have to start with yourself. But who are you exactly? Sri Ramana Maharshi, the great sage of Arunacala in South India (1879-1950), revived the direct path toSelf-knowledge or Enlightenment through the age-old technique of Self-inquiry.
Gerrit Broekstra is an emeritus professor. In 2020, Quist published his book Ken jezelf – Het einde van je nepik [Know Yourself – the End of Your Fake Self, ed.] (“A real gem”, InZicht book review). The present publication can be seen as a more practical follow-up to Ken Jezelf and is available from quist.nl and bol.com
This technique is described in the booklet Who am I? which has been published worldwide in many languages, yet was translated mostly from an unauthorized 1982 English translation from Tamil.
There is, however, also a Sanskrit version of Koham in the authentic handwriting of Ramana Maharshi himself, which differs considerably from the former in all sorts of details and nuances. This unique translation, directly from the handwriting of Ramana Maharshi into Dutch, makes the text even more appealing and compelling.
Traditionally, Self-inquiry or ātma-vicāra consists of three parts: listening, reflecting and meditating. These three elements are reflected in the structure of this book. Each chapter begins with reading the translation of the Sanskrit text, followed by a variety of inspirational notes for reflection and a deeper understanding. Finally, some meditations help the spiritual seeker on the path to Self-knowledge to put these insights into practice. All in all, this is an exciting book for both beginners and advanced seekers who are in search of the real truth about themselves. This spiritual book will go beyond your comfort zone, while at the same time offering consistent comfort and inspiration.
NL 
EN