I have never said that a non-Hindu cannot do Yoga. In fact I have said they can.
What I have said, which is undeniable, is that Yoga is a Hindu philosophy and practice. A Christian is more than welcome to adopt this philosophy and practice. But they should also be honest about its Hindu origins as well.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;39788]I have never said that a non-Hindu cannot do Yoga. In fact I have said they can.
What I have said, which is undeniable, is that Yoga is a Hindu philosophy and practice. A Christian is more than welcome to adopt this philosophy and practice. But they should also be honest about its Hindu origins as well.[/QUOTE]
IDGI. In the end, does it really matter anyway?
Having spent the majority of my life as a Hindu, the religion is all about worshiping Vishnu/Shiva, going to Pujas, doing Aarti and Hawan, reading the Bhagavad Gita/Ramayan/Shiv Puran celebrating certain ‘rights of passage’ in one’s life and teaching people about respect and moral codes pertaining to Hinduism.
You ask the average Hindu anything about Yoga and most of them would not have a clue.
If people want to be scientific about it, then yoga is a physical science.
Aspects of this science are all given Sanskrit names, but does that mean the practice itself is a Hindu one?
If you want to think/believe that Yoga is a Hindu practice, go ahead…nothing wrong with that. I agree.
If you want to think/believe that it is not, go ahead…nothing wrong with that either. I agree.
As long as you are doing yoga what does it matter?
It matters because you must give credit where it is due. To take something, without acknowledging the source is stealing.
Yes, I know that Yoga is a science. All this tells us is that Hinduism is a scientific religion and it teaches real science.
I know most Hindus would not have a clue about Yoga, that is because they are not learned about their religion. On the other hand, myself and many other Hindus today are learned in their religion. We have read the Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Yogasutras etc
Of course Yoga is a Hindu practice. Where was Yoga in the West before the Hindus guru arrived in the West? Nowhere, because Yoga is not a Western tradition. It has been imported from India.
I think its a bit sad that Western people are trying to claim that Yoga was always theirs.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;39790]It matters because you must give credit where it is due. To take something, without acknowledging the source is stealing.
Yes, I know that Yoga is a science. All this tells us is that Hinduism is a scientific religion and it teaches real science.
I know most Hindus would not have a clue about Yoga, that is because they are not learned about their religion. On the other hand, myself and many other Hindus today are learned in their religion. We have read the Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Yogasutras etc
Of course Yoga is a Hindu practice. Where was Yoga in the West before the Hindus guru arrived in the West? Nowhere, because Yoga is not a Western tradition. It has been imported from India.
I think its a bit sad that Western people are trying to claim that Yoga was always theirs.[/QUOTE]
I will leave this thread with one thought.
Have you stopped to consider that the main reason why people don’t acknowledge yoga as being a Hindu practice, is that their religion/beliefs would not allow them to practice it if they did?
This is sort of going back to what I said 2 posts ago.
Credit where it’s due huh? I don’t credit Hinduism for Yoga. I credit Patanjali, Shankacharya et al.
/thread 
Nobody says…Have you stopped to consider that the main reason why people don’t acknowledge yoga as being a Hindu practice, is that their religion/beliefs would not allow them to practice it if they did
So is that it?, I find that hard to believe.
I think the point is that its origins are Hindu and not that anyone is suggesting you have to become a Hindu to practice yoga.
I find it fascinating that anyone can debate this point, for whatever their reasons.
Yogas origins are Hindu like it or not, …
Please tell me specifically where does anyone think it originates from…?? I asked this before as a point and no one has answered this.
Actually, there are two major points in history in how Yoga affected the West. The first time was in ancient times when Yoga travelled to the West and was being practiced in mystery schools in Egypt and later influenced Platonism and Neo-platonism, which which went onto inspire Gnosticism. This had a strong influence on Christianity. Unfortunately, the West was not very friendly to these traditions, so they did not flower and remained in the underground.
The second time was in modern times when Europe discovered India, and learned about her Vedas. Then all of India’s major scriptures were translated into European languages and it strongly influenced many philosophical and literary movements in the West(Theosophy, German Idealism, Transcedentalist movement) The contacts between Europe and India allowed many Hindu gurus to arrive in the West, headed by Swami Vivekananda and Swami Yogananda. Since then Yoga has been growing and spreading in the West, and today it has become a multi-billion dollar industry.
