Posted inBuddhism Personal/Stories Radha Soami Satsang Beas

“Jaded old men,” identify yourselves!

OK, I'm demanding that you guys out yourself. No more hiding in the closet. Paul, who left this comment today on a previous post about Radha Soami Satsang Beas, has discovered that this blog is full of "jaded old men" who have forgotten the wonder of life. All I have to say is that I read Brian's writings as I have always found his thinking to be well thought out. I have read his books and his thinking inspired me. Well my opinion of this blog has changed. It has become a pathetic playground for people to bash other peoples…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Is Radha Soami Satsang Beas a scam?

If I believed in God, which I don't, I'd call what happened to me today a message from God. Instead, let's just call it a message and leave it at that. During my morning reading/meditation period I had some ideas for the post I planned to write later on. Right now I'm looking at what I jotted down on some note paper: "Buyer beware" Penguin WindowsReligion as false advertisingKnowledge of falsenessChristianity? NoRSSB? Yes A few hours later I got an email notification that another comment had been submitted to this blog. It was from regular Church of the Churchless visitor…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Free food is a Sikh thing, not a RSSB thing

For those interested in Sikhism and a related Northern India religious faith -- that of Radha Soami Satsang Beas -- take a look at a short New York Times video about the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar (thanks to my friend Randy for letting me know about it). I wasn't aware that the practice of giving out free food via a "langar" is a traditional Sikh custom. This is done on a large scale at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas headquarters in Beas, Punjab. But apparently the Golden Temple is an even bigger langar purveyor. This just goes to show…
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Posted inBuddhism Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Almost all spiritual paths lead up Mount Ego

For about thirty-five years, from age 20 to 55 (I'm now sixty-one), I meditated assiduously in accordance with the tenets of Radha Soami Satsang Beas -- an India-based guru-centered organization whose teachings claim to be able to unite the soul with God. However, what I learned from my immersion in the deep waters of organized religosity is applicable to almost every sort of spiritual path (to mix watery and earthy metaphors). True believers generally feel that they're becoming less selfish, egotistical, and me-centered through their devotion to...whatever or whoever. God, guru, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Krishna, cosmic consciousness, Great Spirit, etc.…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Some thoughts on divine dying

I've been enjoying the spirited commenting on a recent post, "Attempt to kill the RSSB guru, Gurinder SIngh, fails." One interesting discussion topic is whether, if the guru indeed is GIHF (God in human form) as the Radha Soami Satsang Beas teachings proclaim, anyone could succeed in killing a divine being. Someone pointed out the obvious: that Jesus is viewed as the Son of God by Christians, yet his central reason for living was to die. Michael Parenti talks about this in his book, "God and His Demons" -- which takes a strongly skeptical look at religiosity. Nothing less than…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Attempt to kill the RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh, fails

I just got an email message from a friend about an attempt in Vienna, Austria to assassinate Gurinder Singh, the guru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), which is headquartered in the Punjab, India.I was an active member of RSSB for over thirty-five years and volunteered several times for security work at large meetings in the United States and Canada where Gurinder Singh gave talks.At a Honolulu session in the 1990s I remember getting the job of peering into trash receptacles and such to search for explosive devices. This seemed sort of unnecessary to me at the time. After reading…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Spiritual practice/meditation

What if a “guru” is no different from us?

When I was a member of an India-based spiritual group, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), the guru who led the organization frequently would say, "We need teachers in every aspect of life. Mysticism and spirituality are no different."Here's the problem with that statement: if I can't tell whether a person is more competent at something than I am, why should I accept him/her as a guide, teacher, consultant, handyman, or whatever?I got to thinking about this today after reading a response to a comment on a blog post about financial dealings of the current RSSB guru, Gurinder Singh. Tucson, a…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Reality is a boat without oars

Yesterday a regular visitor to this blog, tucson, left a comment on a post that deserved more attention than it likely was going to get. (Irritatingly, TypePad, my blog service, doesn't take a click on a "recent comments" link directly to the comment, only to the post; tucson's comment was on an old post with hundreds of comments on multiple pages, so it was hard to find).Here's what tucson had to say in response to a previous comment by "Neitzsche" that talked about the guru of an Eastern religious organization (RSSB), Gurinder Singh. I thought tucson's advice to Neitzsche was…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Sant Mat’s close connection with Hinduism

Sant Mat is a spiritual system historically centered in northern India, but which now has spread internationally, with initiates of various Sant Mat gurus scattered around the world. It often is billed as a "science of the soul" that transcends religious boundaries and distinctions. For example, the branch of Sant Mat that I was a member of for thirty-five years, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), has published books that show the purported connection between Sant Mat and Christianity, as well as Sant Mat and Judaism.This requires considerable leaps of faith, though, and some creative reinterpreting of Bible verses. The commonalities…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Radha Soami Satsang Beas rakes in cash (and a river bank)

Thanks to David Lane (a.k.a "Neural Surfer") I came across a link to a news story about a big real estate deal involving land owned by Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a Indian religious/spiritual organization headquartered in the Punjab. A commenter points out that the sale is for about $108 million, with houses on the property slated to sell for around $2 million. Wow. Parts of India must be imitating Beverly Hills.I also was emailed a link to another story about RSSB: "Dera raising embankment to change course of river; farmers complain." Hundred million dollar deals and questionably legal construction…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

