The Hindu Traditions: A Concise IntroductionRenowned lecturer from The Teaching Company, Mark W. Muesse brings readers into an encounter with the world's oldest living religious tradition, known as Hinduism. Muesse's brief survey, challenges the perception of Hinduism as one religious tradition, showing how wonderfully rich and diverse this 5,000-year old story truly is. He traces the vast history and practices of classic and diverse traditions, moving from the origins in the Indus Valley up through classic and contemporary periods. Muesse exhibits a keen sense of the myriad spiritualities associated with Hinduism, demonstrating how the religious tradition is both monotheistic and polytheistic. |
Contents
15 | |
26 | |
The Noble Ones | 30 |
The IndoIranians | 31 |
The Religious Transformation | 36 |
The IndoIranian Divide | 38 |
The World of the Vedas | 40 |
The Vedas | 42 |
The Trimarga | 100 |
Rituals | 102 |
Festivals | 108 |
Pilgrimage | 112 |
The Way of Knowledge | 115 |
The Vedantic Solution | 119 |
The Path to Liberating Knowledge | 125 |
Seeing God | 129 |
The World of the Vedas | 43 |
Vedic Ritual | 50 |
Myth and Ritual | 55 |
Foundations | 59 |
Rebirth and Karma | 61 |
The Axial Age in India | 62 |
Death and Rebirth | 65 |
The Upanishads | 66 |
Transmigration in the Upanishads | 67 |
Karma and the Ethicization of Rebirth | 69 |
Dharma and Caste | 72 |
The Caste System | 73 |
The Jati System | 79 |
Caste and Ritual Purity | 80 |
Caste and Karma | 81 |
Men Women and the Stages of Life | 83 |
The Female Life Cycle | 86 |
Paths to Liberation | 97 |
The Way of Action | 99 |
The One and the Many | 131 |
Iconography and Idolatry | 133 |
Symbols of the Divine | 134 |
The Iconography of Shiva | 137 |
Image as Incarnation | 140 |
The Way of Devotion | 144 |
Vishnu and Vaishnavism | 145 |
The Bhagavad Gita | 149 |
The Goddess and Her Devotees | 156 |
Tantra | 164 |
Modern Challenges | 169 |
The Modern Period | 171 |
The British Raj | 178 |
Hinduism Comes West | 183 |
Notes | 189 |
Glossary | 195 |
205 | |
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ancient animals Arjuna Aryans Asia atman avatars Avestan Axial Age belief Bhagavad Gita bhakti Brahman Buddha Buddhism called caste century chapter Christianity classical concept considered cosmic courtesy of Creative Creative Commons culture Dalits death deity devas Devi devotion dharma divine female festival figure Gandhi goddess gods guru h e h Hindu Hindu traditions Hinduism holy human hymn ibid idea images important India individual Indo-Aryans Indo-Iranians Indra Indus Valley Civilization Islam jatis Kali karma knowledge known Krishna Laws of Manu liberation live male manifestation means modern moksha Muslims one’s path period person philosophy Photo courtesy priests puja rebirth religion religious Rig-Veda rites ritual sacred sacrifice Samaj samsara Sanskrit Sarasvati scholars sexual Shiva shramanas social society Soma spiritual subcontinent Swami symbols Tantra temples term texts theology tion trans ultimate reality understanding university Press Upanishads varna Vedanta Vedas Vedic Vishnu Western women word worship yoga