Sorry, your patent on yoga has run out

Its shame Hindu once become known thinks he is the GUru and has started new trend. Chopra has become arrogant and as usual is enemy of hinduisum once born out of hindus and betraying hinduisum for self gain.Ultimetely these people pay dearly.

Dear Dr Chopra,

There are many things about your agenda I find uplifting, but not this one. It seems like new-age gurus such as yourself (and I don't mean it in any derogatory sense) some how have to justify the lack of appreciating or rooting the practice of Yoga in traditional systems of learning (ie Samkhya + Vedanta philosophy, which are the mainstay of Hinduism as we know it today).

I don't see New Agers "secularizing" Tai Chi Chuan or Chi Gung that way (they all seem to acknowledge and respect these as Taoist arts)! The question many of us (who happen to agree with Dr Shukla) who think about this, see it primarily as a result of constant plagiarism of Indic traditions and knowledge systems.

One Mr. Rajiv Malhotra of The Infinity Foundation has also done extensive study on this phenomenon and calls it "The U-Turn Theory", where a seeker comes into the tradition with the earnestness of a genuine student, with total humility and respect; but after completing the studies rebrands/repackages the material as his/her own (or Westernizes it to make it saleable to the target demographic), with absolutely no reference to the source.

If your Yogis and Yoginis of today base their practice on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, then you should have no problem acknowledging the fact that it is based on a combination of Sankhya and Vedanta and is thus really "Hindu".

This doesn't mean that all of us who support Dr Shukla's stance are somehow fundamentalists or Hindu Chauvinists. It only means that we are more sympathetic towards our Mother Culture which is unapologetically Hindu!

What??? Yoga did not come from Hinduism? As much as I admire Chopra for his abilities to enthrall and educate the higher truth packaged in a way that West can benefit, he sounds like Charlatan telling lies and twisted truths who is afraid of losing profits in selling his goods. If Chopra is true to his teaching, at the least he should have been silent but most importantly come out and make the connection.

Yoga is product of Hinduism. Just as a child, no matter how much it is has grown, the roots cannot be changed and are readily identified, what is wrong in asserting the connection. Asserting does not make it less available to humanity, just as different kinds of Buddhists meditations does not benefit any less.

It is the sad fate of Hinduism, that many such people who immensely benefit professionally and monetarily from Hinduism, find it convenient not to mention Hinduism. They learned to benefit monetarily from its teachings, but not benefit the higher truth it gives.

Regards,
Sekhar

Dear Mr. Deepak Chopra,

Yoga is not just postures, Yoga is a way-of-life.
Yuj, the word Yoga is derived means joining together.
Yoga was a way of life,
KarmaYoga, Jnaanayoga, Rajayoga, .....

Seen in this light, Yogic way of life was espoused by Vedic Indians and every one is allowed to follow it.

I fail to see, why this argument "Yoga is independent of Hinduism" is touted so much.
Hinduism has so many ideas to contribute and Yogasana is just one among them.

Yama, Niyama, Asana, dharana, ....... no one bothers..

Chopra knows which side the bread is buttered. For all his pontifications about universality of Yoga, the fact remains that although he has written books focussing on Buddha and Christ, he is too ashamed to write a book on Vedic Sages or Krishna because they are regarded highly by Hindus.

It seems somewhat hypocritical of Chopra to tell Hindus (whose ancestors discovered Yoga) what our faith means when just a few years ago, he reached an out of court settlement with a prostitute who allegedly produced a credit card voucher signed by Chopra in lieu of her services! What type of Yogic postures was he allegedly practicing with her?

And his Yoga is meant only for the Hollywood type, ultra rich and page 3 celebrities. Whereas the true Yoga, unpatented and Hindu, is accessible to all, including the poorest.

Patanjali was only a late formulator of Yoga. Hindu tradition itself states that Hiranyagarbha, whose origins are shrouded in antiquity, founded Yoga. Only 2 verses of his work survive as quotations.

To dissociate Sanatana Dharma from Hinduism and Vedic scriptures from these two is semantic jugglery. Hinduism is like a river. The Vedas are its well-springs. Just as the water from the source of a river continues to flow downstream even after it is augmented by numerous other tributaries, we do not say that the well-spring water is separate from the downstream river. In a similar way, the Vedas are the most ancient textual bases of Hinduism and it is quite mischievous to separate the Vedic spiritual tradition from Hinduism. The former is a part of the latter, chronologically and in every other way.

Chopra gives the false analogy that just as Christians cannot claim to invent prayer, Hindus cannot claim to have discovered the Yoga. The first claim is false because prayer existed before Christianity. The second is not false because Yoga existed as a component in ancient Hinduism, Vedic or whatever name you want to give it. Yoga is the heart of Hinduism, and it is correctly and completely understood only within its Hindu context. Just see the grotesque varieties of Yoga being peddled by fake Gurus in the West who have stripped Yoga of its Hindu moorings.

Chopra does not have a single word to say against the numerous Yoga teachers who patent their 'universal' yoga techniques, but has the gall to call Hindus as fundamentalists when they are merely claiming what was truly discovered by them. Why does he not ask them to stop patenting these spiritual tecniques? What a hypocrite! Perhaps he does not wish to antagonize these money'd and power Yoga 'teachers' in the US for the fear of losing his own financial interests.

Sir,
you say "When liberation occurs, the yogi is freed from the religious trappings that enclose Yoga"

YOGA is about us, the world around us and the cause of the world and us. What "relgious trappings" are you talking aobut?

You say, "Religious rites and the worship of gods has always been seen as being in service to a higher cause, knowing the self."

No one can argue this point. But, we need to say that hindu sacraments, worship, rites are all based on yoga(as defiend above)! Is this 'trapping'?
Viswa Sharma

Chopra,

The reason there was no good defense for you on this blog:

What you wrote was not just a lie, but an unnecessary and malicious lie. Middle-aged, PBS watching, white women will quickly leave a red shoe wearing egotistical charlatan, if they think he is dishonest.

sleep well

Deepak sounds like a Goldman Sach executive proscribing evil motive on those who dare to point out his plagiarism.

Deepak's poor choice of words here & his usage of filthy language in rediff.com interview reveals his true nature.

While Yoga doesn't require prescribing to Hindu beliefs, nobody can ever deny its Hindu roots. It tells about Chopra's insecurity of his own background, when he attempts anything like that. That's why he called others fundamentalists, and chickened out of the debate like a leftist-liberal.

YEAL9,

The days of cornering Hindus with Caste/Curry/Cow Euro-centric stereotypes for your evangelizing efforts are over. Millions of falsehoods have been spread for colonizing and proselytizing ways. Now it's time to discover Truth, slowly and surely they will be revealed.

YEAL9,

More education for you.

Logic behind perversion of caste
http://indianrealist.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/what-caste-actually-was-like/

YEAL9,

From wikipedia: ENJOY.

Although generally identified with Hinduism, the caste system was also observed among followers of other religions in the Indian subcontinent, including some groups of Muslims and Christians.

In some parts of India, the Christians are stratified by sect, location, and the castes of their predecessors,[46] usually in reference to upper class Syrian Malabar Nasranis. Christians in Kerala are divided into several communities, including Syrian Christians and the so-called "Latin" or "New Rite" Christians. Syrian Christians, especially Knanaya Christians tend to be endogamous, and tend not to intermarry with other Christian castes.

Now some rude awakening for you...
Caste as British Creation
http://indianrealist.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/caste-as-british-creation/

"Ask the Native Americans? Well, they are mostly exterminated. Whoever is left are caged in zoos called reservations! Their traditions are vanquished, they have no voice!"

Or their traditions, e.g. sweatlodge, are stolen by New Age "gurus" peddling self-awareness bunk at $1000 a person or more, and that doesn't respect the culture that they're stealing it from. Look at the self-awareness guru that was running a sweatlodge in Sedona, AZ that killed several people. Pagans see a lot of this newage (rhymes with sewage) crap, because there's a lot of overlap between the Pagan and New Age communities. We like to joke that the difference between a Pagan seminar and a New Age one is the placement of the decimal point.

From Wikipedia:

"Modern status of the caste system

In some rural areas and small towns, the caste system is still very rigid. Caste is also a factor in the politics of India (see Caste politics in India).

The Government of India has officially documented castes and subcastes, primarily to determine those deserving reservation (positive discrimination in education and jobs) through the census. The Indian reservation system, though limited in scope, relies entirely on quotas. The Government lists consist of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes:

Scheduled castes (SC)

Scheduled castes generally consist of former "untouchables" (the term "Dalit" is now preferred). The present population is 16% of the total population of India (around 160 million). For example, the Delhi state has 49 castes listed as SC.[43]

Scheduled tribes (ST)

Scheduled tribes generally consist of tribal groups. The present population is 7% of the total population of India i.e. around 70 million.

