Fell into the Ditch of Fake Yoga

To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: Theresa Maddox
Subject: Fell into the Ditch of Fake Yoga
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:15:04 -0700

Baba

"Maneri gahane tumi a'cho, a'cho prabhu sada' jege a'cho..." (4380)

Purport:

Baba, You are always remaining in the depths of my mind-- You never
leave me. You always remain awake. You go on working day and night, beyond
the time. You never stop. Baba, whatever You want to do, You go on doing.

This whole expressed universe is Your eternal game. You are
ever-present: beginningless and endless. You are ever intoxicated in Your
divine flow. You are the Goal of everyone-- everyone wants You. You are
remaining with one and all.

Those who are trying to come close to You by their virtuous deeds and
shravan, manan, nididhyasana, & dhyana, only they are able to come to You.
Only they are able to realise You and have Your grace and proximity. Baba,
You are grace-Personified...

== HAS DADAJI'S BOOK FALLEN INTO THE DITCH OF FAKE YOGA ==

Namaskar,

Note: Nowadays in the general society, the name 'yoga' has come to the
fore-- it has become a 35 Billion Dollar Industry. And in this process,
countless fake yogas have sprouted up.

This below email is related with one, super-slick yoga publication by one
Dada that has been circulating from sector to sector. By reviewing the
graphic nature of its contents we should decide if it is a real yoga book
in the spirit of Ananda Marga, or a fake yoga book that is littered with
the pseudo-culture of 'pseudo yoga'.

EVERYTHING HAS ITS OWN EXPRESSION

Here are a few analogies to get the ball rolling:

By seeing any drunken person wavering down the street and smelling his
distasteful, alcohol-ridden breath, one can easily understand the negative
habit of such a debauched person.

Likewise if surrounded by meat-eaters in the hot summer season, then by
their putrid odor one will quickly recognise what type of nasty things they
eat.

Similarly, in tropical countries where dirty pigs move carelessly about in
the street while rotten, sludge water drops from their filthy bodies onto
the road, then by coming in contact with those disgusting droplets one will
immediately understand the filth of such pigs.

On the positive side, the fragrant aroma of the night jasmine flower
(shephalii) permeates into each and every air molecule and makes the
environment totally drenched it its sweetness.

So-- good or bad-- everything in this universe has its own distinct
expression. Or to say it in slightly less poetic terms: Whatever is inside
oozes outside. And by this process we can understand the nature of that
thing-- be it sweet or foul etc.

By seeing anyone's poetry, art, or writing, we can quickly understand the
internal nature of the person behind that expression.

So when one Dada has jumped into the publication business with his spiffy,
shining yoga book, then we can all get a peek into Dadaji's inner self as
well as check to see if his book is yoga-- or fake yoga.

THE SPIRIT OF ANANDA MARGA YOGA

Our Supreme Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji has advented and blessed this
world with the divine teachings of Tantra Yoga: The highest and purest form
of yoga that brings the practitioner up to the divine stance-- onto Baba's
lap.

So AM yoga is pristine and pure and stands as the perfect expression of yoga.

THE CRUDE NATURE OF FAKE YOGA

In stark contrast, fake yoga abounds everywhere nowadays. We have all seen
it-- in the ads, on the streets, in the studios, and on the scene. In this
fake yoga, the most striking quality is how it is sold using the glamorous
display of the exposed female body. Fake yoga experts have used sensual
allurement as the main appeal to attract the public into their fake yoga
studio & sell fake yoga apparel etc.

Of course there is more to say about fake yoga, but surely all will agree
that the sensual female body is one of the main selling points these days
for fake yoga.

So we should decide whether Dadaji's book follows the straight, sentient
path of AM yoga or if he jumps into the sensual mud puddle of fake yoga.

FAKE YOGA IN ACTION:

THE RECENTLY RELEASED PUBLICATION

"Cure Yourself with Yoga" by Ac Hiranmayananda Avt

Dadaji's book has been on sale around the globe as well as here in NY
sector for a year now. And directly below are some of the things which
margii sisters from NY sector found in Dadaji's "yoga" book.

On the cover of his glossy book, Dadaji boldly proclaims that this is "A
complete guide to the modern science of an ancient art" and that there are
"200 colour pictures" inside. So we were all quite excited hoping that
Dadaji would undo the negative sensual female stereo-type that got infused
by fake yoga.

However, to our heart's dismay what we found was something totally
different. Please excuse me but the following paragraph is graphically
worded due to the extreme nature of the photos in Dada's book.

Tragically, when one opens Dada Hiranmayanandji's "yoga" book we see each
and every photograph in the book is of one half-naked, alluring female
wearing skin-tight lycra over her bosoms with it tightly stretched across
her private part such that everything gets totally exposed.

