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- But in fact this is one of the major criticisms of the movement, that the often middle-class members are encouraged to make regular donations to pay for Shri Mataji’s trips around the world, and to buy her expensive properties, such as Shudy Camps Park House near Cambridge, England, in 1986 and an Italian castle in 1991. (...) Devoted member refer to her as the Divine Mother, and she has called herself Adi Shakh, Primal Mother of All; many take her advice on child-rearing, and some ask her to choose their marriage partners. This amount of influence over her followers’ lives has caused concern in several countries. Some former have said that they were expelled from the movement because they resisted Shri Maraji’s influence over their lives.” </ref> Barrett further wrote that some former members say that they were expelled from the movement because they "resisted influence that Mataji had over their lives."<ref name=barrett/>According to Barrett, Mataji's degree of control over members' lives has given raise to concerns. <ref name=barrett/>
- But in fact this is one of the major criticisms of the movement, that the often middle-class members are encouraged to make regular donations to pay for Shri Mataji’s trips around the world, and to buy her expensive properties, such as Shudy Camps Park House near Cambridge, England, in 1986 and an Italian castle in 1991. (...) Devoted member refer to her as the Divine Mother, and she has called herself Adi Shakh, Primal Mother of All; many take her advice on child-rearing, and some ask her to choose their marriage partners. This amount of influence over her followers’ lives has caused concern in several countries. Some former have said that they were expelled from the movement because they resisted Shri Maraji’s influence over their lives.” </ref> Barrett further wrote that some former members say that they were expelled from the movement because they "resisted influence that Mataji had over their lives."<ref name=barrett/>According to Barrett, Mataji's degree of control over members' lives has given raise to concerns. <ref name=barrett/>


Also in 2001, [[Australia]]'s ''AAP'' reported that a [[general practitioner]] named Dr Bohdan Shehovych had been fined after grabbing a Sahaja Yoga critic "round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence"<ref name="doctorfined">"Qld: Doctor fined over yoga dispute", ''AAP General News'', [[Australia]], [[November 12]], [[2001]].<br>Brisbane's District Court has been told a GP grabbed a man round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence -- accusing him of befouling members of an Indian cult. The court was told Dr BOHDAN MYRON SHEHOVYCH was among a group delivering a letter to the man from the founder of the meditation religion, Sahaja Yoga. The 52-year-old doctor from the New South Wales central coast today pleaded guilty to entering a house at Mount Ommaney in Brisbane' west and assaulting TERENCE RICHARD BLACKLEY on March 3 this year. The court heard the group was delivering a letter to BLACKLEY from spiritual leader SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI, alleging spiritual and criminal wrongdoings. Judge KERRY O'BRIEN today told the doctor that someone of his intelligence should have known better than to behave in that manner. He's fined Dr SHEHOVYCH $1,500 but did not record a conviction.</ref> - the ''AAP'' referred to Sahaja Yoga in their report as an "Indian cult"<ref name="doctorfined" />. The physician had been part of a group delivering a letter to the critic from Nirmala Srivastava<ref name="doctorfined" />. In 2004 an Australian medical practitioner[http://www.sahajayoga.com.au/shrimataji2006/news_26.html] called Dr Bohdan Shehovych was made a World Leader in Sahaja Yoga and appointed to the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga. [http://sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_260_2004.asp]
Also in 2001, [[Australia]]'s ''AAP'' reported that a [[general practitioner]] named Dr Bohdan Shehovych had been fined after grabbing a Sahaja Yoga critic "round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence"<ref name="doctorfined">"Qld: Doctor fined over yoga dispute", ''AAP General News'', [[Australia]], [[November 12]], [[2001]].<br>Brisbane's District Court has been told a GP grabbed a man round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence -- accusing him of befouling members of an Indian cult. The court was told Dr BOHDAN MYRON SHEHOVYCH was among a group delivering a letter to the man from the founder of the meditation religion, Sahaja Yoga. The 52-year-old doctor from the New South Wales central coast today pleaded guilty to entering a house at Mount Ommaney in Brisbane' west and assaulting TERENCE RICHARD BLACKLEY on March 3 this year. The court heard the group was delivering a letter to BLACKLEY from spiritual leader SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI, alleging spiritual and criminal wrongdoings. Judge KERRY O'BRIEN today told the doctor that someone of his intelligence should have known better than to behave in that manner. He's fined Dr SHEHOVYCH $1,500 but did not record a conviction.</ref> The physician had been part of a group delivering a letter to the critic from Nirmala Srivastava<ref name="doctorfined" />. In 2004 an Australian medical practitioner[http://www.sahajayoga.com.au/shrimataji2006/news_26.html] called Dr Bohdan Shehovych was made a World Leader in Sahaja Yoga and appointed to the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga. [http://sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_260_2004.asp]


