The Future of Hinduism

[Rudy]

Hello all

What do you think the probable future of Hinduism is and why?

I'm not sure what to think.

[wundermonk]

Hello all

What do you think the probable future of Hinduism is and why?

I'm not sure what to think.

There are two possibilities.

The % of Hindus in the world either goes up or it goes down over time.

This being HDF, many posters possibly (?) have a greater affinity for Hinduism than other religions.

Given this, for the % of Hindus to go up, where exactly are the new converts going to come from? In the near future, it is not going to be Muslims. Many Muslims are held under a tight rein by their Mullahs and Islamic governments where non-Muslims are treated as 2nd class citizens. The majority of Muslims may be moderate and be against the 2nd class treatment of non-Muslims in their midst but they are unwilling or unable to raise their voice sufficiently to be a force of good and change in their theocracies.

What about Christians? As we know, there are two types of Christians. One is the deceitful evangelist. This strain is likely to be virulent and has already set it sight on "saving the Hindu's soul from the devil" and making India a Christian nation. See thread here (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=8319).

However, compared to Muslims, non-evangelical Christians tend to live in more progressive societies where Hinduism can atleast be talked about and practised. How is Hinduism faring in such places where there is some type of level playing field? I would say, decently. Hinduism does not have missionaries that help it gain converts...So, any Christian who decides to take up Hinduism is doing so of her own accord. That is a mighty achievement for a non-proselytizing religion.

What about atheists converting to Hinduism? Some would argue that Hinduism is broad enough to accomodate atheism but I have doubts. Perhaps atheists are drawn to Hinduism because of its philosophy and association with yoga/meditation, etc. These are the practical aspects of Hinduism.

Like it or not, the future of Hinduism also depends on the future of India. The critical mass/amount of Hindus are in India. So, the rot in India needs to be stemmed. There has to be a decisive turn away from corruption in public life, genuine policies that help poor people regardless of caste/religion instead of looking at 1.2 Billion of us as different vote banks.

If the above does not happen, then the % of Hindus will decrease in the future.

[Mana]

हरिः ओम्


Namaste Rudy,


"... isms" are differentiation of knowledge, their existence in your mind is counter to the momentum of your freedom from their bondage.
Provoking a dissipation of wisdom and a loss of one pointedness.
Is it not reasonable to suppose that; to reside in such a state of mind, a state of mind in which one is overly concerned with such matters, is in its self justification for the initial statement?


praṇāma

mana


ॐ नमः शिवाय
Aum Namaḥ Śivāya

[IcySupreme]

I used to be worried about its future, but in the grand scheme of things - since hinduism is the eternal and supreme truth; surely there should no problem...even if it vanishes in this time cycle; it will be anew again in the next.
Am I right or wrong in thinking this?

[realdemigod]

It won't die so easily but abrahamic cults will do everything possible to kill it. I hope ISKCON flourishes even more to confront these cults. But I will be dead in some years from now and the next life is going to be a different story.So it doesn't matter.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

It won't die so easily but abrahamic cults will do everything possible to kill it. I hope ISKCON flourishes even more to confront these cults. But I will be dead in some years from now and the next life is going to be a different story.So it doesn't matter.

But where are the Hindu leaders in countering this assault? If Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church and Patriarch Bartolomeos of the Eastern Orthodox Church can have ecumenical dialogues with the Dalai Lama, the respresentative of a very small segment of Buddhism, where are the Hindus?

Say what you will about Swami Vivekananda, Paramahansa Yogananda and Srila Prabhupada and their methods of bringing Hinduism to the west, but they made the effort. And as far as I can see, they were embraced heartily. Those efforts stopped in the 1960s after Prabhupada. To the best of my knowledge, no swami has gone "on tour", as has the Dalai Lama.

The US Congress asked a Hindu priest to deliver an opening prayer. Sure the opening congressional prayer by a Hindu was decried by an evangelical, but he was the one who was accused of being intolerant by other members of Congress, religious leaders and the media.

So, where are the Hindus? I'll probably be verbally hanged, drawn and quartered for this (would it be the first time?) but I think Hindus are their own worst enemies. It's a great thing to say Hinduism doesn't proselytize. Well dammit, maybe it's about time it does.

