Hindu Philosophy of Life: Meaning of Life in Hinduism - Paperback

by Ramesh N. Patel (Author)

This work is a solid introduction to Hinduism, the oldest living major religion of the world. It is also much more. Starting with showing how Hinduism stands out rather than fits in with other religions of the world, it develops a Hindu's wish list of desirable ingredients of a model religion.It then enunciates a four-point definition of Hinduism that is clear, coherent and comprehensive. The definition provides a good firm identity to a Hindu who can flaunt it with confidence in dialog with other religions of the world. It is shown how the definition fulfills the Hindu wish list.Further, the book stands out by developing a thematic structure to encompass major aspects of Hinduism in sixteen well-ordered themes. The sixteen foundational themes of Hinduism thus brought out comprise central essence of Hinduism as well as salient contributions of the Hindu genius to the evolution of the spiritual history of the world. The book discusses shruti, smriti, itihasa and purana, the classic sources of Hinduism in relation to its emphasis on experiential spirituality rather than external religion. It illustrates how the Hindu view and way of life can be applied to real life situations, thus showing the living relevance of Hinduism's outlook on the meaning of life.The book sports universal spirituality of Hinduism in a positive and constructive way with appropriate intellectual underpinnings. The book makes manifest the healing potential of the Hindu spirituality for the polarizing conflicts of the present-day world The several outstanding features of the work, together with an accessible style, make the book a truly worthwhile reading.