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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 19
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Dharmatyaga (Apostasy) QUESTION: How does Yoga view faith-related matters
such as apostasy, conversion, atheism, etc.? ANSWER: To conduct a meaningful discussion of what
constitutes Apostasy, we need to establish the meaning of the word
"faith". Faith is often regarded as a set of beliefs and
practices that are freely interchangable with other such sets. In other
words, something people can pick and choose, or abandon, as they please. Apostasy
or Dharmatyaga is the renunciation of one's own faith. For this reason
it is also known as Sva-Dharmatyaga. However, it is important to understand that, although the word
Dharma may mean "faith" or "religion" in general,
its primary meaning in Yoga is Original, Eternal Divine Law whereby
the Universe is governed and which all intelligent beings have a duty to
obey. DHARMA, therefore, is not just any faith but the RIGHT or
TRUE FAITH that cannot be abandoned or exchanged for another under any
circumstances as it is the very foundation of righteous and dutiful life. To
abandon or exchange it for anything else would amount to falling from the
Right Path. The Holy Scriptures of India clearly state that "he who
treats with contempt the two Sacred Sources, Revelation and Tradition, must
be cast out by the virtuous, as an atheist and a scorner of Sacred Scripture.
(Manu Smriti II, 11)." We shall presently show what is meant by Revelation
(Shruti) and Tradition (Smriti). Dharma - the True Faith It is an established fact that Dharma was the Original
Faith of all Mankind. It was the Eternal, Ever Existing Law of the
Universe according to which all creatures lived their life in unity and
harmony with their Creator. This is why all religions speak of a Glorious
Past, a Golden Age or To understand the great antiquity of this Original World Faith
we only need to look at the archaeological evidence. For example, images of
Deities represented as half-lion and half-human have been found in From the perspective of Western faiths that have a very narrow
and rigid conception of the Divine, such representations of the Deity may be
misinterpreted as "idol-worship" or "worship of false
Gods". In reality, however, Lord Narasingha is nothing but the
Embodiment of Divine Powers such as Strength, Courage and Justice, which, if
we think about it, should be honoured by all people on Earth. This is why,
the Shiva Mahapurana lists Narasingha
as one of the Holy Names of God (Shiva). Even in human terms, Narasingha
makes sense in that it is descriptive of an eminent or excellent man, a hero
or “Lion among men” who, though human, is possessed of superhuman qualities. The Original Faith was an integral, multifunctional belief
system in which various gradations of the Divine were honoured according to
each worshipper's capacity and needs. The fact is that God's Majesty and
Glory is Infinite and therefore incapable of being grasped in its entirety by
the human mind. The obsessive worship of one Aspect of God to the exclusion
of all others is a Western aberration that results in imbalance and insanity. Indeed, in the Original Tradition (Adidharma) the
worship of various aspects of the Divine was permitted precisely because it
fulfils certain psychological and Spiritual needs specific to each person.