There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome<ref>[http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_351_2005.asp A Wonderful Evening with Shri Mataji]</ref> that, according to Judith Coney, has accepted boarding infants from the age of 2<ref name="coney159">Coney, Judith (1999) ''Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement'', (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159</ref>. A 1988 Italian television program surreptitiously filmed children sleeping 6 to a bed and there has been negative press coverage in ''[[Le Figaro]],'' 16/5/91; ''[[Paris Match]],'' 30/1/91 and ''[[Marie France]]'', February 1992<ref>Coney, Judith (1999) ''Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement'', (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p243</ref>. Coney also reported the allegation that "when Swiss parents protested to [[Nirmala Srivastava|Sri Mataji]] about their children going away from the age of three, thinking that the command to send their offspring came from the national leader rather than her, she personally reinforced his orders and, moreover, ordered them to have no contact with their children for at least a year."<ref name="coney159" />
There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome<ref>[http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_351_2005.asp A Wonderful Evening with Shri Mataji]</ref> that, according to Judith Coney, has accepted boarding infants from the age of 2<ref name="coney159">Coney, Judith (1999) ''Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement'', (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159</ref>. A 1988 Italian television program surreptitiously filmed children sleeping 6 to a bed and there has been negative press coverage in ''[[Le Figaro]],'' 16/5/91; ''[[Paris Match]],'' 30/1/91 and ''[[Marie France]]'', February 1992<ref>Coney, Judith (1999) ''Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement'', (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p243</ref>. Coney also reported the allegation that "when Swiss parents protested to [[Nirmala Srivastava|Sri Mataji]] about their children going away from the age of three, thinking that the command to send their offspring came from the national leader rather than her, she personally reinforced his orders and, moreover, ordered them to have no contact with their children for at least a year."<ref name="coney159" />

Revision as of 11:23, 20 December 2007

File:Subtlesys.gif
Sahaja Yoga
FounderNirmala Srivastava (aka Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi)
Practice emphases
Kundalini Awakening, Self-realization, Puja

Sahaja Yoga is a "new religious movement" founded by Nirmala Srivastava, more widely known as "Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi" or "Mother" by "Sahaja Yogis" - the established practitioners of Sahaja Yoga. The movement says that Sahaja Yoga unites "the essence of all religions through direct perception of the subtle, divine reality".[1]

Sahaja Yoga started in India and England (where Nirmala Srivastava moved in 1974) and there are now Sahaja Yoga centers in almost 100 countries worldwide.[2] The organizational part of Sahaja Yoga is known as Vishwa Nirmala Dharma (Universal Pure Religion)[3] or Sahaja Yoga International.

The Term

The term 'Sahaja' in Sanskrit comes from two words: saha meaning 'with' and ja meaning 'born'.[4] Sahaja means natural, simple or innate[5] and Yoga means union or yoking and refers to a spiritual path or a state of spiritual absorbtion.

The term Sahaja Yoga goes back at least to the 15th Century Indian mystic Kabir.[6] It has also been used as a synonym for Siddha Yoga[7] and Surat Shabd Yoga.[8] Rajneesh (aka Osho) also answered a question on 'Sahaja Yoga' on the afternoon of 5 May 1970 at a meditation camp in Nargol attended by Nirmala Srivastava.[9]

In 2000 the term was trademarked in the United States by Vishwa Nirmala Dharma.[10] In 2001 a complaint by Vishwa Nirmala Dharma to the World Intellectual Property Organization regarding the use of domain name 'sahaja-yoga.org' was rejected (despite the dissenting opinion of the presiding panelist), in part due to the determination that 'sahajayoga' is not only a descriptive Sanskrit word but is also a concept dating back to Buddhism adopted by saint Kabir and then also taken up by Guru Nanak in Sikhism'[11] There has recently been significant expenditure by Sahaja Yoga to legally protect the term in Europe.[12]

Beliefs

Chakras and Nadis

Sahaja Yoga teaches that in addition to our physical body there is a subtle body comprised of nadis (channels) and chakras (energy centers), which look after our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being[13]. Kakar writes that Nirmala Srivastava, "following the theories of Vasant Rele, equates sushumna [nadi] with the parasympathetic nervous system, ida [nadi] with the left and pingala [nadi] with the right sides of the sympathetic nervous system and the chakras with the plexuses."[14]

Sahaja Yoga teaches that there are seven main chakras [5] that each chakra possesses different qualities. Neglect of these qualities is said to damage them and bring disease.[6] Each chakra has a presiding deity who may become deactivated in extreme cases causing cancer. [7] For example, the deities residing in the Muladhara chakra are said to be Ganesha and Kartikeya and the basic qualities of the chakra are innocence and wisdom.[8]. The deities residing in the Sahasrara chakra are said to be Kalki and Adi (Primordial) Shakti and the chakra is said to be damaged by atheism and doubt in God.[9]

Kakar writes that Nirmala Srivastava's own additions to this widespread traditional trantric model lie in traditional Christian morality, an elaboration of the health aspects and a scientific, neurological veneer.[15]

