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This is an immensely important book for Westerners
As a Westerner who became interested in Eastern spiritual teachings thirty years ago, I was appalled to discover then, my own ignorance and the ignorance of others in the West about Hinduism and its spinoff, Buddhism, the principal Eastern religions.
There is even today in the West, thirty years later, a vacuum of knowledge about Hinduism. The Encyclopedia of Hinduism by professors Jones and Ryan helps to fill this vacuum in a simple, straightforwsrd way.
The entries are arranged alphabetically, and one can find information on the key concepts in Hinduism along with biographical and other information about the key historical and contemporary figures in this great world religion.
Of even more importance for the Westerner, in my view, is the ten page introduction explaining Hinduism’s origins, its sacred texts, its contemporary situation, and its esoteric aspects sometimes known as Vedanta or Advaita which carry their own entries and typify the thorough nature of this Encyclopedic work.
You will not regret owning this book. Highly recommended.
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