Does anyone know how/if it is possible to integrate Siddha Yoga with Christianity without losing God's grace?

Question

Although not a religion per say, Siddha yoga believes that God is everywhere, in everything and in all of us. He pervades the universe and lies in our subconcious mind waiting to be discovered through deed meditation by calming and focusing the mind. They believe that there were/are Gurus who exist (Jesus being one of them) that can unlock the kundalini (hidden energy) that lies dormant at ones lower back, essentially awakening God in all of us. I have been a Catholic the first half of my life. I am now 29, have a new son I am going to baptize and just want to see if anyone knows of any conflicting issues that could arise by embracing both entities. Again, I still only believe in one God. I just feel like Christianity may shun upon use of meditation (which is much like prayer) to get closer to God. Anyone have any advise? Thank you and God Bless!

Answer 1

Here are two books you might want to read about meditation and Christianity. They are written by Reverands, Nuns and Swamis. These are more learned people than the Answers Community and can give you a better insight into meditation and it's links to Christianity.

Meditation in Christianity
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Author: Swami Rama, Rev. Lawrence Bouldin, Jusint O'Brien, D.Th/Father William Teska Arpita, Ph.D., Sister Francis Borgia Rothluebber, Pandit Usharbudh Arya, D.Litt.

Seven insightful perspectives on meditation in Christianity are offered in this collection of essays written by both Easterners and Westerners. Several of the essays focus on clearly establishing the similarity of Christian meditation to Eastern traditions.
The remaining essays reveal valuable perspectives and little-known information on major issues in Christian meditation, such as Christ’s teachings on it, the influence of Hesychasm, the role of meditation in Christian monasticism, and the concept of prayer in Christian meditation.

Two of the authors have practiced meditation from the days of their early childhood; the others have a more recent introduction to its practice but have early Christian roots upon which to base their views.

The blending of the two groups forms a complete and unique picture of Christian meditation. Those who wish to practice meditation and maintain an active Christian affiliation will find here ample reassurance that the two traditions are compatible and complementary.

Christian Meditation
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Finley, a spiritual counselor who studied with Thomas Merton, presents a clear introduction to meditating as a Christian. He situates meditation—by which he principally means "a form of prayerful reflection, using thoughts and images"—in a historic tradition of Christian spiritual practice. The book's first seven chapters examine some major themes of Christian meditation, e.g. "entering the mind of Christ" and "hearing the Lord's voice." Finley is to be commended especially for the way he interweaves theology and practice, as in his examination of the role of the body in Christian meditation. Through meditation, we learn to inhabit our bodies better, he observes, and gain insight into the true meaning of the Incarnation—the Word becoming flesh. Another section that deserves special mention is the treatment of "Trinitarian mysticism." Many Christian titles aimed at a broad market skip over the complicated doctrine of the Trinity, but Finley suggests that meditating on the triune nature of the Christian God is crucial. These heady discussions are rounded out by concluding chapters—a revision of portions of Finley's 2000 title The Contemplative Heart—that are full of practical instruction. The evangelical market may find this title a bit too New Agey, but many other Christian readers will delight in it.

Personally, I think it's OK for a Christian to meditate as long as your consciousness is being directed toward Christ. See Christ in your mind's eye as you begin the meditation and know that he is guiding you through it. Know that his presence will always be with you as you practise yoga.

If your instructor asks you to chant, you may refuse to do so, if you don't understand what he/she is saying.

Answer 2

First, you need to make sure that you have turned your life over to Jesus by way of accepting Him as your savior, who died on the cross for your sins, and repent of those sin to Jesus, and not to a priest. You need to confess your sins to mortal man, but only to Jesus. You cannot get baptized unless you have been saved and born again first. Other wise you are just getting wet and not baptized. I once was a catholic, and now I am a born again Christian.

Also you must know that Jesus is the son of God and not a guru. You can meditate in prayer with the Lord and not wonder off into a man made practice, that can decieve you away from God and His son Jesus. Study the KJV bible daily and you will not be led astray. Just remember this, that something like "siddha yoga, can be viewed by God as another god that you are serving.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

Judges 10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

God bless you.

