June 2003 - www.ezboard.com

SRF Walrus

Mt. Washington, Ca

Open discussions about SRF

SRF Walrus > Layoffs - The downsizing of SRF has begun > June 2003
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soulcircle Registered User (6/8/03 1:11 pm) Reply	June 2003 Guests and All, True Enuf wrote on 6/08 elsewhere on the board: *Quote:* Things might be moving faster than we think. Looks like another, larger wave of firings and monastics leaving is in the works. Vishwananda is on a leave of absence, and while some say it's illness, others say he's burned out.. soulcircle
member108 Registered User (6/8/03 5:57 pm) Reply	Re: June 2003 The usual case is total burn out which causes serious illnesses. The mental stress of living a lie also takes a toll. We have seen it over and over and over. The environment causes illnesses. Bro Boom-ananda was put on the management committee a few years ago. A basically nice guy. He lasted about a year before being pulled off due to a serious physical breakdown caused, I believe, by the pressure and disturbed life style. this is not an ashram of simple and quiet living.
KS Registered User (6/8/03 8:06 pm) Reply	Did Boom survive? Did Boom survive? I have not heard news of him in a long time. I am aware that the nun who was in charge of the correspondence department died of cancer recently. I believe she was only in her 50’s. Another sad case. We don’t want to make light of the stress they are under and the trauma this causes in their health and mental well being. To those of you who think the Walrus is just a bunch of complainers who should just leave SRF alone I disagree. Master’s devotees are trapped in the ashram suffering every day. Making the general membership aware might someday help bring an end to the ashram and that abusive environment. No the monastics can’t just leave. They are trapped by many things, most of them mental. Their self esteem is terrible and/or will power drained. Sickness results in their hopelessness. We should be praying for these people. We have all supported that organization for years and are very directly responsible for putting up with their condition. Some have survived and left. God bless their courage. There are of course those who are creating the environment. That is a different group.
KS Registered User (6/8/03 8:32 pm) Reply	Re: Did Boom survive? This is a related message on depression from someone formerly on the inside. pub78.ezboard.com/fsrfwal...ID=2.topic
soulcircle Registered User (6/8/03 8:59 pm) Reply	member108 and KS Guests and All, Please keep the information coming. soulcircle
babaGEE Registered User (6/11/03 3:40 pm) Reply	Re: member108 and KS I had heard that the monk who had previously been in charge of the Lake Shrine Temple, Brother Davananda, was about ready to have a nervous breakdown. It was many years ago that he was replaced by Brother Keshavananda who seems to be weathering the problems over there which come from both sides - the devotees and MC. New people who met Davananda, thought he was just plain rude, not realizing the stress he was under or the management environment that he was working in. I'd like to see how anyone can keep their sanity while organizing over 200 volunteers and over 40 committees without little support. MC laid off the volunteer coordinator a few months ago so there aren't any paid employees at the Lake Shrine except the receptionist and the gardeners. I really feel badly for all the monastics who are trapped. $:\$
babaGEE Registered User (6/12/03 10:35 am) Reply	Re: member108 and KS I forgot to mention one other paid employee - the wedding coordinator.
ranger20 Registered User (6/13/03 11:35 am) Reply	Re: member108 and KS At the 2000 Convocation, Bro. Devananda alluded to a "period of doubt," or a "crisis of faith," or a "leave of absence," - I can't remember which term he used, but it was clear something major had happened to him. Then, he absolutely electrified the crowd. He said he'd asked a therapist who works with a lot of SRF people, if there were any common traits she saw. Brother D. reported that without hesitation, the therapist said "guilt, shame, and a hard time dealing with feelings." He then went on to suggest that a source of the guilt and shame is that we privately tend to think we're the only ones falling short of ideals. For these ideals, he gave examples like "make each day's meditation deeper than the previous day's." Not a bad thing to try, unless you punish yourself when you fall short! The crowd came alive, that evening and through the week. Walking through the food courts, for instance, days later, you'd hear people animatedly discussing that talk. There was a real sense of fresh air let into a closed room, a sense that "they understand me where I really live." Alas, rumors came later that summer that Brother D. had been dressed down. I wasn't there in 2001, but last year he had no significant role at the Convocation. Through this spring I know he was visiting some sites in N. California. I very much appreciate the personal hardship he must have endured to tell the truth as he saw it, and as many who heard him understand it. I hope he can stay with the organization and continue to do so. Perhaps he's happier visiting "outlying" congregations. I hope so. It seems like this kind of vision, trying to bring spiritual principles into the present, and not focusing only on the past, is needed in order for SRF to renew itself.