[Believer]

Namaste,
I'll probably be verbally hanged, drawn and quartered for this (would it be the first time?) but I think Hindus are their own worst enemies. It's a great thing to say Hinduism doesn't proselytize. Well dammit, maybe it's about time it does.
You seem to be too concerned about being 'verbally hanged, drawn and quartered...' as if forum members have nothing better to do. ;)

TBTL, you are on the right track. The do-nothing pacifists forget that in Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishan Himself exhorted Arjun to fight the demoniac forces. Arjun represented the common man who wanted to disassociate himself from the mayhem and withdraw into a do-nothing shell, but the Lord would have nothing of that. The message was loud and clear - when virteous people are under siege by the evil forces, they must respond. If Arjun had capitulated and not stood up to the immoral and unjust Duryodhan, surely Hinduism would have declined and maybe died, several eons ago. So, for the current generation to think that it will survive by itself, is like pulling up the sheets over your head and assuming that the ghosts will go away. Belonging to a faith does not end with doing your japa in the safety of your home, while it is being decimated right outside your front door. It was heartening to read that people are setting up temples at the university provided rooms, so that Hindus don't have to travel long distances for their worship. Everyone does his little bit.

Pranam.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Namaste,

You seem to be too concerned about being 'verbally hanged, drawn and quartered...' as if forum members have nothing better to do. ;)

Well, some don't seem to. :D Seriously, I am sorry for mentioning it, but I am gun-shy. I know I have a different p.o.v view that is not always appreciated by some. I should take what you say below and apply it. It applies to everyone, that in summary... stand up for what you think is right and for your rights, and for your duty.

TBTL, you are on the right track. The do-nothing pacifists forget that in Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishan Himself exhorted Arjun to fight the demoniac forces. Arjun represented the common man who wanted to disassociate himself from the mayhem and withdraw into a do-nothing shell, but the Lord would have nothing of that. The message was loud and clear - when virteous people are under siege by the evil forces, they must respond. If Arjun had capitulated and not stood up to the immoral and unjust Duryodhan, surely Hinduism would have declined and maybe died, several eons ago. So, for the current generation to think that it will survive by itself, is like pulling up the sheets over your head and assuming that the ghosts will go away. Belonging to a faith does not end with doing your japa in the safety of your home, while it is being decimated right outside your front door. It was heartening to read that people are setting up temples at the university provided rooms, so that Hindus don't have to travel long distances for their worship. Everyone does his little bit.

Pranam.

[McKitty]

Hello,

I found many goods arguments in this subject, but I have to add some things.

- The fact that India is not the center of the world. No the evil fanatics christians are not plotting on taking India and destroy forever the true pure and holy truth that you and only you hold.
They are busy talking nonsense in their own country :D

-Not all christians are bad/fanatics/idiots/evangelistics freaks. There are as much types of christianity than sects in Sanatana Dharma. Some of them are completely idiots, some others are racisms, some others think they hold the supreme and only truth...Like many Hindus and many Muslims.
-And a big part just want to live their faith as they want, without being judged. It mean that they are enough open minded to accept that others can follow other path, and enough modest to live their faith simply without the need to evangelize or to claim everywhere that others are stupids. Yes, actually in the west, many and many and many people are like that. Just come to my country anytime and you will meet Muslims and Christians like this in every street corner. By generalizing you are not informative. You are racist. And racism is bad.

-You don't live in the west, you don't judge westerners. Chritian churches are loosing enormous amount of followers, who found themselves drawn to oriental faith because they realize this bring them the opportunity to LIVE a spirituality rather than FOLLOW a faith.
Yes, many of them are still ignorants and think this is fashion, yoga, and practical stuff.
Where are the Hindus to teach them ?

Yes the future of sanatana Dharma lies in India. Will you open up and raise without agressive sense of superiority, will you come into the international scene without claiming you hold the only and supreme truth (muslims and christians have already done this)
Or will you come as equals, with modesty to meet modest seekers and teach them equal to equal peacefully, wherever they come, whatever faith they come from ?

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Chritian churches are loosing enormous amount of followers, who found themselves drawn to oriental faith because they realize this bring them the opportunity to LIVE a spirituality rather than FOLLOW a faith.

As a side note, have you seen the "Come Home" campaign of tv commercials from the RCC? How bad is the exodus from churches that the RCC is advertising on tv!?

[McKitty]

Hello,

Sorry I haven't seen a commercial from the church, I'm not even sure if it's legal in my country x3 We have many faith living together and advertising for one or another on tv is certainely not autorised.
Sorry again, my understanding of english is maybe not good enough, I can't see if you agree or disagree x3

Anyway, visible or not, there is something going on among christians. Why ? Look at all the cases of sexual abuse by priests, of dirty money and stranges bank accounts cases in the vatican, add to this the "new" generation of young christians that have muslims, hindus, bouddhist friends around them and are more open minded and less "convert or buuuuurrrrn" than the previous generation.

