Radha Soami Satsang Beas

Here are some interesting observations about Gurinder Singh's apparent upcoming visit to the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) center in England, Haynes Park.

Singh is the "perfect living master" of the organization and is considered by the faithful to be God in Human Form (GIHF). So, not surprisingly, a visit from God creates a lot of excitement.

Some of which I used to share, when I was an active member of RSSB. But I passed up quite a few chances to drop everything and make a frantic dash to see the guru when he made one of his surprise trips to the western United States.

My attitude, which is echoed in some thoughts below, was that if seeing the guru had salutary effects on people, you'd expect that frequent GIHF-observers would have gotten some benefits from all their devotion.

This wasn't evident to me. Not that this should be expected. People go to see a rock band that they're big fans of and don't come away changed either. They simply have a good time.

Which also seems to be the goal of many, if not most, of those who are looking forward to the guru's Haynes Park visit. Nothing wrong with that.

What's strange, though, is how strange disciples act when word gets out that "the guru is coming!" Read on…

I love questions. And me. So when someone asks me questions about me, I'm in double love. Today Georgey left a comment on this post that included five questions. I started to reply via another comment, but then realized that even though I'm practicing non-verbosity through Twitter now, I needed the space of a blog post to do the answers justice.Georgey started with...Brian, yours is a very interesting blog, read thru many of your articles on the Sant Mat stuff, which my scientific conditioning nevertheless find intriguing and your different experiences of it. I'd be interested to know some personal…

Questions...they're so much more important than answers. Questions open us up. They point us in the direction of truth. They help us avoid premature explanations that haven't ripened into a reality we can depend on.Below is a mildly edited email message that I got yesterday from a thoughtful, questioning member of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, the group that I belonged to for over thirty years.I've responded to this person in a comment. Hopefully other Church of the Churchless visitors will do the same, as he or she requested. Even if you aren't familiar with the Sant Mat theologies that are…

Here's some additional correspondence that I've received from "Unknown," who sent along previously-posted (from January 12-28, 2009) material that can be found in the Radha Soami Satsang Beas category of this blog.

The theme of this submission is why people accept so uncritically a guru's claims of divinity, or special access to God, when either positive evidence is lacking or negative evidence is present.

I wasn't familiar with one of the cited books, "The Guru Papers." It looks interesting. I decided to order a used copy from Amazon — 408 pages of anti-cult prose for $6.99, that's the kind of cost-effective churchless reading I go for.

Click below to read on.

Most disciples of a guru believe that if they could have more intimate face-time with him, their faith would be strengthened. Plus, their spiritual progress would soar.

But belief isn't reality.

Here's the story of Phil, a Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) initiate who got to hang out with Gurinder Singh, current RSSB guru, when Phil lived in the Caribbean.

Phil said it'd be fine to share his thoughts via a blog post. I've mildly edited a couple of his email messages, fixing some typos and adding a few explanations in bracketed italics.

It's interesting reading, providing a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on time spent with a guru who is considered by the faithful to be GIHF, God in Human Form.

You can either download the PDF file, or click on the continuation to this post.
Download Phil message 2

Here's the final installment of material sent to me by an email correspondent, Unknown, who assembled writings by a high-ranking Radha Soami Satsang Beas official (who called himself Waking Now) that appeared online some years ago after Waking Now became disillusioned with what he came to view as a cult.

Previous postings of Waking Now's writings are here, here, here, and here. This installment, which mostly is a critique of the RSSB belief system, is my favorite.

Whether or not someone agrees with Waking Now's conclusion that living one's life is best accomplished without submitting to the dictates of a guru figure, it's interesting to learn about the belief-to-disbelief trajectory of someone who was so deeply involved with the highest level of a religious organization for so long.

I was initiated by one of the RSSB gurus mentioned by Waking Now. I still have a great deal of fondness for Charan Singh, whom I was able to see in person during a two week visit to India in 1977.

