Are Yoga, Samadhi, and Universal Tolerance, Dangerous?

By Paul Jerard

Would you believe that someone could claim that Samadhi is dangerous, unholy, and counter productive? Samadhi is the eighth limb of Yoga. There are different degrees and types of Samadhi, but all of them require a state of meditative absorption.

It never ceases to amaze me how often meditation has been perceived as an evil practice, when meditation has been practiced by religious leaders of every faith. Meditation has also been practiced within every corner of the earth.

To quote Swami Krishnananda: “The temptation from the evil one comes, first, in the form of unsettled thinking, which makes one immediately forget the Presence of God. This is at once followed by the implementation of the evil move, whether in the shape of passion or anger.”

Swami Krishnananda says this so well that you may have to read his words many times before complete realization. Unsettled thinking does make one forget the Presence of God.

Look at the cruelty man inflicts on his fellow man. Do you think an oppressor is considering the Presence of God, or meditating, during his “off hours?”

So, where does this concept of “evil meditation” and “bad Yoga” come from? It originates from people who would rather keep the world divided. World peace could take their power away. Some of them pretend to be holy men, and some pretend to be peace-loving politicians.

Rudolph Hess spoke of world peace in a speech he gave on July 8, 1934. Some people, who heard or read it, believed his words. Unfortunately, the world “paid the price,” for believing his words, during World War II.

There are many good and kind politicians, but absolute power is very hard for the human mind, and the ego, to handle. There are so many hidden agendas, that a well-meaning politician could be smothered by them. It has been this way since democracy was created in Athens.

True, and noble religious leaders, should never incite violence or endorse any elitist philosophy. Inciting violence, in the name of God, is morally wrong.

Should we really be concerned with how our neighbors pray to God? Since God is all around us, what is wrong with praying to him as often as possible? At a time when this world, and its families, need to be more connected to God - religions should show much more mutual respect toward each other.

Back to Yoga: Yoga is for mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Who would deny the obvious, and why should anyone worry about it? Why should Yoga practitioners be at odds with any organized religion? In fact, they are not.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Yoga in Practice: World Peace

By Paul Jerard

How can Yogis and Yoginis help the movement for world peace? Should world peace ever be discussed in an Ashram? What can Yoga practitioners do about conflict on a larger scale?

Most of us feel helpless when we turn on the news. Crime, warfare, disease, and starvation rule the media, but what can any of us do about it? Let’s look at the source: The reason the media shows us negative images of life is because it sells. If we tell the media different, it will cause change.

The media feels they would go out of business if they displayed a balanced view of humanity. “Feel good” stories are not front page news. Look at the number of people who waste their time watching nonsensical television programs. Who is to blame for this?

We have to share the blame together, without pointing fingers; then take action to get balanced entertainment, innocence back in childhood, religion back into the family, and learn to get along with our neighbors. In other words, you do not have to picket outside the White House to make progress. Just by taking small actions together - we can make a big difference.

Discussing politics in a Yoga class is not in popular demand; most Yoga students want to leave the world outside the ashram, but meditating on world peace is acceptable. If Yoga students think of world peace, they might also envision complete freedom from ignorance. Interestingly, this is what many of us think heaven will be like.

We may not be able to create heaven on earth, but we can make small improvements. Therefore, world peace must start on the small scale within our homes, at work, in the ashram, and everywhere we go. Always help others and support groups that seek peaceful resolutions to violent conflict.

Yoga practitioners from all over the world can be found on Internet forums. This is the beginning of many fruitful cultural exchanges that take place on a daily basis. People tend to fear what they do not know, or understand, so the Internet is a useful way to understand other people from different cultures.

Traditionally, non-violence has been a path full of sacrifice, marches, and protests. This is still true in some instances, but it is also true that showing courtesy, teaching courtesy, acts of loving kindness, giving, listening, praying, meditating, and mindfulness make a difference when encouraging peaceful resolutions to conflict.

Interestingly, all of the above approaches and methods for non-violence are from Yogic principles.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga Meditation for World Peace

By Paul Jerard

Does world peace seem like a fantasy? What is the number one obstruction to world peace? How can we overcome such a powerful obstruction, with Yoga? Does Yoga meditation give us the answer?

The ego is the largest obstruction to world peace. One person’s ego can affect the collective consciousness of an entire country and the world. Consider history’s most famous conquerors and tyrants; their personal ambitions became an excuse to justify sacrifice, cruelty, and warfare.

What starts out as a personal matter can become a social dilemma, if one person has the influence, and an ego, which is out of control. Each of us has an ego, but we often ask others to put their egos aside before we do. We are right and they are wrong. We imply that they should listen to our side of the debate first.

How is it possible to restrain the ego? How can Yoga help control the Ego?
Yoga is designed to take care of the health of a single person. In many ways, Yoga travels to the core of the human mind, body, and spirit. One method allows an individual’s mind to be isolated through Yoga meditation practice. Yoga meditation allows the mind to withdraw from the “pains and aches of society.”

What do I mean by the pains and aches of society? Unfortunately, no society is perfect. Speak to any social worker about poverty and injustice. Each social worker receives a “bird’s eye” view of social injustice. Over the years, I have taught many social workers in my Yoga classes. It is apparent that they came to Yoga class as a sanctuary.
Why would social workers need a Yoga class for sanctuary? Social workers feel empathy, without ego, and they want to make a positive difference in modern society. They clearly see social illness, and inadequacy, on a daily basis.

How else could Yoga meditation overcome the ego? The mind withdraws from society, distractions, and multi-tasking, which forces the mind to look at itself. Yoga meditation is a systematic healing process for the individual and a remedy for society’s short comings.
In a recent conversation with a Yoga teacher, he mentioned how Yoga meditation is considered, by the public, to be “time spent doing nothing.” He completely understood the deeper value and benefits of meditation, but was concerned about how to reach his Yoga students, with overactive minds. After all, most of them would rather perform asanas than spend time meditating in a Yoga class.

The answer is: We will have to educate them, wait for them to age, or wait for the time, when they can appreciate the meditative aspects of Yoga. If Yoga students were trained to meditate as children, they would appreciate the many benefits of Yoga meditation at this moment. However, we cannot force a person to instantly meditate and “see the light.”
In order for meditation to take place, the mind must be willing to look at itself. When the collective consciousness of a society meditates on a regular basis, it will be reflected by peaceful behavior.

Yoga Meditation is a wonderful resource for mankind because it can bring the mind to a state of peace with itself. A global society, which has an addiction to multi-tasking, needs time to “unplug” itself, and Yoga meditation offers realistic solutions.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

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