Answer 3

You know, I just want to compliment you on your very insightful question. What a breath of fresh air!

I grew up in a VERY strict religious household. Listening to secular music, going to movies, wearing (clear, mine you) nail polish, short sleeves, drinking, smoking, etc. were all seen as tickets on a fast train to everlasting hell. We were also taught to view God as just waiting for us to mess up (sin) so He could zap us.

Though my childhood upbringing didn't exactly give me the best foundation to God, as an adult, I've managed to forge a deep and abiding relationship with God. What I've learned is that God's love and grace cuts us alot more slack than I believe many people both understand and maybe even accept.

Although the only part of Siddha yoga I take issue with is the Jesus being a guru part (in that I believe Jesus to be not just another guru, but the son of God), I think Siddha yoga sounds pretty awesome. I believe there are many, many paths to God - and that God, through His love and grace, is more than willing not only to meet us on the path(s) we choose, but to walk with us there. Scientific studies show that we only use 10% of the capacity of our minds. Siddha yoga certainly sounds like a very productive way to explore the 90% of our minds we DON'T use, especially if it results in a deeper and richer relationship with not only God, but within ourselves.

Sounds wonderful to me. Congrats on your new baby! Children are SUCH a blessing! Thanks for the info about Siddha yoga. God's richest blessings to you...

Answer 4

Do what ever you want to. Religion has nothing to do with God.
Live you life the way you think is right for you.
I do not think that you are doing something wrong with regards to the Yoga.
But you cannot mix the two. Forget all about religion and see how well things will work out for you.

Answer 5

This is just one of many, many logical fallacies in the Bible and in religious dogma. If God can do literally anything, for any reason he wants, then why was Jesus necessary? People always say, "Because somebody had to pay!" But that implies that God is not, in fact, all-powerful, and is subject to the outside rules of a more powerful force. Because if God could do ANYTHING, he could automatically forgive all sins because he wants to. Or, as you pointed out, he could make us all inherently non-sinful, too. It either implies that God is not all-powerful, or it implies that God is sadistic and enjoys making himself/his son suffer for no good reason at all. If, as Jennifer A suggests, God gave us all "free will" so that we could chose to love him, then that still presents the image of a disgusting and ethically twisted God. He created us all so we could fawn on him? What?! So what God really loves is himself, and himself alone. That certainly explains all the innocent little children with terminal cancer and the murders and the wars. What does it matter who lives or dies, when all God gives a rip about is himself? After all, he apparently created us all so that we could voluntarily fawn all over him, because giving us free will because he loves us and wants us to truly experience and enjoy our lives no matter what we define as "enjoyment" isn't enough for him. Clearly he is a selfish and controlling "parent." I am reminded again of the comparisons between God and an abusive partner. Still, though, even if God gave us "free will" so we could choose to love him on our own, what was the Jesus thing all about? Either God is capable of forgiving sin on an individual, case-by-case basis, or God is not capable of that. Either he NEEDED a "stand-in" to atone for all sins because he is not powerful enough on his own to do his own will, or he had some kind of appreciation for suffering and torture. Oh my god, maybe God is Mel Gibson! Either way, this is not a deity worthy of worship. It's a sick, twisted mind; or an egotistical, self-loving mind; or a weak mind. Not worth my time, thanks, even if there was any evidence for its existence, and there is none. As I said, this is just one example (but probably the most glaring and easy to refute) of how the Bible contradicts itself in the most obvious ways. It might as well come with a little arm that pops out when you open the cover, and the little arm hits you over the head repeatedly with a frying pan while it screams at you, "NONE OF THIS IS REAL! THIS IS ALL MADE UP BY DUDES WHO LIVED A FEW THOUSAND YEARS AGO, AND TRANSLATED DOZENS OF TIMES SO WHO THE HELL EVEN KNOWS WHAT IT USED TO SAY! JUST GO PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES OR MEDITATE OR HUG YOUR NEIGHBOR OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF READING THIS!" I bet *that* really *would* be the best-selling book of all time. I know I'd buy it often, as a gag gift. "Then what would have been the purpose of Jesus dying for our sins then?" LOL. I hope the guy who wrote this was being tongue-in-cheek. Otherwise, I want to cry with how people in the Western world have been brainwashed to just accept any obvious lie that religion feeds them. People in other areas of the world, you're not exempt from this. You just don't believe in Jesus, so I can't finger you in this statement. You're still just as guilty of believing a bunch of contradictory, irrational crap.

