Glocal Christianity

Yoga Body, Yoga Spirit

I have been looking back over what I've written on Yoga over the years, and have how people have commented in response, and what stands out for me is the need for Christians to clearly articulate how they understand the mind, body, soul and Spirit.

Yoga, given its Hindu origins, tends to be grounded in pantheistic (God is all) pneumatology where no meaningful distinction is recognized between soul and Spirit, humanity and divinity. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches a monotheistic (God is one) pneumatology, where a significant distinction is recognized between humanity and divinity, soul and Spirit, which has consequences for how we understand union / yoga with God. The hurdles to union are not just perceptual and mechanical, they are also ethical and relational. Thus, genuine union goes beyond experience, beyond what we can perceive. And yet, experience of God is not unimportant or inconsequential. It is a blessing to experience. So, how to move forward? For me it is a matter of faith seeking experience.

Authentic yoga, authentic union, begins with faith, begins with entrusting your self, your soul to God, to Spirit. The soul is not essentially equivalent to Spirit, but it is radically dependant on Spirit (see previous comments on mysticism), a subtle but important difference. Thus, contra Hinduism, authentic yoga is more about soul realignment or attunement than soul deconstruction or denial. Its about entrusting ourselves to Spirit, the Spirit most deeply known through Christ. Christian yoga begins with Christ faith.

Going deeper, from a Hebraic understanding the soul is a mind and body unity, it is the self understood holistically. So there is no mind / body split, but there is a soul / Spirit split. Christian yoga, union with Christ, heals this split through the karmic transferrence he achieved through his death and resurrection.

So what then of experience? Well, faith needs to be exercised. We are called to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, body and soul, so what are we waiting for? Use your body as God intended it, worship the Lord with your whole self. Let go. Trust. Listen. Listen to yourself, listen to your environment, listen to your God, listen with your whole self and not just your ears. It is said the sacred / secular split is a false one, well, what of the split between physical discipline and spiritual discipline? Stretch yourself. Why not explore as you exercise?

Related posts on Christianity and Yoga:

How (not) to Christianize Yoga
Christian Yoga
The Yoga Sutras of Sri Paul
Jesus Yoga
Stretching for Jesus

How (not) to Christianize Yoga

There are good ways to Christianize a non-Christian practice ... and there are not so good ways. Care to see an example of how NOT to Christianize Yoga? Let me introduce you to Scripture Yoga.

But first, read this article by Mike Frost on Risky Negotiation.

Done? Ok, let's proceed. Here is what Scripture Yoga has to say for itself:

Scripture Yoga is a form of Christian yoga with Biblical scripture verses recited during the stretches and postures. The scriptures are based on themes like Peace, Angels and Prayer.

Does the mere insertion of verses make a practice Christian? If I highlighted the scriptural references within Metallica's "Creeping Death", could I use it as a worship song?

Christian yoga allows you to practice yoga in a Christian environment. If a secular yoga class is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, then you may be exposed unintentionally to a non-Christian environment. Therefore, Scripture Yoga provides a Christ-centered alternative to secular yoga.

Scripture Yoga allows the practice of posturing and meditation in a Christian context devoid of eastern religious influence.

Does the mere environment, the mere context, make a practice Christian or Christ-centered? If I sang the Mr Hankie song in church, would that make it Christian?

Scripture Yoga is different from secular yoga because you listen to God's Holy Word as it is recited during the yoga class.

How secular is secular Yoga? Is there such a thing? How deeply does this instructor understand Yoga philosophy?

The postures for Scripture Yoga are the same as those used for Hatha Yoga. The difference primarily lies in the purpose and focus of the meditative session. If secular yoga is not completely separated from its eastern religion and philosophy, it could expose participants to spiritual forces that are not of God.

Does this instructor not recognize that the asana poses and pranayama breathing exercises flow directly from Hindu spiritual practice, that pneumatology is an issue in all of it, and not just the meditation session? And more, even if it were possible to completely secularize it, is secularity any more philosophically neutral than Hinduism?

The most popular type of yoga in the United States is Hatha Yoga in which the Eastern religion and philosophical portion of yoga is completed separated from the yoga class.

Completely? It may not be explicit ... but not even implicit? Surely you jest.

Ok, enough critique, what can I constructively add?

1. Well, if you refer back to the Mike Frost article again, what is lacking here is an exegesis of Yoga, an exploration of Yoga. In particular, differences between Hindu and Christian understandings of Spirit and the mind-body link need to be explored and understood.

2. What is also lacking here is an exegesis of scripture. Insertion of verses is insufficient. A theology of Yoga needs to be developed, a Christian philosophy that engages with the Hindu philosophy. So, not just Bible verses but Biblical thinking. How would a Christian pneumatology potentially reshape the practice?

3. Next, the asana and pranayama themselves need to be critically examined. Do some poses and breathing exercises themselves need to be rejected or modified? May some alternative exercises need to be introduced to balance things out?

4. Finally, it all needs to be integrated.

In summary, I am not criticizing attempts to Christianize Yoga per se, I am just saying let's try for something with more substance, that's not so superficial.

