Indian Spirituality: An Exploration of Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh Traditions

by Joshua R. Paszkiewicz

Explore the culture and spiritual practices of India and learn the origins and beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with this elegantly designed guide.

The global historical, social, and cultural reach of the Indian subcontinent is rivaled by few. Reincarnation, karma, and yoga are terms and practices that are part of the common parlance and lives of billions of people, even those not connected to the Indian spiritual milieu.

Indian Spirituality dives into why these practices have had such an enduring impact around the world, including lessons
 
With Indian Spirituality as your guide, form a deeper bond with yourself that is authentic, holistic, and meaningful.

The  Mystic Traditions series  explores mystical and spiritual traditions and magical practices from around the world from a modern perspective. These guides offer concise introductions to the origins of mystical practices; explain key concepts, figures, and legends in these traditions; and give straightforward and engaging instruction on how to connect directly with these practices through rituals, spells, and more.

Also available in the Mystic Traditions   Native American Spiritualism , Zen Buddhism , Celtic Mysticism , and Norse Mysticism .

Genres: Spirituality, India, Nonfiction

152 pages, Hardcover

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Brooke Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but I found the language to be inaccessible. It is very much like sitting in a lecture hall with a stuck up professor who insists on using language that no one would use to actually speak outside of academic circles. I don’t mean the use of traditional names and words I mean the English he uses to try to get his message across.

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

You know me, not the biggest person when it comes to religion, but even I have to admit that this book was really well written and easy to follow and understand for someone like me, no basics basically, yet it does not feel like just a few ideas and then filler or repetitive stuff. No, it's an interesting book start to finish.

I also liked the tips on how to start with each dharma, from small things like 5 minutes meditations or introspection.

I did wish there was a bit more to it in some way? Even though it's pretty comprehensive, I still wanted a bit more depth and me being me, I wanted the counterpoint of each religion too.

All in all, it's a great introductory book.

[Indu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
Hinduism 101. A compact, comprehensive guide to the basics of the south east asian religions and their pillars and commonalities. This book is information dense yet easy to assimilate. Everything mentioned has been thoroughly researched and fact checked. Surprisingly, this book annotates certain nuances of religions that I was unaware of.
Honorary mention to the beauty of the book design and infographics included.
The only thing I found lacking was it read as an academic undertaking as opposed to a discourse and more in depth discussion on the religions and their intricacies. That being said, it is meant to be a handbook and serves its purpose right.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book series and this one didn't disappoint!

It's a great introduction to Indian spirituality and it brought a lot of clarity, I really didn't know where to start exploring these believes and world views and this book came at the right time. I liked it friendly tone, how well it presented sensitive details and the way it summed up the most important details, without delving too much into technical details.

It's perfect for anyone on a similar journey and it makes a great present for someone interested in history and spirituality.

I received a copy of this in order to share my view on it.

[JadersCorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley review

Absolutely love this! Everything a yogi could ask for authentic understanding of a culture so many in the western world as used for gain, and money in modern yoga, etc or new age spiritual concepts by taking what seemed good and leaving the rest, the fact that this book alone covers that concept and it written with that in mind….
The author gained my trust and respect within the first few pages.

Love this. Absolutely must have, will asap!

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an eye opener for me. I'll admit that I did not know more about the dharmic religions, all I knew was that yoga was a practice, more like a fitness way of life-and that there were Sikhs, but that is all I thought of, and reading this book reminded me of the geopolitical influence on spirituality in India- and that yoga is not an element of pop culture, but is rooted in mental, physical and spiritual well being.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

[Shannonedanone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schneller, leicht verständlicher Einstieg und Übersicht, der sich bewusst dem hohen Anspruch nicht gerecht werden konnte. Die Gestaltung des Buches reduziert spirituelle/ heilige Symbolik auf indische Dekoration ohne jegliche Erklärung. Einfach nicht gut gesetzt und die inhaltliche Strukturierung bzw. gestalterische Hierarchie lies leider zu wünschen übrig. Das macht ein Sachbuch deutlich schwieriger und unübersichtlicher. Schade!