ECKANKAR is ancient wisdom for today
HU4God
emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to
God.
*Whatever* your *religious background*, they show how to look and listen within
yourself--to expand your consciousness and enjoy spiritual connectedness. See
for
yourself--perhaps for the first time--how to lead a happy, balanced, and
productive
life. And put daily concerns into loving perspective."
quote from http://www.eckankar.org
Jackie
~~~~~~~~~
"A giving hand also receives."
"Spirit is like a door, it opens to all."
The site of the HU song:
http://members.aol.com/hu4god
To contact me: hu4...@aol.com
Sharon
hu4...@aol.com.no.spam (HU4God) wrote:
> "ECKANKAR is ancient wisdom for today. Its teachings, which resurfaced in 1965, emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to God.
In 1965, Paul Twitchell came out with a lot of plagiarism & stolen truths
which are freely available in legitimate spiritual paths and religions.
Personal experience is what we do every day in normal life. Look around
you...at the sky, the trees, flowers...look in a baby's eyes...you'll
experience God.
God is in our hearts...if we just look, and open ourselves to His love...
> *Whatever* your *religious background*,
Nonsense. There is enough documentation that Eckankar does NOT respect
all religions. Its "teachings" seem innocent enough at first, as does the
hypnotic hu-chant...but beware!! Before you know it...you'll be trapped.
And Eckankar's mind control and brainwashing is so subtle and effective
you won't even realize what happened.
Whatever your religious background....just talk to God. He'll listen...
and give you all you need...WITHOUT CULT MEMBERSHIP!!!!
they show how to look and listen within yourself--to expand your
consciousness and enjoy spiritual connectedness.
Go to your library, bookstore...or clergyman. Find a reliable source...
there are MANY available....and you're already connected. You don't
need Cult Membership and any kind of "master" to connect with God.
See for
> yourself--perhaps for the first time--how to lead a happy, balanced, and
> productive life. And put daily concerns into loving perspective."
If you're that lost, miserable, and unhappy....without the least bit of
common sense even half a brain...and totally without love...unable to just
look around you and appreciate God's gifts...
You're still better off without Eckankult...
Hugs,
Sharon
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
ken
Sharon <sharo...@myremarq.com> wrote ...
:
hu4...@aol.com.no.spam (HU4God) wrote:
: > "ECKANKAR is ancient wisdom for today. Its teachings, which
: resurfaced in 1965, emphasize the value of personal experiences
: as the most natural way back to God.
:
:
: In 1965, Paul Twitchell came out with a lot of plagiarism & stolen
truths
: which are freely available in legitimate spiritual paths and
religions.
Any spiritual teaching that assists one in his or her life, and helps
one
grow to become the kind of person they wish to be, is by it's very
nature, legitimate.
Ken
Mahavahana
> Any spiritual teaching that assists one in his or her life, and helps
> one
> grow to become the kind of person they wish to be, is by it's very
> nature, legitimate.
Helps one to be unable and unwilling to rationally discuss the
teachings of that religion too. That's beneficial, fer sure. That's a
real healthy sign . . .
--
Posted via Talkway - http://www.talkway.com
Exchange ideas on practically anything (tm).
kena...@my-dejanews.com
hu4...@aol.com.no.spam (HU4God) wrote:
> "ECKANKAR is ancient wisdom for today. Its teachings, which resurfaced in
1965,
>
> emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to
> God.
within
>
> yourself--to expand your consciousness and enjoy spiritual connectedness. See
> for
> yourself--perhaps for the first time--how to lead a happy, balanced, and
> productive
> life. And put daily concerns into loving perspective."
>
>
> Jackie
> ~~~~~~~~~
> "A giving hand also receives."
> "Spirit is like a door, it opens to all."