Other Backward Classes (OBC)

The Mandal Commission covered more than 3000 castes under OBC Category and stated that OBCs form around 52% (which includes casts like Jat (जाट)) of the Indian population. However, the National Sample Survey puts the figure at 32%.[44] There is substantial debate over the exact number of OBCs in India. It is generally estimated to be sizable, but many believe that it is lower than the figures quoted by either the Mandal Commission or the National Sample Survey.[45]

No matter what caste you might be in, bad Hindus are reincarnated as "non-yoga" Muslims!!!

YEAL9,

"Upper-caste" Hindus have been heeding Gandhi's call for over a 100 years and breaking down barriers built upon garbage, filth and refuse. And before Gandhi there were others, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-90). In the last 50 years there have been several "upper-caste" Hindus who have followed their path - Baba Amte who etablished Anandvan in Eastern Maharashtra to rehabilitate leprosy patients. Sulabh Shauchalaya, founded by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, constructs public toilets and rehabilitates public hygiene workers. Read about Dr. Pathak here poopthebook.com/blog/ and an account by David Praeger, American author and chronicler. There are many other organizations that work with the so-called untouchables and have been so successful that "soul harvesters" find it tough going in these communities. You should read up more before you blather.

bcvsam1234 said:

"Whats the big deal?
YOGA is good for everyone...hindu, jew, moslem, christian and athiest
Whatever the source...we say thanks and practice it."

The big deal is that Christianity is good at stealing from other traditions and appropriting it as its own original. Not content with that it removed all traces of other traditions it stole from(genocided). Don't forget the Easter was a Pagan festival and Dec 25 was winter solstice and celebrated by Mitras. Where are they now?

Yes, Hindus, atheists, agnosts and all decent people should be alarmed at the theft of Yoga. Calling Yoga as Christian Yoga is nothing but theft.

Yeal9,
a few points:
1. Hinduism is not looking for converts because Hinduism doesn't believe in it. It is only Christianity & Islam that look for converts. So you may or may not choose to enjoy Yoga, and if you do, you may or may not choose to change your belief system. It's up to you because that's what religion is about. Making yourself better, not accumulating power. This is in contrast to the Pope & Bishops who sacrificed young boys to maintain their image & power.

2. In America, in every office building there are CEOs and there are people who clean toilets. That's just how life is. In India, the poverty & infrastructure is underdeveloped and life is much harder. So the modernizations of the last century are severely lagging, but steadily improving.

3. The poverty in India is because of hundreds of years of colonial exploitation. The other possibility is that Indians are inherently inferior people. You decide.

4. The Chief Justice of India's Supreme Court, a recent President, and an author of the Indian Constitution are all "untouchables". Your simplistic caricature of caste is amusing and inaccurate, but it is unnecessary for this discussion about Yoga.

Until the upper castes of India clean up their own wastes and the waste of the worshiped/revered/venerated cows, Hinduism will not find many "yoga" converts.

And is not true that all bad Hindus are reincarnated as Muslims?

This article is a bit of shameless propaganda to protect Chopra's fraud on gullible Americans.
It is so absurd in its attempt to delink Hinduism & Yoga, that none of the usual suspects from Christianity or Islam have even commented on this blog. Everyone (including Deepak Chopra) knows Yoga is intrinsically linked to Hinduism.

YOGA = HINDUISM = SANATAN DHARMA = VEDANTA

It's not that complicated. All these names and methods point to the same one Truth.

Pick your path. Become a better person. Evolve spiritually.

The Rig Veda, the oldest text of Hinduism and the oldest spiritual text on any kind, said it a long time ago (7000+ years ago).
"Truth is One, the sages call it by many names."
Enough said.
Who really needs a charlatan with red shoes and red glasses like Deepak. He does not claim to understand Hinduism, so why does he speak for Hinduism? He only speaks for himself.

BCVSAM1234,

"Whats the big deal?"

Ask the Native Americans? Well, they are mostly exterminated. Whoever is left are caged in zoos called reservations! Their traditions are vanquished, they have no voice! Do you want to see a repeat of that for Indic civilization! Check this out.
http://rajivmalhotra.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30:risa-lila-1-wendys-child-syndrome&catid=20:american-education-reform&Itemid=26

"Whatever the source...we say thanks and practice it"

Forget saying Thanks! It's worse than that! It's about delinking Yoga from Hinduism and worse marketing it with falsehoods that's core of the issue.

The word yoga derives from Yuj, a Sanskrit root meaning 'to join' suggesting the fusion of the two principles atman and brahman, self and totality. It is interpreted to mean the union of individual consciousness or 'Jiva-atman' with Parmatma - Universal Being or Over-Soul. It has been practiced since very early times in India and is supported by engraved seals discovered at Indus-Saraswati civilization. Its association with India is beyond doubt, and it is certainly central to Hinduism.

http://hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philosophy.htm

NAVIN1,

Some more examples of Christian "Stealing"

Rigveda is not Indian says missionary
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=8940

Xian pastor claiming Tiruvalluvar as a Xian saint.
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2009/08/video-of-xian-pastor-claiming.html

Mary wears Bindi & Sari , Joseph wears Turban in "Indian" Bible to fool Hindus
http://www.thestar.com/living/religion/article/722554--westhead-india-s-new-bible-wears-a-bindi

RISHISREE,

Try to live at least 10% upto to your name, educate yourself before you spout ignorance.

"I see a deeper root of Ahankara(ego) claiming this knowledge is mine through association to my clan"

Really? Did you read the column? Is that what your pea-brain inferred? All he was saying was - give credit where it's due, don't try to delink it from Hinduism as AYA does or worse don't market it as Christian Yoga. Go, read it again!

"There might be a subtle intention to compensate the prejudice against his clan"

Subtle? you must be living in a well! Check out Rajiv Malhotra's scholarly work and you will see the tip of an iceberg of white/Christian racism against anything Indic. http://rajivmalhotra.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=0&Itemid=9

"May be he should check when was the word "Hindu" first coined?"

May be you should ask your western masters who did that?

"I wish there could be other word which is rooted in tradition"

Thanks for revealing your ignorance. The word you are looking for is Sanatana dharma.

NAVIN1,

"The real problem is some groups claim to own the Truth. Whether it is the atheists, the christians,or the muslims, these groups claim ownership of Truth. Now their history is to claim a truth from other groups, that admit no one can own the truth, pervert it and then feed it back to the world as their own"

Extremely well said. Here are examples from India where Christian missionaries are marketing Christianity using Hinduism.

Christians use Gayatri Mantra to hunt souls!
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=9009&SKIN=D

"Without the practice of yoga, How could knowledge Set the atman (soul) free? asks the Yogatatva Upanishad. Yoga: union with the ultimate. Carl G. Jung the eminent Swiss psychologist, described yoga as 'one of the greatest things the human mind has ever created.' Yoga sutra consists of two words only: yogash chitta-critti-nirodah, which may be translated: “Yoga is the cessation of agitation of the consciousness.”

http://hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philosophy.htm

True Yoga is Hinduism. American Yoga/Christian Yoga is like Yogurt as someone said it

Hinduism does not own yoga. Hinduism does not own the Vedas. It does not own the Upanishads, the Gita, the Ramayana, the Tantra.. Truth is beyond ownership.

That is not the problem being discussed. Although it is the problem being discussed.

The real problem is some groups claim to own the Truth. Whether it is the atheists, the christians,or the muslims, these groups claim ownership of Truth. Now their history is to claim a truth from other groups, that admit no one can own the truth, pervert it and then feed it back to the world as their own: christmas, easter, animal rescue, women's rights, science... and of course compassion, caring, ahimsa, stayagraha. Likewise, people are now trying to patent genes and plants.

So what do these people who claim to own truth do with it. They destroy culture after culture, they lie about their origins, the deceive about their intentions, and they monopolize the intellectual space.

Along comes a good Hindu who knows he does not own truth. He gives his truth to these monopolists, the monopoloists use the truth, and then destroy the good Hindu. After all, once Hinduism is not synonymous with ahimsa, satya, citta, ananda, yoga, veda, vigna, vidya, surya/asurya duality, all that remains of Hinduism is ritual and that can be discarded, so Hinduism can be discarded. Once Hinduism is discarded, then the idea that you can have a personal relationship with the supreme beyond form can be discarded. Then the monotheists can do and say whatever they want and people will follow, armageddon comes, hell arrives on earth as the prince of darkness, jesus, and his right hand man, mohamed, take over.

