Revision as of 23:06, 1 April 2007

Editor's talk space

Some comments. This is a good general direction to move in. The material needed to be mercilessly edited and cut down. I would prefer to see a version with citations so I can follow the material to sources. On citations, I would recommend you stick with a variety and inline cite anything that could be contentious, gets into fine detail or is reporting a POV. Using a good variety of sources and in-line citations helps promote verifiability and stability.

The closing of the lede seems a little promotional, with two variants of the "peace" quote. That material would be better suited under the teachings section, for example. I believe the current ending of the article lede about the Foundation is preferrable.

While the trimmed childhood section is generally good, I would suggest you reintegrate two facts into it. The statement about primogenture I think is interesting and informative. Also, it may be good to include the mention that he was visited by Westerners during the 60s, which is what lead him to send a teacher to London.

In leaving India, I think the much more neutral tone is readily apparent. Much more reporting, much more clarity in the writing. Overall, I find this rewrite more informative. However, I believe you should restore the Time Magazine information. It's notable that such a prominent magazine reported on the worship of Prem Rawat by his family. I also believe the Sociological Review claim should be reinstated. They both present things about the guru that are highly criticized and do so with a neutral tone without framing them in an opinion about those facts.

I'll come back and provide comments for the second half a bit later. I want to make sure I look over that with fresh eyes, so I can provide good feedback. Vassyana 23:00, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

I've incorporated your suggestions but it's now a little clunky. Will smooth it out later.Momento 00:57, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Rumiton, I'm not sure you can remove "lotus", but without explanation the use of DLM jargon may confuse. Momento 15:02, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

I can't seem to attach cites and sources, (they're all there somewhere). I will now have to find them all. In the meantime when altering and adding, note your sources and cites (in brackets).Momento 22:38, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Lotus...yes, that was what I meant. I think if you are going to drop a phrase like that in, you have to explain what it meant and its cultural background, or it just sounds absurd. I don't agree with Vassyana about the Time Magazine article. I have read and enjoyed every issue of Time since the mid 70s. It is certainly a "prominent" magazine, but its format has always been to give a serious-to-the-point-of-depressing analysis of a political, medical, social or religious situation, then counterpoint with a "color" article, a light-hearted opinion piece. I haven't read the article in question but it sounds like one of the latter. Definitely not a serious reference source. Rumiton 12:02, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Just saved a few more words by cutting out out "criticised for lack of intellectual content" from the first section, as it occurs now in the Teachings part. Rumiton 13:14, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I changed "Atlanta" to the correct city where the December 20, 1976 program was held which is Atlantic City, New Jersey. I attended that program, and in addition to that program earmarking Maharaji's revival of himself as the Lord of the Universe, dressing in Krishna costum, it also was a sort of a belated birthday party for for him. Also, Momento, how come you deleted previous discussions that were in this editors' page space? You know, the one in which you mention GStaker's suggestion to emphasize "westernization" -- when he hasn't even been editing wikipedia? In the future, please don't delete posts to this page between editors. Thanks. Sylviecyn 14:35, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I deleted posts to keep this section small. I heard that Rawat decided to get dressed up in the Krishna outfit as Father Christmas. He was so effected by the premies response that he revived the Indian devotional aspect.Momento 23:06, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Prem Rawat=

Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji (formerly Guru Maharaj Ji), has been a speaker and teacher on the subject of "inner peace" since the age of eight. Born in Haridwar, North India on December 10, 1957, Rawat was initiated in the techniques of "Knowledge" by his father, a recognised teacher or guru, when he was six years old, and accepted as Satguru (Sanskrit: true teacher) or "Perfect Master" at his father's funeral in 1966.

In 1971, Rawat (known then as Guru Maharaji) travelled to London and Los Angeles, and was the subject of substantial media attention. In 1972 he returned to the West and formed the Divine Light Mission, an organisation to spread his message. Indian style ashrams were established, and tens of thousands of followers were attracted, largely from the hippie culture.

His marriage to a Westerner in 1974 precipitated a family rift, and Rawat's mother and his eldest brother Sat Pal returned to India. Rawat remained in the United States and continued to travel and speak, visiting over 30 countries in the 70s.

In the early 1980s, he abandoned the title and trappings of a guru, closed the ashrams and changed his style to appeal more to a Western context. Known as Maharaji, Rawat toured extensively in the 80s and 90s. The Prem Rawat Foundation was established in 2001 to spearhead humanitarian efforts and promote his message, which is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries, on video, print and television.

