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On Hinduism: reviews and reflections, foreword by David Frawley

Ram Swarup (1920-1998)

₹ 360.00

There are two major groups of religions in the world today. First are the conversion-based monotheistic creeds of Christianity and Islam. Second are the pluralistic dharmic traditions of India, of which Hinduism is the oldest and the largest. Chinese Taoism and Japanese Shinto have an affinity with dharmic traditions. So also the indigenous religious traditions of pre-Christian Europeans, pre-Islamic West Asians, Native Americans, Africans, Australians, and Pacific Islanders which are re-awakening, particularly in Europe and the Americas and Africa. As the world has now moved out of colonial domination by monotheistic creeds, a new respect for dharmic traditions is arising everywhere. At the same time, dharmic traditions are beginning to speak against missionary aggression of Christianity and Islam. But the missionary aggression continues unabated. In fact, the aggression has become more determined and mobilized larger resources in money as well as manpower than ever before. It is this scenario that makes the work of Ram Swarup (1920-1998) so significant. He has understood the current world situation, the dangers to Hinduism, the value of Hinduism for the future of humanity, and a practical way to both overcome the dangers and promote opportunities for the good of all. He outlines a Hindu approach to the problems of the world that offers deep and lasting solutions which go beyond the limitations of Western religions or Western science, following the development of consciousness as the real thrust in civilization. Ram Swarup has thoroughly and critically studied religions of the world. He can speak of these systems with an in-depth knowledge and ability to quote and mirror what they really think. And he has left an important legacy of many works on a broad range of topics including religion and philosophy, yoga, mysticism, and social issues. His Hindu View of Christianity and Islam is a classic in the field of comparative religion, for the first time perhaps introducing a yogic view of altered states of consciousness to understand the powerful and sometimes dangerous workings of religious experience. The present book, On Hinduism, shows how to revive and revitalize the tradition in a practical way and to present it in the modern forum with clarity, conviction and universality. It is a manual of Hindu resurgence. An important issue is how different dharmic traditions should relate given the common missionary assault upon them, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism. A similar important issue is the relationship between India, the fountainhead of Asian culture, and Greece, the fountainhead of European culture. We tend to think of both types of culture as different and as constituting a dichotomy of East and West. But if we really look at ancient Greeks and Hindus we discover much in common. Ram Swarup draws such a connection to enable us to reintegrate these two great sources of world culture. The dialogue between India and Europe is another vital concern. So far there has been little mature interaction between the thinkers of India and Europe, either intellectually or spiritually due to deficiencies in both camps. Ram Swarup addresses this issue with great acumen, using the work of Wilhelm Halbfass as the basis of discussion. He follows this with an important essay on Aldous Huxley, one of the few Western thinkers who had a real understanding of India and its spiritual systems. Huxley provides a good foundation to launch such an East-West dialogue that was unfortunately not followed by other Western thinkers. Ram Swarup sets this process in motion again. Two of his essays address the issue of education. Modern India has followed a British model of education. He shows how the current illiteracy in India is not the product of traditional educational system - which the British dismantled in the nineteenth century - but of the damage to that system which began with them. Old India had a high rate of literacy particularly because of its educational system, its Sanskrit and its gurukulams. Ram Swarup also shows how Hindu models of education remain relevant in the modern world, where we need to reintroduce spiritual values and models of consciousness to prevent the moral decay and decline of intelligence that we see rapidly increasing in the affluent West.;;;;

ISBN 13: 9788185990620

ISBN 10: 818599062X

Year: 2000

Language: ENGLISH

Pages etc.: xxviii,232p., ind., 23cm.

Binding: Paperback

Subject(s): Religion, Voice of India

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