Sahaja Yoga? Opinions

massplanck

Hey looking for people opinions on Sahaja Yoga.

I attended a few meetings last year when i was on a bit of a low ebb. The meditation itself is amazing but i felt a little uncomfortable about how it is run.
I left after 2 weeks after I had gained enough knowledge on meditation, and continued on practicing with a sort of ala cart meditation that i do from time to time when i feel i need it.

Now last night i found my sahaja yoga instruction printout and decided to meditate in the the way that they teach and i have to say it feels really really good. (much better than my hodge podge ways). . Its all about 'self realisation' but although it feels amazing i was never happy with all the stuff that surrounds it and its founder. ie if its about 'self realisation' then why the need for a gurus picture and constant reference to her as mother etc.

I am sure she is an amazing person etc but on the sahaja website there are claims of miracle photographs and other stuff which i find distasteful. When i was at a meeting i was shown a video that insinuated that she was a prophet!!.
So? What to do? Great way of meditation yet I dont have any time for the organisation & its claims!!!
I just want to know what are people views on Sahaja Yoga?

Could anyone recommend me a more personal path to follow for my meditation? Any other techniques etc

celtictguy

hi, I found you posting quite by accident.

I was in Sahaja Yoga in England for quite a few years and left the organisation because I could not agree wit the authoritarian way it is run by Mataji and the Country Leaders.

A good web site is www.sahaja-yoga.org - the "-" between sahaja and the word yoga is essential, by adding this you get from the official site to another one run by ex members of this religion.

Had I had access to this when I first began to practice and later live in an Ashram run by Sahaja Yoga I would never have been a member at all.

I know the Irish Sahaja Yoga lads well and I really like them all, they were such good and honest friends. Alas they are ties up in it now and have had wifes chosen for them in Sahaja Yoga arranged marriages- a thing you don't get told about at the start.If the guys knew about this email they would not be happy but I think everyone has a right to all the information there is out there before making any kind of commitment,especially a religious one.

aKS ME ANYTHNIG YOU LIKE AND i WILL ALWAYS GET BACK TO YOU .


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joseph dawton

I was involved in eastern mysticism for a number of years and spent some time in India. There is a a lot to be gained from vedic and buddhist beliefs and I would still incorporate elements of that into my own work.

That's an interesting site. There is a horrible tendency, especially in the west to put the exponents of eastern beliefs on a pedestal, so much so that these gurus become almost gods. This leaves ample room for exploitation of those looking for answers who are easily led.

I think the answer is not to elevate these people! Always use common sense and your own judgement and if your intuition tells you something is not right listen!

A basic rule is that a truly spiritual teacher will not ask you do anything immoral or demand crazy sums of money off you. It is a priviledge to teach others and should not be a means to power and wealth.

www.electricpublications.com

celtictguy

Now I ma back on-line I can say a bit more on the subject of Sahaja Yoga.

The "beginners meetings" are just that. You are given only the sanctioned information about the belief and it's practices. There is a definate doctrine for "new people" ( they are called this ) and "established Sahaja Yogis" ( they are called this too ).

To put it bluntly , Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is in the Christian belief the incarnation of the Holy Ghost as predicted by Jesus. She is the primordial being, basically God in female form and any and every "true" ( according to Sahaja YOga ) religious fiqure in history, Mohamid , buddha, Khrisna , Mahavera, Arch Angels Michael and Gabriel, Socrates and The Hindu deity Ganesha ( actually all the Hindu gods ) Are ALL just apects of Nirmala Devi's being. She is above them all according to her own claims. You are not told that at all during these early meeting which are designed to screen "new people" and the promising ones are told new information about the group abd it's activities slowly, very slowly. The video recordings of Nirmala Devi are carefully screened only to reveal information that the group wants to put accross in these early stages and as such are usually quite old.

Also, established members of Sahaja Yoga are encourages to marry each other in ceremonies where as many of 100 couples are "married" by Nirmala Devi in a fire ceremony and it is usual for the couples to only to have met each other just two days before as these are arranged marriages where the leaders of the sect and Nirmala Devi choose who is to marry who on the basis of a marriage application form and a photo. It is the aim to match people of a different country together and it is not unusual for the pair to not speak the same language at all !.

