ABSTRACT
In a book on religion and mental health, it is only right that one of the oldest religions, Hinduism, and its basic tenets are explored, and the implications for managing mental illness discussed. Hinduism as a religion has an incredible variety of expression, to the extent that it has been suggested that it is not possible to characterise it as a religion in the normal sense, since it is not a unitary concept nor a monolithic structure, but that it is rather the totality of the Indian way of life (Brockington, 1992). It will be fair to say that Hinduism does travel well and its symbols and motifs are seen outside India. What Brockington is implying is that the Indian way of thinking is inextricably linked with Hinduism, however, this also implies that the two can be equated, though this may not be always the case. From an Eurocentric viewpoint, Hinduism has been seen as a combination of innumerable subdivisions and subsections, and sub-subsections being a marked feature of the caste system (Beauchamp, 1906).