Kundalini, Self Realization and Vibratory Awareness

Sahaja Yoga teaches that the chakras can be balanced by awakening the Kundalini in the sacrum bone, which is conceived of as a normally dormant 'mother' energy. Nirmala Srivastava has said that the Kundalini is the reflection within us of the Holy Ghost or Adi (Primordial) Shakti. Nirmala Srivastava has said that Kundalini "is the desire of God.... and the desire of God is the Shakti"[10] and that yoga is impossible without kundalini awakening.[11] As the Kundalini rises through these centres, the qualities of the chakras are said to begin manifesting spontaneously. Most illnesses are said to result of damage to the chakras and Kundalini is said to repair them.[12]

Sahaja Yoga teaches that when the sahasrara (topmost) chakra is pierced by the Kundalini, a person will feel a cool breeze on top of their head and/or on their hands. [13] These sensations (referred to as 'vibrations') are interpreted in Sahaja Yoga as indicating Self Realisation or an "encounter with Reality."[16] The vibrations sensed are believed to be an objective divine energy that can even be caught on camera.[17]

If there is a feeling of warmth or heat, it is interpreted as the Kundalini working to achieve this state.[14] Sensations in the hands, head and/or body are also used to diagnose imbalances in the different chakras and nadis. [18] [19]

Nirmala Srivastava

Nirmala Srivastava claims to have made a 'Unique Discovery' of a way to grant Self Realisation en masse[15] after attending a Rajneesh meditation camp in Nargol in May 1970.[16] Nirmala Srivastava, who claims to reside in the Sahasrara chakra [17], is said to have opened the primordial Sahasrara and thereby cleared the path for the Kundalini to rise effortlessly in all who desire Self Realization.[18] The ability to grant en masse 'Self Realisation' is held to be proof that Nirmala Srivastava is the 'Avatara of our times'.[19] Nirmala Srivastava has claimed to be the complete[20] incarnation of the Holy Ghost or Adi (Primordial) Shakti.[21] Nirmala Srivastava "is regarded as an authority who cannot be questioned"[20].

Healing

Overactivity of the ida and pingala nadis is said to cause mental tension, psychopathological conditions and connection to the world of dead souls while clogged chakras are said to cause mental and physical disease.[22] Sahaja Yoga claims that it has cured patients of "high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, etc."[23][24] In an interview, Nirmala Srivastava stated Sahaja Yoga has cured people with AIDS.[25] Relapse or failure to be cured in the first place are seen as indicative of a lack of faith in Nirmala Srivastava and her divinity.[26]

Practices

According to followers, the practice of Sahaja Yoga results in spontaneous Self-realization[27] which, according to the official Sahaja Yoga website, can be obtained as one sits in front of one's computer,[28] although it is usually experienced at a Sahaja Yoga program.

Apart from those practices listed below, there are other practices such as prayer,[29][30] havan[31] raising one's Kundalini using one's hands and attention[32] and putting on 'bandhan'.[33]

The methods for practicing Sahaja Yoga are made available free of charge to those interested. According to the official Sahaja Yoga website there is a fee for attending international pujas to cover costs and voluntary dakshina[34]. In the US, the dakshina has only been collected separately from the costs since 2005, when the customary dakshina was $121 per adult.[35]

Meditation

Sahaja Yoga meditation was developed during the 1970s[36] by Nirmala Srivastava, and is followed and promoted among and by the Sahaja Yoga movement. It aims to enter a state of "thoughtless awareness" - where the practitioner 'purifies' his/her attention, achieving clarity of mind.[37]

It is suggested a candle or oil lamp is lit in front of a photograph of Shri Mataji, which is believed to emit a constant stream of "positive, cool vibrations (energy)".[38] The practitioner sits comfortably, breathes normally and holds the hands out, palm upwards, as if receiving something precious.[39]During meditation, the attention is focussed on the Sahasrara chakra.[40] Sahaja Yoga meditation can be practiced while listening to music or in silence.[41]

Nirmala Srivastava has stated that meditation is not thinking "about your problems at all, whatever chakras you have, anything", rather it "means exposing yourself to God’s grace."[42] She has described meditation as "an individual journey towards God."[43]

The practice has notably been taught to prisoners in Italy and the United States, such as at Rikers Island to "help the prisoners' social, psychological and spiritual recovery"[44][45] Nirmala Srivastava has said that the younger children practice meditation the better.[46]

Puja

Puja is a traditional Hindu ceremony. In Sahaja Yoga, Sahaja Yogis express their devotion to particular deities.[47]. In some pujas, followers worship Srivastava as the Adi Shakti[48]. This may include ghee, honey, yoghurt, milk, sugar and water being poured on Nirmala Srivastava's feet and then drunk.[4] Nirmala Srivastava has said that Puja is necessary to achieve a state of "Shiva Tattwa" [49]

Puja is one of the things by which you can excite the forms into formless. Now your centers are the centers of energies, but they too have a guiding deity sitting on all these chakras. They are also the formless made into forms. And when you do the puja, the forms melt into formless energies. And these formless energies start flowing, and then blows the wind. And that is how these misidentifications, these superimpositions on the Spirit are removed.

