History of Kriya initiation- and a big question mark

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SRF Walrus > History of SRF > History of Kriya initiation- and a big question mark
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AtThyFeet
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(10/20/05 1:07 am)
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History of Kriya initiation- and a big question mark

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Dear divine souls, pronam!

This article on Kriya could also have been placed under the section "monastics/householders" of this forum, but I decided it's more the history that is relevant- so here it is. I also enjoy the parameters Walrus gives us for this history-section: "separate from the morality debate"– so it's just meant to be a little historic glance at things (and let's have some fun with it!).

This article was prompted by a letter I read by SRF to its members, dated November 1995. It discusses their viewpoint of many controversial topics, among them quite an important one: "Who is authorized to give Kriya Initiation?"
Their position is (and always will be) clear: only SRF monastics have such authority. That was the Guru's wish. No householders allowed.

It seems, however, that history places a calm (but big) question mark behind their claim. And if that question mark proves valid, it would be a pity if an institutional "lila" would prevail over what Babaji and all the Masters have actually brought. It would be a pity if householders would accept in their hearts that they are "second-class citizens" in the Kriya world, and if monastics felt to be superior. It would be a pity if our precious Kriya history got twisted and lost.

So here is what the letter says:
"Owing to a shortage of monastics in the early years, Paramahansaji gave
permission to a few householder disciples to give Kriya under the auspices
of Self-Realization-Fellowship.
But as his life drew to a close,...he stipulated that Kriya was to be given only by
monastics of the SRF order from then on."

Let's look at what history has to say about their statement:
These "few householder disciples" who initiated only because of "a shortage of monastics" were actually not unfortunate hole-fillers (as it sounds- it's actually sounds quite condescending), but some of Yogananda's greatest and closest disciples. They were married Kriya ministers.
Nor was it a matter of "the early years." Up to the end of Yogananda's life, and long afterwards(!), married disciples gave the sacred Kriya diksha, within SRF. Does that mean SRF was disobedient toward the wish of their Guru (since "he stipulated that Kriya be given only by SRF monastics")? Hardly. How could they? They were dealing with some of the greatest disciples, who had their authority from Yogananda:
- Dr. Lewis, the first American Kriya yogi, was a married man, not a monastic. He was authorized by Yogananda to give Kriya, including the higher initiations. His authority as a married Kriya minister was never doubted until his death in 1960.
- Yogacharya Oliver Black was highly advanced, was married, lived in the spiritual community he had founded, and was until his death a recognized Kriya-minister: his name was even included in SRF magazines (until 1986 or later), in the lists of ministers authorized to give Kriya yoga.
- Rajarsi Janakananda was a married man too. His wife Frieda actually died after him (see Durga Ma's book). Of course Rajarsi, as Yogananda's successor, was authorized to initiate disciples into Kriya yoga. Nobody would have ever asked him: "But are you a monastic?" It seems just the wrong question.
- Prabhas Ghose, the Indian YSS vice-president (their president, too, is Daya Mata) until 1975, was a married man as well. He was Yogananda's cousin and married, as Yogananda writes in his Autobiography, "one of the girls whom my family selected as a possible bride for me." Prabhas became the married vice-president in YSS- giving Kriya.
- Peggy Deitz left the monastic life, following Yogananda's guidance. After that, in a letter in early 1952, Yogananda wrote her and her mother lovingly: "You two are most wonderful among my richest gifts of all-time friends and followers of SRF...So glad Peggy is such a good soul-minister of Self-Realization." In Yogananda's mind, Peggy was simply a non-monastic minister, and he asked her to give Kriya initiation out there, to whomever she felt to give it.
- Kamala Silva was married to Edward Silva upon Yogananda's request. Yogananda later authorized Kamala to bestow the sacred Kriya initiation. Actually, in 1950, during a Kriya ceremony, Yogananda blessed her, prayed silently, and told her: "God bless you. I am giving my blessing to you for the thousands you will initiate into Kriya Yoga." It seems that Yogananda gave her a life-long Kriya-responsibility, as a married woman.

