Cult Adherents between the Old and New
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- The Power of Truth: Yogananda in a Pittsburgh Anniversary Banquet Talk
- SRF's Editorial Strives for Decades
- Cults and Deprogramming
- Some Additional Problems and How to Avoid Them
The Power of Truth: Yogananda in a Pittsburgh Anniversary Banquet talk
THE SECRETARY of the Pittsburgh Yogoda Center once sent in the following report:"On Saturday, April 14th, the Pittsburgh Yogoda Sat-Sanga Center had the great pleasure of having Swami Yogananda as honor guest . . .
"Swami Yogananda gave a short talk on a higher Journalism. He asked all those present to make a practice of writing to the daily newspapers at intervals, asking them not to print scandal and murder headlines, but instead something of a spiritual and educational nature.
"On Sunday night, the Swami . . . concluded by bringing out that the power of truth is greater than the power of untruth . . . the power of truth . . . may come slowly, but when it comes, darkness goes before the flood of light." ["Yogoda Center News", East-West, May-June 1928, Vol. 3-4]
Yogananda Quotations of Educational Nature?
"Americans . . . the majority are drowned in theological ignorance, extreme love of
money, speculation, fast living, living beyond their means, and inflated prosperity." -
Yogananda"The American people . . . because a perfect standard of national government has not been achieved, political graft, gangster and bootleg rule, divorces, juvenile crimes, and immorality are stalking wildly in this land in spite of her being a nation ruled to death." - Yogananda.
"It is said that some of the Presidents of Mexico, in spite of a comparatively small salary, have displayed the use of many millions. In Mexico, a bad President fortunately is not allowed to be bad long, for his career is ended by a bullet of some well-intentioned bad man . . . there are many Spiritual people in Mexico." - Yogananda, :)
"The Czars forgot that they could not be rulers without the consent of the people, the people woke up after allowing themselves to be tyrannized over by a few kings, and cut off their heads." - Yogananda.
SOURCE: Swami Yogananda. "What is the Best Polity?" East-West 1935, (Continued from November Issue)
SRF's Editorial Strives for Decades
The quotations above serve to show that not all Yogananda sayings are just and fit. What is it that he is saying about a Mexican president shot to death? Or that the United States were "ruled to death"? The country is still there. More alarming to some, perhaps, is:We never found such guidelines in SRF's mishmash lessons after Yogananda's passing. Such quotations were dropped, along with Yogananda speaking for ideal communities in his autobiography. SRF differences between hailed words and real-life actions border on insults.
We are confronted with this: SRF refrains from presenting all of Yogananda's writings in public, for reasons that seem understandable when it is exposed that he hailed Mussolini and dictatorship in 1933. Also, what is selected as fit for Americans today, is filtered. That poses other problems. We go into them.
SRF Editing Yogananda
To make some salient points stand out clearer, think of an amoebe.
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| Ill. 1 - A shot at SRF teachings and methods |
Sri Daya Mata, president of SRF, took the original dictation from her guru. . . . Sri Mrinalini Mata, the Vice President of SRF, had the specific job of editing Yogananda's work. . . . There is a second version of Yogananda's Rubaiyat translation, edited by J. Donald Walters. . . . . Walter's edition is called The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained. . . . In both the original writing of Yogananda has been substantially edited. [Emphasis added] Both editors say they were commissioned to do this work by Yogananda himself. It is a bit difficult to grasp just how extensively both Walters and SRF have edited Yogananda's words. . . . It was startling to this reader to learn that in neither edition is one even offered the original writing of Yogananda. SRF explained that all of Yogananda's writings had been so edited [Emphasis added] . . . Walters says he was specifically assigned by Yogananda to edit his Rubaiyat and explains the changes as required for clarity. [FA]Kriyananda explains it better:
Yogananda . . . His preferred way of expressing himself was to touch lightly on a point, inviting others to meet him on his own level. It was to us, his disciples, usually, that he left the task of expanding on, or explaining, the truths he presented in condensed form in his writings. - [James Donald Walters, aka Kriyananda. [FB]This does not seem even remotely like SRF Headquarters'
we, as his disciples, cannot change his words or the injunctions he gave in order to adjust them to your personal viewpoints [NOTARISED TOPICS]Hhh! The SRF management just adjusts Yoganandas' autograph, guru pictures, and teachings to their own, most favoured viewpoints, it seems safe to say. They refused even rudimentary fairness to kriya initiates by those "stock devotee" phrases, by the way. The SRF management ran roughshod over better thinking and have proven to be dangerous in what they implement: You are refused ordinary human rights through the SRF kriya pledge, and that is no small matter. [LINK]
In the illustration, the violet parts outside the big circle are Yogananda words, guidelines, and wisdom that SRF has left out by and by. Even parts of the kriya teachings or methods that were handed over, seem to be missing or confused. There are parts that may have been messed up as well. The SRF Walrus discussion board contains some information about it.
