CAN EAST AND WEST SHARE THE SAME MATH?

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CAN EAST AND WEST SHARE THE SAME MATH?

 

Rasa Von Werder

http://www.womanthouartgod.com/yoga.php

 

July 3, 2005

 

When yoga first began to penetrate the United States, people were

shocked at the exotic and strangely fascinating religion. About a

hundred years ago, the great Apostle of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami

Vivekananda, arrived on our shores with unusual wisdom, but little

money. The custom in India was go door to door, where such souls are

supported as an act of reverence. But someone called the police, and

there, in that act, portrayed the difference in our thinking. Instead

of a holy soul, the frightened lady saw a dark-skinned beggar (lots of

prejudice on our part) in a Halloween suit, and instead of holiness

and wisdom, she saw danger. It did get sorted out, and Vivekananda no

doubt explained to the cops (in English not yet perfect) that he was

there for the first World Congress of Religion (Chicago) and got short

of funds, and was simply asking for a donation. (It annoys me that a

rich Hindu, instead of suiting up Vivekananda with funds, just gave

him a new suit for the monumental trip.)

 

Vedanta Comes West

 

Eventually, Vivekanada managed to find a number of female devotees

(many letters with Sister Christine extant) who supported his

mission. Macho, zealous and wise, you could see a strength in photos

with the arms folded over his torso. Victorian hearts must have

fluttered at the handsome and exotic speciman, speaking of God in a

new way. He had survived besotted Avatar Ramakrishna, saying to him

something like,

 

" OK, I will return if there is no more of that! "

 

(Referring to the Saint touching him and knocking him into deep

samadhi, right then and there where he remained unconscious for two

hours.) This was a bit much for the teenager and he was willing to go

along with Ramakrishna as long as conditions were a bit more normal.

 

Ramakrishna explained his relationship with then Narendra like this,

(words approximate):

 

" I see a great sage in eternity, sitting with a little child in his

lap, holding him lovingly...that sage is you, and the child is me. "

 

Apparantly, they both reincarnated to change the world, Ramakrishna as

Avatar and Vivekananda the next best thing, Ishvarakoti.

 

Vivekananda and the other Heroes of Vedanta got yoga going in the West.

 

Are We Exploiting Yoga?

 

Many others followed. We all know the stories. Legendery yogis

astounding us, beguiling us, fascinating us, until today, it is almost

a part of the air we breathe. We have, on some level, integrated yoga

into our culture. Some Hindus are screaming we have stolen and

exploited it.

 

" You have to be a Hindu to teach yoga - to be a Guru! " one man wrote me.

 

He brought out the abuses of yoga we have wrought, like calling it

" power yoga " and giving courses on things we know not of. Here is his

letter, after a few sallies of his rage and my shock, it quieted down to:

 

RASA:

HELLO THERE! I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TELL ME SOME THINGS SO I CAN

UNDERSTAND. WHAT HAVE WESTERNERS DONE TO HINDUS, AND WHAT HAVE I DONE?

HOW CAN I BECOME A HINDU? DOES ONE HAVE TO BE HINDU TO TEACH YOGA OR

TO BE A GURU?

 

INLIGHT:

Thank you for your question. Non-Hindus have almost totally perverted

the many Yogas of Hinduism. Simply ask, What is Yoga? Of course, real

Yoga is " yuj Atmana, Brahman ca. " There are several classic Yogas such

as: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga.

Just look at the phony " yoga " of today and all the craziness that has

been added to it like " ruff yoga, " " power yoga " and of course all the

egotist that put their name before yoga. Just like any other religion,

OF COURSE, one must be a Hindu (or related sect) to teach the various

Yogas and to be a real Guru. You and others should know these

" common-sense " matters. Those interested in becoming a Hindu can do

so. It would require much study and commitment.

 

For me, " tantra yoga " comes to mind, in how couples empower one

another sexually, through yoga. Courses given at your local Church or

YMCA. All totally against the real thing. I received the following

letter - the first that made me laugh in months. The hilarity of it

is that I am a staunch supporter of celibacy:

 

THE SEARCH FOR SALVATION VIA TANTRIC PARTNERS

Namaste Rasa!

I visited your website, which gave me the impression you are a fellow

Tantric, hopefully a RasaTantric. If so, I am sure you can learn much

from me. I am always looking for a possible partner for Tantra. I take

the clinical approach instead of the romantic one, since I don't

believe in " arranged marriages " to strangers. A couple might find each

other like people shopping for a certain item. They get together with

no pressure for sex. If they fall in love or lust, so much the better,

but they are not coerced into it. If you would like to know me better,

let me know. I am still pondering the reason why you built up that

wonderful website of yours. Feel free to write something to the group

about Rasa Tantra.

 

I can see why Orthodox, right-handed yogis would be pissed! But they

are mad at me also - a woman of the west, anointed and chosen by great

yogis - as I cannot represent the East, they say. I have stolen it, I

do not know what it is about! I am misrepresenting it and myself, and

by this man's definition, all Westerners are thieves and crooks off

the Hindus.

