Namaste

[Kismet]

Namaste,

My name is Tom and I have been interested in what is called "Hinduism" or Sanatana Dharma for at least two years now. I could go on for hours on how elements of it make a strong appeal to me both personally and intellectually. However, I cannot say that I can call myself an utter, "bona-fide" Hindu in the most robust sense of the word as understood by many.

One reason is that I do not cleave all that close to any doctrine, sampradaya, or scripture. Nor do I really know that many Hindus apart from myself. Ultimately, I'm just a white boy from the suburbs whose soul identifies with many of the images, concepts and flavors of Hinduism in spirit more than in any formal sense.

I look very much forward to being a part of this forum and having my questions answered as well as, I hope, being able to provide others with some worthwhile answers too!

Aum Shanti

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste Kismet,

Welcome to HDF. Just so you know, the majority of Hindus are nonsectarian and don't identify with any specific sect or sampradaya. Don't let something like this or the fact that you don't know that many other Hindus stop you from following Sanatana Dharma. Hopefully this forum will be of help to along your path to see if Hinduism is right for you.

Jai Sri Ram

[charitra]

welcome kismet

[Obelisk]

Namaste Tom,

Welcome to HDF. :) Nice to meet you, looking forward to see you participate in the discussions!

[sunyata07]

Namaste Tom,

Welcome to the forums. We're very glad to have you here with us, and hope you enjoy your time spent here. I look forward to reading your posts!

Om namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste Tom, and welcome.


Namaste,

One reason is that I do not cleave all that close to any doctrine, sampradaya, or scripture. ... Ultimately, I'm just a white boy from the suburbs whose soul identifies with many of the images, concepts and flavors of Hinduism in spirit more than in any formal sense.



Namaste Kismet,

Welcome to HDF. Just so you know, the majority of Hindus are nonsectarian and don't identify with any specific sect or sampradaya.

Me too. I'm not here too long, and only recently fully embraced Sanātana Dharma. I'm just a middle aged (oh that was painful to say! :() white guy from the 'burbs too. I'm pretty eclectic in my beliefs, though Sri Krishna is my Ishtadeva. The beauty of Sanātana Dharma, I've found, is that there's lots of room for different beliefs, within the framework of Scripture, of course.