It's true that you cannot convert someone into Hinduism but that's only because there's no concept of a ceremony or some such thing after which you become a Hin

It's true that you cannot convert someone into Hinduism but that's only because there's no concept of a ceremony or some such thing after which you become a Hindu. If you believe you're a Hindu, then you're a Hindu. There's no religious/governing authority which overlooks the conversion. Some temples (especially the really old, famous ones) in India allow only Hindus to enter the inner premises of the temple. So it might be tricky to prove that you're a Hindu if you're not Indian-looking :) As someone who was raised as a Hindu in India, I can tell you that Hinduism is way too complex, confusing and deep to grok. If someone asked me to summarize Hinduism in a few sentences, I could never do it. Also as the article says the religion survived through thousands of years in spite of so much change happening within India (India was invaded several times by foreigners) largely because Hinduism has adapted itself over time. Hinduism has evolved to appeal to different kinds of people & their needs - you could go from something as simple (and probably silly if you don't believe in it) as idol worship, animal sacrifices, elaborate rituals, etc to something like `yoga` where you're trying to unite your mind and body through physical exercises, and to even higher `meta` things like meditation, realizing one's self. There's loads of Sanskrit literature on all these things if you want to actually explore. Buddhism sprang from Hinduism at one point because Gautama Buddha who was born as a Hindu prince wasn't satisfied with the then existing form of Hinduism. Unfortunately an average Hindu family in India doesn't delve beyond the usual temple visits, rituals on auspicious days on the Hindu calendar, and celebrating festivals lavishly. Hinduism is one of those things I would like to explore deeper but just haven't found the time or the right person to teach me which is largely because I'm chasing that dream career and all the comforts in life :)