People understand that they must turn to God, not to the church. They begin to understand that the church, the priests are all work of mens, not necessarily the work of God anymore. And yet those people are still seeking God...Where to they turn ? Here is faith like Sanatana Dharma that weren't tainted by man's law and are still appliables in modern times.
This is not fashion for everyone. I believe there IS something going on, even if it's very slow. I'm now saying everyone is giving up christianity, I say that many are looking for something else more close, more true, while new generations are more open to new ideas and philosophies.

Why fearing this ? It's the best moment for India to become like a teacher for all those people. There is the future of Sanatana Dharma. But being a teacher is being as open minded as the students are, it's not being prideful, it's being compassionnate.
If followers of Sanata Dharma see people from the west like "repented", "amateurs" and if they only show pride and act like: "christians and muslims are stupids animals, I hold the supreme truth" , then they are NOT different at ALL from the church (NOT ALL the christians, THE church) and Muslims saying that followers of Sanatana Dharma are stupids idol worshipper.

I don't think mimiquing what's not working, only driven by pride and overconfidence rather than compassion and understanding, work very well for the future of Sanatana Dharma.
Yes, maybe it's time for India to rise. But NOT as a warrior. As a teacher. Krishna is a teacher before a warrior. Kalki is not a supreme warrior that will come on earth to destroy christians and muslim. This is so wrong on so much aspects to think that. And this is not with those kind of speeches that you bring someone to get interest in Dharma.

[ZarryT]

I'm tempted to ask 'does it matter?' but i guess you're asking out of a pure curiosity.

If the cosmology is anything to go by, Hinduism as well as all virtue will collapse into absurdity and chaos by the end of the kali yuga, at which point it'll all start over with a fresh, pure devotion to dharma.

[Seeker123]

Hello all
What do you think the probable future of Hinduism is and why?
I'm not sure what to think.

Past history shows that between 1000 and 2000 AD India faced non Hindu rule most of the time violent which supported conversions by force, and inducements. Yet about 80% of India is Hindu; It drops to about 60% if you include Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The current and future will bring different types of challenges.

The important thing is Hindus constantly need to do everything they can do to support their Dharma. That can mean supporting Hindu organizations that do social work and/or spread religious knowledge, practices like temples etc. If you notice this has happened right through the past. Great personalities have arisen but they have been supported. You should read how fund raising was done Swami Vivekananda's trip to USA. Even today great leaders exist who are doing great work.

http://swamidayananda.com/swamiji-the-person.html

On a side note Swami Chinmayananda once said "You have to first convert the Hindus to Hinduism".

[charitra]

I agree that hindus must turn into active proselytizers because the population of spiritual exiles is soaring in the past century and this large swathe of people are somewhat lost in their search for truth. The golden era of (all) religion(s) is clearly on the decline.. Hindus must preach, not to save anyone’s souls but the core objective here is to share the exemplary wisdom locked away in ancient scriptures, especially the Vedopanishads. Knowledge and adaptation of the principles of hindu faith, but not necessarily to convert into Hinduism, will have a multitude of positive outcomes. By its assertion that all humans have atmans and none have to rot in eternal hell, and they all have to follow the karma cycle removes the divisionary teaching that makes the mainstay of the 2 main abrahamics faiths. Once an individual is given an element of equality with the very Brahman Him/Her/Itself, then since the said individual is placed on a pedestal, one is highly likely to correct ones conduct throughout ones years on the planet. Other faiths have included fear of reprisal as one serious reason to maintain good conduct. If fear is any reason for maintaining good order the millions incarcerated in prisons is a testament it wont act as a deterrent. Hindu faith again insists on sadhana or practice to achieve self realization through puja or deep meditation etc.

Next, by denying this vedic wisdom, in the name of ‘ being a not proselytizing faith’ the hindus are actually running the risk of labeled as selfish or even intolerant, paradox it may sound!! People may blame ‘all this magnanimous wisdom wasn’t made part of general knowledge for everyone’.Thankfully the latter accusation will get debunked with recent explosion of textual passages being made freely available on the web and elsewhere. That said, the onus falls on the native people of any given land. It is unfair to expect far off hindus to travel and preach in the west, they will be viewed suspiciously by the natives. The predatory christian evangelicals and missionaries hire locals, a thing to emulate. Currently Nepali hindu refugees from Bhutan are converted and trained in Bible belt, only to be packed off to Nepal in large numbers on missionary work to harvest souls there. Namaste.