Borg108 Registered User (6/13/03 2:04 pm) Reply	Re: monastic malaise Bro. Devananda is now in charge of the Hidden Valley Retreat and is also the minister in charge of the Richmond temple. He steps out of the box a bit more then some of the other brothers, but is still very much a company man. For example, he now gives monthly "workshops" (mostly still a talk with little two way interaction with the audience) on communication, but is unwilling to endorse Marshall Rosenberg's non-violent communication practices (which he has studied) out of fear of offending his superiors in SRF.
member108 Registered User (6/13/03 9:43 pm) Reply	Re: monastic malaise Bro Devananda is another monk who has confused loyalty to Master with loyalty to SRF. He is suffering greatly for this error in judgement. The kind of pressure he is under due to this mistake is killing people. He himself has been sick. Let's hope he wakes up soon.
Lobo Registered User (6/13/03 10:02 pm) Reply	Re: monastic malaise If Devananda's head at Hidden Valley what is Dharmananda's status. I know that Dharmananda is getting up there in years and others have said he's suffering with physical problems. Has he retired? Thanks
soulcircle Registered User (6/14/03 6:25 am) Reply	please, please, please, please continue this talk Guests and All, I read carefully your thoughts of Brother Devananda who I have known for 20 years. I confronted him in the May 2003's monthly workshop [on listening] in front of forty devotees, mildly but definitely confrontational. Here's a random history and some current news and speculations. In 83, Brahmachari Miles and Brahmachari Edgar [his name prior to his name as Devananda] were assigned to Richmond Temple. Brahmachari Miles as minister at Richmond and Miles remained minister at Richmond until 94! This only entailed a monthly visit to Richmond Temple. The rest of the month Richmond, except for a short monthly visit for three days by an endless variety of nuns and monks, the devotees up here are without monastic dominance physically. Within a year or two Edgar became Devananda and was assigned to lead Lake Shrine. He had been a hit at Richmond through his free style humor/stories at Richmond. During one talk he gave he [with full audience participaton] got laughing and couldn't stop, only contiuing his talk by just talking his way out, the laughter of his eventually trailing off. He had grown up on the Bay Area which is Richmond's location, the Bay Area is huge and he had grown up an hour away. Within a period of time Lake Shrine with an overflowing plate of activities and problems and volunteers was in some manner of difficulties. As you can read elsewhere on this board a couple [laypeople, of course] was called upon and with their process of "sythesis." there was noticeable improvement. They openly acknowledged problems and set a closing date on progressing towards a solution. In resulting transformation periods, say 6 months, they would openly welcome brainstorming and listing of any number of solutions. This then became a period of choosing a solution, we might say, and applying it. The success of this which helped Lake Shrine was then expanded in the folowing fashion. It was imported into Mother Center, as Bro. Devananda, leaving Lake Shrine, was transported to Mother Center. Beyond that, our perspective at Richmond, the few of us aware of it, was that it would be applied throughout srf's world organization, including Richmond. It has been downhill since then, with the exception of his 2000 talk at convocation. Whle he was coming to Richmond I got to know him informally, in repeated rides to an from the Oakland airport. We travelled in my full-sized chevy pick-up, even installing Edgar's seat bealt, a middle seat belt that had been lacking. ....continued in following post....
