Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Reality

Why believe a guru can do supernatural bad if the guru can’t do supernatural good?

We humans aren't purely rational beings. Sure, we have our moments of rationality. We also have our moments of irrationality. Both are part of being human. Emotions are a large part of our humanity, but in no way are love, hate, anger, sorrow, and such rational. Nor would we want them to be. Still.... Sometimes it amazes me when a person makes what seems to be a blatant failure of reason, or critical thinking. Understand: I've been that person myself, so I have direct experience of this. I also have indirect experience. Here's a recent example. During the 21 years…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Uncategorized

Here’s a description of RSSB’s “soul contract.” It sounds decidedly creepy.

Below is another interesting message from the anonymous person who reaches me via the Contact form of this blog. As with the previous messages, this person shares their skeptical view of Radha Soami  Satsang Beas (RSSB), the India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years. I also got a a short message from this person about why they won't be sending me additional thoughts about RSSB. It bothers me that they feel this way. This isn't the first time that I've heard from anonymous critics of RSSB and/or the guru who are afraid…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

The RSSB cult says “We are not a cult”

I'm on a roll with guest blog posts from an anonymous person who sends me messages via this blog's Contact form about Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), the India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years. This is the third such blog post in a row. I found this one especially moving because it mentions me. I read that part aloud to my wife. I choked up a bit as I did so, almost feeling like crying. This doesn't happen often to me. It happens when something has been bottled up in me,…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Seems that Gurinder Singh Dhillon feels trapped in his role as RSSB guru

Following up on my previous guest blog post by an anonymous person who periodically sends me messages through my contact form, below is a message I received today from them which contains interesting information about their experience with Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) and the guru who heads up this India-based religious organization, Gurinder Singh Dhillon (GSD). It bothers me whenever someone writes me about how they became disillusioned with some aspect of RSSB, and says that I can't share their name, just their message, because they're afraid of what zealous RSSB disciples might do to them if their identity…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

With Radha Soami Satsang Beas, question the answers after you ask a question

Below is another great message from an anonymous person who periodically sends me a communication regarding how they feel about some aspect of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) -- an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years. Enjoy. I'll share some observations after the message. RSSB translations: You have the right to think what you like. This is a fundamental human right. This is "freedom of thought." Can you genuinely ask questions at RSSB? Many faiths will let you question, and leaders will do their best to answer, encourage it, accept where…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Spiritual practice/meditation

Sometimes it seems strange to have given up on spiritual projects

Change, even when it feels welcome, often has a way of seeming strange just because the old way of doing things had become so familiar. This is why my giving up on spiritual projects sometimes strikes me as such a departure from my previous approach to spirituality. Here's what I mean by a spiritual "project." Not so much a definition as examples that point to what I'm talking about. For most of the 35 years I was a member of an Eastern religion, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, I'd regularly go to a bhandara (spiritual gathering) of the organization where I…
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Posted inIndia Radha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB and izzat – “honor culture”

Here's another interesting guest post about Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) from the anonymous person who has shared other messages with me via the Contact form on this blog. Since they don't use an actual email address on the form, I want to say in this fashion that I apologize if any previous messages have been sent to me that I've seemingly ignored. Actually, I never received them, since I didn't realize until recently that the Contact form -- which worked initially when I moved this blog to the WordPress platform after my previous blogging service went out of business…
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Posted inPersonal/Stories Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Sometimes it’s necessary to do everything wrong in order to get something right

Right. Wrong. We all use those words a lot. But often we don't really understand what they mean. Most of us, me certainly included, typically view right and wrong as moral dichotomies. As in, Trump's immigration policy is right; Trump's immigration policy is wrong. But actually that sort of black and white attitude is itself wrong, because life usually is composed of shades of gray. Here's an example. I've been playing Klondike, a solitaire game, for many years on my iPhone. In 2011 I wrote about the philosophical side of the game: "Klondike solitaire -- a fine philosophy of life."…
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Posted inGod Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Most spiritual teachers and gurus are ignorant of their subject matter

I've had lots of teachers in my life. In schools. In sports. In martial arts. In all kinds of other things. The common denominator that unites my teachers, the good ones at least, is that there knew a lot about the subject they were helping me to learn. After all, what's the point of having a teacher if they don't know more than you do about a subject? That question played a large role in my decision to part company with Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a religious organization headquartered in India led a guru considered to be God in…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, meets in jail with man accused of laundering drug money

Since I was a member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) for 35 years before becoming disillusioned with the organization, I occasionally get messages from people about their own dissatisfaction with RSSB and the guru who has led RSSB since 1990, Gurinder Singh Dhillon. I share them as an example of how religions and religious leaders can go astray. Recently I was sent a link to a September 23, 2025 story in the Hindustan Times, "Dera Beas head meets Bikram Majithia In Nabha jail." (RSSB is headquartered in the Punjab province of India.) It's a short story, so I'll share…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Religions

If a religion tries to coerce you into staying, you’re in a cult, so run away from it!

