YOGA AND RELIGION


	YOGA AND RELIGION

	This is a copy of a BWY pamphlet which sets out to examine the misunderstandings which can arise in the context of the many different methods of Yoga and the equally divers forms of religion, and to arrive at their similarities

	The last twenty years has seen a growing increase in the number of people who practice and study Yoga. Many of these are also practising Christians, Buddhists, Jews, or followers of Islam, who find that Yoga complements their religion and generally improves the quality of their daily lives. Yet there is, in certain Christian circles a strong antipathy to Yoga. Reports of Yoga groups being refused entry to church halls and ministers who advise their parishioners against the practice of Yoga, do little to foster communication and understanding. Those who, in their ignorance, denounce Yoga as a dangerous practice are far outnumbered by the many people who find Yoga not only brings improved health and wellbeing, but actually deepens their religious conviction. At a time when man is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the technical application of scientific discoveries which where meant to improve life and provide more free time, and bring instead increased pressures and risky side effects. Yoga and Religion can combine to bring spiritual awareness.

	Yoga is not a religion, rather it is a means among many whereby spiritual union between man and Godhead can be achieved. Yoga is essentially a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline first encountered in India some six thousand years ago. To understand the real meaning of Yoga, let us examine the word 'religion' which comes from the Latin 'religare' meaning to tie or bind. The overall meaning is 'joining'. The word 'Yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj' which means to 'yoke' or 'bind'‑ not so very different from the definition of religion. What is it that both religion and Yoga seek to unite or join ? Both speak of the soul or spirit of man, and the divine creative principle at the heart of all things is central to the teachings of both. Religions call this principle God, or Christ, or Allah, or Jehovah, etc., while Yoga calls it Brahman or Ishwara.

	"That divinity which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. All things were mode by him and without him was not anything made."
		St. John Ch. 1 v. 3
	"That by which this universe is pervaded, which nothing pervades, which causes all things to shine but which all things cannot make to shine"
		Viveka Chudamani of Shankaracharya
	Desikachar, in his 'Religiousness in Yoga' gives us this definition of Yoga ‑
	"Yoga is to be one with the Lord. No matter what name we use ‑ Ishwara, God or Allah ‑ any movement that makes us understand something higher than ourselves is also called Yoga. Being one with the Lord means we understand and respect something that is higher than what we understood yesterday. When something within us feel in tune with something, that too is Yoga. There are no pre‑requisite beliefs necessary to begin Yoga. Further our own religious belief will not interfere."

	There are different forms of Yoga but all have in common the search for self‑knowledge or Self‑ realisation. The methods employed may include physical disciplines like Yogasanas (exercise/posture) and Pranayamas (breath and energy control techniques), or the meditation techniques of Raja Yoga. This system of Yoga is encapsulated in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, in which the obstacles to knowledge are overcome through meditation, and the Yogi achieves enlightenment or direct knowledge of his own spiritual nature ‑ Sat Chittananda (being, consciousness and bliss). On the way to this state of spiritual realisation he practices Vairagya or detachment from objects of pleasure and pain, and experiences Viveka or discrimination between what is of lasting value, and therefore 'real' (Atman the divine principle which resides in the hearts of all men), and what is transient or subject to change, and therefore ultimately unreal. (Maya or Illusion)

	He encounters the Yamas and Niyamas ‑ the strong moral code observed by all sincere students of Yoga. Yamas govern conduct towards others and include not doing intentional harm to any creature., and abstaining from lying, stealing, lustful behaviour, and greed. Niyamas govern conduct towards oneself and include personal cleanliness, contentment, discipline, selfstudy, and devotion to the divine. (Ch. II v. 29‑45) These then are the 'ten commandments' of Yoga. The Upanishads and the Bible both emphasise that those who follow the way can easily be recognised ‑

	"The first fruits of the practice of Yoga are health, little waste matter, a clear complexion, lightness of body, a pleasant scent and a sweet voice, and an absence of greedy desire."
		Svetasvatara Upanishad
	"By their fruits shall ye know them. "
		Matthew Ch. 7 v. 20

	Raja Yoga sees meditation as the control of mental activity. It does not seek to make the mind blank, but rather to quieten the mind so that the nature of thought can be realised. The undisciplined mind is constantly active, but its activity is largely aimless and unproductive. Meditation seeks to control this aimless activity.

