why i left eckankar

Peoples experiences dont matter to David Lane. But, while his friend Arthur Conan Doyle and other enthusiasts were impressed with the supernatural sideshows of mediums, Houdini, with his vast knowledge of magic techniques, could duplicate the effects. But in buying a religion, youre supposed to wear these narrow blinders, so that if anybody disagrees you can block it out. Founded in 1965 by Paul Twitchell, one-time disciple of Swami Premananda, Kirpal Singh, and L. Ron Hubbard, Eckankar owes much of its theology to Radhasoami. On the negative side, Twitchells teachings were synthesized without really maturely thinking whether these different teachings fit in together. Eckankar: Reviews, Complaints, Customer Claims | ComplaintsBoard Lanes no longer an easy man to find. People typically define cults, first of all, as based around worshiping a personality. I talked to Twitchells first wife. A volunteer raises one arm straight out to the side, and Dawn easily pushes it down. It's. The Cadillac of Cults. The report made claims of tax irregularities and personal misconduct by an Eckankar leader. I urge, Come on, Dave, its starting. I practically have to pull him into the concert. I vacantly stare at Lanes tanned hairy legs, nostalgic for the boyfriends who played this song for me. That i owed it to myself to know for sure that what i. David Lanes critiques of Eckankar may be well documented and rational, but religious devotion is not about rationality. Saturday afternoon, when we arrive at the hotel, Lane keeps disappearing into the bathroom. Her enormous eyes seem to sparkle. (In one illustration, the Rod of Power is depicted as a glowing white wand. Sipping his virgin strawberry margarita, Lane says, I got a sense of authenticity when he played his vibes, like thats who he really was, a musician, instead of trying to be a master. Houdini longed to communicate with her beyond the grave. I saw myself very clearly as the roman centurion responsible for maintaining order and preventing any trouble. Home study discourses and musical tapes are also available. Lane drives me back to Hillcrest. Rebazar Tarzs, she says reverently. Lane attributes the initial success of Eckankar to Gails organizational abilities. Hes a friendly guy with lots of dreams of his own, but I just want to stare at the streams of headlights along the highway. I feel like Ive stumbled into a New Age greeting card or a novel by Iris Murdoch, try to imagine experiencing this extravagance on a regular basis. Sure! But when we go to the Hillcrest Village parking garage to retrieve Lanes car he cant find it. Eckankar ( or ECK) is a religious movement started in 1965 by Paul Twichell, a student of sound current yoga who modified the beliefs of the latter into his own spiritual movement, i.e., ECK . Theres certain things I left out of the book, and one of them is the night Twitchell died. Ellen Burstyn, maybe.) Hes unimpressed on both counts. I looked like a little kid. Eckankar first caught my attention by how matter-of-fact and logical it was. We talk about the Hu as a prayer song or a love song to God, instead of saying its a chant or mantra. Why do you make a point of fingering Eckankar?, I do think Christianity has fucked up more people in its history than Eckankar ever has. Plagiarism charges fall on deaf ears with Eckists because weve had experiences outside of book learning. Within two years Klemp fired Gross, accusing him of negativity, spiritual decay, and embezzlement. All that junk you gave Lane to write down came out of your own filthy minds, and mouths and you know filthy mouths must be cleaned out don't you. According to Lane, all three letters are printed in the same typeface with the same malfunctioning capital A. Why I Left Eckankar According to Lane, members of various cults have threatened lawsuits, written him letters with skeletons on them, broken into his apartment, made death threats, and generally harassed him. Murdochs obsession with water suddenly makes sense. A job as a correspondent for Our Navy took him to Washington, D.C. in 1945. Im a fool to want you, quivers Billie Holiday through my stereo speakers. What is Eckankar? | Eckankar is Love, Wisdom & Spiritual Freedom I had huge phone bills, because I had called this professor or this person. But he was describing my experiences. He focuses a lot on past things, Paul Twitchell and how much his writings look like the writings of a teaching Lane happens to be in. Lanes still a member of Kadhasoami, but hes been reluctant to talk about it, beyond mentioning that his guru Charan Singhs death in 1990 has thrown him into a state of crisis. Mother Teresas group. I ask him how his research into cults has affected his own beliefs. I wonder how long it takes new Eckists to even learn of his existence. He came up with the name Sudar Singh from the name Sudarshan