Summary
Encyclopedia of Hinduism, a volume from the new Encyclopedia of World Religions series, examines the living faith of this religion and its historical and social background. Aimed at the high school and junior college student, as well as the layperson, this accessible reference explores the vast world of Hinduism, which emerged from prehistory and lives today in astonishing variety.
With approximately 700 A-to-Z entries, Encyclopedia of Hinduism focuses on the most significant groups within this religion, noteworthy teachers and their contributions, the religions and cultural movements that enriched its history, and the diaspora of Hindu thought and practice around the world. Two major religious traditions that sprang from Hindu influence, Jainism and Sikhism, also have many entries. A comprehensive introduction that provides an overview of the tradition, a chronology, a bibliography, an index, and black-and-white photographs complete this volume.
Entries include:
- Ancestor worship
- Sri Aurobindo
- Ayodhya
- Ayurveda
- Benares
- Bhagavad Gita
- Brahman
- Caste
- Christian-Hindu relations
- Divali
- Durga
- Ecology and Hinduism
- Ellora
- Funeral rites
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Hindu nationalism
- Indus Valley civilization
- Christopher Isherwood
- Kama Sutra
- Meditation
- Mirabai
- R.K. Narayan
- New Moon/full Moon ceremonies
- Om
- Puja
- Reincarnation/rebirth
- Sacred thread
- Sadhu
- Shanti Yoga Institute and Yoga Retreat
- Sikhism
- Rabindranath Tagore
- Theosophical Society
- United States
- Untouchability
- Vegetarianism
- Vishnu
- World Parliament of Religions.
Specifications
Black-and-white photographs. Index. Bibliography. Cross-references. Chronology.
About the Author(s)
Constance A. Jones is currently a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology, has published numerous articles on religious studies, and was a Fulbright scholar in India. She is also the author of The Legacy of G.I. Gurdjieff, as well as editor of Scholarly Perspectives on the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.
James D. Ryan is the codirector of Asian and Comparative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He earned a Ph.D. in Tamil literature at the University of California, Berkeley, and has translated and annotated the medieval epic Civakacintamani by Tiruttakkatevar.