MALAYSIA, September 30, 2007: (HPI note: “What is Hinduism?” was produced by the staff of Hinduism Today magazine and HPI. It was reviewed in this article by journalist R. Gowri.)
Someone passed me a copy of “What Is Hinduism?” recently. Anyone from my generation could be forgiven for not faithfully turning the pages of any publication that pronounces in such a bold-faced manner its commitment to organized religion, says Gowri. Christianity seems to have lost its hold on large numbers in Europe and the United States. In perhaps only a slightly smaller scale, Hinduism has dispersed into various mainstream philosophies that have reworked the religion’s fundamentals into a broader spirituality that appeals to the more abstract-attuned in today’s world.
“Our great Hindu truths are popularized and well-attended when (presented) in a secular form but when the swamis present them in the traditional way, it’s not that well-appreciated,” Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami acknowledged. The query put to him was why the drift away from organized religion seems, ironically enough, to correlate with a surging interest worldwide in spiritualism, and its very many “newfound” pathways to manifest positive outcomes in life. “Hinduism, though, encourages people to be spiritual in any way that suits them,” says the spiritual leader of Kauai Aadheenam, a temple-monastery complex in Hawaii. “Yes, there’s a natural trend somehow, to draw on Hinduism in a neutral sense. But we’re not speaking to that…or hold events of that nature.”
“What Is Hinduism?” seeks to cast light on the mysteries, to “dispel myths and misinformation,…to present the teachings and traditions of the individual sects, traditions and lineages…” It first addresses the basic nature of Hinduism with chapters on ritual worship, the various denominations, why visiting a temple is significant, setting up a home shrine, and the Hindu scriptures. It even includes a comparison between Hinduism and Buddhism. The editors, that is, the monks, based at Kauai, receive material from journalists all over the world. Scholars and priests are utilized to clarify technical discrepancies. “We present differing points of views from key swamis without trying to reconcile them into a unified statement. “Because in many areas, Hinduism doesn’t have a unified way of looking at things; it’s quite diverse,” explained Bodhinatha. Despite the expansive approach, the book is a coherent source of knowledge on what it takes to be a Hindu, and useful to a person of any faith thirsting for spiritual insight. For the complete lengthy and insightful article, click on the url above. To order the book, click here.