Singh he just cut off the shan part of it and put Sudar. Usually he mixes Indian names with Chinese names [from] popular Tibetan or Taoist books, and hell conflate the two. Yelman tells me she was born in Germany. Rebazar Tarzs, yeah, that Rebazar Tarzs. Eckankar - Hinduism - Oxford Bibliographies - obo When you look at what we do relative to other religions, it basically is no different, we just have a different doctrine and somewhat different beliefs. Richards flashes me his dimples. In order to burn off all their karma in this lifetime and to be released from the cycle of death and reincarnation, Eckists practice detachment from the vagaries of life. On tape Twitchell is asked about Rebazar Tarzs. When I woke up in the morning, I had an opportunity to ask questions. Then she asks him to think about Grosss music as he again holds out his arm. There was music and noise and clamor, and I turned to look at my friend. In a husky voice, smooth as malt whiskey, she sings, Dont blame me for falling in love with you. This was in 76 or 77, and I was 20 years old, so its like All the President's Men. Del Mar Press agreed to change the cover on future editions. He basically took Eckankars money, while saying it was really for Eckankar purposes. Excommunicated from Eckankar, his lifetime agreement terminated, Gross was suddenly penniless. Gross actually received the mantle on the inner planes when he was handed, not a flower, but the Rod of Power. In Eckankar there is a technique called the Golden-Tongued Wisdom, in which you find spiritual guidance through an overheard conversation, a voice on the radio, or the lyrics of a popular song. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. My family is full of attorneys. Probably a composite cover name for three people: Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, which was started 500 years ago; Sawan Singh, who was Kirpal Singhs guru; and Swami Premananda. And he didnt know anything about Eckankar., The guide was a bearded man in this maroon robe. I have been an official member of Eckankar for 10 years. Then he mailed some of the stolen documents anonymously to Eckankar under the assumption that they would use it against me and I would think Eckankar robbed my house. He went nuts. We have a tendency to want to inflate our lives with spiritual meaning, and skepticism is not much fun. Theyre very much like physical exercises, but theyre for Soul, to strengthen Souls connection with spirit. I actually kept my phone for years, explains Lane, untilone night when youre asleep and youve got to get up at four in the morning and go to school, you get a phone call saying, Were going to fucking kill you. You know what I mean? In days of old the barrier [sic] of bad news to the King was done away with. Before founding Eckankar, Twitchell was involved in yoga, self-realization groups, and Scientology. But Lane had the jump on all of them when back in 1984 he wrote The J.R. ECKANKAR. Spirit can express itself as sound or as bright or even colored lights. After reading Eckankar books for a year and a half, Yelman went to a seminar in Las Vegas. In the past, we thought that this was our little private esoteric religion. But her email was the exact reason why i left. Here's something you might be interested in. His books were suppressed, and he was forbidden to associate himself with Eckankar or Eckankar teaching in any way, including the use of trademark terms such as Eck, EK, Living Eck Master, and Eckankar. When Gross protested, he was slapped with a lawsuit for business impropriety and copyright infringement. Thats really what it is for me. Its membership today is primarily in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He said, 'Some of us live the spiritual life, others intellectualize it. After dinner, she confides, I walked along the beach and sat down beneath a tree to do a contemplation. Its difficult not to resent Lane, that temptress, that town gossip, that snake in Eden. The treatment of critics, the phony official organizations that are merely cult front groups, and the lies are all the same. When youre traveling, you want to have fun; you want to see pretty things. Its hard to leave the magical vistas of Del Mar. Hes big, coughing, not in the best of health, and he doesnt have any money. I told him I didnt plan to write about him, but letters [started going] around the country saying that I was a gay FBI agent in San Diego, that I had researchers working for me that I wasnt paying. Around the same time, the Spiritual Counterfeits Project published its own journal, Eckankar, a Hard Look at a New Religion, based largely on lines manuscript, which they distributed to nearly every Eck center i in the world. But some wont let you let em go. Its raining. The similarities are there because they are both cults. The maker of Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, said