A basic guide to Hinduism, containing the...

A basic guide to Hinduism, containing the first directory of Hindu temples and associations in Southern California, was recently published by the Artesia-based Federation of Hindu Assns.

Not a scholarly work on Hinduism, the 188-page, soft-cover book includes popular descriptions of deities and beliefs. Reflecting the Hindu unity sought by the federation, the directory does not favor primary worship of one deity over another, as some Hindu sects do, but presents them all as the many manifestations of one God.

The book also maintains that the caste system in India “is a social evil and not an integral part of Hindu dharma [teachings].” Karma and reincarnation are explained, as well as the sound om, or aum, uttered at the start and end of prayers. The written form of om also serves as a popular symbol for Hinduism.

The directory was published in memory of the federation’s past president, Ramesh Gandhi, who was killed in a car accident last year in India. Elected to succeed him last October was chemical engineer Prithvi Raj Singh of Diamond Bar.

Thirty-four temples are listed, from the large Hindu complex in Calabasas to groups in San Diego and Riverside, and two Hare Krishna temples in Culver City and Laguna Beach.

Twelve of the 34 temples are not Hindu, which Singh said is consistent with Hinduism’s appreciation for other religions. Eight Sikh temples, three Buddhist temples and one Jain temple appear in the directory. All three faiths are found in India, and representatives of those local houses of worship requested to be in the directory, he said.

Dues-paying members of the federation--more than two dozen--range from temple societies and individuals to secular businesses, Singh said.

A $10 donation is asked for individual copies of the book. Inquiries may be made to the federation, 11821 Artesia Blvd., Suite 172, Artesia, CA 90701, or by telephoning Singh at (909) 860-9704 or (818) 444-5670.

PEOPLE

* Rabbi Daniel Landes, 44, senior rabbi of B’nai David-Judea Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue on the Westside, will move to Jerusalem in mid-August to accept a post as dean of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Landes said the Pardes is unaffiliated with any religious or political institution. It conducts studies of classic Jewish texts “in an atmosphere of free inquiry for both men and women.”

During his five-year tenure at B’nai David-Judea, the congregation grew from 150 member families to 400. Landes was also director of national education projects for the Simon Wiesenthal Center for 17 years, and a professor of Jewish law at Loyola School of Law for the last two years.

* The Rev. Joseph Webb, a former writer and journalism teacher who most recently was pastor of a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregation in Hemet, became associate professor of homiletics (preaching) this month at the School of Theology at Claremont. Webb replaced Irwin Trotter, who retired in June.

SOCIAL ACTION

* More volunteers are being sought for a program that will train 300 people to become U.S. citizens and assist another 800 in the process of applying for citizenship. The church-related community organizing committees--known by the acronyms UNO, SCOC, EVO and VOICE--are holding an open meeting for prospective volunteers at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 6028 Victoria St., Los Angeles. Since May 1, the umbrella body of the organizing committees--the Southern California Industrial Areas Foundation--has recruited 200 volunteers as mentors for those seeking citizenship. The goal is to produce 25,000 new citizens by November, 1996, a spokesman said.

DATES

* “Are you a human being on a spiritual journey or are you a spiritual being on a human journey?” That’s one of five questions being posed today, starting at 8 a.m., in a daylong workshop at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 1145 W. Valencia Mesa Drive, Fullerton. Priests of the host parish and Christ Episcopal Church of Redondo Beach are the workshop leaders. The cost is $15, which includes lunch. (714 879-8070).

* The Martinson brothers--violinist Haldan and pianist Anders--will perform in a concert including works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 1343 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica. Admission is free, but an offering will be taken to benefit the Westside Food Bank. (310 452-1166).

* A summer concert series at Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene, 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., continues at 6 p.m. Sunday with tenor soloist Steve Amerson; at 6 p.m. July 23 with Brush Arbor, a Christian country music band, and at 6 p.m. July 30 with Christian comedians Hicks & Cohagan. Admission is free, but a $3 donation is suggested. (818 351-9631).

* The fifth annual Youth and Family Day for Filipino Catholics will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Los Angeles Convention Center with workshops, entertainment and a closing Mass, according to the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese. Donations: $5 for adults, $3 for children under 13 years old.

FINALLY

* Talks and seminars on esoterica are regular Sunday features at the Philosophical Research Society, housed in a landmark building on Los Feliz Boulevard near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.

“Intuition--From Mystery to Mastering” is the topic at 11 a.m. Sunday. The lecturer on July 23 is identified as co-facilitator of the “All Seeing Eye Mystery School.”

And on July 30, a Native American “spiritual philosopher and visionary” will speak. Typically, a $5 donation is asked for the morning talk, and $15 is charged for a follow-up workshop the same day.

Ah, you say, but what about “The Meaning of Life?”

Well, that’s up for informal discussion on a grassy location at Griffith Park from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday for anyone who wants to bring “a blanket, lunch and your ideas.” A donation will be taken.

The seminar will be near the park’s bird sanctuary. For directions, call the society office at (213) 663-2167, unless, as spokesman Robert Brothers quipped, “you happen to spot a shaft of light from the heavens shining down on a point in the park.”