Sahaja Yoga on Cults What is a Cult? Sahaja Yoga as a World Religion

The word cult, though having several meanings, is often applied to religious movements with a small number of adherents, whose moral and ethical practices are utterly abhorrent to society.  For this reason the word cult is very rarely applied to the mainstream versions of the global religions of the world such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.   

The philosophy of Sahaja Yoga draws on the essence of the mainstream versions of the global religions mentioned above.  Over the last thirty eight years, Sahaja Yoga has grown steadily into a large movement, with over half a million adherents throughout the world.    As such, Sahaja Yoga is a world religion, and is radically different from the kind of spiritual movement usually labelled as a cult. 

The word cult is also associated with exclusive esoteric societies, in which the teachings are reserved for a small group of “the elect”.  Sahaja Yoga cannot be labelled a cult in this context either, because  Sahaja Yoga is freely available to all, as a form of yoga technique easy to achieve, regardless of national, racial, cultural, academic or socio-economic background.

 Now let us look at the definitions of cult found in The Oxford Dictionary of English, second edition, revised 2005.  We will ignore the definitions of cult that lie outside the subject of religion, such as “the cult of money” and “the cult of celebrities”.  The first definition found in The Oxford Dictionary of English, defines a cult as “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object”.  While it is well known that there is worldwide veneration and devotion towards Christ, Buddha, Guru Nanak and other divine personalities, the word cult is rarely used to describe the mainstream worship typical of Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism for example.  Later on, this same dictionary goes on to exemplify the use of the word cult with the case of “a small sect of Satan worshipers”.  This explains why one would not wish to apply the word cult to universal figures of world religion.

Sahaja Yoga is a world religion which includes the essence of Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism and others.  Veneration and worship of H. H. Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, is of the same nature as the devotion found in many other world religions, and does not turn Sahaja Yoga into a cult.  It is understood that the founders of all the world religions are persons worthy of worship and veneration, and that they practiced what they preached.  How long does a religion need to be in existence before it can be considered a world religion?  There is no minimum time limit.  For instance, the Indian guru Sai Baba of Shirdi, by the time he passed away in 1918, was already recognised as the founder of a new world religion.  There was overwhelming proof of Sai Baba’s divinity and his teachings were steeped in the traditions of Hinduism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism. There are now millions of followers of Sai Baba of Shirdi worldwide.  This is a relatively new world religion, in the sense that it started in the twentieth century.

The other sub-definition of the word cult found in the Oxford Dictionary of English is as follows: “a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange, or as imposing excessive control over members”.  Below we will deal first with the subject of strange religious beliefs or practices, and then with the subject of excessive control over members. 

The practices of Sahaja Yoga might only seem strange to those who are unacquainted with Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, or Eastern religions in general.  Sahaja Yoga would certainly not seem  strange to those who are familiar with subjects such as mantra recitation, Yoga and Hinduism. Those who only know about the Western religious traditions might consider Eastern religion strange.  The diversity and variety even within mainstream global religions is such that people coming from the East may also consider the Western religious tradition strange.  One solution to this feeling of strangeness is to develop knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

Within mainstream Christianity there is such diversity that in certain branches of Christianity, for example, priests are not allowed to marry, whereas in others they are.  In some branches of Christianity homosexuals qualify to be priests, and in others they do not.  Sometimes one group accuses the other of following an immoral practice, yet they are not usually labelled a cult notwithstanding the diversity.  It is easy to see how a definition of cult based on what is perceived as strange can produce arbitrary results. 

In Sahaja Yoga one will only experience a feeling of strangeness if one is totally new to Eastern religions, yoga, and mantras.  It is reassuring to find that the level of so called strangeness that one might encounter in Sahaja Yoga, is never of an immoral or indecent nature.  This feeling of strangeness has to do with a lack of familiarity with Eastern religions and yet it is a fact that most religions come from the East, including Christianity.

Therefore, Sahaja Yoga is not a cult on account of  strange religious beliefs or practices, just like Christianity is not a cult even though one might say, for instance, that Christian bishops wear strange hats.

What about the “imposing excessive control over members” part of the definition of a cult?  This is the second part of the cult definition found in the Oxford Dictionary of English.  It is well known that all religions impose a certain amount of control, and it is a matter of opinion what amounts to excessive or not.  For instance, according to the tenets of Islam, a Muslim must pray five times a day, at prescribed times.  This is not usually considered excessive because it is one of the pillars of Islam and thus mandatory.  In general it is accepted that religions and commandments go together. 

When deciding what is excessive or not, it is important to take into account the tradition and history of a religion rather than the most fashionable media opinion.  For instance, Christ said, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Mat 10:38). No one claims that this is excessive, in fact, this is still relevant today for minority Christians living in a non Christian state, i.e. whenever Christians are discriminated against for being Christian.  Christ’s statement just quoted is not an isolated statement.  There are many other quotes of Christ of similar import throughout the Gospels. Christ's sayings and message would become meaningless if they had to pass an arbitrary test dictated by some anti-cult organisation on what is excessive or not.

