when someone says to his devotees:"I don't trust anybody. They say they love you, and then they stab you in the back." Apart from sounding quite paranoia to me, what pressure on those around him, hearing this. What can they ever do to prove to him that they will never, never, ever do such a thing?
This whole thing in no way seems to me to be about Love and Truth. Or advaita. It looks like the protecting of a carefully built image of a person acting like a wise, caring and all-knowing "Father" to his devotees/children. And protecting all that seems to be coming with it. Like money and an appartment with access to two swimmingpools in the Algarve. Nobody has to be an accountant to see there is a lot, a lot of money involved.
What's with this story about a piece of land, 5 times the size of the ashram, that is bought or in the proces of being bought? Why? Will they then hold all their retreats on homeground? Charge you whatever they like for putting you in accomodations with no electricity, composttoilets and bucketshowers down the road? And as a bonus offer you the opportunity to work for free (calling it seva of course)?
I have been following this "Guru" for years, believing him to be God, which in this beliefsystem to my opinion is impossible no to do. I fully understand the reactions of all those "believers/devotees/disciples/whatever". When I first saw the denial-video my first reaction was: NO, he could never do such a thing! When you are in this spaced-out-trance-like state you mistakingly take to be a spiritual waking up( taking dissotiation to be becomming spiritually detached) all seems to be seen through a lens of unreality. Like these first stages of falling in love, when the object of affection is only seen as perfect.
Only after snapping-out of it( after I stopped watching satsang, doing the "invitation to freedom",listening to these cd's all glorifying this mortal man as a god, and started to do my reseach into what was going on), I could understand what I have been in all the time. I just was NOT aware of my mental state...
I really feel for those in the ashram. Especially those who have doubts and stories with which they are too afraid to come out. I hope they find the courage to leave. There is life after this. Is does NOT mean you miss you chance for freedom( the general threat to anyone with doubts or criticism). There is NOTHING wrong with having worldly aspirations, especially if you are still very young.
It's not a nice picture. But also not a one-off. Reading "the Guru Papers"at the moment. I recommend it to anyone who is trying to make sense of what the hell happened to them and how and why...it's very enlightening...
This whole thing in no way seems to me to be about Love and Truth. Or advaita. It looks like the protecting of a carefully built image of a person acting like a wise, caring and all-knowing "Father" to his devotees/children. And protecting all that seems to be coming with it. Like money and an appartment with access to two swimmingpools in the Algarve. Nobody has to be an accountant to see there is a lot, a lot of money involved.
What's with this story about a piece of land, 5 times the size of the ashram, that is bought or in the proces of being bought? Why? Will they then hold all their retreats on homeground? Charge you whatever they like for putting you in accomodations with no electricity, composttoilets and bucketshowers down the road? And as a bonus offer you the opportunity to work for free (calling it seva of course)?
I have been following this "Guru" for years, believing him to be God, which in this beliefsystem to my opinion is impossible no to do. I fully understand the reactions of all those "believers/devotees/disciples/whatever". When I first saw the denial-video my first reaction was: NO, he could never do such a thing! When you are in this spaced-out-trance-like state you mistakingly take to be a spiritual waking up( taking dissotiation to be becomming spiritually detached) all seems to be seen through a lens of unreality. Like these first stages of falling in love, when the object of affection is only seen as perfect.
Only after snapping-out of it( after I stopped watching satsang, doing the "invitation to freedom",listening to these cd's all glorifying this mortal man as a god, and started to do my reseach into what was going on), I could understand what I have been in all the time. I just was NOT aware of my mental state...
I really feel for those in the ashram. Especially those who have doubts and stories with which they are too afraid to come out. I hope they find the courage to leave. There is life after this. Is does NOT mean you miss you chance for freedom( the general threat to anyone with doubts or criticism). There is NOTHING wrong with having worldly aspirations, especially if you are still very young.
It's not a nice picture. But also not a one-off. Reading "the Guru Papers"at the moment. I recommend it to anyone who is trying to make sense of what the hell happened to them and how and why...it's very enlightening...