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Indra
16 May 2009, 11:49 PM
Is there any ritual performed to formally convert to hinduism?

raghu_001
17 May 2009, 12:17 AM
Yes, but it depends on which tradition within Hinduism one is converting to. When it comes to matters of worship, conversion, etc, the rituals can be fairly specific to each individual sampradaya.

Indra
17 May 2009, 12:26 AM
Yes, but it depends on which tradition within Hinduism one is converting to. When it comes to matters of worship, conversion, etc, the rituals can be fairly specific to each individual sampradaya.

Namaste,

I live in Austria and want to convert to mainstream hinduism. What i have to do? Thanks

raghu_001
17 May 2009, 01:26 AM
Namaste,

I live in Austria and want to convert to mainstream hinduism. What i have to do? Thanks

Indra,

If you wish to formally convert, then you will probably have to undergo an initiation ceremony, which in turn will require that you accept a guru. There is nothing like converting to "mainstream Hinduism." People will belong to one sampradaya (sect, tradition) or another, and the requirements for initiation will vary from one to another.

Perhaps the best thing to do would be to start reading up on specific Hindu traditions and find out what interests you. Here are some resources that can point you in a few directions:

The Advaita Vedanta Home Page: http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/
The Dvaita Home Page: http://www.dvaita.org/
The Sri Vaishnava Home Page: http://www.ramanuja.org/

They are not all the same, and you would do well to take the time to learn about them in detail. Each one will have links to books you may wish to acquire in order to learn more.

When you have a good idea of what type of philosophy interests you, you can then seek out a guru who practices that specific tradition and enquire from him further.

Eastern Mind
17 May 2009, 05:56 AM
This site (online book) goes through one method:
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/hbh/

Aum Namasivaya

yajvan
19 May 2009, 07:56 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

Namaste

vrātyastoma त्यस्तोम i.e. sacrifice performed to recover the rights forfeited by a delay or postponement of saMskAra (saṁskāra¹).

Please consider reading this post and the response from saidevo.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3409&highlight=vr%26%23257%3Btyastoma (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3409&highlight=vr%26%23257%3Btyastoma)

pranams


1. saṁskāra - making sacred , hallowing , consecration ; any purificatory ceremony ; one which purifies from the taint of sin; also the yajña that restores a person or a thing to its original pure state.

OmSriShivaShakti
14 June 2009, 07:04 PM
In all of my extensive research, I have never come across an official ceremony to convert to Hinduism. This is because Hinduism is more than just the religion of the bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Upanishads, etc., it is also and amalgamation of the numerous faiths that had existed in India before the Vedas were written down which includes many beliefs and practices including animism, mysticism, tribal traditional beliefs, spirit worship, ancestor worship, and various forms of animal worship. Because of this grassroots beginning to Hinduism it had no single founder and encompassed all of the traditional faiths of the native people of India and so Hinduism was the original religion of all Indians. As a result, Hinduism did not need to go out and find converts like later faiths (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, etc.) did because those later faiths started with only one or a few people. However, because of the tides of Islamic fundamentalism and Christian evangelism that have hit India in the past, militant Hindu organizations such as Bajrang Dal have forcibly converted many recent converts to Christianity (low-caste folk who were either tricked or bribed into accepting Christianity). The ceremonies performed by these young militants are composed of some typical Hindu practices and are the closest thing to a conversion ceremony into Hinduism. Such ceremonies include tying a necklace with the image of a Hindu god on it, tying a rakhi on the convert's right wrist, applying kumkuma (vermillion) onto the forehead, possibly some kind of washing or splash of holy water, and in some cases the convert's head would be shaved except for a small spot at the top of the back of the head to leave a lock of hair there (called a shindi if it is long (many dedicated brahmins wore a shindi, most of them were Vaishnavas since most dedicated Shaiva brahmins let their hair grow long).

Eastern Mind
14 June 2009, 07:41 PM
Your extensive research continues. I officially adopted (converted from nothing) and the Arya Samaj also officially converts. There are many converts, even though as you say it is deemed not necessary by some as God is within. I would have felt funny practising Hinduism with a Christian name, and I also believe mystically that the ceremony let the devas know of me and welcomed me into the fold.

Aum Namasivaya

OmSriShivaShakti
14 June 2009, 07:59 PM
Oh, that is very good to hear. Especially since you went into Arya Samaj which is a very principled and revivalistic sect. I am saying this because almot all of the westerners I have come across that call themselves "Hindus" are just caught up in some kind of heretical cult such as ISKCON, BAPS (Swaminarayan), the cult of Satya Sai Baba, or other such groups which stress worship of human beings, vegetarianism and the more "hippie" side of Hinduism. It is great to hear of someone making the change to a truth-based sect of Hinduism, though I myself do not adhere to your faith as I use idols in my worship. Anyway, I wish you a happy journey throughout your life as a Hindu and may God's light of reason light your path!

Eastern Mind
14 June 2009, 08:26 PM
Oh, that is very good to hear. Especially since you went into Arya Samaj which is a very principled and revivalistic sect. I am saying this because almot all of the westerners I have come across that call themselves "Hindus" are just caught up in some kind of heretical cult such as ISKCON, BAPS (Swaminarayan), the cult of Satya Sai Baba, or other such groups which stress worship of human beings, vegetarianism and the more "hippie" side of Hinduism. It is great to hear of someone making the change to a truth-based sect of Hinduism, though I myself do not adhere to your faith as I use idols in my worship. Anyway, I wish you a happy journey throughout your life as a Hindu and may God's light of reason light your path!

Sorry for the confusion. I am not Arya Samaj. I said Arya Samaj also converts. I have utmost respect for BAPS. People there will drop their jobs for two months to go off to build a monument to God. And most Satya Sai Baba devotees are Indian Hindus. I am first and foremost of the Tamil Saivite branch known as Saiva Siddhanta. I worship Ganesha, Muruga, and Siva. If you have any desire to understand where I'm coming from read my pilgrimage log on these forums. Its under 'pilgrimage'. Or go to himalayanacademy.com. Best wishes.

Aum Namasivaya