— Nirmala Srivastava, [50]

According to a Canadian Sahaja Yoga website, puja is defined as: "the act of showing reverence to a God, or another aspect of the Divine through invocations, prayers and songs" and notes that a Sahaja Yoga puja involves "the same kind of ceremony as practised thousands of years ago in the East when mankind had a much closer relationship with God"[51]

Pujas are recommended for realized souls (people who have received their Self-realisation - knowledge of Self) for them to gain from these pujas [52]

Cleansing techniques

Some cleansing techniques involve the natural elements in the form of candle flame, camphor flame, the earth and salt water. Others techniques involve ice, lemons, chillies [21], coconuts, ajwain, affirmations, mantras and "shoe-beating"[53][54]

Nirmala Srivastava has developed a liver diet to promote better health. White cane sugar, white rice, yogurt, ginger, fruits and vegetables promote the "cooling" of the liver. Alcohol, fried foods, red meat, fish, cream and chocolate are among the foods that are "heating" and thus may be harmful if taken in excess. [55]

Water can be spiritually vibrated, according to Sahaja Yoga, changing the characteristics of the water, and resulting in purification.[56]

Marriages

Sahaja Yoga hosts a voluntary arranged marriage system. Those interested and their leaders have to fill out a form concerning the candidate's qualities and involvement in Sahaja Yoga.[57] detailing their backgrounds and involvement in Sahaja Yoga. The official Sahaja Yoga website still states that the matching is performed by Nirmala Srivastava.[58] The site also states that Sahaja Yogis believe in the sanctity of marriage and have mostly been married by this means.[59] 'Mass marriage ceremonies'[60] are sometimes held at puja events.[61] Judith Coney has written that partnerships have been broken up by Nirmala Srivastava on the basis of being destructive, and that while breakdown of relationships arranged by Nirmala Srivastava is officially unknown, unofficially it is known to occur.[62][This quote needs a citation] Sahaja Yogis have also been encouraged to separate from partners who are not Sahaja Yogis.[4]

Organization

World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga

The World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga (WCASY) (also known as the "Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Sahaja Yoga World Foundation") is the highest authority in Sahaja Yoga.[63] It was proposed December 2003 and formed the following year. [64][65][66] In July 2005 the role of the WCASY was affirmed by C. P. Srivastava Hon KCMG speaking on behalf of his wife, Nirmala Srivastava. [67]

The WCASY has 31 members, "World Leaders" who represent Sahaja Yoga collectives from across the world. Among the latest additions to the WCASY is a Dr. Bohdan Shehovych, Gagan Ahluwalia, Paul Ellis, Alan Wherry, and Alan Pereira in 2005[68] According to an official Sahaja Yoga website, Guido Lanza, a World Leader, was suspended from all activities in Sahaja Yoga in 2005, for disrupting a havan ritual and threatening members. An Italian ashram was "temporarily closed"[69] The same website announced that a Russian World Leader[70], Sergey Perezhogin, resigned his position in 2005.[71]

Sahaja Yoga International (Vishwa Nirmala Dharma)

File:Vndlogo.gif
Vishwa Nirmala Dharma Logo

Sahaja Yoga International (also known as Vishwa Nirmala Dharma) is the organizational part of the movement. It is a registered Organisation in many countries such as Columbia[22], the United States of America[23], France[24] (has an "asso.fr" website domain reserved for organisations)[25], and Austria[26]. It is registered as a religion in Spain.[72]

The organization runs meditation, cultural, and charity-related facilities and activities, including

Health Center

The organization runs the International Sahaja Yoga Health and Research Centre in Mumbai, India, which uses Sahaja Yoga methods. Daily activities at the center include meditation, clearing techniques, listening to Nirmala Srivastava's lectures and bhajan singing.[27] This health center claims to have been successful in curing incurable diseases such as (refractory) high blood pressure, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.[77][78] The center's website states: "What really counts in this Health Centre is that Our Holy Mother Shri Mataji has Her Divine Attention here and it is evident that She effects all cures."[28]

On 9 May 2007 a conference called Towards Sustainable Global Health was held. The conference was organised by the United Nations, UNESCO-UNEVOC and the University of Bonn. Sahaja Yoga was presented at a conference symposium by doctors from the Sahaja Yoga Research and Health Centre, Mumbai, India, Prof Katya Rubia, King’s College, London and others.[79]

Yuvashakti

The organization's youth movement is called "Yuvashakti" (also "Nirmal Shakti Yuva Sangha"), from the Sanskrit words Yuva (Youth) and Shakti (Power).

As well as helping organize Sahaja Yoga events such as Realize America tour,[80] The European realization tour,[81] and Realize Australia,[82] Yuvashakti is active in forums such as the World Youth Conference[83]and TakingITGlobal which aim at discussing global issues, and ways of solving them.

