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Yes. About half the people on these forums that identify as Hindus are white. Are we complaining or noticing ethnicity? World wide there is a very low percentage though. My guess of about a billion Hindus, maybe 100 000 at most would be non-Asian.
No (perhaps Hare-Krishnas, but that may or may not be your way). Considering oneself Hindu is a very personal thing. So whatever is the balance between your doubts and liking. Whether a person is an Asian or Non-Asian, he\she would dress and talk like anyone else. It is not required to have an outward mark announcing your Hinduism.
People of India with their different beliefs. They chose to mix their beliefs, accept each other, rather than cut each others heads. And ended up with a thousand of Gods and Goddesses and a thousand of views. No problem, the more the merrier. Native religions, older than Indus Valley civilization. Always added, never subtracted.
Far more about belief and practice than ethnicity. That said, it's certainly not for everyone. What specifically interests you?
After sleeping on your query, yes, I think you're being a bit paranoid.
I had trepidation with labeling myself a Hindu (and spoke about it here on the forum), though my worldview certainly qualifies as such, not because I felt I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but because I had concerns that it would be an affront to those where were culturally born into the religion. But with the help of some of our Hindu members here, I realized that my concerns were unwarranted and that being a Hindu is about one's philosophies and beliefs, not about one's ethnicity.
I've attended Vedanta society gatherings and even Puja, and those with which I attended, all of Indian descent, were more than welcoming and made me feel right at home.
After sleeping on your query, yes, I think you're being a bit paranoid.
I had trepidation with labeling myself a Hindu (and spoke about it here on the forum), though my worldview certainly qualifies as such, not because I felt I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but because I had concerns that it would be an affront to those where were culturally born into the religion. But with the help of some of our Hindu members here, I realized that my concerns were unwarranted and that being a Hindu is about one's philosophies and beliefs, not about one's ethnicity.
I've attended Vedanta society gatherings and even Puja, and those with which I attended, all of Indian descent, were more than welcoming and made me feel right at home.
