Richard De Smet’s Guidelines in Indian Philosophy originated as notes for students composed over the years 1954-1975. They are a rather sophisticated introduction to Indian philosophy taken in a broad sense as including all efforts of Indian thinkers to unravel the mystery of existence. Beginning with the birth of philosophical reflection in the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakasand Upanisads, they go on to deal with the various darsans, nastika and astika, as also with the Bhagavad Gita and the evolution of Isvaravada, before coming to a rather abrupt end with Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta, itself sadly incomplete. De Smet, however, was convinced that Indian thought revealed a progressive development, a kind of finality even, and he considered Sankara one of the great peaks of that development. The chapter on the great acarya’s Advaitavada is therefore a fitting end for the book. With the publication of the Guidelines, all of De Smet’s major studies on Sankara are now easily accessible, with the exception of his doctoral dissertation.