These needs, when left unrecognised, unattended or even repressed, can lead
to serious mental and Spiritual disfunction. It is not mere coincidence that many Westerners feel the need
of regular visits to psychiatrists, psychotherapists, "life
coaches", etc.: having systematically eliminated genuine Spiritual
guidance from their lives, they can no longer function as proper human beings,
let alone “men-lions”. Hence the need for all kinds of artificial props,
including drugs. Westerners consume vast amounts of drugs, both legal and
illegal. They take drugs to calm them down, drugs to pick them up, drugs to
enhance their sexual performance. Their whole life revolves round some kind
of artificial prop or other. By contrast, in Eastern countries like India, which have
remained largely uninfluenced by anti-Spiritual trends such as Capitalism,
Communism, Christianity and Islam, people perform time-honoured rituals that
help them connect with Higher Beings, practise Yoga and Meditation or, when
necessary, seek the help of Spiritual Gurus who can offer genuine guidance. The fact is that Western Religions often leave their
followers in a state of confusion, bitterness and dissatisfaction which
either (1) drives them away from religion altogether (as in certain forms of
Christianity) or (2) encourages them to attack other faiths in order to cover
up the insufficiencies and defects of their own (as in radical Islam). The
consequences of this deplorable situation are well known and need not detain
us here. In contrast, Eastern Faiths promote a sense of satisfaction and
fulfilment in their followers which is reflected in their enduring tolerance
and openmindedness (as in Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.). Therefore, the message and warning Yoga brings to the
World is that, although the ORIGINAL FAITH has long been abandoned by large
portions of Mankind, especially in the West, it has remained in man's
subconscious where it is waiting to be rediscovered and allowed once again to
fulfil its rightful function without which man cannot realise his higher
destiny. Indeed, without the timeless wisdom of the Original Faith, Humanity
cannot find Peace, Stability and Happiness, full stop. The Original Faith The above-mentioned piece of archaeological evidence proves
that The Holy Scriptures of India declare that God is Light:
the Light of Truth, of Knowledge, of All-encompassing Intelligence. For this
reason, God is called Dyaus, Deva, etc., meaning the Radiant One. God creates man out of Himself, that is, from His Own Light
like a ray from the Sun or a spark from the Fire. Being made of the same
substance as God, man is essentially identical with God. Therefore, by
knowing his innermost Self, man knows God. He knows the Highest Truth and as
a result becomes worthy of entering Heaven where he can live in Unity with
God. Says Scripture: "He who knows the DIVINE IN MAN
knows the Supreme Lord, and he who knows the Supreme Lord knows the Ground of
all things" (Atharva Veda X, 7:17). "Within the body there is the Pure One, Consisting of
Light, Whom the Ascetics, with imperfections done away, behold. When a
seer sees the brilliant Maker, the Lord, the Heavenly Person, the Divine
Source, then he attains Supreme Identity with Him. He, verily, who knows that
Supreme Deity, becomes that Deity. Liberated from sorrow and sin, he becomes
Immortal" (Mundaka Upanishad III 1:3 - 2:9). All religious acts,
including the worship of Divine Images, serves the purpose of helping us
realise the Deity in our heart, the essential Identity of Soul and God. Salvation or Freedom from Suffering and Death, therefore, is
not ultimately attained through rituals and prayers directed at an external
Deity, but by realising that our body is the Temple of God. By worshipping
the Living God the Divine Light of Whom eternally shines within, we attain
the Supreme Deity and enter His Infinite Kingdom of Light: "Attaining
Him Who is the Universal Omnipresent", says Scripture, "those wise,
devout Souls into the All itself do enter" (Mundaka Up.). This very same Teaching is found in later, Western Scriptures.
Says the Bible: "This is the message which we have heard of him and
declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at
all"... "You are the Children of Light"... "You are the
Temple of the Living God"... "Know you not that you are the In the West, this Teaching is no longer taught except in one
or two Spiritual circles among the Jewish Mystics, Christian Gnostics and
Islamic Sufis. In the East, on the other hand, the True Teaching is still
very much alive, especially in Yoga
Dharma, the Path of Unity with the Supreme. Indeed, Yoga, Hinduism and the other Dharmic Faiths of India,
are currently the only Faiths in the World the central teaching of which is
man's Oneness with God. Says the Shrimad Bhagavatam: "The Yogi whose
mind is absorbed in meditation on the Oneness of the Soul with God - even as
light joined unto light - rises above all limitations and realises the One,
All-Pervading Reality" (VIII). This Original Faith which is the expression of the Supreme
