I had a very interesting experience at my local TM center one day about 15 years ago. I arrived at the center before an Advanced Meeting - you know the weekly group meditations and tapes they used to have.
There was quite a ruckus going on outside the front door. Several people were arguing and being very hostile. Because I was early for the meeting, I decided to meditate in my van before the meeting. I had no idea what noise was all about. That particular mediation was a very spectacular personal experience. I immediately dove very, very deep and experienced a soft and beautiful unity with life. I had the feeling that a big beautiful bubble of love, and safety surrounded me. I felt a wonderful glow exuding from within myself, caressing my environment. When I went to go inside the center I could see that there was a small crowd outside the door arguing. As I approached the crowd, all the noise stopped, and they became very quiet. Their 'leader" gave me a puzzled and astonished look - it was obvious that he could see the peace I was feeling. After entering the building all the noise started again. It turned out they were a group of so-called "Christians" protesting the center and trying to "save" the people going to the Friday-night advanced meetings. I felt sorry for them, isn't the "peace that passeth all understanding" what they want too? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, anonymousff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am floating an article i came across the net which speaks about > the bad effects of yoga..and what the bible says about yoga.any > thoughts on it? > > the article follows>.. > ============================================== > What Does the Bible Say About Yoga? > by Michael Sharif > Yoga is pervasive. Yoga is in the east and the west. Yoga classes are > offered in Central Africa, in Russia, in Australia. Flyers for yoga > are on university bulletin boards, in health food stores, in the > elevators of high rise apartment buildings in downtown Los Angeles, > and even as part of some YMCA physical education programs. Is yoga > merely a physical exercise? > Regarding the yoga asanas or physical postures Swami Vivekananda > writes in his book Raja Yoga : "A series of exercises, physical and > mental, is to be gone through every day until certain higher states > are reached. Nerve currents will have to be dispatched and given a > new channel. New sorts of vibrations will begin: the whole > constitution will be remodeled, as it were." > In Yoga: The Method of Re-Intergation Alain Danielou, a French > scholar on yoga, writes that the real import of yoga is as "a process > of control of the gross body which aims at freeing the subtle body." > The subtle body is regarded as extremely complex and consisting of > 72,000 invisible psychic channels called nadis corresponding to the > physical or gross body. The subtle body and the physical body are > connected at seven primary points or chakras ranging from the top of > the head to the base of the spine. > The charkas are believed to control the consciousness of an > individual. Manipulating the spine through various yoga postures is > believed to increase the energy flow from the subtle body altering > the consciousness of the individual. Kundalini yoga and hatha yoga > directly manipulate the charkas through their various postures and > breathing exercises. > In a mind over body relationship mantra yoga also seeks to alter > consciousness of an individual by the repetition of mantras, which > Guru Dev, the guru of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, considered the "favorite > names of the gods". Mantras are repeated silently or audibly up to > several hours and produce altered states of consciousness. > Yoga is bound up in Eastern religious metaphysics and is not an > innocent form of relaxing the body and the mind. The goal of yoga is > the same as that of Hinduism, which is realizing that one is Brahman, > the underlying impersonal God of the Universe in Hinduism. According > to Psychic Forces and Occult Shock (Wilson and Weldon): "The physical > exercises of yoga are designed to prepare the body for the > psychospiritual change vital to inculcating this idea (the > realization that one is Brahman) into the consciousness and being of > the person. Hence talk of separating yoga practice from theory is > meaningless. From a Christian perspective, whether the two can safely > be divided is doubtful. 