Answer 6

It has been before and is being done at this very moment!

Both teach integration of all things in the Universe!

Answer 7

I've studied, practiced and taught yoga for years, but after the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the truth about yoga and the Lord Jesus Christ, I became a Christian. Ever since then I've been filled with the true love, joy and peace of God and realize what it means to be intimately and blissfully united to God.

Many pagan mystics have believed and taught that Jesus practiced yoga and achieved enlightenment. When comparing Jesus to yogis, one must ask certain questions, like the following:

Which human being besides Jesus claimed to be the Bread of Life?
Can evil spirits be cast out in the name of Yogananda, Mahasaya or Babaji?
Which other person was born of a virgin by the power of God and the Holy Spirit?
Can any Indian guru baptize others with the Holy Spirit and with fire? By the way, how do you explain the Fire Baptism? I've received this.
Do angels worship any of the alleged god-men of India? Angels worship Jesus (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:13).
Do any of these men hold the title "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"?
Does any human have the ability to employ angels? Jesus has this ability (Matthew 26:53).
Why did Jesus tell His disciples to baptize believers in the name of the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit?
Was there any other man who could have offered their blood to atone for the sins of mankind so we could by faith have unity to God?

Yogis and many users of entheogens mistake altered states of consciousness for Godly experiences. They erroneously attribute to these states such terms as God-Realization, Self-Realization, Enlightenment, Illumination, Unitive Knowledge of the Divine, Reentering the Kingdom and Reintegration.

DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogen found naturally in the mammalian brain. DMT can also be extracted from certain plants. Deep and prolonged practice of yoga causes the brain to release DMT and this induces altered states of consciousness, hallucinations and feelings of bliss. Yogis who spend long years in yogic practices achieve the same altered states and feelings as individuals who consume or inject themselves with DMT derived from external sources.

Some individuals take DMT and other entheogens with the intention of communing with God. Persons who take DMT and those who practice yoga to release DMT from their brain claim to experience bliss, cosmic consciousness and feelings of being one with the universe. Drugs are harmful to the body, soul and spirit and therefore inhibit the user’s union with God who does not approve of taking intoxicating substances. Cosmic consciousness is therefore not a Divinely inspired experience. Taking extracted DMT or releasing DMT through yoga can result in insanity. In addition to this, the state of mind it puts one in is a state which facilitates demonic possession. Kundalini syndrome (many persons who practice yoga have this) is the result of demonic possession. The Hindu deities (which are fallen angels or demons) taught yoga to humans so they could be united to humans, and the powers one receives from yoga (siddhis) are the powers of those entities.

The human being has a physical body, soul and spirit. The spirit of a human being isn’t God but needs God. It is where one receives God when they accept Christ as their Saviour. Where the “S” in spirit is capitalized in the Bible, it refers to the Holy Spirit who is the third person of the triune Godhead. After one accepts Christ, the Holy Spirit (not their spirit) brings life to them (Romans 8:10). In Zechariah 12:1, we see that God formed the spirit of humans within them. As soon as one accepts Christ as their Saviour, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within their spirit making them a true child of God (Romans 8:15-16).

The Holy Spirit enables us to have a spiritual understanding of the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:11).

