By performing the play of the pilgrim, does the Indian-American elementary school student inadvertently become the oppressor? Or confirms the oppression? Or conforms to the oppressor?

(RNS) Fifty years after they began arriving from India, the first generation of Indian-Americans is retiring and finding itself in a quandary. Alth...

Temple attendance is an awful criterion to apply to Hindus, since their tradition does not emphasize congregational activity and many Hindus prefer to do their spiritual practices on home altars and meditation cushions.

Why do such unspeakable tragedies take place to begin with? Hinduism, like other spiritual traditions, offers us a great deal of philosophical insight to grapple with the question.

That festive "Holiday" season is again upon us. It's a challenging time for members of the Hindu Diaspora, who often reflect upon the degree to which they and their children have acculturated or assimilated.

Click through the slideshow to see most and least Hindu cities in America: A study measuring religious bodies in the United States called the, ...

In keeping with the American tradition and in line with the Dharmic values of self reliance, it is time we, the Dharmic Americans, empower ourselves and understand how to make our places of worship secure.

The Gita is not a playbook that offers easy, formulaic answers to relieve us the burden of decision-making. Rather, it is a moral and spiritual compass that offers us an amazing perspective with which to wrestle with the difficult questions. I suspect that Tulsi feels the same way.

Fifty-five years before Swami Vivekananda spoke at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago (1893), Hinduism was being practiced in the Caribbean. It is a story of religious survival in the midst of abject poverty and colonial hostility.

Seeking the shelter of the Divine, and then striving to share that shelter with others, is the essence of this time of year -- and perhaps of all holy days. Sometimes it just takes a hurricane to remind us.

It may be a critical time for Hindus, especially diasporic Hindus, to reflect on this. After all, many second-generation diasporic Hindus are neither familiar with Sanskrit nor with the vernacular language of their parents and may, consequently, opt to jettison their Hindu identities.

Self-proclaimed Hindus ought to have a position on the centrality of class and caste. While Hinduism is known for its tremendous diversity, for "Hindu" to be useful category, there has to be some religious claims and teachings that are agreed upon by all who proclaim to be Hindus.

Should India's Independence Day be celebrated in Hindu temples in America? I think so. We can use the day to reflect on identity, on struggle and sacrifice, and on the deeper, spiritual significance of concepts like freedom or independence.

In a national survey providing one of the first detailed glimpses into how Hinduism is practiced in the United States, the Pew Research Center offers new data that illuminate the complexity and richness of our pluralistic democracy.

Editor's note: Every week, HuffPost Religion shines a spotlight on religious people doing good work in their communities. If you would like to recomme...

Being a father has been a blessing in my life, yes, but it has also been a catalyst for my spiritual development in a way that I've never experienced before.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (RNS) Children are usually the primary complainers about Sunday school, but when Mudita Bahadur started looking for excuses not t...

Hinduism can mean incredibly right-wing fundamentalists who use it as an excuse for violence, or it can mean my mother, a self-proclaimed atheist who is one of the most devout Hindus I know.

But time, distance from family and the frenetic pace of modern life have taken their toll. In my home, my husband, two sons and I certainly celebrate Diwali, but at best, on the surface.

We need not look far to find the Ravanas of our time... They are us -- at our weakest, basest, and grossest; people of faith, in our darkest moments of hypocrisy.

Describing a sacred Lingam as a "lump of ice" is not frankness. It is absurdity. It is like describing the Sistine Chapel as smears of paint, or The Economist as pre-cycled future toilet paper.

While I loved the film, I also felt sympathetic to people who are hurt and offended by what feels like an attack on their faith. I support anyone who wants to screen the film, but this is a game-changer.

The fastest growing category of American religion, particularly among young adults, is "spiritual but not religious." That the land of the free gave birth to such a designation makes perfect sense.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that karma has become a ubiquitous shorthand for reap-what-you-sow justice. The term crops up increasingly in song lyrics, sitcoms, news and casual conversation.