Meditation -- adverse effects, any Indian studies?

[Ramesh Rao]

Learned folks,

Greetings on this auspicious occasion of Deepavali!

This morning, I came across a recent article in The Atlantic (not behind a paywall, so it should be accessible to all) about the adverse effects of meditation. It is completely Buddhism-centered.

I remember reading, if I remember correctly, in The Autobiography of a Yogi, that Swami Yogananda wrote about some who refused his guidance, went on their own, and suffered serious harm. 

Given the two primary characteristics of the modern West -- excess and individualism -- this may not be surprising, but I wonder what work is there in Hindu/yoga traditions warning of the dangers of people going on their own meditation journeys without the guidance of a guru.

Here is the link to the article, which is quite a long read, but which also includes some very interesting information about meditation practice not just in the US but also in Europe:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/09/meditation-willoughby-britton-downsides/688474/?gift=KA3KGfYfSJuXahz57d8Ku9eYIkL1u9YnRDGxl1hynFE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

With regards,

Ramesh Rao

[K S Kannan]

Leave alone dhyāna, even prāṇāyāma, ill done,

can have disastrous effects.

So say yogic texts themselves.

Ignorance/incomplete knowledge in a teacher

spells problems. So does dependence on mere books:

"na tasya jāyate siddhiḥ,

hānir eva pade pade!"

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Dr. K.S.Kannan  D.Litt.

Hon. Prof., Chanakya University, Bangalore.,

Emeritus Prof. and Director, Vishnugupta VishwaVidyapeetham, Gokarna.,

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor (Retd.), IIT-Madras.

Member, Expert Committee for Review of Criticism of Indian Knowledge Traditions, Central Sanskrit University (under MoE, GoI), Ganganath Jha Campus, Prayagraj.
Fmr. Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad.

Fmr. Nominated Member, IIAS, Shimla.

Former Professor, CAHC, Jain University, Bangalore.

Former Director, Karnataka Samskrit University, Bangalore.

Former Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, The National Colleges, Bangalore.

https://sites.google.com/view/kskannan

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Hatha Yoga Pradipika Chapter 1, Verse 15 (1.15)  
अत्याहारः प्रयासश्च प्रजल्पो नियमाग्रहः ।
जनसङ्गश्च लौल्यं च षड्भिर्योगो विनश्यति ॥ १५ ॥

The Six Obstacles (The Ṣaḍbhiḥ)

Atyāhāraḥ (अत्याहार): Overeating.
Prayāsaḥ (प्रयास): Excessive physical exertion or straining.
Prajalpaḥ (प्रजल्प): Excessive talking or idle chatter.
Niyamāgrahaḥ (नियमाग्रह): Rigidly adhering to minor or fanatical rules (e.g., cold baths in the morning, eating only at night, or surviving strictly on fruit).
Janasaṅgaḥ (जनसङ्ग): Excessive socializing or keeping company with worldly-minded people.
Laulyaṁ (लौल्य): Fickleness or unsteadiness of the mind and senses

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Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad, Telangana-500044

 

 

 

[K S Kannan]

Thank you, Prof. Paturi.

Also,

प्राणायामेन युक्तेन सर्वरोगक्षयो भवेत् ।
अयुक्ताभ्यासयोगेन सर्वरोगसमुद्भवः

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[vishal jaiswal]

Isn't it obvious that dhyana is the penultimate rung before samadhi and what rungs come before that ? 

There are no shortcuts.

That's about classical yoga or precisely raja yoga.

No clue about what passes for meditation in Buddhism and the framework surrounding that.

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