Master's Mind English 2004

Right thinking is not only about understanding concepts, it means creativity, self-confidence, a power, and a force to act. Good thinking is encouraging, inspiring, refreshing and enjoyable. The whole book seems to be dedicated to this uplifting and enriching energy, which is quite comforting and soothing, too. Its mood then is both compassionate and strong. As a good commentator who is a good interpreter, Daniel Albuquerque has placed Master's Mind on a wider basis and put it in a different perspective, namely Western thought with which he is well acquainted. The major terms such as "force", "consciousness", "ethics", "meaning", "space", "time", "life", "death" are delineated in their Western setting, and they are related to Sir Aurobindo's philosophy. Sometimes he uses them as a background contrasting them to Indian thought, sometimes to add them to Sir Aurobindo's ideas but in any case he surpasses them. Western concepts may be helpful but all in all they lack the richness they can gain within Sri Aurobindo's more general survey. Albuquerque's approach is very insightful when he tackles Kant, Brentano, Husserl, Heidegger, Nietzsche and the 20th century positivists in an analytical tradition where his contribution is siginificant; they are wisely rearranged according to the needs of the objective. It is the true characteristic of a good commentary, which expands understanding by building bridges to other profound ideas.