An example of this is the participation in the 2000 "Civil Society & Governance Project"[84] in which Yuvashakti were "instrumental in reaching out to women from the poor communities and providing them with work".

Sahaja Yoga culture

File:Nbhkti.jpg
The Nirmal Bhakti Bhajan group

Because of the diversity of cultures practicing Sahaja Yoga, a range of different projects focusing on the similarities and differences between cultures was born, including the formation of musical groups playing fusion of different genres, such as Nirmal Bhakti, Sahaj Unlimited and Indialucia including Rock and roll, Flamenco, Hip Hop, Qawwali and Indian classical music.[85][86]

Vishwa Nirmal Prem ashram

File:Vishwango.jpg
A view of the main building

The Vishwa Nirmala Prem Ashram is a not-for profit project by the NGO Vishwa Nirmala Dharma (Sahaja Yoga International) located in Noida, Delhi, India, opened in 2003.

The ashram is a "facility where women and girls are rehabilitated by being taught meditation and other skills that help them overcome trauma"[87]

It aims at

  • Providing for basic needs and facilities of the destitute women and children
  • Giving them training and enable them to attain economic independence
  • Assist them in getting appropriate jobs
  • The members of the ashram would also be given spiritual guidance so that after going from the ashram, they would be able to face the difficulties of life in a better way and get appropriate livelihoods to gain self-reliance

In 2005, 21 girls were housed, most of them full orphans, aged between 5 and 12 years, and a "reasonable number of destitute women" [29].[88]

Other projects

The World Council supports the creation of an 108-room Ashram complex in Chhindwara, near the birthplace of its founder.[89] Another project is the transfer of her audio and video tapes, many in delicate condition, to digital media. [90][91] The founder is said to have given her intellectual property[citation needed] and several of her homes to the trust run by the World Council [92] to be used in future projects by the organization. The International Sahaja Yoga Book Project aims to publish 10 or 11 books by Nirmala Srivastava.

Sahaja Yoga held classes during the third annual "Yoga for peace" event in Detroit, which "aims to effect world peace through the power of meditation."[93]

Criticisms

A leaflet produced by INFORM says that, although the initial emphasis is on free involvement, Sahaja Yoga's emphasis on complete devotion to Nirmala Srivastava has led to a number of problems and controversies.[4] Sahaja Yogis are expected to accept Nirmala Srivastava's view that the more you give, in time and money, the better you will feel. This can lead to Sahaja Yogis cutting themselves off from relatives and former friends and accepting only Nirmala Srivastava's advice about child rearing, whom to marry or when to divorce. Some of those who deviate may be told they are possessed by evil spirits or may be said to be mentally abnormal and risk being expelled from Sahaja Yoga. This may bring problems for those who still believe in the power of Nirmala Srivastava and fear 'losing vibrations' and the possibility of a form of demonic possession.[4] INFORM is an independent charity that was founded in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker with the help of British Home Office funding and the support of the mainstream Churches.[94]

As of 2001, according to the author David V. Barrett, the movement had been criticized because of encouragement of its members to make donations to pay for Mataji's trips and "expensive properties."[95] Barrett further wrote that some former members say that they were expelled from the movement because they "resisted influence that Mataji had over their lives."[95]According to Barrett, Mataji's degree of control over members' lives has given raise to concerns. [95]

Also in 2001, Australia's AAP reported that a general practitioner named Dr Bohdan Shehovych had been fined after grabbing a Sahaja Yoga critic "round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence"[96] The physician had been part of a group delivering a letter to the critic from Nirmala Srivastava[96]. In 2004 an Australian medical practitioner[30] called Dr Bohdan Shehovych was made a World Leader in Sahaja Yoga and appointed to the World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga. [31]

There has been a Sahaja Yoga school in Rome[97] that, according to Judith Coney, has accepted boarding infants from the age of 2[98]. A 1988 Italian television program surreptitiously filmed children sleeping 6 to a bed and there has been negative press coverage in Le Figaro, 16/5/91; Paris Match, 30/1/91 and Marie France, February 1992[99]. Coney also reported the allegation that "when Swiss parents protested to Sri Mataji about their children going away from the age of three, thinking that the command to send their offspring came from the national leader rather than her, she personally reinforced his orders and, moreover, ordered them to have no contact with their children for at least a year."[98]

"Cult" allegations

Some sources in the press have reported on "cult" allegations surrounding the movement. In, 2001, The Independent reported that certain ex-members alleged: "Sahaja Yoga is a cult which aims to control the minds of its members"[100]. The Evening Standard reported that Sahaja Yoga has been "described as a dangerous cult"[101], and "has a dissident website created by former members listing alleged abuses"[101].