At both points in history it was India that taught the West Yoga. If the West had no contact with India it would not know Yoga.
Please tell me specifically where do you think its origins are…???
With a few very learned souls that happened to live in a time when India was the birthplace for spiritual, scientific and mathematical thought.
dog stops chasing tail to go chase a butterfly somewhere
Credit where it’s due huh? I don’t credit Hinduism for Yoga. I credit Patanjali, Shankacharya et al.
/thread
Hmm, Patanjali and Sankarcharya et al are great Hindu gurus and rishis of the Vedic tradition.
I am a bit disappointed in how ignorant Westerners are of Hinduism. I mean what the heck do they think Hinduism is?
So these learned souls have no historical name attached to them.?
The aboriginals of India have been documented as …living in caves, eating the flesh of the sick and elderly within their tribes, wearing bark and animal clothing…etc at no point is there a mention they were learned…they were barbaric and ignorant so I think we can rule these out…yes?
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;39796]I am a bit disappointed in how ignorant Westerners are of Hinduism. I mean what the heck do they think Hinduism is?[/QUOTE]
Why would you be disappointed?? Are you an expert on EVERY religion. Maybe a mormon would be disappointed with your ignorance of Mormonism. Maybe an evolutionary biologist would be disappointed about your ignorance on Darwinian evolution, maybe Steven Weinberg would be disappointed by your ignorance of Quantum Physics, maybe Rick Stein would be disappointed by your ignorance of cooking, Maybe Donald Trump would by disappointed by your ignorance of business… But why would they? You have chosen to dedicate your life the the ancient religion of Hinduism. Others have chosen other areas to focus on. Surely there is no reason to be disappointed about how ignorant ‘westerners’ are of Hinduism. Why wouldn’t most of us be? Most westerners don’t give a s#$t about Hinduism, just like you don’t give a s#$t about Mormonism, or science, or business. It’s no reason to be disappointed. Celebrate diversity 
[QUOTE=kareng;39801]The aboriginals of India have been documented as …living in caves, eating the flesh of the sick and elderly within their tribes, wearing bark and animal clothing…etc at no point is there a mention they were learned…they were barbaric and ignorant so I think we can rule these out…yes?[/QUOTE]
I hope your are not referring to a race of people that are still around today. Australian aboriginals, for example, are around today, and their culture should be preserved and celebrated. I would be careful using the term ‘barbaric’ IF the people you speak of, are still around today. If they don’t exist, then fire away.
There are scholars that believe Yoga pre dates the Vedas and that pre historic Shamanism and Yoga have some similarities, but where they separate is the looking inward, this develops in the Vedas where Hinduism has its foundations. The Vedas have the oldest known accounts of yoga practice.
Everyone practicing Yoga today is practicing yoga that has been passed down through the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali ……… ALL HINDU
If Anyone doubts this then maybe they should just practice Shamanism…and, if they do, they will soon notice great differences.
YOGIADAM SAYS…I hope your are not referring to a race of people that are still around today. Australian aboriginals, for example, are around today, and their culture should be preserved and celebrated. I would be careful using the term ‘barbaric’ IF the people you speak of, are still around today. If they don’t exist, then fire away.
No Yogiadam…Give me some credit…please…the term aborigine or aboriginal refers to indigenous people from any country and is not an exclusive term for Australian aborigines…
So Scientists can be wrong…hmm
[QUOTE=kareng;39809]YOGIADAM SAYS…I hope your are not referring to a race of people that are still around today. Australian aboriginals, for example, are around today, and their culture should be preserved and celebrated. I would be careful using the term ‘barbaric’ IF the people you speak of, are still around today. If they don’t exist, then fire away.
No Yogiadam…Give me some credit…please…the term aborigine or aboriginal refers to indigenous people from any country and is not an exclusive term for Australian aborigines…
So Scientists can be wrong…hmm[/QUOTE]
I’ve never suggested that I am right about everything. I’m sure I’m wrong on many things. I cooked really good slow roasted lamb shanks the other day, and they were outstanding, but I stuffed up the veggies a little. Then I cooked the lamb shanks again yesterday, and the meat wasn’t falling off the bone, like it was the first time. Unfortunately the meat was a little on the firm side, but god the veggies were amazing!! So, you know, I’m not perfect.
Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough. I wasn’t necessarily talking about Australian aboriginals. I was just saying that it wouldn’t be very nice to refer to people as barbaric, if they are still around today. Does that make sense? That’s all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surya Deva View Post
I am a bit disappointed in how ignorant Westerners are of Hinduism. I mean what the heck do they think Hinduism is?
Quote
Yogiadams reply to Surya
Why would you be disappointed?? Are you an expert on EVERY religion. Maybe a mormon would be disappointed with your ignorance of Mormonism. Maybe an evolutionary biologist would be disappointed about your ignorance on Darwinian evolution, maybe Steven Weinberg would be disappointed by your ignorance of Quantum Physics, maybe Rick Stein would be disappointed by your ignorance of cooking, Maybe Donald Trump would by disappointed by your ignorance of business… But why would they? You have chosen to dedicate your life the the ancient religion of Hinduism. Others have chosen other areas to focus on. Surely there is no reason to be disappointed about how ignorant ‘westerners’ are of Hinduism. Why wouldn’t most of us be? Most westerners don’t give a s#$t about Hinduism, just like you don’t give a s#$t about Mormonism, or science, or business. It’s no reason to be disappointed. Celebrate diversity
karengs reply to Yogiadam is…This is a Yoga Forum site so I think it is important that everyone realises where the origins of their current practices come from …THE HINDUS!
Diversity of cultures, Religeons is great. Try telling Scientists that the origins of The Theory of Relativity belongs to the Eskimos and see what they say!!!
yOGIADAM SAYS So, you know, I’m not perfect
I know Yogiadam it was just a dig at Scientists…and neither am I perfect!
Eating the flesh of the sick and elderly is barbaric, so is eating Lamb Shanks…flesh falling from bones…oh I’m going to be sick…ha
[QUOTE=kareng;39812]Diversity of cultures, Religeons is great. Try telling Scientists that the origins of The Theory of Relativity belongs to the Eskimos and see what they say!!![/QUOTE]
Now this is EXACTLY my point. If you told me that the human brain was invented by Toyota on the early 1900’s, I would not be disappointed. What would be the point? I don’t actually think that telling a scientist that the theory of Relativity belongs to Eskimos (or Inuits, as they’re now called), would be disappointing to the scientist. That’s my point. There is no need to be disappointed, just because someone is ignorant of something that they are not interested in. I do Yoga and like many, many people who do Yoga, I don’t really care about Hinduism. If I went to the doctor, and they prescribed me antibiotics for an infection, do you really think the doctor would be disappointed if I knew nothing about the medicine he just prescribed me? It’s a little crazy to think that he should be.
As far as meat eating is concerned, that’s private. You don’t have to eat meat. All I can say is that our brains would never have evolved to the size they are now, if it wasn’t far animal protein. Animal products are natural. It’s the only source of vitamin B12 we have, and is the reason we have K9 teeth. But I respect that you don’t choose to eat it. I understand that.
[QUOTE=YogiAdam;39804]Why would you be disappointed?? Are you an expert on EVERY religion.
.[/QUOTE]
Actually I am disapponted with how little a certain Hindu knows about Hinduism.
In post # 407, this thread, I quoted the book Yoga: Freedom and Immortality,
by Mircea Eliade. He was a WESTERNER but…
He studied in India, University of Calcutta, with Prof.Syendranath Dasgupta
He lived and studied for years with Swami Sivananda, in his ashram
He practised yoga for years in the caves, together with yogis.
He really knows Hinduism and yoga, bioh theory and practice. Download his book from the Internet and have a look at the bibliography on 37 pages .
That includes lots of Hindu writings.
I think Kareng has already answered your objection very well.
This is a Yoga forum, so people here should know about the origins of Yoga and give credit where it is due. However, most of the times they end up embarrassing themselves by making ignorant statements about Hinduism. It is clear they don’t know much about this religion by the statements they make.
I am not saying anything about Mormonism because I don’t know enough about it to comment.
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;39835]am not saying anything about Mormonism because I don’t know enough about it to comment.[/QUOTE]
That’s good. So you get my point. So not everyone knows, or cares about Hinduism, just like you don’t know or care about Hinduism. I do Yoga asanas, and don’t care to know about Hinduism. Like it or not, there is a whole bunch of people practicing Yoga, independent of religion. Where I’m from, MOST people doing Yoga, don’t care about Hinduism. You may disagree with this approach, but that’s too bad. You can’t stop progress.