Church of the Churchless

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.