My Soapbox

This week has been full of sickness for both Julie and I, but sickness also brings with it rest, and some extra time. Often I don't get a chance to sit and read the local newspaper, but I got the opportunity this week. Julie found this article in the paper and shared it with me. I, in turn, am sharing it with you.

This article is taken from this week's India Times:

A retired ch.rch priest in Kerala is giving yoga a C-ian makeover

TIMES VIEW

Yoga not limited to Hindus

There's nothing wrong with the efforts of Paraykulath Ninan Paul, a retired priest, to propagate what he describes as "C-ian yoga". "Unification of all in Gsd is the principle of yoga," says Paul. There's no single way of describing the essence of yoga. Or limiting it to any one religion - in this case H.nduism. The fact is that despite its H.ndu roots, the practice of yoga is essentially transcendental in nature, going beyond its classical definitions and a set of physical exercises. It's an integrated system of physical and spiritual health that can appeal across religions, attested to by its popularity across the world.

Granted there are certain basic physical standards. But these are practised through multiple techniques and forms, including meditation. The point shouldn't be to claim a possessive ownership of yoga based on any one religion. The proponents of yoga should celebrate its acceptance among diverse people of different faiths, who are adapting the practice according to multiple religions and cultures.

Behind yoga's universal appeal lies its multifaceted uses, ranging from the sp..ritual to physical fitness and a general sense of well-being. To some, yoga isn't just a fitness exercise of toning the body. It's also a way of relaxation, of soothing frayed nerves and finding peace. To others it's a medium of mental capacity-building. Regardless of faith and creed, millions of people practise yoga in the US alone. How can people belonging to any one single religion claim yoga exclusively as theirs? In fact, it should be a matter of pride for all Indians that alongside Ayurveda, organic farming, classical dance and music, yoga has emerged as an effective contributor to raising India's profile as a dynamic soft power.

COUNTERVIEW

Can't be divorced from roots

Ajay Vaishnav

Yoga is H.nduism's unique contribution to humanity. The history of yoga as described in religious texts makes it peculiar to H.ndus and it remains an integral part of the Vedic religion. Yet it is strange that different kinds of yoga including the latest "Christian" version are being developed which divorce it from its original faith. For example, the "surya namas-kara" - a basic series of yogic asanas - amounts to a salutation of the sun, which can hardly be reconciled with the faith of a devout C-ian or Musl.m.

Yoga forms one of the six classic systems of H.ndu philosophy. The earliest Vedic texts, the Brahmanas, Vedic Samhitas and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the like talk at length about the ascetic practices of tapas and various asanas. The term yoga itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word 'yuj', which means 'to unite'. Practised by devout H.ndus down the ages, yoga is a mystical and meditative practice designed to unite the soul with the eternal. It would be wrong to view it as just physical and mental therapy. Physical training is just a means to attain the higher goal of spirituality as defined in H.nduism.

The argument that yoga is not exclusive to H.ndus, since it has been practised by followers of other faiths, does not cut ice. It fails to see that certain belief systems were offshoots of H.nduism. In that sense, yoga forms the core of a spiritual tradition that spans the history of H.nduism. It cannot be reduced to a series of callisthenic exercises. It is embedded in a larger universe of meaning from which it cannot be divorced. Hence "C-ian" yoga is an oxymoron. And what's being marketed in the West and among non-H.ndus as "secular" yoga is a very minor aspect of the whole spiritual tradition.

Let me step onto my soapbox for just a few minutes. It is simply amazing how much of H.ndu culture has seeped its way into American culture and is fully accepted by C-ians. Yoga is just tip of the iceberg. How many times do you hear about Karma, horoscopes, astrology signs, psychics, the evil eye, and magic? All of these things have roots in H.nduism. In Western society, they have become part of our daily speech and viewing. Almost every paper in America has a daily horoscope and a place to check your astrological sign. There are TV series based on the idea of Karma. We talk freely about 'giving someone the evil eye.'

I don't think that I was so aware of it when I was living in the United States, but living surrounded by it has given me a new perspective on things. It is not just harmless stuff. It is dark. It is consuming. The bottom line is it is evil. I'm not judging; I'm not condemning. I just think that C-ians should be aware of what is infiltrating Western society and be proactive in their homes, families, and ch.rches.

I've been reading through Deuteronomy of late and multiple times Moses warns the Nation of Israel about worshiping only the Lsrd Gsd and not mixing in beliefs from other nations. Deuteronomy 18:9-13 says, "When you enter the land the LsRD your Gsd is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or sp.ritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LsRD, and because of these detestable practices the LsRD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LsRD your Gsd." If you continue on reading, it lists the blessing of the Lsrd for those who obey and the curses of those who do not. It isn't something I often like to think about, Gsd cursing people. But our Gsd is Gsd of justice, just as much as He is a Gsd of love. If the Word says it, it is true, regardless of what you or I think about it.

Just some things to mull over.

I'll get off my soapbox now.