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Lost Masters: Sages of Ancient Greece
Reveals the historical connections between ancient Greece and the yogis of the Himalayas. Influential thinkers―including Plata and Pythagoras―were influenced by sages of the East.
- GenresPhilosophy
232 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2006
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October 22, 2011
As much as I really am enjoying the Hindu perspective on the Hellenic tradition - it's a very welcome change from the usual Christian bias, I would find it interesting if the author was to learn a bit more about Hellenic ethics and religious practices, and then see what her views would be.
Take for example her vegetarianism. She clearly has a bias that refraining from eating flesh is a sign of enlightenment, but she misses the point that in Hellenic society vegetarianism was an act of leaving society. (I wonder if she could bear reading "The Cuisine of Sacrifice among the Greeks" and what she would think of statements like "For the Greeks, the sharing of cooked meats was the fundamental communal act, so that to become vegetarian was a way of refusing society. It follows that the roasting or cooking of meat was a political act, as the division of portions asserted a social order. And the only proper manner of preparing meat for consumption, according to the Greeks, was blood sacrifice." (I would prefer they had not used the charged term of "blood sacrifice, but instead said "thuisa" which means "bbq set in a sacred setting, which is radically different than eating the product of factory farms.)
Alternately, her book is a fantastic reference for examples of pious ancient Hellenes the next time a scholar like Mary Beard starts ranting that thuisa is the core of Hellenic religion. Clearly there is strong proof that kharis can be established without flesh, but I would assert that consideration needs to be made to the community aspect.
I also think the author may reconsider some of her views if she learned about the full 150+ lines of Delphic maxims.
I am recommending the book to friends, but I do feel readers need to understand the book does have some flaws.
Take for example her vegetarianism. She clearly has a bias that refraining from eating flesh is a sign of enlightenment, but she misses the point that in Hellenic society vegetarianism was an act of leaving society. (I wonder if she could bear reading "The Cuisine of Sacrifice among the Greeks" and what she would think of statements like "For the Greeks, the sharing of cooked meats was the fundamental communal act, so that to become vegetarian was a way of refusing society. It follows that the roasting or cooking of meat was a political act, as the division of portions asserted a social order. And the only proper manner of preparing meat for consumption, according to the Greeks, was blood sacrifice." (I would prefer they had not used the charged term of "blood sacrifice, but instead said "thuisa" which means "bbq set in a sacred setting, which is radically different than eating the product of factory farms.)
Alternately, her book is a fantastic reference for examples of pious ancient Hellenes the next time a scholar like Mary Beard starts ranting that thuisa is the core of Hellenic religion. Clearly there is strong proof that kharis can be established without flesh, but I would assert that consideration needs to be made to the community aspect.
I also think the author may reconsider some of her views if she learned about the full 150+ lines of Delphic maxims.
I am recommending the book to friends, but I do feel readers need to understand the book does have some flaws.
Displaying 1 of 1 review