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Sahaja Yoga PDF

286 Pages·1999·4.6 MB·English
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SAHAJA YOGA Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement This page intentionally left blank SAHAJA YOGA Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement Judith Coney I ~ ~~o~1!~n~~:up 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

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