But how do you fight this mahasura? The patent power of Devi, with ALL the shakti of all of the Devas that understood that truth is worth fighting for. And so, we must stand up and say: when you seek the truth you are being Hindu, when you seek justice, you are being Hindu, when you seek to act, you are being Hindu, when you seek knowledge, you are being Hindu. When you align your goals with the supreme, you are being Hindu. And if you don't want to be Hindu, we Hindus still believe you are being Hindu but choose to blind yourself from the truth. But if you want honestly to not be Hindu, close your eyes to the truth, close your eyes to justice, close your eyes to the need to act, and do this, if you want, by opening your eyes to a book or a heaven that you worship. If in your book you find happiness, or if you find it in "ours," that is fine. But if you claim that this is your truth when it is not, we will reclaim it for this is but another datum of your himsic, lying nature.

No, Hindus don't own truth, we must, though, be willing to fight for it.

hariaum

I think that in America, it is pretty much common knowledge, meaning "everyone knows it," that yoga comes from India. But Hinduism is very complex, and America is not culturally Hindu, so most Americans don't know much about Hinduism.

So what?

Isn't it really a bigger problem for Hinduism, that probably many, if not most Americans think of India as an Islamic country and that Hinduism is some sort of variation on Islam? There are so many Pakistanis in American who are Islamic, and so many Indian Moslems in America, and we cannot really tell the difference between Indians and Pakistani's, they are all the same to most Americans.

So, does that make us any stupider than any other culture?

to justme18 -- would you please contact dr. shukla directly and make your claims so that he can explain to you what he said in the essay (which you don't seem to have read)? it is nice to know that you come from a long line of hindu priests but that would not compensate for not reading dr. shukla's essay or for merely buying hook, line, and sinker mr. chopra's attack piece.

Whats the big deal?

YOGA is good for everyone...hindu, jew, moslem, christian and athiest
Whatever the source...we say thanks and practice it.

Doctor,
Sorry, your patient has run out ... and for good reason!!

--Patented Hindu

Deepak
Whats up with you? Shukla is not claiming a patent. Far from it...
All he is expecting is an acknowledgment. In fact he is all for distributing yoga very similar to a MIT public license
Here is a key statement in that license

"Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
[[SNIP]]
to deal in the Software without
restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
[[Snip]]
to the following
conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software"

All he is asking is that the copyright the Sanatan Dharma ( ie: Hinduism) has to be included with the redistributed version.
You see this as fundamentalism?

If you look at the trend, people in the "business" are taking ancient free knowledge and patenting it ( whether it be W. R. Grace patenting Neem Tree antifungal or Chopra patenting stuff he learned from his grandmother!)

Day and night from a patent.

"Hindu philosophy was the basis of Bhuddhism. Buddha was born in India a Hindu and died a Hindu."

clearthinking1,

Interestingly, this concept applies equally to Christianity. Jesus was born a Jew and died a Jew. Everything that came after was made up by human beings with a variety of agendas.

Religion always fares best when it has a dead icon to venerate. The dead can be made to say anything you want them to.

I thought yoga was owned by middle- and upper-class White women. No?

Nope... Hindus don't own Yoga... White suburban transplants who are taking over my beautiful Brooklyn own Yoga and I wish you would take it back to India. maybe bring some of these Park Slope breeders with you.

Thanks

I just read Aseem Shukla's article and couldn't help laughing. I see a deeper root of Ahankara(ego) claiming this knowledge is mine through association to my clan. However, it is seems totally unintentional. There might be a subtle intention to compensate the prejudice against his clan. May be he should check when was the word "Hindu" first coined? I tell people I am Hindu but the word doesn't have any roots in the tradition(Wikipedia). I wish there could be other word which is rooted in tradition.

http://symposiumindia.com/frontpage/directory/item/162-why-both-deepak-and-aseem-may-be-wrong

The spirit of yoga (any school) is flatly contradicted by this entire argument. Or by any argument or conflict.

When it comes to yoga, Just Do It!

I am forever grateful to Hatha yoga (which has been around for only about a century, by the way) for liberating me from the otherwise inevitable deteriorations of middle age.

I am a Hindu, from a long line of Hindu priests at one of India's major temples. And I have practiced yoga, pranayama and meditation in the Krishnamacharya tradition for over thirty years, and read the Gita and Upanishads every day for forty years - in Sanskrit. So, if any of you defenders of Hinduism wish to respond to this, please keep this in mind.

Generally, Chopra's ability to package platitudes for silicon-stuffed, botoxed, former beauties from Hollywood astonishes me, just as much as his ability to turn all this into a hugely profitable enterprise amazes me.

But, he is absolutely right here.

Hinduism - as Radhakrishnan famously said -is a way of life. And the whole point is to not sign your name or to patent your ideas - but to believe that they are all part of a collective effort to discern the universal truth.

So, let all the Americans who want to BREATHE IN 1-2-3, BREATHE OUT 1-2-3, while imagining mandalas blowing away underneath some Rimpoche's head while he rests in Shirsasana with his belly hanging over his chest, go right ahead - if it makes them better human beings.

Yoga belongs to everyone. If any Indian Hindu has a problem with this please stop using lightbulbs or cars, or watching movies or voting in elections, or doing anything else invented by the Western world.

davemerson said:

"To get hung-up on which religious tradition it comes from completely misses the point."

No it does not. Why do some people have hang-ups regarding attribution?

Non attribution of sources and claiming some one else's work as one's own is considered plagiarism. Why should't similar standards used for Yoga and Hinduism?

Wow! I am transfixed at 4:00 a.m. with my first cup of coffee reading what seems to be the East's version of the Tea Party vs. Modernity.

IN DEEPAK CHOPRA'S OWN WORDS:
You will get a sense of his ego and self-serving nature. This is his own description of how he left his Guru:

"...practical considerations loomed large at that moment. I had a family with children in school, a wife who decidedly did not want to live an ashram life
I told Maharishi that I had no ambitions to be a guru myself - the very idea appalled me.
A contrite and forgiving Maharishi was on the line. He said, "You are my son, you will inherit all that I have created. Come back and all will be yours." I replied that I didn't want what he was offering.
When we parted, he said, "Whatever you do will be the right decision for you. I will love you, but I will also be indifferent to you from now on."
What followed for me was the arc of a public career that became more acceptable to the outside world once I was no longer aligned with a guru."

He ungratefully took from his Guru, and he ungratefully takes from Hinduism & Vedanta. He would rather undermine Hinduism than risk being exposed as a fraud.

Mr Chopra,

You, trained as a medical doctor should not be indulging in logical fallacies. First you say

"First, yoga is a spiritual discipline in India, and always has been. The aim of the practice is liberation. When liberation occurs, the yogi is freed from the religious trappings that enclose Yoga. Those trappings have always been incidental to the deeper aim of enlightenment."

The above para clearly enunciates Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma. The goal of a Hindu is 'liberation', not that of mainstream Christian, Muslim or a Jew. Goal of semitic traditions is reaching heaven.

Later you say

"Secondly, yoga did not originate in Hinduism as Prof. Shukla claims. Perhaps he has a fundamentalist agenda in mind, but he must know very well that the rise of Hinduism as a religion came centuries after the foundation of yoga in consciousness and consciousness alone"

So, where did Yoga originate from Judaism, Christianity or Islam? Where did the concept of consciousness arise from, other than Sanatana Dharma?

If you are a Advaita Vedantin as you claim, you should know that you are indulging in adharma to fatten your pocket.

All Deepak Chopra has done is to recycle and repackage Hindu philosophy and ideas as his own to mint money in the West. Next he will claim that Vedas don’t belong to Hinduism. This article just shows that Deepak Chopra suffers from low self esteem and will bend backward to make the West happy as they are his clientele.

The fact is that Yoga does belong to Hinduism and India. Vedic knowledge, Bhagavad Geeta and Yoga are Hinduism presents to the whole humanity and you don’t have to be a Hindu to follow Vedic knowledge, Geeta and practice Yoga. However, to deny that Yoga does not belong to Hinduism is shameful and being a hypocrite.

Tiffany33,
Thanks for your honesty. You wrote:
"I have no background in Hinduism."
If you do Yoga, you have a background in Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma). You may not understand this yet, but keep pursuing Yoga, beyond the postures (asanas).