Here's another right-on message from the person who shared thoughts with me that became a blog post, "A message for those thinking of leaving RSSB, Radha Soami Satsang Beas." It's on the same theme, though the focus now is on religions in general. I heartily agree with these sentiments. I'll explain why after the message. Letter from the outside world... Everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe. It is called freedom of religion. Nobody should be pressuring you, forcing you, coercing you, yelling at you, bullying you, or trying to influence or persuade or convince you,…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

A message for those thinking of leaving RSSB, Radha Soami Satsang Beas

I just received this message via the Contact form for this blog. It was so well said, I'm sharing it as a blog post. It relates to Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), an India-based religious organization headed by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years. This is for anyone who is unhappy and is thinking of leaving RSSB. If you are here to attack free speech, this is NOT for you. This is mainly for the Indian kids born and raised in the western world who inherited this from their family from Day 1. Just remember your ancestors…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB medical relief society spends over $14 million on fancy house in India, seemingly for the guru’s use

It bothers me when a religious organization that claims to be about spiritual advancement and helping others spends large sums of money on maintaining the lavish lifestyle of the organization's leader. It bothers me even more when the organization is Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), which is headquartered in India and led by a guru. Well, actually two gurus at the moment, one of whom is Gurinder Singh Dhillon, who has held that post since 1990. That was when the RSSB guru who initiated me, Charan Singh, died. Charan was truly humble and unassuming. Gurinder is very different, having taken…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Anyone know how to contact Gurinder Singh, the RSSB guru?

I just received this message from someone who wants very much to get in touch with Gurinder Singh, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an India-based religious organization. I told this person that I didn't have the guru's contact information, but I could ask on my blog if anyone else does. The person said I should do this. "Babaji" refers to Gurinder Singh. Use the Contact form at the top of the page to reach me if you have a way to reach Gurinder Singh, and I'll pass that information on to the person. Hi Brian, I’m from India…
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Posted inPersonal/Stories Radha Soami Satsang Beas

For me, the genuine spiritual path leads from religious fantasy to everyday reality

Recently I heard from someone who currently is a member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), an India-based religious organization headed up by a guru that I belonged to for 35 years. This person described both what bothers them about their experience as a RSSB initiate, and also what they enjoy about their experience. Their message ended with what perhaps is the most important thing they said, at least to my eyes. Sant Mat is the philosophy underlying the RSSB teachings. Thanks for having the courage to set up the site and make your views known. I hope to be…
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Posted inIndia Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Flooding along India’s Beas River likely made worse by Radha Soami Satsang Beas

A few days ago I got a message, shared below, from someone about flooding caused by a religious organization. The Dera, in India's Punjab, is the headquarters of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a religious group that I was an active member of for 35 years, and have written about quite a bit on this blog. Gurinder Singh Dhillon has been the RSSB guru since 1990 and now is sharing guru duties with another man, to my understanding. Hi Mr Hines, Greetings. As you know Punjab in India is devastated by floods. Though Dera chief Mr Dhillon is trying to…
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Posted inBuddhism Radha Soami Satsang Beas Religions

Just breath. Arising out of nothing. Returning to nothing.

Most religions say that the purpose of human life is to merge with God. Maybe not become God, but at least become really close to God. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism obviously differ in many respects. However, they all espouse achieving a closeness to the Almighty that expands the usual conception of what being a person is all about. The Eastern religion that I belonged to for 35 years, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, had a similar teaching: the creative power of God extends throughout the creation. Through meditation and other spiritual practices, it is possible to first become self-realized as…
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Posted inBuddhism Radha Soami Satsang Beas

If a religion claims to know ultimate truth, how can its teachings change?

This morning I read another chapter in Scott Carney's The Enlightenment Trap: Obsession, Madness and Death on Diamond  Mountain. "Diamond Theosophy" included some interesting Buddhist history that I wasn't aware of before. I did know that Buddhism became less popular in the area where Buddha lived, modern day India. China and Japan became Buddhist centers, along with south Asia. But Buddhism also made its way into Tibet in the fifth century, where it thrived.  Carney writes: Modern scholars who have studied the original manuscripts were unsurprised to learn that the translations that endured the legions of miles on monks' backs…
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Posted inBuddhism Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Karma makes sense. Except when it doesn’t. Same with trusting a spiritual teacher.

I'm gradually making my way through Scott Carney's The Enlightenment Trap: Obsession, Madness and Death on Diamond  Mountain. (First blog post about the book is here.) The book is building up its tale of Buddhism gone bad by telling us about the history of the Buddhist student who dies and the Buddhist teacher who, I'm assuming, played a role in his death. Along the way, Carney describes what Buddhism is all about. This is mostly familiar territory for me. But since I'm much more interested in the modern secular non-supernatural side of Buddhism than the traditional religious supernatural side, some…
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Posted inNeuroscience Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Perfectionism is loved by religions, but it’s bad for us

There's nothing wrong with aspiring to be perfect. That's how athletes improve at their sport. That's how scientists improve at their research. That's how ordinary people improve at their relationships. But there's a danger lurking in this aspiration: perfectionism. That's a serious psychological malady. It manifests when we are overly attached to the lure of being perfect, lacking the ability to understand that failure and flaws are what make us human. The August 8, 2025 issue of The New Yorker has an article by Leslie Jamison, "The Pain of Perfectionism." It spoke to me because, like most people, I go…
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