Hinduism in the West
Encyclopedia
The reception of Hinduism
in the western world
begins in the 19th century, at first at an academic level of religious studies
and antquiarian interest in Sanskrit
.
Only after World War II
does Hinduism acquire a presence as a religious minority in western nations, partly due to immigration
, and partly due to conversion, the later especially in the context of the 1960s to 1970s counter-culture, giving rise to a number of Hinduism-inspired new religious movement
s sometimes also known as "Neo-Hindu" or "export Hinduism".
ern thought and new religious movements. An early champion of Indian-inspired thought in the West was Arthur Schopenhauer
who in the 1850s advocated ethnics based on an "Aryan-Vedic theme of spiritual self-conquest", as opposed to the ignorant drive toward earthly utopianism of the superficially this-worldly "Jewish" spirit. Helena Blavatsky moved to India in 1879, and her Theosophical Society
, founded in New York in 1875, evolved into a peculiar mixture of Western occultism and Hindu mysticism over the last years of her life.
The sojourn of Vivekananda to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 had a lasting effect. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission
, a Hindu missionary organization still active today.
Hinduism-inspired elements in Theosophy
were also inherited by the spin-off movements of Ariosophy
and Anthroposophy
and ultimately contributed to the renewed New Age
boom of the 1960s to 1980s, the term New Age itself deriving from Blavatsky's 1888 The Secret Doctrine
.
Christian Wray. In the early 20th century, Western occultists influenced by Hinduism include Maximiani Portaz – an advocate of "Aryan Paganism" – who styled herself Savitri Devi and Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
, founder of the German Faith Movement
. It was in this period, and until the 1920s, that the swastika
became an ubiquitous symbol of good luck in the West
before its association with the Nazi Party became dominant in the 1930s. In unrelated developments, during the same time Jiddu Krishnamurti
, a South Indian Brahmin
, was promoted as the "vehicle" of a messianic entity
, the so-called World Teacher, by the Theosophical Society
.
Another early Hindu teacher received in the west was Sri Aurobindo
(d. 1950), who had considerable influence on western "integral" esotericism
, traditionalism ("Perennialism") or spirituality in the tradition of René Guénon
, Julius Evola
, Rudolf Steiner
, etc.
During the 1930s to 1950s, Meher Baba
was active in the United States.
declared his Avatarhood in 1953, but he retired in the early 1960s, and thus became only marginally involved in the New Age boom of the 1960s counter-culture
.
During the 1960s to 1970s counter-culture, Sathya Sai Baba
(Sathya Sai Organization
), Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
(Osho-Rajneesh movement
), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON or "Hare Krishna"), Guru Maharaj Ji (Divine Light Mission
) and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
(Transcendental Meditation movement
) attracted a notable western following, founding religious or quasi-religious movements that remain active into the present time. This group of movements founded by charisma
tic persons with a corpus of esoteric
writings, predominantly in English, is classed as founding, proselytizing religions, or "guru
-ism" by Michaels (1998).
Hatha Yoga
was popularized from the 1960s by B.K.S. Iyengar
, K. Pattabhi Jois and others. However, western practice of Yoga has mostly become detached from its religious or mystic context and is predominantly practiced as exercise or alternative medicine.
Since the 1980s, Mata Amritanandamayi
(the "Hugging Saint") and Mother Meera
(the "Divine Mother", self-identifying as an avatar of Shakti
) have been active in the west.
The largest immigrant (Deshi) Hindu communities in the west are found in the United States
(1.5 million), the United Kingdom
(0.6 million), Canada
(0.3 million), besides smaller communities in other countries of Western Europe
(Germany
0.1M, Netherlands
0.1 M, France
0.06 M, Switzerland
0.03 M) and in Australia
(0.1 million). Much of the Hindu presence in Canada is due to the Tamil diaspora
as a result of the Sri Lankan civil war
.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
in the western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
begins in the 19th century, at first at an academic level of religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
and antquiarian interest in Sanskrit
Sanskrit in the West
The study of Sanskrit in the Western world began in the 17th century. Some of Bhartṛhari's poems were translated into Portuguese in 1651. In 1779 a legal code known as was translated by Nathaniel Brassey Halhed from a Persian translation, and published as A Code of Gentoo Laws...
.
Only after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
does Hinduism acquire a presence as a religious minority in western nations, partly due to immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, and partly due to conversion, the later especially in the context of the 1960s to 1970s counter-culture, giving rise to a number of Hinduism-inspired new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
s sometimes also known as "Neo-Hindu" or "export Hinduism".
