He says, Much of my life is guided and directed by [dreams].. At the time, there was a small new-age bookstore in Palo Alto that was run by a Sufi group. It is made up of disciples of Paramhansa . No more lawsuits! Daya Mata exclaimed at a meeting between the leaders of SRF and Ananda, after Ananda had won virtually every issue in the lawsuit. The one thing God cannot abide is intolerance. I found the book deeply, unexpectedly inspiring. Members of the Ananda community operate the Living Wisdom School in Palo Alto, where children are taught values from an early age, in harmony with the guidelines that Paramhansa Yogananda recommended. How could the Master possibly make such statements, but then reject Ananda and Swami Kriyananda, whose practices and beliefs are precisely his own? Ananda Communities could be described as modern "ashrams" that include individuals, couples, and families from all walks of life and from around the world. The community welcomes visitors and is open to the public. Amazingly, they were divided into factions that were so opposed in their beliefs that they were incapable of uniting in mutual aid against the terrible threat that confronted them from the Roman government. The spirit of Paramhansa Yogananda permeated SRF. I guess youll just have to accept me as I am, I prayed. Forgiveness, for example. Readers interested in comparing SRFs legal attacks with Anandas restrained and dharmic replies are referred to the case files: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Case Number: Civ. Kriyananda never remotely claimed to be a guru, nor did he ever expect us to treat him like one. Decentralization, not strong central control, is the spirit of this age. There is one other ray of light at the end of the tunnel for Bertolucci: she is hoping to get back together with the husband she left in 1992 to join Ananda. "A lawsuit was really the only way to stop it," said Bertolucci in a 1996 interview. It all started at Ananda Village where you can join us for an inspiring visit, retreat, for internships, family programs, or online. Menu. If I should have problems in health or finances, I can ask seventy fellow disciples to pray for or advise me. Nothing, beyond a few petty exhibits which, if viewed from the skewed perspective of organizational bias, might remotely be construed as persuasive. Health and diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish says he has found evidence that yoga can help fight cardiovascular disease and this may be true. She stayed on to become a devotee and yoga teacher.. In 1998 Greene also won a $1.6 million jury verdict in Bertolucci v. Ananda against The Church of Self Realization led by Swami Kiyananda in California for fraud, coercion and sexual exploitation. I now live in the Ananda community in Mountain View, California, which is located in a complex of seventy-two apartments. Fulfilling Yogananda's Vision of World Brotherhood Colonies. Lacking experience, her approach was based on another theory altogether. Ironically, the meditation class was to help her with stress reduction, she said. On deciding to move to the Ananda community, I therefore wrote a letter to Daya Mata in which I promised always to work for harmony between the two organizations. At the time, I chalked it up to institutional jealousy. by | Dec 17, 2021 | termination letter to employee due to business closure | national board for health and wellness coaching | Dec 17, 2021 | termination letter to employee due to business closure | national board for health and wellness coaching A devotee answered evasively, You wont lose your mind and be brainwashed. And according to another member they are not a religion.. I had simply prayed with total zeal, and I had frequently found God answering my prayers through these inspiring people. Hinn lives lavishly off of the millions contributed by his faithful, that believe cures come from heaven during his crusades. A quick rule of thumb might also be, if you see some gurus picture on the wall, or religious statues in the entrance area or practice room, something more than yoga might be lurking within the instruction. Have a Question about Expanding Light Programs? I never spoke privately with her, nor did I ever receive her verbal guidance, yet she always conveyed the Masters inspiration. Then came Ananda Seattle in Washington, and Ananda Portland in Oregon. However, these three teachers have all been historically referred to as cult leaders. And former students claimed their yoga was often a means of recruitment and basis for abuse. Paramhansa Yogananda told Swami Kriyananda, You have a great work to do. After Masters passing, Rajarsi Janakananda also told him, You have a great work to do, Walterand Master will give you the strength to do it. Ibelieve the great work has begun, and that it is the work of preventing Masters teachings from being degraded into the kind of institution-centered religion of law that has characterized organized Christianity for two millennia. Presumably, then, the organization exists solely for the propagation of the methods of inner communion, Yet the instances of Daya Matas service to disciples as a direct channel for her Gurus blessings are too well known among SRFs own members even to require mentioning. Swami Satchidananda, a guru and purported cult leader died last year and moved on to his next life, that is for those who believe in reincarnation. On the weekends, I regularly spent the entire day walking in nature and praying to Yogananda while I pursued my hobby of photography. Readers