Source: www.tennessean.com
BELLEVUE, TENNESSEE, October 9, 2009: A group of eight Vanderbilt students visited the Sri Ganesha Temple in Bellevue temple recently, to pray and to take part in a discussion on reincarnation. The visit was organized by Vandy Karma, one of the university’s newest student groups.
It’s part of a national trend among second-generation Hindu students who meet for discussions of theology, religious holidays and trips to local temples. Unlike their parents, who learned the faith by immersion in their home country, these students have to learn to practice Hinduism amid a mostly Christian culture.
There are between 1.5 million and 2 million Hindus in this country, said Anantanand Rambachan, chair of the religion department at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Most first-generation Hindus were immersed in Hinduism in their families and Indian culture. That’s not true for their children.
For most of their history, Hindus have focused on religious practices and rituals, not on theology. While Hindus have scriptures, like the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, those scriptures generally don’t have instructions on the details of rituals and practices needed to live the faith. In response, many Hindu student groups are organizing on college campuses