[philosoraptor]

To my mind, the greatest threat to Hinduism is the apathy that Hindus have towards their own spiritual traditions.

Nearly one-thousand years of rule by foreigners did not wipe out Hinduism. But, the breaking of the Hindu's faith in his own scriptures by Western missionary-academics, probably did more to harm the fabric of Hinduism than any Muslim invader could.

When you add to this the Indian's inferiority complex vis-a-vis the Western world and its attitudes, the ever-growing trend towards rampant consumerism, and the almost implicit acceptance of Western attitudes about class- and gender-relations, you have a recipe for disaster.

Even worse is the recognition that newer Hindu organizations are starting to accept some of these Western attitudes as a given. There are Hindu thinkers nowadays who accept the Judeo-Christian premise that "polytheism is bad" and who go so far as to say that "idol worship" is merely a "stage" for the spiritually undeveloped mind. They also don't like Hindu iconography which reminds them of the polytheistic paganism which Christians hate, so they try to explain it away as complicated allegory to teach higher spiritual truths, e.g. "God isn't really blue, it's just that blue symbolizes His infinite nature..." I have observed a tendency of these neo-Hindu thinkers to try to redefine Hinduism in terms of their new-and-improved concepts, often to the contrary of what traditional practices originally signified. In this regard, I see Hinduism as becoming more and more Semiticized for mass consumption by the unsuspecting public.

[Shuddhasattva]

Namaste

The future of Hinduism must necessarily be considered in the broader context of the future of humanity.

Right now, there are big problems facing us, most of them of our own doing. According to the United Nations 50,000 species are going extinct per year. Other biologists & ecologists estimate 30,000 to 140,000. E.O. Wilson, one of the most eminent biologists in the world stated in his 2002 book "The Future of Life" that by 2100 50% of all higher organisms will be extinct.

Although species naturally go extinct (background extinction rate), the current rate of extinction is orders of magnitude beyond, such that we are now well within a 7th mass extinction period.

The tragic irony here is that humanity is uniquely equipped to use its intelligence and tool-making skills to harness opportunities and avoid threats, especially the threat of extinction. Instead, we have used these capabilities to produce the conditions for the extinction of many other species, and eventually ourselves, as we destroy our own life support mechanism.

I would like to see the Sanatana Dharma take steps to address this problem.

Aside from the problems of ecological unsustainability, there is also industrial unsustainability, the most prominent (but hardly the only) example of which is peak oil - the recognition that oil is a finite resource, 'manufactured' by biogeochemical processes millions of years ago (actually, during and after the previous mass extinction events, when a great deal of the biomass in the ocean died and sank to the bottom in a relatively short period of time, compacting on itself.)

Oil is not being renewed, and since the 70s (and the advent of satellite prospecting techniques), we've been discovering fewer and fewer oil wells of lesser and lesser magnitude, more and more costly to extract, with a few exceptions. This means that production will "peak", and we begin the long slide down - and it's not reaching the bottom that effectively destroys industrial civilization, it's going down.

This peak is forecasted to occur within the next 5 years or so, if it is not already occurring (conventional petroleum production has remained flat for the last several years, with increases in production being contributed by nonconventional sources like oil sands).

India (and Nepal) stand to be some of the countries most severely affected. Put this way: India consumes 3.55~ million barrels per day, growing at around 8% per year. 75-80% of that is imported.

What will happen when oil production falls of? Who will be the first losers? Those with the weakest currencies. Unfortunately, the rupee is not strong enough yet to compete with the dollar, the euro, the yuan, the pound and the yen. Moreover, the other superpowers, namely the US and China have already taken steps to install infrastructure in other countries, and - the US in particular - taking military steps to secure future availability of resources.

India's oil consumption will necessarily decline for want of access. How will India sustain its population, its economy, its industry, without that vital oil?

Add this to the other problems of water depletion, soil erosion, toxification, structural and ecological collapse & nutrient depletion, changing rainfall patterns causing farmers to play Russian Roulette with the monsoons, and other issues, and a very serious scenario emerges, one that I pray we are capable of meeting with the necessary fortitude and ingenuity.

I have great hope that India will emerge as a birthplace of sustainable, efficient industrial models and renewable resources, leading the world to adoption of sustainable practices, and that the Sanatana Dharma will be instrumental in inspiring this shift. Humanity needs it.

