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My experience has always been great - No regrets!!

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w

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Nov 5, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/5/97
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For myself, my experience of Siddha Yoga has been great. I will honestly say
that I have been practising Siddha Yoga for a long time and I know thousands of
people who have only benifited by it.

Of the people who complain the loudest, I know several of the most outspoken ,
and I can say that I'm not surprized by their issues. But knowing several of
them and their issues, their complaints are colored by their own unresolved
issues. Their issues show up again and again wherever they go and I suspect
that the monsters and evils they see, that they might do well by looking inside
at themselves.

I do wish that that for those people who Siddha Yoga was not a good experience,
that they move on with their lives so they can be happy.

sres...@slip.net

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Nov 5, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/5/97
to d13...@hotmail.com

d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:
>For myself, my experience of Siddha Yoga has been great. I will honestly say
>that I have been practising Siddha Yoga for a long time and I know thousands
>of people who have only benifited by it.

There's no doubt that many people get lots of happiness & good feelings
from Siddha Yoga. (I personally had wonderful experiences in the ashrams,
though I've had even more interesting & enjoyable experiences through
other means since I've left.)

But for d13579 to say that she knows 1000s of people who only benefited
from it is classic exaggeration. Even when talking about a close friend,
how can we judge whether they've "only benefited"? Let alone when talking
about 1000s of people who are at best acquaintences. Perhaps d13579 has
seen 1000s of people smiling sweetly & talking nicely at the ashrams, &
has drawn conclusions from that.

>Of the people who complain the loudest, I know several of the most outspoken,
>and I can say that I'm not surprized by their issues. But knowing several of
>them and their issues, their complaints are colored by their own unresolved
>issues. Their issues show up again and again wherever they go and I suspect
>that the monsters and evils they see, that they might do well by looking
>inside at themselves.

There are serious charges against the Siddha Yoga organization. For
instance, folks from the ashram followed a "competing" guru (Swami
Nityananda) around the country to verbally & physically harass him & his
followers. In Ann Arbor, the Siddha Yoga people went so far as to throw
skunk oil into a room where Nityananda was holding a meditation program.

But rather than dealing with such charges, d13579 talks about unnamed
people who have undefined "issues."

>I do wish that that for those people who Siddha Yoga was not a good
>experience, that they move on with their lives so they can be happy.

Even though I've moved on (I've set foot in an ashram once or twice in
the past 6 years), I still enjoy talking about it. Getting into & out of
Siddha Yoga was a unique experience; the internet is the perfect medium
for finding others who can relate. And of course, if there's anyone who
is going through some suffering connected with their experience, those of
us who have been through it before may be able to help.

Stuart
sres...@slip.net
http://www.slip.net/~sresnick/mypage.shtml

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Daniel Shaw

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Nov 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/7/97
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In article <345fe05b...@newsa.zelacom.com>,
d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:

> I do wish that that for those people who Siddha Yoga was not a good experience,
> that they move on with their lives so they can be happy.

Thanks -- but please understand, I HAVE gone on with my life and I AM
happy - not to brag, but yes, I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I
enjoy a great deal of happiness in my life.

I continue to participate in activities that publicly criticize SYDA for
several reasons, none of which have to do with not having gone on with my
life or being unhappy.

The reasons are:

1) I know how damaging and destructive it was for me to be involved in
SYDA for many years, and how damaging it has been for so many others. I
feel connected with and supported by people who have left SYDA. I want
to be available to anyone who has left and is struggling with the
feelings of loss and betrayal. I know how helpful it has been for me to
be able to communicate with and share experiences with others who have
left.

2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many
of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
families to devote their lives to SYDA. I consider this a tragedy and am
committed to making information about SYDA available to the public.

The issues I consider most relevant about SYDA that are lied about and
distorted by SYDA were stated in an Open Letter about SYDA back in 1995.

That letter can be read at http://www.cyberpass.net/truth/Open_Letter.htm

When I have more time, I will reprint that letter here.