In 2005, The Record reported that some critics who feel that the group is a cult "have started Internet sites to detail their accusations.."[102]

See also


References

  1. ^ Sahaja Yoga - is Sahaja Yoga a religion? viewed 28 September 2007
  2. ^ - The Hindu A message for one and all... Monday, Apr 07, 2003 viewed 6 November 2006
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ a b c d e Information about Sahaja Yoga published by INFORM
  5. ^ Buddhism Dictionary (Oxford University Press) definition of 'Sahaja'
  6. ^ The Concept of Sahaj in Guru Nanak’s Theology
  7. ^ Siddha Mahayoga FAQ "This approach has gone under many names such as siddha yoga, sahaja yoga, mahayoga or siddha mahayoga."
  8. ^ Singh, S. S., & Johnson, J. P. (Translators). (1934). Sar Bachan: An abstract of the teachings of Soami Ji Maharaj, the founder of the Radha Soami system of philosophy and spiritual science: The yoga of the Sound Current. Beas, India: Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
  9. ^ Osho, In Search of the Miraculous Vol 1 "Sahaja yoga is the most difficult of the yogas, because there is nothing more difficult than to be sahaja -- effortless, natural and spontaneous. What is the meaning of sahaja? Sahaja means: let whatever happens happen, don't resist it. Of course, it is the best, but it is also very difficult. Because nothing is more difficult for man than to be natural..." [ch 8, 5 May pm]
  10. ^ 'G & S: educational services, namely, conducting classes, workshops and seminars in the field of techniques of meditation, relaxation and self-improvement. FIRST USE: 19700000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19730000 Filing Date: March 2, 1999, (REGISTRANT) Dharma, Vishwa Nirmala NONPROFIT RELIGIOUS CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 15445 VENTURA BLVD., #900 SHERMAN OAKS CALIFORNIA 91403 [2]
  11. ^ WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION 'Vishwa Nirmala Dharma a.k.a. Sahaja Yoga v. Sahaja Yoga Ex-Members Network and SD Montford' Case No. D 2001-0467
  12. ^ [3]
  13. ^ Chakras and the Channels of Energy
  14. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p197
  15. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p196 "Essentially, Mataji's model of the human psyche is comprised of the traditional tantric and hatha yoga notions of the subtle body, with its 'nerves' and 'centers,' and fueled by a pervasive 'subtle energy' that courses through both the human and the divine, through the body and the cosmos. Mataji's contributions to this ancient model are not strikingly original: as a former medical student she has sought to give it a scientific, neurological veneer; as a former faith healer, she has elaborated upon those aspects of the model that are concerned with sickness and health; as someone born into an Indian Christian family she has tried to introduce notions of traditional Christian morality into an otherwise amoral Hindu view of the psyche."
  16. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/SelfRealization.asp
  17. ^ Shri Mataji Radiates A Divine Energy
  18. ^ Sahaja Yoga Australia
  19. ^ Sahaja Yoga Canada
  20. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/AdiSakthiByThirumoolar.htm
  21. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (1983, 21 March) Birthday Puja, Sydney, Australia "I am the Holy Ghost. I am the Adi Shakti. I am the One who has come on this Earth for the first time in this Form to do this tremendous task. The more you understand this the better it would be. You will change tremendously. I knew I'll have to say that openly one day and we have said it. But now it is you people who have to prove it that I'm that."
  22. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p204 "In summary, besides the overactivity of the left and right channels, which creates mental tension, gives rise to psychopathological conditions and may connect an individual to the world of dead souls, upset or clogged chakras are held to be a second root cause of mental and physical disease. If the chakras are not linked together by the flow of energy, there is no "integrated" personality, while a "catch" on a chakra prevents its presiding god from sending out his particular "virtue" into the body-mind system."
  23. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.in/Benefits.asp
  24. ^ http://www.apsahaj.org/benefits.html
  25. ^ VOA ITV Interview with Shri Mataji - 1/8/2003 p14 "Shri Mataji: And now you see also so many diseases we have cured - cancer, everything. Except for AIDS and this Alzheimer’s. Not that we cannot cure, we have cured. But they’re extremely rude people, specially these Alzheimer’s people are. They abuse you, say all kinds of things. And the other ones think they’re martyrs. AIDS people think they’re martyrs."
  26. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p206 "The cult members of course consider such temporary cures as showing a lack of faith in Mataji and her divinity. Given their premise that faith in Mataji can permanently cure the most intractable disease, a patient's persisting symptoms "prove" that he lacks faith, which in turn "proves" the correctness of the premise. As Paul Watzlawick and Leon Festinger, among others, have pointed out, once a tentative explanation has taken hold of our minds, information to the contrary may produce not corrections but elaborations of the explanation."
  27. ^ http://www.austinsahajayoga.org/testimonials.htm
  28. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/experienceitnow/default.asp
  29. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/role_of_prayer.htm
  30. ^ The Agnya Chakra Australian Sahaja Yoga website
  31. ^ http://sahajayoga.la/materials/Turya-course%20Ceremonies.pdf
  32. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/raising_kundalini.htm
  33. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/bandhan.htm
  34. ^ Puja/Dakshina Costs
  35. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_358_2005.asp
  36. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.at/shrimataji/page4/page12/page12.html
  37. ^ http://www.scotlandyoga.com/meditation/thoughtless.html
  38. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.la/Discovery-course%20AboutSY.pdf
  39. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/Meditation.htm
  40. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.la/Discovery-course%20AboutSY.pdf
  41. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.ca/Meditation/music.htm
  42. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.net/what-is-sahaja-yoga-meditaton.html
  43. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.net/what-is-sahaja-yoga-meditaton.html
  44. ^ An Unlikely Source for Meditative Study - Queen's tribune online
  45. ^ Rome prison (Italy) will begin offering meditation and yoga to inmates
  46. ^ http://www.tnsahaj.org/Meditation.htm
  47. ^ Invitation to Shri Adi Shakti Puja 2005
  48. ^ Invitation to Shri Adi Shakti Puja 2005
  49. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (29/02/1984). Mahashivaratri puja (Speech). Belapur, India. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  50. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (18/06/1983). Importance of Puja and Havana (Speech). Paris, France. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  51. ^ Sahaja Yoga Turya Course session seven"The authentic format of the ceremony has changed very little over the years, except that in the case of Sahaja Yoga the whole focus of the program is to move closer to the Divine and experience a Spiritual communication which goes much further than simply singing a few songs. The vibrational impact of a Puja can be simply astonishing".
  52. ^ Srivastava, Nirmala (06/04/1991). Puja in Brisbane (Speech). Brisbane, Australia. {{cite speech}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)

