Well I am definitely a legit Hindu. I understand there are random people that do Yoga, and random people that collect Crystals, or random people who talk about Chakras, and some of them may say they are Hindu, and that is no different than someone that goes to Church on Easter, or who likes to wear a cross saying they are Christian.
I have worked and hung out with plenty of people from India and had religious discussion. My last job was for an Oracle Platinum partner who moves the Governments records into the cloud and creates new Government software/applications, so I was actually 1 of 2 white people involved in the entire company, and almost everyone else at the location where I was, was there with a Visa from India. And everyone else we worked with, apart from Oracle and the Government, were actually in India.
And just as another example, I was at the gas station the other day and a Hindu guy said to me "What are you wearing?" because he saw my beads under my shirt.
And I said: "Rudraksha beads"
And he said: "How did you know that?"
Then I told him I was Hindu and specifically that I worship Shiva and am a Shaivite, and he asked when I became Hindu and I told him, and we just talked for a minute. He asked me what book I had started with, I told him the Rig Veda. He asked where I had grown up and I told him I was near Dallas and DFW has a large Hindu Population. He said that there are a lot of Hindus in Austin also.
I don't just Smoke Marijuana for my Religion. I wear Rudraksha beads, I read the Holy Texts, I grow Holy Basil, I observe the Holidays, I understands Chakras (but I don't focus on them, as you shouldn't), I practice Yoga and Meditation, I have some Shaligram, I plan on getting my own cows and starting a Temple, I am definitely a Hindu.
