Others From My Background Aren’t Hindu

Ever since I discovered authentic Hindu practice I immediately felt that it was what I had always been. All the Indian philosophy in my upbringing came directly from this. How could I not immediately identify as Hindu?

Yet it has always surprised me that I haven’t met anyone else from the organization I grew up in who did the same.

As far as I know I might be the only one who went back to the source of what we were taught. I’ve always been mystified by that. But during this trip I got some insight into it.

For the first time I really saw Hinduism through other people’s eyes and I saw how for many of my friends it is extremely foreign, strange, and different. All the noise and the incense and the lights and the colors and the movements and the crowds: it’s quite overwhelming and very different from what most Americans are used to. Particularly those with a quiet New England Protestant background!

While those things in traditional Hindu worship made me feel more connected to God, they don’t have that effect on everyone.

And that’s okay.

For myself I made the decision that I could not extract pure Truth out of Hinduism. I needed the context of all of Hinduism to support my search for Truth. But some people are more interested in finding the core of Truth behind the rituals, practices, traditions, and culture. What they find is a Truth that is universal and applicable to all humans from all backgrounds. It’s the same Truth that I find in my Hindu worship but they separate it and extract it, leaving just the bare essentials.

Which is better? I don’t know. I can’t speak for other people and what is best for their spiritual journey. I know for me that I need the culture with the philosophy. I am unable to separate them and be confident that I have what I need for my soul’s growth. But that’s just one way of seeing it. 

Even after spending decades immersed in those Truths that are at the core of Hinduism, encountering Hindu worship practice provided more confusion than clarity for some of my friends. It has been interesting to observe that since it is so different from what I experienced. For me the Truth didn’t come alive until I encountered real Hindu worship.

I’m beginning to understand that my friends don’t identify as Hindu. Though they believe in the divine Atman within and that the world is maya and that the goal of life is to strip away the illusion and ignorance until you know that you are one with Brahman…they don’t identify as Hindu because they don’t know many of the Gods and Goddesses, they don’t do puja or aarti, and they see that culture and behavior as belonging to someone else. (And they do have a good point there).

Yes, it is strange to me that people could believe such core principles of Hinduism but not see themselves as Hindu but now I see that they are finding the universal Truth that is within Hinduism and putting it into a context and practice that makes sense to them and their lives. As a commenter pointed out, if I have the right to self-identify as Hindu then my friends have the right to self-identify however they like and to create a worship practice that works for them including using elements of Hinduism without all of it.

I fear that if I were to do that I would lose something essential in translation but that’s just a different perspective on the same hunt for Truth. There is no telling which of us is more “right.” They may progress faster distilling Truth down to its essentials but I am happy with my choice and my path. Hindu worship speaks to me and brings me closer to God. For others it becomes a distraction and creates a barrier to God.

This is why I am so glad that Hinduism has such an open-minded nature. There are options for people of all types however the divine speaks to them. So while to me it still seems that my friends and family are practicing a form of Hinduism, I now understand and respect that they don’t have to see it that way.