'I do yoga, but Hinduism isn't involved,' is > an incorrect statement." > A Spiritual Counterfeits Project (Berkeley, California) publication > on "Yoga" states: "For while it may suit the secular fancy to espouse > only that selected aspect (the physical) of yoga which fits the > bourgeois notion of what yoga is supposed to do (i.e. make a > beautiful body), the fact still remains that even physical yoga is > inextricably bound up in the whole of Eastern religious metaphysics. > In fact, it is quite accurate to say that physical yoga and Indian > metaphysics are mutually interdependent; you really can't have one > without the other." > In the Shankara tradition, which pervades most of contemporary > Hinduism, the raindrop is pictured as the symbol of the individual > self and the ocean is the symbol of the universal soul (J.Isamu > Yamamoto, SCP Newsletter). "The absorption of the raindrop into the > ocean is symbolic of the absorption of the person into the impersonal > universe. After people attain enlightenment, they lose their > identities and become one with the all. Absorption is the goal of the > monist Hindu" (J.Isamu Yamamoto, SCP Newsletter , March-April 1983). > "The candle flame is a Buddhist image of the individual; it is the > light of life that flickers in the darkness of sorrow. The quest of > each ardent Buddhist is to extinguish their own flame. They seek not > merely a physical death but a death that will deliver them from both > the physical and spiritual life. Extinction is the goal of the > traditional Buddhist" (J. Isamu Yamamoto, SCP Newsletter , op.cit.). > For this author more persuasive than any authority is the author's > personal experience in mantra yoga, hatha yoga, and kundalini yoga. > Definite altered states of consciousness are produced by yoga. > However, these states of consciousness while initially anesthetic > became with constant yoga practice progressively more oppressive > resulting in a disassociation from the external world. Sensory input > was accentuated and produced an overreaction to external stimuli > resulting in anxiety. On intensive asana-meditation courses the > author experienced several blackouts during mantra meditation > sessions which lasted up to an hour and a half. No consciousness of > elapsed time and no memory of what had transpired during the blackout > existed after such an experience. > Coping with these altered states of consciousness produced in the > author mounting tension making him easily upset by trifles (slamming > of a door, the screeching of a jet fighter plane, traffic). In many > ways the meditation/yoga experience is the classic experience of > anxiety disorder so well documented by the Australian doctor Claire > Weekes in her classic book Hope and Help For Your Nerves , which also > offers the best non clinical approach for curing anxiety disorder of > which panic attacks are common symptoms. > Meditation and yoga in many instances cause anxiety disorder. This > author's experience is that the techniques result in feelings of > unreality, feelings of personality disintegration, and depression. It > is the author's belief that many of the so-called "advanced states of > consciousness" are no more than the result of extreme sensitization, > a state in which our nerves react in an exaggerated way to stress > induced by the yoga/meditation techniques, producing an overshadowing > sensory unreality similar to those induced by consciousness altering > drugs. > Yoga is marketed in the guise of an innocent, healthful technique, > but it is far from it. H.Rieker warns: "Yoga is not a trifling jest > if we consider that any misunderstanding in the practice of yoga can > mean death or insanity," and that if the breath is "prematurely > exhausted, there is immediate danger of death for the yogi" (Rieker, > The Yoga of Light (Los Angeles: Dawn House) 1974, p. 135). Blackouts, > strange trance states, or insanity are listed from even "the > slightest mistake…" of practicing yoga. Swami Prabhavananda's Yoga > and Mysticism lists brain injury, incurable disease, and insanity as > potential hazards of wrong yoga practice. > If one is experiencing stress and needs to relax there are many ways > to do this such as going for a walk, a picture show, playing sports, > going out for dinner, taking a vacation than pursuing yoga. To > strengthen one's body you can lift weights, run, swim etc… rather > than doing yoga postures. > In Psychic Forces and Occult Shock Wilson and Weldon state, "Yoga is > really pure occultism, as any number of yoga and occult texts prove > (R.S Mishra's Yoga Sutras and Fundamentals of Yoga , J. Brennan's > Astral Doorways and H. Chaudhuri's Philosophy of Meditation are > footnoted). Occult abilities are very common from yoga practice, and > the numerous dangers of occultism are evident from many studies (K. > Koch's Christian Counseling and Occultism is footnoted). The yoga > scholar and Sanskrit authority, Mishra, states: 'In conclusion, it > may be said that behind every psychic investigation, behind > mysticism, occultism, etc., knowingly or unknowingly, the yoga system > is present. (Mishra, op.cit.)'" Kurt Koch in his various excellent > books correlates delving with the occult with subsequent experiences > of anxiety and depression sometimes resulting in suicide. > The Bible informs