"But how does that affect you or individual Hindus personally? Can't you (collectively) leave that to karma?"
This is probably the most important question you or anyone could have asked. People are upset because this follows a pattern of 200 years of British colonialism when a systematic attempt was made to demean and diminish Hinduism by Christian missionaries and colonial rulers. This is how you rule people - humiliation - its a simple formula.

It worked. Even many Hindus are ashamed of Hinduism. People like Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer are afraid to admit where they get their ideas. Yoga Journal won't mention Hinduism. A dishonest & cynical recent attempt has been to create the narrative that Yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism. This is simply incorrect.

People like you may find it hard to accept that Hinduism is much more and very different from what you think after centuries of propaganda. Anything negative is attached to Hinduism. Anything positive is detached. Yoga is one example. Meditation is another. Hindu philosophy was the basis of Bhuddhism. Buddha was born in India a Hindu and died a Hindu. Buddhism was only in India/Sri Lanka for the first 1000 years under & around Hinduism. Buddha is revered by Hindus as an Avatar like Krishna or Rama. Zen comes from the Sanskrit work Dhyan (meditation). Hinduism is not polytheistic. It is philosophically monistic and religiously pluralistic and accepts all paths. Did you know this?

So, "Buddhism" good, Yoga good, Meditation good. Hinduism bad? The philosophy of Hinduism (Vedanta) and methods of Hinduism (meditation & Yoga) have been systematically delinked. So when a businessman like Deepak Chopra with credibility amongst the gullible plays the same game for a self-serving reason, it will illicit a reaction.

Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) is unique & very different from all other "religions". It has no founder, unlike Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism. It does not have just one text, but a library of texts. Its foundation is in a deep monistic philosophy. It is neither yet both polytheistic or monotheistic. It is truly pluralistic and tolerant, which is why it allows many paths. There's much to learn, much more than caste and cows.

There is a collective sense of humiliation for Hindus who don't understand the politics of belittling Hinduism; and there is a sense of urgency to correct the record among those Hindus who understand Hinduism and the politics, historically and today.

Deepak Chopra is no scholar of Hinduism or any religion. He is a performer/entertainer.

Mr. Chopra,
Your well orchestrated charade is rapidly falling apart.

Now, you are using your bully pulpit to LIE to gullible and well-meaning Americans. And why? To protect your financial empire? No, it's doing fine. Sadly, it's to protect your ego.
Fortunately, now that 2nd Generation Hindu Americans can articulate the profound thoughts of Hinduism & Vedanta philosophy (including Yoga, you cynical liar), nobody needs egotistical & cynical charlatans like you.

Your exotic, staccato Ganga Din Indian accent loses all it's appeal (and money making ability). The red shoes & red glasses need no comment.
Even Dr. Wayne Dyer and his "source" won't be interesting when people know the real "source" of your writings.

At long last, Chopra, have you no shame?
Is this how you are going to go out? A cynical, hurtful, self-serving, selfish nothing-man of Hindu Indian origins who brings shame with his lies & deception.

Here's an ancient Vedic Sanskrit Shloka for your next book:

"You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run"

You have shown your hand, and now it's better to run, than walk away.

BTW, Feel free to use this quote without citing your sources in your next book. Don't worry, those gullible PBS viewers won't notice.

Perhaps instead of questioning the motives of Dr. Shukla, you should first read what he said. It is professional to cite references and credit the origins of anything you are talking about. That was all Dr. Shukla was saying.

Dr. Chopra doesn't offer any of his own theories about where yoga came from. Perhaps that would hurt the "brand" of yoga that he is merchandising?

Hinduism never requires you to "live by the book". In fact, anyone can he a Hindu as long as he or she has an open and critical mind. This is precluded from first principles in Christianity and Islam the way I see it practiced. So, what is your problem really, Dr. Chopra..?

Too bad you can bad mouth Hinduism, and try to misinterpret what has been said through the shastras. But they warn about nitpicking and defining religion and god in narrow senses. Heck in Bhagavad Gita, God even says that anyone can worship any god or form that suits him. That must include Jesus or Allah or a piece of rock. It is the contemplatin of the divine that matters.

May be you should meditate upon that..

Sa tapo tapyatah. Sa tapas taptvaah!! (Taitiriya Upanashad, Sikshaa valli.)

Deepak,

If you have not already done so, please watch Julia Sweeney's monologue "Letting Go of God". You are one of the "stars" in the show.

To wit:

"I was so intrigued with this quantum mechanics that Deepak refers to over and over and over again in his books, that I decided to take a class in it.

And what I found is-Deepak Chopra is full of sh__!"

Regarding comments on Yoga being too spiritual/scientific/rational/broadminded to be religious: this is a true if by religion one means Abrahamic religion. But not so if by religion we refer to one of the Indic dharmas. This may be the source of confusion for Americans.

There is a well known incident when the famous mathematician Hardy declared that Srinivasan Ramanujan was an atheist like himself much to the horror of Ramanujan's Hindu friends (Ramanujan was himself an orthodox Hindu and refused to travel abroad for a long time). Hardy's reason was: Ramanujan declared all religions to be equally valid/useful and hence he could not belong to any religion!

To those accustomed to Abrahamic religion it is hard to imagine religion being open/rational/non-exclusive/tolerant. But the modern world affords enough opportunities to correct view (read for instance Erwin Schrodinger's excellent book "What is life?" where he argues that Vedantic view of the universe is the most logical/satisfactory or read the writings of Sri Aurobindo). Religion was never a matter of faith in India ("shraddha" is not faith) but every minute claim was subject to most rigorous examination. Infact, the whole school of logic or Nyaya evolved to facilitate this thorough going rational examination. As a result, unlike other religions, Indic dharmas are hardly threatened by progress of science and infact in many cases are vindicated by it.
Hindus don't convert nor do they declare none Hindus will get sauteed for eternity. Hindus are a contented lot and go out of their way to acknowledge any gift they might have received (like physics/biology..). They have never formed narrow groups and ranged against others.

Presented with this evidence it is your choice to either revise your view Hinduism or to continue with the deliberately distorted view of Hinduism and feel threatened each time some truth pops out.

"Some of the archaelogists working to "uncover" the Indus valley civilization are also people with deep-seated anti-Hindu biases. They cannot be expected to help."

Good point.

It is perplexing that Mr Chopra completely ignores Dr. Shukla's point and comes up with a knee-jerk accusation of him having an agenda. Does it reveal something about Mr. Chopra's motivations? What is fundamentalist about stating the obvious -- that Yoga is a part of Hinduism. It is one of the Shad-darsanas of Hinduism whether Chopra likes it or not! Every Hindu who has no vested personal interest will find it ridiculous that some one can even think of dissociating Yoga from Hinduism. Are they all fundamentalists or insecure? Quite a statement!

But the larger issue is this and all concerned must ponder this: Before being introduced America, Yoga was exported to several great and ancient cultures like China, Tibet, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and even to several central asian cultures. Not until now has something so narrow and mean as to dissociate Yoga from its origin has been attempted. None of these cultures had any trouble assimilating Yoga and preserving the sacred gift while acknowledging its roots. There was no discomfort on part of the receiving culture. But the moment Yoga gets introduced to America, first it gets commercialized, grossly sexualized and now this crass attempt to sever it from its roots. Forget Deepak Chopra, who is just a dishonest man pandering to his client's fancies. ***It reflects on the bigoted and fundamentalist nature of the American culture that such an issue even arises***

As for the advice from "Yoga Siromani", if he/she knew the first thing about Yoga, he/she would know certificates and degrees count for little in Indic traditions unlike Abrahamic religions. This is not Harry Potter and no Hogwarts School of wizardry is recognized.

What a stupid article ? It's full of BS.

Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are religions.

Paramhansa Yogananga was very clear that yoga is not a religion. It is a science - the science of self-realization - that is, the realization of God within each of us. It is science because the practices of asana, pnanayama and meditation can be tested and repeated with predictable results.

No one knows for sure about the origins of yoga. Historians can't even agree when exactly Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras, or whether it was written by more than one person. To get hung-up on which religious tradition it comes from completely misses the point.

HURLEYBIRD,

What are you hurling?

"Jaaajose is correct and futuralogic has not even offered a counterargument, just insults"

Did you read my reply?

"but this time he is spot on"

Because you are a Christian and you were wondering how to do Yoga without being entrapped in pagan belief? Now that Chopra says it you are cool with it? Go ahead and try it!?

This is classic Deepak Chopra. He would trivialize everyone's history, heritage and suffering except that of the Muslims.

