Theos-Talk Archives (December 1995 Message tl00248)

Glad you have the waiver form and I hope it does give good enough
protection to TSA from liability. I am not a lawyer and hence do not know
how much protection it provides.

In this connection I am still bothered about TSA sponsoring
practical lessons. Following quotes are from Theosophical Classics which you
may recognize and be interested:

I. "There are those who turn to pseudo-occultism for the attainment
of magical powers in order to gratify personal ambition. That path is full
of the most serious dangers. Sometimes such people sit in a passive
condition and invite unknown entities of the astral world to work upon their
auras and organisms and to adapt them to their purposes; sometimes they
practice various forms of hatha yoga consisting mainly of peculiar kinds of
breathing which have unfortunately been widely taught in the Western world
during the last thirty years or so. As a result of such proceedings mental
and bodily disorders of a serious character often arise while at best the
contact which is gained with the inner worlds seldom extends beyond lower
astral levels from which nothing can come that is uplifting to mankind."
This was written in 1926.

II. "The attainment of astral powers as an end in itself inevitably
leads to what is called in the East the "laukika" method of development: the
powers obtained are only for the present personality and there being no
safeguards the student is extremely likely to misuse them. To this class
belong the practices of Hatha Yoga pranayama or breath-control invocation
of elementals and all systems which involve in deadening the physical
senses in some way "actively" by drugs eg. bhang haschish etc. by
self-hypnotisation or among the dervishes by whirling in a mad dance of
religious fervor until vertigo and insensibility supervene; or passively by
being mesmerized -- so that the astral senses may come to the surface."

.MK Ramadoss

At 010200 PM 12/14/95 -0800 you wrote:
>
>Doss
>
>Thanks for your information on the above topic. We have the following
>waiver or rather consent form for that purpose:
>
>=========================================================================
>
>INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM
>
>Name................................................ Phone...............
>Address..................................................................
>City.................................. State...........Zip...............
>Do you have any physical ailment which would limit your practice of hatha
>Yoga?....................................................................
>If yes explain:.........................................................
>.........................................................................
>How long have you been practicing yoga?..................................
>What is your reason for practicing yoga?.................................
>We urge you to participate in each yoga position at your own comfort level
>and to discontinue any position or session as you choose.
>
>I hereby agree not to hold either the instructor or The Theosophical Society
>in America responsible for any injury which is incurred during any class.
>
>................... ...............................................
>Date Signature
>
>=========================================================================
>
>Happy Holidays!
>
>Ruben
>