Childhood in India

For more details on this topic, see Hans Ji Maharaj.

Rawat was born in north India where he attended St. Joseph's Academy elementary school in his hometown Dehra Dun. He was the fourth and youngest son of a guru, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj and his second wife, Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi. At the age of three he began speaking at his father's meetings, and when he was six, his father taught him the techniques of Knowledge. In 1966, his father died, and eight year old Rawat was accepted by his family and followers as the new Satguru and leader of the Divine Light Mission. This was unusual as it was not in accordance with the Hindu tradition of primogeniture. During weekends and school holidays Rawat travelled and taught "the Techniques of Knowledge" in much the same way that his father had.

In the late 1960s, some young Western followers asked him to visit the West. In 1969, he sent one of his closest Indian students (known as Mahatmas) to London to teach Knowledge on his behalf. In 1970, many of his new Western followers traveled to India to see him, and were present when he announced at a gathering at India Gate, Delhi, that he was ready to begin the task of taking peace to the world. The speech became known as the Peace Bomb, and according to the Dutch religious scholar and minister Reender Kranenborg, it marked the start of Rawat's international work.

Leaving India

On 17 June 1971, Rawat flew to England during his school holidays, leaving his family behind. He was thirteen. There he was interviewed by the BBC and spoke at the first Glastonbury Festival. On 17 July, after brief trips to Paris and Heidelberg, he flew to Los Angeles to begin an American tour.

In September 1971, Rawat established the US Divine Light Mission (DLM) in Denver, Colorado, then in October returned to India to celebrate his father's birthday. In 1972, he returned to the West, this time accompanied by his mother and eldest brother, Satpal, and an entourage of mahatmas and other Indian supporters. An article in Time Magazine reported that his mother and three older brothers kissed his feet whenever they were in his presence, as a demonstration of worship. That year DLM held an event at Montrose, Colorado attended by 2000.

By 1972, DLM was operating in North and South America, Europe and Australia. Tens of thousands of people had been initiated, and several hundred centers and dozens of ashrams formed. In November 1973, DLM booked the Houston Astrodome for "Millennium '73," a three-day gathering coinciding with Shri Hans' birthday with an estimated attendance of twenty thousand. Rennie Davis, a former member of the Chicago Seven, was a prominent spokesman for the group.

During these years, claims of divinity were made on his behalf by some Indian mahatmas, his family, and some followers. Abbie Hoffman, another Chicago Seven member, commented: "If this guy is God, this is the God the United States of America deserves". Rawat denied the claim when asked, but accepted the veneration of those followers who believed he was a divine incarnation. In her autobiographical book, early follower Sophia Collier wrote, "There are those who sincerely believe that Guru Maharaj Ji is the Lord of Creation here in the flesh to save the world. And then there are those who know him a little better than that. They relate to him in a more human way... to them he is more of a teacher, a guide, a co-conspirator in their personal pursuit of a more heavenly way of life."

In May 1974, aged sixteen, Rawat married Marolyn Johnson, a twenty-five year old flight attendant, and one of his early American students. The marriage to a non-Indian finally severed Rawat's relationship with his mother, who disowned him and returned to India with two of his brothers, gaining gained legal control of DLM India, and appointing the eldest brother, Satpal, as leader. Rawat maintained control of the Western DLM, and most of the mahatmas in the West either returned to India with his mother or were fired. Rawat later commented to the press on the family rift, saying "They live in India, and I think was upset that I married a foreigner. She thought I had married out of my caste or something like that.".

After the split with his mother and DLM India, Rawat and non-Indian DLM became more Western and secular. Rawat encouraged people to leave the ashram and discard Indian terminology and customs. Staff at DLM HQ were reduced from 250 to 80.(Downton) Rawat became financially independent through the contributions of his Western devotees, and this allowed him to follow the lifestyle of an American millionaire, support his wife and children, and finance the world travel of staff.And now separate from his mother, Rawat and DLM became even more Western and secular. Rawat encouraged people to leave the ashram and discard Indian terminology and customs.

Rawat's appearance in Indian costume at an event on December 20th, 1976 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, signaled a resurgence of Indian influence. The guru was more important than the organisation, he encouraged devotion again, and many people returned to Ashram life. In 1979, the Denver headquarters closed and Maharaj Ji moved to Miami Beach, Florida, with his family.

