When people from modern, often western cultural backgrounds travel to India to seek enlightenment, however understood by them, they generally do so within a very broad array of possible movements and traditions with little apparent understanding of these, how they evolved and what a long term commitment to any one of them might mean.
What is currently on offer for the Spiritual Seeker broadly conforms to:
1. General yoga schools teaching one of the several forms of physical (hatha) yoga, which commonly include fundaments of meditation and some form of philosophical background and orientation within this. Ashtanga or so-called ‘Royal’ yoga is the best known of these, a classical yoga tradition combining a number of methodologies to balance body and mind with the ultimate goal of Self Realisation. However, newer approaches regularly emerge, tailored to meet the perceived needs of the eclectic body of seekers from modern societies worldwide and which might not be so demanding as the traditional and classical schools can be experienced. Individual yoga practitioners who have evolved their practice to become teachers may also develop different approaches and ‘market’ them through private websites.
2. More specialised yoga schools or ashrams, wherein specific yogic traditions are taught under the overall aegis of a guide or teacher (guru). These are commonly based upon authentic ancient classical texts such as the Advaita Vedanta, the Bhagavata Purana, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the later teachings of charismatic leaders such as Transcendental Meditation by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and so on. There are many of these sorts of traditions which follow this school or that school, and they are proliferating by the year. India has a very rich guru culture and it can be problematic selecting an authentic spiritually enlightened guide from the many charlatans cashing in on the lucrative spiritual industries. Allied to 2, there are more particular religiously focused movements such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKC), founded in 1966 and broadly contemporary with Transcendental Meditation movement of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which aim to attract long term devotees according to the particular tenets of the movement and its canon, in the case of the ISKC, the ancient classical text the Bhagavad Gita. There is understandably a considerable cross over between 1 and 2.
3. Extending from 2, an eclectic range of New Age movements and spiritual entrepreneurs, sometimes imaginatively combining elements from several different traditions. I will avoid giving direct examples here, many of which may be found in YouTube advertisements anyway, but these might include a strong alternative cultural tradition or component, a common one being South American Shamanism and the use of psychotropics such as Ayahuasca or San Pedro to mediate mystical, so-called enlightened states of awareness. Added to this may be additional ingredients such as some Hatha yoga practice, meditation, crystal healing, Ayurveda and so on, to produce a recipe tailored to play directly to the hopes and imagination of the spiritual seeker from the secular modern world, alienated by the materialism of their own cultures and uninspired by existing traditional forms of religion. There is also a fast growing movement which imaginatively combines the use of Hindu murtis (statues of deities) with the concept of Jungian archetypes. The possibilities for do it yourself spiritualities seem endless.
The scope is already broad and getting broader by the year, so it is extremely difficult to offer a thorough critique and counsel accordingly. Be aware what you are signing up for, do serious research first and always know exactly what it is you are wanting and why. In particular be wary of seductive claims that promote fast track methodologies for the ‘expanding of consciousness’. For many people just to be sufficiently conscious in their everyday lives is already challenging, and it stands to reason that you should be fully grounded and comfortable with your normative life experience of consciousness before seeking to expand it into alternative dimensions. You must be able to stand up on your feet without risk of falling over before you can even walk, let alone run!
There is no easy ‘off-the-peg’ methodology for the gaining of these fundamental truths and wisdoms. The price of enlightenment is demanding, requiring serious commitment and work. You do not have to pay money for it, or even necessarily have a formal guru, but you must have commitment, sound common sense and the ability to prioritise accordingly.
General advice
- Know what it is you want. Try to conduct some basic research into what different Eastern Yogic traditions are about and what they might require.
- Remember that any classical system employing Zen approaches, or the more formal Yoga movements as found in India, have evolved across centuries and within very different historical and cultural contexts. Some of the concepts employed and attendant vocabulary can seem alienating to someone from a modern western cultural background. Do you have the discipline and commitment to stick with such a course when the initial novelty wears off?
- Is it short term, or longer term?
- How much is being asked and what is included in these charges?
- Are you required/prepared to sublimate to the movement’s leader?
Take full responsibility for yourself and give yourself the benefit of time and thought before signing up to anything. If it is a course or a movement primarily disseminated via the web, be particularly careful. Modern websites can be very slick and very beguiling. You cannot see in real life what it is you are getting yourself into. But cults can be marketed both actually as well as virtually. Bear all this in mind. On line reviews can be helpful, so this should be part of your initial research.
The watch word is this. In the pursuit of this spiritual journey through the material world with all its temptations, troubles and delusions, you need a sound reason and sound critical faculties to guide you, together with a trusted guide such as those I used: the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Jesus. However, you do not need to be ether a Krishna devotee or a Christian, as both contain non denominational and eternal truths which will never fail you.
