Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. In USA, the Hindu people are living for a long time. The arrival of the Hindus in USA can be traced back to the founding period of USA. The good thing is that American people are becoming interested to learn about Hinduism. Recently, Truckee Meadows Community College, one of the prestigious institutions of Nevada, has introduced classes on Hinduism which will be taught by Rajan Zed, a famous Hindu Chaplain.
Asian Tribune reports:
In the coming months, this College will also offer classes on "Bhagavad-Gita" (most widely read Hindu religious text in the western world); "The Life, Experiments and Philosophy of Gandhi" (messiah of peace and non-violence); and "History and philosophy of Yoga" (one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy)—all to be taught by Rajan Zed.
Currently, there are about 800 Hindu religious centers in the United States of America (USA), concentrated in California, New York, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey. From 1700 people in 1900, the Hindu population of India origin in America grew to an estimated about two million now, in addition to about one million practicing Hindu-Americans of non-India origin.
Interest in Hinduism in North America began in 1830s with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau studying Hindu scriptures like Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita.
Whenever I think of Hinduism in USA, two things come into my mind: Sri Chinmoy, and Yoga. Yoga and meditation and spiritualism are very popular in USA. Many Americans including the celebrities attend various yoga and spiritual programs.
Sri Chinmoy, a.k.a Chinmay Kuma Ghose is a famous philosopher and teacher. He was born in 1931, at Chittagong in Bangladesh and went to USA in 1964. Sri Chinmoy can be referred as one of the pioneers in popularizing spiritual programs in USA. He also conducts yoga programs.
I think American business schools should start introducing courses related to Hindu and Hinduism. India is the largest country in South Asia with more than one billion people. Such a huge population offers a great market for foreign companies. Already, the country has become a renowned outsourcing destination. Many American IT firms have their offices in India. Opening such courses will help the future American businessmen become familiarize with the Indian culture which will give them an advantage if they want to start business in India.
Related article:
Asian Tribune
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mehdi are you sure that Hinduism is the after hristianity and Islam. I am not sure. please mention the sources.
Posted by: animesh | September 16, 2007 1:15 PM | Permalink to Comment