soulcircle Registered User (6/14/03 6:56 am) Reply	the company man who refuses to leave Guests and All, continued here..... In two failures, a four year experience of "being a victim and recovering" the introduction of synthesis hit Mother Center's brickwall. The following failure was the spiritual life committees of the nuns and monks. Brothers Devananda, Mitrananda, Jayananda and Atmananda assisted the therapist/s with the monks spiritual life committtee. It was shot out the sky, or again we might say it hit Mother Center's rigid secret fear wall, and things like Brother Satyananda's military-power tripping, "let's keep disconnected from feelings and spirit and compassion!!" As mentioned Brother Devananda ended up at Hidden Valley and Richmond Temple, interestingly enough, with two of the other three spiritual life committee monks as his assistant ministers at Richmond, Atmanada and Jayananda. He has been known in one to one situations to pantomine and role-play the God worship and fawning upon monks and nuns that devotees widely pactice. After being beaten down, this against all odds company man remains a company man. It even appears a possibility that among renewed status as a God man to loyal oldtime sheep at Richmond and the new fawning sheep he is rebuilding his enthusiasm and illusions of riding the white horse of SRF's salvation to some new day. Instead of acknowledging that he is a company man aholic, he talks of his troubles as having given him wisdom, experience and expertise as he skillfully works in workshops and areas of psychology. His role as company man and the "workshops," are in some measure a sham. In May when forty sat down on a Friday evening [ the upcoming June one is one unconditiona love] at the Richmond "listening" workshop....... half way through his introduction, he said, good, is everyone with me so far, I raised my hand and was called on, I said several of you have known me here for 23 years, some asking my wife why I don't come any more, for the large part I am absent. every week my wife comes home and says, so and so asked "what happened to Dave Dunlop." I have known you, Deva for 20 years, I continued on. my issue is to find my voice, I have got the listening down, I have listened for 23 years We all have the listening down .....that's what I said to the company man and flock he continued on by saying so you are saying you feel the lack in not having a voice... with some exceptions the medium sized group had no interest in having a voice, but they dohave a life-time interest in grasping the straws of self-realized sheep at the goddess daya mata's fear feet.... he continued on as I immediately left the "workshop." since then he mentioned in person needing to talk to me, and has called my home asking me to make myself available to him, via a minisiter's appt. I read, and will read all the insightful and appreciated sharing that a few of you have started upon please please please please please continue wth more sharing and information my wife is a full-time member at Richmond, among other things, now leads meditations, as a result I end up there, and more and more I go there, not as Dave Dunlop, but as a ray of compassion and a breath of Yogananda's "fear fears me" and acknowledging lions who thought they were sheep, there are always people at these sites, a couple who are walking in the light, as the Society of Friends' founder George Fox says. SO I go less and less as Dave Dunlop and more and more as a combination of an srf a holic, and a one on one forum of being in the present........ ........ of compassion and realization of the compassion in every heart openly receptive to, and embraced as a result..... the last angel of warmth and openness I met is a young South Asian, who with a few community minded friends walks in the light of serving Oakland, California's disadvantaged 6 to 8th graders, see the non-profit kid farm organization at www.kidfarm.org soul circle Edited by: soulcircle at: 6/14/03 7:04 am
member108 Registered User (6/14/03 8:38 am) Reply	Re: please, please, please, please continue this talk I can verify the Lake Shrine and Mother Center parts of your story. Deva got trashed. Why he decided to stay is a mystery. I do think he probably feels he will be able to save SRF meaning he still sees SRF and Master as the same thing. I hope what ever the reason it is not just ego or a need to belong to the religion of the future age. Monks and members often come to a point in their search where they are given a choice. They mature to the point where they have an opportunity to make real progress. Deva failed and choose to belong over a true search for God. Maya is strong. It has taken another basically good man.
soulcircle Registered User (6/14/03 9:50 am) Reply	ranger 20 Guests and All, We have heard many accounts of deva's 2000 evening convocation adress. Yours is the best. Everyone hear, please please please please please, more, keep sharing. share circle
username Registered User (6/14/03 4:52 pm) Reply	Re: devananda Devanada was NOT assigned to lake shrine as the minister in charge orginally. The minister in charge was a tall lanky monk who ending up marrying one of the members ex wife and then I heard moving up to n. calif. Devanada then got the minister in charge spot. Personally, I found Devananda to be very immature.
True Enuf Registered User (6/14/03 9:08 pm) Reply	Re: Did Boom survive? I heard Bhumananda recently conducted a retreat on the East Coast, so I'll assume he's doing more or less OK. Dharma's still at Hidden Valley, not as active as before, but OK all things considered (physical health not that great.) Br. Lee was transferred to MC, Br. David's now in Phoenix, and the hibiscus farm was shut down! That's a pity!!
