![]() |
Broken Windows and Frozen Smiles | |||||
| 4 2 18 | ||||||
|
Broken Windows and Frozen Smiles
Syd of SRF disappointments: SRF is to blame for keeping up harsh "deals" of Yogananda, and make a false, idealised picture of the guru who talked for and against himself on many serious issues, who advocated dictatorship, and so on. Lud the reporter, "What could we observers learn?"
Syd, pensively: "We should learn that Yogananda altered the kriya yoga system substantially, leaving out what traditionalists say are vital parts of higher kriya yoga, according to his biographer Dasgupta and Swami Satyeswarananda (Sanskrit Classics in San Diego). [Psy 108-10].
Some Have the ExperienceBuddha teaches you should not give to undeserving ones. But for the sake of the few he also says that what helps health and healing, and knowledge of the Dharma, may be dispensed to all. Appropriate teachings can be found to be rather lacking in cults, or mixed with inferior things, as the case may be.
Out of many thousands among men, one may strive for perfection, and of those who have won perfection, hardly one knows me in truth [or in essence]. [Bhagavad Gita 7:3].If so, less than one in a million get all the way. But will you trust an old scripture blindly, that is, stupidly? After telling the chance is "less than one in a million" to get all the way, some get awfully wealthy from speaking of short-cuts, like kriya yoga. But you may increase your odds and your favours by taking up what are documented, first-class methods that are taught in fair ways - SRF ways bind you unconditionally to Yogananda for lifetimes, no matter how he might ill-behave later, if he should take up ways from some of his former lives, for example as a vicious, murderous desert mauraider. [Psy 112] Adjust your expectations and exercising for present gains too, and do not be stupefied by things told. Go for evidence!
Now, how can all those who learn the alleged "Kriya of Krishna" expect to get cosmic after, say, 1 000 000 rounds, give or take? I would not count on that, after studying Yogananda. I do not say this to debase Yogananda and his cult. But since I once have "been there and done that", I find it highly needed to pour some cold water on the glowing guys that are fed with the yogi's self-contraditions, trickery and deceit or whatever. Let us face it, if the Gita is true, it cannot be true that one million kriyas well done will suffice for Great Enlighenment, even though Yogananda says so. Out of a million kriya yogis who manage to do a million kriyas each, only one finds God, says the Bhagavad Gita. But Yogananda teaches that all will get there, doesn't he? (Not all kriya yogis find his statement to be true.) But you cannot have it both ways - cannot claim the authority of the Gita and disregard the key sayings in it. This is not the only case where it is done by Yogananda and his fellowship, SRF. Revised ComplaintsI have revised a series of complaints on an SRF-related discussion board from someone who quit SRF and became a Christian. Compare, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners [Mark 2:17]." Jesus says the Christian is sick, and it is far better to be healthy or go for health, and not need him. Few have absorbed the full impact of that so far.Yes, Jesus also compare his followers to sheep in many places, and also tells, "How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!" [Matthew 12:12] There you have it again. It is better to be a healthy, morally OK human than a depraved sheep. To go for favourable Buddhist teachings - some of them should fit many - would be better, accordingly. But life orientations and their manifold decisions belong to the private sphere of life.
Below are some key points gleaned from a former SRF member's postings on the SRF Walrus board. I have put some of my own past SRF experience into the essay too, and in many places it is not easy to know who I refer to.That is on purpose. I do hope the woman will not fail in her faith one more time. Then again, it may not be so much just what we believe, as how we live, that matters. Still, right views mean a whole lot along the Gentle Middle Way, says Buddha, and advocates it. So as to help the beginners not to put their trust in anything that is written, I add comments.
|
![]() |
The basics are: The number our years spent hardly matter as much as the skill of performance. How many times a book is read matters less than how well it is appropriated through study.
Kriyabans have been initiated in kriya yoga. The core kriya yoga consists of gentle pranayama techniques. Pranayama involves special breathing. As for going into books and letters and other written texts, the main point is learning the gist. Some words - freely adapted from maxims by the Buddha can put things better into perspective:
To make the main content of texts our own, we normally use good study techniques. Besides, our main efforts should be in applying the very best yoga instructions and feel good about it. Besides, proper application takes time and effort. Time enough has to be reserved for it for further aspects of learning and assimilation to blossom [LINK].