us that God created Adam of the dust of the earth > and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Man > is a created, separate being. Man can have a relationship with the > Living God by accepting His Son, God's physical incarnation, Jesus > Christ. The Bible does not teach that through yoga man can attain > progressive higher levels of consciousness so that man will realize > he is one with God and merge with Brahman as Hinduism teaches or that > man's personality can be extinguished as a flame is extinguished as > Buddhism teaches. The Bible does not mention or recognize yoga or any > system where man can become one with God. > God is so far above man that man cannot work his way up to God > through his own actions. Because of the original sin of Adam and Eve > man is fatally flawed. He is born in sin. But God so loved man that > he provided a plan of redemption. God Himself became man (John 1:14) > to provide the perfect sacrifice to atone for man's sin. The perfect > sacrifice had to be God Himself as only God is without sin. Accepting > God's provision for sin, his Son, gives man an eternal life in God's > presence. The earthly body is shed and replaced with an eternal body > at death. Man does not become nor does he merge with God. Salvation > is a free gift given by grace, and not something which has to be > worked for. > Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe in reincarnation, the > transmigration of souls from one body to the next over time. One > reincarnates to overcome one's karma or one's attachment to the > material world and the recurring patterns which bind one to the > material world. Only by elevating one's consciousness through yoga > and piercing the "veil of illusion," which is the material world, can > one transcend and merge with Brahman or snuff out one's flame and > attain Nirvana. > The Bible teaches that man lives once and then comes judgment > (Hebrews 9:27). For those who have accepted Christ there is no > judgment as the decision has been made to spend eternity with the > source of all goodness, joy, and purity, the personal God of the > Universe. For those who never knew Christ God will judge with > absolute fairness, but for those who have rejected Christ eternity > will be spent in a horrible place where God does not exist, a place > to which Jesus referred to more than anyone else in the Bible, a > place of eternal agony … hell (Mark 9:48). > Yoga is not a panacea, it is a system where man tries to work his way > to God. Yoga is not necessary and all of man's works are nothing but > dirty rags before the righteousness of God. Why spend one's life in > bondage chasing a mirage, spending countless hours doing yoga > exercises and meditating, hoping to pull oneself off samsara, the > wheel of reincarnation. Man can never become God. Because of the sin > of Adam man dies. What mortal man can compare to even an angel of > God? Daniel saw the angel Gabriel and here is his awesome > description: > "I looked up and suddenly there before me stood a person robed in > linen garments, with a belt of purest gold around his waist, and > glowing lustrous skin! From his face came blinding flashes like > lightning, and his eyes were pools of fire; his arms and feet shone > like polished brass, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast > multitude of people. I, Daniel, alone saw this great vision; the men > with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly filled with unreasoning > terror and ran to hide and I was left alone. When I saw this > frightening vision my strength left me, and I grew pale and weak with > fright. (Daniel 10: 5-8, Living Bible)." > Man doesn't have to become God. God stretches forth His hand > (Revelation 3:20) and all you have to do is take it by making a > conscious decision to accept Jesus Christ. Ask him humbly to take > charge of your life in simple words. Then the Holy Spirit will > indwell you and you will have peace, joy, and certainty. Only then > will you shed your old cocoon and experience God's metamorphosis. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------- > Michael Sherif practiced mantra yoga (meditated silently on a > supposedly "meaningless" sound which was really the vehicle that drew > him into a "Hindu" deity or really a demon from our Christian > perspective). He was in bondage to this, in combination with hatha > yoga for six years. According to his testimony this was a horrible > experience for him. Yoga involvement is really an exercise in a > demonic activity which is portrayed as "fun" and "healthy" that can > lead to demonic possession. He experienced different states of > sensory consciousness which were dark and sterile until Jesus set him > free. You may read other articles that deal with witchcraft and New > Age bondage at his website: www.earthharvest.org To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
