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YOGA
Article Taken From The Magazine: CORNERSTONE VOL. 13 ISSUE 70
Written By: VISHAL MANGALWADI
Vishal Mangalwadi, regular contributor to Cornerstone, is a citizen of
India and philosopher in his own right, and has long had a fruitful
ministry among Hindus. As America increasingly turns to Hinduism and New
Age gurus, we need to be prepared to counteract this counterfeit gospel.
Man's basic problem according to Hinduism is not moral but
metaphysical. It is not that man is guilty of having broken God's moral
law, but that he has somehow forgotten his true nature and he experiences
himself to be someone other than what he is. Man is not a sinner; he is
simply ignorant of his true self. The problem is with his consciousness.
His salvation consists in attaining that original state of consciousness
which he has lost.
Man's true nature or original consciousness is defined differently by
monistic and non-monistic gurus. The monistic gurus, who believe that
God, man, and the universe are ultimately one, teach that man is Infinite
Consciousness or God, but has somehow become entangled in finite,
personal, rational consciousness. So long as he remains in this state, he
is born repeatedly in this world of suffering. Salvation lies in
transcending finite, personal consciousness and merging into (or
experiencing ourselves to be) the Infinite Impersonal Consciousness, and
thereby getting out of the cycle of births and deaths.
In different words, salvation is a matter of perception or realization.
You are already one with God, you first have to perceive or realize this
fact. Perceiving, in this context, is not a cognitive activity. It is
not a matter of intellectually knowing or logically deducing that we are
God, but rather transcending this cognitive, rational consciousness and
experiencing a "higher" state of expanded consciousness which is believed
to be God and our true self.
The non-monistic gurus and movements, such as Hare Krishna, do not
believe that man is or ever becomes God. God, according to Hare Krishna,
is a personal Being - Krishna. Man's original state is Krishna
Consciousness and his true nature is to be a loving servant of Krishna.
But man has forgotten this and has become entangled in this material
world. He has to re-establish his link with Krishna and gain
Krishna-Consciousness. Only then will man get out of the cycle of births
and deaths and live forever with Krishna in Goloka or heaven.
Thus, to sum up, salvation in Hinduism consists in the realization,
perception or experience of our so-called "true nature." This realization
takes place when we are able to alter our consciousness and attain what is
called a "higher" state of consciousness.
How can we alter our consciousness? Through the manipulation of our
nervous system, because the consciousness is dependent upon the nervous
system.
During the preceding millennia numerous techniques have been developed
to manipulate one's nervous system in order to alter one's consciousness.
These are generally called YOGA. Here we can discuss only a few of the
techniques that have been popularized by the modern gurus.
CONT...
PAGE 1
HATHA YOGA: SALVATION THROUGH PHYSICAL EXERCISES
Hatha yoga, which consists of physical and breathing exercises, is a
very ancient method. The belief that one can attain "salvation" through
physical exercises rests on the fact that salvation is believed to be a
matter of perception, which depends on the state of one's nervous system,
which in turn depends on one's physical condition. By physiological
manipulation of one's body, the nervous system can be affected and
consciousness altered.
The problem with Hatha Yoga is that it is a long and tedious process
requiring much discipline and a competent teacher.
The question is frequently asked whether a Christian can practice Hatha
Yoga. Many Christians see nothing wrong in practicing it because it is
often advertised as non-religious in nature and sold for its therapeutic
values. But once a person experiences the alteration of consciousness and
has a "vision of possibilities" (Mahesh yogi), he becomes open to Hindu
philosophy on which Hatha yoga rests. Therea may be some teachers of
Hatha yoga who are not interested in propagating its philosophical basis
at all, but only in teaching it to make money or impart health. I am not
qualified to pronounce on the therapeutic benefits of Hatha yoga, but it
seems to me that if a person is practicing certain exercises developed in
India for health reasons, he should not say that he is practicing yoga.
For the physical exercises become yoga only when they are practiced to
alter consciousness, or to merge into God. For yoga means union of soul
with "God."
It may be asked, "What is wrong with artificially altering conscious-
ness?" By itself I do not think there is anything evil in an altered
state of consciousness. Madness, sleep-walking, and hallucination are all
"altered" states of consciousness which are not morally evil, even though
they are undesirable. But to consider your own altered consciousness to
be God is certainly evil from the biblical point of view. And to ascribe
spiritual significance to physical exercises is to become prey to the
deception of Satan.
The use of hallucinogenic drugs too has been an accepted method of
altering consciousness for ages in India. But many of the modern gurus
discourage their use because their results are unpredictable, they are
addictive, and can do harm.
JAPA YOGA: "THE MECHANICAL PATH" TO SALVATION
Japa is the repetition or chanting of a mantra (usually a name for God
or an evil spirit). The Hare Krishna movement chants the names of Krishna
and Rama:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
The monistic gurus prefer to use a symbolic name of God, such as "Om,"
or a mantra whose meaning the meditator does not know, so that the name or
mantra may not create any thoughts or images in the mind by association.