Borg108 Registered User (6/15/03 8:57 pm) Reply	Re: Did Boom survive? Lobo, Bro. Dharmananda is in charge of HV in total. Bro. Devananda is in charge of the retreat operation there, which is what now brings in most of the $ for SRF there. Bro. Devananda is active in promoting and expanding retreat operations.
chuckle chela Registered User (6/16/03 9:30 pm) Reply	Re: Devananda and NVC Borg, you mentioned that Devananda won't endorse Rosenberg's NVC because he's afraid of what his superiors would say or do. I find this news saddening. What is it that Devananda's superiors (or whomever it is) find so threatening about NVC? (What's puzzling to me is that NVC is probably the very antithesis of threatening, except, I suppose, in that it can lead to individuals being pretty honest about personal and perhaps sensitive issues). Is it particular aspects of NVC or is it that those opposed just fear open and honest communication? I can understand Devananda's reluctance. It appears he, perhaps more than anyone else, took the heat for trying to change things. As one person who talked with him at HV put it to me, "he's one very wounded puppy from all the beatings he's taken." The apparent fear of NVC among some SRF leaders is all the more puzzling when I remember that I was introduced to it by a member in Encinitas who practices it and has taught it to many. I later discovered that a number of SRF members are NVC fans, many of whom use it in their professional practices.
KS Registered User (6/16/03 10:03 pm) Reply	Re: Devananda and NVC The problem with NVC from the bad ladies point of view is that it is not SRF. While SRF claims to be the church of all religions to acknowledge any other ideals or beliefs in their eyes is an admission that SRF does not have all the answers. In their fear based mentality this means they are not perfect which means they could make mistakes which means people might start to question them. Any kind of even partially open view of the inner workings of SRF will bring the house of cards down. The bad ladies power is built on deception and that must be maintained. From what I have seen NVC is pretty harmless. NVC may be really needed for some people especially many of the damaged current SRF employees who are having trouble moving on past SRF. I say let people get help where ever it feels right. Why not? On the subject of Deva, why does he stay? He has certainly seen what the bad ladies really are. Why give up your life for them and give up your chances for real spiritual progress? He seemed like a smart and sincere guy. Edited by: KS at: 6/16/03 10:05 pm
chuckle chela Registered User (6/16/03 10:12 pm) Reply	Re: the company man who refuses to leave Aw, gee, guys, can't we cut the monastics a bit of slack here? I find the referral to Devananda as some kind of "company man" a bit disheartening. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he was one of the ones who initially started trying to change things in SRF. He, perhaps more than many others, went to the wall. We all know what happened, as has been mentioned in this thread: he was severely punished by his superiors. I'm told he finally had to admit that things just weren't going to change. Seems to me many others, including a number of Walrus contributers, have concluded the very same thing. But I think we should be careful in somehow condemning him just because he remained in the order. He and a number of other monastics who have remained are no less courageous than those who left. As well, someone like Devananda has taken his final vows--no small matter, that. Each individual's situation is unique; each comes up with a very personal and unique solution or resolution. I think we need to honor all those who have struggled with these issues, and I think we need to see their situations with compassion. We know that a number of monastics who left were influenced by Thomas Merton's Contemplation in a World of Action. Perhaps this passage from that marvelous book might explain why some chose to stay: It remains to speak one word to the monks themselves; that is, to those who now, at this time, are persevering in monasteries and hermitages. That word is: do not be impatient and do not be afraid. Do not imagine that everything depends of some instant magic transformation of constitutions and of laws. You already have what you need right in your hands! You have the grace of your vocation and of your love. No earthly situation has ever been ideal. God does not need an ideal situation in order to carry out his work in our hearts. If we do what we can with the means and grace at our disposal, if we sincerely take advantage of our genuine opportunities, the Spirit will be there and his love will not fail us. Our liberation, our solitude, our vision, our understanding and our salvation do not depend on anything remote from us or beyond our reach. Grace has been given us along with our good desires. What is needed is the faith to accept it and the energy to put our faith to work in situations that may not seem to us to be promising. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. As well, I find disheartening the suggestion in another thread that someone like Mukti Mata is cowardly. To my mind she has been and remains someone who personifies courage and large-heartedness. She remains an inspiration to me, and I have benefitted from her counsel over the years. Returning to Devananda, soulcircle, I'm wondering if you ever got in touch with Devananda after the workshop? From reading your report, I was impressed by two things Devananda did. First, it seems he was applying the very principles Rosenberg endorses in NVC by mirroring back to you your statement about finding your own voice. Isn't that what Rosenberg suggests you do: mirror the statement back to let the other person know you heard it and validated it, as well as the feelings that went with it? Second, he made an attempt to reach you after you abruptly left the workshop as he was talking. That seems like a pretty decent thing of him to do, particularly in light of the circumstances.

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