Did Yoganada maybe think later on, "oh no, I made a mistake, I must withdraw my authorizations now- and actually you all only initiated because of a lack of monastics anyway- so: only monastics from now on!"
Hardly, don't you think?

This is why the letter's claim needs a big and shining question mark.

Could we expand this question mark, making it even more bright and shining?
Well, maybe. Let's expand our vision a little and look at our entire Kriya history (in fact: would Yogananda throw his Guru's and Paramgurus example overboard?). What did all the Masters of our Kriya line do? As we will see, none of them drew this superficial line between monastics and householders, when deciding whom to give the authority to bestow Kriya initiation (The question mark is growing and growing...):

- Mahavatar Babaji as we read in Yogananda's "Autobiography" actually chose a householder, Lahiri Mahasaya, as an instrument for disseminating Kriya Yoga to the world, stating that it was for "a deep purpose." He had a householder giving Kriya day and night, bringing back to society that lost ancient art. Normal people "will take new heart from you, a householder like themselves," Babaji told Lahiri. How could one scratch his highly significant directive for our modern age?

- Lahiri Mahasaya, called the "Father of Kriya Yoga," a householder, authorized both householder disciples and swamis to give Kriya initiation (for example: Panchanon Battacharya was a householder, while Swami Pranabananda was a sannyasin). All Lahiri lines will probably only smile amusedly, hearing about a new rule that only monastics may give Kriya...

- Sri Yukteswar was a householder, with wife and daughter, for most of the time when Lahiri Mahasaya was alive- he became a Swami only when he met Babaji, which was shortly before Lahiri's passing. Sri Yukteswar, too, authorized both householders and swamis to give the sacred Kriya initiation- a householder example is Motilal Mukkherjee, who is described in the original "Autobiography of a Yogi" as a "highly advanced disciple."

- Paramhansa Yogananda, following his Master's lead, authorized both householders and monastics to give Kriya. All life long.

Doesn't this make our question mark ever more impressive and radiant?

Some of you (who are enjoying the game) might ask: Could you make it an even bigger question mark, even more bright, smiling and beautiful???
Well, let me try:
Lets look far, far back into our ancient Kriya history: we read that Bhagavan Krishna was married, as was the "Father of yoga," Patanjali. Both were actually married Kriya masters, according to Yogananda. (Is that good enough for making the question mark almost cosmic?)
Of course there was balance: historic examples of monastic Kriyabans would be Adi Shankaracharya and Lord Jesus (both teaching Kriya or a similar technique, according to Yogananda).

The story goes on, and I begin not to be able to see the beginning and end of our question mark anymore, for it is still growing, rising up from the horizon, blazing through the heavens...:
The SRF letter goes on to say that Yogananda originated a policy that "only the president, as the channel of Paramahansa Yogananda, has the authority to initiate in the Kriya Yoga," and that he/she designates yearly ordained ministers to conduct the Kriya ceremonies.
Apart from the fact that non-SRF disciples say that this policy was totally unknown for years after the Master's passing, just think about it (it seems one can hardly become more contractive!): It places the worldwide authority for Kriya initiation not only into the hands of one (sometimes peculiar) organization, but into the hands of one(!) single person (sometimes peculiar too). Just think for a bit, realistically, what the future might bring with such a system. Just think what would happen to Babaji's plan to spread Kriya into all lands.

I don't want to be disrespectful toward SRF. I actually love them, respect them, and know that they are great souls, however many big mistakes they might have made. Many of them certainly are much more advanced than me. But in some matters, it seems best to leave SRF to its convictions, to look laughingly at the sky-high question mark, and to let the world move on.

Smiling wonderingly at a most beautiful question mark,
AtThyFeet
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Edited by: AtThyFeet at: 10/20/05 6:00 am

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