Letter to the Editor, by Vicente R. Hao Chin Jr. Former President, Theosophical Society in the Yoga Does Not Lead to Demonic Possession Yesterday, Nov. 2, the Philippine Inquirer newspaper featured a front-page article about a priest saying that yoga meditation may lead to demonic possession. This was an irresponsible allegation. I wrote a letter to the Editor of the newspaper to reply to this. Below is a copy of the letter. It will help if it is disseminated to many people who may have been misled by the news article. ======================================= The Editor Philippine Daily Inquirer Re: Yoga Does Not Lead to Demonic Possession This refers to your front-page article on the statement of Msgr. Jay Bandojo that the practice of yoga meditation opens a person to demonic possession. I am afraid that with the best intentions of Msgr. Bandojo, he is perhaps misinformed about the practice of yoga meditation. Yoga meditation is a spiritual practice that is essentially similar to Christian mystical or contemplative practice. He states: “When you practice yoga, you are told to ‘empty your mind’ while saying [the mantra] ‘om,’ so you can feel relaxed. But when you empty yourself, you’re opening yourself to possession. You have to be careful because demons might take advantage of (this) empty [vessel of your soul] and possess it” (Inquirer, Nov. 1, 2014, pp. A1 & A10). Let me address the two points raised by Msgr. Bandojo: 1. Emptying the Mind. We must not confuse the “active awareness” of spiritual meditation and the “mental passivity” of mediumistic practices. The latter opens oneself up to influences from the astral world, but classical meditation does the very opposite because awareness prevents any kind of intrusion that is unwanted. The passivity of mediums lacks the awareness of meditational practice. Mediumistic practices include those that are done by spiritistas where they allow themselves to become instruments of invisible entities that they don’t even know. I agree with Msgr. Bandojo that one should avoid these practices. The use of Ouija board or “spirit of the glass” is connected with such mediumistic practices. Meditation, on the other hand, whether Christian, Buddhist or Hindu or Yoga, is a very different thing altogether. Not only does it prevent any kind of spirit possession but it attempts to be aware of extraneous thoughts that are unwanted so that one comes to a state of complete equanimity while remaining aware (and not in a trance). It needs prior preparations (ethical and psychological), and consists of stages, particularly concentration, meditation and the loss of ego-sense (called Samadhi in yoga). In the concentration stage, meditation makes use of mental activity that trains the mind to focus on a chosen object or sound (see comments on mantra below). “Emptying the mind” is an essential part of all mystical practice, whether Christian, Yogic or other approaches. It means letting go not only of emotions, memories, visualizations, or imagination, but also of all thoughts, gross or subtle. St. Teresa of Avila refers to this as the “prayer of quiet” in her classic work Interior Castle. She wrote: “In the prayer of quiet, . . . the mind ceases to act” (Interior Castle, p. 113). It is preceded by “prayer of recollection” or “prayer of simplicity,” characterized by awareness. Another classic Catholic work, The Cloud of Unknowing, emphasizes the importance of the cessation of all thoughts and imaging. “Dismiss every clever or subtle thought no matter how holy or valuable . . . . Firmly reject all clear ideas however pious or delightful” (Chap. 8 & 9). Even the Old Testament affirms: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali defines Yoga as “the cessation of the modifications of the mind-stuff,” that is, the cessation of all mental activity. It is only in such an undisturbed state that the consciousness can rise up to the spiritual, contemplative state of the mystic, the highest stage of which is the union with God or Reality or the Absolute. Yoga teaches such a pathway, as does Christian mystical practice. 2. Mantras. The use of word-anchors (whether a mantra, a name or counting numbers) is a universal practice that is also found in Christianity. The purpose of the word or number is for the mind to be focused on one thing and not allow it to stray here and there. This is a temporary stage because it is a stage of mental discipline before one goes into pure awareness without thought. In Christianity, the mantra or word used may be “God,” or “Love,” or “Jesus.” For Zen Buddhists, it may be “Mu.” For Yoga it may be “Om” or “Hangsou.” The English Benedictine priest, John Main (1926-1982), recommends the use of the mantra “Maranatha” during meditation and is today one of the more popular meditation practices in Catholicism. The mystical classic “The Cloud of Unknowing” recommends a simple word like “God” or “Love” (Chapter 7). Thus to say that “emptying the mind” will lead to demonic possession is a failure to understand the difference between spiritual meditation and passive mediumship, which are polar opposites. I hope that all of us will understand the universality of mystical or spiritual practices regardless of one’s sectarian background. This brings about tolerance and understanding instead of prejudice against people of other religions or belief systems. Externally, religions seem to differ widely, but on the deeper, mystical level, they are essentially the same. Vicente R. Hao Chin Jr. Former President, Theosophical Society in the Philippines 1 Iba Street, Quezon City Nov. 2, 2014
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 13:31:00 +0000
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