I think I would like the opportunity to read the Upanishads (as I've heard about it from several sources).
Do you know of any resources that make it EASIER to understand for ordinary & non-religious folk like me? (and in English too?) Are the Easwaran translations relatively accurate and self-understandable?
The translations by Easwaran are in English and also are accurate, as he was an Indian and also was fluent in Sanskrit. There is a helpful Introduction by Easwaran. The individual Upanishads are accompanied by commentary by another author, but personally I think the Upanishads speak better for themselves. The Easwaran edition is not expensive and includes the most central Upanishads. After that you can dig into the others as translated by other authors.
I taught a course that used the Easwaran translation of the Gita and that is how I became aquainted with his work. I think his work is a good place to start. You can look up used copies on Addall.com which is where I find a lot of books. Addall is a compiler of book sources, not a direct vendor.
You might look into Krishnamurti, who's teaching was often compared favorably to the Upanishads. I spent many years reading and trying to understand what he was "really" saying. Before he died in 1986 he had many discussions with the physicist David Bohm, who in many ways further illuminated what K was teaching from his background in physics. I attended some of K's teachings the year before he died. He was an extremely rare soul.
Most of these discussions can be found online, in videos and audios, plus there are many books on K and Bohm, with several others who took a keen interest in K's teachings. The Upanishads are so ancient (c. 800-300 BCE) and authorless (nobody knows who originally wrote them), that it can be helpful if the language is modernized, which K and Bohm provide, along with the others who participated in many discussions.
I think I would like the opportunity to read the Upanishads (as I've heard about it from several sources).
Do you know of any resources that make it EASIER to understand for ordinary & non-religious folk like me? (and in English too?) Are the Easwaran translations relatively accurate and self-understandable?
The translations by Easwaran are in English and also are accurate, as he was an Indian and also was fluent in Sanskrit. There is a helpful Introduction by Easwaran. The individual Upanishads are accompanied by commentary by another author, but personally I think the Upanishads speak better for themselves. The Easwaran edition is not expensive and includes the most central Upanishads. After that you can dig into the others as translated by other authors.
I taught a course that used the Easwaran translation of the Gita and that is how I became aquainted with his work. I think his work is a good place to start. You can look up used copies on Addall.com which is where I find a lot of books. Addall is a compiler of book sources, not a direct vendor.
Thank you Duane!
You might look into Krishnamurti, who's teaching was often compared favorably to the Upanishads. I spent many years reading and trying to understand what he was "really" saying. Before he died in 1986 he had many discussions with the physicist David Bohm, who in many ways further illuminated what K was teaching from his background in physics. I attended some of K's teachings the year before he died. He was an extremely rare soul.
Most of these discussions can be found online, in videos and audios, plus there are many books on K and Bohm, with several others who took a keen interest in K's teachings. The Upanishads are so ancient (c. 800-300 BCE) and authorless (nobody knows who originally wrote them), that it can be helpful if the language is modernized, which K and Bohm provide, along with the others who participated in many discussions.