10-27-2006, 01:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-27-2006, 01:31 AM by Bharatvarsh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->What do you think about European Hinduists?
About the SrilaPrabhupada ISKON association?
Do you think in Europe Sanatana dharma has found a place of diffusion or it has been distorced in any way by the European's?
I'm really interested in this because I'm Italian, but I like the Indian culture, the Indian religions, I'm also vegetarian and I'd like to learn something from the Indian cooking habits..
Coming back to the topic, what's the Indians opinion about it? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haven't met any European Hindus in real life but know about a couple, one of them was a Greek girl who became a Hindu and later married a person of Indian origin in the UK.
I am not a big fan of ISKCON.
I think these days dharma has found a place in Europe but there are some distortions, for example the distortions about Yoga just being some kind of physical exercise and having nothing to do with Hinduism, these days some Christians even start coming up with ridiculous things like "Christian Yoga". But there is a long way to go in other counrties except UK and Netherlands for Hindus, for example I heard that France and Italy do not yet recognise Hinduism as a valid religion or something, these things need correction, also in US Hinduism is portrayed very derogatively compared to other religions but I am not sure what the situation is in Italy though, I do know that in UK after some efforts by Hindus these derogative textbooks were replaced by more balanced ones.
As for the Indian opinion about foreigners converting, well there are different opinions, the more Orthodox Hindus such as the Srinageri mutt Shankaracharya who refuses to initiate any converts, but most Hindu organisations do accept people who are interested, the Hindus who are also more educated for the most part have no problem with it, coming to the rural Hindus, well they will probably get shocked about a white person following Hinduism because they never see any and think that only Indians (or people of Indian descent) can be Hindus.
About the SrilaPrabhupada ISKON association?
Do you think in Europe Sanatana dharma has found a place of diffusion or it has been distorced in any way by the European's?
I'm really interested in this because I'm Italian, but I like the Indian culture, the Indian religions, I'm also vegetarian and I'd like to learn something from the Indian cooking habits..
Coming back to the topic, what's the Indians opinion about it? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haven't met any European Hindus in real life but know about a couple, one of them was a Greek girl who became a Hindu and later married a person of Indian origin in the UK.
I am not a big fan of ISKCON.
I think these days dharma has found a place in Europe but there are some distortions, for example the distortions about Yoga just being some kind of physical exercise and having nothing to do with Hinduism, these days some Christians even start coming up with ridiculous things like "Christian Yoga". But there is a long way to go in other counrties except UK and Netherlands for Hindus, for example I heard that France and Italy do not yet recognise Hinduism as a valid religion or something, these things need correction, also in US Hinduism is portrayed very derogatively compared to other religions but I am not sure what the situation is in Italy though, I do know that in UK after some efforts by Hindus these derogative textbooks were replaced by more balanced ones.
As for the Indian opinion about foreigners converting, well there are different opinions, the more Orthodox Hindus such as the Srinageri mutt Shankaracharya who refuses to initiate any converts, but most Hindu organisations do accept people who are interested, the Hindus who are also more educated for the most part have no problem with it, coming to the rural Hindus, well they will probably get shocked about a white person following Hinduism because they never see any and think that only Indians (or people of Indian descent) can be Hindus.