05-31-2006, 08:49 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hinduism's influence on the United States
<i>J Michael Parker
Express-News Religion Writer</i>
Hinduism has more influence in American culture than its relatively small
membership would suggest, said an American-born swami who visited San
Antonio's Hindu temple last week.
"It's more widespread than you'd think," said Satguru Bodinatha Veylanswami,
63, publisher of Hinduism Today magazine and head of 20 monks at a monastery
on Kauai, Hawaii.
"Martin Luther King's strategy of nonviolence is a good example of how Hindu
principles have been used effectively in the West. King visited some of
Mahatma Gandhi's followers in India to understand it better," the swami said.
"Since Sept. 11, there's been broader interest in teaching nonviolence,"
Veylanswami said. "We have a wonderful opportunity to share our belief in
the importance of raising children with prejudice-free consciences."
Hinduism also influenced the vegetarian movement, yoga meditation, and
alternative medical treatments that have become popular in the United
States. An estimated 25 percent of Americans believe in reincarnation, he said.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<i>J Michael Parker
Express-News Religion Writer</i>
Hinduism has more influence in American culture than its relatively small
membership would suggest, said an American-born swami who visited San
Antonio's Hindu temple last week.
"It's more widespread than you'd think," said Satguru Bodinatha Veylanswami,
63, publisher of Hinduism Today magazine and head of 20 monks at a monastery
on Kauai, Hawaii.
"Martin Luther King's strategy of nonviolence is a good example of how Hindu
principles have been used effectively in the West. King visited some of
Mahatma Gandhi's followers in India to understand it better," the swami said.
"Since Sept. 11, there's been broader interest in teaching nonviolence,"
Veylanswami said. "We have a wonderful opportunity to share our belief in
the importance of raising children with prejudice-free consciences."
Hinduism also influenced the vegetarian movement, yoga meditation, and
alternative medical treatments that have become popular in the United
States. An estimated 25 percent of Americans believe in reincarnation, he said.
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