Sankara and Heidegger Being, Truth, Freedom

Is there a truth, somewhere, which is so certain that no reasonable individual could doubt its veracity? The excitement of this quest come from the scent of freedom. Both Shankara and Heidegger erect a 'metaphysics of experienced' upon the pillars of Being, Truth, and Freedom. Metaphysics is concerned with a theory of reality while a 'metaphysics of experience' is a quest for Being qua Being. The comparative study of religion and philosophy will find that these two unique thinkers resonate together in an uncanny way even if they eventually come to different conclusions.

Shankara is the Indian master of this quest par excellence. His elucidation and insight into Being is unparalleled. As well, Heidegger is the Western philosopher who has come the closest to thinking Being in terms other than the terms of the 'categories of beings'. In fact, he may be the first Western philosopher to do so since the pre-Socratics.

Johan A. Grimes received his B. A. in Religion from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his M. A. and Ph. D. from the University of Madras in Indian Philosophy. He has taught at Universities in India, Canada. Singapore, at the United States. His book publications include: The Vivekacudamani: Sankara's Crown Jewel of Discrimination; A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy; Ganapati: Song of the Self; Problems and Perspectives in Religious Discourse: Advaita Vedanta Implications; Sapta Vidha Anupapatti: The Seven Great Untenables; and The Naiskarmyasiddhi of Suresvara: A Monograph. He currently spends his time between California and Chennai.