21st September 2011
Tantra and Reiki
A friend on FB asks:
Sir, I want to know your views on Tantric Vidya and Reiki. Is there any bit of truthness in them since you say nobody can't go against nature? Can a tantric really trouble somebody with his achieved power? Can a yogie awake different chakras in his body? Can somebody bring out his sukshma sharir(subtle body) out of his sthul sharir(gross body) through meditation?
Some people say they have experienced it. True?
You have written about almost every aspect of life on your blog and I read them to develop my knowledge(I am just 24 years old and doing post graduation in electronics and communication engineering) so I request you to enlighten all of your blog readers on these sensitive and sensational topics. I trust only your arguments on any topic.
My response
Thanks, M.
I'm flattered that you "trust" my arguments on any topic.
DON'T.
Don't trust my arguments. Analyse them. Check them. Internalise them. As questions. Try to find fault.
I don't teach the answer. I teach the method.
Second, re: Tantra/Reiki – these claim extra sensory power.
ALL (and by that I mean ALL) claims of extra-sensory power are TOTAL BUNKUM.
This has been unequivocally proven by the Randi foundation (search the web). $1 million has been offered to ANYONE in the world who proves extrasensory or extranormal powers. For years now that money has been sitting out there without anyone having succeeded in proving such powers. Any tantric or Reiki practitioner is welcome to go to Randi and collect $1 million anytime. But they can't. Their claims are false.
In other words, Tantra and Reiki – to the extent these claim extrasensory or extranormal powers – are A HOAX.
However (and note this carefully!) to the extent their philosophy strenghtens anyone's capacity to heal (the mind-body connection is very deep), I have no comment to make. Some very unbelievable placebo effects have been proven to exist. The mind-body connection is real (after all, we are one organism, not two – no separation of mind and body exists in the human design).
Addendum
Reiki Is Nonsense Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Dear Sanjeev,
A person with an open mind or a scientific outlook (which you claim to be) should never debunk something just because he does not understand or believe it. Now, I do not know about tantra, but reiki surely does work. If you ask me what is reiki and how does it work, I do not have an answer, none at all. But I have used (practised) it personally and I can vouchsafe that it does work and is very effective in healing and many other situations.
There are many websites, articles, books etc on reiki. Many (or perhaps most) of them do contain a lot of hype and gimmiks and even a lot of bunk sometimes. But that does not alter a fact. Take the law of gravity for example. Science explains what it does, but does it explain why and how? Then the case of a placebo effect. Is the placebo effect a scientific phenomenon? Can it be repeated consistently to produce the same result? If you can accept the placebo effect, why not reiki?
I have used reiki on many occasions on people (mostly my near and dear ones) and animals and even on machines and situations. The results have been mostly very effectual to say the least and sometimes instant and dramatic. And one can hardly explain it away as sheer chance or coincidence when this happens consistently. Neither can they be explained away as placebo effect as I believe only humans are subject to it and that too only if they have foreknowledge.
Have the results been definite or predictable or positive every time? No, definitely not. Sometimes, I have not had any perceptible results at all. But I can say truthfully that 90% of the times I have had very definite positive results.
I do not claim that I have attained it or achieved it or even learned it. I do not even claim that it is something supernatural or divine. I repeat again that I do not know what it is or how it works and neither can I explain it scientifically. All I am saying is that reiki (the name itself is irrelevant) is a very effective healing method as its results cannot be ignored.
lp
Dear Lara
I need SOLID verified evidence before I accept ANY claim of extranormal power. As far as I’m concerned I’ve lived fairly long now and not come across ANY example of something I could say without doubt as being extranormal.
Everything has a clear physical explanation. Re: placebo effect – interestingly that too has a regularity. Although you can’t predict whether it will work in a particular case, its “rate” of success barely exceeds random chance. And it remains low – very low.
Why don’t you claim the $1 million from Randi foundation if you are so sure? That would at least be a start as far as evidence is concerned. And you’d become UNBELIEVABLY rich (from sponsorships, publicity, etc.) too.
Let’s say that till you get the $1 million, I’m not able to accept your claims – regardless of how true you think these are. There is always a way to verify things, and statistics and science demand very rigorous proof.
As far as I’m concerned EVERY claim of a “miracle” or “inexplicable” phenomenon is false, including in the religious scriptures. May not be deliberate falsehood, but false nevertheless.