Rawat returned to India in October 1980 for the first time in five years, and spoke to over 38,000 on newly acquired land in Delhi. He also returned to South America, visiting Mexico for the first time. He held large, multi-day events for his students in Cartagena (Colombia), Miami, Rome, London, New Delhi, and Kansas City (Missouri), and also spoke at programs in Cancun, Lima, Sao Paulo, and Leicester (UK). He obtained a private pilot’s license and began training towards certifications and type ratings for various aircraft.

In 1980, activities included the development of an executive jet refurbishing facility known as DECA. The first project was the customization of a Boeing 707 for Rawat's work. During 1981, Rawat flew the 707 to forty different cities, and spoke on 120 occasions, criss-crossing North America four times and touring South America, Europe, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. DECA was later sold to Aircraft Modular Products (AMP), which in turn was sold in 1998 to B/E Aerospace for US$118 million.

Westernisation

The Encyclopedia of American Religions states that in the early 1980s, Rawat renounced the title and trappings of a guru and closed the ashrams to make his teachings independent of culture, religious beliefs and lifestyles. Other scholars, such as Kranenborg and George D. Chryssides also described a departure from divine connotations. Rawat continued teaching the four techniques of Knowledge which, according to Chryssides, afford self-understanding and self-realization in a manner that is independent of any culture.

In 1983, Divine Light Mission changed its name to Elan Vital. The video production unit was renamed "Visions International," and began producing videos of Rawat's addresses. According to America's Alternative Religions, in this new role "he may be reaching more listeners than ever, especially abroad, but his role is that of a public speaker, and the original religious movement is essentially defunct."

Rawat continued to tour throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly piloting the leased executive jets himself. He held events in over 40 countries, and in 1990 spoke at over 50 public events across the world. In December 1998, Rawat spoke via a live, interactive global satellite broadcast from Pasadena, California, to 86,600 participants at 173 locations in 50 countries. 1999 saw the commencement of regular satellite broadcasts to North American cities, with similar initiatives in other regions and countries soon after.

Recent Years

Between 1965 and July 2005 he spoke at 2,280 events around the world. Between January 2004 and June 2005, he delivered 117 addresses in Asia, Europe, and North America. With a more culturally neutral approach, Rawat now concentrates on what he calls a "universal message of peace" and "self-fulfillment." His message is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries, on video and in print, and is broadcast on TV channels such as Canal Infinito in South America, Channel 31 in Australia, Kabel BW in Germany, Dish Network in the U.S.A, and others.

In 2001, The Prem Rawat Foundation was founded as a public charitable organization, largely for the production and distribution of audiovisual and other materials promoting Rawat's message, but also to fund international humanitarian efforts and provide food, clothing and medical relief to war-torn and impoverished areas. In 2007, the Foundation was successfully evaluated by the Better Business Bureau for accountability as a non-profit organization and became a member of the "Wise Giving Alliance." Rotary International describes the foundation as being established "to improve the quality of life for the disadvantaged."

Teachings

For more details on this topic, see Teachings of Prem Rawat.

Scholars have claimed that Rawat's teaching springs from the Indian Sant tradition, as embodied in the Sant Mat, Advait Mat and Radhasoami schools. Sant teachings are distinguished theologically by a loving devotion to a divine principle, universalism, equality, direct experience, a rejection of ritual and dogma, and by attempts to reconcile conflicting doctrines (syncretism). Sants hold that true religion is a matter of surrendering to God "who dwells in the heart" and that the Guru or Perfect Master is "an embodiment of God on Earth, a fitting object of worship and veneration." Kabir, a noted Sant teacher, wrote: "Guru and God both appear before me. To whom should I prostrate? I bow before Guru who introduced God to me".

Practitioners claim that Prem Rawat teaches no beliefs or ethical practices and that the fundamental experience of inner peace is to be found through satsang, service and meditation, the sum of which is an experience Rawat calls 'Knowledge'. Rawat asserts that "Knowledge is a way to be able to take all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you." "What you are looking for is inside of you."

In the 70s his teachings were criticised by some scholars as "lacking in intellectual content" and Rawat for "behaving like a teenager" and living like a millionaire. According to George D. Chryssides, Knowledge was based on self-understanding, providing the practitioner with calmness, peace, and contentment, as the inner self is identical with the divine, and that Maharaji emphasizes that Knowledge is universal, not Indian, in nature.

Stephen J. Hunt writes "the major focus of Maharaji is on stillness, peace, and contentment within the individual, and his 'Knowledge' consists of the techniques to obtain them. Knowledge includes four meditation procedures and the process of reaching the true self within can only be achieved by the individual with the guidance and help of a teacher. Hence, the movement seems to embrace aspects of world-rejection and world-affirmation. The tens of thousands of followers in the West do not see themselves as members of a religion, but the adherents of a system of teachings that extol the goal of enjoying life to the full."