Colonial period
An important development during the British colonial period was the influence Hindu traditions began to form on WestWest
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
ern thought and new religious movements. An early champion of Indian-inspired thought in the West was Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal...
who in the 1850s advocated ethnics based on an "Aryan-Vedic theme of spiritual self-conquest", as opposed to the ignorant drive toward earthly utopianism of the superficially this-worldly "Jewish" spirit. Helena Blavatsky moved to India in 1879, and her Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society Adyar
The Theosophy Society - Adyar is the name of a section of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883...
, founded in New York in 1875, evolved into a peculiar mixture of Western occultism and Hindu mysticism over the last years of her life.
The sojourn of Vivekananda to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 had a lasting effect. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
, a Hindu missionary organization still active today.
Hinduism-inspired elements in Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
were also inherited by the spin-off movements of Ariosophy
Ariosophy
Armanism and Ariosophy are the names of ideological systems of an esoteric nature, pioneered by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', meaning wisdom concerning the Aryans, was first coined by Lanz von Liebenfels in 1915 and...
and Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
and ultimately contributed to the renewed New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
boom of the 1960s to 1980s, the term New Age itself deriving from Blavatsky's 1888 The Secret Doctrine
The Secret Doctrine
The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy, a book originally published as two volumes in 1888, is Helena P. Blavatsky's magnum opus. The first volume is named Cosmogenesis, the second Anthropogenesis...
.
Christian Wray. In the early 20th century, Western occultists influenced by Hinduism include Maximiani Portaz – an advocate of "Aryan Paganism" – who styled herself Savitri Devi and Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
Jakob Wilhelm Hauer was a German Indologist and religious studies writer. He was the founder of the German Faith Movement.-Biography:...
, founder of the German Faith Movement
German Faith Movement
The German Faith Movement was closely associated with Jakob Wilhelm Hauer during the Third Reich and sought to move Germany away from Christianity towards a religion based on "immediate experience" of God...
. It was in this period, and until the 1920s, that the swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
became an ubiquitous symbol of good luck in the West
Western use of the Swastika in the early 20th century
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form or its mirrored left-facing form. Archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period and was first found in the Indus Valley Civilization of the Indian...
before its association with the Nazi Party became dominant in the 1930s. In unrelated developments, during the same time Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...
, a South Indian Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
, was promoted as the "vehicle" of a messianic entity
Messianism
Messianism is the belief in a messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Christ, the Muslim Mahdi and Isa , the Buddhist Maitreya, the Hindu Kalki and the Zoroastrian Saoshyant...
, the so-called World Teacher, by the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
.
Another early Hindu teacher received in the west was Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
(d. 1950), who had considerable influence on western "integral" esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
, traditionalism ("Perennialism") or spirituality in the tradition of René Guénon
René Guénon
René Guénon , also known as Shaykh `Abd al-Wahid Yahya was a French author and intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from metaphysics, sacred science and traditional studies to symbolism and initiation.In his writings, he...
, Julius Evola
Julius Evola
Barone Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola also known as Julius Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esotericist...
, Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
, etc.
During the 1930s to 1950s, Meher Baba
Meher Baba
Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
was active in the United States.
Hindu-oriented movements in the west after 1950
Meher BabaMeher Baba
Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
declared his Avatarhood in 1953, but he retired in the early 1960s, and thus became only marginally involved in the New Age boom of the 1960s counter-culture
Counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...
.
During the 1960s to 1970s counter-culture, Sathya Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
(Sathya Sai Organization
Sathya Sai Organization
The Sathya Sai Organization was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi...
), Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
(Osho-Rajneesh movement
Osho-Rajneesh movement
The Rajneesh movement is a term used by Hugh B. Urban and other commentators to refer collectively to persons inspired by the Indian mystic Osho , particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins" or simply "sannyasins", also formerly known as Rajneeshees or "Orange People",...
), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON or "Hare Krishna"), Guru Maharaj Ji (Divine Light Mission
Divine Light Mission
The Divine Light Mission was an organization founded in 1960 by guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj for his following in northern India. During the 1970s, the DLM gained prominence in the West under the leadership of his fourth and youngest son, Guru Maharaj Ji...
) and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
(Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
) attracted a notable western following, founding religious or quasi-religious movements that remain active into the present time. This group of movements founded by charisma
Charisma
The term charisma has two senses: 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, 2) a divinely conferred power or talent. For some theological usages the term is rendered charism, with a meaning the same as sense 2...
tic persons with a corpus of esoteric
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
writings, predominantly in English, is classed as founding, proselytizing religions, or "guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
-ism" by Michaels (1998).
