Is New Faith Delicate?

Sometimes it seems like people feel like my faith is delicate and needs to be protected.

I can understand that. One might be worried that I’ve seen and liked the peace and love hippie 70s version of Hinduism in the west and that when I get exposed to more variety of Hinduism, that I will be disappointed and give up on it (Hint: I’ve already seen many, many, many sides to Hinduism and Hindus).

I suppose in the beginning for a convert, your faith is kind of delicate like that. You’re learning and exploring, soaking things in, but not everything is going to make sense to you and not everything is going to seem right. Part of that is probably that you still have growth to do to deepen your understanding and part of it is probably because human beings don’t always behave ideally. You think you’ve found this perfect religion, but then another member of it does something that just seems so wrong! It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that people who grew up with Hinduism or have studied it longer automatically are perfect people. Because Hinduism helps us grow towards perfection. But everyone is going through their own karma/sanskara and working through their own issues. Very, very few are already perfected.

Maybe all that new information that can seem contradictory at times is why many of the new schools and cults shield their new members from getting too much information that would overwhelm and confuse them. I’m not sure if that’s the right way to go about it, but I can see why the leaders might be worried.

Also, the convert tends to be extremely enthusiastic and over the top in trying to do and learn everything at once. That excitement could certainly burn bright and die quickly!

I would say that for me, I knew instantly that Hinduism was the right fit for me. More than that, I knew Advaita Vedanta was the right fit for me. I think others spend time trying out different things and switching around. Personally I think that’s okay too. It’s your journey to take. You might not be going the most efficient route, but you’ll get to where you need to go eventually.

Apparently I also sometimes come across as insecure. I’m not sure why that is! I love to ask questions and explore philosophies and ideas, but questioning doesn’t mean that I’m not completely secure and content in my faith. I’m fascinated by philosophical questions and I just want to explore the different angles of them, but from the secure seat of my love of Hinduism.