Here are some of Chopra's big gaffes:
He claimed in CNN on November 27 2008 that the Mumbai attack happened because of America's war on terrorism and its attack on Iraq. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-haimoff/deepak-chopra-on-mumbai-t_b_146837.html

Why Islam needs an apology: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/deepak_chopra/2009/04/why_islam_needs_an_apology.html

mr.Chhopara,
there are bunch of Amichand was born in Idia and will be born again. That is about it.

@Athena4
How do you know when Hinduism originated? Seals with yoga postures and Siva symbols have been found to exist in antiquity. How do you then separate yoga from Hindusim. Some of the archaelogists working to "uncover" the Indus valley civilization are also people with deep-seated anti-Hindu biases. They cannot be expected to help.

Jaaajose is correct and futuralogic has not even offered a counterargument, just insults. I usually find Deepak Chopra a little cheesey and superficial with all his "my beliefs are better than yours" diatribes against "organized religion," but this time he is spot on.

JAASJOSE, Classic Ignorant American!

"Living souls are prisoners
of the joys and woes of existence
to liberate them from nature's magic
the knowledge of the brahman is necessary.
It is hard to acquire, this knowledge,
but it is the only boat,
to carry one over the river of Samsara
A thousand are the paths that lead there,
Yet it is one, in truth,
knowledge, the supreme refuge!

- Yoga Upanishad

http://hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philosophy.htm

THOSE WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY HONEST can read the following:

Christian Yoga - The new appropriation Strategy of delinking yoga from Hinduism
http://www.christianaggression.com/item_display.php?type=ARTICLES&id=1117822416

Yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism. It is an excersise developed in India. Since mostly Indians are Hindus, they have added elements of Hinduism onto it.

Keeping aside the religious aspect, it is a good excersise for body as well as mind.

perhaps you should mediate upon your own name in your next yoga session: DeepPockets. And then decide if you'd rather have them stuffed with money from writing falsehoods such as this article or knowledge. You've certainly lost all credibility in my open book.

What in the world are you talking about? To my knowledge, no one who practices the Hindu religion has ever claimed to own yoga. Instead, it looks as if you've used this article and yoga in a personal attack against someone who's disagreed with you and you've retalitated with a false generalization. Maybe it's you who needs to study yoga a bit more carefully. I fear that you must have skipped a few lessons and practices in your quest to attain Americanized mainstream journalistic status, and that you're ill- informed as a result. Perhaps it's too many Larry King interviews that gives you this attitude of self-importance. How sad.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN YOGA'S ORIGINS:

http://hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philosophy.htm

Dr Chopra,

Your motivation for posting this article is not clear to me. For someone who has written so extensively on Indian spirituality, it is perplexing that you would make such a clear distinction between sanatana dharma and yoga. Because there truly is no such distinction in any Indian scriptures I can only wonder how you were able to be so dogmatic. Perhaps you forgot the basic teaching of Sanatana Dharma is the different ways to finding the Truth through karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga. Or maybe you decided that hatha yoga was somehow different from all this...I don't know it's unclear what you thought. Perhaps this is a good way to earn some "credibility" after a lot of recent bad press; simply denigrating "hinduism" which is easy given the paucity of understanding among Westerners about its strange gods and rituals. Very troubling behavior from someone who has peddled Indian philosophy for a career. In summary, I am troubled by what the motivation was behind all of this as anyone who knows even a little bit about Indian philosophy knows that there is no veracity in the content of your article.

Chopra ji,

Nothing in Shukla saab's piece about the divorce of Yoga from Hinduism was "fundamentalist."

He is bold to bring up an uncomfortable truth; one borne out by the comments of several people here. I admire the Christianity of Bishop John Shelby Spong, Bonhoeffer, and of Jesus himself and am a better person, I think, because of Christianity's influence upon my life.

None of this blinds me however to the truth and the spirit of many of Dr. Shukla's comments - whether about the intolerance at the core of Christian conversion efforts, its view of Hinduism as a pagan faith, or about the excision of Hinduism from Yoga in the US.

As you know, Christmas is a national holiday in India. We call it "Bara Din" or "Big Day" when many Indians, Christians and Hindus among others, celebrate. Whatever the form of our celebration, at the back of our mind we never forget that we do so because Christ was born on that day.

To excise Christ (or Christianity) from Christmas in India would be as unnatural and graceless a practice as the divorce of Yoga is in the US from Hinduism.

It is not fundamentalism to point this out.

Siddhartha Banerjee
Oxford, Pennsylvania

Thanksgiving? in front of a corpse of a dead bird? First Genocide, Then Lie About It.

Why I Hate Thanksgiving
By MITCHEL COHEN
http://www.counterpunch.org/cohen11272003.html

MUA..

For four hundred years--from the first Spanish assaults against the Arawak people of Hispaniola in the 1490s to the U.S. Army's massacre of Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee in the 1890s--the indigenous inhabitants of North and South America endured an unending firestorm of violence. During that time the native population of the Western Hemisphere declined by as many as 100 million people. Indeed, as historian David E. Stannard argues in this stunning new book, the European and white American destruction of the native peoples of the Americas was the most massive act of genocide in the history of the world.

American Holocaust
The Conquest of the New World
David E. Stannard
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/NativeAmerican/?view=usa&ci=0195085574

Futuralogic ~ ? Millions?

There was a vast epidemic ~ believed by reputable epidemiologists to be a type of hanta virus native to the Americas.

Even Conquistidores died of it.

Resettlement of North and South America ended up being delayed for many decades because of the deadly epidemic. The Spanish pretty much stayed to Caribbean islands during that period.

So, yes, the Americas were substantially depopulated, but they were not "slaim" by other people.

Barely a century earlier, a third of European people died in a similar epidemic ~ in that case brought about by bubonic plague.

In the early 19th century a vast famine happened in China ~ upwards of 300 million people died ~ which gave Europeans an opportunity to move in and set up shop without kow towing.

Hey, this stuff happens.

Best analysis I've ever seen has all the Spaniards who ever came to the Americas lined up holding swords. There is a vast number of Indians lined up preparing to walk past them. As the indians walk, the Spaniards cut off their heads.

Of course that never happened, but it turns out there were never enough Spanish swordsmen to do the job, not even if the Indians had willingly participated in their own destruction.

Best you sit down at your Thanksgiving Turkey and thank God that he replaced the former pollinators of the corn plants with your people when the old people died.

That's what we are in the grand design you know ~ we serve corn!

"I enjoyed the reference to leaving
the raft behind once the river
has been crossed"

As long as the reference is made that raft was used to cross the river. He He! Not a good analogy from you, but I have corrected it. It's just that there is a need to mention facts like Millions of Native Americans were slaughtered before America was built, I remember that on Thanksgiving day every year.

The 2nd sentence from the end seems to have a typo: "That's a very different matter form the millions..."

I believe "from" was intended rather than "form."

very nice to see so many comments.
I enjoyed the reference to leaving
the raft behind once the river
has been crossed.

ATHENA,

"I think yoga (or its predecessor) evolved before the birth of Hinduism"

You think!? When do you think Hinduism was born? Hinduism is a western misnomer for sanatana dharma that is at least 8000+ years old. Stretching the truth to fit your mindset?

Looks like BIGFOOT and other Christian fundamentalists ( yes, now that word is being used liberally) have recruited scamsters like Chopra to convince themselves. Because both have common interest in packaging their goods without giving credit where it's due and delinking it as much as they can!

Satyameva Jayate( Truth Alone Triumphs )

TIFFANY,

You said - "Whether that equates to not practicing the "right" way or honoring the proper Hindu religious traditions is irrelevant, IMHO"

Did you read Shukla's column? It may be irrelevant for you, but this delinking is part of a larger trend of West/Christianity misappropriating others' values as it's own. Enjoy Yoga but give credit where it's due. Read this to gain a larger perspective of how this being played out and why it matters to Hindus/Hinduism.

The Axis of Neocolonialism
http://rajivmalhotra.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29:the-axis-of-neocolonialism&catid=22:dialog-of-civilizations&Itemid=26

Deepak,

Thanks for this post. I read Mr. Shukla's article last week and it sent up a bunch of red flags for me too. It sounded like misguided fundamentalism in its tone, but I wasn't knowledgeable enough about Hinduism or the timeline of yoga to know for sure. You have clarified the issue and confirmed my suspicions on the original article.

I also appreciate your willingness to bother when you know you're going to be jumped on by so many on the comment boards. You seem to have become an easy target for people to project and then attack ideas that they don't like, whether these ideas have anything to do with you or not. Just so you know, the effort and wisdom is also appreciated.