Eternal Law of Heaven was revealed to the World by the Supreme Being (Parama
Shiva) Himself, at the beginning of time, as a Right Guidance for man so that
he may walk on the Straight Path (Sat-Patha) and not lose his way in life. It was only with the advent of the Age of Darkness (Kali Yuga)
that man's ego grew to excessive proportions and started turning away from
the True Faith. This is why all religions believe in a Dark Age of Sin into
which Mankind has fallen after an original life of purity in Paradise. Following Mankind's Fall, the Five Dharmic (Dharma-based)
Faiths of India, Yoga, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism remained
faithful to Eternal Dharma. For this reason, the Holy Land of India (Bharata
Varsha, the Land of Glory) is called Dharma-Bhumi, that is to say, Land
of Righteousness or True-Faith Land. By contrast, Western Faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) all
have strayed from the Original Faith and created their own systems of
religious belief and practice. Moreover, they systematically suppressed
everything in the Old Faith that was of Spiritual and psychological value to
man. Scholars have long established that the Jewish Bible has undergone much
editing and no longer represents the Original Teaching. As the Christian
Bible is largely based on the Jewish Scriptures, it follows that it too
represents a deviation from the True Faith. The same applies to the Quran
which regards itself as a “confirmation” of Jewish-Christian Scripture. Indeed, if you critically analyse Western Scriptures like the
Bible or the Quran, you will clearly see that they are not Divine Revelations
but man-made stories that may contain some Spiritual truths but are
nevertheless a far cry away from the Original, Eternal and Only True Faith
that can be found in Eastern Scriptures. The majority of Western Scriptures,
therefore, must be regarded as Moha Shastras, that is, Deluded
Scriptures which lead Mankind astray. Had they been True Scriptures, the
World would be a better place today! Infidels and True Believers Followers of Eastern Faiths are not "infidels" as it
is claimed by their opponents, but true believers. This becomes
evident if we take the time to study the history of religions, a task which
very few Westerners are inclined to undertake, for which reason they often
fall prey to all manner of superstitions, prejudices and misbeliefs. However, we must first establish the exact meaning of such
expressions as "infidel" or "unbeliever" so that we know
what we are talking about. As far as Belief is concerned, Eastern Faiths do believe in a
Divine Being and in the efficacy of certain practices that are based on
Divine or Divinely inspired Revelation. It is, of course, true that Eastern
Faiths do not believe in Western Scriptures. But then they don't have to as
they have their own Scriptures. The charge of Unbelief must, therefore, be
rejected as a completely baseless and malicious fabrication. We shall now turn to the charge of Infidelity.
"Infidel" is a Latin word which means "unfaithful". In
religious terms, it means unfaithful to God and His Revelation. Now, as we have shown, Dharma was the Original Faith that
existed long before the introduction of Western Faiths. Those that follow
Dharma are the Yogis, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. To these we may add
the Pagans of Europe, By contrast, the Western Faiths of Modern Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, are those who have rejected the Original Faith and
have turned to other faiths of their own making. They have taken some
elements from the Original Faith while rejecting others. For example, they have rejected Reincarnation and replaced it
with "Resurrection" although there is nothing in their Scriptures
to justify this. They have rejected the Gods and replaced them with
"Angels", despite the fact that in the Bible itself “Angels” and
“Gods” or “sons of God” are synonymous and the Quran implicitly admits the
identity of Gods and Angels. If Westerners could prove that their faiths are older than the
Eastern ones, it would be a different matter. But the evidence is that Dharma
existed long before the introduction of Western Faiths. It follows from this, that the followers of
Non-dharmic, Western Faiths, that is, Christians, Muslims, etc., are
apostates and dharmatyagis (defectors from the right faith) and guilty of
treason and unfaithfulness to God, which is a great sin (Mahapataka). This
should put paid to the spurious charge of "idolatry",
"unbelief" and "infidelity" brought against Eastern
Faiths by Western Religions. One Path or many? You might of course think that in the free World of today, man
should have freedom of religious belief. Indeed, Yoga does not dispute
people's freedom of belief. But freedom to choose which faith to follow is
no guarantee that you will choose the right one! It is often claimed that all paths lead to God in the same way
as, to use a Western expression, all roads are supposed to lead to Rome.