Again please excuse me, but from page 52 to page 101 this half-naked female
is bending in every possible way and by this crude exposé, instead of
displaying any sentient aspect of yoga, all that gets revealed are the
swivel and grooves of this female's body.

That is why many margii sisters in NY & Berlin sectors-- and elsewhere--
have taken strong objection to this Dada's "yoga" book. And the crude,
sensual nature of the pictures in Dadaji's book is enough to demand that it
be taken 'off the shelf'-- not available for sale. Even then here is more
about Dadaji's book, because even worse is that he has done all this in the
name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Because Baba's name is printed
throughout the book-- often side by side those crude photos of the young
female. This is probably the worst aspect of the book.

So not only is this half-naked female depicted in a seeming unending array
of pages in so many revealing positions, but to sell the book Dadaji also
photographed her figure on the very first page of the book-- one page
directly before the Dedication to Guru. By this procedure, one gets the
sense that the author gives higher praise and stature to the alluring
qualities of this female's crude form than to the purity and sanctity of
Guru.

Plus by putting Baba's name throughout this fake yoga book, the avadhuta
author makes it look like Baba Himself appreciates the crude style and
presentation in this book. Because certainly the common public is naturally
going to assume this about Baba when they see this publication. Because
after all there are many crude gurus who advocate open and rampant sex,
then the common public will think that our Guru is an advocate of these
crude photos. This is the nasty conclusion the public will come to due to
the off-colour presentation of Dadaji's so-called yoga book. And this is
the real tragedy surrounding this crude yoga book.

SANCTITY OF BABA'S TEACHINGS

Of course each and every Ananda Margii knows well that Baba Himself is the
Dharma Guru Incarnate and that He is also the champion of human rights. And
Baba harshly condemns such negative literature. Because Baba always guides
us to uphold the dignity of women and He never supports the negative works
of such crude writers.

Baba says, "We must pay due honour to women as mothers and help them to
live long lives." (SC-20)

Baba says, "It is a matter of great regret that a class of modern artists,
in the realms of poetry, novels, cinema, drama, etc., employ all their
artistic talents for the sole purpose of kindling people's crude
sensuality, instead of portraying human propensities with the idealistic
outlook of a true artist - what to speak of portraying their subtle human
feelings. Without giving indulgence to conservatism, I would say that this
class of artists is truly a blot on society." (PNS-10)

So Baba's teachings-- as always-- are 100% sentient and He wants that we
follow this way. But in this regard, Dadaji fell from the path, or what
else can we say.

BABA'S STAUNCH AND STERLING EXAMPLE:

STAND UP AGAINST FEMALE EXPLOITATION

THE PROUT RALLY IN PATNA

Plus there is the well-known Baba story from Patna. When Baba was living
there then He gave the program to take strong opposition against the
capitalist agencies at work that were publicly degrading the standard of
women. And Baba directed that margii sisters themselves should tear down
all the negative advertisements using females as sexual objects. So step by
step Proutist margii sisters and revolutionary minded students went around
and tore down and splashed black paint over all those crude advertisements.
And when the report was given to Baba about the grand success of this
revolutionary program to save the dignity of women, then Baba became
extremely happy and He smiled broadly. This is the well known incident that
many senior margiis are aware about.

TOSS THE FAKE YOGA BOOK INTO THE OCEAN

That is why margiis of NY sector and abroad feel certain the best thing to
do is to send Dadaji back to the drawing board and throw his degrading fake
yoga book into the dark, depths of the ocean. And if it is decided that
Dada Hiranmayanandji is not of the proper calibre to write such a sentient
yoga book then someone else should come and take on the task.

FOLLOWING IN THE TREND OF THE CRUDE SOCIETY

All told it is sad that Dadaji got caught up in the degrading trend of yoga
from the general society. The only other reason for this mess-up is if
Dadaji himself has fallen from his sadhana practice. Then of course the
mind gets degraded and one is likely to do anything. But in all likelihood
Dadaji simply got swept up into the wave of crude yoga-- in which case with
a little guidance from other Dadas & Didis he can probably do better.

SOLUTIONS FOR NEXT TIME

Certainly we in Ananda Marga should compete and do our yoga pracar in all
sorts of creative and inventive ways. And writing books geared toward the
general public is good. But this should never come at the expense of
sacrificing our dharmic values. So in delicate spots such as when
presenting asanas etc, if we feel a practitioner is needed to demonstrate
the poses, then best is if we select a properly-covered male wearing loose-
fitting clothing.

The reason being that male bodies are easier to conceal and can be more
easily presented in a neutral manner than females bodies. And in this
depraved, sex-crazed society of kali yuga where females are looked upon as
nothing more than toys of lustful enjoyment, we should be extra careful
about this point.

Or under certain conditions, one option is to present a female in a
loosely-fitting punjabji doing more discreet type of poses where she is not
bending forward or having her legs spread wide open etc. Certainly there
are a varied array of asanas that can be sentiently presented by a female--
if we feel that is needed, such as in a yoga book for women etc.

