Catholic Teaching on Yoga

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pieman333272
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Incompatible is what use to be the teaching due to its roots in the Hindu teachings. Did you do a search on it? I believe it was topic not long ago here.

Catholic Education . org probly has something on it.

God Bless, Gary
 
Here is a recent thread which covers the issue.

It references Ask the Apologist posts, and also a few Church documents.
 
OK, thanks. But isn’t Zen compatible with Catholicism? I’ve always found Thomas Merton’s Zen Catholicism attractive, personally.
 
Pieman333272 said:
OK, thanks. But isn’t Zen compatible with Catholicism? I’ve always found Thomas Merton’s Zen Catholicism attractive, personally.
Click to expand...
Hi there Pieman - it’s good to hear from you again. I hope you’re doing okay these days. I just was on a thread a few days ago on this forum where someone noted several times that the Pope had issued a statement saying that Catholics should stay away from Transcendental Meditation, which is a component of zen. It’s also a component of yoga , so I take it that both zen and yoga are discouraged, or so I’ve been told. I never saw the actual statement from the Pope posted, but the person was pretty adamant about it, so I’m sure he saw it somewhere.

Naturally, I wouldn’t see the problem with it, but I would suggest that Catholics check out what the Pope says about it before trying it. If he really said that you shouldn’t, then I suppose you should do as the Pope says.

As for yoga, you probably know that there are 6 branches of yoga, and most people in the west usually refer to the branch called Hatha when they talk about yoga. Hatha is the part with the stretching exercises. Many in the west are probably unaware that four of the other five branches of yoga are practices that are done regularly in most christian churches. Raja Yoga (meditation and prayer), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Jnana Yoga (study or reading of scripture), Karma Yoga (good deeds and service to others).

On the last post, someone mentioned that only the stretching exercises associated with yoga should be done by Christians and that any other aspects should be avoided I would submit that it’s the other way around. Stretch if you like, but by all means have devotion, meditation, prayer, reading of scriptures, good works and service to others.

Your friend,
Sufjon
 
Pieman333272 said:
OK, thanks. But isn’t Zen compatible with Catholicism? I’ve always found Thomas Merton’s Zen Catholicism attractive, personally.
Click to expand...
The Father was a Trappist Monk at Lexington KY, who is buried their today.

You seem to want to pick Thomas Merton as the Green Light for Catholics. I’m postive had he been here today he would tell you to listen to the Pope. The Catholic Church was the one truth he did find in life and I believe as a result it saved his Soul.

Here is what the Pope did say…

skepticfiles.org/rumor/vaticanz.htm
 
GaryTaylor said:
The Father was a Trappist Monk at Lexington KY, who is buried their today.

You seem to want to pick Thomas Merton as the Green Light for Catholics. I’m postive had he been here today he would tell you to listen to the Pope. The Catholic Church was the one truth he did find in life and I believe as a result it saved his Soul.

Here is what the Pope did say…

skepticfiles.org/rumor/vaticanz.htm
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information. Zen isn’t my spirituality choice - I’m more attracted to traditional spiritualities - but I believed it was OK and questioned why, if so, Yoga isn’t. But I think I get it. Yoga is OK as an exercise but not as spirituality or meditation (or so the AAA thread indicates).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top