Jyoti...@aol.com

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Nov 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/7/97
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In article <8788982...@dejanews.com>,

Dear Dan,

Thank you for your very honest and helpful letter. I think that most
people who have become disenchanted with SYDA HAVE gone on with their
lives even though they may have been extremely shocked and/or hurt by
events that unfolded there that they witnessed or experienced. And, as I
have said before, healing from trauma occurs for each person in its own
time, in its own way. For some it is in being able to speak out.

William Zardin

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Nov 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/8/97
to

In article <8788982...@dejanews.com>, Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw) wrote:

>
>1) I know how damaging and destructive it was for me to be involved in
>SYDA for many years, and how damaging it has been for so many others.

>2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many


>of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
>always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
>information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
>history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
>families to devote their lives to SYDA.
>

So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?

Stuart Resnick

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Nov 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/8/97
to William Zardin

> Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw) wrote:
> >2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many
> >of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
> >always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
> >information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
> >history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
> >families to devote their lives to SYDA.

William Zardin wrote:
> So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
> easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?

Certainly, any nastiness that occurs within Christianity, etc, ought to
be exposed in exactly the same way.

The only difference: when we see, for instance, Catholic priests
molesting children, one could reasonably say, "These are flawed people,
but their mistakes shouldn't reflect on the value of Catholic doctrine."
But in Siddha Yoga, the guru herself is at the center of the practices &
beliefs. So once one sees the guru's flaws, there's nothing left of the
doctrine.

(I supposed if you discovered that *Jesus* had a Swiss bank account...
that would be a parallel.)

Stuart
sres...@slip.net
http://www.slip.net/~sresnick/mypage.shtml

Daniel Shaw

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Nov 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/9/97
to

In article <wizard-0811...@ip180.lax.primenet.com>,

wiz...@primenet.com (William Zardin) wrote:
> So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
> easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?


Dear William: I'm not sure if the abuse, secrets and lies in SYDA is
different at all, in essence, from that kind of issue in other religions.
So if that's the case, then what? In other words, is there a point you
are trying to make by asking that question? Could you clarify?

Thanks

Dan Shaw
sha...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/shawdan/page1.htm

William Zardin

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Nov 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/9/97
to

In article <642vul$pet$1...@texas.nwlink.com>, "Jim" <ra...@nwlink.com> wrote:

>William Zardin wrote in message ...


>>In article <8788982...@dejanews.com>, Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw)
>wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>1) I know how damaging and destructive it was for me to be involved in
>>>SYDA for many years, and how damaging it has been for so many others.
>>

>>>2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many
>>>of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
>>>always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
>>>information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
>>>history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
>>>families to devote their lives to SYDA.
>>>
>>

>>So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
>>easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?
>

>Then you would agree that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc are flawed as
>well?
>
>Jim Phoenix
>ra...@nwlink.com

Those aspects which lead to such activities and are part of a sects
doctrine are certainly flawed, IMHO.

wizard

William Zardin

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Nov 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/9/97
to


>> Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw) wrote:
>> >2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many
>> >of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
>> >always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
>> >information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
>> >history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
>> >families to devote their lives to SYDA.
>

>William Zardin wrote:
>> So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
>> easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?

In article <34651E...@slip.net>, sres...@slip.net wrote:
>Certainly, any nastiness that occurs within Christianity, etc, ought to
>be exposed in exactly the same way.
>
>The only difference: when we see, for instance, Catholic priests
>molesting children, one could reasonably say, "These are flawed people,
>but their mistakes shouldn't reflect on the value of Catholic doctrine."
>But in Siddha Yoga, the guru herself is at the center of the practices &
>beliefs. So once one sees the guru's flaws, there's nothing left of the
>doctrine.
>

On the contrary. The excesses found in many religions, including such
things as Catholic priests who molest children (why are there, seemingly,
so many of them?), may very well have a root in the doctrines of the
religion.

wizard

Stuart Resnick

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Nov 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/9/97
to w

> d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:
> >If you
> >really want to move on, then forget about Siddha Yoga instead of thinking about
> >it everyday.