who desire proof can read Anandas legal documents. (Master considered running an ideal exercise, Brother Bhaktananda wrote in a letter. And, in response to my question about how to develop more devotion, he wrote inspiringly, Fathomless depths of love for God lie hidden in the human heart, waiting to be uncovered by the Gurus liberating discipline.. The newspaper article in the Hindu[stan] Times was planted by a devotee who had no idea as to my intentions in my trip. Sai Babas supposed Siddha powers seem to have consumed him. Anandas founder J. Donald Walters was found guilty of sexual misconduct and plaintiffs were awarded a staggering multi-million dollar judgment. You will learn about SRFs draconian lawsuit against Ananda in which it attempted to gain sole ownership of the Masters name, writings, and likeness, and how, in the judges own words, they attempted unsuccessfully to put that organization out of business by bankrupting it through protracted litigation. Thats exactly what it is!. And it certainly is questionable that any mental health professional would base an opinion on such specious and subjective sources. For my money, SRFs thinking reflected an amazing degree of organizational pride: How could Ananda not be pretending to be SRF? they seemed to be saying. This news page is about groups, organizations or movements, which may have been called "cults" and/or "cult-like" in some way, shape or form. This time the group is the Twelve Tribes, a racist anti-Semitic cult led by Elbert Eugene Spriggs, a former carnival barker. We are, in fact, fighting to save SRF from itselffrom the grip of sectarianism and self-serving institutionalism that betray Paramhansa Yoganandas spirithis compassion, kindness, tolerance, and his unflagging zeal to spread the message of Self-realization freely to all. A towering figure among them was Reverend Richard Wurmbrand, a Rumanian Baptist preacher who achieved a high degree of Self-realization through his unrelenting dedication to Christ, even under imprisonment and torture. Ananda Worldwide offers in-depth online courses, as well as interactive webinars, guided meditations, and discussions on the teachings of yoga. Your experience matches my intuitive feelings about the individuals behind the organizations, and I am grateful to you. Three months later, after visiting a cult de-programmer and an attorney, she filed a civil lawsuit against Ananda, alleging that she was sexually exploited by senior minister Danny Levin, who was vice president of Crystal Clarity Publishing where she worked. Was I in good health? "At first I thought I was alone," said Bertolucci in an interview with the Weekly in 1996. Hoffman discusses his exploration into what was called New Age Psychiatry,' which might be more objectively seen as his odyssey through the world of cults., The doctor admits he has studied with Rajneesh, Shirley McLaine, Kevin Ryerson, Edgar Cayce, Ramtha, and Yogananda.. After recounting his personal history Hoffman eventually answers a readers inquiry about the meaning of dreams. Why, I wondered with mild exasperation, did the first lesson discuss friendship? And the more common category of largely domestic seekers is examined in The Faith Healers by James Randi. When SRF sued Ananda in 1990, we would discover that Anandas destruction had become a guiding obsession with SRFa virulent fixation that had been ingrained in the institution by some of its leading lights, most notably Tara Mata. These controversial sources are hardly what medical doctors would typically rely upon to form any clinical opinion. I also occasionally attended services at the Richmond and Los Gatos SRF centers. One yoga website seems to do little if any meaningful research before recommending classes or styles to potential yoga beginners. Noted attorney and anti-cult activist Ford Green of San Anselmo, California has been nominated for a Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundations Lawyer of the Year award. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But the background history of some YA board members is rather disturbing. Wurmbrand would often read from the writings of simple Rumanian devotees who, lacking formal instruction from the church, had molded their understanding of Christs teachings directly, from their reading of the Bible and their own devotions. Some of them testified against me.". If theres one thing Ive realized about God in all these years, its that He is fathomlessly tolerant and forgiving. View courses and webinars. I also learned that less than 10% of SRFs members ever actually finish the lessons series. I immediately moved to Mountain View, on the San Francisco peninsula, and began working at Runners World as an assistant editor and staff photographer. The gurus property holdings alone are worth millions. There certainly seems to be plenty of gullibility on this side of the globe. You have cleared them with the pontiff, Asha Praver, one of Anandas main teachers, attended a public legal hearing in Los Angeles, where she was confronted by Brother Brahmananda, one of SRFs most virulent anti-Ananda monastics. Later, I learned that the lessons hadnt been compiled by Yogananda. Have a Question about Meditation Retreat Programs? Ananda Meditation Retreat is located 6 miles from Ananda Village. To form any clinical opinion that any mental health professional would base an opinion on such and. There certainly seems to be a guru, nor did I ever receive her verbal guidance yet! 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