Without God, man’s spirit is unilluminated. This illumination happens at the time one’s spirit is united to the Holy Spirit (which happens only after one has accepted Christ as their Saviour). The Light went out of the spirit after the fall of man. Man had lost communion with God. Christ, the second person of the Triune Godhead made the sacrifice for our sins so the Light could be lit in the spirits of all. There is no redemption or unity to God apart from receiving Christ as one’s Saviour and Lord. The infilling of the Holy Spirit was possible only after Christ’s sacrifice. Before the death of Christ, the Holy Spirit only fell on persons who worshiped and served the true God (Judges 15:14; Ezekiel 11:5). Hebrews 9:6-8 (KJV) tells us that unity to God “the way into the Holiest of all” was also possible only after Christ’s sacrifice which brought an end to the Old Covenant. Christ made the sacrifice for our sins as the spotless lamb (1 Peter 1:9) and took the place of the Jewish high priest and became our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20). The Book of Hebrews explains how the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant.

Three days after Lord Jesus died for our sins, He resurrected from the dead (Luke 24:1-8; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4) and 40 days later, He ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:3; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11). Jesus Christ is Lord over all and His name is above every name (Philippians 2:9-11).

The blood of Christ was shed so our sins could be paid for and we could have direct unity to God. The Holy Spirit leads us to remain focused on God so we can grow spiritually. God the Father lives within believers (John 14:23), God the Holy Spirit lives within believers (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and God the Son also lives within believers (2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 2:20). Because Christ lives in us, we are a new being, having our old self with its evil practices stripped off, and we are being renewed and remoulded after the image of God, in order to bring us to a full knowledge of Himself (Colossians 3:9-10). Because He lives in us, we have His peace (John 16:33), we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we have His strength to do all things (Philippians 4:13) and we are a chosen race, the King’s priests, the holy nation and God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God (Peter 2:9). As Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ is always interceding for us (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25), He is preparing a place for us in heaven (John 14:1–3) and He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

Salvation, redemption, reception of the Holy Spirit and adoption as God’s own children happen the instant a human being has faith in Christ as their Saviour and Lord and not at some future time in the believer’s life.

People who have not accepted Christ can become better individuals, but only to a certain extent. The Holy Spirit calls out to everyone but only those who have let the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Triune Godhead) into them by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are the ones who are transformed and experience abundant and constant spiritual growth.

Iniquities (tendencies that cause one to sin) pass down the generation line (Numbers 14:18). After one accepts Lord Jesus as their Saviour, God forgives their sins as they truly repent and removes their iniquities (evil tendencies) in the transformation process which makes one more and more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:12-14). After genuinely accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, ALL sinners (alcoholics, liars, drug addicts, fornicators etc.) will be saved and transformed. Each believer is cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and receives the infilling of the Holy Spirit who renews them.

Reincarnation is a false teaching (Hebrews 9:27). The Lord Jesus said that the human being’s afterlife state whether torment or paradise, will be eternal (Matthew 25:46). In the original text, the Greek word for eternal, “aiōnion” is used. He didn’t say that we would be born again and again until we got it right and received liberation. He would not have made that huge sacrifice for us if we could have had unity to God another way, and if there was another way, He would have taught that. The Lord said he could have employed legions of angels to prevent His crucifixion (Matthew 26:53), but because of His great and perfect love for humanity, He chose to endure a very painful death so we could be redeemed and united to God.

The Kingdom of God is within the believer (Luke 17:21) and the Kingdom of God is also the Eternal Order that will manifest upon the earth at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 21-22). Christ is returning not as “Christ consciousness for all” but as a Mighty Warrior, who will annihilate the Antichrist and his armies, set up His Millennial Kingdom and rule with the Father and Holy Spirit in the Eternal Order forever.

Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible by Dr. Hugh Ross http://www.believers.org/hughross.htm

REDEMPTION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Because mankind is incapable of meeting God’s standard of perfection necessary to abide in God’s presence (Romans 3:19-20,23), God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the total debt for the believer’s sins and mercifully credits to his account Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-28,5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Jesus’ gracious act of atonement was complete and covers all sin (Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 1:9). Salvation is not based on good deeds but according to the mercy of God (Titus 3:4-5). Believers are justified by faith; it is a gift by God’s grace (Romans 4:3-8; Ephesians 2:8-9). A true, living faith will result in a desire to live a holy, loving life of good works (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26), but failure to be absolutely successful at righteous living does not negate the believer’s justified status.

https://victoryinjesuschrist.wordpress.com/