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Mt. Washington, Ca
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        > How can the mistreatment go on?
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KS
Unregistered User
(8/16/01 9:30 pm)
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How can the mistreatment go on?
How indeed. Many are torn by what they see at Mother Center but continue to go along with it. The feeling is that the poor treatment is somehow God’s will. That is the delusion the bad-ladies are cultivating. The outside world is evil and will come and get us if we don’t constantly guard against it. To do this guarding we have to sometimes break a few eggs. But for the greater good.

How does this explain the demeaning behavior? Senior nuns in Accounting yelling at poor employees over silly adding errors or spreading lies about members or other monastics to get their way on projects or have people removed. How is this rationalized as being done for God?

The behavior has gotten too strange. Master is going to correct it and these people will be gone soon.

I disagree with the post that we should continue to support SRF, work there, and volunteer. I suggest we quit sending in donations, quit serving, and write letters to the editor and the SRF board.

P.S. Who is on the board now? That has gone back into secrecy again. Can someone post that so we can send letters directly to them? Do they have email?

hadit
Unregistered User
(8/17/01 8:49 am)
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Treatment of Members/Monastics
Treatment of monastics, and even laity, by SRF is appalling. It never ceases to amaze me that an organization which boasts of loving kindness shows such a lack of it. I have witnessed terrible treatment of nuns by their superiors. Monks are a bit freer but not much.
The same old tired garbage about it being a lesson that must be learned, while it furthers the personal agenda of the superior, is disgusting. And, this treatment has leeched into the laity. Has anyone ever asked themselves: "Where is the love?"

One of the greatest things to happen for the monks and nuns was the introduction of the respective Spiritual Life Committees. It was at these meetings where monks and nuns could voice their minds and opinions without fear of retribution. Well, that was short lived. Imagine the audacity of these monastics, daring to have an uncontrolled, original thought! Freedom is only a word which exists away from the ashram.

It didn't take Ma very long to disband these committees and put her chief henchman, Satyananda, in charge of completing the task of their demise.

It is such a shame that SRF has fallen into the trap of all the other organized religions. They hold their cultish control by fear and guilt. The groups within the organization which should be the watchdogs over the welfare of it's monastics and laity have succumbed to the greedy, power hungry leadership. No love there.

The latest news to come forth is that Mridani will be appointed to fill the seat on the Board which was left vacant by Savitri's exit from the ashram. Those who know this woman will be thrilled, I'm sure. Looks as if the same old thing is being perpetuated.

KS
Unregistered User
(8/17/01 9:48 am)
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Mridani?
Tell me this is not so. While the board is mainly a rubber stamp in many ways, it is in theory a voice that could help change/fix things. My only interaction with Mridani involved her complaints that she was not being treated with the respect she deserved (based on her lofty position at Encinitas). Ego is a powerful force.

I hear hers was a disappointing role in the fiasco involving the lay members hired to run the Enc retreat. They were quickly fired due to some very disappointing behavior on SRF’s part. But I don’t want to post speculation. Does someone know the story?

hadit
Unregistered User
(8/17/01 10:35 am)
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Treatment of Members/Monastics
I knew that couple very well. It is my understanding that they resigned their positions at the Encinitas Retreat because of Mridani. I don't know all of the story because they didn't say a lot about it. The last thing they said to me was that they were leaving Encinitas with their integrity intact. Wherever they are, I'm certain that they are living a spiritual life.

AumBoy
Registered User
(1/22/02 7:24 pm)
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Re: Treatment of Members/Monastics
Quote:
One of the greatest things to happen for the monks and nuns was the introduction of the respective Spiritual Life Committees. It was at these meetings where monks and nuns could voice their minds and opinions without fear of retribution. Well, that was short lived. Imagine the audacity of these monastics, daring to have an uncontrolled, original thought! Freedom is only a word which exists away from the ashram.

It didn't take Ma very long to disband these committees and put her chief henchman, Satyananda, in charge of completing the task of their demise.


I wonder what happened to the information given to the SLCs during the meetings? Did it end up back in the untrusted Personnel Depts?

gardendiva
Registered User
(5/13/02 6:49 pm)
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Re: Treatment of Members/Monastics
First of all, I apologize that this reply is belated relative to the last...I'm new to the board.

I wanted to ask if the mistreatment (of employees specifically) is something that has happened within the last 10 years or so. I worked at Mt. Washington in the early eighties. For several months I worked in the nuns office, and then a little while after that I worked for several more months in the kitchen.

While I can't say that I felt anyone (except a few other devotee employees) were particularly friendly, I never had any experiences of mistreatment. Perhaps I was too low on the totem pole to count. Also, I can't seem to recall any obvious confrontations in either the office or the kitchen.

Eventually I had to get out, though. It didn't feel "good" to be working there, and I never could figure out why. Of course, I told myself that I probably wasn't "spiritual" enough or some other such nonesence. All I can say is that it felt stifling, for me personally, and I was very curious about how others could live/work in the environment.

Anyway, have things deteriorated that much in the past 20 years, or was I just oblivious to conflict when I was there? Of course, it doesn't really matter...if people are having a hard time now, the past is the past and something should be done for those in trouble.

KS
Registered User
(12/10/02 6:48 am)
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Re: Treatment of Members/Monastics
The mistreatment has gotten worse. Most of this is caused by the increased fear felt on the part of the bad ladies. As more employees were brought in things started to get a little out of their control. People started to point out mistakes, management problems, wasteful practices and even questionable treatment of employees. Criticism is something they never had to put up with in the past as the monastics (who stayed) were pretty beaten down. The fear level grew and environment degenerated. The poor members thought they were helping to improve the place!

It has always been easier on lower level employees. People can come in and work on the Lessons machine or work in the MC garden and have a nice quiet spiritual time. Get in deeper and things get a lot more crazy.

Edited by: KS at: 12/10/02 6:55:34 am
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