Chapter II, Hinduism, What People Really Want, Summary and Analysis

Smith opens this section with a quote from Aldous Huxley: There comes a time when one asks even of Shakespeare, even of Beethoven, is this all? (p. 19). The question appropriately applies to Hinduism as it unequivocally affirms that there is far more to life than satisfying pleasures. This is especially true given that the basic tenant of Hinduism is that what people want they can have, and that includes the spiritual ideas of infinite being, infinite awareness, and infinite bliss. Moreover, Hinduism declares that humans already posses these things but until a certain point they remain hidden. The Atman (God within) remains hidden until actively sought after and the human self is never complete until the Atman-Brahman (Godhead) is accounted for. The answer to discovering this Atman-was able to...