RSSB’s ties to Religare mix money and spirituality

As shown in my previous post, there's an intimate relationship between Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a religious/mystical organization headquartered in India, and Religare -- a large global financial services group.The current RSSB guru is Gurinder Singh Dhillon. His sons, though only 26 and 20 years old, are among the 400 richest Indians owing to millions of Religare shares having been transferred to them at a very low cost via insider trading deals.And the guru himself has acquired about half a million dollars worth of Religare shares in a similar fashion. (For details on all this, read "Religare's money connections…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Religare’s money connections with the Radha Soami guru

Religious institutions often have an intimate relationship with money. The hugely rich Catholic Church comes to mind, naturally. There's nothing inherently wrong with this. People simply should be aware when spirituality gets tangled up with financial dealings, and make up their own minds about what, if anything, it means to them. In that spirit, someone forwarded me an email message regarding Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) that reportedly has been circulating among members of this India-based organization. RSSB, as a branch of the Sant Mat ("Path of Saints") religious philosophy, is led by a guru who is considered by the…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

The craziest thing I’ve ever believed

Recently I asked myself, "Brian, what's the craziest thing you've ever believed?" Since I was an active member of an Indian mystical guru-based meditation organization, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), for over thirty years, quite a few candidate beliefs came to mind. Here's the winner: I used to accept the distinct possibility, if not likelihood, that when I was initiated by the RSSB guru back in 1971, Master Charan Singh placed a metaphysical "double" of himself, a radiant form, within my consciousness. Or being. Or soul. Or something like that.It wasn't very clear where or how this magic act was performed.…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Gurinder Singh’s remarks on Sam Busa’s death

Sam Busa, the South African representative of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (an Indian spiritual group) for some 55 years died recently. The current guru of the organization, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, sent this message to Busa's family.Dear ______, I was informed about Sam's passing. Rest assured Sam is in a much better place now, free from all suffering and concerns.  His guidance and help which he gave tirelessly to the sangat in South Africa for so many years will be greatly missed. He lived a full and complete life.  He is once again united with his beloved Master. Though you will all…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas Spiritual practice/meditation

Religion isn’t horrible, just horribly misguided

While on a dog walk yesterday, I ran into a neighbor who I don't talk to very often. He started off our conversation in an appealing fashion:"I read your blog regularly." Nice! But then he said, "Being a confirmed atheist, it's a bit too kind to religion for me. I prefer PZ Myers' blog."Well, I told him that I also enjoy Pharyngula. Every day I take a look at Myers' posts that attack religion and support science. Hopefully without sounding too defensive, I did some defending of my own attitude toward spirituality."Yes, I'm not as rabid toward religion as Myers…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

Why Radha Soami Satsang Beas initiates are so special

Recently I got an email message from someone who wanted to know why I felt so special when I was an active member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a Sant Mat organization headquartered in India.In your posts, you often make mention of having felt special when you were in RS mode, and how you now feel relieved to have shed this sense of being special. It isn’t clear to me what was your basis for this feeling of being special. The way I understand it, Sant Mat teachings and practice inculcate in the initiate an ever broadening and expanding perspective of…
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Posted inPersonal/Stories Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Shocked at my past beliefs, should I disown me?

I picked up the book. Thumbed through the pages and located the right chapter. Scanned a few paragraphs. Then found the lines I was looking for:Mysticism has little quarrel with the theory of evolution -- as long as it is recognized that life evolves not randomly, but under the guidance of an intelligence which is far beyond our ability to fathom. All that is evident are the results of a divine will reflected most imperfectly in the fossil record and the current diversity of species.Oh no!, I thought. The author is an intelligent design advocate. He believes in bullshit!I threw…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

“True Sant Mat” blog: a fresh look at mystic teachings

Sant Mat gets discussed quite a bit here because I was a member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (a contemporary Sant Mat movement) for many years, along with other regular Church of the Churchless commenters.I'm more familiar with Sant Mat than any other religion, spiritual system, or mystical path. So when Osho Robbins emailed me with news that he was starting a "True Sant Mat" blog, naturally I was curious.And, upon request, gave him some advice about how to set the blog up, since we're both using the TypePad blogging service. Osho's goal is to discuss the real teachings behind…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

I answer questions about the once-churched me

I was planning to write a blog post about another subject tonight. But, hey, when someone leaves a comment on an Open Thread that focuses on me, wanting me to answer some questions about me, suddenly I found this topic a lot more interesting.I'll put "Cell's" words in italics and my response in normal type.------------------------------ Brian, may I ask a few questions of you? I would just send you an email, but I think that some external input could be helpful, too.No problem. I love questions. Especially ones I can answer. Since they're about me, that's a subject I have…
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Posted inRadha Soami Satsang Beas

A dialogue about Radha Soami Satsang Beas

A few days ago I posted a message from Shiloh, "The anguish of losing a loved one to exotic religion." That was part of my communications with her. Here's the other part: a question and answer dialogue we had about Radha Soami Satsang Beas, the India-based spiritual organization that is the exotic religion Shiloh was concerned about.We exchanged several email messages after Shiloh wrote to me, asking if I'd help her better understand the organization that I was an active member of for many years. Here's our Q & A exchange, starting with some introductory remarks and moving to eight…
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