Constant repetition of a sound eliminates all other stimuli, thus
concentrating the mind and eventually itself becoming a non-stimulus.
This induces a state where the mind is aware or conscious, but is not
aware or conscious of anything or any thought. One may say that it is
only conscious of consciousness. This is what is called Pure
Consciousness or Trancendental Consciousness.
CONT...
PAGE 2
In order for this technique to be effective in "God-realization," one
has to practice it for three to four hours a day. Maharishi Yogi, the
popularizer of Transcendental Meditation in the West, prescribes it only
for forty minutes a day to the new initiates. This is meant to give them
a taste for it and to help them have a "vision of possibilities." In
advanced stages the Maharishi prescribes as much as one full week of
silent meditation.
"In the final state of Unity Consciousness one perceives oneness of
himself with the universe. This is liberation."
Because the initiation into TM is a private affair, many Christians
consider it to be some mysterious thing. Actually it is very simple. A
seeker who is interested in taking initiation is asked to bring flowers,
sweets, a white handkerchief, camphor, etc., along with a substantial
amount of money as fee for a puja ceremony. During the ceremony the
teacher worships a photo of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's own guru and also asks
the initiate to bow before this photo. The teacher invokes the blessings
of various gods and goddesses and then gives a mantra to the initiate.
Usually the mantra is a short word, a name of some deity such as Ram, Om,
Hrim, Sring, Aing. The disciple is asked to sit in a comfortable
position, close his eyes, and silently repeat the mantra, like,
"Ram...Ram...Ram..." for twenty minutes. He is told that he will first
forget the rest of the world and be aware only of the mantra. Then he
will forget the mantra too and transcend all thoughts and feelings and
become aware of the awareness. This is the Transcendental state of
consciousness.
After some time, the meditator reaches a higher state of consciousness,
called Cosmic Consciousness, in which he is aware both of the world and of
the Pure Consciousness. Then, after some more years of meditation, one
can attain God Consciousness, in which he comes to perceive the subtler
levels of the objective world, which appear as personal. In this state,
it is said that one can even communicate with birds, animals, plants, and
rocks. After this state comes the final state of Unity Consciousness, in
which one perceives oneness of himself with the universe. This is
liberation.
Mahesh Yogi calls this path the "Mechanical Path to God Realization."
He says that it is possible to realize God in a mechanical way because
"God Realization" is a matter of perception and "the process of perception
is both mechanical and automatic." In order to perceive the external
objects, we just "open our eyes and the sight of the object comes
automatically without the use of intellect or emotions." Likewise, in
order to perceive the inner consciousness, we just have to turn the
attention inside and we automatically come to perceive it.
"Whether perception is outward or inward," writes the Maharishi, "it is
automatic and mechanical. Perception in the outward direction is the
result of a progressive increase of activity of the nervous system. And
perception in the inward direction is the result of diminishing activity..
until the entire nervous system ceases to function and reaches a state of
stillness, a state of restful alertness. This brings the realization of
`Be still and know that I am God."
THE SURAT-SHABD YOGA: THE PATH OF SOUND OF SOUND AND LIGHT
"God is light," many gurus affirm, and add that this light is within
us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God," declare many sects, and add that this word is within us.
When the soul establishes a contact with this word, the word takes it back
to Godhead, its original home.
PAGE 3
The Divine Light Mission and Radha Soami Satsang (Beas) have been
chiefly responsible for popularizing Surat-Shabd yoga in the west. Surat
means soul and Shabd means Word or Sound; so Surat-Shabd yoga is union of
soul and the Word.
The sects that teach this path try to keep their techniques completely
secret. The techniques are called by various names, such as Nam (name)
and Updesh (knowledge), to deliberately mislead non-initiates. The "name"
and "knowledge" actually refer to techniques of physiological manipulation
of the senses and meditation on one's breathing.
Unlike TM, the sects that teach the path of sound and light do not
initiate everyone who asks for it. One has to be spiritually "ready" for
initiation. There is no definite criterion for judging whether or not a
person is ready; it depends on the arbitrary feelings of the initiator.
Some sects stipulate a few objective conditions, too, such as giving up
liquor, non-vegetarian food, drugs, etc.
After one has been chosen for initiation, he is taken into a closed
room, where the initiator explains the importance of the "knowledge,"
Satsang (the weekly gatherings for fellowship and teaching), and the
Satguru (the True Teacher). The would-be initiate takes a vow of secrecy
and to follow no other guru except his own. Then he bows, kneels, or
generally prostrates before the guru or his photo, and worships him/it.
Then the initiator teaches him the techniques of meditation.