Another possibility of course is to use sketches or computer generated
images etc.

So we can experiment and see what works best. But surely we should publish
a vast array of sentient yoga books for the public welfare and education
and to attract new sadhakas into AM.

Of course the entire public is not sexually depraved; so probably some
common citizens are on the look-out for a nicely displayed yoga book.

GOOD BOOKS PURIFY THE MIND

Fake yoga books, like the one which Dadaji made, contravenes Baba's below
guideline. That is why Dadaji's book will just invite lustful thoughts and
negative microvita.

Baba says, "Good company, good books, good literature, good songs, kiirtanas
(devotional chanting) elevate the mind and the mind becomes sanctified.
That is why negative microvita do not get much scope to touch the mutative
and sentient portions of the structure." (Microvita in Nutshell pg. 79-80)

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace He has given the secret to lead the Renaissance and bring
joy and dignity to all sectors of society.

Baba says, "Each and every member of the human society should enjoy equal
rights as members of the same family, but there is disparity and it is the
duty of the Renaissance movement to dispel the disparity and bring about
equality, equilibrium, and equipoise amongst human beings." (PNS-9, p.43)

Namaskar,
Tarini

Note 1: CRUDE DEPICTION: HER SILKEN UNDERARMS

Please excuse me but in Dadaji's fake yoga book, it is clear that he
practiced and researched carefully how to ensure that the female's whole
body got shown in full view-- from her chest to her toes including her
underarms. Because, for example, her skin-tight outfit was cut off right
before the shoulder so that section of her body including her shoulder is
totally exposed-- just bare skin.

And to follow crude public fashion, the female model in the book has
completely shaved all the hair from her underarms. Because this is the
sensual way for females to display themselves to the crude-minded public.
So the avadhuta author did this same sensual display in his book; and he
forced the female model to completely shave her underarms etc. Or he chose
a female model who is already looking like that. But such an approach is
not at all sentient and against AM teachings:

Baba says, "Never cut the hair of the joints of the body." (Point #3 of 16
Points)

So by seeing the crude pictures in the book the common mass will get
totally misled. Males will get negatively attracted and women will think
that they should also shave their underarms to become the sex toys of males
etc. Or they will think that yoga is just one sexual type of activity. So
this misguiding example of a delicate part of a female's body to be rudely
depicted is completely wrong-- harmful.

But to allure the common public Dadaji forced his female model to go
against Baba's above guideline so he made her show herself in an erotic
way. And thus increased the sale of his fake yoga book to the depraved public.

Of course in no case should females' underarms be openly exposed in a
sensual manner in any book-- whether the female has underarm hair or not.
For medical texts that part of the body can surely be captured in a neutral
way. But any popular book that does it just as a crude display is nothing
but junk literature or a trashy publication. Unfortunately Dadaji's book
falls in this later category.

These two below letters that were posted to this network indepthly
outline the importance of not cutting or shaving joint hair:

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/12/improving-sadhana-v.html

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-improve-sadhana-vi.html

Note 2: MEN'S DUTY

Here Baba calls upon men to come forward and uphold the dignity of women.
Baba says, "Men...should always endeavor to save the prestige of women. As
the mothers of men, women can claim this much as a right." (CC, '95, pt 1,
p.49)

Baba says, "Candidly when there is no question of women's rights having
been snatched away, it hardly calls for an agitation reminiscent of the
trade union movement. Whatever responsibility there be on this account, it
is entirely men's own. If any agitation is called for at all, the
initiative must come from the men themselves. Today, having realised the
necessity of women, it is now the responsibility of men to gradually
restore rights to women, which one day women surrendered to men in a weak
moment of helplessness or in response to their heart felt sentiments."
(HS-I, '87 ed., p.30)

Unfortunately Dadaji could not rise to this stand, rather he fell into the
dark, depraved chasm of fake yoga with all its sensual allurements and
negative depictions of the female body.


Note 3: NOT A SIMPLE MISTAKE BUT A TERRIBLE CRIME

Here Baba proclaims that going against the dignity of women is one of the
most serious crimes according to AM teachings.

Baba says, "Activities harmful to the Marga, cheating, theft, and the
persecution of women are the greatest crimes." (CC-2, 'Society' chapter,
pt. #29a)

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Baba's Mudra Photo is a Unique Gift...

Baba says, "The Sadguru is saying something, and the deaf or dumb man wants
to hear it but cannot. If one concentrates the mind on Vara'bhaya Mudra',
there will be the direct effect of positive microvita on the auricular or
other nerve cells and also on the controlling cells, and it may be that all
of a sudden he may get back the power of hearing. One should look towards
this mudra' and not to anything else. Microvita are radiated through this
mudra'. This is the inner secret." (MVNS, p.65)

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