10-27-2006, 03:09 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-Bharatvarsh+Oct 27 2006, 01:29 AM-->QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Oct 27 2006, 01:29 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->
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.
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First of all, thankyou very much for your satisfating answer!
In fact in Italy Induism is mostly unknown to people, few people knows it and if they do for them it's only an Indian religion, the only people here who practise Hinduism are Indians living here or the devotees living in the ISKON villages.
You are right about yoga, many people attend yoga lessons just to learn concentration or to practise any oriental doctrine, or also because they've read something about any VIP that practise Yoga itself!!
About rural Hindus, do you mean that a white Hindu has never gone to any rural village? Do rurals think white people MUSTN'T be Hindu because of the origins, or they only have never seen a WH? There aren't white Hindus living anywhere India? Nor in the cityes?
If so I'll come one day, converted to Hinduism(I'm near to this) and it will be the first time I'll visit India.. But I'll come with a sari and the bindi on my forehead to see the surprised reaction of rural people!!
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.
[right][snapback]59801[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
First of all, thankyou very much for your satisfating answer!
In fact in Italy Induism is mostly unknown to people, few people knows it and if they do for them it's only an Indian religion, the only people here who practise Hinduism are Indians living here or the devotees living in the ISKON villages.
You are right about yoga, many people attend yoga lessons just to learn concentration or to practise any oriental doctrine, or also because they've read something about any VIP that practise Yoga itself!!
About rural Hindus, do you mean that a white Hindu has never gone to any rural village? Do rurals think white people MUSTN'T be Hindu because of the origins, or they only have never seen a WH? There aren't white Hindus living anywhere India? Nor in the cityes?
If so I'll come one day, converted to Hinduism(I'm near to this) and it will be the first time I'll visit India.. But I'll come with a sari and the bindi on my forehead to see the surprised reaction of rural people!!