Thoughts on Yoga and Christianity
The more that we (Fr. Anthony and I) do this work, the deeper I am drawn to study the message of Jesus the teacher. From Yoga Sutras to A Course in Miracles, to Osho and the Bible, my spiritual discoveries seem never ending. One thing is for sure, regardless of what faith you were raised in, the message that Jesus taught was beyond what could be fully digested at that time in history. Truth be told, if Jesus were alive today it's sad and likely that he would meet a similar fate. But the good news is that more people than ever seem to be awakening to hear and listen to "the message" regardless of the teacher who is speaking it. And Jesus was way ahead of his time, but perhaps the time is coming now that we should really give some attention to what the Good Book and the Good Teacher said.
Yoga is a wonderful method for gaining self-awareness and finding the portal that leads to inner knowing, greater health, physical and mental aptitude and a life fulfilled. But it may be only the beginning if one does not take that introduction to a state of being - defined by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as "the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind" - and parlay it into deeper, greater and more meaningful states of self-acceptance. This self-acceptance is not for the benefit of the ego, but rather it is for the desperate need of mankind to find our way to the truth of love.
My greatest joy in this process with the Beatitudes, Christ & Yoga has been the discovery that Jesus Christ was not and is not about the details in the dogma. His message is one of love. The essence that is God is the state /the condition of love and the world needs all and any tools that can improve our ability to understand that, but even more so, to embody it. If there is any uncertainty about this, one need only pick up a newspaper or turn on the television. It is not too late to shift your perspective and it only takes a minute.
I'm reminded of the story of the mass meditation project that took place in Washington, DC. Twenty-five thousand meditators got together to meditate one day with the help of the dubious police department to show the power of meditation. During the hours that that meditation was taking place, the crime rate dropped some extraordinary percentage - something like 96%. If this experiment does not show the power of prayer, the power of community and the power of intention, I don't know what does.
So in addition to all the other means that help to deepen the spiritual journey toward truth and divine self, Jesus' message is right at the top of my reading list.
May you all discover the meaning of the Beatitudes in your everyday life. You won't regret it.
Peace.