Though it seems superficially so, Hinduism cannot be classified as “monastic idealism” since monastics do not have a total control over all phases of your life like birth, induction to religion, marriage and even death. In Hinduism, you are your own part of the overall God’s domain. Hinduism acknowledges that an individual has an “atma” or a soul which is a facsimile of God. Advaita philosophy avers that the man and the god are two parts of a whole – rather the human is a sub-set of God!. Vedas declare that the individual can invoke “Brahma” – the god in himself. Hence there is no monastic influence in practicing hinduism in the matter of normal practice of the religion including chanting hymns (mantras) and performing rituals yourself.
But the role of “acharya” (teacher) comes in only when you want to attain a godly status and reach the god’s abode – they call it “moksha”. Yes, Hinduism underscores the role of “Guru”, the most flogged term in cyberworld! (Gurus galore! You have html guru’s, management guru’s, itguru’s and you name it!). A guru is one who guides you through the process of do penance and attaining the kingdom of god (nirvana). There is no “dooms day” or “Quyamat” in hinduism. You don’t wait for the judgment after death.
The hindu monks do penance or “Thapas” in seclusion for their own attainment of “moksha” or liberation of self from the clutches of birth and death cycle and take the soul towards the sublime status of eternity. That is the ultimate goal of the humans as preached by hinduism. So the monks have no role otherwise in the practice of hinduism. Hence it is not fully monastic nor idealistic. Vedas are in fact comprehensive books of practical wisdom – every act of day to day life is discussed and a socially acceptable code of conduct and rituals specified.
Apart from that of monks, hinduism enunciates the role of “Acharya” or the teacher who need not be a monk or an ascetic or a “rishi”. The teacher helps you to perform the rituals at your home for the various “karmas” or the duties – viz: religious rites for birth, schooling, marriage, rites for the departed souls etc. The teacher is only hired for a fee – for cash and/or kind. There are mantras for even for offering the fee. It is all enshrined in the hindu religious tenet. Beyond that the teacher has no influential role in the practice of the religion. But people in general, prompted by a sence of insecurity and of guilt, go and voluntarily and commit abject surrender before monks and “sadhus’ and “swamiji’s” and give them a role which has no religious sanction. This gives a wrong notion that hinduism needs a monastic to practice and is very idealistic. No, far from it. You can be a devout hindu without becoming a desciple of Maharishis, Oshos, Babas, His Holinesses and their ilk!
In case you want to perform a religious rite, all you need to do is engage a priest who has learnt vedas and other texts of hinduism and get his professional service for a fee and be with it . This has full sanction of vedas. In Hinduism, the temple priests’ role is confined to the temple and they can’t meddle with the individual’s life.
To sum up, hinduism is far from being monastic and is not based primarily on idealism but on pragmatism!