Yet it is wrong to think that people cannot formally become Hindus, regardless of their land of birth. This requires preliminary preparation including study and meditation as well as following a particular life-style and ethical discipline. It is usually not given instantaneously or overnight. Once these preliminaries are fulfilled a simple ceremony called Shuddhi is performed which makes one into a Hindu. There are a number of groups in India and the West who do this, though they seldom advertise or wave a flag about it.

Shuddhi means purification, not conversion. According to Hinduism we cannot be converted to anything, just as we cannot change our nature. It is not a question of becoming converted from one identity to another but of discovering what our real identity has always been. To become a Hindu all that we need to do is purify our minds and hearts so that we can recognize our Eternal Being. This is not to assume a new identity but to discover the Divine within us. Such conversion does not require denying any truth. It only requires giving up exclusive beliefs that cloud our perception.

Today Hindu spiritual teachers travel all over the world to share their knowledge and have disciples of all backgrounds and religions. They have not insisted that people formally convert to Hinduism in order to benefit from their teachings or follow its practices. Many Westerners practice Yoga and meditation, chant Om and other Hindu mantras, and visit sacred sites in India but have not had to become Hindus to do this. This is because Hindu teachers see more value in sharing spiritual practices than in getting people to assume different identities. 

[ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]