Focus on key points with undisturbed interest or calmness, and memorize expertly to bring material into the long term memory (LTM)] suitably. The authors of many books indicate that perhaps five or eight repetitions carefully spaced out over time could do. Yet it depends on the sort of material, the amount, and the circumstances. [Ltr]
In the light of this too, reading the Autobiography a hundred times simply means wasted time and effort. Add the grave risk of Yogananda "overload" to it, as the proverb indicates, "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing". Satiety is a sign of bad eating. Reading over-much without know-how and without being sensible, could jeopardise the relationship with the guru too, due to strains of reading like a fool, which may foster antipathy in the long run. Reading the same book a hundred times indicates an astounding lack of appropriation. Tips on learning and studying: Link]
Further excerpts: "I guess I got tired of my prayers not being answered . . . Yogananda's teachings . . . doesn't work, that's why . . . Like, stop having sexual relations with your wife or husband after a certain age. PLEASE." [Marte Rykill, 4 Feb]
HUM = COMMENT: Now, Yogananda teaches to lauch prayers into the Aum sound, which may be heard through meditation methods. SRF teaches a few that work toward it.
Yet, in Tibetan Buddhism, as exposed by Christopher Hansard, the way is to visualise the thing you are after, preferably deep in your heart. The last point is the most important. Why in your heart? It is where Self reside, it is the Reality side of yourself, the teachings go. Thus, heart matters are normally very significant matters.
If we accept this and try to visualise and nourish the good things in life, what may be our fate unless we are markedly careful, or even if we are so? It depends in part on how well nourished we get. What sort of deep nourishment do we consider? To the degree it is a hunger (desire) that motivates you, to the same degree you could suffer from lack of nourishment after you get your desire - if your desire was unhealthy or off the mark and not really nourishing. You could end up feeling dissatisfied if what you went for, was a whim or something else that hardly matters. Such things may not give us peace and contentment - may not nourish our deeper beings.
Another side to it: Can you shoulder partners and the possible shames they bring? Moreover, shame may come as a result of the work of bandits.
Good nourishment is to be created and re-created, methinks. A release is had when entering the fruitful tract and going into healthy attainments in such a field.
A repeat: Visualise good things in the depth of your heart (and hope for the best).
Here are three Hansard books I have looked into:
Teachings of Christopher Hansard's stem from the Tibetan Kum Nye, and some forms of Kum Nye belong to a body of knowledge which describes Tibetan practices used to promote health and healing. Many practitioners approve Kum Nye as a well balanced workout for the body enhancing suppleness and strength. Kum Nye has been popularised in the West through publications by Tarthang Tulku. Kum Nye is related to the Nyingma and Bön traditions. [Wikipedia, sv "Kum Nye"]
Marte Rykill says Yogananda's teachings don't work. Others say contrarywise. Marte Rykill takes to overgeneralisation. Some parts of the teachings work; many say that. I don't see why it could be different, considering how much he lectured about and dictated. For example five percent of Yogananda's output and ten percent of his methods could be wise to learn by heart. But which five and ten percents? I have tried to offer the criteria for it. [Link]. I could also have listed up the "top hundred less useful things" Yogananda decree, but have not made a tight list of it so far. Most of his dictated and lectured sayings may be too soapish to bother about learning thoroughly. They are not of formidable, general stand-up worth, that is. As an example, see his near-incredible "commentary on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam". His "commentary" has little to do with Omar. Still he has good points here and there! [Link]
![]() |
What is considered inappropriate varies too. Yesternight I enjoyed talking with a Norwegian who told about how he had been on a bar and suddenly been tongue-kissed by a woman.
"Did she look good?" I asked him.
"No, she was gross," he said.
"I guess that made the total kissing experience less," I mused. He agreed, and we stopped there. See the art of kissing for more inspiration. Three stories about ups and downs and backsides to things are here: [Link].
By this one may detect a problem for the delicate yogi - Is it just a matter of "thinking makes it so" (Shakespeare)?