    "All the gain that you have from Puja is only possible when you are a realised soul otherwise it is useless to do any Puja, any worship, people go to church, sing few hymns and come back, they are just the same and afterwards go to the pub because they think pub is the only place where they can get some joy."
  53. ^ elements in SY - viewed 25 November 2007
  54. ^ Sahaja Yoga treatments - viewed 25 November 2007
  55. ^ Sahaja Yoga: Liver Diet
  56. ^ Research on the effect of vibrations on water
  57. ^ Sahaja Yoga Marriage Ceremony, Christmas Puja 2005 Viewed 25 November 2007
  58. ^ Sahaja Yoga and marriages
  59. ^ Sahaja Yoga and marriages
  60. ^ International Sahaja Yoga Seminar at Ganapatipule, Dec. 2003 Viewed 13 December 2007
  61. ^ Invitation for Shri Ganesha Puja, Weddings and Navratri Puja Viewed 13 December 2007
  62. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p166
  63. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_512_2006.asp Historic video affirming the role of World Council for the Advancement of Sahaja Yoga
  64. ^ Message to all the Sahaja Yogis of the world from Arneau, Coordinator of the World Council
  65. ^ [http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_369_2005.asp A productive second session of the WCASY at Guru Puja in New Jersey
  66. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/worldcouncil/default.asp
  67. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_512_2006.asp Historic video affirming the role of The World Council Of Sahaja Yoga
  68. ^ http://sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_260_2004.asp
  69. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.com/swan/view_swan.asp?mode=print&swanid=503
  70. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_332_2005.asp
  71. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_373_2005.asp
  72. ^ Vishwa Nirmala Dharma - Religion in Spain
  73. ^ Sahaja Yoga Radio Programs
  74. ^ http://www.2ser.com/programs/shows/sahajayoga/?searchterm=sahaja
  75. ^ Project description interview with Director
  76. ^ http://www.pksacademy.com/
  77. ^ "Making sense of meditation", August 13, 2004, Medical Observer Weekly
  78. ^ Medical research literature on Sahaja Yoga meditation
  79. ^ [4]
  80. ^ http://realizeamerica.com
  81. ^ http://europeanrealisationtour.org
  82. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.com.au/realise_australia
  83. ^ http://www.youthlink.org/globalguide.pdf
  84. ^ Case Study Civil Society & Governance Project, February 2000 Vinita Tatke Viewed 6 November 2006
  85. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org/Music
  86. ^ http://turiyasangeet.googlepages.com
  87. ^ A New Childhood Arshiya Khanna Times of India 16 Nov 2006, viewed 4 November 2007
  88. ^ [http://www.blossomtimes.org/site/pdf/BlossomTimes_issue3.pdf Interview with the Ashram Executive Director
  89. ^ Shri Mataji’s Holy Birthplace: Chhindwara Project
  90. ^ Safeguarding the Original Audio and Video Tapes of Shri Mataji
  91. ^ An Appeal: Safeguarding The Original Audio and Video Tapes Of Shri Mataji
  92. ^ Gift of Cabella Properties to the World Sahaj Collective
  93. ^ "Yoga enthusiasts gather to meditate for peace" - George Hunter The Detroit News August 13, 2007
  94. ^ http://www.inform.ac/
  95. ^ a b c Barrett, David V. The New Believers (Cassell 2001) ISBN 0-304-35592-5 pages 297-298 “Sahaja Yoga, like many other new religious movements, is involved in charitable social work, including a hospital and a cancer research centre – both using Sahaja Yoga methods for healing – a classical musical school, and a shelter for the poor in Delhi. Sahaja Yoga makes a big point of its teaching being free: - Amazingly, without any financial support from any person, Shri Mataji neither charges for Her lectures nor for Her ability to give Self Realization, nor does one have to become a member of this organization. She insists that you cannot pay for enlightenment and to-date she continues to denounce the false self-proclaimed ‘gurus’ who are more interested in the seekers’ purse than their spiritual ascent. - But in fact this is one of the major criticisms of the movement, that the often middle-class members are encouraged to make regular donations to pay for Shri Mataji’s trips around the world, and to buy her expensive properties, such as Shudy Camps Park House near Cambridge, England, in 1986 and an Italian castle in 1991. (...) Devoted member refer to her as the Divine Mother, and she has called herself Adi Shakh, Primal Mother of All; many take her advice on child-rearing, and some ask her to choose their marriage partners. This amount of influence over her followers’ lives has caused concern in several countries. Some former have said that they were expelled from the movement because they resisted Shri Maraji’s influence over their lives.”
  96. ^ a b "Qld: Doctor fined over yoga dispute", AAP General News, Australia, November 12, 2001.
    Brisbane's District Court has been told a GP grabbed a man round the head and dragged him over a backyard fence -- accusing him of befouling members of an Indian cult. The court was told Dr BOHDAN MYRON SHEHOVYCH was among a group delivering a letter to the man from the founder of the meditation religion, Sahaja Yoga. The 52-year-old doctor from the New South Wales central coast today pleaded guilty to entering a house at Mount Ommaney in Brisbane' west and assaulting TERENCE RICHARD BLACKLEY on March 3 this year. The court heard the group was delivering a letter to BLACKLEY from spiritual leader SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI, alleging spiritual and criminal wrongdoings. Judge KERRY O'BRIEN today told the doctor that someone of his intelligence should have known better than to behave in that manner. He's fined Dr SHEHOVYCH $1,500 but did not record a conviction.
  97. ^ A Wonderful Evening with Shri Mataji
  98. ^ a b Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159
  99. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p243
  100. ^ "Shri who must be obeyed; She's been hailed as a saint: a selfless distributor of goodness and light. But, on the eve of her appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is under attack.", The Independent, London, England, Mary Braid, Beatrice Newbery, July 13, 2001
  101. ^ a b "Monday night with the divine mother.", The Evening Standard, London, England, July 18, 2001, John Crace
  102. ^ "Hundreds fill weekend with devotion, bliss", The Record, John Chadwick, July 24, 2005, Bergen County, New Jersey. (Local Section)
    The movement has its share of critics, some of whom describe it as a cult and have started Internet sites to detail their accusations. One site portrayed Mataji as a manipulative leader who exercised a high degree of control over members' lives, including arranging and breaking up marriages. "I have witnessed Mataji order loving couples to divorce," one former member wrote on a Web site.