	Yet there are still a few who regard Yoga as harmful, warning that meditation can create evil states of mind. The Yogi might answer that this can only happen when a strong attraction to evil is already present in the mind of the meditator. When the mind is quietened and directed to what is good, only good can prevail.

	Meditation has much in common with the contemplation of Christianity. Father Eric Doyle, a monk of the Franciscan Order, speaking at the Friends Meeting House, London in 1979, put this point in his own inimitable way ‑

	"The Yoga movement in the west is in fact teaching us through the riches of humanity that we have to be not only activists but also contemplatives, and the contemplative tradition is crucial to holiness. There has to be contemplation. Now contemplation is not esoteric, it is not something that is only meant for a few initiates, it is open to all men and women of good will. And Yoga leads to contemplative peace. Therefore Yoga leads to the eternal God and it can be combined with any religion upon earth. " Eric Doyle 1973

	One criticism of meditation has been that it is selfish and takes man away from the world, but this is far from the case. When meditation is combined with Karma Yoga, it becomes a living force for the good of all. Karma is the Law of Cause and Effect, and the Yoga of selfless action. The teaching of Karma is that in all things visible and invisible, effects and their causes are inextricably linked. There is no cause that sooner or later does not show itself in an effect. There is no event or circumstance that is not the effect of a past cause. Every action brings a reaction. This teaching is echoed by St. Paul ‑

	'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap".
		Galatians Ch. 6 v. 7
	When actions are performed with discrimination for their own sake, for the good of others, and not for the sake of the rewards they may bring, they lead to beneficial consequences –
	"He who offers to me with devotion only a leaf or a flower, or a fruit, or even a little water, this I accept from that yearning soul because with a pure heart it was offered with love."
		Bhagavad Gita Ch. 9 v. 26
	"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Everyman according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver."
		II Corinthians Ch. 9 v. 6‑7
	Both Gandhi and Mother Theresa of Calcutta ‑ both devotees of the contemplative life, can be seen as shining examples of contemplatives heavily involved with the world for the good of mankind. In they were effect ‑Karma Yogis.

	Yoga also deals with the question of what happens when we die and affirms that life continues beyond the grave. Reincarnation was held as a belief by some early Christians and there are today many oblique references to reincarnation in the Bible, although all direct reference was removed after the second council of Constantinople. Yoga teaches that humanity is at a stage of spiritual evolution. Man in his search for spiritual consciousness, has behind him a long period of experience gained during many lives. Life after life, by trial and error, and with many mistakes, he is gradually learning to live in harmony with nature, his fellow men, and above all with himself. The workings of Karma govern his daily life, making each past thought and subsequent action a preparation for lives to come. No step along the way is ever lost, and knowledge of Karma gives man the freedom to choose the direction of his tomorrows.

	In Yoga knowledge is not the cerebral collection of facts and figures which normally crowd the brain. Rather it is the harnessing of the immense untapped resources we all carry within us so that mind and heart can be united in God Realisation.

	"This unmanifest spiritual consciousness begins to manifest like the down in the. pure heart, and shines like the midday sun in the cave of wisdom illuminating the whole universe."
		Viveka Chudamani of Shankaracharya
	"That is the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. While ye have light, believe in the light, that we may be children of the light."
		St. John Ch. 1 v. 9 Ch. 12 v. 36

	RECOMMENDED READING
	Religiousness in Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar Pub. University Press of America 1980. Christ, Krishna and You by Swami Venkatesananda Pub. Chiltern Yoga Foundation

	DEVELOPED BY DI KENDALL ~ WITH GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND ADVICE OF -
	The Rev Hilton Francis
	The Rev Charles Lovell
	Iantha Hoskins of the Theosophical Society