Linda Johnsen holds a Master's degree in Eastern studies. She is author of Daughters of the Goddess: The Women Saints of India (winner of the Midwest Book Association Award for Best New Age Book of the Year), The Living Goddess: Reclaiming the Tradition of the Mother of the Universe, and Meditation Is Boring? Putting Life in Your Spiritual Practice. She has published nearly 100 articles in magazines such as Hinduism Today, Yoga Journal, and Yoga International, and has lectured throughout the United States on Hindu spirituality.

I. THE ETERNAL RELIGION. 1. Time for God. The Hindu Universe. Who's a Hindu? A Recyclable Universe. Inner Vision. 2. Hindus in History. The History That Vanished. Back to the Beginning. Our Hindu Connections. The Hindu Homeland. 3. The World Discovers Hinduism. Heading East. Conquering Alexander the Great. A Visit from Apollonius. A Hindu Goddess in Rome. Chinese Pilgrims Check It Out. Al Biruni Takes Notes. Transcendentalists Groove on the Gita. 4. Matrix of the Hindu Tradition. Veda: The Hindu Bible. Who Were the Vedic Sages? Who Are the Vedic Gods? Sampling the Veda. Upanishads: Liberating Literature. 5. The People's Religion. User-Friendly Scriptures. Epics: The Hindu Homer. Ramayana: The Great Rescue. Mahabharata: The Great War. Puranas: Encyclopedias of Spirit. II. WHAT HINDUS BELIEVE. 6. One God with Many Names. My God's Not Better Than Yours. The Tolerant Religion. The Vedic Vision. Ramakrishna Samples Religions. What Missionaries Are Missing. Did Jesus Visit India? 7. Born Again! Caught in the Spin Cycle. What's My Karma? Fate Is Free Will. Life Between Lives. 8. Turning On Your Inner Light. Secrets of the Subtle Body. "Who Am I?" Spiritual Mentoring. Getting On the Innernet. Getting Off the Wheel. 9. Truth Is a Multi-Layer Cake. Six Views of One Reality. Nyaya: The Logical Approach. Vaisheshika: The Atomic Theory. Mimamsa: The Way to Heaven. Sankhya: Spirit and Matter. Yoga: Techniques for Higher Awareness. Vedanta: It's All an Illusion! The Whole Elephant. 10. The Sacred Sciences. The Word Is God. Ritual: Spiritual Technology. Astrology: The Mirror in Heaven. Adjunct Sciences. III. WHO HINDUS WORSHIP. 11. "Can You Show Me God?" A Divine Challenge. "Idol Worship": Worshipping an Ideal. The Spirit in the Tree. Show Me the Devil. God and the Guru. The Guru Within. 12. Meet the Hindu Gods. Brahma: The Neglected Creator. Vishnu: The Loving Protector. Shiva: Lord of the Yogis. Ganesha: The Elephant-Headed God. Hanuman: Monkeying Around. Murugan: The Spear of God. Surya: The Divine Sun. 13. Meet the Hindu Goddesses. Shakti: Feminine Power. Lakshmi: Showers of Gold. Parvati: Divine Wife and Mother. Durga: Take No Prisoners! Kali: The Really Scary One. Lalita: The Supreme Seductress. Bharat Mata: Mother India. 14. Avatars: Gods in Human Form. Hindu Saviors. Parashu Rama: An Axe to Grind. Rama: Avatar Unaware. Krishna: He's So Divine! Kalki: The Future Liberator. 15. The Main Denominations. Vaishnavas: "Hare Krishna!" Shaivites: "Om Namah Shivaya!" Shaktas: "Jai Ma!" Hindu Spin-Offs. IV. How Hindus Live. 16. A Classy Religion. What Turns You On? What's Life For? Metamorphoses. Women First. 17. The Ten Commitments. Five Things to Definitely Avoid. Five Things to Definitely Do. Antidotes to Bad Behavior. Holy Cow! What Hindus Do (and Do Not) Eat. Laying Down the Law. Changing Tides. The Hindu Heart. 18. Sacraments and Holy Days. Living Life Holy. Rite from the Start. A Wedding to Last Forever. Life After Death. Sacred Time. Celebrating Spirit. 19. Temples and Sacred Sites. Take Off Your Shoes! Altar in the Living Room. Hindu Hot Spots. The Goddess Drops In. V. GOD'S HOUSE HAS MANY DOORS. 20. The Path of Action. Getting Sacrificed. Highway to Heaven. Everyone's Mother. Get Up and Fight! 21. Straight from the Heart. The Heart and the Head. The Divine Relationship. The Saint Factory. What's in a Name? All Blissed Out. 22. The Razor in the Mind. Lead Me from the Unreal. Study, Think, Act! Knowing the Unknowable. The Most Dangerous Path. 23. The Royal Road. The Eight Limbs of Yoga. Diving Deeper: Controlling the Senses. The Flight to God. Psychic Powers. Spiritual Power. Divine Isolation. 24. Tantra: Making Love to God. Tantra in Real Life. Mantra, Yantra, Tantra. Kundalini Rising. Spiritual Self-Discipline. Tantrics on the Loose. VI. A TIMELESS TRADITION. 25. Timeless Tales. Tales from Outside Time. Tales from Inner Space. Tales from Today. Tales from the Lab. 26. Living the Light. Saints and Sages. Himalayan Masters. A Wave of Women. Mother of Mysticism. 27. Ancient Religion in Modern Times. From Bullock Cart to Computer. The Hindu Reformation. Toe to Toe with Islam. Hindus Abroad. 28. Hinduism in the New Age. Hindu Missionaries. The Perennial Philosophy. Standing on Your Head. Shaping a Hindu Future. Appendixes. Appendix A: Glossary. Appendix B: Who's Who in Hinduism. Appendix C: More to Read. Appendix D: Hindu Resource List. Index.