Well, it may be true that all roads lead to In Yoga, we do not force anybody to follow any particular
path, but we see it as our duty to warn the World that some paths are
straighter, faster, more enjoyable and safer than others. If the objection be raised as to why it is claimed by
some Spiritual leaders that all paths are equal, the answer would be that
they often say it out of courtesy. Indians are very courteous people who
always avoid hurting other people's feelings. Another explanation is that,
what they really mean to say is that any path is good for a start provided
that the intention is right. In that case, no matter what path the genuine
Seeker chooses, he will ultimately find the right path. Finally, there are
those who make such statements out of ignorance or for some ulterior motive. For example, it is claimed in certain politically or
financially committed circles that "everything goes", but this is
only a clever trick to convert unsuspecting people to dubious teachings and
lead them away from the right path. Even Anarchists have rules, so it is
difficult to see how they can tell others that "everything goes". The same applies to different faiths or paths: we only
need to think of the forced conversions, "holy wars", slavery and
genocide the Western World has engaged in in the name of religion, and
compare this with Yoga's own record of peace, tolerance, wisdom and
compassion, to realise what a gigantic mistake it would be to believe the
myth that all paths are literally the same! Converting to other Faiths We have already demonstrated that the true faiths are those
that are closest to the Original Revelation (Adidharma) and their followers
are the true or right believers. By contrast, Western Faiths must be regarded
as rejectionist replacement-cults that not only have strayed from the Right
Path but stand in opposition to it. In consequence, Yoga strictly forbids the conversion of
a person from a Dharmic Faith such as Yoga, Hinduism, etc., to an Adharmic
Faith like Modern Judaism, Christianity or Islam. Indeed, since Dharmic
Faiths provide a believer with everything he needs for his Spiritual and
material progress, a conversion to other faiths would be not only wholly
unnecessary but positively detrimental as it would bring about a Spiritual
regression in the converted person. On the other hand, conversion from
Non-Dharmic Faiths to Dharmic ones is permitted and even recommended. The question that may legitimately arise at this point is, why
would followers of the Dharma Tradition, which is the Supreme, Eternal and
Incomparable Law of the Universe, want to convert to any surrogate faiths?
The answer is that such a conversion can only happen out of ignorance. In India, for example, some among the Right-Believing
Community might see the apparent material advantages obtained by certain
followers of Communism, Capitalism, Christianity or Islam and erroneously
conclude that these are the right religions to follow. However, they only
think so because they have failed to grasp the Spiritual Laws of the Universe
and because they have been kept in ignorance of historical facts by foreign
(and foreign-influenced) governments. The fact is that material gains like
education, jobs, etc., have nothing to do with converting to
replacement-religions. They are entirely the result of good karma. To begin with, it is an undeniable fact that not all right
believers (satdharmis) who are enticed to convert to replacement-faiths
experience a lasting improvement in their material situation. Indeed, they
invariably end up worse off than before. We only need to take a look at Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir
and Afghanistan. These used to be prosperous countries while they were still
part of India and their inhabitants followed the Right Faith. Since their
conversion to Islam, however, their situation has deteriorated dramatically
and their people are now stricken with poverty, terrorism, natural disasters
and disease. Clearly, this is a sign from God that they have chosen the wrong
faith. The same applies to most countries in If a few appear to be doing well, it is due to other, deeper
factors: if somebody, on account of good deeds done in the past, deserves to
be rewarded, he will be allowed to have his reward even while he is
committing a crime. Even in human law, if a man has worked hard and honestly
earned lots of money, the authorities cannot confiscate his property even if
in a moment of drunkenness or madness he commits murder. Likewise, God is always Just. He lets every man have his
reward. However, when the good karma has either been exhausted or outweighed
by bad karma, then the sinner will have to pay for his apostasy and the
punishment for his unfaithfulness to the True Faith will come down on him
with full force. In some cases this will come gradually like in a
slow-gathering storm and in others suddenly like an unexpected downpour. But
come it will. This is the Law of Karma. Says Scripture: "Having
had enjoyment in the highest heaven won by good works, they re-enter this
World, or a lower [according to their bad works]" (Mundaka Upanishad).
