Review by Eman Nep on Amazon.com
One of the obstacles in studying Hinduism is finding a book that doesn't inundate each sentence with difficult Sanskrit words.
Thankfully, although this book does have some Sanskrit, every single word is promptly defined and sometimes even more than once. Advanced concepts that have a Sanskrit term are often broken down with modern-day analogies, which I frequently found to be extremely helpful. Honestly, some of the analogies I've read in this book are among the best I've come across.
As if that weren't enough, there is a glossary in the back for quick reference. I rarely had to use it as the in-book definitions were often sufficient.
A quick look at the table of contents shows how thorough this book is in explaining Hinduism. It certainly revealed the basics of Hinduism faster than trying to wade through the many couplets of the Rigveda Samhita on my own.
To accompany the text are several diagrams and pictures, my personal favorite being the chart that shows the staggering amount of Hindu scriptures and how they all break down.
The chapters on Karma and Reincarnation, potentially some of the most difficult to grasp, were explained very well and at length.
However, I was disappointed at the brevity of the chapter on Predestination (a measly page).
On the scholarly side, there are frequent footnotes referring to the Upanishads, Rig Veda and other texts, but they're not exhaustive. For example, page 186 says that "Hindu scriptures speak of two goals pursued by man: the pleasant and the good". Unfortunately, there is no reference for either of these. I'm sure there is one, but it'd be nice to have a footnote referring to it so one can see for themselves.
Having studied other cults and religions, I found these three things of great interest:
Page 125 mentions "Samskaras", which, when you read about them, sound eerily familiar to the engrams mentioned in Scientology.
Page 140, where it mentions the purification of objects, reminded me of similar practices in Wiccan tradition.
In addition, I was amazed at the shared beliefs between Hinduism and Christianity (love thy enemy, body as temple, etc).
For one who wishes to understand Hinduism, in my estimation this is not a perfect book on the subject, but definitely touches all the major subjects and explains things in plain English exceptionally well.
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