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Hinduism/Frequently Asked Questions
Hindu cullture is founded upon the sacred scriptures of the Vedas,which are revered even today,for they contain revelations of eternal Truth and embody the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Hindu people.The vedas are the legacy of the rishis,or subjective scientists,who touched a deep cord within,far beyond physical,mental and intellectual layers,which allowed them to see all life as interconnected. They saw the One manifested throughout thr univerde,making everything sacred to them.When life is honored and belief in holiness of all life is fostered,one can not help but acquire a deep sense of reverence for life.Hindu culture evolved out of this vision. This book provides concise and precise answers to basic questions about Hinduism,unfolding the foundation upon which Hindu culture rests.
- GenresReligion
111 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 1, 2016
An introduction to Hinduism and its philosophy, quick reference for readers on number and name of Upnishads and other books.
January 11, 2024
As an outsider to Hinduism, as I am a Christian, there are three primary ways in which a person achieves salvation (the goal of the religion) in this religion: the way of works (Vedas are primarily used), the way of knowledge (Upanishads are primarily used), and the way of devotion/bhakti (Bhagavad Gita and others are used where a person focuses on a specific god/goddess, oftentimes more than one, to worship).
This book's focus is by the Chinmaya Publications, which stems from the way of works--whose primary focus is on the Vedas. When I teach about Hinduism in my World Religions class, I discuss how Hinduism is a missionary religion (although it hasn't always been, from my understanding. However, I'm open to being corrected). I say this because of modern gurus (teachers/leaders/gods) who often travel outside of India in order to teach outsiders about the faith. It may be related to outsiders OR there are other movements that strive to call those from Hindu backgrounds back to the faith (i.e. Arya Samaj, Ghar Wapsi, etc.)
Nevertheless, this introductory book related to the way of works/Vedas, is one that focuses on a bunch of good deeds a person can do to achieve their salvation. It starts off addressing various questions that relate to Fundamental Concepts such as their Hindu view of God, the meaning of dharma, doctrines or karma and reincarnation, why humans are in essence divine, Hindu view of heaven and hell, ethics, caste, etc.
It then goes into addressing the Scriptures by covering the two categories: shruti and smriti, of which the Vedas are part of shruti, the most authoritative one that is taught to have been revealed to the rishis, or holy men. It then breaks down what Veda means, the four types, along with schools of their philosophy. Even though this book is written from a "works" perspective, it also goes into other Scriptures such as Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Laws of Manu, and other Sutras.
Mantras (chants) and Worship is next, wherein "Om" is focused on, along with the importance of cows, the Hindu "Trinity," or more popularly called triumvirate/trimurti. Avatars are covered as well.
There are lots of interesting details that I learned throughout that I am adding to my understanding/classes even though I've been learning about Hinduism now for about 25 years.
The Means and the Goal is next, which addresses the soul/Atman, maya, Brahman, meditation, yogis, disciples, etc.
The end of the book (actually, all throughout the book) strives to draw in skeptics whose worldview has been heavily focused on science and not religion, as it addresses tolerance, purpose, and happiness. It also has a sort of Q & A with Swami Chinmayananda that addresses a wide variety of questions that strives to help the reader understand this "way" of Hinduism in greater details.
An easy to read book for those desiring to understand basic Hindu beliefs, and more specifically from some of the Traditional Guru Movements of our day!
This book's focus is by the Chinmaya Publications, which stems from the way of works--whose primary focus is on the Vedas. When I teach about Hinduism in my World Religions class, I discuss how Hinduism is a missionary religion (although it hasn't always been, from my understanding. However, I'm open to being corrected). I say this because of modern gurus (teachers/leaders/gods) who often travel outside of India in order to teach outsiders about the faith. It may be related to outsiders OR there are other movements that strive to call those from Hindu backgrounds back to the faith (i.e. Arya Samaj, Ghar Wapsi, etc.)
Nevertheless, this introductory book related to the way of works/Vedas, is one that focuses on a bunch of good deeds a person can do to achieve their salvation. It starts off addressing various questions that relate to Fundamental Concepts such as their Hindu view of God, the meaning of dharma, doctrines or karma and reincarnation, why humans are in essence divine, Hindu view of heaven and hell, ethics, caste, etc.
It then goes into addressing the Scriptures by covering the two categories: shruti and smriti, of which the Vedas are part of shruti, the most authoritative one that is taught to have been revealed to the rishis, or holy men. It then breaks down what Veda means, the four types, along with schools of their philosophy. Even though this book is written from a "works" perspective, it also goes into other Scriptures such as Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Laws of Manu, and other Sutras.
Mantras (chants) and Worship is next, wherein "Om" is focused on, along with the importance of cows, the Hindu "Trinity," or more popularly called triumvirate/trimurti. Avatars are covered as well.
There are lots of interesting details that I learned throughout that I am adding to my understanding/classes even though I've been learning about Hinduism now for about 25 years.
The Means and the Goal is next, which addresses the soul/Atman, maya, Brahman, meditation, yogis, disciples, etc.
The end of the book (actually, all throughout the book) strives to draw in skeptics whose worldview has been heavily focused on science and not religion, as it addresses tolerance, purpose, and happiness. It also has a sort of Q & A with Swami Chinmayananda that addresses a wide variety of questions that strives to help the reader understand this "way" of Hinduism in greater details.
An easy to read book for those desiring to understand basic Hindu beliefs, and more specifically from some of the Traditional Guru Movements of our day!
January 13, 2016
Good book by Chinmaya mission. Must read for all Hindus even they though about their religion..
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews