10/20/2024
What Hindu Newcomers Must Know
Inquiring westerners interested in Hinduism often ask, ‘Where do I start? Are there any requirements to be Hindu?’
Many will give typical answers: ‘Hinduism is not a religion. It is a way of life.’ ‘There are no requirements. If you say you’re Hindu, you are a Hindu.’
Hinduism is not so strict on such things as requirements, rules, codes of conduct, etc. It is more of an individual ism. There are important codes of personal and social conduct that come along with reasoning. They are commitments, not commandments. One is responsible for his/her own actions, and it is of more importance to know something through study and experience, than to simply believe in something automatically. Truth is organic and based on the laws of nature. That is dharma.
Hindus can enjoy a great many paths. There is beauty in diversity. However, if we say there are no requirements at all to being Hindu, then we leave the dharma up for grabs, free for the taking and exposed to idealism and delusion. We cannot say that anyone can be Hindu if he/she simply thinks or says so. Unless we wish to see Hinduism come to mean whatever one wants or thinks it to mean. If (or when) that happens, then what’s the point of being anything?
Saying there are no requirements is the same as saying there are no definitions of what Hindu dharma is and is not. It’s like saying ‘Hinduism is ya know, whatever one wants it to be.’ It could be truly said that each Hindu has his/her own dharma or even his/her own religion. This makes it an attractive option to those brought up in strict, dogmatic, and congregational faiths. Still, Hinduism is not radically vague. It finds its basis in certain knowledge. It is an unorganized religion, but it is not vague.
That said, a belief in karma and reincarnation is a valid necessity for being Hindu. An understanding is preferable to a belief. Belief is fluid. An experiential comprehension is steady. If one can come to a similar conclusion about the nature of Self via study, concentration, contemplation, and meditation, then one gains knowledge.
To put Vedantic knowledge into practice, is dharma. To act in option to one’s own knowledge and nature, is adharma. To have only an ego-based Hindu identity on Facebook, sans Hindu integrity in real life, is treachery. One cannot be authentic even to his/her own self, if he/she is not rigorously honest with others. A deceiver causes harm and often enjoys doing so. Such individuals are not adherents of Vedika dharshana. They may be modern Hindus, but they are not Dharmikas nor Sanatanis.
Do not make the Abrahamic mistake of confusing knowledge with belief. As we’ve seen throughout history, that attitude leads to sanctimony. Sanctimony and self-righteousness lead to the oppression of others who are perceived as being unholy and wicked.
Hinduism can be a religion & faith, but Sanatana Dharma is not a system of beliefs. The latter is a system of understanding, and is actually the furthest thing from religiosity. Unfortunately, some Hindus don’t understand this and may even be offended that I’d say so. This is due to attachment to an identity and cultural indoctrination. Hindus (should) place more importance on inner knowledge, than on any outer mentality or material thinking. Vedanta teaches us that unbridled thought is an intrusion of maya. That it’s a foreign imposition, which causes us to confuse subject with object.
This same illusion causes us to confuse the body with atma. The mind and its thought patterns are more subtle than the physical body, but thought also has subtle mass. It is also material. We also have a mental body, layer, or kosha. Only by the modification of manas (mind) can we gain true insight and clarity (buddhi), discretion and discernment (viveka), and self-realized knowledge through atma vichara. So, recognizing the Vedas as the primary source of knowledge (ved) and truth (sattya-dharma) is another requirement for being truly Hindu.
Ideally, the end goal is moksha which actually makes any ism obsolete, when reached. Of course, that is just the ideal goal but wanting anything less is in a sense, just using one thing to get another thing. This journey and path are wondrous and can make life worth living. This is just one of many lifetimes we have and will likely continue to have. So, in the beginning, have dharmic or right intentions. It is likely the Hindu newcomers have trudged this road before. Without proper intentions we tend to just fall back into the mundane world and therefore, must try once more in a future incarnation.
Sean Bradrick, author of A Hindu’s Guide to Advocacy and Activism: Fighting the Narrative War. Text, taken from `Awakening the Hindu Mind`, Out January 1st, 2025
(I highly recommend this book also)
