This book on Indian Culture is an effort to bring clarity on the basis and basics. A culture that believes in the “Journey from happiness to happiness”.
Indian culture is an amalgamation of various cultures due to its geographical, historical, political, and religious diversity. People are intrigued by Indian culture but don’t know where to look for authentic information. Most information available is either too complicated or incomplete.
We have tried to simplify so that the reader can understand and adopt some of the practices into their own lifestyle.
Indian Culture Basis & Basics
5 Useful Ideas from Indian Culture
It is one of the oldest cultures known to mankind. Some of the simple ideas we can adopt from this culture are:
- Although it was an oral tradition, to begin with, a lot of the ancient scriptures are available in written form.
- It talks about happiness as the basic nature of human existence. Our true nature is said to be “sat chit ananda” which means that we exist, and are aware of the nature of bliss.
- The core of the “Vedas” or knowledge is very rational and is what is the philosophy of Indian culture. Each one follows a philosophy in which they have conviction and hence we can see a lot of variety in practice. As people gain wisdom from the path they follow, sooner or later they will realize they move toward the same truth.
- If it was philosophy alone, it would not have been so great. It is accompanied by paths to the realization of unlimited happiness or different Paths of Yoga to begin with, which ultimately culminates in an integrated Yoga path for the individual.
- Reinforcement of values is through traditional festivals that connect us to Gurus or Great People, Nature through the seasons, desires and fulfillment through harvests and more.
Studying and Reflection on the knowledge are encouraged to hasten the progress of individuals towards a happier life with the ultimate goal of unlimited happiness.
A lot of misconceptions exist about Indian culture, the most common one being that it is ritualistic. This book tries to address these challenges both from the standpoint of philosophy and religious practices.
This book is an effort to bring clarity on the basis and basics of Hindu Culture. Hindu culture is all about a “way of life“. Simple daily practices can be adopted to make your “Journey to happiness through happiness” because the goal of life is happiness. It is difficult to comprehend the scriptures without a guide/guru, so the concepts and terms have been explained in layman’s language. One can get an overview of this vast ancient culture and its umpteen practices.
What you will find in this book on Indian Culture?
In this book, you will find
- Clarity on Culture – what it means, Characteristics of Culture, how it is learned and why should we learn about the culture.
- Difference between culture and religion.
- Culture from sociological and philosophical perspectives.
- Interesting facts about India and the glory of Indian Culture.
- The underlying philosophy behind the basic Hindu Traditions.
- Major Festivals covered include Maha Shivratri, Guru Purnima, Ganesh Chathurthi, Mahashivratri, Krishna Janmashtami, Navratri, Durga Puja, Dusshera, Diwali. Know more about Why we celebrate festivals.
- Basis of Hindu Culture – it’s the philosophy and scriptural texts
- Classification of the scriptural texts
- Information on different types of Yoga – Ashtanga Yoga, Hath Yoga
- The 4 major paths of Yoga as per the Bhagavad Gita – Path of Action, Path of Devotion, Path of Knowledge / Wisdom, and Path of Meditation (Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Raja Yoga)
- Explanation of the most relevant and commonly used concepts like Dharma, Karma, goals of life and goals in life, individual personality traits, Gunas, meditation, etc. Learn more about meditation and self-awareness.
- Some practices are to get a grip on your mind, connect to yourself, and grow spiritually.
- The Hindu way of life
- And more
Philosophy of Indian Culture
You will also find answers to philosophical questions like
- Who is a “Hindu”?
- What is life?
- What is death?
- What is Happiness?
- How to attain Happiness?
- What is the purpose of human life?
- What is “God” for Hindus?
- And more
There is an underlying philosophy to everything which is done in Indian Culture. The book covers many practices in detail covering both the underlying principle and benefits of the same.
Taking the simple thing like fasting which doesn’t only give physical benefits like weight loss, self-healing, and detoxification has spiritual benefits associated with it as well. The book covers many such practices in detail covering both the underlying principle and benefits of the same.
Similarly, the major festivals their symbolism, and how they can be a medium for self-growth have been covered in the book.
The Basics of major Hindu Philosophies are covered in the book. Most of the initial practices in any of the spiritual paths help in getting control over the mind. The book lists a set of common practices which can help focus the mind inwards and make it single-pointed. Most seekers, new to the spiritual journey need faith and practice to better understand the mind and its tendencies in order to lead happier lives. Pick the practices with connecting with you and start your spiritual journey.
Indian Culture is rich in values like peace, tranquility, and more.
