I resonate like a tuning fork to the Indian religion / philosophy known as Vedanta. Vedanta is the philosophical end of Hinduism, and I find it even more luscious and rewarding than Buddhism, which I like fine too.
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They run a lot of temples in SoCal, and their website is a good starting-off point for anyone curious about Vedanta.
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This slim and inexpensive volume is a sweet and helpful intro to Vedanta.
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Patanjali's sutras, in a very readable translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. The book is one of the world's great treasures, IMHO.
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A good sketch of all of Vedanta, by Swami Adiswarananda.
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The founder-figure of modern Vedanta was an Indian mystic named Sri Ramakrishna, who lived from 1836 to 1886. He was clearly some kind of inspired spiritual genius. This book is a manageable anthology of his thoughts and teachings.
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Vedanta's swamis are often marvelous speakers, with conversational, free-associating, unforced styles that are completely different from the usual religious-figure's salesmanship. Why not try a few talks?
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I don't know of a more to-the-point way of learning about Hinduism than this site.
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A beautiful and informative magazine.
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Danielou was an arty Frenchman who really found himself when he went to India. The site, devoted to him, is very well-done.
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My favorite of the Danielou books I've read, this is a super-provocative yet very helpful intro to Indian ethics, politics and religion.
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Wikipedia's entry on this early Vedanta genius is a good one.
