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SRF Walrus

Mt. Washington, Ca

Open discussions about SRF

SRF Walrus > SRF Teachings and Ideals > We, the Fellowship of Self-Realizaton.
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chrisparis Registered User (9/5/02 9:59 am) Reply	Re: Do not go gentle . . . Dear Gitano, What a lovely reply. What a sad dream. I believe that there are masters and highly evolved spiritual leaders who help those on the path, but I don't believe they are like Santa Claus. I don't believe they watch over us day and night. I believe their help comes when we are at crucial moments. I believe these are moments the effects of which will reach beyond us and effect many others. Sort of like George Bailey standing on the bridge in "It's a Wonderful Life". His death would have diminished many many lives. But the better part is this. Enlightenment is here. Now. It can be touched at any moment. We are all permanently plugged in, and always have been. We never needed anyone's permission to be what we already are. I am no longer sure that Bliss is a hallmark of Realization, so maybe getting kriya initiation and prostrating at the feet of Mukunda/ PY was never neccessary. Hmmmmmm. Peace to you...
X Insider Registered User (9/6/02 6:52 pm) Reply	Re: Do not go gentle . . . So, Gitano, I am curious about something. Feel free not to answer if it is uncomfortable. How does it work out with your SRF spouse? Are PY's pictures adorning your home? Does your spouse think you are in delusion, or is your spouse not one of the fundamentalist SRF types? This is very nosy of me, so please ignore me if you like.
soulcircle Registered User (9/6/02 7:32 pm) Reply	Spouse Hello All, I, too, am in this situation. My wife and I engaged fully in the lessons in '76 (I had taken them briefly in '70). By '80 we were at the Richmond Temple, living down the street, and until '89 we were without our one child. To put it simply we served a lot. When our child was born, we continued. Our child with us attended the first ten convocations of her life, in her first ten years. To put it simply, we kept serving a lot. So we had these two decades together in the harness. That has changed in these last five years. To put it simply it is difficult. Yet in this last summer season, there is more comfort and a large degree of understanding. I "attended" convocation for the first year in three years this summer. I did not purchase (was it $200 this year) a card to attend meditaion and talks. I didn't purchase any gifts or bookroom items. I discouraged the universla "celebrity" worship of nuns and monks. Friends of ours were there from abroad and across the country, and at least one new baby to enjoy. Among the many friendships I renewed I also spoke with Jim Rapp and Eduardo Flores, two former deeply loved monks. There were numerous friends who would not discuss the "earthquake," occurring in the organization, yet there was a consistent firm insistence on my part in conversation to be ourselves, open and thinking. Thinking is not an activity at convocation. Also, this years attendance was down. Back to your question....the organization was one of the basic bounds in my marriage....it isn't now. We are one of the four marriages left, there were several more, here in the immediate vicinity of the temple....one of the four that were in place in '80. Marriage, though very strongly emphasized in the organization seems to be a weak point among membership, as harmony, the cardinal rule in the nuns and monks lives, seems to be a weak point. So, your question's answer.......it is painful. We still live down the street. soulcircle
gardendiva Registered User (9/7/02 1:55 pm) Reply	Re: Spouse soulcircle... You certainly show a great deal of commitment and "allowing," as we call it in aikido. Whatever may come in your future, it seems you are fully engaged with the present...no better way to evolve spiritually. My husband has never been a member of SRF. He supported me and our family's engagement with the temple, always willing to help out and coming along to Sunday lectures. He could never, however, bring himself to take the lessons (which I never encouraged him to do...at least not consciously!). He used to apologize for his lack of motivation in this regard, but perhaps on some level he knew all along that something was amiss...at least he knew this for himself personally. When he would, on occasion, bring up something that he couldn't wholeheartedly agree with, regarding SRF, I must say that I did take the defensive posture. I just couldn't understand how he could be saying what he was, even though something in me couldn't totally argue with him! Well, I must say that my realization regarding the lack of benefits I had derived from SRF and