"Aligning SRF with Christ is speaking out of the side of one's mouth . . . [Marte Rykill, 1 Feb] Jesus made it pretty clear what you have to do to be a Christian, and there's nothing about going through a yogi from India. [Marte Rykill, 4 Feb]
HUM: Agreed to the first part of Marte Rykill's output. As for the second part, Acts 15 (etc) may open up for it if you don't eat blood sausage and the like, but then you don't have "original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ" as SRF holds they stand for - which is a fata morgana anyway. [More] [And more]
"SRF put a spin on the Christian Bible, not unlike the Mormons. [Marte Rykill, 29 May 03]
HUM: Surely. There is allegedly Christian freedom also. It is an important part of something -
"SRF failed me when it was ultimately tested. [Marte Rykill, 4 Feb] - The SRF way of life is no life. It's not living . . . I wish I had those hours back that I spent meditating while my child was in the other room watching TV. [Marte Rykill, 7 Feb]
HUM: This sad story calls for a few pertinent comments: Things also depend on how or how well SRF was tested, under what circumstances, and how long. Those who leave SRF in their 30s or 40s, a rather typical age for most ex-cultists, may consider all that has been lost before they do: Golden moments, golden opportunities, steering into a far better course when there was ample time and also non-barren women to spend time with.
The time spent on regret over many years, may be added, but it hardly helps to brood too long over it.
"Writings of Yogananda have his unique voice. [Marte Rykill, 6 Feb] - When you really need the "blessing," it isn't going to come . . . With SRF I worried all the time. [Marte Rykill, 4 Feb]
HUM: These topics are debatable. Yogananda used to dictate hint-wise to editors, according to such as Kriyananda (James Donald Walters, who started Ananda Sangha).
"The teachings of Jesus have nothing at all to do with the teachings of SRF. [Marte Rykill, 1 Feb]
HUM: Over-statements are unproductive. The fact is that isolated segments may be look-alikes. However, the over-all atmosphere of look-alike statements for different cultures may be very different, and Yogananda-SRF's main teachings are of Hinduism.
"I've seen people utterly ruined from SRF's "karma" belief system. [Marte Rykill, 4 Feb]
HUM: Separate, single cases do not count much as evidence in the realm of science and research. Such cases are classified as "anecdotal evidence". Some tales may instruct and entertain us. The question is how typical they are.
"The body of work that Paramahansa Yoganada produced is phenomenal [Not really] [Marte Rykill, 6 Feb]. The core of Christianity is Jesus died for our sins . . . [But he did not know you; you were not even born then. And two goats could have accomplished the same thing that year, according to Leviticus 16]. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we are saved . . . [But he said he came only for Jews, and martyrs in the millions were mislead about the impending end of the world.] [Marte Rykill, 2 Feb]
HUM: The basic teachings are greatly different on very basic issues. Millions of martyrs said similar things as the one I call Marte Rykill throughout here. Something that is notoriously overlooked, is the stunning miracles that true Jesus-followers are said to do, and not just in fantasy. If you have that Faith, you can move mountains and so on, and do better than Jesus himself [John 14:12]. Few, alas, show such signs of being of the right sort. I think it is more helpful for anyone to aim for health, and prosperity too, to be on the safe side. Then you should not need Jesus, says Jesus, but take the upper road, away from faith madness etc. [Mark 2:17; Matthew 12:12].

Select pictures or picture parts you enjoy and thrive with. New methods have surfaced for taking and editing pictures has made it a lot easier. Some could enjoy nice pictures of their daughter and some SRF monk. And some tales are too bad to tell.
One may have to fight in a troubles-beset area to get important anti-sect information out of previous sect members. It should be far, far better to keep away from sects and sectarians in the first place. Fanaticism may flare up among such guys, for one thing, and neuroses or worse.
|
Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1975. Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Theosophical, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html] Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. Io: Zempel, Solveig, ed., translation and introduction. In Their Own Words: Letters from Norwegian Immigrants. Oxford: University of Minnesota Press, 1991. Ltr: Schunk, Dale. Learning Theories. An Educational Perspective. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2008. Op: Simpson, John, and Jennifer Speake. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971. Psy: Dasgupta, Sailendra. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences. Portland: Yoga Niketan. 2006. Online pdf. www.yoganiketan.net Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958. Tl: Hansard, Christopher. Tibetansk livskunst (The Tibetan Art of Living. 2001). Oslo: Hilt og Hansteen, 2004. Tlv: Hansard, Christopher. Tibetansk legekunst og livsvisdom (The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking. 2003)Oslo: Hilt og Hansteen, 2003.
Tvs: Hansard, Christopher. Tibetanske veier til sinnsro (The Tibetan Art of Serenity. 2006). Oslo: Hilt og Hansteen, 2006.
|
|
© 20022011, Tormod Kinnes, MPhil [E-MAIL] Disclaimer: LINK] |