Video Outlines Of Asian Religions, Vol. 1: Hinduism: Absorption In Brahman

Video Outlines of Asian Religions, a five-tape video series, based in part on Nancy Moore Gettelman's book The Himalayan Journey of Buddhism, wishes to offer viewers an overview of Eastern religions, but fair to poor production values and a dogged adherence to the "video outline" make this a rather dull project. We watched the opener, Hinduism: Absorption in Brahman, which abruptly stopped about 3 minutes into the review copy we had, and then started over again from the beginning. Using stills and voiceover narration, the program recounts the ancient migrations to and settling of India, followed by an explanation of basic aspects of Hindu religion, such as the relevant texts (the Vedas, and the Rig Veda in particular), the incarnations of "god" (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva), the concept of rebirth, the caste system, the three paths to liberation (action, devotion, and knowledge), and the four stages of life (student, householder, forest-dweller, and sannyasin). The text "outlines" which frequently appear onscreen are fairly hokey looking and the timing of voice, stills, and onscreen graphics are often off sync. On the plus side, there are a lot of facts about Hinduism delivered in the lecture; unfortunately, the producers have failed to add a healthy smattering of anecdotes which would have kept viewers' interest in the weighty subject matter. The other four volumes in the series are: Great Awakening: Buddhism in India, Diamond Path: Buddhism in Nepal, Dalai & Tulku: Buddhism in Tibet, and Dragon Country: Buddhism in Bhutan; all five volumes are being offered at the discount price of $240, including the companion book. (We watched the beginning of Vol. 2: Great Awakening, and noticed the same faults as in Vol. 1, with the additional surprise that the program was recorded in EP rather than SP-mode.) Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Video Outlines, P.O. Box 747, Bellevue, WA 98009.)