Those who want to play it "safe", perhaps like the ostrich, are cautioned to stay within the rim of the large circle, to fit into the built up SRF universe - that favours monastics taking over (by "remote dictates") that work their ways into the intimacies of family living. It may be impossible to grow up from that, if once submitted.
Cults and Deprogramming
On Cults and Deprogramming
"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - Richard James Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970)
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| Quacks like a bird - |
Knowing that SRF (Self-Realization Fellowship) has been classified as a cult or sect recently, helps in knowing what we are dealing with, for sects and cults have been studied, and have many common characteristics. And there are ways to deal with them; some of which are decent enough too. Basically, to deal with them all right, just stay away from them. If not, the chances are that you end up in recurrent troubles. And those who are able to realize and not repress their hovering cult member problems, may seem enigmatic to the "blinded", fooled flock of cult serfs. Well, there is that chance.
Members of the sect that get aware of frustrations of unfulfilled or dwarfed lives, may react differently. "There are basically three ways people leave a cult:
- By intervention (exit counseling, deprogramming)
- On their own decision (walkaways)
- Through expulsion (castaways) [Wikipedia, s.v. "cult"]."
Deprogramming of a Sectarian and Some of Its Problems
There was a person who called himself Richard James and Yellowbeard, who on a discussion board spoke of having a cult-twisted, deranged mind, and blamed SRF for it. That might have some truth in it, but yells and loud shrieks do not necessarily make a proof. There are rules for how proofs are set up in medicine and social sciences. Basically, someone who says his mind has been deranged, may be no good and very reliable source of information.Now, James started a discussion board against bad sides to Self-Realization Fellowship, which had disappointed him. But his professed aims for the board soon gave way to incompetent handling over and over, sadly in conflict with what he said he strove to actualise. Underlying motives of cultists show up in the course of time, be they desires for money, sex, and influence. And nasty and foolish conduct that runs contrary to one's declared goals indicate great inner conflicts. These should be settled first.
James first was banned from a SRF-focused discussion board, the SRF Walrus, and then strove to dominate his own board. I remember these Walrus board comments on his showing a butt up front (mooning) on his own "flutter-board":
Comment on the butt picture: "I guess it's the best part of him."Later our Richard resigned more or less and let another help him out as the message board's moderator. Before that move, some called him ill, and some regarded his board cultish, and James was denounced and denigrated as a dogmatising cult freak, someone who spoke negatively of evidence, without allowing others a fair say - he misused a discussion board and abused others, in other words. His claims at times were foolish and inconsiderate, such as when he bombastically and wrongly declared that kriya yoga does not work. Watch out for the rude simpleton as he gets fixated to keep his pet delusions, but contrary to solid research evidence. Kriya does work: [LINK]
Another: "It's the only part.
A deep-set problem might just be that a former cult member's mind may still be fixated in an authoritarian way of working. We should not rule out that his mind was that way first, and he sought to find a network in a cult that suited his mentality. Both possibilities need to be taken into account, among others.
No one may be able to solve an inner, sectarian dilemma of domination by turning very vehemently against cults and sects. Something else is needed, especially fair play and relaxation on a couch - and soda water too, to the degree it offers relief or saves one from freaking out on a sectarian-minded and unprofessional anti-cult board.
The alleged anti-cult man also reveals his "addiction" to authoritarian stuff by going too far in some harsh anti cult direction, patting a very authoritarian cult buster as if that was another Yogananda to him: powerful, able to understand at a glance, and work wonders in "deprogramming" - which is not far from guruism. It might be that Richard James took his deep submission problem and "hooked up" to another authority figure. Hence, on 9 September 2003 James posted "Here's an example of a classic deprogramming technique from an interview with the cult buster pioneer, Ted Patrick". What was not in it, was that Patrich later were sentenced to jail . . .
