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Revision as of 17:52, 23 May 2006 by TalkAbout (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation" is the formal name of the Om Shanti organisation.
- For the practise of Raja Yoga taught by Brahma Kumaris, see Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation.
Origin
This organization, know known as Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University was found by a jewel merchant called Dada Lekhraj in 1936 being under the name "Om Mandali" and consisted of only a handful of men, women and children living in Hyderabad. A year after its establishment, the organization moved from Hyderabad to Karachi (now part of Pakistan, but at that time part of colonial India) for fourteen years, until after the partition of India and Pakistan, the founding group of 300 individuals, lived as a self-sufficient community spending their time in intense spiritual study, meditation and self-transformation. In 1950, the community moved to Mount Abu, mainly due to the religious resistance to its activities in Pakistan. From its modest beginnings, the organization kept progressing in leaps and bounds to reach by early 1996 about 3,200 meditation centers in 70 countries with over 450,000 students. Madhuban serves as the nucleus of the Brahma Kumaris’ centers worldwide and Mt. Abu, ‘the Father’s mountain’ is regarded as a pilgrimage place by many who are in search of spiritual rejuvenation.
Faith
This monotheistic faith believes that all the events in this universe are periodic and each and every event will repeat exactly after 5000 years - they call this the 'Eternal Drama'. The total number of souls in this world is fixed and there is only one God - supreme soul Shiva. The god, souls and the 'Eternal Drama' have no beginning or end (Anadi and Avinaashi ). The souls keep on entering the physical body (birth) and leave (death) them as per the rules of the 'Eternal Drama'.
These 5000 years are divided into four ages Yugas: Satya, Thretha, Dwapara and Kali. The first two yuga's are filled with happiness and known as "heaven on earth." The first trace of peacelessness begins in the Dwapara Yuga. Souls start the give and take of sorrow, but it is a very gradual process. At the end of Kaliyuga, the moral status of humanity deteriorates to such an extent that negative tendencies dominate human relationships. God (the Supreme Soul) adopts the body of Dada Lekhraj and teaches souls how to remove these negative tendencies and instill divine qualities in their place. Those who learn how to give and take happiness will contribute to the creation of a "heaven on earth" and will naturally end up in Satya or Thretha Yuga of the next cycle. All others will start taking birth from Dwapara Yuga.
Every soul will receive salvation, regardless of their religion or way of life. Every soul will return to its home, also known as nirvana, the land of peace.
Practice
The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga practice involves;
- Complete Celibacy involving no procreation, no sex within marriage, or masturbation.
- Sattvic Vegetarianism, i.e. lacto-vegetarian excluding eggs, onions, garlic and food cooked by non-believers including one's biological family which are considered impure.
- Keeping a Daily Chart
- Complete avoidance of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
- Ritual cleanliness after toileting involving washing genitals or entire body and changing clothes.
- Regular daily meditation at 4 a.m..
- The pursuit of purity in all aspects of life.
- Evangelism of their religion and beliefs, called " service ", as defined by their senior sisters.
- Segregation between men and women in housing and activities.
- Detachment from ones biological family including children and spouse in many cases.
- VIP service of "influential individuals" in government or society.
Students wake up for 45 minutes meditation at 4 am. They then attend a daily morning class at 6.00 am, work or keep their household during the day and then return to evangelize, teach or do more meditation in the evening. B.K.s make regular donations or contributions to the Raja Yoga centre irrespective of means . Donations are generally not accepted from non-B.K.s as their money is considered as " impure ". B.K.s are encouraged to visit the headquarters located in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India once a year if possible.
In the main, " service " means teaching their version of Raja Yoga or evangelizing their " Knowledge " and B.K.s were instructed not to do general social work nor perform what is generally understood as charity.
Achievements
The organization has branches all over the world. All top level management is done by women.
Criticism
This organization teaches about the inception of the main religions, but maintains that the organization itself is not religious. The organization is based in India and incorporates lifestyle principles also found in the original Hindu practices. They teach that Hinduism is actually the aftermath of an ancient Diety way of life, and that the worship practices in Hinduism are memorials or "Yaadgaars" of those Dieties. Some Hindus do not feel comfortable with this. The Brahma Kumaris only eat food cooked by yogis within their organization. This practice offends some outsiders. They claim that the Hindu spiritual scripture, Bhagavad Gita, is actually the teachings of Shiva and that it is mis-interpreted by Hindus.
Controversy
- Documented incidents of child abuse within the organisation brushed aside by leaders as due to the bad karma of the children suffering sex abuse and outside of their responsibility, the perpetrators avoid punishment or reporting to police.
- Social and psychological problems faced by ex-followers including two suicides within one family.
- Rape and physical violence from families and partners of Brahma Kumaris.
- Questionable advertisement of relationship with United Nations Organisation.
- Name changing from University to Organisation.
- Discreet historical revision and re-writing of their " God's " spoken word to avoid controversy, to accommodate increased world population, to change speculation over the timing of destruction of the world and other matters.
- Self-proclaimed " University " status not recognised by any external authority.
- From a theological point of view, B.K.s claim that the Hindu spiritual scripture Bhagavad Gita is actually the teachings of Shiva and that it is misinterpreted by other Hindus and that the current version of the Bhagavad Gita has been modified and enlarged by human beings.
- Beliefs that they are the only true and direct representatives of God.
- Beliefs that they, and only they, are angels, or are training in order to become angels, and that their senior practitioners are already well developed in their angelic form so as to appear in visions or traveling around the world in their angelic forms; that they are the inspiration of the form of angels throughout all of history and art.
External links
Official BK
http://www.bkwsu.org/ Official website.
http://www.brahmakumaris.com/ site based in India.
http://www.peacevillage.com/ B.K. sponsored Peace Village Retreat Center-USA].
ex-B.K.
http://www.bkwsu-critique.com/ Balanced critique of the B.K.W.S.U. to counter the mostly negative critiques currently available on the internet
http://www.brahmakumaris.info/ Independent website on the B.K.W.S.U. with no affiliation to B.K.W.S.U.
http://www.brahmakumaris.info/indexbb.html Support Forum
http://xbkinfo.infogami.com/ A guide to life after leaving the Brahma Kumaris
P.B.K.
http://www.shivbaba.org.pl/ P.B.K. websites.
http://www.creator-creation.com/
http://www.rajayoga.org.pl/en/?name=vocabulary dictionary of Raja Yoga terminology.
Critical
http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~eromain/childprotection.htm Report on Child abuse within BKWSU and response by Senior Administrators.
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=206345
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/bryn/br_kranenborg.htm
Christian
http://www.reachouttrust.org/articles/othergrp/brahma.htm Reachout Trust report . http://www.reachouttrust.org/articles/testimony/brahmaanon.htm
Islamic
http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.99/dialogue.htm view from " Islamic Voice "
