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SRF Walrus > Householder vs. Monastic > Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order
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KS Registered User (10/1/02 6:02 am) Reply	Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order One of the legacies of the Mata era will be the very definite pecking order they have successfully implemented into the SRF culture. It was not there in Master's time. The Direct Disciples are of course at the top of the food chain. They have wisdom they have received directly from Master and no one can question them. Next you have the Board or the Management team, but they move people in and out to give and take power. Then the hierarchy of the monastics, the nuns being higher in the food chain than the monks, followed by rich or famous members then members. Member employees are not in the pecking order. They are feared as they are curious and have opinions and want to be higher up in the pecking order. There are many threads about their relative status. Ex monastics are of course considered outside the church, fallen angels gone to the dark side. So why do direct disciples have the top seats? Obviously one of the main reasons is that they tell us they should be there. Not so much in specific words but in the kind of treatment they expect. It is communicated to the world beginning with the training in the ashram and others see that and assume it is how they should be treated. What other leader of a small non-profit expects to be garlanded when she goes somewhere? What other leader of a small non-profit is never seen by her employees? What other leader of a small non-profit thinks she is one with God? The treatment of the Mata’s at Convocation is very telling. Should seeing Master in the flesh and hearing him speak be cause for leadership? How about judging them by what they do, how they treat people and if they practice what Master taught? All the SRF literature on the subject claims that seeing Master in the flesh meant nothing and therefore his passing would mean no reduction in his personal guidance. Yet for the struggle for power inside SRF seeing Master meant everything. Cults determine their leaders by struggles for power.
Gitano no divino Registered User (10/1/02 7:31 am) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order A trenchant analysis, KS, and right on the money. What SRF has come to exhibit is a caste system. The Brahmins are strictly self-appointed and do not merit that ranking either by birth or achievement. They merely bask in the reflected glory of the founder, whom they personally knew. Members, of course, are the sudras (though those with money are less reviled than the rank and file). Member employees are clearly untouchables, or as Gandhi generously called them, harijan (children of god). None of this should come as any surprise. The rigid institutionalization characteristic of SRF is designed to keep this caste system in place, precisely because it benefits those at the top. In India, one can opt out of the caste system by becoming a monastic of some kind. Opting out of the SRF caste system is much easier. Tell Daya Mugger where to go, and refuse to give the organization so much as a plugged nickel. It's easy.
wholetruth Registered User (10/1/02 6:50 pm) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order Now let's look at how a real spiritual community functions. This is from LIVING BUDDHA, LIVING CHRIST, by Thich Nhat Hanh: "When we live as a Sangha (Buddhist community of practice comprised of monks, nuns, and laypersons), we regard each other as brothers and sisters--sharing space, sharing the essentials of daily life, observing the same precepts, using only words that contribute to harmony, sharing our insights and understanding, and respecting each other's viewpoints. A community that follows these principles always lives happily and at peace. "When we gather together to form a Sangha, we practice opening up the confines of our separate self and become a large body of love and understanding. We and our brothers and sisters are one... "If there are too many misunderstandings, disputes, and rivalries among members, a Sangha cannot be called a real Sangha, even if it is in a beautiful temple or famous practice center. A church or community that is not filled with the Holy Spirit is not alive. A Sangha that is not pervaded by the energy of mindfulness is not authentic. For a community to be a real place of practice or worship, its members have to cultivate mindfulness, understanding, and love. A church where people are unkind to each other or suppress each other is not a true church. The Holy Spirit is not there..." From what the insiders have told us, this does not describe Mt. Washington (where the leaders have chosen long ago to not even reside with lesser ones), nor does this describe the larger SRF community. There doesn't appear to be any spirituality left in SRF expect way out on the periphery. Sri Daya Mata has managed to squeeze out every last drop! Do you recall the Gospel passage about knowing a tree by its fruit? (It was part of the SRF reading service last Sunday. Was it used in the Temples, as well?) What more needs to be said? Edited by: wholetruth at: 10/1/02 7:08:04 pm
ochrediapers Registered User (10/9/02 12:04 pm) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order Was anyone as disgusted as I was that there was a special service for George Harrison at the Lake after his passing? Don't get me wrong, I thought he was a great musician, but I know they wouldn't have such a service for me. I also know that he regularly visted Daya Mata when he was in town. Would I be allowed to visit with her any time I want? If not, why? Aren't we all just souls? (HA!)
