HinduismforBeginners
An concise introduction tothe Eternal Path to Liberation
By
Pandit Ram Sivan(Srirama Ramanuja Achari)
Simha PublicationsSydney — January 2005
2
Contents
Foreword .............................................................. .................... ......................3
Part 1
Introduction .................................................................................................... 4The Process of Spiritual Inquiry ....................... ................................ ........ 10
The Seven Basic Tenets
1. Brahman — the Godhead ........................................................................ 192. Atman — The Self ....................... ............................................................. 223. Samsara — The Flow of Life ................................... .............................. 244. Karma — The Economy of Action ................................ ....................... 255. Nirvana — Liberation ............................................................................ 326. Creation/ Projection ............................................................................... 347. Dharma — Right Living ......................................................................... 36
Part 2 General Information
1. Scriptures ..................................................................................................., 392. Grace and Works ...................................................................................... 423. The Family & Society ................................................................................ 444. Icons & Temples ........................................................................................ 465. Polytheism & Pantheism .......................................................................... 486. Eschatology – Final Things ..................................................................... 497. Theodicy — The problem of Evil ............................................................ 508. Sexual Matters ........................................................................................... 529. Astrology .............................................................. .................................... 5410. Sanatana Dharma & other Faiths ......................................................... 5511. Preaching & Converting ........................................................................ 5612. Sanatana Dharma & the Environment ............................................... 5613. Sacred Cows ............................................................................................ 57
Part 3 The spiritual life
The Tri-factor of Spiritual Practice ........................................................... 58Yoga .............................................................. ................................................ 60Tantra ............................................................................................................ 65Meditation .............................................................. .................................... 66
Part 4 Liturgy Rites, Ceremonies & Sacraments
The Sacraments — Samskaras ................................................................. ...70Temples and Priests ................................................................. .................... 71The Clergy .............................................................. ....................................... 72The Monastics .......................................................................... .................... 72Conclusion .............................................................. ...................................... 73
3
Foreword
There are two world religions which have formed the cultural and ethical basis of the world aswe know it. Both have an unbroken history going back thousands of years. Judaism with a 5000year old tradition is the mother of the western civilisation through its offshoot Christianity.Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recordedhistory. Hindu civilisation originated in the Gangetic and Indus valleys and from there spreadout over the entire region of southeast Asia. Its offshoot — Buddhism, shaped and molded thecivilizations of Japan, China, Tibet and the rest of Asia. The Ancient pre-biblical kingdom of theMittani in Asia minor was ruled by Hindu Kings with Sanskrit names! The Sumerians and theHittites were both Indo-European people said to have originating in the Gangetic Basin. Hinduphilosophy/theology influenced the ancient Greeks since the time Alexander the Greatconquered parts of north India. A remarkable similarity has also been demonstrated betweenthe religion and mythology of the ancient Scandinavian people and that of the people of India.The ancient civilizations such as the Roman, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Sumerian, and theBabylonian have all passed away. Even the Jewish culture has undergone many radical changessince its inception 5000 years ago – yet the Hindu civilisation continues as a vibrant and livingvector, and has remained virtually unchanged for over 6000 years. Today, Hindu communitiesare to be found in almost every country on earth.Most books available on Hinduism in bookshops in the West today are written by non-HinduWesterners. Most of them are very scholarly and recount the doctrines in a clinical manner,sometimes without any insight. Many of these scholars are in fact hostile to the very subjectmatter that they purport to recount in an impartial manner.This book is written by a Westerner who is a practicing Hindu, to give non-Hindus as well asHindus who are living in the West, an introduction to the faith. Its purpose is to give an overview with as few technical terms as possible and without too much detail. For those who areinterested in reading further, libraries and specialty book shops will be able to provide acatalogue on the subject.As a further aid to reading and understanding this book, I have used a few Sanskrit terms buthave given their approximate translation each time. There is also a glossary of important Englishtheological and philosophical terms in the appendix — I hope that this will make reading easierby removing the need for repeated reference to a dictionary.Srirama Ramanuja AchariSydney 2005
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