Hinduism in the United States

Hinduism in the United States is a religious denomination comprising around 1% of the population, nearly the same as Buddhism. Hindu Americans in the United States largely include first and second generation immigrants from India and other South Asian countries, while there are also local converts and followers. Several aspects related to Hinduism, such as yoga, karma, and meditation have been adopted into mainstream American beliefs and lifestyles.

Hinduism includes a range of religious and spiritual traditions that are unified by the principles of dharma, a cosmic order, and shared concepts from primary Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita . Many Hindus consider that the Supreme God may manifest in several divine forms, such as Gods: Shiva, Rama, and Krishna, and Goddess: Durga. Hindus have no central authority, and are not required to follow any particular Hindu text. According to the Pew survey of 2018, around 33% of Americans believe in reincarnation, an important concept in Hinduism and Buddhism. Om is a widely chanted mantra, particularly among millennials and those who practice yoga and subscribe to the New Age philosophy.

Historically, the early influence of Hindu philosophy in America can be traced back to one of the Founding Fathers, John Adams, who developed profound respect for the Hindu concept of one Eternal God, and discussed it with Thomas Jefferson in 1813 . The 19th-century American Transcendentalist philosophers such as Emerson and Thoreau read the Bhagavad Gita and noted the influence of Hindu principles. In 1893, Swami Vivekananda's address to the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago was one of the first public discussions of Hinduism in the United States. In 1925, Paramahansa Yogananda became the first Kriya Yoga teacher to settle in America. In the 1960s, Beatles member George Harrison played songs that included Hindu mantra Hare Krishna, and helped popularize Hinduism in America.

After the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the Hindu community in the US began to grow with immigrants from South Asia. As a result of US immigration policies that favored educated and skilled migrants from India, Hindu Americans are the more likely to hold college degrees and earn higher incomes than other denominations. Recently, Hindu Americans have also become active in state and national politics, including former presidential candidates such as Tulsi Gabbard and Vivek Ramaswamy.