`Father, I wonder if the Hindus reach any self control helped by the severe asceticism they practice through yoga?
`They do what they do and what do they accomplish through all these?
Orthodox restraint and in general the spiritual asceticism always aim to reach a higher goal, to sanctify the soul Their satanic and worldly asceticism are made to get a slim and flexible body to turn their arms and legs as some paper Karagoz to be praised by some stupid people and be mocked by the devils. The children twist their legs they put a leg on a shoulder and the other one on the other shoulder and they pray in this posture. They practice hitting for a long time a sack with gravel until it is crushed and then they can smash stones, wood…
But everything they feel as some say have a certain explanation. For example they draw their tongue till the nose or they swallow it till the larynx and they feel excitement, feel a kind of sweetness, of pleasure and they say: `This is the nectar.` Then they press with their fingers some nerves near their ears and they hear a sort of music. Or they press their eyes and they begin to see stars with they eyes open to the sun or when they close them they see light.
You see, I succeeded, I saw the uncreated light! Then the devil tells them:
`Do you want lights? I will give you lights.`
He stimulates their imagination then without pressing their eyes or keeping them open in the sun they see lights. The devil tries many times to deceive us showing us lights ets witjout being provoked by us but we should turn our back to him. He will do this even more if you provoke him. He seeks a pretexts.
`This means the devil is the one who presents them different illusions, father?
`Yes, he stimulates their imagination in a high degree then he deceives them`
There are some of us who go to the Hindus and these teach them to say in their language some blasphemies against Christ, the Holy Mother of God and the Saints – some know these are blasphemies, others don`t and they demonize themselves. After that they begin to say some incomprehensible words. They reach an exalted state and the others who look at them think they are in a spiritual state. But this is a demonic state.
- All the things said here by the elder refer at the New Age organizations, which use the yoga techniques and meditation.
Excerpt from Spiritual struggle – Pious Paisios the Athonite, Evanghelismos.
