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Great World Religions: Hinduism cover art

Great World Religions: Hinduism

By: Mark W. Muesse, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Mark W. Muesse
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Summary

In this 12-lecture series, you'll encounter a religion that is perhaps the most diverse of all; one that worships more gods and goddesses than any other, and one that rejects the notion that there is only one path to the divine. These lectures provide a window into the roots of, perhaps, all religions. You'll explore over the course of Hinduism's 5,000-year journey: the Indus Valley civilization; the sizable variety of Hindu gods and goddess; the sacred writings in the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads; Hindu ritual purity rites; the Aryan language of Sanskrit, whose roots can be seen in English words such as "divine," "video," and "ignite"; and much more.

The story of Hinduism, you'll come to see, is the story of very non-Western traditions (such as arranged marriages and the caste system) that have survived and thrived for thousands of years. It's also home to a wealth of gods, terms, and practices (such as karma, Krishna, yoga, and guru) that have found a home in Western lives and language. Along the way, Dr. Muesse discusses salient aspects of Hindu life and places them in historical and theological context. He also explains that Hinduism honors all seekers of truth, that it contains multiple paths to divine reality (the way of action, the way of wisdom, and the way of devotion), and that it can be both a monotheistic and a polytheistic faith.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great Courses

What listeners say about Great World Religions: Hinduism

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good intro

A fantastic, well-explained introduction to the basic stuff you need to know about Hinduism. Perhaps not all the detail you could wish for, but for a 12-lecture course, this does pretty well and gets you to a place where you'll have a good amount of context for your further research on the subject. Engagingly taught, too – I thought Prof Muesse's explanation of ritual purity and impurity via an analogy of dropping food on one's tie was particularly good

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    5 out of 5 stars

Decent introduction to a complex tradition

The course is good at elucidating the main points of the Hindu tradition. The constant reminders of the fact that the tradition is more incoherent than is presented is also useful for the listener.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but short

A good introduction to the origins and development of Hinduism. A valuable counterpoint to the presentation of Hinduism by many western thinkers, who stress its transcendent or higher spiritual qualities without looking at more problematic areas such as caste or sex relations. A little short compared to some of the other great courses.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A summary of Hinduism that works

I wanted an introduction to Hinduism prior to going to India. Nothing too heavy, but informative all the same.

This series of half hour lectures did the job superbly.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating introduction to Hinduism

I lnew very little about the Hindu religion before this course, and it is hard to believe I have learned so much in only 6 hours. The lecturer was able to explain quite subtle or counterintuitive ideas in a way that was easy to understand. Some of the selections read from the Upanishads I found very moving and awe-inspiring. I will definitely be reading more about Hinduism, in particular its philosophy and rich mythology.

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THIS IS A GREAT INSIGHT INTO HINDUISM

I found this audiobook a wounderful insight into a trully compex religion I have studied many world religions but not much about hinduism it seems verry non violent and peaceful just what the world needs today five stars!!

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Excellent Introduction

Excellent introduction to a very difficult and complex subject. Highly recommended.
However I need to go back to the beginning and relisten probably twice more to really grasp this.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A very basic introduction to Hinduism

Content and performance is delivered like a drawn out high school report, almost comical. read the Wiki pages instead.
Very disappointing

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