From a point of view of world religion, Sahaja Yoga is extremely light on the subject of  “do’s and don’ts”.  This is not to say that Sahaja Yoga is neutral on moral issues or that it lacks an ethical code of conduct, much to the contrary.  However, in Sahaja Yoga the accent is on the inner transformation bringing about the outward manifestation.  This is evidenced, for instance, by the fact that Sahaja Yogis do not smoke, do not drink alcohol and do not take recreational drugs.  This is seen as the normal pattern of behaviour amongst Sahaja Yogis.  Experience has shown that those who practice the method of Sahaja Yoga on a regular basis find it very easy to give up the above mentioned drugs.   As far as diet goes, Sahaja Yogis are free to eat or not to eat meat and to follow any type of diet of their choice.  There is some  dietary advice, i.e. adopting a low fat diet is considered beneficial for improving mild liver conditions.  This is not relevant to the majority of people, as most people don’t have an issue with their liver, and it is completely voluntary, even for people suffering from a liver condition.   

What about the ethical code of behaviour in Sahaja Yoga?  There is no book of rules and regulations for Sahaja Yogis to follow.  Sahaja Yogis are encouraged to use their own discretion and to make their own free choices in order to grow on the road to self-mastery. According to Sahaja Yoga, spiritual development can be obtained by introspection and by following the essence of the advice of all the great spiritual masters of the past, i.e. great importance is attached to following Christ’s message of forgiveness.  There is also emphasis on universal love and compassion, and integration of all human beings regardless of racial or national boundaries.  According to Sahaja Yoga, married life is ideal for spiritual growth and balance, hence there is no pressure to follow a path of celibacy.  Family planning is neither prohibited nor encouraged in Sahaja Yoga.  This matter is left to the individual couples to decide according to their preference. 

All Sahaja Yogis are encouraged to have a job and to become proficient at their trade or profession.  Sahaja Yoga values family ties and nobody is ever encouraged to leave their families.  Sahaja Yogis are not coached into getting married.  There are many people who have been in Sahaja Yoga for a very long time and who opted to remain single.  There is a system in place to facilitate the marriage of Sahaja Yogis who prefer to marry another follower of  Sahaja Yoga.  This is a system of arranged marriage on the lines of traditionally arranged Indian marriages.  Free consent of both parties to the marriage is essential for a Sahaja Yoga marriage to take place.  These marriages have proved to be very successful and joy-giving. 

Sahaja Yoga Schools:  children of Sahaja Yogis can attend a Sahaja Yoga school on condition that they feel happy and integrated at the Sahaja school.  There is no pressure on parents to send their children to one of these schools.  Most parents do not send their children to a Sahaja Yoga school.  There has always been a shortage of places at Sahaja Yoga schools and in addition there is a fee for attending.  This makes it not only unnecessary but also undesirable to coach parents into sending their children to a Sahaja Yoga school.  Experience has shown that when children return from these schools and go back to non Sahaja schools, they integrate easily and show good academic performance.   

Ashram life:  a very small minority of Sahaja Yogis choose to live with other Sahaja Yogis.  This means that several people or families come together to function as a single household.  This is usually a group of young people of which some are single and some married with or without children.  Couples always have their own private room.  The feeling of living in an extended family comes from the fact that people eat together in the evening and the general household expenses, food, heating and rent are shared by all.  This is totally different from the monastic style of life.  Living in the same house with other Sahaja Yogis is an arrangement in which people come and go according to their financial, professional and family life requirements.  Adults go to work, and the children attend a local school on reaching school age. The only similarity with monastic life is that all occupants are Sahaja Yogis, and they usually meditate together once per day for about twenty to thirty minutes. 

There is no peer pressure to donate money towards Sahaja Yoga at any time.  One could practice Sahaja Yoga for many years and never contribute any money at all.  Attendance at certain Sahaja Yoga seminars involves payment of a fee to cover the costs of the event, such as food, accommodation, transport, sound system and other costs.   

Sahaja Yoga is always taught free of charge to new people.  The method of learning Sahaja Yoga does not depend on the purchase of learning materials, though extra books on specialised topics of  Sahaja Yoga are not available for free.  Examples of specialised subjects include Sahaja Yoga and Hinduism, Sahaja Yoga and Sufism, Sahaja Yoga and music, Sahaja Yoga and Medical Science, and many others.  These books are not of prime necessity to those new to Sahaja Yoga because the accent is on inner discovery through introspection rather than on the reading of books. 