> The site of the HU song:
> http://members.aol.com/hu4god
> To contact me: hu4...@aol.com
>
From
THE MAKING OF A SPIRITUAL MOVEMENT: THE UNTOLD STORY OF PAUL TWITCHELL
AND ECKANKAR
Available from Del Mar Press, P.O. Box 2508, Del Mar, California
92014. $15
Author: David C. Lane (dl...@weber.ucsd.edu)
----------
First published on web by David Rife (ri...@inlink.com)
The Unauthorized Eckankar(tm) Page is at
http://www.inlink.com/~rife/eck_main.html
Mirrored at http://www.csun.edu/~hbjou017/cults/ekonkar
by David D. Rogers (david....@csun.edu) with permission
David Lane's web page is at http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dlane
This work may be freely distributed provided credit is given to the author.
----------
Chapter Six
LOST ANTECEDENTS
Retracing the Roots of Eckankar
To retrace the teachings of Eckankar to their origin is, in some ways, to
rediscover the actual religious influences upon Paul Twitchell's own life.
For Eckankar, although it has its basis in many different religious
traditions, is, in the final analysis, a "Paul Twitchell" creation. In
creating his new movement, Twitchell drew extensively from his own personal
experiences. He took grafts (each of varying degrees) from the many mystical
and occult groups he had encountered, finally blending his knowledge of these
traditions into what is now known as Eckankar--the ancient science of soul
travel.
While several movements have had a major impact on Twitchell's development of
Eckankar, three spiritual traditions were of primary importance: 1)
Theosophy, as founded by Madame Blavatsky; 2) Self-Realization Fellowship, as
presented by Swami Premananda; and 3) Dianetics and its religious outcome,
Scientology.
But of all the religious movements to have an effect on Twitchell's
development of Eckankar, no tradition had as much influence as the Sant mat
tradition of North India. Twitchell first encountered the tradition through
the auspices of Kirpal Singh, founder of Ruhani Satsang, a spiritual movement
entirely based upon Sant mat.
For more on the Sant tradition, see The Sants edited by W.H. McLeod and
Karine Schomer (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987).
By knowing of the definite parallels between Paul Twitchell's teachings and
Kirpal Singh's, one can better understand the context out of which Eckankar
was formed. A brief history of Ruhani Satsang and its antecedents will
better enable us to realize the vast influence it and the Radha Soami Satsang
Beas has had on the creation of Eckankar.
Radha Soami Satsang Beas
I have only given a gist on the history of the Radha Soami faith. For a more
thorough study, at least genealogically, see my Master's Thesis, Radhasoami
Mat (Berkeley: Graduate Theological Union, 1981).
Shiv Dayal Singh (more popularly known as "Soami Ji") was the first guru in
the line of Radha Soami masters. He was a follower of Sant mat and had a
close association with Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. Soami Ji was born in 1818 and
died in 1878. After his death, several of his disciples worked as gurus.
The four main successors were Rai Saligram, who taught within Agra; Seth
Partap Singh, who was the younger brother of Shiv Dayal Singh and was
stationed at Soami Bagh; Gharib Das, a blind sadhu who settled in Delhi; and
Jaimal Singh, who founded the Radha Soami Satsang at Beas in the Punjab.
One of the successors to Shiv Dayal Singh was Jaimal Singh. Baba Ji, as he
was affectionately called, was initiated by Soami Ji in 1856 at the tender
age of seventeen. He was a celibate his whole life and was very much
respected for his holy ways. After serving as a master for over nineteen
years, he passed on the mantleship to his most devoted disciple, Sawan Singh.
Sawan Singh (known as the "Great Master") attracted an exceedingly large
following to his teachings. He initiated over 125,000 people into Sant mat.
He reigned as the master of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas colony in India for
over forty-four years. A number of books were written during his tenure, the
most important Punjabi work being Gurmat Sidhant (otherwise known as The
Philosophy of the Masters ). After Sawan Singh died, his mission was carried
on by Jagat Singh (and later Charan Singh) in the Beas colony. Kirpal Singh,
who also claimed succession, started his ministry, Ruhani Satsang, in Gur
Mandi, Delhi.
Ruhani Satsang
The teachings of Ruhani Satsang are almost exactly the same as those taught by
the Radha Soami Satsang Beas; the differences are slight.
