Paul Twitchell vs. Kirpal Singh
Etznab
Hypothetical. Was Paul Twitchell being
"groomed to replace Kirpal Singh" as a
"Living Master" for the United States and
the world?
Assuming that I know nothing - I would go
to the year 1955 and track Paul Twitchell's
history from 1955 to the early 1960s. Now
this might not be easy since Paul appears
to have a habit of obscuring his tracks.
According to one report:
Hmm, his first wife, Camille Ballowe Taylor,
states univocally that they never traveled
together (or apart) from 1946 to 1955 anywhere
outside of the United States. Indeed, she says
Paul and her were doing the "Self-Revelation
Church of Absolute Monism" at the time and
helping to edit their publications.
http://dlane5.tripod.com/reba1.html
This history needs to be looked at because
Paul's history about meeting Rebazar Tarzs
was described as 1951.
" 'I suppose this protest period grew out of the
fact that, shortly after the war, I had returned to
see Sudar Singh in Allahabad. It was while
renewing my physical bonds with Sudar Singh
that I met the ancient Tibetan master, Rebazar
Tarzs, who is said to be several hundred years
old. It was under this holy man that I truly began
to perfect my study of Eckankar and to master
the techniques of soul travel, the ancient path to
God-consciousness.' "
[Based on: IN MY SOUL I AM FREE, by Brad
Steiger (Copyright 1968?), pp. 59-60]
This 1951 meeting was also echoed by Harold
Klemp in the 1980s. This history makes it look
like Paul Twitchell met his first initiating masters
prior to 1955 and Kirpal Singh.
Is it true? Did Paul go to India in 1951? Is that
a fact?
Dialogues with the Master (1956) appears to
show Paul Twitchell as "next in line for the
spiritual mantle" (p. 238)
Who was that master telling Paul Twitchell he
was next in line? Kirpal Singh? Rebazar Tarzs?
Or something Paul Twitchell wrote, for whatever
reason?
I believe Harold Klemp mentioned that Kirpal
Singh had the ability to appear to his chelas.
There's a place where Paul wrote that Kirpal
Singh appeared to him in his apartment in
"Washington". Other accounts suggest that
Kirpal Singh appeared to Paul Twitchell and
dictated part of the book The Tiger's Fang.
However, the appearance of Kirpal Singh in
"Washington" changes to Sudar Singh and
the location changes to New York. Is there
an effort on the part of someone to obscure
there history here?
If one were to obscure Paul's history from
1955 to 1960-1961 and then look at what
master and teaching Paul was involved with
accoring to "Eckankar history" it looks like
Paul Twitchell takes up with Rebazar Tarzs
in Seattle, Washington and later California.
The foregoing is part of the reason why the
mention of Kirpal Singh and The Tiger's is
crucial to retracing Paul's relationship with
"Living Masters". Because if, in fact, Kirpal
Singh and Rebazar Tarzs were both app-
ing to him? Both appearing in Letters to
Gail (his future wife). Both appearing to his
wife Gail, including himself ... then I have
to verify whether it was actually the case,
or if Rebazar Tarzs and Sudar Singh are /
were pseudonyms used to cover up some
other actual history.
Was Paul "being groomed to replace" Kirpal
Singh?
Harold Klemp writes:
"Kirpal Singh told several of his close followers
that his line of mastership would end with him,
and that the mastership would then be picked
up in one of the Western countries. But I sincerely
wonder if he recognized Paul, a former chela, as
being the carrier of this Light and Sound of ECK."
http://www.eckankar.org/Masters/Peddar/writings.html
What does it mean? Why did Harold Klemp
write that? What the HELL does Kirpal Singh's
"line of mastership" have to do with American
Paul Twitchell?
Eckankar "history" has it that Paul Twitchell
and his line of mastership goes back to Sudar
Singh and Rebazar Tarzs. Not Kirpal Singh ...
right? But then Kirpal Singh and his "line of
mastership" reportedly goes back to Sawan
Singh, Nanak, Kabir and others. But wait just
a minute. Eckankar's lineage of masters has
some oblique references to Nanak and Kabir
as well.
Paul writes:
"[....] Beyond Kabir was Rama and the Vedas,
and beyond that the mysteries of the early
religions on earth. [....]"
[Based on: The Flute of God, by Paul Twitchell,
Copyright 1969, 8th Printing - 1982, p. 81]
And wait just another minute. Kabir & Rebazar
Tarzs were reportedly both in the same line of
masters descending from Rama!
[See pages 4-28 Introduction to Eckankar]
My God! If ever an American guru ever wanted
to eclipse an Indian guru ... just trace the line
back to Rama!
Paul Twitchell vs. Kirpal Singh ... is this nothing
more than a competition to be the "Living Master"
and modern proponent of a "Light & Sound" path?
I can see it now. Kirpal Singh reading about the
Eck Master Rebazar Tarzs in a 1963 The Tiger's
Fang manuscript. That would be way beyond
Graham Forsyth's journal and Ford Johnson's
Confessions of a God Seeker! And especially if
Rebazar Tarzs told Paul Twitchell in an earlier
book written 1956 "[....] Remember all that has
been told you. You are next in line for the spiritual
mantle, to become the Mahanta, the living ECK
Master. [NP] This is all!"
