There are various rituals of magic used by Buddhist, that used visualization, energy, mantras, and spells to achieve health, and a long life. Some of these practices were meant to be practiced by elite members of the tradition. There are tantric practices in buddhism used to create a transformation in the consciousness of the practitioner by working “directly with the body’s subtle energies” (Villarreal p. 63). The outcome of this practice was to make the practitioner see him/herself as a buddha. There have been several connections between tantric buddhism and shamanism, one of these connections is the one between “tantric deity yoga and the magicoshamanic powers” (Villarreal p.64). Tibetan rituals have had attempts to call, manage entities in the world that are not human. Another ritual that is very common is where the practitioner calls for a buddha and makes offerings by chanting mantras, visualization and dedicating the practice to all the living.
Also there is a collection by Ju Mipam Rinpoche of magical rituals, Villarreal explains that Ju Mipam was specialized on the Tibetan Buddhist elite traditions, “his compilation of potentially dangerous magical spells” (Villarreal p. 65). This compilation included ways to obtain what it is desired, protection from danger, evil spirits, and natural disasters. Also included more complex abilities such as divination and mind control. These spells were never meant for the public according to Villarreal these spells were “compiled by one of the most highly esteemed lamas of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries”.
Yoga can mean different things for many people, some start they practice in a studio, move in a sequence of postures, focusing on breath, for some later they start noticing that there is something more in yoga than just physical movement. Can we separate yoga and magic? It’s possible, depending on what the individual believes in and what he or she is searching for in his or her life. There are people that believe that it is difficult to separate yoga from magic, because they believe that when yoga is practice magic occurs. When yoga is practice a ritual is created, there is meditation, and mantras. Awareness and focus are elements also found in magic.
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For example when Aleister Crowley went to India, he join Allan Bennet is his yoga practice, he started slow, two months later he had reach the highest level of yoga, dhyana “According to Patanjali, only samadhi is higher than dhyana, and can be considered as the ultimate goal of yoga, leading to liberation from the human condition.” (Pasi, p. 136). Dedication, and practice permits yoga and its magic to go from the mat to personal life. It is said that he later reached the level of samadhi he believed that all the founders of religion (Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Muhammed) had a similar experience as the one defined as samadhi in yoga. He says that all of them at some point went to a retreat and “they reappear, they possess the necessary spiritual energy to found a new religion” (Pasi p. 142).
However, there are people who practise yoga for physical and health benefits, in The Psychology of Yoga Practitioners: A Cluster Analysis research states “McCall, in his book Yoga as Medicine, lists 43 health conditions where there is scientific evidence of benefit from yoga. The list includes arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and chronic pain” (Jeremy E. Genovese & Kristine M. Fondran p. 52). This invites many yoga practitioners that look to improve their health.
It is possible to separate yoga and magic, however there will always be an intersection between it is up to the practitioners if they want to follow that path, or just continue for the health and physical benefits. Yoga, magic, even religion could be one whole thing or can be three separate concepts depending on the individual.