 

Non-duality is New

 

But this is not exactly the subject of my article. The article is a

bit more on the mystical/spiritual realm, and let me get to it. What

is it that entranced us, sometimes frightened us, from yoga? It was a

type of non-duality. OK, friend Haarvi, I admit it is not total non

duality they brought, the kind where Ramakrishna goes into a six-month

trance and no longer tastes sugar but becomes it. (A discipline put

upon him by the wandering Advaita monk, Tota Puri.) Not quite that

deep are we falling, but we are accepting a God like no other God

we've had before, and that is the Atman. We always knew God was

within, but we never worshipped God that way! (There are exceptions

to this import of God - like the jubilant Hare Krishna's) - but the

main thrust that I see, from Vivekananda, to Yogananda, to Nityananda,

Muktananda and Ramana Maharshi, is the inner worship. Find God within

through meditation and initiation from your Guru, and continue

worshipping God as Self - the Atman.

There are many other ideas that seem new, and some, perhaps, are a

little different than Christianity, but this Atman thing is the big

standout. What is so bizzarre to us is that WE ARE GOD! Holy Cow!

We always saw God as separate, as either Jesus or Jehovah, and we also

have many titles of God mostly from the Old Testament. But never,

ever, did we actually see ourselves as part of the Eternal Stream,

total Infinity and Light, part and parcel of God, and having all the

same attributes and qualities of God. We always saw God as big,

ourselves as tiny, and our job was to worship God in humility and

respect. How could we be God ourselves? This mystery was the most

frightening and beguiling one.

 

How is Sainthood Perceived, East and West?

 

Now comes the next issue, and that is the way sainthood is perceived

in the East and the West, and how this has shaped the attitudes toward

God. Again, history is written or slanted in a way that the victors

want it known. Hagiographies are also written to conform with beliefs

of sainthood, so that, in the west, certain qualities and attributes

of saints are remembered and referenced. Other qualities, not so good

or less popular, are forgotten or ignored. Legends grow by

embellishing the stories and like fish tales, saints get bigger and

better the longer they are dead. (Give me a break. Most of them were

hated and persecuted while still living, but as soon as they were

dead, it was safe to love them.)

You sometimes wonder, how much of saint's lives is true. And this

goes with the East as much as the West.

 

But let us look at perception. In the East, I have observed there is

a certain way you check out if a saint is kosher or not. It comes to

samadhi. That is it. The keynote, the measure and the brand of

sainthood is samadhi. It is trance, absorption and abstraction.

Saints all go into trance and some stay for abnormal lengths of time,

and that shows, to the East, their spiritual strength. People begin

to believe in them, and the rest follows. They are by no means judged

by charity toward their neighbor. There is charity, but that is not

the measure. All things but trance are suspect as manifestations of

ego. You can watch a saint doing any number of charitable things,

like writing, reading, speaking, giving money, spending time and

energy on the needy - and all this is seen with a suspicious eye.

After all, he is doing these things to get attention, to win applause

and favor, to be loved. That ugly ego made him do it!

 

In the West, it is the opposite. Indeed, we have trance. This is

called Contemplation, and we had a big fad for contemplation and the

" interior life " in the medieval days. It has fallen off now, but

perhaps returned, strangely, through yoga and it's meditation. All

the great saints of the medieval days were famous for the results of

their contemplation or union with God - for the gifts of God, the

" kriyas. " They had visions, voices, dreams, intimations, psychic

awareness or knowledge and wisdom, they had bilocation. They could do

healings and miracles. But these manifestations, although they are

marks of God, are not the true measure of a saint so sayeth the

Catholic Magisterium. They make a saint inspiring and colorful, but

to " them who know " , are not the measure of holiness. The absolute

measure of sainthood is charity toward the neighbor. The more stories

you can tell of how a saint heroically sacrificed for a neighbor, the

more likely he or she will enter the portals of canonization. Along

with this goes humility, obedience, chastity and other moral virtues.

Also, our saints are not allowed to be eccentric - they must conform.

They must obey the Rule or rules. This is the OPPOSITE in the East.

Saints, gurus and holy souls walk by a different vina. They can be

as wierd as wierd can be - because they are considered above and

beyond the pale of mortal existence. (not a bad idea) Rules and

regulations put aside, they are free.

For you to gain recognition as Sage in India it is trance, trance,

trance. Love thy neighbor? Not if your head is in the Bhagavad Gita

and you are chanting the names of God. A woman could be in the pangs

of labor under a tree some yards away crying for help and you are

" allowed " to ignore her. Such things happen all the time in India - I

have read many stories. This is not to say there is no charity.

Ramakrishna's disciples set up numerous centers of spiritual relief

and help for plague victims, hospitals and orphanages and the like.

And many gurus and kind Hindus have done a great deal of good.

However, in general, it is accepted that you do not have to kill

yourself to love your neighbor because he has his karma, and you have

yours.

 

Here, we are not allowed the luxury of samadhi for extended periods of

time. We are expected to " work. " True, contemplation and prayer are

work! Jesus said, it is " the better part " , and it will not be taken

away from us. When a soul is absorbed in God to some degree - not in

a total non- dualistic trance, but in the interior life -

that soul has more power with God than a thousand lukewarm fellows.

In his prayer, the holy soul does magic for others.....but these are

rare birds. Most people can't stand to be alone for one hour, much

less a lifetime. They need action, and so the tendency is for " social

work. " I read Muktananda many times laugh at " social work, " because

it is not considered the activity of the most advanced souls.

 

Were the Lives of Saints Slanted One Way or Another?

 

Where does all this come together? It is my guess that the interior

lives of more recent Western saints have been passed over, ignored, in

favor of their active labor. They probably had some of the

experiences of the medievals, but the promotion of this is not

pursued. Psychology has told us that EVERYTHING IS THE MIND and so,

all krijas, mystical experiences, are suspect. (Psychology is saying

that we have built the image of God in our heads, and there it stays.

There is no EMPIRICAL evidence of anything beyond that, so this is

our imagination, our doing. And experiences of God? Voices, visions,

krijas? HYSTERIA!) Academics don't want the readers to think a saint

was whacky, so maybe they leave out the visions. Could this be

happening? But on the other hand, charity is acceptable in all

circles, a sign of health, so you push that out. The inner

absorption, then, for the West, has gone into decline, at best,

considered somewhat irrelevant. Even in our involvement with yoga, we

do not emphasize the supernatural. It brings peace of mind, we say,

stillness. No " peculiar " experiences need be confessed.

 

Putting street wisdom and shallow culture aside, the great souls all

know the truth, about both yoga and Christianity. They know, as in

the Song of Songs, that Intimacy, Oneness with God is the Highest

Favor of God. When prejudice against the supernatural in the West

subsides, you will see more of an emphasis on absorption or

contemplation. On the other hand, we might also be influencing the

Hindus toward more action.

 

Action vs Contemplation - Can the West Teach India?

 

India has now given us absorption. Yes, we once had it, but they are

reviving it. India has given us forms of non-dualism. Can we give

something to India? Can we give it action? Can we give it,

 

" Love thy neighbor as thyself? "

 

Of course, charity has always been in India just as contemplation has

always been with us, but in a recessive way on both counts. Can we

strengthen India by enouraging yogis to more good works?

 

Althought Jesus said to Martha,

 

" Martha, you are concerned about a number of things, but Mary

(Magdalene at His feet) has THE BETTER PART, and it shall not be taken

away from her. "

 

Yes, Jesus taught that contemplation is superior. But yet, He is

remembered for His ACTION, especially His self-secrificing action.

And all the Christian saints, walking in His Bloody footsteps, have

vied for the opportunity to be martyrs. You will have none of that in

India. No Martyrdom, no Stigmata. That just ain't kosher. You have the

 

" I am the Spirit, not the body, " mantra.

 

You have the road of abstraction, where the world fades away and the

pain of the neighbor is to be ignored - just as the body is ignored.

Here, with God, you have the better part. You partake of neither the

sweet, nor the bitter fruit of life, here in this samadhi or Nirvana,

where only God is real.

 

(To be honest, I am not talking about all individuals on both sides.

I am speaking of the example of saints, generalizing. In fact there

are as many a..holes on both sides, who do neither action nor

contemplation, and just may be on the broad highway to Hell....please

bear with me that I speak of saints and the trends they teach.)

 

If we can influence the East by the example of Mother Theresa of

Calcutta, we have helped. Mother did not quibble about karma. She

saw a woman dying in the street, whose wounds the dogs were licking.

She picked her up and took her to her tiny apartment, placing the

victim on the bed and herself on the floor. This was the beginning.

I heard one man say the difference between normal and " the saint " is

action. The normal does nothing, the saint takes action. Our

self-giving saint said she was not helping people FOR Jesus. They ARE

Jesus! I believe this is the highest form of God realization.

 

To me, the most perfect Math, the one I'd like to have, is that which

combines East and West. I want souls willing to practice meditation,

leading to Enlightenment. I want them also to understand that their

good works, although they are not yet perfect, will lead them to the

heights. " Heard say " you have to be perfect to teach. Yes, to teach

absolute perfection, it helps to have it. But you can demonstrate and

teach goodness on various levels. Always share what you know with

those who know less. You can give love, after all, even when you know

nothing except that GOD IS LOVE. If everyone has to reach

Enlightenment before doing good.....you understand.

 

http://www.womanthouartgod.com/yoga.php

 

I would like to thank Haarvi and Harvey Erickson for discussing these

issues with me and sharing their valuable comments.

 

Rasa Von Werder

July 3, 2005