Mahatma Gandhi reads English
In the nineteenth century, European travellers had a remarkably large influence on the popularity of Hinduism today. ‘Precisely because there was no single holy book, only separate texts, they began to ask questions about Hinduism in the nineteenth century, and it was only then that many of the stories, customs and rituals were first compiled and translated on paper.’
This not only increased knowledge among Europeans, but also enabled Hindus to learn more about their religion from books. ‘Take the Bhagavad Gita, part of a great ancient Indian epic. Many Hindus, including Mahatma Gandhi, first read that book in English.’
Although Hinduism gained popularity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Buddhism is more popular in the West today. ‘This is partly because Hinduism is not as peaceful a religion as we sometimes think. Take the caste system, for example, which classifies people at birth into social groups with corresponding statuses. To this day, this system perpetuates major inequalities, for example between men and women or the poor and the rich.’ Van der Velde points out that customs from both religions are often confused in the West. ‘We think of yoga, just like meditation and mindfulness, as Buddhist. But yoga actually stems much more from Hinduism.’
New world power
Van der Velde emphasises that it is not only fun and interesting to learn more about Hinduism, but that we also have an interest in knowing more about the religion. ‘India is growing rapidly economically and politically, it is increasingly becoming a world power to be reckoned with, and although Hinduism is not the only religion, it is by far the largest in India (approximately 80 per cent of the Indian population is Hindu, ed.). Knowledge of Hinduism therefore also provides insight into this increasingly influential country.’
Closer to home, it can help to better understand and get to know fellow countrymen, Van der Velde adds. ‘About 200,000 Hindus are living in the Netherlands, emigrants from India and Sri Lanka, but mainly Hindustani people who came to the Netherlands from Suriname.’
After a successful course on Buddhism, Van der Velde is already looking forward to the new course. ‘I was pleasantly surprised by the interest and involvement of the participants. I hope for the same again. As I said, there are quite a few things about Hinduism that seem difficult, but we work through them together during the meetings.’
Want to participate in the course?
The Radboud Reflects course on Hinduism starts on 28 January. Are you interested in participating? Registration is still open.
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