Description
Book SynopsisYour hands-on guide to one of the world's major religions The dominant religion of India, "Hinduism" refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed over thousands of years. Today, the United States is home to approximately one million Hindus.
Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Introducing Hinduism.
Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Hinduism.
Chapter 2: From Past to Present: A Condensed History of Hinduism.
Chapter 3: Hinduism’s Core Beliefs and Values.
Chapter 4: Major Hindu Denominations.
Chapter 5: The Structure of Hindu Society.
Part II: The Hindu Pantheon and Its Religious Leaders.
Chapter 6: Pantheism to Polytheism: From the One to the Very Many.
Chapter 7: Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Chapter 8: The Avatars of Vishnu: The Divine Descent.
Chapter 9: Revering the Role of Religious Leadership.
Part III: The Sacred Texts.
Chapter 10: The Vedas: Centuries of Accumulated Treasures.
Chapter 11: Gaining Higher Knowledge with the Upanishads.
Chapter 12: Living with the Epics and Puranas.
Chapter 13: The Song of the Lord: The Bhagavad Gita.
Part IV: Hinduism in Practice.
Chapter 14: Worshipping at Home.
Chapter 15: Worshipping at Temples.
Chapter 16: Holydays and Festivals.
Chapter 17: Cradle to Cremation: The Life-Cycle Rites.
Chapter 18: Taking a Pilgrimage.
Part V: Delving Deeper into the Hindu Concept of Reality.
Chapter 19: The Six Schools of Thought: The Darshanas.
Chapter 20: Vedanta: The End of Knowledge.
Chapter 21: The Yogic Path to Salvation.
Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 22: Ten Common Questions About Hindus.
Chapter 23: Ten Common Prayers.
Chapter 24: Ten (Plus) Traditional Mandates.
Index.