Ruhani Satsang requests the keeping of a spiritual diary and does not advocate
the practice of dhyan (contemplation) on the physical form of the guru during
meditation. Radha Soami Satsang Beas does not suggest writing a spiritual
diary, but does advocate the practice of dhyan
Kirpal Singh explains the essence of Ruhani Satsang:
Ruhani Satsang is neither an intellectual nor scholastic system of
philosophy, nor is it merely an ethical code of rigid moral virtues, though
to a certain extent it partakes of both. . . Ruhani Satsang deals with the
Science of the Soul or contact with the Inner Self in man. It teaches how
the Self can be extricated from the clutches of the outer self. . . .
Kirpal Singh, Ruhani Satsang: Science of Spirituality (Delhi: Ruhani
Satsang, 1970), page 1.
According to Kirpal Singh, Ruhani Satsang is the science of connecting the
individual soul with the "sound current" (also known as the shabd, nad, or
"audible life stream"). This is done by a perfect adept. Vegetarianism
plays a central role in the moral ethics of the group. All initiates of
Kirpal Singh are pledged to a vow of vegetarianism, which includes abstaining
from meat, fish and eggs. In addition to the strict diet, initiates are
asked to abstain from alcohol and narcotics, and to give a minimum of two
hours daily in meditation. Initiates are also asked to keep a regular diary
in order to record their efforts on the path.
Kirpal Singh died in 1974. He was succeeded by his son, Darshan Singh, who
has established his headquarters in Vijay Nagar, Delhi. Others have also
claimed succession, including Thakar Singh and Ajaib Singh.
Three things are of elementary importance in the teachings of Kirpal Singh, as
well as in Sant mat and Radha Soami:
1. Satguru , both as the Absolute Lord (nirguna) and the living human master
(saguna).
2. Shabd , which encompasses both varnatmak (that which is spoken or
written) and dhunyatmak (inner spiritual sound--beyond expression), the
primal current of the Supreme Lord (Sat Purush).
3. Satsang , externally the congregation of the earnest devotees of the
truth, and internally the communion of the soul ( surat ) with the Satguru
and Shabd .
Radhasoami Mat , op. cit.
Julian P. Johnson
The greatest influence the Radha Soami faith, the parent of Ruhani Satsang,
had on Paul Twitchell and Eckankar came in the form of a book entitled The
Path of the Masters . The work was first published in France in 1939; its
author was Julian P. Johnson.
Johnson, a native Kentuckian and distinguished surgeon, was initiated into
Radha Soami on March 1, 1931.
Julian P. Johnson, With a Great Master in India (Beas: Radha Soami
Foundation, 1971).
The next year Johnson left his medical practice in California and traveled to
Beas, India, in order to serve his guru, Sawan Singh. From 1933 to 1939,
Johnson devoted much of his time to writing about his master and his
experiences in the Radha Soami path.
He first helped Sewa Singh in translating the Hindi book Sar Bachan (prose)
into English. Later, he authored four of his own books on Radha Soami.
Johnson's first work, With a Great Master in India , was a compilation of
letters he had written to Americans about his first eighteen months in India
studying under the master. His next two books, Call of the East and The
Unquenchable Flame were semi-autobiographical accounts of himself and his
future wife, Elizabeth Bruce. Yet, it was not until 1939 that Johnson's most
famous work, The Path of the Masters , was published. The English book was
the first its kind; it described in detail the history and practice of
Santon-Ki-Shiska (Sant mat). The work was Johnson's magnus opus and today is
considered a classic in oriental mysticism.
It should be noted that Johnson never saw the book in its final published
form, as he died in 1939 shortly before it came out. A number of rumors have
cropped up concerning Julian Johnson's death, and this may be a good place to
clarify what actually happened. Apparently, Johnson got into a fairly heated
debate with a younger friend of his named Paul [not Paul Twitchell] over
health treatments. During the heat of the debate Johnson either tripped or
was pushed and hit his head on a rock. He subsequently died from his
injuries on the way to the hospital. Since there was some confusion over
what actually transpired (Was it an accidental fall on Johnson's part? Or,
was it an accidental fall caused by Paul who pushed Johnson to the ground?),
there was naturally a lot of speculation (which led to gossip) about
Johnson's death. Even today some uninformed observers claim Johnson was
murdered. According to witnesses who were in India at the time, though,
Johnson's death was a tragic accident and nothing more.
