Book Club: How To Become a Hindu (Chapter One)

The well respected Himalayan Academy and their guru Subramuniyaswami put out a book several years ago called How To Become a Hindu. Over the next few weeks I’ll be reading the chapters and discussing each one individually. Today we’re looking at the first chapter: Personal Encounters with Hinduism.

I’m not sure why they chose to put this as the first chapter. It’s a lot of personal stories from people who went through Subramuniyaswami’s “ethical conversion” and how it helped them and how much they adore their guru. The weird part is that we haven’t yet read what “ethical conversion” is. In fact, when the first story mentions it, the text directs us to Chapter Seven.

Seven?! That’s how long we’re reading before we get the overview of what we’re reading about? That seems very strange to me.

The stories rub me the wrong way. I know that guru worship is a very common aspect of Hinduism and it is something that makes me uncomfortable. It is made worse here by starting a book written by Subramuniyaswami (or at least its his name on the front) with a lot of people praising and adoring how awesome Subramuniyaswami is. It seems self-aggrandizing to me.

But he’s an enlightened guru, so of course this couldn’t be ego.

He’s not my guru and so I feel uncomfortable with all this adoration in his own book. It’s like endorsement quotes taken to a whole other level.

However, all these people are very happy with their new Hindu path in life. They feel welcomed and at peace and like they’ve found their right path. That’s not a bad thing! I’m glad for them that Subramuniyaswami’s teachings are right for them. I take a bit of exception to the tone that his path is Hinduism.

Let’s look at some of these stories individually…

The first is a man who had a lot of problems with drugs and alcoholism. His family were fundamentalist Baptists and his parents told him he would go to hell. After reading a whole lot of Subramuniyaswami’s books, he was ready to convert. He faced his parents and brother and the priest from his home church. Told them he was now going to be a Hindu. He was given a new name and went though his naamakarana ceremony (one meant for babies getting named). Afterwards he got an email message from the guru. “We are all very pleased that you have made this great step forward in your karmas of this life. Congratulations. Now the beginning begins. DOn’t rpoceed too fast. Don’t proceed too slowly. Steady speed in the middle path.”

Is it just me or does that sound like a form letter? I feel a little sad about how over the moon this guy is to receive this email. But he says that blessings have been flowing ever since, so it sound like he’s happy.

One of the stories that bothers me the most is My Excommunication from Greek Orthodoxy.

This man was serving Subramuniyaswami as a monk for seven years before the guru decided that all his devotees would need to go through his “ethical conversion” process. So he kicks the guy out and tells him to go back to the Eastern Orthodox Church, even though the man had never participated in it and knew nothing about it. But he listened and did as his guru said. After six months of trying to be a Christian monk, the guru allowed him to get a letter of ex-communication and return to the Hindu monastery.

I guess guru knows best what you need. But I’d be pretty pissed off to be told to go back to Christianity even if I had no ties to it and no interest in it.

One person who was already a Hindu but not a Shaivite Hindu still changed his name according to Subramuniyaswami’s rules. “One of the requirements was to bear and legally register a Shaivite Hindu name, first and last, and use it proudly each day in all circumstances, never concealing or altering it to adjust to non-Hindu cultures.”

I can respect that. Being proud to be a Hindu is something I can understand and a name is a way to kind of broadcast one’s Hindu-ness. I do always wonder about the disrespect to one’s family of changing names. One story in here is subtitled “My new Hindu name was perhaps the biggest hurdle for my Chinese-American family.”

This is another story where the “severing past connections” doesn’t seem to make much sense. She says “Gurudeva had to tell me what religion I had to sever from: Taoism.” She had not grown up religious and clearly didn’t even know what religion her family was ethnically. So in that case, what tug could it possibly have on her soul? That’s my point of view, anyway.

There is a story of someone who did not go through the conversion process and indeed who is not a disciple of Sumbramuniyaswami, but rather Chinmayananda (which is a school I am pretty familiar with!) She considers herself a Vedantist rather than a Hindu. I’m glad to see this touch of diversity represented. Actually, the last few stories are of people practicing Hinduism not with Subramuniyaswami, so that eases some of my concerns.

I feel like a lot of the stories highlight people who are adrift and many who are estranged from family. Maybe this ritual conversion is particularly helpful for people who feel disconnected from their families? I have not felt the need to formally severe past connections or go through a baby naming ceremony to be Hindu. But I know for many people that psychological step might be important.

As much as I am being critical here, it is nice to read many stories of people having that “coming home” feeling of embracing Hinduism. I think I would have put this section towards the end, but I’d still include it. It’s good for new Hindus to feel that they are not alone and others have gone before.