"Moving on" is entirely different than "forgetting." I see nothing
healthy about forgetting anything I've experienced in my life. "Moving
on" means finding the lessons in what we've experienced, & using them to
help others.

Stuart
sres...@slip.net
http://www.slip.net/~sresnick/mypage.shtml

Anonymous 2

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Nov 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/9/97
to

On Sat, 08 Nov 1997 18:23:29 -0800, Stuart Resnick <sres...@slip.net>
wrote:

>> Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw) wrote:
>> >2) Because of my involvement over 10 years on staff of SYDA, I know many
>> >of the secrets and lies that are at the core of SYDA, and since I have
>> >always cared about truth and integrity, I feel a duty to make that
>> >information available. SYDA lies about its history, it rewrites its
>> >history, and it continues to deceive people, who leave jobs, friends and
>> >families to devote their lives to SYDA.
>
>William Zardin wrote:
>> So how is that different from many religions? I think you could just as
>> easily say the same thing about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.?
>

>Certainly, any nastiness that occurs within Christianity, etc, ought to
>be exposed in exactly the same way.
>
>The only difference: when we see, for instance, Catholic priests
>molesting children, one could reasonably say, "These are flawed people,
>but their mistakes shouldn't reflect on the value of Catholic doctrine."
>But in Siddha Yoga, the guru herself is at the center of the practices &
>beliefs. So once one sees the guru's flaws, there's nothing left of the
>doctrine.

This is really entirely false.

Sure, SY emphasizes "guru yoga" more than most other Hindu yoga
schools, but the doctrines are essentially the same as most other
Hindu paths.

And, there are literally hundreds of statements in SY texts about
looking at the guru as the "guru principle", not as the physical form
of the human being.

All of the SY practices are still valid regardless of whether the guru
has "flaws" or not.

This should be obvious, considering that 95% of the dissenters report
that the practices work.

>(I supposed if you discovered that *Jesus* had a Swiss bank account...
>that would be a parallel.)

So, I suppose you flew to Switzerland, and forced a Swiss bank
official to divulge the ownership of their accounts? If not, how do
you really know?

This is exactly the sort of allegations that the dissenters love to
throw about, because it can never be verified ----- and not only that,
they could not possibly know about it to begin with!

But, it is a great example of how, once someone decides that they are
going to leave a particular group, then they believe *everything* that
people say about the group.

Oh, and, by the way, please relate to us exactly what is immoral about
having a Swiss bank account?


w

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Nov 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/10/97
to

d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:

>Sha...@aol.com (Daniel Shaw) wrote:
>
>>In article <345fe05b...@newsa.zelacom.com>,
>> d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:
>>
>>> I do wish that that for those people who Siddha Yoga was not a good experience,
>>> that they move on with their lives so they can be happy.
>>
>
>>Thanks -- but please understand, I HAVE gone on with my life and I AM
>>happy - not to brag, but yes, I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I
>>enjoy a great deal of happiness in my life.
>>
>

>I don't think you have moved on at all! For you, Siddha Yoga was not a good
>expereince! I find that your repeated postings show that whatever you choose to
>call it, you are stuck! What I was saying was that " I do wish that that for


>those people who Siddha Yoga was not a good experience, that they move on with

>their lives so they can be happy." I sincerely mean that for you! If you


>really want to move on, then forget about Siddha Yoga instead of thinking about
>it everyday.
>

>Thank you
>


Daniel Shaw

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Nov 11, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/11/97
to

In article <34697647...@newsa.zelacom.com>,

d13...@hotmail.com (w) wrote:
If you
> >really want to move on, then forget about Siddha Yoga instead of thinking about
> >it everyday.
> >
> >Thank you
> >

How about this: You handle your happiness your way, and I'll handle it
mine. Anyway, why exactly do you object to my posts? If you're happy in
SYDA, stay and be happy. Why hang around this newsgroup, exposing
yourself to this sort of thing.

Your advice isn't good advice for me. This is not the criticize Dan Shaw
newsgroup, it's the support.ex-cult.siddha-yoga newsgroup. Please stay
on topic.

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