[Buddha-l] yoga(TM)

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Stuart Ray Sarbacker schreef:

>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 09:48:36 +0200
>> From: Erik Hoogcarspel <jehms at xs4all.nl>
>> Subject: [Buddha-l] yoga(TM)
>> To: Buddhist discussion forum <buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com>
>> Message-ID: <434A1CD4.3040405 at xs4all.nl>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>>
>> The madness of capitalism: shortly people will have to buy the right to
>> do a form of meditation or a sadhana to patentholders.
>>
>> http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Trends&loid=8.0.215680098&par=0 
>>
>>
>> -- 
>>
>> Erik
>>
>> www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
>
>
> Erik,
> I apologize if someone has already addressed this, but I have also 
> read that this is being interpreted as an attempt to prevent 
> particular teachers (esp. Bikram Choudhury, "hot yoga") from patenting 
> postures/sequences. There have been a number of articles about 
> Bikram's approach to his form as "intellectual property" and the 
> ramifications that it would have for that industry. There is so much 
> to be said about this and yoga and meditation as cultural/economic 
> capital, I don't know where to begin! "Intellectual Property" in and 
> of itself is a fascinating and complex concept itself, arguably 
> present in myriad forms throughout cultural and religious histories 
> (Buddhism of course not excluded). One aspect of this is the 
> replication of "initiatory" schema, which requires in some cases 
> significant economic expense, see, for example, contemporary "yoga 
> teacher trainings" and the various "empowerments" in contemporary 
> Tibetan traditions. There are interesting parallels with the past, but 
> also a phenomenon that is thoroughly novel in other ways. In any case, 
> thanks for passing this along.
> Best Wishes,
> Stuart
>
Stuart, thank you for your comment, however I wonder what's so 
fascinating about this modernist bourgeois concept of intellectual 
property. (I hope you'll not charge me for your email ;-) !) It's just 
an attempt to import the structure of the financial field into the 
cultural and religious fields. Since the beginnings of time ideas and 
methods have been spread. Buddhists took meditations, asanas, vidyas, 
kriyas and sadhanas from Hindus and Taoists and vice versa. Later Sufi's 
came and took what they liked. In the West Plotin borrowed from Plato 
and Augustine from Plotin, all for free. Everybody was happy and 
thriving, because there was no selling or buying. Then came Maharishi 
with his mantratrick and now initiations in Tibetan Buddhism have become 
a substantial source of income. I liked the game in the times when you 
were supposed to offer some cakes or fruit to the deity, now I think it 
is totally degenerated. I think anyone who's claiming intellectual 
propery is a fraud because this person is not an intellectual  but a 
mean salesman. For an intellectual ideas and methodes to get inspired or 
elevate your mind are principally open source.

-- 


Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms