The Upanishads (Part 1)

These remarkable mystical and philosophical treatises have not only created the later wisdom of India, they have also played an important part in Western thought. While one may be doubtful of their claimed influence upon the Neoplatonists and the medieval Christian mystics, they still have greatly influenced later developments in Western philosophy, from the time of Schleged, Heged, Schopenhauer, and Schelling. Probably written by various authors over several centuries before 500 B. C. they exhibit a remarkable uniformity of purpose: they strive through parable, proverb, simile, and metaphor, and through a method similar to Socratic dialogue-to arrive at truth without erecting a formal system.