The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his073/yoga_1.arj/YOGA-1.TXT

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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.

   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.  There 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
consciousness?" 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.

   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.

   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.

   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 dreadful
demon-like figures. I thought them to be evil spirits.

   I then saw blazes of fire on all sides and felt that I too was
burning. After a while I felt a little better.  Suddenly I saw a large
ball of light approaching me from the front; as it approached, its
light grew brighter and brighter.  It then entered unobstructed through
the closed doors of my kutir and merged into my head.  My eyes were
forcibly closed and I felt a fainting sensation.  I was terrified by
the powerfully dazzling light and it put me out of gear.

   TANTRA: SALVATION THROUGH SEX

   Tantra is often said to be the opposite of yoga, but they both aim
at the same end.  It is opposite of Hatha yoga because the latter is
the path of great discipline and effort, whereas Tantra is the way of
free indulgence.  The tantrics claim that Tantra is the original and
easiest way of salvation.  The possibility of Samadhi or Unity
Consciousness must have appeared to sages during sexual intercourse, for
in orgasm you transcend rational consciousness in a pleasurable
experience of oneness.  Tantra is, in part, a system of techniques of
prolonging orgasm in order to experience "God" or Unity Consciousness.

   St.  Paul writes that when men suppress the truth in unrighteousness
and begin to worship the creation instead of the Creator, God gives
them up to a base mind or, "in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,
to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves." (Rom.  1:24) And
their base minds and lusts lead them to unbelievable depths of filth
and foolishness.

   Before the spread of Christianity in India and the consequent Hindu
renaissance, Tantricism had sunk to such levels of crudity and cruelty,
witchcraft and superstition, that in any sophisticated society the
descriptions would appear unthinkable.  But now that the Christian
influence has diminished in India, the old Tantric cult is coming back
openly on the surface.  The number of centers in India where Tantra is
being taught and practiced is rapidly increasing.  In it crudest forms
it includes worship of sex organs, sex orgies which include the
drinking of blood and human semen, black magic, human
sacrifice, and contact with evil spirits through dead and rotting
bodies in cremation grounds, etc.

   In its more sophisticated forms it is being advocated by gurus like
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and authors such as Professor Aghenanda Bharati,
an Italian convert to Hinduism who lectures in anthropology at Syracuse
University in America.

   Both Rajneesh and Professor Bharati are among the most brillant of
Hindu thinkers.  Before becoming a guru, Rajneesh was a professor of
philosophy for nine years.  His writings have been at the top of the
bestsellers' list in India for many years, and he has published over
two hundred books.  This, to me, is an indication that the sexual path
of salvation will be one of the most popular paths in the coming days.

   In his lectures, Rajneesh asserts that Jesus taught the way of
salvation was through sex.  His discourse on the "new birth, "
published in his book The Mustard Seed, would be a typical
example of his thesis.

   Reality is one, he says, but we perceive other things to be
different from ourselves.  This is our fundamental problem: we perceive
reality as dualistic.  The ultimate duality is sexual. We see everyone
either as a man or woman. We realize Oneness only when we transcend
this duality. Jesus taught that the way to enter the Kingdom of God is
through the new birth.  And we experience this new birth, or the
Kingdom of God, when the  two "become one flesh." He writes, "When you
make the male and female into a single one...then you shall enter the
kingdom" (p.140).

   THE ROLE OF THE GURU IN GRANTING LIBERATION

   The role of the guru in the liberation of a devotee is described
differently in different sects.  Generally speaking, the guru's task is
only to teach the technique of achieving liberation.  The devotee has to
achieve liberation be his own efforts in practicing the technique.

   However, some sects also teach that at initiation the guru will take
the karma of a disciple himself.  Karma is defined as "action, " or the
sum of one's good and bad deeds.  Without getting rid of his bad karma,
the disciple must face repeated rebirths in order to repay his karmic
debt. According to the law of karma, each person must reap the
consequences of his actions through continual reincarnations into this
world.  But if the guru takes the karma, the need for a future
reincarnation vanishes and one can be delivered from the cycle of
repeated births and deaths.  The guru claims to take the disciple's
karma upon himself out of love and grace. And therefore, it is believed
that without the guru's grace, one cannot be saved.

   This concept of grace and the guru taking the disciple's karma is a
recent development in Hinduism directly borrowed from Christianity.
The only difference is that Jesus took our sin and its consequence
(death) upon himself.  The guru says he takes our karma upon
himself, but he does nothing about it.  The devotee is acquitted of his
karma without anybody paying the penalty or reaping the consequences.
Thus, the law of karma is not satisfied but simply set aside.  It is
not fulfilled but broken. The Hindus do not see the need for atonement
or the necessity for Christ's death because they do not view the law of
karma to be an absolute moral law, rooted in God's character, whose
demands have to be met.  They believe God is not a moral being, man is
not morally guilty, and therefore, the need for propitiation does not
arise.

   THE TALKING POINT

   The Hindus often consider our "one way" preaching to be
narrowmindedness because if salvation is what they think it is, then
there  truly are many ways to alter consciousness and thus attain
"salvation." Therefore, a meaningful conversation about salvation must
come to grips with two questions:

   What is man's problem, and what is salvation?  Once we can help a
Hindu to see that man's basic problem is moral, that we are guilty of
breaking God's law and deserve punishment, it will be  easier for him
to see that Christ is the only way to salvation - i.e.,  forgiveness
and reconciliation - because he is the only one who has died for sin.