Yogic Mudras in Christian Imagery

I was doing some research into Christian mundras (mundra is a yogic word for ritual hand gestures) when I came across an interesting article in Christian Yoga Magazine. Yes, that's right, there's a whole magazine devoted to Christian yoga.

Anyway, it explained the Prithvi Mudra and Pran Mudra from a sort of Christianized Hindu perspective which is what I was looking for.

The mentions of the Law of Attraction and Oprah is all you need to figure out where this is coming from theologically. Hopefully that's all you need to figure out that I don't endorse it, but I think it could be interesting to chew over.

Jesus taught Bhakti-Yoga?

I love the way Yoga teachers give backhanded compliments to Jesus. It's quite skillful really. They come across so open and accepting, even as they undermine. Talk about contortionism! Stephen Knapp gives us some more obvious examples in his article Jesus taught Bhakti-Yoga.

By studying the teachings that are ascribed to Jesus, we can easily recognize that the essence of what Jesus taught was an elementary level of the Vedic process of bhakti-yoga and karma-yoga.

In this way, Jesus taught people the most basic portions of God’s law and gave the most simple commandments ... This is a sign of the kind of people Jesus was dealing with. They were very primitive and had to be taught the most basic of spiritual knowledge.

In this way, we can see that the essence of Christianity is the basic teachings of the Vedic philosophy which was developed much earlier and more deeply than that which is presently found within the philosophy of Christianity.

Jesus is embraced, but only as a minor guru with derivative teachings. Of course, anything which is distinctive to Jesus and not derivative is seen as a devolution from Yoga. Jesus is never allowed to actually speak for himself, to be understood within his own context.

Burger King Ad Insults Hindu Goddess Lakshmi

It seems Hindus are getting upset about a new Burger King ad that features the goddess Lakshmi sitting on a burger instead of a lotus.

Abhilash from Hindu Blog writes, "It hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus. It shows Goddess Lakshmi sitting on meat. It must be remembered that cow is worshipped in Hinduism and majority of Hindus are vegetarians."

It makes me wonder if Burger King are deliberately baiting for some free promotion. After all, what are the vegetarians going to do? Boycott?

Indian Christian: Attacks have increased our faith

This evening I was reading the latest on the Indian situation from Christian Today:

The wave of attacks on churches in Karnataka, India, have only "increased our faith and brought us together," says Archbishop Bernard Moras, whose initiative has united churches of many denominations.

On June 19, over 200 Christians from various denominations gathered at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Bangalore. They came together under the banner of Karnataka United Christians Forum for Human Rights (KUCFHR).

Addressing the gathering, Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras said, “God has the power to bring good even from evil. The formation of this forum is a testimony to that."

He pointed out that the attacks on churches, religious personnel, priests, nuns and pastors had "prompted church leaders to think of ways and means to arrest this violation of our right to worship and proclaim our faith."

He was referring to last year's assault on churches and prayer halls by right-wing Hindu groups. At least 20 Christian worship places were attacked in the violent crime spree in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada. Thousands of people were displaced.

It was following this incident that the forum was birthed by representatives from various Christian groups.

The attacks on Christians, Moras explained, propelled the move for such a platform "where we could identify what is common among us" and even think out-of-the-box for "reaching out to the less fortunate and underprivileged" in our society.

While expressing sadness over remarks such as "Karnataka will become a second Gujarat," Moras excitedly declared, "Nothing will prevail against the unity of the Church."

The gathering hosted by CSI Bishop Rev. Vasanth Kumar welcomed delegates from the Methodist, Orthodox, Jacobite, and Believer’s churches, the Federation of Christian Churches as well as independent churches.

Together, they agreed to stick to acceptable methods in proclaiming one's faith and disfavor unChristian activities such as forceful conversions, allurements and inducements of any kind.

It is good to see some positives coming out of the negatives. I am reminded of the words of Joseph at the end of Genesis, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

Hindu leaders call for PlayStation boycott

Following the release of Sony India's PlayStation 2 game Hanuman: Boy Warrior, Hindu groups have called for a worldwide boycott. But from the reaction of some gamers, the product is so bad that's unlikely to be necessary. I suppose this is a salutory lesson for Sony in the hazards of consumer religion.

Urgent appeal for Sri Lankans as humanitarian crisis worsens

"An interdenominational Christian aid agency has appealed for urgent humanitarian relief for Sri Lankans amid reports of indiscriminate shelling and use of heavy weapons resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties." For more click here.

Gay Hindu Wedding

Ok, I know, I know, its only a week or so ago that I wrote about homosexuality being a peripheral concern. But finally someone wrote something that grabbed my interest. Its from an Indian guy, Deepak Iyer, taking a satirical look at Hindu community reactions to a gay Hindu wedding. Read it for yourself, very off beat humour. The interest point, I think, is that its not just Abrahamic religions that are struggling with this issue, its Dharmic religions as well. Just one more reason why I think the popular culture focus is way too myopic.