Several decades later I was pleased to be able to write a book for RSSB, Life is Fair, on a subject that reportedly was dear to the heart of Charan Singh (when I was asked if I wanted to work on this project, I was told that the now-deceased guru had wanted to be able to hand out a small book that described the karmic rationale for vegetarianism).

So I have some understanding of how difficult it must have been for Waking Now to dissociate himself from the Radha Soami Satsang Beas organization in an effort to come closer to truth, reality, and his own self.

I don't feel that revealing the human side of a guru diminishes his value as a spiritual guide or teacher. Rather, it makes me feel closer to Charan Singh, or anyone else who has been raised to an undefensibly high godly platform.

Read on. As before, Waking Now's writings can be read by clicking on the continuation to this post, or by downloading this PDF file.
Download RSSB Chapters 6-7 PDF

Here's some additional interesting Radha Soami Satsang Beas-related material written by someone ("Waking Now") who was a high-ranking member of the organization. It was sent to me by my email correspondent, "Unknown."

I added some of this new information to the end of a previous post, Chapter 2, since it related to the subject of that post (business practices). Scroll down to the boldfaced "Note:" in the addendum to that post and you'll find the new stuff.

Whether or not you're familiar with this particular Indian guru-based organization, I think you'll find Waking Now's concluding comments of interest.

He speaks of his realization that he'd become caught in a limited form of spirituality that was at odds with broader Indian philosophies. I've had similar feelings myself, so resonated with words like these:

There is a difference between seeking on one’s own to understand
life, and getting caught by a Guru to become a follower and believer.

In the first case, one remains alert and aware and fresh and finds joy in the discoveries.

In
the second, one starts moving on the Royal Road to Dumbness, losing the
appreciation of the beauty and vitality of one’s life.

For me,
there is no enlightenment experience to run after.  Our daily life is
the wonderful enlightenment experience. When we are fully attentive to
it.

The question is when, if ever, do we sink into this
understanding that there is nothing to achieve, and then, relax into
our everyday life.

Different people have different episodes which
cause all ‘notions’ of enlightenment given by others to just fall
away.  Then they settle down.

There is no one who has traveled
down the road we are traveling because the ‘road’ to our awakeness is
the whole space around us.

As before (previous material from Unknown is here, here, and here), read on by clicking on the continuation to this post or by downloading a PDF file.
Download Chapter 4-5 RSSB PDF

Here's the next installment of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas-related material that I'm receiving from my email correspondent, Unknown.

(Previous posts on this topic are here and here.)

As noted previously, this material mostly consists of writings by Waking Now, a senior RSSB functionary who came to have doubts about this Indian guru-centered organization and left it in the early 1990s.

When I read this chapter of the Waking Now compilation being put together by Unknown, I thought of how the Dalai Lama wants the Tibetans in exile to be governed.

Democratically.

Interesting, in light of what Waking Now has written, which can be downloaded as a PDF file or read by clicking on the following continuation to this post.
Download Chapter 2-Business Practices PDF

My correspondent, "unknown," has followed up on his or her previously posted critique of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB).

Unknown's new material primarily concerns some RSSB business dealings, and how a few senior members of this India-based spiritual organization came to have doubts about it.

I've copied in the correspondence, which came to me by email, below. Here's a PDF version:
Download RSSB Business Practices-Chapter 1 pdf

I feel the need to explain why I think it's worthwhile to put this material up for public viewing.

Basically, I believe that it's desirable to freely share ideas and information so long as the privacy of individuals isn't infringed upon, and what's being shared isn't libelous.

Neither seems to be the case here.

This material apparently was on the Internet for a while, then removed. Once public, always public… that's the rule in this age of Google caches and file copying.

Naturally I can't vouch for the truthfulness of what "Waking Now" relates. However, it has enough of a ring of truth to be believable. If anyone wants to challenge the accuracy of Waking Now's allegations, they're free to comment away.