Deprogramming may itself work as a form of corky mind control. Deprogramming is not an easy matter, and it frequently needs follow-up, because:
- The emotional ties in the organization (friends) are still very strong;
- Loneliness and disillusionment are strong factors causing a desire to go back to the cult;
- Lingering doubts about a new decision remain for a while;
- Confusion and disorientation about the future haunts them.
Deprogramming Understood
In a cult or sect there may be some plotting to make new members accept a doctrinal body. Thought, knowledge, and loyalities may be affected, eventually. Psychological punishments for non-cooperation may be subtle, affecting such as control and contacts, if reinforcements have failed. Deprogramming may also be reversing doctrinal plotting through intensive psychotherapy and confrontation. Deprogramming has proved somewhat successful, particularly with religious cult members. Depth of changes in attitude and point of view depend on the personality and motivation of the individual, and how supportive the environment shows up to be. [Ebu "brainwashing"]For healing of the ex-cultist there are kind-looking, non-coercive methods, based on talk and agreement. Healing from some cults may take from one to five years, and you can hardly rush the process. Maybe you can supply a liberal social climate to derive benefits from. That could help. You may also help in granting the cult victims clear thoughts if have any, and if you reach their cores and different wavelengths of mind. Some are narrowminded, insecure, and yet very dogmatic-minded. Sects could initially look like a haven to them, for those reasons.
Deprogramming can mean (1) the freeing of someone (often oneself) from any previously uncritically assimilated idea; and (2) intervening with the goal to persuade a person to leave a religious group regarded as spurious. This last form of deprogramming may be illegal and dangerous, and there is no "standard" deprogramming procedure. Kidnapping may be included in some cases, and discrediting the authority figure, the leader, presenting contradictions between the cult thinking and the realities, expressing oneself too, and transfer of belongingness.
Deprogramming has become less violent with time, although there may still be cases of being threatened with guns, beaten, denied sleep and food, and being sexually assaulted (how it looks like Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo according to news reportages -)
At this site we do not advocate abuse, including that of infringing on the airy rights of others, and violent deprogramming. [Wikipedia link] [FA] [FB]
Deprogramming Oneself, a Hard Struggle
A person speaks of her struggle to be freed from a "bad investment" of faith:At some point, I began to feel that I had been duped . . . I discovered that I was seething with resentment over the years of self-abasement, and humiliated by the fact that I had aided my captors . . . Additionally, the inner compulsion to perform ritualistic practices in which I had lost faith, and the need to overcome the fear that abandoning these practices would cause me to suffer terrible consequences, has made for many painful days and nights. . . . Self-deprogramming has taken me to the edge of despair . . . The truth is that one who delivers their belief into the hands of others risks having to fight to get it back.
- One should perhaps leave deprogamming to analysts who know what they are doing and respect their patients' lives and privacy.
- Facts are strong medicine to cultists, maybe too strong for some.
- A cult freak should not try to help others if he has not got well of underlying systemic troubles.
Avoid the Company of Fools for Your Own Good
Back to the "pirate" James with two wooden legs: According to his own descriptions he is one of the brainwashed ones, perhaps counter-brainwashed on top of that, having his cult-twisted, nay destroyed mind. These are basically his own words. Do you feel confidence in his words?
What do you say?One may also wonder: "Has he been hurt by a sect, or did he fit in through some defect sides he already had?" — These are interesting and relevant questions.
Some neat reserve may pay.
Attunement to what works, and very useful facts of life help some on and upward. Thanks to Buddha for his sage counsel:
A good thing is to stay away from a nasty board that suppresses delicate feelings and favours drivel and muck. A good part of that counsel is an SRF councel. Compare the counsel of Buddha. [MORE]Avoid company with fools (for your own good). - Buddha
Satyagraha: Non-cooperation with Evil, Holding to Truths
Two Sanskrit words: Satya: truth, graha: holding. Satya also means Truth, Reality, Being, and Sublime Truth. Holding to truth (satya) is the most used meaning of the term, but there is more to it. Gandhi was inspired by David Henry Thoreau - yes, that is Thoreau's real name, but he shuffled the forenames. Thoreau spoke for civil disobedience in certain cases, as when the state was up to no good, for example aggressive war - the Mexican war.
