Studying Hinduism: Where to Start?

[BlueSky]

Originally Posted by Vinayaka

Unless .... you're a Hindu.

Yes...........

[Vinayaka]

Good to know the paradigm of of information ... In this case we can have:
- anti-Hindu non-Hindu scholars
- pro-Hindu non-Hindu scholars
- Hindu scholars
- Hindu holy men
- any bloke off the street

[sandalwood]

the natural answer would be the vedas, that is the start of it all
but it depends on your motivation.
if youre interested spiritually you can cut alot out
start with the upanishads, bhagavad gita and udhava gita, dont feels exclusive about it, find books about the stories of rama and of krishna, id recommend anything by yogananda which i think would appeal to you, also find a book called 'the sermon on the mount according to vedanta'

but if youre looking to study it intellectually, i wouldnt know where to start either, thats a big endeavor

[DavidMcCann]

This is a book that is very worth reading: Meeting God, by Stephen Huyler. The author is an art historian who spent a lot of time in India over 20 years and then one day found himself aware of the presence of a goddess. It changed his life, and he then wrote this book about the actual practice of Hinduism, rather that philosophy or theology.

[Vinayaka]

I agree, David. Any book that focuses on the practical aspects rather than philosophy will show you more in the long run, besides it being far more interesting to read. I think we get this focus on philosophy as horizontal transfer from scripture based religions. It doesn't work that well.

[OPVerma]

Originally Posted by Lamaas

As a student of the Rosicrucian tradition, I am very interested in studying Hinduism. In many ways, Rosicrucian mysticism is the Western equivalent or interpretation of Hinduism, with a core philosophy based around reincarnation, karma, and the evolution of the soul (with the eventual goal of ascending to a level where incarnation is no longer necessary). There are many Hindus counted among the ranks of the Rosicrucian Order, for the two are very compatible and harmonious with one another. If I were to study Hinduism in depth, where would I begin? With the Upanishads? Or would I focus on the Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras first? Is there a progressive order to follow between these three volumes? Thank you for any suggestions

If you can send me an e- mail I will tell you what to do.

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste.

How I started learning about Hinduism, is the same way any Hindu child would...by reading Amar Chitra Katha story books for children.

From there, I went to the Bhagavad Gita and from there, I went to the Upanishads.

I got as far as reading the Chandogya Upanishad and stopped after I realised why Vedanta was called....Vedanta.

It was like "anything you read after me will be a waste of time...because thou art that"

Basically (very basically) this is the whole substratum of every Hindu sacred text out there.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[jimrich]

Originally Posted by Lamaas

As a student of the Rosicrucian tradition, I am very interested in studying Hinduism. In many ways, Rosicrucian mysticism is the Western equivalent or interpretation of Hinduism, with a core philosophy based around reincarnation, karma, and the evolution of the soul (with the eventual goal of ascending to a level where incarnation is no longer necessary). There are many Hindus counted among the ranks of the Rosicrucian Order, for the two are very compatible and harmonious with one another. If I were to study Hinduism in depth, where would I begin? With the Upanishads? Or would I focus on the Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras first? Is there a progressive order to follow between these three volumes? Thank you for any suggestions

I'd go straight to Advaita Vedanta as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org or Nisargadatta http://www.nisargadatta.net and refined for modern students by Nome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Mb...q6l0& index=8 and Rupert Spira. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df9YPTe14nU google: Papaji and Mooji.
There is a vast array of modern and classical teachers and teachings from Hindu sources so have a ball and good luck on your search.