kundalini in Christianity ?

GlorytoGod

GlorytoGod

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True To His Ways: Reflections - Apporaching Destruction

Similarity with Charismatic Practice
Parallels between kundalini and Charismatic practice, including blessings and healing imparted by touch, cannot be denied. Shaktipat parallels being slain in the spirit. Samadhi resembles soaking prayer or soaking in the spirit. Both yogis and Charismatics believe they are meeting with God during these experiences.
I was shocked and concerned when I learned about shaktipat and samadhi. I have seen Charismatic leaders teach people where to touch others, particularly on the crown and forehead, but also the chest and belly—which are chakra points in Hindu theology. When I was a new Christian, TB leaders would seat me in a chair and pray, with one hand on my forehead and one on the back of my head, exactly like yoga masters do. The purpose is the same: to transmit spiritual power. Often the result is also the same, and the worshiper falls to the ground in the samadhi-like state Charismatics refer to as being “slain in the Spirit.”
Interestingly, some Charismatics have altered their practice to avoid touching for transferring the “Spirit.” Others don’t even need to touch a person: they are so empowered, they can invoke spirit by waving an object over a crowd or by prayer, as Todd Bentley and Benny Hinn apparently can do. It is the same with yogis who are advanced in occult practice.
Is it wrong or unfair to compare kundalini yoga and Charismatic practices?
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what do you reckon is this Kundalini in action within Charismatic Christianity ?
 
I don't think it is wrong, or unfair, to compare the two practises, but I think it would be an error of judgement to believe they are a) the same thing or b) seperate things...

that doesnt seem to make much sense, so I shall try to explain myself...

If your perspective is like mine, you will see most of these events as fakery- a person with "status" gives succour to the "weak", usually impressionable and vulnerable people, many of which are desperate and/or close to the edge and will happily comply and publicly have the delusion-experiences the status-person wants them to have... so, in a way, they are the same thing- daft ppl being played by the status people for the good of the status person...

take for example the recent case of Deya ministries, a christian minister there had so much spiritual power he could alledgedly give the female faithful "miracle babies"; real babies, usually smuggled in from Africa... the lucky ladies were apparently told to pretend they had natural births and take the children to church to show others what faith could do...

that said, within both hinduism and christiaity there are holy people... holy in so far as they have gifts or powers which are beyond normal functioning- within christianity this is expressed visibly in the "halos" of saints, and psychologically by...the gifts of the spirit; discernment, speaking in tongues, exorsism, healing abilities- distance and laying on of hands, and usually, miraculous events associated with the saints... this is not a new thing within christianity- in the Middle Ages there was a brisk international trade in holy relics, as they were often thought to embue the saints powers; in buddhism at the same time in history we made stupas containing relics of the buddha and buddhists saints- a tooth from the Buddha, a random leg bone from an arhat, etc... the principle is the same...

the power of a saint in either tradition is the same- it comes from devotion to God, intense practise, be that prayer or the chanting of mantras- the only difference is tradition...

I believe there are far more people who purport to have these abilities than actually have them- I would prefer people to remain ambivalent about such things until they have direct experience of them for themselves...

I have attended a church service where a pastor wanted to "tramsit" the gifts of the spirit to a young man, who as much as he want to, could not receieve them- and I watched the pastor tell the young man, away from the congregation, what he wanted the young man to feel and say- to fool the flock the masters powers were geuine... and by the same token, I have also seen a real holy man transmit a little of his healing energy to another human, and felt the energy myself, and I have also met a man who had the same depth of power but used it in a harmful and wrong way, too...

of course, I may have just been caught up in fakery on the second and third occasions, but I am satisfied my "knowledge" is accurate...

I have met many people who are interested in reiki, and kundalini, and spiritual healing, etc, and they believe wholeheartedly that they too have ability to transmit energies, etc, but 95% of the time they are about as psychic as a bag of potatoes...

I have no problem with those who misguidedly yet earnestly believe, but I do have a problem with those who know they lie and still continue with the deception... and there's lots of them about... and its been this way for years...
 
I don't think it's wrong to compare the two, but I also don't think it is necessary to say it is one practice within the other. I think there are strong similarities between a number of Christian practices and practices in other religions- intercessory prayer, for example, often works quite a bit like magic does in neo-Pagan religions.

I think it is primarily because despite religious differences, we are all dealing with the same human brain, emotions, ideas, actions. And, I would argue, we experience the same spirit world, which also is a unifying factor. Though we interpret our experiences differently, our common humanity weaves threads of similarity between the religions. I don't see it as problematic, except that in non-Christian circles it is generally understood that arising kundalini energy can cause some nasty side effects if not appropriately guided. That would be my worry.

ETA: Post was interrupted, and wanted to say... yep, pretty much a lot of what Francis King said.
 
I have an offhand thought.

Occasionally, I would turn to the "GOD.tv" channel on my DirectTV and sometimes catch a charasmatic service where there is a lot of 'rocking' back and forth. One particular preacher leading the worship didn't never seem to stop rocking, even as he preached. But it reminded me of other faiths where I've seen to same thing. Jews at the Wailing Wall, for instance. Or Muslim school boys learning the Qu'ran. I'm not aware of any other religions that do it.

In this current discussion, a quote in the article GTG referenced mentions this:

For our evolution and spiritual ascent there is a residual power within us which is located in the triangular bone at the base of our spine…When this Kundalini rises it connects you to the All-pervading Power, which is vital and which is an ocean of knowledge as well as an ocean of bliss. After the awakening of Kundalini, you experience many coincidences which are miraculous and extremely blissful. Above all, Kundalini is the ocean of forgiveness.
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So I'm wondering if this 'rocking', since it appears to pivot down the base of the spine, would trigger whatever spiritual energies or produce the kind of bliss available during these services, if this is to be believed.

Point I'm trying to make is if there might be some common phenomemon that could explain these similarities from a clinical perspective.
 
could be, one of the disturbing traits of children/adults mentally/emotionally disturbed is continual rocking back and forth, for comfort or focus on that safety within? just a thought
 
GlorytoGod said:
True To His Ways: Reflections - Apporaching Destruction

what do you reckon is this Kundalini in action within Charismatic Christianity ?
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Kundalini is just the energy furthering imagination that replaces conscious attention. The energy of the spirit which serves consciousness is from above. It involutes into our plane of existence. Kundalini in contrast begins from below, base of spine, and manifests as imagination which can be pleasant and very ego fulfilling. If that is what a person wants, go for it. However if a person sincerely needs the experience of human meaning and purpose, it requires being free of our dependence on imagination to supply a sense of meaning.
 
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