Sahaja Yoga

286 Pages·1999·4.6 MB·English

by  Judith Coney

SAHAJA YOGA
Socializing Processes
in a South Asian
New Religious Movement
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SAHAJA YOGA
Socializing Processes
in a South Asian
New Religious Movement
Judith Coney
I
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LONDON AND NEW YORK
First Published 1999
by Curzon Press
Published 2013 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 1999 Judith Coney
Typeset in Sabon by LaserScript Ltd, Mitcham
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN 13: 978-0-700-71061-4 (hbk)
For
Siobhan and Alexandra
Reality is not what it is. It consists of the many realities which it
can be made into.
Wallace Stevens
CONTENTS
Figures and Tables Xl
Acknowledgements Xlll
Glossary
XV
Introduction 1
Chapter One SAHAJA YOGA AND SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTION 7
Passivity and activity in New Religious
Movements 8
Socialization and the transmission of values 10
The construction of social worlds 12
The social body 16
Social construction and authority 18
Re-including sectarian organisations 19
The dynamic and pragmatic construction
of reality 21
Conclusion 23
Chapter Two INTRODUCING SAHAJA YOGA 24
Sri Mataji and Sahaja Yoga 24
Sri Mataji's teachings 30
Good and evil in Sahaja Yoga 33
Purity 34
Crusadership 36
Negativity 38
Malevolence 39
vii
Sahaja Yoga
Anomalous beings 40
Beliefs and sectarianism 42
Conclusion 44
Chapter Three MAKING CONTACT WITH MOTHER 45
Attracting people to Sahaja Yoga 46
Getting self-realisation 51
Cool breezes 55
Additional motivations 60
Social aspects of realisation 62
Conclusion 66
Chapter Four PRACTISING SAHAJA YOGA 67
Defining ritual 68
The aims and effects of Sahaja Yoga ritual 69
Ritual stages 70
Stage One: Purification 71
Stage Two: Protection 73
Stage Three: Worship 77
International rituals 80
The adoption of South Asian ritual forms 82
Embodied practice 85
Social ritual 86
A relaxed approach to ritual 90
Conclusion 92
Chapter Five LEARNING TO LOVE MOTHER 93
The characteristics of charisma 94
The foundations of charismatic authority 95
Different types of charismatic attraction 97
The charisma of Sri Mataji 99
Understanding 'who she really is' 101
Reaffirming charisma 107
Protecting charisma 110
Different constructions of charisma 114
Conclusion 117
Vlll
Contents
Chapter Six A WOMAN'S ROLE IN SAHAJA
YOGA 119
Ideal and actuality 119
Gender ideals 120
Female images in Sahaja Yoga 121
The Goddess and Lakshmi 125
Gender socialization 127
Social modelling 128
Gender and ritual 132
Women and social conformity 134
Reactions to the female role 135
Variety in the group 138
Differing locations 138
Competing socializations 140
Informal authority 140
Conclusion 142
Chapter Seven SOCIALIZING A SECOND
GENERATION 145
Belonging to a family 145
The advice of Sri Mataji 148
'Who Sri Mataji really is' through
children's eyes 153
Variations in socialization 154
Sahaja Yoga children in Britain 155
Children in Sahaja Yoga schools 159
Criticisms of socialization 161
Parental misgivings 163
Differences in world view 164
Conclusion 166
Chapter Eight LEAVING MOTHER 168
Forestalling departure 168
Modes of exit 171
Choosing to leave 172
Stay or leave 176
Expulsion 176
IX