The New Hindu Toolbox

By Ambaa

When you convert to Judaism, there are classes. Same with Catholicism. In fact, most religions have a course to get you started. With Hinduism, you just have to muddle through yourself. You'll hear the vague "There are no converts to Hinduism" (which can mean either that the person considers you to already be Hindu if you're living a Hindu life or that you can't be no matter what you do).

But that's not true. A large segment of Americans began practicing Hinduism in the 1960s and 70s. Areas around India such as Bali have native Hindu populations that had to have been converted at some point.

This booklet is here to hold your hand through the process of beginning your Hindu life. If you don't know where to get started, this booklet will guide you. If you have questions that a native Hindu has never experienced, you may find answers here.

The first part is an easy six-week guide to easing you into a local Hindu community and the second part is FAQs that converts have.

Who am I to write this guide? I am a non-Indian, American Hindu. I began identifying as a Hindu in 2004 and I've run a blog about the experience of being a non-Indian Hindu since 2009.

The Table of Contents for this booklet is as follows:

Easing In
Week One: A trip to the bookstore
Week Two: Bringing the Gods Home
Week Three: Learning to Pray
Week Four: Make Friends
Week Five: Enjoy a Festival
Week Six: Going to the temple
Tips
Words you should know
Basic principles of pronunciation
Dress Code
Greetings
Cultural Tidbits
Forehead Marks: Bindi and Tilak
Troubleshooting
Do I have to be a vegetarian?
Will native Hindus be offended by me identifying as Hindu?
Can I or Should I take on aspects of Indian culture to go with Hinduism?
History and Your Place In It
How do I mark that I am a Hindu?
How to Feel Confident
Should I go through a conversion ritual? Is there such a ritual?
Reactions
Gurus
How Do I Talk To My Family?
Peace and Love?
Conclusion
Resources

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ambaa
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310712104

Book preview

The New Hindu Toolbox

Beginning Your Journey in Hinduism

Ambaa

Copyright 2014 by Ambaa Choate

Smashwords Edition

Introduction

There is no such thing as conversion in Hinduism.

That’s something you’re going to hear a lot. Maybe you already have. It’s true that Hinduism has no official history, tradition, or ritual to bring outsiders into the religion. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a part of one of the most ancient belief systems in the world. I know because I am a non-Indian convert to Hinduism. While there aren’t universally accepted official systems in place, people have been converting to Hinduism for generations. There are many individual Hindu organizations and schools of thought. Some of them do have suggested systems for conversion. I’ll discuss those later.

Different people will tell you different things about conversion and Hinduism.

Some say that Hinduism isn’t really a religion; it’s a way of life. It is all of life and so everything and everyone is already Hindu.

Some say that all you need in order to be a Hindu is to identify as one.

Some say that the only reason there isn’t a concept for conversion is because Hinduism never forces or coerces anyone into joining. People become Hindus because they really want it.

Some say that you have to be born into a Hindu family in order to be Hindu. (My personal experience has been that very few people think that me as a non-Indian couldn’t be Hindu. Very, very few. I’ll spend some time talking about that in the Troubleshooting section.)

Hinduism may have begun as a word to describe the practices of people living in the Indus Valley, but these days there are people who identify as Hindu all around the world and in many ethnicities. There have been generations of Hindus in Bali and other areas near India. In the 1970s Hindu ideas spread to the west and the philosophies took hold in many hearts in America and Europe.

The word Hindu is relatively recent and you’ll find that many practitioners instead call their beliefs Sanatana Dharma, which means the Eternal Way/Truth/Balance. (There’s a lot of meaning packed into that word dharma). The word Hindu is still important, though, as it is a more recognized term that will help others place your beliefs in some context.

I’ve had people tell me that I shouldn’t refer to myself as a convert. We are all equal and everyone who wants to be is equally Hindu. But I think there is some value in that word. Because there are issues and concerns I’ve had that are not the same as those who are born Hindu. Whether you want to call us converts or not, we have the questions of a convert (and often also the enthusiasm of a convert!)

This book assumes that you know the basic philosophy of Hinduism and want to be a Hindu, but are looking for how to put it into action. I’ve been practicing Hinduism for the last ten years and I still remember how nervous I was when I was getting started!

Sometimes you know that what you need to do is spend more time in Hindu groups and getting comfortable in a community but you

Reviews for The New Hindu Toolbox

[Kaley Nigh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful read and very helpful for a white, newly practicing Hindu. I have been researching and learning about Hinduism and Indian culture for a couple of years now, but just recently have felt the... courage?... to call myself a Hindu. This book helped so much in preparing me for meeting the community. Thank you, Ambaaji! ??