gardendiva Registered User (10/9/02 1:49 pm) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order ochrediapers... I don't know, it's just kind of, well, weird...not sure if I'm disgusted by it (I don't waste my emotion on what SRF does). The really sad part is that many members wouldn't even question the organization's priorities. There is this whole idea that you don't question those in charge, that they're "Divinely guided" etc. etc. The whole notion of karma too, plays into these kinds of scenario, because people will think, "Oh well, it was his karma to be so close to Daya Ma." I know that I had those kinds of thoughts when I was a member. And it's not so much that there isn't some validity to the theory of karma and it's connection to people's circumstances, it's that it's used as an excuse for a lot of things!
wholetruth Registered User (10/9/02 6:53 pm) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order Oh, come on, ochrediapers! I doubt that you are fabulously wealthy and also one of the world's top celebritites. Why would our Sanghamata waste time on you, me, and all of us ordinary folks? My meager donations over the years do not amount to a hill of beans in her eyes, and there is no prestige in associating with me. Besides, didn't George Harrison or his wife after his death donate all the U.S. earnings from the reissue of some recordings to SRF? They had to show their gratitude to his family in some way for their generosity.
crogman1 Registered User (10/10/02 6:21 am) Reply	Re: Value of “direct disciple” in SRF pecking order If you think of SRF as the one true way, the one representative of Yogananda’s and your religion then you have a right to be concerned about SRF’s treatment of the rich in comparison to you. However, if you take the mask off and see them as a business looking out after their own survival then all that stuff makes sense. We put them on a pedestal and then are disappointed by what we see. Take them off the pedestal. They are just a cult, a business banking on their relationship with the truly great yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda.
srflongago Registered User (10/10/02 7:49 am) Reply	Re: Value of ?direct disciple? in SRF pecking order One should remember their disdain and disparagement for fifty years for the direct disciples who have been independent of their organization. They have always acted as if a mere secretary who was not a teacher and was elected president by a board after Lynn's death has some special moral or religious authority beyond that of those true disciples with independent temples elsewhere. Edited by: srflongago at: 10/10/02 6:38:15 pm
Gitano no divino Registered User (10/10/02 8:12 am) Reply	Re: Value of ?direct disciple? in SRF pecking order Along the lines of what srflongago points out, it is indeed curious to read PY's account in the AY of his years in America. Not only is it sketchy and brief, but it makes absolutely no mention of so many of his associates during those years, especially the Indian ones. It's a very sanitized and misleading overview. SRF continues in this tradition by disdaining anyone or anything not part of the institutional hierarchy. The reason is obvious: they are the competition in the Yogananda market, and giving them any publicity would be bad business. It reminds me of an incident years ago, where in a discussion with some of the monks from Center Dept., the subject of these renegades came up, especially Oliver Black. One of the monks sardonically noted: "What SRF needs is a good hit man!" Of course, if SRF could learn to point a gun straight and stop shooting itself in the foot, it wouldn't need a hit man.
soulcircle Registered User (1/11/03 4:31 am) Reply	these recent posts....excellent Simply Excellent
member108 Registered User (1/12/03 7:34 pm) Reply	Re: these recent posts....excellent It is all about control. To maintain control the Fay group (Daya Mata) setup SRF to be the only valid representative of Yoganandas. To further limit access to power (limit their competition for power in other words) they created this elaborate monastic order and decided that only monastics would have any authority. Of course they control who becomes monastics! They also gave themselves titles (Mata this and Mata that) and pushed out the word that all future presidents, which could not be lay members, would be God Realized. We have all heard this. Even A7 will admit she has heard this! They have successfully, at least for the moment, hijacked Master’s organization. It will not last. Today the lay members are dog meat and considered dangerous by SRF for their greedy desire to run the organization. At least this is what the SRF bad ladies think.

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