Lastly (before getting to Chapter 1), I feel that it's healthy to remind ourselves that perfection isn't a quality found in either organizations or individuals — assuming it's even possible to operationally define what this word means.

Some RSSB devotees are going to feel that it's wrong to post any sort of criticism of this group. They consider that because the organization is led by a "perfect guru," then everything RSSB does must be above reproach.

This is a fundamentalist religious attitude, no different from that of Muslims who say "no cartoons can be published of Prophet Muhammad!" or of the medieval Catholic church, which punished heretics who dared question the holy faith.

Radha Soami Satsang Beas claims to be a spiritual science. Science progresses by testing hypotheses, examining all of the data related to a problem, disseminating research results and discussing them openly.

So here's some information about RSSB. Consider it; ignore it. Your choice.

Over on this post "unknown" has left several interesting comments about an Indian mystical-spiritual organization, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) that I, and quite other Church of the Churchless regulars, have been associated with.Being thoughtful and well-written, I didn't want the comments to be submerged within a post on another subject. So I've copied them in below (with some mild editing to correct some typos and clarify formatting).I'm a believer in open discussion of any and all topics relating to religion, spirituality, mysticism, meditation, philosophy ... whatever.Some will disagree with these ideas. Some will say "right on." Others will have…

In the Sant Mat faith, the guru is considered to be God in human form. Believing disciples, of whom I used to be one, are fond of looking for signs of his divinity.Since obvious miracles aren't evident, nor other overt indications of godliness, it's necessary to look upon the guru with devotional eyes to see his saintliness shining through.The current Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) guru is Gurinder Singh Dhillon. I've seen him quite a few times, including some personal interviews. He strikes me as a fine intelligent, well-spoken, personable guy. I liked him. But is Gurinder Singh God? My…

I thought I'd try to glean some broader meaning out of "My strange RSSB initiation story," since that tale I told a few days ago was so personal. Maybe that isn't possible. Perhaps my thirty-eight year journey from devout true believer to skeptical churchless agnostic is so idiosyncratic, it doesn't hold any lessons for someone else. Well, let's see. I'll take a stab at resurrecting a few reasons (so far as I'm aware of them) that led me to join a religious group. I'll also try to briefly share how those reasons morphed as my involvement with Radha Soami Satsang…

A few days ago I talked about how I came to have doubts about the guru-centered faith, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), that I followed diligently for over thirty years.

One of the commenters on that post asked a question about why I was so gullible in accepting teachings that, in retrospect, seemed so unlikely to be true.

I responded that all of us believe things which we’re mistaken about. Discarding worn-out beliefs and accepting new ones is part of life’s maturation process. I also said that to attempt to answer that question I’d need to tell the tale of how I came to be initiated into the RSSB fold.

This is a strange story. I don’t think I’ve ever shared it on the Internet, though I’ve told it verbally quite a few times.

Satsangis (which is how RSSB initiates describe themselves) like to talk about how they came on “the path.” You get bonus points for the unlikeliness of the events that led to applying and being accepted for initiation by the guru.

For example, moving in to an apartment that was completely vacated by the previous owner except for a single RSSB book, which, when opened, instantly speaks to the eventual initiate.

I’ve heard many stories along these lines, as have other satsangis. Yet often when I’ve finished telling my own, I hear: “Wow, that’s the strangest initiation story ever.”

Not having made much progress in losing my ego, that gives me a certain satisfaction. Guess I’d rather be strange than nondescript. So I’m pleased to retell my tale, attempting to be as brief as possible (always tough for me, given my writing style).

I can justify the likely rather considerable length of this post by the lesson that it may hold for others. However, I can’t say what that lesson is, since people will look upon this story in idiosyncratic ways.

A RSSB true believer, which I no longer am, will probably think, “Ah, the guru works in such marvelous ways.” A skeptic’s thoughts will run more along the lines of, “Fooled once, fooled twice.”