By 1955, the year Paul Twitchell received initiation from Kirpal Singh,
several books had been published in English about Sant mat and Radha Soami.
However, it was Johnson's climatic text, The Path of the Masters which
remained the most popular explication. The book served as a beacon for
attracting seekers to either Charan Singh of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (who
was Jagat Singh's successor) or Kirpal Singh of Ruhani Satsang. Twitchell,
indubitably, first came into contact with the work in the mid-1950's, if not
earlier.
Although Twitchell does not cite The Path of the Masters by name or refer to
Julian P. Johnson in his writings, he has, nevertheless, cited another key
Radha Soami text-- Sar Bachan --which was edited by Julian Johnson.
The overall influence that Johnson's books-- The Path of the Masters and With
a Great Master in India , in particular--had on Twitchell's own spiritual
writings is truly remarkable. To actually document the effect would itself
take several volumes, for Twitchell not only borrowed and learned from the
book, he also copied it. . . word for word.
Spiritual Shoplifting:
A Question of Plagiarism
The striking similarities between Twitchell's work and Julian Johnson's
earlier writings are astounding. Three of Twitchell's books, The Tiger's
Fang , Letters to Gail (both volumes), and Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad , appear to
contain almost verbatim excerpts from Johnson's 1939 work, The Path of the
Masters .
Yet, it is Twitchell's 1966 book, The Far Country , which raises the serious
question of his originality. The work, amazingly, contains well over
four-hundred paragraphs from Johnson's two books, The Path of the Masters and
With a Great Master in India , without so much as a single reference note to
them. It is likely that almost one-half of The Far Country is not of
Twitchell's pen.
Realizing that it is incontrovertible that Twitchell was intimately
acquainted with Johnson's books (even Eckankar's former President, Dr. Louis
Bluth, admits that he loaned his Radha Soami books to Paul Twitchell), the
real question that arises is, "Did Twitchell knowingly plagiarize from them?"
Although there are two contrasting viewpoints on this question, the
inevitable answer is: Yes, he did--unmistakenly so. However, Eckankar
strongly disclaims that their founder plagiarized from anybody. In a
personal letter to the author, dated July 5, 1977, Eckankar's attorney, Alan
H. Nichols, elaborates:
With a wide background of study you will find many similarities both
approximate and exact in many religious statements, history and mythology.
Whether one is a student of Zoroaster, Mohammed, Buddha, Jesus, or Tao, many
of the same things are said and (when translated) in the same way. . . How
did you know Johnson didn't obtain his information from Twitchell or Rebazar
Tarzs (sic) or some other common source? Don't be surprised that many people
find the same truths and even in the same words, commandments, etc., whether
they are concepts, stories of events, or levels of God Worlds or
consciousness.
I should mention here that the purpose of Nichols' letter was to stop me from
publishing my results on Paul Twitchell's nefarious past. Although I was
only twenty-one at the time, I realized that Eckankar was hiding a
devastating truth about the origins of their group and its founder.
Naturally, I pursued my research with even my vigor after Nichols' letter,
despite the fact that I might be sued for uncovering the hidden past of
"Peddar Zasqk."
Nichols argues that when "truth" is given out from several different
religious traditions, it comes out inevitably "both approximate and exact" to
one another. However, the criterion of "truth" (be it in concepts or stories)
is not the question involved here. The charge of plagiarism has not been
raised against Twitchell for his use of similar ideas, teachings, or
practices. Rather, the accusation of plagiarism has been raised because of
the way Twitchell has chosen to describe that "truth."
Julian P. Johnson had his own unique style of writing, as can be easily
noticed by reading his books. Indeed, this very point has caused some
criticism of him. Thus, when one notices the alarming coincidences between
Johnson's and Twitchell's writings, it is not a question of "truth" being
expressed but of style being copied.