If you ask the group about this they will tell you that their marriage works and that they had a choice to reject the chosen spouse. Choice exists but I have experienced Nirmala Devi shout and abuse a member of her organisation who rejected her choice of partner. This is not all together unusual and if you want a divorce you had better watch out as you risk being excommunicated by the group. These kick-outs are common and every member fears rejection by the organisation and a severe dressing-down by Nirmala herself, which is common . The greatest fear of any member of the organisation is being told to leave . Sahaja Yogies believe that leaving the group means that they will get possesed by evil spirits and they they will get ill.

There are other ceremonies too. These are Hafan and puja. Both very traditional religious ceremonies in the Hindu system which are performed in front of Nirmala Devi or a photograph of her and a photo of her feet !!

During the Puja members sing songs in Various Indian languages while various puja rituals are performed. At the end everyone bows down in front of Nirmala ( of her photo ) and meditates a while.

Thers is an enourmous amount "new people" are not allowed to know about when attending the early meetinds , like the one in Dublin. If a member says too much they are likely to be admonished by the group. There is so much more I could say, so reply to this posting if you want specifics.

The members of the group in Ireland are few but growing in numbers and I know most of them. I like them and miss them all dearlt ans would want some day for them to see what's gone on and how they have become slowly groomed into taking on the full belief of Sahaja Yoga . I would like to have a drink with them one day and reestablish our freindship. Alas , they are not allowed to continue to be freinds with ex members or allowed to have a drink either !

god bless ( the real one )

celtictguy

Her are a few books you could take a lokk at if you want to know more :

"The Shortest Journey" Phillipa Pullar -

The last few chapters deal with the author's introduction to the religion and her eventual leaving of the group and her reasons why.

out of print, try ebay and other secondhand internet stores, google it ,see what happens.


Sahaja Yoga by Judith Curzon. A readable book based on her P.hd thesis on Shaja Yoga . Provides a good insight into the group that "new people" will not have. Out of print and was expensive... I got one on ebay and another by searching secondhand sites.

Be wary of any books sold at the meetings, they are watered down to present only basic information.

massplanck

Thanks Celticguy.

No need to worry though, I havent been to sahaja yoga meeting in about two years. And i only even went to two of them.

Sound about right to me. Almost cultish which is what i felt about it.

The meditation is good though.:o

celtictguy

good to hear from you !

I am glad you got your early warning. I was at a low eb when I started to practice Sahaja Yoga and that's what got me into it really. As they say, first bitten, twice shy. And it's a good chapter in my Autobiography ( which shall never be written ! ).

Take care and all the best with life. Ireland is a great place and I often visit Dublin.

Famous12

I'm five years late responding but I was shocked at the damming opinion of celtic guy on Sahaja yoga.
He is of course totally entitled to his opinion and I don't say that it is impossible to have a bad experience in Sahaja yoga of course it is and it has happened but for a lot of people it has helped us in life and we have found a real deeper meaning to our lives which we yearned for through the meditation.
Like anything there are good and bad people in Sahaja yoga after all it is open to anyone and anyone can come in anytime and indeed go anytime. there is nothing to bind people to sahaja yoga, no money taken, no membership, no brain washing, tricks or hypnotism.
We don't mind if you come once, three times, once a year, you can come or not anytime. If you accept or don't accept Shri Mataji as a Guru or divine it is also fine you can still come or not.
Those of us who do practice the meditation for a long time do accept Shri Mataji as a great if not the Greatest spiritual guru of our time and we consider ourselves her devotees but this acceptance is reached through our own individual experience as the meditative states that are experienced are so deep and beautiful it's like a no brainer, this can only be divine?? Well, in my opinion anyway. I would never insist that this is divine, you may think I'm deluded and that is fine.
We just ask that people keep an open mind about it after all if you look at any diety from any major world religion nobody accepted them or recognised them until they were dead and in a lot of cases killed!! and there is so much competition with all the religions these days and people fighting and killing in the name of x,y or z it's quite logical really not to believe in god at all!!
At least with sahaja yoga you will go home with a big smile on your face you will have money in your pocket and you will not get the bad side effects of some of the more sinister guru's who are out there and can really damage people.:D