But Gandhi was not inspired by Thoreau alone. Non-cooperation with evil may also be understood as a logical ramification of the first "commandment" in yoga, that of holding fast to satya, which is translated as 'truth' most often. Holding to truth is a basic understanding of moral that goes along with yoga training. Stop being truthful, and you may get nasty through that only. That is what yogis say.
Truth, satya, is also a designation of the ultimate Reality. So being attuned to Reality is satya too. And integrity as fits. In Soto Zen, Dogen (1200-53) delineates much in his main work Shobogenzo [Ref.] so that we may align ourselves to Reality - that may help too, and may be termed satyagraha too - holding on to truthfulness.
In Autobiography of a Yogi truth is spoken of as exact correspondence with reality [Pa 435; or Ha 476]. As long as words can carry us, that view is OK - however, it is not in the first edition of his autobiography; it has been added later.
But there is still more: Satya has also come to mean the practice of truthfulness, to refrain from lying, deception or betraying promises and confidences. And to extract promises from gullible ones, promises they are unable to keep, is not in tune with satyagraha either. Yogananda and SRF don't permit kriya yoga to be taught without such an oath. It takes away the human rights and lots of other rights, basically. That should be important to keep in mind too. Also see Yogananda's meeting with Gandhi and more on satyagraha there - [LINK]
It should help satya not to cooperate with evil, the lurking evil, for wickeness and deceits are opposite to truth and Truth. Not to support those who thrive by evil and wicked deeds, and stealthy uses of such stuff, may be vital too.
We hold that non-cooperation with evil is the method for dealing with a Badfingers Board while marching on, moving ahead (so should you).
Some Additional Problems and How to Avoid Them
After years of bootlicking, you should not be surprised that your head is not clean."When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - Richard James Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970).
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| The words of Richard James come to mind . . . |
On the Internet SRF presents itself marginally, and devoted members write glowingly about it on some discussion boards, whereas disgruntled members strive on other such boards. None of these two types of board may offer information of enough value. Misleading information and wilful lies harm some of them, for example a discussion board that was set up by a Richard James, alias Yellowbeard. He had quite a history of maddened incompetence before another took over the board.
Riff-raff may waste much of our precious time. Here are just a few tips on how to deal with SRF and SRF devoted groups and boards - the shallow, misleading, and the other boards. Some of the information in some of them may be factual, but the boards are hardly reliable sources of information so long as the postings are anonymous, truths are discredited, and sound evidence is largely missing. Choose your sources of information with care, and learn to ask for and check the needed evidence.
Mind what is quoted calmly and verbatim, for most part, with due references given. And above it all, here is good guidance of Buddha: Stay away from associating with fools, for your own good. You are worth it, for:
The teaching poem Dhammapada also says one should avoid the company of fools, but company with the wise is pleasure. [cf. Dhammapada 206, 207].
Buddha teaches that no one should waste time or gifts on unworthy fellows or fools, but instead make use of the precious time and opportunities we are given, if any. There will hopefully be time enough to try to help others later. This is an attitude reflected in sayings by the Tibetan saint Milarepa of the Middle Ages. [LINK]
One should not be over-anxious and hasty in setting out to serve others, but have the one resolve to attain Buddhahood. - Milarepa, [Tm 271]
Success in Life and valuable lessons of Maharishi Yogi
The will to truth and real evidence is an asset deep inside. Be sure not to lose it. To fight against this and that, including cults, may be for some, perhaps, but it is far better to fight for things, and better still to advance tactfully instead of fighting when there is no need for being brutal. Success in life rests in no small part on the art of living, which Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has given a lot of tips on too. This suggests that in taking a stand for truth, the satyagraha thing, it may be vital to escape parodies and mock liberators - instead of learning the really valuable things in the art of living well.
Literature
Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: SRF, 1975.
Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main ed.), 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: Philosophical Library, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]
Ha: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 12th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1981.
Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1971.
Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.
Yv: Venkatesananda, swami, tr. The Concise Yoga Vasistha. Albany: State University of New York, 1984.
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