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
was popularized from the 1960s by B.K.S. Iyengar
B.K.S. Iyengar
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar , is the founder of Iyengar Yoga, although he himself would not call it Iyengar Yoga. He is considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and has been practising and teaching yoga for more than 75 years...
, K. Pattabhi Jois and others. However, western practice of Yoga has mostly become detached from its religious or mystic context and is predominantly practiced as exercise or alternative medicine.
Since the 1980s, Mata Amritanandamayi
Mata Amritanandamayi
Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devī , primarily known simply as Amma ["Mother"], is a Hindu spiritual leader and guru, who is revered as a saint by her followers. She is widely respected for her humanitarian activities...
(the "Hugging Saint") and Mother Meera
Mother Meera
Mother Meera, born Kamala Reddy is believed by her devotees to be an embodiment of the Divine Mother .-Life account:...
(the "Divine Mother", self-identifying as an avatar of Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
) have been active in the west.
Immigration
Substantial emigration from the (predominantly Hindu) Republic of India has taken place since the 1970s, with several million Hindus moving to North America and Western Europe.The largest immigrant (Deshi) Hindu communities in the west are found in the United States
Hinduism in the United States
Hinduism is a minority religion in the United States, American Hindus accounting for an estimated 0.4% of total US population.The vast majority of American Hindus are Indian Americans, immigrants from India and Nepal and their descendants, besides a much smaller number of converts.While there were...
(1.5 million), the United Kingdom
Hinduism in the United Kingdom
Hinduism was the religion of 558,342 people in the United Kingdom according to the 2001 census but an estimate in a British newspaper in 2007 has put the figure as high as 1.5 Million....
(0.6 million), Canada
Hinduism in Canada
Hindus in Canada generally come from one of three groups. The first is primarily made up of Indian immigrants who began arriving in British Columbia about 100 years ago and continue to immigrate today. The second major group of Hindus immigrated from Sri Lanka, going back to the 1940s, when a few...
(0.3 million), besides smaller communities in other countries of Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
(Germany
Hinduism in Germany
According to the govt. statistics agency in 2003 there are an estimated 97,190 Hindus in Germany. About 42,000-45,000 are Sri Lankan Tamils; 35,000–40,000 are Indian and 7,500+ are Whites and others. First Hare-Krishna-Temple in Germany was built 1970 in Hamburg....
0.1M, Netherlands
Hinduism in the Netherlands
Hinduism is a minority religion in the Netherlands, with around 100,000 adherents out of a population of 16,500,000. Most of these are relatively recent first or second generation "Hindoestanen" immigrants, South Asians who had been resident in the former Dutch colony of Surinam and travelled to...
0.1 M, France
Hinduism in France
The Hindu community in France consists of some long-time residents and many recent immigrants. Although Hinduism does not constitute a large proportion of the population it appears to be growing rapidly; the current Hindu population of France is 121,312 or 0.2% of the nation's population, up from...
0.06 M, Switzerland
Hinduism in Switzerland
The 2000 census reported 27,839 residents of Switzerland self-identifying as Hindus . Most of them are Sri Lankan Tamils . Approximately 90% of Hindu adherents are foreign-born, and about a third of them have the status of refugee or asylum seeker...
0.03 M) and in Australia
Hinduism in Australia
Hindus form a religious minority in Australia, roughly estimated to be 148,119 according to the 2006 census.Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Melbourne, Australia.- History :...
(0.1 million). Much of the Hindu presence in Canada is due to the Tamil diaspora
Tamil diaspora
The Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
as a result of the Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
.
See also
- Hindu reform movementsHindu reform movementsSeveral contemporary groups, collectively termed Hindu reform movements, strive to introduce regeneration and reform to Hinduism. Although these movements are very individual in their exact philosophies they generally stress the spiritual, secular and logical and scientific aspects of the Vedic...
- Sanskrit in the WestSanskrit in the WestThe study of Sanskrit in the Western world began in the 17th century. Some of Bhartṛhari's poems were translated into Portuguese in 1651. In 1779 a legal code known as was translated by Nathaniel Brassey Halhed from a Persian translation, and published as A Code of Gentoo Laws...
- Esotericism in Germany and AustriaEsotericism in Germany and AustriaThis article gives an overview of esoteric movements in Germany and Austria between 1880 and 1945, presenting Theosophy, Anthroposophy and Ariosophy, among others, against the influences of earlier European esotericism.-Knights Templar and occultism:...
- Ramakrishna's impactRamakrishna's impactRamakrishna is a famous nineteenth-century Indian mystic. Born as he was during a social upheaval in Bengal in particular and India in general, Ramakrishna and his movement—Ramakrishna Mission played a leading role in the modern revival of Hinduism in India, and on modern Indian history.-On...