Whatever. I’ll just tell it like it was. You can decide what to make of the telling. Read on, if you like.

Fairly often I hear from people -- usually via email -- who want to know why I've "left the path." By which they mean, failed to keep on wholeheartedly believing in the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) teachings, which are an offshoot of Sant Mat. I respond in various ways, but usually end up saying much the same thing. To save time in the future, I thought I'd take a stab at re-stating my stock response so I could simply point to this post when the question of my supposedly heretical change of direction comes up. First, and probably also…

I don’t know much about astrology. I know even less than that about Jyotish astrology, which is a Hindu/Vedic system.

So I was intrigued when I got an email from Catherine, a South African who is deeply into this stuff.

By "intrigued," I mean interested in an unfamiliar subject.

I’m highly skeptical of astrology. I’ve never heard a reasonable, or even semi-reasonable, theory about why it might work.

Still, I’m open to the notion that forces beyond our usual understanding could impact us. And I’ll admit to liking the one indepth chart that was done for me quite a few years ago (a friend recently did another, but I haven’t learned the details yet).

Catherine is an initiate of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, as I am. However, I’ve become a RSSB heretic as regards the dogmatic religious aspects of this India-based organization.

Catherine is considerably more positive about Radha Soami Satsang Beas, including the current guru of the group: Gurinder Singh Dhillon. As you can read below, she prepared a Jyotish analysis of Gurinder Singh and found that astrology confirms his guru status.

My reaction: interesting. And I’ll leave it at that.

I don’t see much of a downside to believing in astrology. The people I know who do believe in it clearly enjoy this art (I can’t call it a science) and consider that it enriches their understanding of life.

That’s great.

But as to whether what follows should be accepted as truth, that’s a whole other question. I simply am sharing (with Catherine’s permission); you decide. Read on…

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that I don't write as much about my experience with Radha Soami Satsang Beas anymore. My  of posts includes just about everything I want to say about my churchy phase. Still, there's always a bit more to say. Today I answered an email from someone who wondered how to deal with unjust situations. I told him that keeping calm, cool, and collected is admirable, but there's a difference between not being unduly affected by an injustice and failing to deal with it. Action is called for when someone is trying to screw…

Today I got an email about the recent visit of an Indian guru, Gurinder Singh, to Petaluma, California. The guru's organization, Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), has built a large center there. It's mainly used for gatherings of devotees during Gurinder Singh's periodic, and often unscheduled, visits. I found the following tale interesting, not least because I was an active member of RSSB for many years. Since most people who read this post won't be familiar with the group, or with a few Indian words, here's some background. "Seva" means service, volunteering. It takes on a special cast when done…

Yesterday Jay left a comment that contained a question deserving a response. Brian, I cannot believe that you have been a follower of RSSB and written a book called 'life is fair' for RS, yet you have gone anti-RS. Whats that all about. I have been initiated for just under s decade by Babaji and okay its hard but what is easy.You think that you are too clever. Don't forget, you are an embassador of babaji and you will come back one the path. Is just a matter of time. Jay Even with the typos, and the lack of a…

Doing some deck sweeping this afternoon at a cabin in central Oregon that we share with three other owners, I got to thinking about service. This used to be a big deal to me in my Eastern religion days. Seva is an Indian word for service. It really just means volunteering. But when seva is done for the guru, who devotees consider to be God in human form, the service takes on an aspect that's hard to describe if you haven't experienced it. I wrote about seva in my "When it isn't good to do good" post. One of my…

Usually I read trash-talking comments on my blogs and then put them out of my mind. I enjoy responding to thoughtful people who have a different point of view. But I don't see much point in answering gibberish. Today, though, I'll make an exception. I'm in the mood to reply in kind to a guy who strongly challenged my churchlessness. I assume you won't mind me being (almost) equally blunt, Richard. You said it like you see it. Here's my own outlook on Radha Soami Satsang Beas, based on my thirty-eight years of experience with the organization. The content of…