S
Dear Sanjeev,
You have got me entirely wrong. I never meant to ask you to accept or believe it (reiki) even though a mis-phrased sentence may have appeared that way. All I meant was that in any matter of belief, including the scriptures as you mentioned, you have a right to accept it, reject it or criticise it. But I don't think you have a right to ridicule it or debunk it. I believe that is the essence of freedom.
As to your pointing me towards the Randi Foundation prize, I think you are being childish inspite of your long life experience.
The Randi Foundation clearly says:
The JREF will pay US$1,000,000 to any person who demonstrates any psychic, supernatural or paranormal ability under satisfactory observation.
I have never claimed that reiki is any one of these. I would say reiki is a very normal power just like electricity or magnetism, only that it has not been explored by scientists. (I am not a scientist).
It further says:
Applicants must state clearly what they claim as the special ability for which they wish to be tested.
I have never claimed that reiki is a special ability. Indeed reiki is available to (practise or to be practised on) anyone and everyone who is interested.
It says still further:
Only an actual performance of the stated nature and scope, within the agreed upon limits, will be accepted. Anecdotal accounts or records of previous events are not acceptable.
On this condition, even most of the treatments in the accepted medical fields such as allopathy, ayurveda or homeopathy would not pass muster. Neither would statistics hold good here.
It is obvious that the Randi Foundation prize is meant to expose charlatans with dubious claims of supernatural powers and not to negate concepts / subjects such as reiki, yoga, accupunture, accupressure, etc. Strangely, you accept yoga, but debunk reiki and accupuncture.
Please be assured that my intention is not to make anyone believe or disbelive, I am least bothered on that count. I only wanted to suggest an open mind and tolerance, a rare thing now-a-days.
lp
Dear Lara
“A 2008 systematic review of randomised clinical trials concluded that “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that reiki is an effective treatment for any condition. Therefore the value of reiki remains unproven.” (Lee, MS; Pittler, MH; Ernst, E (2008). “Effects of Reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials”. International Journal of Clinical Practice 62 (6): 947–54.) – please see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18410352
In brief, you can’t make such claims (“I would say reiki is a very normal power just like electricity or magnetism, only that it has not been explored by scientists”). Scientists have explored it and found nothing to explore.
Please don’t (!) compare with proven things like electricity and magnetism. These (e.g. lightning, static electricity, magnetism, e.g. compass) have been known to mankind for THOUSANDS of years. Reiki-type powers/properties are not part of regular experience. Reiki is extra-normal, not normal.
Re: “I have never claimed that reiki is a special ability. Indeed reiki is available to (practise or to be practised on) anyone and everyone who is interested”. It is odd that a thing that is so readily available has not been known to mankind, and scientists can’t find ANY EVIDENCE of its existence. What do you think?
And please note that it is incorrect to state: “But I don’t think you have a right to ridicule it or debunk it. I believe that is the essence of freedom.”
It is CRUCIAL that alternative views be given free expression. You believe in it. I don’t. Let’s agree to a method to prove/disprove it, and let’s debate. That is the meaning of freedom. Freedom doesn’t mean not having a “right to ridicule or debunk” something. I’m not ridiculing it (I don’t ridicule anyone’s beliefs), but I’m definitely debunking it. I’m always open to proof otherwise. Solid proof, not case studies nor random chance. I need SOLID, repeatable proof. You can offer it in many ways. But all of these will need debate and discussion. That is the essence of freedom – a desire to find the truth.
Please don’t take me otherwise. I’m not ridiculing Reiki. I’m simply saying whatever “power” it has is a sheer placebo effect. You are welcome to believe whatever you wish. I’m not stopping you from that. Just that I can’t.
S
Do also read this: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/reiki.html
I’d pour two examples of soul leaving the body concerning two of my greatest idols: 1)Vivekananda and 2)Rishi Aurobindo
Vivekananda had mentioned he had glimpses of Lord Buddha in his childhood (he claims that may be a hallucination), if you ever chance to visit his ancient house in Shimla, Kolkata you’d see the room where he had the vision. 2)Rishi Aurobindo claimed that he had vision of Vivekananda when he was in prison. Now Vivekananda had long left this world before this incident.
Mind you these persons aren’t among those who would lie to the world for name and fame…So I don’t think you can rule these things out altogether. Personally speaking I do not know much of these things, but I may study about them in the future..