An interview with Author Hermann Kuhn

An Interview With Author Hermann Kuhn
By Nita Kapadia

26 December,2009

In his book, ‘The key To The Centre Of The universe,’ Author Hermann Kuhn makes a profound observation, ‘We generally assume that if we want to explore new areas of experience, we first need to acquire knowledge and then to apply it. Yet reality works exactly the opposite way. We first experience something new and then only begin to search more or less intuitively and often subconsciously for concepts that may explain our new experiences and connect them to our current understanding.’

This is absolutely a new way of thinking as far as most of us are concerned. All the more surprising because it is, as it is, in an ancient Indian manuscript, the Tattvarthasutra, by sage Umaswamy. It was in 1978, that Hermann Kuhn discovered it while exploring an ancient Indian temple.

The Key to The Centre Of The Universe can be described as the first translation of this ancient manuscript that moves away from the familiar philosophical way to a different way of looking at it. He makes the content easily practicable. Now you can apply the principles elucidated in your daily life. No mean feat, even though it seems so effortless.

Here follows an interview with Author Hermann Kuhn , who is one of the few experts of this ancient wisdom that is entirely unknown to the west.

1]At what age was your first work published?

I was first published when I was fifteen years old. It was about philosophy and landscaping.

2] Do you have a writing schedule?

Not really, I just start typing. Once I wrote 280 pages and then just didn’t know what to write. Thirteen years later I knew enough to continue and finish the book.

3]Who influenced your writing the most?

Sri Aryanandi Muni maharaj . I have dedicated my book to him. Besides Muni Maharaj, there are two writers, Daniel Vare and T. E. Lawrence. Daniel Vare is an Italian writer and T. E. Lawrence is the author of The Lawrence of Arabia. They have excellent language skills, their English is excellent. I prefer to write in English because I find German cumbersome. My books in German always have more pages than those written in English.

4] What advice might you give aspiring writers?

Have something worthwhile to write about. Don’t write if you have nothing to say!
Also, write everyday.

5] What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

I like playing jazz on the piano. I played publicly in Crete, Greece.
I also initiated a project called New Horizon in The Nawagud gurukul which was established under the guidance of Muni Sri Aryanandiji in 1992. Project  New Horizon introduces professional computer operations to 9th and 10th grade students. What convinced me to choose this gurukul and to invest time into this venture were the bright faces of the students, their dedication to learning and their intelligent answers and questions when I talked to them in their classrooms and in private on previous visits.

6] What inspires you the most?

Music. Whenever I sit on the piano and improvise. Jazz playing is all about improvisation. It helps with writing.

7] How did you get  your ideas?

More like the ideas got me.
At first whilst writing the translation, there were a lot of discussions about the words. The first version was in 1994
I, then knew that the people in the west needed to know how to live life efficiently. They wanted practical help. The mechanism of action was needed. The breakthrough came when I realized this and eliminated all philosophical comments.  The reader should not open the book and say, ‘Oh,it’s about religion!’ and put it away. I gave examples that related to daily living.
Secondly, I recognized the fact that the way of thinking two thousand years ago was not the way we think now. In our times, peoples’ minds are scattered. There is no mental discipline. There was a time when I programmed for fourteen hours. Training and logic fascinated me. Umaswamy, the writer of Tattvarthasutra was very logical. He had the most precise knowledge of how reality worked. I wanted to bring that out. That, that was needed to expand consciousness in an effective way.

8] What do you like best about Indian Philosophy?

The combination of truth and depth. The scope of this philosophy.