viiIn many cases, the membership of Hindu temples in America cuts across the tradi-
tional barriers that divide Indian society—social status, regional background, sectar-
ian loyalty—giving these Hindu temples far more inclusive constituencies.
The cultural landscape of the United States has changed dramatically in recent
years. Today it possesses a plurality of cultures that my grandparents and their gener-
ation probably would have found inconceivable. The Hindu temple outside of Aurora,
Illinois, is but one small sign of the increasing visibility of Asian cultures in American
society. Another sign of this pluralism is the growing number of ways that Americans
are coming into contact with traditional Hindu culture—whether through practicing
yoga, through alternative medical systems such as ayurvedic medicine, or through the
piquant delights of Indian cuisine.
Despite the growing interchange between Indian and American cultures,
Hinduism is still often stereotyped and misunderstood. On one hand are the remnants
of an antiquated point of view that refuses to see the United States as anything but a
Christian nation. Those holding this view either dismiss Hinduism as an alien or exotic
set of rituals and beliefs or actively condemn it as idolatrous. On the other hand are
people searching for an alternative spirituality who idealize Asian cultures as founts of
ancient wisdom. At the very least, such an uncritical embrace ignores these cultures’
genuine tensions, problems, and inequities; at the extreme it can result in a “designer
religion,” in which beliefs and practices from various religious traditions are selec-
tively adopted, wrenching each of these elements from its roots in a living culture.
Outright condemnation and idealized acceptance overlook the richness and com-
plexity of India’s religious and cultural traditions. To gain a genuine understanding, it
is important that we discern the cultural context behind Hindu beliefs, practices, and
history. In learning about this context, one quickly encounters familiar ideas: hard
work, thrift, education, and the importance of the family. Along with these general
similarities to American cultural values, one finds equally profound differences. To
examine the nuances of Hindu culture is to enter into a rich and complex world with
its own inner logic and consistency. Encountering and understanding a different
world view can throw one’s own into sharper perspective, enriching it with new depth
and understanding.
What Is Hinduism?
The very word Hinduismis misleading. The word was coined by the British as an
umbrella term, referring to any and all forms of religion in India, many of which share
few if any common features. It was used to describe all sorts of beliefs and practices,
from simple nature worship to the most highly sophisticated ritual and philosophical
systems.
Hinduism is a vast religious tradition, encompassing various and contradictory
strands and ideas. It has usually defied all the usual strategies for categorization and
classification. There is no founder, no definitive scripture, no centralized authority, no
single supreme god, no creed of essential beliefs, and no heresy. Thus, it would be
more accurate to think of the religion as Hinduismsrather than Hinduism, since this
would reflect the rich diversity one encounters.
India is a land of contrasts and cultural variety. The subcontinent contains almost
every type of environmental ecosystem, the inhabitants of each possessing their own
local and regional culture. There are over a dozen distinct languages, each of which
establishes and nourishes a regional identity that many Indians maintain with great
care wherever they live. The combinations of language, regional identity, sectarian
affiliation, and social status have given rise to overwhelming variation. For Hindus,
diversity is a basic trait of Hindu life, and thus one person’s practice may be very dif-
ferent from another’s. This has given Hinduism little in the way of centralized
doctrine or dogma, but its grounding in everyday life has made it extraordinarily
resilient and adaptable.