Simply put, Twitchell was a plagiarist of the first degree. He had a
proclivity for literary piracy; he took whatever he wanted from whatever
books interested him. After long research in this area, it is clear to me
that all of the Eckankar books authored by Paul Twitchell were lifted, to
some degree or another, from other copyrighted texts. In fact, Twitchell
stands out as one of the great religious plagiarists of the 20th century.
To better understand Twitchell's literary indebtedness to Johnson, consider
the following facts:
1. Julian Johnson wrote all of his books on Radha Soami in India during the
1930's . Twitchell authored all of his works on Eckankar in America during
the 1960's and the early 1970's .
2. Twitchell has stated in at least two published pieces that he considers
Sar Bachan (Beas: Radha Soami Satsang, 1933) to be his "Bible." The book
was edited by Julian P. Johnson in the early 1930's.
Perhaps Twitchell's most revealing plagiarism, and one that cuts at the very
root of Eckankar's claim for legitimacy, occurs on pages 110 and 111 of his
book The Far Country . For not only does Twitchell appropriate the words of
Julian Johnson, as found on pages 32 and 33 of The Path of the Masters , but
he also plagiarizes Johnson's quotation of Swami Vivekananda (given on the
same pages)--forgetting in the process that two different people are
speaking. The following is a comparison of Johnson's 1939 writing and
Twitchell's 1966 writing:
Julian P. Johnson, THE PATH OF THE MASTERS [1939]
[Johnson is quoting Swami Vivekananda in the following passage; Johnson, by
the way, properly references his quotation.]
Something behind this world of sense, world of eternal eating and drinking
and talking nonsense, this world of false shadows and selfishness, there is
that beyond all books, beyond all creeds, beyond the vanities of this
world--and that is the realization of God within oneself. A man may believe
in all the churches in the world; he may carry on his head all the sacred
books ever written; he may baptize himself in all the rivers of earth--still
if he has no perception of God, I would class him with the rankest atheist.
And a man may have never entered a Church or a mosque, nor performed any
ceremony; but if he realizes God within himself, and is thereby lifted above
the vanities of the world, that man is a holy man, a saint, call him what
you."
[The following passage is directly from Julian Johnson]
First of all, it is not a feeling. Secondly it not a metaphysical speculation
nor a logical syllogism. It is neither a conclusion based upon reasoning nor
upon the evidence of books or persons. The basic idea is that God must become
real to the individual, not a mental concept, but a living reality. And that
can never be so until the individual sees Him. Personal sight and hearing are
necessary before anything or anybody becomes real to us. . . .
Paul Twitchell, THE FAR COUNTRY [1966]
[The Sugmad] is beyond this world of senses, this world of eternal eating and
drinking and talking nonsense, this world of false shadows and selfishness.
It is beyond all books, beyond all creeds, beyond the vanities of the world.
It is the realization of the Sugmad within oneself. . . A man may believe
in all the churches in the world; he may carry in his head all the sacred
books ever written; he may baptize himself in all the rivers of the
earth--still if he has not perception of the Sugmad, I would class him with
the rankest atheist. And a man may never enter a church or a mosque, nor
perform any ceremony; but if he realizes the Sugmad within himself, and is
thereby lifted above the vanities of the world, that man is a holy man,
saint; call him what you will.
First of all, it is not a feeling. Secondly, it is not a metaphysical
speculation, nor a logical syllogism. It is not a conclusion based upon
reasoning, nor upon the evidence of books or persons. The basic idea is that
the Sugmad must become real to the. . .
The preceding comparisons reveal two things: 1) Paul Twitchell incorporated
Julian Johnson's quotations (in this case, Swami Vivekananda's elucidation)
without giving any reference note to him or the Swami. Instead, Twitchell
claims that the Eck Master, Rebazar Tarzs, was speaking directly to him. And
2) on pages 110 and 111 of The Far Country , Twitchell not only exposes his
outright plagiarism of The Path of the Masters but reveals that almost all of
Rebazar Tarzs' dialogue is taken surreptitiously from Julian Johnson's
writings. Naturally, the authenticity of Twitchell's account of Rebazar Tarzs
is seriously damaged by such revelations.
