Hindu Way of Awakening: Its Revelation, Its Symbols
Brings order to the seeming chaos of Hinduism's vast treasure house of deities and symbols. Twenty accessible chapters cover symbols and revelations, the Bhagavad Gita, the trinity of AUM, the Divine Mother, awakening practices, and much more.
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There are two aspects to Hinduism, as there are to every religion. One is outward and concerns ritual worship, traditions, and patterns of social behavior. The other is inward. This other is essential in both senses of the word: It contains the essence of that religion; it is, moreover, essential that this essence be understood for Hinduism really to be understood at all. This second, this essential aspect of the Hindu religion concerns the individual's relationship to God, and to higher truth. ... The outer teaching of Hinduism, which Swami Kriyananda called the Hindu Way of Belief, developed out of an inner vision of this universal goal of life. To understand the outer way is not possible without first probing the inner. The purpose of this book, then, is primarily to clarify certain deep teachings that lie, like the ocean, beneath the bewildering profusion of surface waves. The secondary purpose of this book is to analyze a few of the symbols people commonly encounter from their very first exposure to Hinduism. The essential truth in all religions, like the central point of a circle, is one. The path inward to that center is the Way of Awakening in every religion. The Ways of Belief are like lines radiating outward from that center. No two of these lines are parallel; each one radiates out in a different direction. The longer these lines, moreover, the more widely separated they become from one another. The circle is a necessary concept for understanding the universe. And there would be no circle, and no center, were there but one straight line.
Introduction9Prefatory Note13Part 1The Revelation1.What Is Revelation?172.What Are Symbols?283.The Power of Symbolism374.Symbolism in India435.Dating It All506.Symbolism: Truth, or Imagination?697.Philosophy, Religion, Science, or--What?798.The Hindu Revelation--Part One919.The Hindu Revelation--Part Two10910.Symbolism--or Idolatry?129Part 2The Symbols11.Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva: The Trinity of AUM15312.The Symbolism of Brahma16913.Brahma's Secret18414.The Garden Door19515.The Importance of Satsanga (Good Company)21316.The Avatara: Revelation, or Return Voyage?23317.The Avatara and Human Evolution24518.Symbolism in the Bhagavad Gita27219.Tantra--the Way of Confrontation29420.The Divine Mother31221.Unity in Diversity331
