Tim publishes a lot of good stuff on his blog, Random Observations, and (to my loss, sad to say) it's been a long time since I've dropped by. His is a thoughtful, independent, creative mind. A few days ago he posted wise observations on an important, but rarely discussed subject. He titles his post "Front Door" versus "Back Door" Religions: Yoga, Meditation & Buddhism."
Below is a snippet to wet your appetite: (Note: When you go to read the whole post, be sure to read the comments, because Tim interacts powerfully with an interlocutor, adding a lot of material.)
. . . Another litmus test I'd suggest is to consider whether a religion is
primarily marketed as a "front door" religion, or as a "back door"
religion. In other words, does it admit it is a religion, and
is it honest about it's own nature, or does it often pretend to be
something it isn't? Will they tell you, up front, the beliefs or
outlook their adherents tend to adopt? Or are they uncomfortable
admitting such, hiding those pesky details until later? . . .
. . . Many who sign up for "yoga" classes in health clubs, strip malls (or even public schools, apparently) will be told explicitly that it is not a religion. Yet many yoga teachers are pushing a religious worldview, and will continually introduce more elements as the teaching progresses. But that's not the only, or even most important aspect of indoctrination at work.
Contrary to those who insist yoga is not religious, the word "yoga" is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "to yoke" or "control", and refers, in India, to a method or technique for
acquiring a religious
achievement or outlook. In the west, we're used to the idea of
religious beliefs being adopted rationally: A person introduces
an argument for their worldview, we weigh the evidence, and decide,
consciously, to accept or reject that proposition. But yogic techniques
don't work that way: their stated intent -- in their original culture
-- is to achieve or install a religious outlook physically
without the consent of the conscious mind. To foist such a
mind-altering practice on someone, while insisting it is not religious
at all, is, systemically, a manipulative maneuver. This is true even
when the one doing so is unaware they're doing so, or when their
intentions are wholly sincere.
Now I should probably back up and explain a bit: Most westerners are unfamiliar with the idea of physically installing a religious outlook in the brain, without conscious consent. In fact, I expect most of us would be shocked at the idea, and insist no such thing can happen to them. But indeed, it can -- and since we're all made with roughly the same mental design, we also share the many of the same weaknesses.
So what's the evidence? Consider "meditation", which is promoted as
"just a way to relax". Yet disinterested studies show that simple
relaxation exercises are just as effective as meditation. (See here and here,
for example; unfortunately, there are pro-meditation groups who
generated non-rigorous or even fraudulent "studies" which flood the web
with impressive-sounding claims -- see here.
The media often repeats these claims and studies unquestioningly.) Yet
people aren't told there is a rather large body of rigorous research
showing numerous negative effects from meditation, including an extensive German study of TM participants, discovering the majority experienced psychological disorders and a decreased ability to concentrate. Another study
showed that meditators became progressively worse at a memory related
task (while demonstrating how a lack of controls can produce the
appearance of false benefits). Other effects include feeling more negative and judgmental, grandiosity, feelings of elation, suicidal
feelings, feeling addicted to meditation itself (self-perpetuating),
and a decrease in honesty.
More to the point, other effects are almost religious in nature. In Psychiatry, RJ Castillo noted that meditation altered consciousness, induced the experience of depersonalization -- the sensation of being disassociated with one's self, of sensing the world as unreality, and of sensing the world as a continuous whole. Those familiar with Eastern religion will recognize this as a core aspect of Hindu/Buddhist belief: reality is illusory and the self (and others) are ultimately unimportant. The relative merits or hazards of this worldview can be debated, but the salient point is that most considering the practice of meditation are not being told, up front, that they may experience a profound outlook or worldview shift as a result. (Firsthand notes here; "... in reflecting on my behaviour after coming home at the time, when I practiced just twice a day (TM)meditation, I would say that I was much less responsive to human acts of kind[n]ess or humor than I am now." More here, too.)
Even more disturbingly, neurologist Michael Persinger and others have documented that frequent mediation increases susceptibility to episodes of what they call "epilepsy" -- a sensation of a "sensed presence"; of being observed by an unseen entity. [Keep reading . . .]