Further reading

  • Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2
  • Srivastava, Nirmala (1997) Meta Modern Era, (Vishwa Nirmala Dharma) ISBN 8186650059
  • Pullar, Philippa (1984) The Shortest Journey, ISBN 0-04-291018-8
  • Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8
  • Coney, Judith (1995) “‘Belonging to a Global Religion’: The Sociological Dimensions of International Elements in Sahaja Yoga.” Sociological Analysis 10(2):109-20.
  • Rai, Umesh (1993) Medical science enlightened: new insight into vibratory awareness for holistic health care (New Delhi: Life Eternal Trust) ISBN 81-900325-0-X
  • Descieux, Flore (1995) The Light of the Koran: Knowledge through Sahaja Yoga (Paris: La Pensee Universelle, 1995; English translation: New Delhi: Ritana Books, 1998) ISBN 8185250026
  • Apte, Arun (1997) Music and Sahaja Yoga (Pune: NITL)
  • de Kalbermatten, Gregoire (2003) The Third Advent (New York: daisyamerica, 2003; Melbourne: Penguin Australia, 2004; Delhi: Penguin India, 2004) ISBN 1-932406-07-7
  • Powell, Nigel (2004) Sahaja Yoga Meditation (Corvalis Publishing) ISBN 0-954-85190-0
  • List of research papers, conferences and publications relating to the Sahaja Yoga research and health center.

External links

Sahaja Yoga Sites

Critical sites
Neutral or mixed sites
  • Leaflet on Sahaja Yoga published by INFORM. c2000
  • Woman's Hour September 12, 2001 BBC radio program, with questions and answers by Nirmala Srivastava and two ex-members.
  • Sahaja Yoga at the Religious Movements Homepage at the University of Virginia. Updated 2001.
Yuvashakti
Puja related
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