Shanti Mandir: Authenticity, Economy and Emotion in a Yoga Ashram

Abstract

The sociological question of what holds groups together fascinates me. The ‘glue’ of solidarity is considered to be affective emotional experiences experienced during the performance of collective enterprises. The reciprocity of emotion and subsequent exchanges of capital are found at the centre of the guru-disciple relationship. The focus of this relationship is the transference of grace (śaktipāta) from the guru to the disciple. Therefore, in order to understand how a legitimate yogic identity is constructed, contested and expressed this thesis focuses on exploring the various exchanges, reasons and ways that people join the Shanti Mandir (Temple of Peace) global community of yoga aspirants. This is done to understand the structural, cognitive and emotional aspects inherent in the micro-translation of macro sociological processes related to the construction of authenticity and accumulation of legitimacy. The primary good of salvation produced by Shanti Mandir and consumed by the disciples is the opportunity to emulate the ideal knower’s disposition (i.e. the guru). I identify the guru’s disposition as that of an ‘embodier of tranquility’ (śāntamurti). This opportunity to emulate is a result of repeated positive interactions that produce emotional solidarity through the transference of affect that occurs formally at the ritual level and informally at the social level. Formally, this occurs during the twice-daily ritualised performance of satsaṅga (confluence of truth) where the palpable aesthetic mood of śānta (tranquility) is temporarily cultivated and legitimised as an expression of the ‘divinity that dwells within’. Individuals also gain respite from their anxiety and doubt through a collective sense of community, purpose and shared identity. This is achieved by participating in the daily religious practice, which focuses on the devotional aspects of the guru-bhakti tradition and functions primarily through non-market (emotional) labour in the form of gurusevā (volunteer service to the guru). Individuals engage in this system in order to experience a ‘Vedic way of life’ through a syncretic form of neo-Hinduism. The principal goal of which involves possibly attaining liberation in this lifetime (jīvanmukta). The three groups that comprise the disciples: Renunciants, Scholars and Patrons work together investing various species of capital (social, cultural and economic respectively) to support the guru’s saṅkalpa (intention), which is centred around promoting a ‘Vedic tradition’ and ‘guiding seekers to the direct experience of divinity’. While the guru’s intention is quite often misrecognised as a disinterested promotion of divinity and a palpable experience of tranquility, when contextualised by the transglobal yoga and spiritual tourism industries these exchanges of capital take on new meanings. The aim of this research is to understand the symbolic struggles for recognition that occur at both individual and organisational levels regarding what represents an ‘authentic’ yogic identity within this community. By identifying Shanti Mandir as a new religious movement and non-profit business within these multi-billion dollar industries, combined with analysing the guru’s discourse and the organisation’s marketing strategies this thesis highlights how legitimate participation is characterised, how access and ascension through the social network is achieved, and how the market forces of globalisation and subsequent transcultural flows of knowledge continue to shape and reproduce legitimacy and authenticity within this yogically-inspired community. Show more