Mulitple Incidents of Hindu Terror in India

Mulitple incidents of Hindu terror have been reported against Christians in India this month by Compass Direct News. Here is just one example:

Hindu extremists on Jan. 26 disrupted a baptism and thrashed believers at Gangapur Dam, Nashik district. The Times of India reported that as members of the Navjivan Fellowship Church were conducting a baptism ceremony at the dam, a group of 10 to 12 men armed with cricket stumps, iron rods and sticks arrived and beat those present, including women and children ... The Hindustan Times reported that Sangeeta Paulat, who also was injured, said the assailants shouted, “Jai Shri Ram [hail to Lord Ram]” while beating them.

Read more recent incidents of persecution

Why Hinduism is of missional interest for me

Here you can see, at a glance, why Hinduism is of missional interest for me, here in Pendle Hill, in western Sydney.

Observe Hinduism. Observe Baptist.

Source

Amongst the young, the culture shift is even more evident. As of late last year there are more Hindus than Christians in scripture classes at the local school. And I am talking total Christians, including Catholics and Orthodox and Protestant combined.

Christendom is dead. Pluralism is here. It is now undeniable and inter-religious engagement is inevitable...

...so we may as well approach it seriously and constructively.

This is global Sydney.

Or at least my corner of it.

Holy Warriors - A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism

Yesterday I began reading "Holy Warriors - A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism" by Edna Fernandes and I'm hooked already.

Here is the blurb from the inside cover: 

An eye-opening exploration of India's incendiary religious mix - based on a series of face-to-face encounters with all flavours of the faithful, the fervent and the fanatical.

Home to all the major religions, India is also, inevitably, host to virtually every type of religious fanatic. No other nation has witnessed as much proselytization or heard as many war cries in the name of God as India. For centuries, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Muslims have waged bloody wars, sought violent conversion and declared jihad against their enemies, as their religions have been hijacked by the forces of fundamentalism.

In "Holy Warriors", British-Indian journalist Edna Fernandes travels to the country's recent and past theatres of religious extremism - from Kashmir to Gujarat, Punjab to Goa - to meet the generals and foot soldiers of communal wars who assert their faith in rhetoric and rage. Theirs are stories of bigotry and bloodshed, insecurity and despair, but Fernandes listens with understanding, tolerance and a deft sense of humour, and paints a uniquely vivid and clear-sighted picture of a country divided by dogma.

As someone who is deeply interested in the relationships between Hindus and Christians both locally and globally I am finding Holy Warriors is a truly fascinating read. Its a bit week on the "why" of Indian fundamentalism, but so informative in so many other ways that I just can't put it down.

Author's Blog

Edna Fernandes

Book Reviews

Holy Warriors, by Edna Fernandes - A portrait of India that draws on its fundamentalist fringes - Reviewed by Guy Mannes-Abbott [The Independant]

Holy Warriors by Edna Fernandes - Reviewed by D'Souza, Avelino [Goanet]

Holy Warriors: A journey into the heart of Indian fundamentalism by Edna Fernandes  - Meera Nanda [New Humanist]

Difference between Hinduism and Christianity?

I came across a very interesting question about Hinduism and Christianity here, by a guy who is neither Hindu nor Christian. He asks:

Will some one please explain to me why in school Hinduism is classified as a polytheistic religion while Christianity is not. The Christian Trinity runs on the same principle that Hinduism does; in Christianity there are three parts to one God (Father, Son, Spirit) whereas in Hinduism there are thousands of parts to one God (Shiva, Krishna, etc). Despite the difference in number it’s the same principle. One of the religions is either classified wrongly, or my interpretation is off (if it is point to my mistakes and validate your point with sources).

What would your response be? Personally I think that the classification is correct, that the similarities between the Christian trinity and Hindu trimurti are seriously overrated, and that his interpretation is off. But what about you?

• Have you thought about this before?
• How would you respond to him?
• What sources would you cite?

Hindu Gods

If you are interested in understanding Hinduism, Abhilash has posted some helpful introductions to the Hindu god Shiva and Hindu goddess Lakshmi over at Hindu Blog.

Ashtalakshmi – Eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi This is a short introduction to Adi Lakshmi (The primal mother goddess), Dhanalakshmi (One who showers wealth), Dhanyalakshmi (Food – one who eliminates hunger), Gajalakshmi (Power and Strength), Santan Lakshmi (Children), Veera Lakshmi (Courage and Strength), Vijaya Lakshmi (Victory) and Vidya Lakshmi (Wisdom and knowledge)

Lord Shiva as Nataraja – Symbolism and Meaning hidden in the Natraja Idol You may not be familiar with the name but the Nataraja idol is the world famous bronze sculpture where the god Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance) performs the Tandava – the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and resolved.

Listening in order to understand is an important missional practice. I encourage Christians to listen more to other religions like Hinduism, especially when understanding is difficult.

Brahmins and Dalits

There is neither 
    Brahmin nor Dalit
    High Caste nor Low Caste
    Male nor Female
For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:28 paraphrased)