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SRF Walrus
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crogman1
Registered User
(2/1/03 6:21 am)
Reply 		Advice for new SRF members
SRF, like all cults, is self cleaning. When someone finds out the truth about them they leave. This leaves only loyal bliss bunny members and monastics (or burn out cases afraid to leave and survive on their own like many of the monastics). Throughout SRF it is very difficult to find those who have seen behind the curtain or realized the truth. Until the Walrus I didn’t realize how many of us there were! I assumed people drifted off for other reasons. In my numerous years in the Los Angeles area I saw an almost complete turn over in several temples about every 5 to 7 years. Attendance didn’t change much while there were always new faces. Life in the ashram is the same with high turn over.

It is hard for the new members to find the truth about SRF. It takes years to be able to interact at the level where you can see their character in action. By that time you have also heard years of propaganda about how Daya Mata is God-realized and how SRF is the one true representative of Yogananda. Therefore you are prepared to over look things and we all did.

Thank heaven for the Walrus. People can start to learn and ask questions earlier in their association with SRF. This doesn’t mean that they will have no need for the social environments at the temples and centers, they are still a place to find other devotees of Yogananda’s, but they will think twice about absorbing the organization as their spiritual advisors and pseudo guru.

Here is a check list for the new SRF devotee.

:D Don’t send them money. They waste it and have plenty anyway. Send it to the United Way or some organization that really helps people.

:D Don’t write them letters. They keep them and evaluate the letters, keeping codes for problems they think you might have. This trusting place keeps elaborate files on its membership. Don’t feed the files.

:D Don’t tell monastics anything. They are supposed to write it down for your files. They don’t know anymore about how to run your life than you do, usually a LOT less. While they are practiced at the art of appearing spiritual, most are troubled.

:D For heavens sake do not go to work for them or become a monastic. You relationship with Yogananda seldom survives.

:D Volunteering is fine and good for the soul. Volunteer for some other charity really helping people. Holding a door open at a center service is not really serving your guru. Help feed the poor or clean a community center. That is serving God.

Edited by: crogman1 at: 2/1/03 6:30:22 am
member108
Registered User
(2/2/03 7:10 am)
Reply 		Re: Advice for new SRF members
With this religious stuff, people very badly want to believe. They want to be part of the environment described in the Autobiography. To be part of something is a strong draw, added to being part of the best religion in the world and added to their honest attraction to Master and you have how the typical devotee starts out. It is too much to be warned off by a Walrus message. The cult draw is very strong for some people. (I know, it was for me)

But pretty quickly people start seeing weird stuff. They see interactions with Center Department and strange secret approval processes before people can serve, they see the monastics who visit get angry over the air conditioning setting, they see they get canned letters in response to their own letters which have little to do with their question and contain only very general advice, and much more. If they get more involved or start to work there they see much more. The best the Walrus can do is to give people a little pause earlier in their discovery process. If people read the Walrus in the period of their life when SRF is perfect and Daya is God-Realized then they will never come back to it.

Even now as many people leave the ashram and membership as join. SRF’s claim of growth are somewhat based on the fact that they don’t know who has left! After people take a few lessons do you think they notify SRF that they are no longer interested? Why bother? Who has seen growth in attendance at the temples? Growth in volunteers? Growth in attendance at Convocation?

SRF is laying off people. Their growth speech is myth. :hat

Edited by: member108 at: 2/2/03 7:11:48 am
KS
Registered User
(5/23/03 6:22 am)
Reply 		Re: Advice for new SRF members
We should include your checklist in the new member mailing? Master loses a lot of good people because they don't know those simple rules. Of course many -loyal- members would say they leave because they can't stand the heat in the kitchen! I wonder why there is a fire in the kitchen and think it is only common sense to leave. :)

Most people don't understand the concept of -training- and the causes of growth. Growth does not come through the mistreatment by others but rather the choices we make, associations we choose, and how we learn from our experiences. Learning to avoid false profits, golden calves (matas), and blind cult thinking is indeed a valuable growth experience. No need to stay after you learn.

Jai Guru! May his wonderful message somehow survive SRF to help people thousands of years into the future.

Edited by: KS at: 5/23/03 6:25:52 am
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