subsequent departure from the organization/teachings has actually brought us much closer together. I no longer look at him as "separate" from me, simply because he doesn't follow the same teachings I do. I can see how our attitudes are much more similar, regarding spirituality, than I can remember. It's been such a blessing for all this to come about. And why? Because I was finally able to be honest with myself about how inadequate the SRF teachings were for me. I was finally able to break away from my fear of leaving the guru (who I never truly was with) and the community (who never gave me much support anyway). Gitano and soulcircle, perhaps someday your spouses will see things differently. And if they do, I guarantee your relationships will be better than you can imagine!
soulcircle Registered User (9/7/02 2:41 pm) Reply	smiling...thank you gardendiva WOW.....when sweetness comes shining through from individuals and friends WOW.....when the thoughtfulness is blended in with the honey WOW.....when spoken from experience not only dry thought WOW....good heart feelings
ochrediapers Registered User (9/8/02 3:28 pm) Reply	Re: Spouse It's interesting, because my partner actually helped me to see how weird SRF actually is. We had been dating a while and I had come to totally respect and appreciate her views on all things. I took her to the temple and she made various comments about how unfriendly many of the members were, how they seemed out in space, how uncomfortable the ministers made her feel. I was a little defensive at first, but I when I thought about it, I realized that I agreed with her in many respects. That was the beginning of my questioning things. Then I had many experiences with monks and members involved in various lies and poses....
Gitano no divino Registered User (9/9/02 8:09 am) Reply	Re: Spouse Thanks, Chrisparis, for the good feedback. X Insider, you couldn't ask question I wouldn't answer (well, within this context, at least!). My wife is a reasonable sort. Yes, she believes the Walrus is a sinkhole of delusion and thinks I should stay off of here (though she is curious about it). But she's not a fanatic or fundamentalist. Neither am I, so I don't get exercised over the pictures of gurus around our house. And I generally keep my opinions to myself. Although she's a true believer, neither of us is able to do much spiritually because of where we find ourselves in life, e.g., mortgages, children, etc.--"the full catastrophe" as Zorba put it. It's not an ideal solution, but it works for us. I had an experience similar to Ochrediapers's with someone I was dating before I met my wife. I played one of Daya Mata's tapes for her, and she pointed out that Ma's answer to a certain question (about euthanasia) was very self-contradictory. I, too, felt defensive, but she was right: Ma gives three mutually exclusive answers to the question in the course of her rambling response. We once attended a Convo talk given by one of the more forceful and vociferous senior monastics. He had everyone stand up and shout something about affirming loyalty to God and Guru (or some such cultic foolishness). Needless to say, I was very embarrassed. And similarly needless to say, this woman I was dating never got interested in SRF.
gardendiva Registered User (9/9/02 9:12 am) Reply	Re: Spouse *Quote:* Although she's a true believer, neither of us is able to do much spiritually because of where we find ourselves in life, e.g., mortgages, children, etc.--"the full catastrophe" as Zorba put it. It's not an ideal solution, but it works for us. Gitano... That was a big problem for me with the SRF teachings...how do I live my life (family, spouse, home etc.) and still do the required list of things it takes to "progress!?" After reading a little of Zen philosophy (Charlotte Joko Beck in particular) I find that each and every thing life offers me can be (and is) part of my spiritual practice! In fact, life itself, is spiritual practice.
srflongago Registered User (9/9/02 10:13 am) Reply	Re: Spouse SRF did not offer what Lahiri M. and Sri Yukteswar offered- models to emulate, for living secular life as a spiritual truth seeking householder. They did it, many of their students did too, so can you.
Lobo Registered User (9/9/02 7:18 pm) Reply	Re: Spouse "A guy goes to his spiritual master and says, 'My problem is, I've been trying to faithfully devote an hour a day to meditation, but I have a wife and three kids, a demanding job; the kids are up when I awake, and there's so much going on when I get home, and my wife and I need to spend time together at night. Tell me what I should do.' The master replies, two hours a day." From It's A Meaningful Life It Just Takes Practice By Bo Lozoff

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