Dr. Arnold Joseph Toynbee, the great British historian, said, "India is not only the heir of her own religious traditions; she is also the residuary legatee of the Ancient Mediterranean World's religious traditions. Religion cuts far deeper, and at the religious level, India has not been a recipient. She has been a giver. About half of the total number of the living higher religions are of Indian origin." Such is the respect that Hinduism has received from many notable figures throughout history. Though Hinduism primarily dominates India, Nepal, Mauritas and the Tamils in Sri Lanka, there are one billion Hindus in the world today. Hinduism is among the world's most tolerant religions and is generally regarded as the oldest.

Although Hinduism is not by nature a proselytizing religion, its open-mindedness and all-encompassing thought has allowed it to spread to and impact the whole world. Hinduism has had an incredible impact in Southeast Asia. The people of Bali have adapted Hinduism and even the laws of Manu into their culture. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are quite popular in Southeast Asia in their local versions, even in Muslim countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Hindu influence can also be seen in the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean. For example, Pythagoras's ideas about the passage of the soul from body to body may have had its roots in India, with its theory of cosmic cycles. Hindu ascetics and Buddhist missionaries are also known to have visited Greece and settled in Alexandria and other ancient Western cities. Many Greek writers showed considerable knowledge about Indian religions. The Indian kings Magadha and Malwa exchanged ambassadors with Greece, and a Maurya ruler invited a Greek to join his court.

Even Christianity's roots seem to have some connections to Hinduism. The story of Christ's life, with the Immaculate Conception and King Herod's killing of all male children, seems to mimic the lives of Krishna and Buddha. The Buddhist legends of the star over Buddha's birthplace and the prophecy of the old monk Asita are repeated in the Gospel story of Simeon. The Gospel also seems to leave a large portion of Christ's life unaccounted for; after his childhood, the Bible does not discuss Christ's life until after age 30. In 1984 Nicholas Notovitch, a Russian author, translated a document found in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal which turned out to be a biography of Christ. Notovitch believes that Jesus stayed with Buddhist monks who taught him about Indian religion. Such ideas may be controversial, but they are gaining popularity even in the West, as evidenced by the success of books such as The DaVinci Code.

The adaptability of Hinduism to changing conditions is illustrated both by its accepting of new ideas and by its ability to share its ideas with other colors. Today, with the world changing so quickly, people all over the world have embraced what Hinduism has to offer, and hopefully they will continue to do so.