And: "Either as a worm, or as a moth, or as a snake, or as some other
creature, man is reborn according to his deeds, according to his
knowledge" (Katha Up.). The fact is that even Western replacement-faiths admit that
Apostasy is a sin. If renouncing a replacement-faith is a sin, then
renouncing the True Faith (Sat-Dharma) is an even greater sin, surely! It is a great sin to abandon one's own mother. To rise up
against her is an even greater sin. Dharma is the Mother of all Faiths and
Dharmic Faiths are her loyal children. Adharmic Faiths are guilty of abandoning
the Mother Faith and guilty of matricide and so are their followers. Secondly, it is important to understand that, for millennia,
India has faithfully followed Hinduism and throughout that time she was one
of the wealthiest countries on Earth. Even today, India remains rich in many
natural resources. In the past five hundred years, however, due to foreign
invasions, occupation, oppression and exploitation, this wealth has fallen
under the control of a few corrupt individuals who are using every opportunity
to prevent a just distribution of wealth. This deplorable situation has been brought about by
foreign invaders who are followers of false faiths and their Indian
collaborators. People may have a short memory and even less knowledge of
history. But facts are facts and cannot be ignored, forgotten or denied. Now
by converting to Western Faiths, the convert unwittingly cooperates with the
very faiths that have reduced the people of India to poverty and misery. In
so doing, he commits a moral and legal crime, namely Treason against his
people. Worse still, he commits a Spiritual crime, namely, Treason against
God and His Eternal Law. So even if he were to escape poverty for the time
being, eventually he will have to answer for his transgression against the Supreme
Eternal Law of Heaven which was established at the beginning of time for all
creatures to follow. Thus the problem of conversion has many different aspects of
which the following are only a few: (1) Abandonment of the Right Faith, (2)
collaboration with the enemy, (3) bringing destruction upon one's own people.
These are unforgivable sins which together suffice to bring suffering and
damnation to the sinner for thousands of years! If an ignorant man saw a bandit enjoying the wealth gained
through crimes, he may be tempted to join him. But sooner or later both he
and his fellow bandit will fall pray either to other bandits or to the wrath
of the law. If man cannot even evade human justice, how much more difficult
it will be to evade Divine retribution! The same applies to the crime of
converting to false faiths. The Holy Scriptures of India are very clear on this: "Let
a man, though suffering in consequence of his Right Faith (Dharma), never
turn his heart to Unrighteousness (Adharma); for he will see the overthrow of
the unrighteous. Unrighteousness does not at once produce its fruit even as
the Earth does not at once yield fruit; but advancing slowly, it cuts off the
roots of him who wrought it. An unrighteousness once committed, never fails
to produce fruit to him who committed it. He prospers for a while through
Unrighteousness, but at last he perishes branch and root" (Manu Smriti
IV, 171-174). And the Mahabharata says: "He who gives up the Path of
Yoga (that is Unity with the Truth of God) is guilty of a great sin" (V,
52). Therefore, make no mistake and have no doubts, because doubt is the
first step on the wrong path that quickly branches out into the side-streets
and short cuts to Hell. The Duty of adhering to the True Faith Dharma is not only the One True Faith but
also the Duty of adhering to what is True. This being so, it is the
duty of all right-believing men and women on Earth to warn the apostates of
the fate that awaits them and call them to the Right Path. It is our duty to guide
our wayward brethren to the True Faith in the same way as an elder brother
has the duty to guide his younger, ignorant and confused siblings and in the
same way as a shepherd has the duty to bring back the sheep that have strayed
from the fold. Although some efforts are being done in this direction, it is
far from enough. Our opponents are as clever and resourceful as they are
evil, so we need to double our resolve and strike back with force. As followers of the Yoga Path which is the Path of Unity with
the Supreme, we do our best to promote Sanatana Dharma because it represents
the culture in which True Spirituality has flourished for millennia; because
it is a genuine religion that carries a genuine spiritual message; and
because it is to Dharma that we owe our most cherished Spiritual experiences. As Yoga, the Epitome of Dharma, is a highly evolved
Spirituality, it is not always easy to explain all its complexities to
outsiders who lack any Spiritual training. Nor is it necessary. It is
sufficient to understand that Shiva is the Supreme Principle of Goodnesss and
that Shiva Himself as Lord of Yoga revealed the teachings of Yoga to
Humankind for its Spiritual upliftment. This is acceptable to everybody.
