The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism
by Linda Johnsen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Linda JohnsenEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-11-01
ISBN: 0028642279
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Alpha
Book Reviews of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism
Book Review: A good overview, if a bit idealized
Summary: 4 Stars
Being somewhat unusual as a Buddhist who believes in a godlike force, I began to explore Hinduism to see how it - the "birth religion" of Buddhism - dealt with such ideas. I picked up "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism" after looking through it a few times at book stores. Like many of the CIG series, its title can be misleading. The book does a good job of touching on a wide range of subjects in Hinduism, such as the major deities, the different factions, a scaled-down history of Hinduism, the fundamental concepts, and an all-too-brief discourse on where Hinduism may be headed in the modern era. The writing is light and the author's love of the subject (as well as ice cream), is glowingly evident.
There are a couple of problems with the book, however, that you'll have to look past. The first is that the author seems to idolize Hinduism and Hindu society. As a result, you get an often romanticized description of subjects in the book. Mrs. Johnsen paints an almost Speilbergian portrait of India and Hinduism where saints, sages, and other holy men are found on every corner and magical and mystical events like statues drinking milk, devotees "vanishing" when touching holy statues, and controlling the weather through chanting are apparently everyday events. As one Hindu reviewer pointed out, these events that the author tauts as being "everyday" occurrences and generally accepted as "fact" by the Hindu population are not considered so by many actual Hindus.
Second, Mrs. Johnsen's often rosy-colored portrayal of Hinduism can find stark contrast among more orthodox Hindus. The author mainly focuses on the **ideals** behind the religion, rather than the realities when the ideals are applied to society. Within almost 366 pages of text - not counting glossaries and such - only about 20 pages at the end actually bring to bear the contrasts between Hinduism's ideals - such as the power of women as an "embodiment of the goddess", reverence for all things in nature as part of a greater godlike reality, and the general focus on spiritual versus worldly matters - versus sexism and caste constrictions, the general level of pollution generated in India, and growing Westernism and materialism. As a result, you don't get a fully balanced perspective but rather a highly idealized one through most of the book.
As an example of this contrast, one concept I looked into further was that of an "ishta devata" or "personal/chosen deity." The ideal in Hinduism, as Mrs. Johnsen describes it, is it doesn't matter what face you put on god, god will still know you're referring to him/her/it. This is why you can have Vishnu, Shiva, Brama, Lashmi, Ganesha, and so forth among the HUGE pantheon of Hindu deities as representing the same godlike force because, in the end, the many gods are actually masks worn by the one unifying godlike force. Mrs. Johnsen further writes that, in Hinduism, if your spiritual muse puts a face on god that is not a formally-recognized diety... such as a female form of Ganesha (a "shakti" of the god form)... it's still just as good, because god will know that when you think of your goddess, you're really thinking of a higher god in general... the faceless, infinite god that has millions of faces.
Now, in contrast, when I talked about this idea with Hindus, the feedback I got was if your ishta devata wasn't one of the "big six" - Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Brama, a Maha Devi (great goddess encompassing Kali, Durga, etc.) or one other that eludes me at the moment - then your spiritual practice would never be up to snuff... your pursuit of enlightenment would always be lacking. Sure, your ishta devata may serve as your Hindueqsue patron saint, guardian angel, and personal god.. but it would like be a "lesser" god. So, the general openness the author describes just isn't there, at least among the Hindus that responded to my discussions.
Despite these flaws, the book is a great overview on Hinduism. It presents a lot of ideas that, if nothing else, are good food for thought within the confines of one's own developing spirituality. (I'm still keen on the idea of an elephant goddess as my personal face of god.. just now defining it outside the limitations of orthodox Hinduism and more in a Gaia context.) It's a worthy purchase if you're looking for a first taste of Hinduism and Hindu philosophy. But, you will have to take it with a grain of salt, as it often slips into an excessively romanticized and idealized view of Hinduism and India.
If you're wanting a shorter primer on Hinduism with a bit of other Eastern outlooks, you might look at "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eastern Philosophy." It covers Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianisim in a more condensed form than the Hinduism book alone.
So, I'd give the book about 3.5 stars if there was such a setting. It's a good read for anyone interested in Hinduism, but the idealism, romanticism, and general lack of consideration for Hinduism in the real world, or the perspectives of real Hindus (not the ones you find in Speilberg movies - which seem to populate Mrs. Johnsen's India), take it down about a star and a half.
Summary of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism
You?re no idiot, of course. You know Hinduism is a religion practiced worldwide, with philosophies that can offer enlightenment even to nonbelievers. However, its belief system is neither as simple nor as complex as many people think.The Complete Idiot?s Guide® to Hinduism will show you exactly how this religion is practiced and its relationship to Hindu culture. In this Complete Idiot?s Guide®, you get: * The principles behind basic Hindu beliefs, including karma, reincarnation, nonviolence, vegetarianism, and multiple manifestations of God. * The stories of such Hindu gods and goddesses as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Sarasvati, and Kali. * Paths to enlightenment including karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, raja yoga, and tantra yoga. * The Hindu caste system, and the customary importance of women in its society.Hinduism is such a vast, complex, and exotic topic that to boil it down to a few hundred pages--and make it fun--must be the work of a true avatar, in this case Linda Johnsen. In The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism, Johnsen covers the history, philosophy, devotions, gods, and traditions of this timeless religion. She takes pains to not only make the material easy to read and understand but to get inside the minds of Hindus, themselves, to make sense of what they believe and why. This sympathetic view is balanced by objective and concrete reporting. For example, she presents discussions of the Aryan Invasion theory, whether Jesus visited India, and a well-documented case of modern-day reincarnation. In addition to introducing each of the different strains of Hinduism and their beliefs, she also gives an overview of the classic Hindu myths. Exotic, yes, but Johnsen succeeds in bringing Hinduism closer to home. --Brian Bruya
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