Practitioners describe Knowledge as internal and highly individual, the techniques being currently practised privately, with no social structure, liturgy or hierarchy involved. They also say that the techniques are universally applicable, and their practice has no impact on, or relationship to, a student's gender, race, sexual orientation, economic status or national origin. Rawat advises that the techniques be practised daily for at least one hour for full benefit.

In 2005, a process of self-paced preparation called "The Keys" was introduced by Rawat. This involves watching video materials in which Rawat presents the understanding necessary to learn and practice the techniques of Knowledge. The sixth Key is the "Knowledge Session" itself, in which persons who are ready are taught by Rawat via a multimedia presentation available in fifty languages.

Students must be at least eighteen years old and of legal age in their country in order to prepare for and be taught the techniques of Knowledge. A small fee is charged to cover postage and packing, but the techniques are taught without cost.

(Draft) References

This is just to show the footnotes in the draft.

1. Melton, Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission
   "Just six years after the founding of the Mission, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj was succeeded by his younger son Prem Pal Singh Rawat, who was eight when he was recognized as the new Perfect Master and assumed the title, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji had been recognized as spiritually adept, even within the circle of the Holy Family, as Shri Hans' family was called. He had been initiated at the age of six He assumed the role of Perfect Master at his father's funeral by telling the disciples who had gathered. Though officially the autocratic leader of the Mission, because of Maharaji's age authority was shared by the whole family."
2. Kranenborg Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westenpp.64
   English translation "This prediction came true very soon. In 1969 Maharaj ji sent the first disciple to the West. In the next year he held a speech for an audience of thousands of people in Delhi. This speech was known as 'the peace bomb' and was the start of the great mission to the West." Dutch original "Deze voorspelling gaat al snel in vervulling. In 1969 stuurt Maharaj ji de eerste discipel naar het Westen. In het daaropvolgende jaar houdt hij een toespraak in Delhi voor een gehoor van duizenden mensen. Deze toespraak staat bekend als 'de 'vredesbom' en is het begin van de grote zending naar het Westen."
3. Time Magazine 2 November 1972 Junior Guru"
4. Time Magazine. April 28 1975 One Lord Too Many.
5. Barret, The New Believers (2003) pp.325
6. "Guru Maharaj Ji", Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan, Thomson Gale, 2007: "The marriage further disrupted his relationship with his mother and older brothers. A lawsuit in India gave control of the Indian branch of the Divine Light Mission to Maharaj's mother and led to a complete break with her son, who maintained the complete support of the Western disciples."
7. "Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission" in The Ruston Daily Leader, April 9, 1975: "Earlier this month, the guru's mother issued a statement in New Delhi saying she had disowned her son because of his pursuit of 'a despicable, nonspiritual way of life.' Sources close to Rajeshwari Devi said she was upset because of her son's materialistic lifestyle, including a fondness for expensive homes and sports cars, and because of his marriage last year to his secretary."
8. Price, The Divine Light Mission as a social organization. pp.279-96
   "Immediately following Maharaj Ji's marriage a struggle for power took place within the Holy Family itself. Maharaj Ji was now sixteen years old. He had the knowledge that his personal following in the West was well established. It is likely that he felt the time had come to take the reins of power from his mother, who still dominated the mission and had a strong hold over most of the mahatmas, all of whom were born and brought up in India. Another factor may well have been the financial independence of Maharaj Ji, which he enjoys through the generosity of his devotees. Note 27: Contributions from premies throughout the world allow Maharaj Ji to follow the life style of an American millionaire. He has a house (in his wife's name), an Aston Martin, a boat, a helicopter, the use of fine houses (divine residences) in most European countries as well as South America, Australia and New Zealand, and an income which allows him to run a household and support his wife and children, his brother, Raja Ji, and his wife, Claudia. In addition, his entourage of family, close officials and mahatmas are all financed on their frequent trips around the globe to attend the mission's festivals."
9. Downton, "Sacred Journeys" pp.185-211
   "To the surprise of everyone who had come to the Atlantic City program at the close of 1976, Guru Maharaj Ji appeared in his Krishna costume, a majestic looking robe and crown he had not worn since 1975. The sight of him in his ceremonial best brought premies to their feet singing, as nostalgia for the early days caught them up in feelings of devotion once more".