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Re: REQUEST : Can non-Indians become Hindu?
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: REQUEST : Can non-Indians become Hindu?
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From: l23@hopi.dtcc.edu (GERALD J. LA CORTE)
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Date: 25 Sep 1996 15:31:01 GMT
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: Delaware Technical & Community College
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References: <ghenDx9t02.BKF@netcom.com> <ghenDy0DzG.M13@netcom.com> <ghenDy9Ft9.7xL@netcom.com>
: >Hinduism Today's web site has some details about a non-hindu becoming a
: >hindu. If you search for Hinduism Today, you can access that site.
: I posted excerpts from that article, and so far, there hasn't been a
: single person on this newsgroup who agreed with it. Some even tried to
: ignore the fact that I was quoting from Hinduism Today, since they
: didn't agree with the $900 "fee" to become a Hindu.
: >I also I know one priest in California who has developed a set of rituals
: >for the same. Get in touch with me if you want any more details.
: Here's an interesting question - who can arbitrarily develop rituals
: in "Sanatana (Eternal) Dharma"? More importantly, do these rituals
: have any widespread acceptance?
A bigger question which I think this depends upon is, "What is Hindu and
When is a person, native Indian or not, part of the Hindu religion?" That
would help clarify when a person, reguardless of their ancestry, is or is
not Hindu.
I don't know of any temples in the States who will reject a person from
attending a service just because they are not of Indian descent. A large
number of Swamis will also accept Americans as students. Seeking a guru,
let alone having a Swami as one is something most Indians don't even do!
But there are already American Swamis and American VedaCharyas. Is there
anyone here who would say that a Swami is not Hindu, even if they are of
non-Indian descent?
Bests,
Jay