Much thanks.

I hate to admit it, but Deepak's right on this one. I was just reading something about the Indus Valley Civilization, which pre-dates civilization in the Ganges basin (what one would term "proto-Hindu"), and archeologists have found several statues that are in the lotus position and other yoga postures. So, yeah, I think yoga (or its predecessor) evolved before the birth of Hinduism.

How's that Ig Nobel Prize doing, Deepak?

chopra has claimed his meditation caused the earthquake. he has to prove it. if he does not, he is a charlatan and a huckster. why does wapo have quibbles with that characterization of mr. chopra?

cbl 55 -- swadeshi does not mean equal respect to all religions... you don't know your yoga and you don't know your hindi/sanskrit. swadeshi means indigenous, self-produced...

"Whether that's right or wrong (again, I have no background in Hinduism), his effort to claim yoga is completely at odds with the teachings of yoga as I (and many other Americans) understand and practice it.

As far as profiting from yoga, the concept of patenting certain asanas is ridiculous, as is any attempt to sell it as new, rather than the ancient spiritual practice that it is. But how does that affect you or individual Hindus personally? Can't you (collectively) leave that to karma?

Posted by: tiffany33 "

==============

It's fairly right. Yoga has a long history in Hindu culture, and the way it's practiced in the U.S. largely ignores this history. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to partake in the religious or spiritual aspect of it, but the way it's taught, a lot of people don't even have a chance to make that choice for themselves because the studios so often divorce the physical and mental aspects from the spiritual aspects.

As for leaving it to karma, let me flip that one back to you. Wouldn't it be good karma for more practitioners to acknowledge that the practice is rooted in the spirituality of a still-active culture, rather than pretending it's some new-agey hokey-pokey woowoo? Or if you (or they) don't traffic in karma, wouldn't it just be common courtesy to acknowledge where something came from?

I don't see Shukla as paying lip service to anyone in his piece, so I think we may have to agree to disagree on that point.

Deepak,

If you have not already done so, please watch Julia Sweeney's monologue "Letting Go of God". You are one of the "stars" in the show.

To wit:

"I was so intrigued with this quantum mechanics that Deepak refers to over and over and over again in his books, that I decided to take a class in it.

And what I found is-Deepak Chopra is full of sh__!"

Julia Sweeney, Letting Go of God

(Ex-Catholic, now atheist) Julia Sweeney's monologue "Letting Go Of God" will be the final nail in the coffin of religious belief/faith and is and will continue to be more effective than any money-generating book or blog on the historical Jesus, your "Ultimate Happiness Prescription", atheism or secularism.

Buy the DVD or watch it on Showtime. Check your cable listings.
from www.amazon.com
"Letting Go of God ~ Julia Sweeney (DVD - 2008)

Five Star Rating

It's all about packaging. The people who are most interested in completely delinking yoga from Hinduism are the guys who are making all their money peddling yoga and new age stuff like Chopra who would want to attract as many people as they can. And the other bunch of people are the fundamentalists in the priestly classes who see their coreligionists drifting towards Yoga. Both groups are doing their best to sever any and all relationship that Yoga has with Hinduism.
Aseem Shukla (if only Chopra could read carefully) was also talking about the spirit being Yoga and how it was being lost in all of this.

I would like to know why my comment has been removed from this blog.

I raised the question of why WaPo keeps giving this guy free advertising space in its "On Faith" forum.

My message, posted around 11:00 a.m. was not inflammatory, as are many of the posts here. I simply asked why WaPo continues to run the columns of a huckster.

And someone at WaPo removed it.

What gives?

Chopra and his "happy molecules"! Wasn't he raked over the coals by the WSJ editor recently over this and other puerile nonsense. I have seen and heard Chopra and I am embarrassed that he peddles his new- age wares at PBS and other reputable places. He is not only intellectually, but as this piece shows morally and spiritually, challenged.

Well, it is amusing to see a religion try to claim spiritual practices for individual enlightenment as theirs; when of course religion is a business based on individuals not being able to get spiritual enlightenment without the intervention and intercession of priests between their deity and themselves. And while Yoga and Hinduism are intertwined; I doubt any Yogi would except the notion that the techniques and practices of Yoga whether Hatha Yoga or one of the other yogic disciplines arose from the Hindu religion! It is somewhat like the playing of guitars in Christian religious ceremonies and I'm sure few would claim Guitar playing arose from the Catholic church if if playing hymns was perhaps an early inspiration! Yoga goes far beyond the religious rituals and practices of Hinduism and has a much more ambitious goal than any religion!

For a little more on why “Sorry, your patent on yoga has run out” is true, and why Yoga, as most widely practiced in America, has nothing to do with religion, check this NYT article published a couple days ago"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/fashion/25yoga.html?src=me&ref=general

...I just hope someone will open a “Yoga to the People” studio in Colorado Springs!

Deepak's remarks are blasphemous. I refute pointwise below:

First: yes yoga is a spiritual discipline worldwide not in India alone, yet its origin in Hinduism still retains its sanctity. Hindus do not proclaim that yoga is trapped in their religion and thus yogis can experiment with it devoid of being bolted down to Hindu ethos but this in no way robs yoga's birth in the vedic ethos.

Secondly, Deepak alleges Shukla to have a fundamental agenda while the Hindus and their religion have proved from time immemorial to be the only ones pluralistic and inclusive and hence far from misquoted fundamentalism. Deepak's motivation for amassing material wealth and name by virtue of all that is vedic and Hindu and then demeaning is itself more fundamentally abusive than his argument.

Hindus are large hearted enough to not
establish ownership but to be told by Deepak of all men that it may be patented by someone else as an inventor almost unobtrusively signifies of his latent malice.

Yoga's popularity and acceptance cannot be fathomed by Deepak apparently squatting in his American ivory tower counting with glee his non-hindu disciples singing his praises as demi-god.

Hindus and Indians are by far a more internally peace-acquired lot "stithpragya" and Deepak cannot relate to this coz he is beyond practicing what he set about to preach in first place.

DKP01, I did read the original piece, and I commented early on that his title "The Theft of Yoga" really says it all.

His comment saying yoga is not just for Hindus sounds more like lip service for the benefit of his western audience, when the majority of the piece contradicts that. Most of his comments lament that Hinduism does not get credit for yoga. Whether that's right or wrong (again, I have no background in Hinduism), his effort to claim yoga is completely at odds with the teachings of yoga as I (and many other Americans) understand and practice it.

As far as profiting from yoga, the concept of patenting certain asanas is ridiculous, as is any attempt to sell it as new, rather than the ancient spiritual practice that it is. But how does that affect you or individual Hindus personally? Can't you (collectively) leave that to karma?

All religions have practices intended to aid the practitioner in engaging with God. The question is where is the boundary between practice and sacrament. Is a communal meal of some sort a practice shared by many faiths or is it a sacrament that others were disrespectful to have borrowed or does it depend on the circumstances? Is yoga a means of preparing the body for prayer and meditation that happens to have physical benefits as well, or is it a sacred activity unique to one group, or is it a gift from God designed to teach us the connection of our bodies to our souls? Is there a reason to kneel in prayer if you do not pray or does the action of kneeling bring you into prayer?

Tiffany33, if you read Shukla's piece that Chopra is responding to, you'll see that he's not saying you must practice Hinduism to fully practice yoga or get benefits from it. All he's saying is that it's a little messed up that people are taking things from Indian and Hindu culture, wiping out all the Indian or Hindu parts, and making money off it all the while pretending it has no roots in Indian or Hindu culture or heritage. Even the "making money" bit wouldn't be annoying, if it weren't for "pretending it has no roots" part.

It would be like if someone came up with a new fad diet consisting of grape juice and bread wafers, distributed by a guy with a funny collar, called this diet the Bethlehem Method, charged you $19.95 for it, and then tried to distance this diet from the rite of Communion and Christianity itself.

My goodness! Such a terrible ting to borrow among cultures!

Perhpas the people of India should disrespect civil disobedience, since it came from American philosophers such as Thoreau, and many Christian antecedents.

Perhaps the people of India should give up Transcendental Meditation, since much of their beliefs came from the Transcendentalists of New England in the last century.

Certainly the scientific method, developed in the West, is widely being used in the Indian rocket program. Maybe they should insist that their rocket scientists go back to inductive reasoning instead.

MALIS, Carry on with Yoga lite, it's like someone saying "Yoga is like Yogurt". In your long post I don't sense anything off since you are at the superficial level.