In order to see the "divine light," the initiator asks the devotee to
close his eyes; then he places his middle finger and thumb on his eyes
and, starting from the corner of the eyeballs, he presses the eyeballs up
from the bottom, so that in actual fact if the eyelids were open the
center of the pupils would be looking at the point between the two
eyebrows on the forehead just above the nose, which is supposed to be the
location of the "third eye." If the initiate concentrates on this point he
can see a light.
Some people see only a small point, others see a blinding light, some
others see a psychedelic movie of moving patterns and brilliant colors,
and some do not see anything at all.
In order to hear the "divine music" or "the sound," one is asked to
block his ears with the thumbs so he cannot hear any external sounds.
When one listens long enough to his inner silence he can eventually hear
noises. To some devotees this sounds like celestial music, whereas others
think they are hearing their favorite tune played on a heavenly
instrument.
The third technique in Divine Light Mission is a difficult yogic
exercise: tasting the "divine nectar." Usually one experiences the nectar
only after much practice. You have to curl your tongue to come up to the
back of the throat and then swallow the tongue in such a way that it
points upwards. Here the tongue is supposed to hit a point and make
contact with the "divine nectar" that is constantly flowing through one's
body. It is claimed that this nectar is the "living water" of which Jesus
spoke and it is indescribably tasty. Some devotees claim this nectar is
the "bread of life," and after making contact with this ever-flowing
stream of nectar, one can live without water or food.
The main meditation is a breathing exercise called hearing or
contacting "the word." The devotee is asked to sit in a lotus position
(if possible) with both hands on the knees, and concentrate on his breath
going up and down. This is supposed to tune one into that "primordial
vibration," the Word or Logos, which has created the universe and sustains
it. By constant meditation one reaches Samadhi, or the expanded state of
consciousness. According to the Divine Light Mission, when you achieve
Samadhi, you become full of the divine light. At initiation the light may
appear as a small dot, but in Samadhi, it overtakes you and you feel (or
perceive) that you have become that Light.
PAGE 4
The other sects which teach salvation through this path describe their
experiences differently. According to some sects, such as the Radha Soami
Satsang, during meditation the "third eye" is opened, the soul leaves the
body through this eye with the Sound Current (Logos), and travels up to
heaven. On the way it has many wonderful experiences, and finally it
merges into God.
KUNDALINI YOGA: SALVATION THROUGH THE "SERPENT POWER"
Hindu psychology teaches that in the human body three centimeters above
the rectum and three centimeters below the genitals at the base of the
spine is a beautiful triangle in which lies the Kundalini Shakti, or the
"Serpent Power." What Kundalini really is, nobody knows, but it is
supposed to be red and white in color. It is also described as "coil
power" or the "creative sex energy." Normally, it is taught, the Kundalini
lies coiled and dormant, but when it is awakened, it arises and begins to
travel upward. In its journey from the base of the spine to the top of
the head, it passes through six psychic centers called chakras. When it
passes through a chakra it gives various psychic experiences and powers.
When at last it reaches the top chakra, called the sahasrara chakra, one
can supposedly attain the power to perform miracles and achieve
liberation.
Many means are used to awaken the Kundalini. They range from breathing
exercises, like Pranayam, to the homosexual handling of the genitals. The
most influential guru in the last decade who preached Kundalini yoga was
Swami Muktananda of Ganeshpuri, near Bombay. He described Kundalini yoga
as "Maha yoga" (Great yoga) or "Siddha yoga" (Perfect yoga), for he said
it was the only yoga in which the aspirant does not have to do anything.
He just surrenders to the guru and the guru's grace does everything for
him.
Thousands of people have testified that Muktananda had awakened their
Kundalini, but the method he used is still a secret. Often it gives the
impression of being demonic. Kundalini yoga has not been very popular in
India because many of the experiences it gives are what William James
calls "diabolical mysticism." It gives pain, makes people depressed, and
even produces madness. Describing his own experiences, Muktananda said:
On reaching my destination I sat for meditation. Soon after
sitting for meditation I started feeling restless and uneasy. Within
moments strange things were happening to me. I could not understand
it. I was perturbed mentally and emotionally. My mind seemed
deluded. By the time evening came this delusion became worse.
Generally, I am a man of great courage but that day I was overcome by
fear. I felt I would soon become insane. My mind was terribly
agitated.
That evening, at about 9 o'clock, Muktananda sat again for
meditation.
I felt there was great commotion around. My entire body started aching
and automatically assumed padmasana, the lotus posture. The tongue began
to move down the throat and all attempts to pull it out failed as I could
not insert my fingers into the mouth. My fear grew; I tried to get up,
but I could not, as my legs were tightly locked in padmasana. I felt
severe pain in the knot (manipur chakra) below the navel. I tried to
shout but could not even articulate. It seemed as if something was stuck
in my throat. Next, I saw ugly and
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