So, does the method of Sahaja Yoga constitute excessive control over its members compared to other major religions?  Christianity puts some emphasis on being prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of spiritual life, what used to be described as taking up Christ’s cross.  This can involve a certain degree of personal sacrifice.  During the life of the Prophet Muhammad, most Muslims were prepared to give their life in the defence of their faith and to practice fast,  prayer and charity.  Most forms of traditional Yoga used to involve a rigorous regime of physical exercise, fasting, celibacy and mantra recitation. This is still followed nowadays by some Buddhists.   Any one acquainted with the rigours of most religious traditions will find Sahaja Yoga extremely easy by comparison.  Sahaja Yoga is based on love and compassion rather than strict rules.  As a spiritual leader, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, H. H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, receives a high degree of spiritual recognition and veneration worldwide.  This also contributes towards Sahaja Yoga being recognised as a world religion.  Over half a million people all over the world practice Sahaja Yoga because this practice is conducive to spiritual and moral improvement.  Other benefits derived from the practice of Sahaja Yoga include becoming a happier, balanced, relaxed personality and a gradual discovery of the deeper and creative side of spiritual life.  Sahaja Yoga emphasises love and compassion towards all human beings.

While enquiring whether Sahaja Yoga is a cult, some guidance was taken from the definition of cult found in the Oxford Dictionary of English.  The conclusion arrived at was that Sahaja Yoga is not a cult, the word cult in modern usage has a depreciative meaning and is unsuitable for describing Sahaja Yoga.  

If we choose to refer to Christ’s teachings instead of the criteria proposed by the Oxford Dictionary of English, then the question becomes whether Sahaja Yoga produces good fruits.  Christ preached, “Beware of the false prophets… By their fruit you will recognise them” (Mat 7: 15-16). This is an alternative way of answering the questions of  whether Sahaja Yoga is a cult, whether Sahaja Yoga falls into the category of false teaching, whether Sahaja Yoga produces bad fruits.   

This means we could have answered the question of whether Sahaja Yoga is a cult by looking into the fruits of Sahaja Yoga.  Then the question becomes, what are the benefits or consequences derived from the practice and teachings of  Sahaja Yoga?

This was the most obvious route of enquiry, and it is the route followed by most people when enquiring about Sahaja Yoga.  At the outset one needs to know what is Sahaja Yoga, how does it work, what are the benefits of Sahaja Yoga, and what does one have to do to derive benefit from the practice of Sahaja Yoga.  

Anyone wanting to find out about these important questions only has to enter the words Sahaja Yoga on an internet browser and thousands of websites can be found dedicated to answering these fundamental questions.  Our answer is that the benefits of Sahaja Yoga are real and tangible and well tested and confirmed by over half a million Sahaja Yoga practitioners worldwide.  We recommend the practice of Sahaja Yoga, and we have experienced the universal truth contained in the teachings of H. H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi and Sahaja Yoga.  

Whilst there are thousands of websites written by Sahaja Yogis on what is Sahaja Yoga and what are its benefits, when it comes to the specific subject of whether Sahaja Yoga is a cult and whether the allegations against Sahaja Yoga are true, at present, there are very few websites written by Sahaja Yogis.   The majority of people who debate the question of whether Sahaja Yoga is a cult are ex-Sahaja Yoga members who happen to be strongly biased against Sahaja Yoga.  These are not independent objective observers and should not constitute the only Internet voice on this subject.  Some of these ex-members were asked to leave Sahaja Yoga and now indulge in raising false allegations against Sahaja Yoga.  In order to correct this unbalanced portrayal of Sahaja Yoga it would be advisable for current Sahaja Yogis to participate in this debate and contribute their point of view according to their own personal experience, by creating their own websites clearly explaining that Sahaja Yoga is not a cult and the reasons why.  Unless they do, the Internet will continue to portray a biased, slanted attack on  Sahaja Yoga.  An incompletely informed reader might reach the erroneous conclusion that the false allegations raised against Sahaja Yoga have never been denied, or that there is some substance to the allegations.  As a matter of fact, all false allegations against Sahaja Yoga have been vehemently denied by Sahaja Yoga International. 

Although this is not an official Sahaja Yoga website, it is the opinion of one who has been practicing Sahaja Yoga for many years.  In order to find the truth, it is advisable  to take into account the opinion of half a million  free, decent, intelligent people who practice Sahaja Yoga on a daily basis and are perfectly satisfied with Sahaja Yoga.  Or are we to take into account nothing but the opinion of a very few disgruntled ex-members who accuse half a million Sahaja Yoga practitioners of being naïve and half-witted?  

The fact that there are thousands of websites relating a positive experience of Sahaja Yoga is an expression of the desire that most people have of sharing Sahaja Yoga with others.  All these thousands of websites declare that Sahaja Yoga is a good teaching and that the practice of Sahaja Yoga is highly beneficial. 

 Do not be deceived by the false allegations raised by a very small group of ex-members of Sahaja Yoga through a myriad of websites.  Do keep in mind that there are also thousands of websites writing favourably about Sahaja Yoga and giving witness to the fact that Sahaja Yoga produces good fruit.

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