After all, everybody can see for themselves that Yoga is a good thing. And
everything that is good must logically come from a source that is itself
good. The Source of all Goodness is Lord Shiva (God) Himself. And Yoga is the
spiritual practice whereby man harmonises his life with that of Shiva, so that
he can find happiness in this life and the next. Yoga and Meditation classes are an excellent way of
introducing people to the benefits of the True Faith. Unfortunately, some
misguided individuals use Yoga classes for selfish, materialist reasons. They
invent new forms of "Yoga" as a means of making money. Moreover,
since many classes are run as aerobics-style entreprises, a growing number of
attendants suffer all kinds of injuries. All this is very damaging to our
cause. Yoga is sometimes seen as a physical, materialist endeavour or, even
worse, as a strange cult that must be avoided. In our opinion, since those who practise Yoga admit
that it is a good thing, those who reject Yoga (especially when they haven't
even tried it out) must be evil as only evil men can reject what is patently
good. This does not mean to say that they are evil on purpose. Some, no
doubt, are. But others may adopt a hostile attitude to Yoga due to ignorance. The enemies of the True Faith As reported in Middle Eastern and Indian papers (on 20
September 2004), the Grand Mufti of Now Islam is said by its followers to mean "Submission to
God". Similarly, Yoga means "Unity with God". It should be
obvious even to less intelligent people that both Yoga and Islam share the
same Spiritual goals. So on what ground can anybody claim that Yoga is
"un-Islamic"? Does the Quran say that Yoga or Unity with God is an
aberration? No. Did Prophet Mohammad say that Yoga is an aberration? No. Did
God appear to the Grand Mufti and told him that Yoga is an aberration? No.
There is clearly no scriptural or Divine authority whatsoever for this kind
of statement. The fact is that true Submission is impossible without Unity.
It follows from this that Yoga which is Unity with God, is the True Islam and
the Supreme Universal World Faith that ought to be followed by all
right-thinking men. Those who say otherwise are misguided Souls who don't
realise what they are saying. The fact is that Yoga is the True Faith which God
Himself revealed to Mankind at the beginning of time and which the Gurus have
faithfully transmitted ever since. And that is that. No amount of jealousy and
envy on the part of self-appointed religious leaders can change that. Indeed, such statements are themselves aberrations produced by
the minds of fraudulent leaders who are afraid of losing their power over the
people whom they keep under control by means of invented beliefs. These
leaders are conspiring against the People and against Truth. What they don't
know is that Truth itself is conspiring against them. Make no mistake.
Mankind will soon rise up against such leaders and re-establish the Rule of Truth
on Earth in accordance with Divine Will. Those who ally themselves with Untruth are the Enemies of the
True Faith and are guilty of spreading ignorance and misbelief. They do the
work of evil against the Will of God. They may succeed for a while, but in
the end they will have a price to pay for their deeds! As Scripture says,
"man prospers for a while through Unrighteousness, but at last he
perishes branch and root". Moreover, it is written: "Those that
disparage the Supreme Being (Lord Shiva) or censure the propounders of His
Perfect Knowledge are insane with delusion. They shall assuredly sink into
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