ABSTRACT
Hinduism is one of the hardest religions to define. The term usually refers to those religions which exist in the country of India, though generally the Sikh, Sant Mat, Jain and, of course, Muslim faiths are now distinguished from it. Until a more accepted typology of Indian religion is developed we are using the term in its generally accepted sense as referring to those religions which have come to the United States from India. This chapter thus lists everything from "orthodox" Hindus who worship in temples built according to strict Indian standards to gurus (teachers) whose idea are greatly at variance with popular Hindu thought (such as Rajneesh [Osho]).