The arguments by Shukla were purely on credits missing where it should be due by serious practitioners of Yoga and AYA extreme dishonesty. And Chopra types jumping on to this bandwagon based on straw man arguments.

I had no idea this was such an issue among Hindus.

I have no background in Hinduism and I pay little attention to gurus so I have no basis for speaking to the arguments made about Hinduism or Deepak Chopra.

But the practice of yoga has made all the difference to my life, and I likely would not have been introduced to this wonderful practice without my local yoga studio and its "westernizing" influence. Whether that equates to not practicing the "right" way or honoring the proper Hindu religious traditions is irrelevant, IMHO. This more accessible form of yoga is what works for me. As Dr. Chopra noted, it's about finding your own spiritual path that matters.

I am surprised so many find this frightening or threatening, rather than freeing.

Methinks Mr. Chopra is just scared that as India rises, knowledge about the land and the practices that came from that part of the world increases as well. And someone just might provide another opinion.

That leaves fewer impressionable minds for this canard-telling, hinduism-lite-repackaged-as-original-philosophy selling snake-oil salesman to extract his keep!

Deepak Chopra: a holy rational man. Sometimes overly concerned with commercial success, but I like his view here.

Chopra has made his millions off of selling Hindu philosophy to the masses while failing to attribute it to Hinduism. This type of ignorant response is quite frankly, not surprising coming from him.

Karma, baby, karma...in this lifetime or the next, it comes around, Mr. Chopra. You too will eventually reap the consequences of the tragic diservice you are doing do to this ancient faith and its followers.

The headline “Sorry, your patent on yoga has run out” contains more truth than the author realizes.

Let’s dial the argument back a notch. As most widely practiced in America, ‘Yoga’ not a deeply religious ritual but simply a common fitness calisthenic. Its meaning is owned neither by Chopra nor Shukla—their possible disagreements are simply irrelevant noise to most non-Hindi Americans.

Muralit, “There is no Yoga without Hinduism and no Hinduism without Yoga” may be a deep and obvious truth to you, but it is at the least highly presumptuous and egotistic to assume your individual truth is universal (and this hubris is the fundamental failing of fundamentalists everywhere).

Yes, yoga can be used in religion, as can music and dance, moralistic speeches, or tantric sex. But the fact that a ‘sweat lodge’ can have a deeply spiritual New Age or Native American religious value, doesn’t make the steam room at the gym an artifact of religion.

I very much enjoy performing William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices in a concert setting, but my repetition of its “Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei” movements in coordinated harmony and polyphony with others, does not mean I’m participating in worship of a Christian Catholic God I do not think exists (I may be assisting others in their worship—I’m cool with that).

I’ve done yoga as a fitness exercise off and on over the last 30 years, first to help improve mental concentration and then hoping to slow the inevitable erosion of my body’s flexibility and balance (and it’s very good for that). My preferred personal meditation, however, involves long solo runs (at least 90 minutes to get the proper disassociation from reality). I plan on continuing both the yoga and running for the satisfaction and personal contentment they provide…something for which any religion is not at all necessary.

Tarle_Subba wrote:

To cbl55 aka "yoga siromani" (what a travesty!):

That is not for you to judge. I took yoga teachers training through the Sivandanda Yoga Vendanta Society, whose teachings are respected and known by many all over the world, including the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh. If you wish to denigrate the training itself, that is entirely your prerogative.

Indeed Mr. Chopra, you would feel the way you do considering the fact that you made millions.

You are only an authority on Hinduism to those who know next to nothing about Hinduism, Vedantic philosophy and especially Advaita.

It is ok for you to make millions pandering crap, we don't mind but we do mind when you start telling us the same crap.

Food for thought: "I am an Advaita Vedantin." Dr. Chopra's response to Larry King when asked whether he was Hindu.

Seriously Dr. Chopra, are you that embarrassed of your Hindu (and Sikh) heritage? Or maybe, it is that acknowledging the Hindu roots of yoga and most of your "Chopraisms," might mint fewer millions?

It's time to shift your focus, if only for a minute, from selling self-realization to some real, personal self-reflection. How long, Dr. Chopra, will you fail to acknowledge the ancient fount of wisdom from which you gulp deeply, regurgitate and then revel in the green?

And, also, what part of, "All of this is not to contend, of course, that yoga is only for Hindus," did you not understand? Seems self-interest may be coloring the lenses of your glitter glasses.

a hair splitting exercise, Mister Chopra.

you do nothing in this article but argue minor points.

Which, to me, is of minor consequence.

Hindu/Aryan/Whatever - it originated from the sameself region, and people.

Maybe what Mister Shukla was really trying to point out is the rampant adoption of Yoga by the west as its own, and to be honest, it's not exactly yoga in most cases - more like Yoga lite.

I'm a firm believer in traditions. Giving into the western pressures to "adopt" some form of this practice will ultimately dilute the actual true practice, one wonders.

Like Rap music to music in general.
Quick name me a "popular" rap tune.

you can't because it's just a diluted, special interest version of music - which actually sells (like yoga for kids classes cropping up all over the USA, taught be certified (by whom?) teachers).

If it required Certification, then someone's looking for the genuine article, and will likely be appeased by a westerner getting a "certification" at some lightweight Junior college.

That's what the guy's talking about.

How about we start tearing a few holes, diluting your writings to the point of unrecognizability, Mister prolific author?

you would probably make a dig deal out of it, wouldn't you?

To cbl55 aka "yoga siromani" (what a travesty!):

you write: "This respect for all faiths - and adherence to none -- was the clear teaching of the great 19th and early 20th century yogis who brought their practices from India to America (Swami Vivekananda, Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, Meher Baba and others). They did not come here so that Christians, Jews and agnostics would become Hindus, but to show those whose hearts yearned for higher consciousness how they could find union with God."

Have you read what Gandhiji and Vivekananda said about Christian missionaries? And for the sake of yoga, have you read Dr. Shukla's piece? Read it again, and learn to understand an argument before you jump your "reactionary" mind!

Wow, I had no idea that being annoyed at blatant cultural appropriation was "fundamentalist" now.

All Shukla was saying was that people should respect where yoga originated, instead of being all "HERP DERP STRETCHING" about it. He doesn't even disapprove of non-Hindus partaking in it and keeping their own faiths (or non-faiths), he just wants people to know where it came from. Chopra's entire response is based on straw man arguments.

Dr. Chopra wrote: "yoga did not originate in Hinduism as Prof. Shukla claims."

Please enlighten us Dr. Chopra. From which other ancient faith did it originate? Christianity, Judaism or Islam or Buddhism? Please enlighten us.

Dr. Chopra again makes yet another silly statement which begs validation, viz.,"the rise of Hinduism as a religion came centuries after the foundation of yoga in consciousness and consciousness alone."

Where is the proof Dr. Chopra that rise of Hinduism as a religion came centuries after the foundation of Yoga? And, in whose consciousness did it arise? The Pharoahs of Egypt? Or Moses?

It is indeed pathetic that someone like you Dr.Chopra, who has received a formal medical education and has been licensed as a physician will make the kind of silly statements that you are making without citing any evidence from existing philosophical or religious literature to validate your assertions.

And your accusation leveled against Dr. Shukla of having a "fundamentalist agenda" merely because he was highlighting the western/occidental attempt to hijack an Indian contribution such as Yoga and claiming it as part of western discovery etc, is to say the least unprofessional.

Throughout modern history as written by western nations, scant credit is given to eastern contributions in science, medicine, art, technology, philosophy etc. What is worse, most of them are expropriated and claimed as "western" in origin. Yoga is just one example of such a travesty.

I hope Dr. Chopra that you will be offended if someone says that TM was "discovered" by Dr.Benson of Harvard since he wrote the book, "Relaxation Response" and your Guru, the late Mahesh Yogi did not write any treatise on TM as Benson did. Benson merely substituted ONE as the chant in lieu of a mantra that Mahesh Yogi popularized. And, Benson gave no credit to TM as the source of his "discovery".

Grow up Dr. Chopra and get rid of your "sepoy" attitude and behavior.