[Based on: Dialogues with the Master, Original
copyright 1970 by Paul Twitchell; copyright trans-
ferred to ECKANKAR 1982, Eighth Printing - 1983,
p. 238]
Etznab the Magnificent :) :) :)
Kinpa
no oblique reference to Kabir, he is reputed to be among the Eck
Masters, according to the 1982 Eckankar Dictionary:
Kabir-The Hindu poet-mystic in the 16th century was the first of the
Eck Masters to bringthe Eck mysteries out into the open and for this
was hounded by both his adversaries and the followers of Soul Travel.
Etznab
Thanks for clarifying that. I was being conservative by
using the word oblique. I was sure about that much,
at least.
The Eckankar Lexicon describes Kabir as a follower
of Eck. And some of the early writings like Intro. to
Eckankar have Kabir helping to unwrap the mysteries
Bilocation / Soul Travel (whatever). He was not in every
instance described as Eck Master. So I wasn't sure
what the current consensus was.
However, I checked and besides the 1982 version of
Eckankar Dictionary, Kabir was mentioned as Eck
Master in the 1978 and 1986 versions as well.
I imagine Kabir was considered a master in several
other paths as well.
*************************************************************
While on the subject of Kabir, here is an interesting
bit of trivia I didn't know before today.
"[....] Most of the scholars are of the opinion that the
radical nirguni panths ( ‘sects’ ), founded in the names
of the leading nirguni preachers such as Kabir and Dadu,
lost their moorings in the course of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries and assumed the form of Hindu
sects. [....]"
That was from page one of the essay CONFLICT AND
ASSIMILATION IN MEDIEVAL NORTH INDIAN BHAKTI :
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
It appeared to be talking about a divide between nirguni
and saguni bhakti sects. In other words, devotion to a
formless God, or devotion to a God with attributes.
I find this fascinating and look forward to reading the rest
of it later today. This is something that interests me very
much.
Yesterday I remembered too their was more than one
Kabir panth today (did I say that right?) And not all of
the panths (sects?) held the same beliefs.
What an interesting subject. I'll be busy, busy, busy :)
Etznab
Kinpa
>
> It appeared to be talking about a divide between nirguni
> and saguni bhakti sects. In other words, devotion to a
> formless God, or devotion to a God with attributes.
>
> I find this fascinating and look forward to reading the rest
> of it later today. This is something that interests me very
> much.
>
> Yesterday I remembered too their was more than one
> Kabir panth today (did I say that right?) And not all of
> the panths (sects?) held the same beliefs.
>
> What an interesting subject. I'll be busy, busy, busy :)
>
> Etznab
i believe Kabir was the one that the Hindus and Muslims argued over
who would get to bury the corpse, both considering him a Master of
their respective paths...
Kinpa
>
> It appeared to be talking about a divide between nirguni
> and saguni bhakti sects. In other words, devotion to a
> formless God, or devotion to a God with attributes.
>
> I find this fascinating and look forward to reading the rest
> of it later today. This is something that interests me very
> much.
>
> Yesterday I remembered too their was more than one
> Kabir panth today (did I say that right?) And not all of
> the panths (sects?) held the same beliefs.
>
> What an interesting subject. I'll be busy, busy, busy :)
>
> Etznab
and i believe the Kabir panth is found within Sikhism, not sure about
Hinduism or any other path...
Etznab
The essay I posted a linked to mentioned how social
factors and many Sant followers contributed to shape
the various panths and their history.
Unfortunately the link doesn't seem to be working now.
What I found curious was how Tulsi Das was listed on
the side of Nirguni Bhaktis, along with Kabir and Nanak,
etc. However, some people believe Tulsi Sahib was the
reincarnation of Tulsi Das. Tulsi Das, however, seems
identified more with the Saguni Bhaktis.
In my view, the internal evidence, the clues directly
provided by Tulsi in the books he authored, suggests
the following: Tulsi Sahib thought of himself as the
reincarnation of Tulsi DAS, author of an earlier version
of the Ramayana. Tulsi Sahib said in a past life he
wrote the Ramayana and that the purpose of his book
Ghat Ramayana in his new incarnation was to openly
reveal the esoteric secrets hidden in the earlier Rama-
yana.
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1203872
Furthermore, about Kabir panths [the Tulsi mentioned
here is Tulsi Sahib]:
Tulsi quoted from the book Anurag Sagar, a Dharamdasi
Kabir panthi text, a book ONLY used, ONLY recognised
by the Dharamdasis, but rejected by all the other Kabir
Panth groups. Tulsi referred to Sant Dharamdas as being
"The Spiritual Successor" of Guru Kabir, also suggesting
a Dharamdasi influence since the other Kabir Panth
branches do not teach that Dharam Das was the primary
successor or even a successor of Guru Kabir. In one of
Tulsi's books there is a major dialogue between Tulsi and
someone by the name of Pool Das of the "Kabir Panth"
(Dharamdasis) about the real esoteric meaning of Kabir's
teachings.
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1203872
Kabit allegedly wrote Anurag Sagar. Tulsi Sahib, Ratan
Sagar.
Ratan Sagar deals with the mystery of creation, heaven and
hell, Kal or the Negative Power, karmas, mind and death. It
also sings the glory of perfect Saints and extols the value of
their company and satsang. Lastly, it explains how Saints
take care of the soul of the disciple when it leaves the body.