Concerning the question of plagiarism, Woodrow Nichols sarcastically remarks:
It doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes or even a Dr. Watson to see the resemblance
between. . . The Path of the Masters by Julian P. Johnson and The Tiger's
Fang by Paul Twitchell. . .
Nichols and Albrecht, op. cit.
In the case of Eckankar, one might add that it is not an issue of a Sherlock
Holmes undertaking the investigation, it is a problem of perception, and
finally a question of whether or not that cognition is honest or deceptive.
Lost Antecedents
NOTES
1. For more on the Sant tradition, see The Sants edited by W.H. McLeod and
Karine Schomer (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987).
2. I have only given a gist on the history of the Radhasoami faith. For a
more thorough study, at least genealogically, see my book, The Radhasoami
Tradition: A Critical History of Guru Successorship (New York & London:
Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992).
3. The six main successors were Rai Salig Ram, who taught within Agra; Seth
Partap Singh, who was the younger brother of Shiv Dayal Singh and was
stationed at Soami Bagh; Gharib Das, a blind sadhu who settled in Delhi;
Jaimal Singh, who founded the Radha Soami Satsang at Beas in the Punjab;
Sanmukh Das, who initiated sadhus in the path; and Radha Ji, Shiv Dayal
Singh's wife, who initiated women in the path.
4. Ruhani Satsang requests keeping a spiritual diary and does not advocate
the practice of dhyan (contemplation) on the physical form of the guru during
meditation. Radha Soami Satsang Beas does not suggest writing a spiritual
diary, but does advocate the practice of dhyan .
5. Kirpal Singh, Ruhani Satsang: Science of Spirituality (Delhi: Ruhani
Satsang, 1970), page 1.
6. Kirpal Singh died in 1974. He was succeeded by his son, Darshan Singh,
who established his headquarters in Vijay Nagar, Delhi. Darshan Singh died
in May of 1989 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rajinder Singh. Others
have also claimed succession to Kirpal Singh, including Thakar Singh and
Ajaib Singh. [Sidebar: Although the succession of Kirpal Singh was a hotly
contested affair, the succession of Darshan Singh was not.]
7. The Radhasoami Tradition , op. cit.
8. Julian P. Johnson, With a Great Master in India (Beas: Radha Soami
Foundation, 1971).
9. It should be noted that Johnson never saw the book in its final published
form, as he died in 1939 shortly before it came out. A number of rumors have
cropped up concerning Julian Johnson's death, and this may be a good place to
clarify what actually happened. Apparently, Johnson got into a fairly heated
debate with a younger friend of his named Paul [not Paul Twitchell] over
health treatments. During the heat of the debate Johnson either tripped or
was pushed and hit his head on a rock. He subsequently died from his
injuries on the way to the hospital. Since there was some confusion over
what actually transpired (Was it an accidental fall on Johnson's part? Or,
was it an accidental fall caused by Paul who pushed Johnson to the ground?),
there was naturally a lot of speculation (which led to gossip) about
Johnson's death. Even today some uninformed observers claim Johnson was
murdered. According to witnesses who were in India at the time, though,
Johnson's death was a tragic accident and nothing more.
10. Although Twitchell does not cite The Path of the Masters by name or refer
to Julian P. Johnson in his writings, he has, nevertheless, cited another key
Radha Soami text-- Sar Bachan --which was edited by Julian Johnson.
11. I should mention here that the purpose of Nichols' letter was to stop me
from publishing my results on Paul Twitchell's nefarious past. Although I
was only twenty-one at the time, I realized that Eckankar was hiding a
devastating truth about the origins of their group and its founder.
Naturally, I pursued my research with even more vigor after Nichols' letter,
despite the fact that I might be sued for uncovering the hidden past of
"Peddar Zasqk."
12. Nichols and Albrecht, op. cit. Twitchellian Choice