Christian pastor claiming Tiruvalluvar as a Christian saint.
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2009/08/video-of-xian-pastor-claiming.html

Rigveda is not Indian says missionary
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=8940

Christians use Gayatri Mantra to hunt souls!
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=9009&SKIN=D

"I chuckle when I hear that indignant Hindus want to extent their "patent" on yoga"

You got that wrong! Go and read Shukla's column again. If you want to see trends check these out:

Mary wears Bindi & Sari , Joseph wears Turban in "Indian" Bible to fool Hindus
http://www.thestar.com/living/religion/article/722554--westhead-india-s-new-bible-wears-a-bindi

AN ACCURATE QUOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA:
"According to his own account, Chopra was accused by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of attempting to compete with the Maharishi's position as guru and Chopra left the Transcendental Meditation movement in January 1994.[23] Carroll said Chopra left the TM organization when it “became too stressful” and was a “hindrance to his success”.[4]"

It's real Doctor Shukla v/s the fake doctor chopra. This charlatan even stoops to say "Perhaps he has a fundamentalist agenda in mind" ignoring his own bloody greedy ways. We all knew that DEEPAK CHOPRA is another Capitalist trying to package Hinduism and mint more money but it has hit a new low now. By dissociating Yoga from Hinduism he feels he gain more Christian market share. No wonder he pops in after Shulkla's column. What a shame!?

Thank you Mr Chopra.

As a western yoga siromani (yoga teacher) educated in the raja yoga tradition of Sri Swami Sivananda, I chuckle when I hear that indignant Hindus want to extent their "patent" on yoga. As they full well know, yoga simply means union (yuj) with God. The outward form of worship -- whether Hindu, Christian, Jewish, or even agnostic -- is itself a type of trapping. It can greatly help the student focus his or her mind and heart on qualities of the absolute, but it is finally just a trapping, to be discarded when union is attained. In the yoga sutras of Patanjali, there is not a single line about the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses. Instead, you will find yoga defined as 'the ceasing of mental waves' of all kinds.

Gandhi and his followers praticed equal respect for all religions (swadeshi) as a fundamental component of satyagraha. This respect for all faiths - and adherence to none -- was the clear teaching of the great 19th and early 20th century yogis who brought their practices from India to America (Swami Vivekananda, Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, Meher Baba and others). They did not come here so that Christians, Jews and agnostics would become Hindus, but to show those whose hearts yearned for higher consciousness how they could find union with God.

Speaking personally, I don't know why this should be turned into a stumbling block for anyone. There are many real problems when it comes to sadhana (spiritual practice)! Do you really want to add some more?

If Shukla's article was written from the standpoint of religionists, Chopra's criticism is deserved. But I thought that Shukla was lamenting the association of Hinduism in popular minds with banal concepts (such as the sanctity of cows) while missing its nobler ideals.

having gotten too used to selling his oily wares on larry king live and to living in the hot house atmosphere of LA pandering to his self-centered clientele, mr chopra (he is no longer a doctor because he does not practice medicine), who recently claimed that his meditation might have caused the tremors in california, is one of india's and hinduism's exports. alas, he is so full of himself and so keen on minting money that the purveyor of platitudes is now shown to be what he really is: a vicious, hateful, and resentful man. an old esquire magazine did an investigative report of this snake-oil salesman titling the piece "dr. chopra has the sniffles". no, dr (mr) chopra has something worse than the sniffles. he suffers from a bloated ego... and there is no cure for what he has.

Translation of Chopra babble:

"If you market it; they will pay."

Deepak,
This is an incoherent article in so many ways...it is full of inconsistencies and contradictions.

You wrote, "The aim of the practice is liberation. When liberation occurs, the yogi is freed from the religious trappings that enclose Yoga." Which religion's trapping are you referring to? Hinduism, of course.
And "liberation"? Is this not "Moksha" of Hinduism. Your claim that Yoga is not Hinduism is absurd.

"Perhaps he has a fundamentalist agenda in mind, but he must know very well that the rise of Hinduism as a religion came centuries after the foundation of yoga in consciousness and consciousness alone."
We are getting used to New Age gobbledy-gook, but this is a new high/low. "Foundation of yoga in consciousness and consciousness alone" means what? We know Hatha Yoga is relatively recent, and Patanjali's Yoga Sutra's do not predate the Vedas, Upanishads, or Bhagavad Geeta.

Also, your attempt to label Dr. Shukla a "fundamentalist" is disingenuous and offensive. Dr. Shukla wrote in his article, "Yoga is Hinduism's gift to humanity to follow, practice and experience. No one can ever be asked to leave their own religion or reject their own theologies or to convert to a pluralistic tradition such as Hinduism."
And you dare call this "fundamentalist"? Who has an agenda.
This is what you wrote in response to Dr. Shukla's benign and tolerant statement above: "Most Indians, when they contemplate the immense popularity of yoga in the U.S. ...feel on the whole that something good is happening. Shukla regards the same scene with a withering frown." Does the above sound like a withering frown?

One more: People "are finding a spiritual path on their own, outside organized religion." "Organized religion" is a term used by most educated people for Abrahamic or cult-like religions. Even you have previously acknowledged that calling Hinduism an "organized" religion is incorrect, but now you chose to use this description.

DEEPAK, STOP YOURSELF!
This article is embarrassing to read.
It's time for a little introspection & meditation. Be honest - at least with yourself. You still remember that the red shoes and sparkling red glasses are a marketing gimmick, don't you?

Satyam Evam Vijayate (The truth is always victorious). This Upanishad statement definitely predates Patanjali's Sutra's.

Dear Deepak,

By Hinduism is meant the highest ideal that's been held in India since the time of the Vedas. By Hinduism is meant the path shown by the profound Rishis who composed the Upanishads, which has been further elaborated by the sages like Vyasa and Valmiki in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. By Hinduism is meant the ideal presented before us by the great avatars (the real ones not the blue hippies with tails). By Hinduism is meant that which Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva and numerous other acharyas/swamis/yatis/sannyasis spent extraordinary energy and effort protecting against the decay of time. By Hinduism is meant that for which Sri Aurobindo devoted his life and that for which Vivekananda sacrificed his.

Now you say this Hinduism should not be linked with Yoga? You say Yoga could not have originated in Hinduism because Yoga is wholly rooted in consciousness and that everything in Yoga is for self-realization alone and by implication Hinduism encourages superfluous practices or worse! Do you presume to say you have greater insight into consciousness and self realization than the real mahatmas and yogis (not the spandex wearing kind that have appropriated the term)? What precisely are your superior qualifications? That you can write incoherent articles in English, throw around Quantum lingo, and hob nob with Demi Moore?

For those really interested, Yoga is inextricably linked with Hinduism, it is one of the six orthodox darshanas. The greatest historical teacher of Yoga by universal consensus is Sri Krishna. There is no Yoga without Hinduism and no Hinduism without Yoga. Approaching Indic dharmas with Abrahamic framework in mind is sure way of going astray. One of the six darsanas is Nyaya or Logic, and a more thorough going school of Logic the world is yet to see. This should be a sufficient caution not to approach Indic dharmas with religions like Christianity or Islam in mind. The unfortunate distinctions set up between Hinduism and Buddhism (when the Buddha is mentioned by one of the most orthodox Brahmin communities in their daily prayers as an avatar!) and now sought to be set up between Yoga and Hinduism are completely unfounded in reality.

Dear Deepak,

You sound like someone who has been caught with his pants down. Your statements about Hinduism and Yoga are not just incorrect, but incoherent.
"First, yoga is a spiritual discipline in India, and always has been." So? (India as a nation-state is only 62 years old; Hiduism is 5000+ years old)
"Secondly, yoga did not originate in Hinduism." ?What???

Any one with a basic understanding of Hinduism, Sanatan Dharma, Yoga, Vedanta, etc... would be shocked by this ignorance or deception. You also wrote in the same paragraph: "Religious rites and the worship of gods has always been seen as being in service to a higher cause, knowing the Self." Doesn't this Hindu "religion" sounds the same as Yoga?
So what exactly is the distinction between the "religion" of Hinduism and Yoga that you are trying to make.
To use your words, it sounds like "beneath [Chopra's] complaints one detects the resentment" of a religious charlatan.

You must be worried that all your books & PBS fame is based on a lie. You have borrowed (stolen?) all your ideas from Hinduism & Vedanta and repackaged them for the west for years.
Most of us Hindu Americans just smiled at your deception, but thought that it is good that you were bringing these ideas to the West. But now you have shown your true colors, ego, and lack of humility.

You have made plenty of money by borrowing stealthily from Hinduism while not acknowledging your source adequately. But please do not play your role as a servile agent with an anti-Hindu agenda. Be proud and grateful of your Hindu mother & father and your teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

P.S. AN ACCURATE QUOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA:
"According to his own account, Chopra was accused by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of attempting to compete with the Maharishi's position as guru and Chopra left the Transcendental Meditation movement in January 1994.[23] Carroll said Chopra left the TM organization when it “became too stressful” and was a “hindrance to his success”.[4]"