YOGA AND INSTITUTIONAL RELIGION

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Recorded January 4, 2006

3 minutes, 26 seconds



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Yoga is in religion, but religion is not in Yoga. The principles of

Yoga are (in alphabetical order) in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,

Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, and most of the other religions.

However, unlike religions, Yoga itself has no deity, worship

services, rituals, sacred icons, creed, confession, clergy,

institutions, congregation, membership procedure, or system of

temples or churches. The word "Yoga" means "union" referring to the

direct experience of the wholeness of ourselves at all levels. While

the word "Yoga" comes from traditional Sanskrit language, that union

is a universal process. The inner calling for that wholeness has also

been called the "mystic" longing.



The yogis and mystics seek the esoteric end of the polarity of

esoteric-exoteric. However, since the world of religions is dominated

by the exoteric orthodoxy, the mystic and yogi is rarely understood.

One who has been to the top of the spiritual mountain in direct

experience may say, when asked what was discovered, "Yahweh; Ehyeh,"

or "I am that I am." He or she may say, "The father and I are one."

She or he may say, "Sohum" which is Sanskrit for "I am that." He or

she may go as far as to say, "I am God," in the spirit that the wave

and the ocean are one and the same. That direct experience aligns

with the immanent end of the immanent-transcendent polarity, but not

being understood, comes across as a threat to the religionists. As if

that is not enough of a threat, the mystics and yogis seek to trace

their way back to the original material cause, rather than myopically

focus on a projected efficient cause.



Because of their direct experience of the esoteric, immanent, and

material causes--rather than mere belief--the mystics and yogis who

are unwilling to renounce that direct experience and pledge loyalty

to the orthodox religious institutions and their leaders have been

beaten, hung, shot, crucified, beheaded, burned at the stake, and

otherwise murdered. They have been outright banished or coerced to

leave the cities and communities of the fear-filled religionists so

as to live alone in the deserts, forests, or high mountains. Modern

religions, cultures, and even religion classes insist on categorizing

and classifying the mystics and yogis, attempting to force them into

rigid boxes of institutional religious identity.



It remains as true today as always, that the mystics and yogis prefer

to remain invisible, outside of the mainstream view, as they live far

outside the center of the bell curve called "most people." Yet, the

number of people with this level of deep longing for direct

experience rather than mere blind faith is so large that there is an

increasing need for higher visibility of the authentic mystics and

yogis. As long as humanity is here, there will continue to be mystics

and yogis longing for, seeking, and attaining the direct experience

of the highest truth, self, reality, infinity, god, or whatever term

one wants to use for that. The realized yogis and mystics drift here

and there in our world so as to serve those few.



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