Humanity needs an ethic of reverence for nature, and cleanliness of the physical environment in addition to the body and mind, that Hinduism is capable of providing.

[Shuddhasattva]

Namaste

As far as the future of Hinduism itself...

Currently, I feel that most Hinduism is of a degenerate nature in society due to the malignant influence of the material world and centuries of oppression. What most people practice now is a shadow of a shadow. Rarely is the great meaning behind ritual action understood. Rarer still is an internal practice and relationship.

Many treat god as a vending machine, to be plied with worship in return for material largess, this or that desired object.

Ethics and values have taken a terrible beating. Educated people in India are often miseducated as regards philosophy and theology, and taught suspicion and disregard for their own religion. Science has been made seen as something contrary to the sanatana dharma, which reveals it as baseless superstition. This is, of course, bunk.

Revival is needed in the hearts of the people. To this end, I believe the following is needed:

The establishment of a syncretic spiritual university where all philosophies, sampradayas and sects are housed, and studied, each in their own context, as well as friendly, constructive debates and syncretic studies. A new smarta/shanmata approach is, in my opinion, much wanted.

This university should teach dharma in a practical manner, emphasizing service to life itself, humanity and the society in which one is a citizen, inspiring and exhorting people to build a better world.

This university should be universal in nature, not confined to any particular physical facility, but ambient in society, working through all mediums of information.

This university should take upon itself the responsibility of archiving any and all texts related to Hindu Dharma, including nastika traditions, preserving and copying them, organizing recitations and recordings.

This university should advance the arts as well - music, dance, theater, and so forth.

This university must incorporate in itself science, teaching pure science, in of itself, stripped of both theistic and anti-theistic attitudes which are not truly the product of science. It must also offer and emphasize interdisciplinary studies in which spirituality and science are explicitly reconciled, each learning from the other.

It must host and support scholarly endeavors, the production of accurate translations into all of the major languages of the world, the production of scholarly books and papers, etc.

Western philosophy studies must also be offered as an aside.

Moreover, this university must work to develop 'spiritual technology.' For example, what about computer programs which teach, visually, meditation techniques, or other sadhanas? That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Human-computer interfaces are evolving, along with computing technology, to the point where superconscious and collective conscoiousness states may eventually be attained through technological means.

[dogra]

A number of points may have been mentioned already , but:

1) To state the verses which show primal points e.g.:

In The Bhagawad Gita, sloka 20, Chapter 10, Lord Krishna (http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Scriptures.htm) says,

"I am the Self seated in the heart of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the very end of all beings". All beings have, therefore to be treated alike. "


Karma Yoga:
http://www.santosha.com/philosophy/gita-chapter3.html

Therefore, always perform your duty efficiently
and without attachment to the results,
because by doing work without attachment one attains the Supreme.



King Janaka and others attained perfection
by Karma-yoga alone.
You should perform your duty with a view to guide people
and for the universal welfare (of the society).



2) Counter the social evil of caste which has no sanction in our scriptures:

http://agniveer.com/888/caste-system/

The actual word used for Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra is ‘Varna’ and not Jaati.
The word ‘Varna’ is used not only for these four, but also for Dasyu and Arya.
‘Varna’ means one that is adopted by choice. Thus, while Jaati is provided by God, ‘Varna’ is our own choice.

3) Counter falsehood of gender equality by a number of non hindus, whenn Jai Mata di, is relating to female, when Shakti is in female form, so clear gender equality

4) Have discussions in temples on how to move forward
5) Remeber Lord Krishna advice to Arjuna, to take action not to be pasive, ghandhis dicdat is at odds with Lord Krishna here, Lord Krishna advice is supreme over Ghandhis
6) Martial ourselves, improve our spiritual strenght so that when faced withdifficult situations fear does not rule us, but courage does

Jai Mata Di

[wundermonk]

Looks like many of us have given our thoughts to this thread.

Does the OP'er, Rudy, have any contributing thoughts to add on his/her own thread after reading through the various offered opinions?

[satay]

namaste,
We hindus have no time, we are running after money. No one cares what happens to Hinduism. It is more fashionable to be a secularist.

[Seeker123]

4) Have discussions in temples on how to move forward
Jai Mata Di

Our temples are not set up to propogate basic knowledge about Hinduism. Some of them have lectures from time to time but I think it should be more regular like several times/week. Many of the temples in USA have weekly Gita and Upanishad classes.