on Tuesday that two of its executives were taking a leave of absence after the beer was featured in a social media . "We use more discriminating intelligence when we buy a used car than when we buy a religion, says philosophy professor and cult-buster David Christopher Lane. Lane then quotes these same passages as they were later reproduced, usually word for word, in Eckankar books, with the names changed to the o Eck Masters Sudar Singh, Fubbi Quantz, Rebazar Tarzs, Lai Tsi, j and Gopal Das. In a way it was like an abandonment. . Then he took the Ho, and he put the two words together. I hope you all had your seatbelts fastened. Even more moving is Driggss rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Gross sits this one out on a rattan stool, his arms folded over his huge stomach, lost in thought. On the wall to my right is a framed print of the yin-yang symbol with a feather fixed to it. He resigned in June 1993 following a direct threat to kill from another member, Ebenezer Egunjobi, and a series of violent and disorientating mind control attacks emanating from the leader, Harold Klemp. An Independent Critique of Eckankar - Page 9 - Angelfire I had out-of-the-body experiences, I had contact with spirit, I saw the blue light, saw all the things they talk about in the books prior to coming to Eckankar. Gross smiles to himself as he hits the vibes. We actually challenge our inner experiences in the name of God, to make sure that theyre not phony, not of the negative world of Kal. The former members of Eckankar make a mistake in here thinking procedure. Im surprised to meet a casually dressed middle-aged man with graying hair, who seemed much younger on the phone. Sitting at a table outside Monsoon at Village Hillcrest, surrounded by potted plants and curving walls of mango orange, gold, deep purple, and rusty red, Lane sips a Coke and tells me the history of his involvement with alternative religious movements. I got one of his disciples. Peter Skelskey Two years ago you were living at your girlfriends aunts house, not making much money on the pro-bowling scene, and now youre God., Lane rolls his eyes. Im also aware that in at least two previous lifetimes I was killed because of my beliefs, specifically in reference to Eckankar, and so I think some of that karma was still sitting heavily on my chest, so to speak., Im impressed with Yelmans absolute assurance. 0:53. Hes having a good time. So I walk over to Gross myself and shake his hand. Maybe it was just some neurons firing in the right part of your brain or maybe you had too much dopamine in the frontal lobes or maybe you took an Excedrin four hours ago. We dont want that kind of explanation., Its a beautiful, sunny day. Radhasoami is a yogic teaching that, according to Lane, is designed to enable the soul or consciousness to ascend beyond the physical body to higher spiritual regions by means of an internal sound or life current. Central to the teachings of Radhasoami, continues Lane, is the necessity of a living human master competent in initiating disciples into the practice and technique of listening to the inner sound, contemplating the inner light, and leaving the human body at will. The Indian guru Kirpal Singh figures prominently in Twitchells early writing. We zone out on lounge music for an hour and a half, then Dawn walks to the front of the room and says, Thats it. I ask Lane if hes going to introduce himself. When he finishes the song, he takes off his shoes to be closer to the keys. The atmosphere in the room is homey and protective. The human soul is eternal and is on a spiritual journey of reincarnation to discover and improve the true self thereby realizing his own true inner divinity. I think of Rumi, the great Persian poet, who said, with all these false coins abounding, theres got to be something genuine in the midst of it.. What is Eckankar? Religious History & Beliefs - Study.com With the popularity of the Ghostbusters logo. Shortly after . Whereas Sudar Singh [another memorable character in Twitchells cosmology] isKirpal Singh. In The Making of a Spiritual Movement, Lane quotes many passages from Twitchells magazine articles written in the 60s in which Twitchell cites Swami Premananda, Kirpal Singh, Meher Baba, Guru Nanak, Kabir, and even Jesus. Some left the movement. He was a pro-bowler as well as a higher initiate in Eckankar. Eckankar teaches that it is possible to experience the Light and Sound through the proper use of spiritual exercises. or call 1-888-L0VE-GOD (recorded message) 952-380-2200 (Eckankar Spiritual Center) You may write us at: ECKANKAR PO Box . 2023 San Diego Reader. My parents raised me not to write in books, and so I didnt. As the great Houdini wrote, The yellow thread of exposure seems to be inextricably woven into all fabrics whose strength is secrecy. Houdini, like Lane, was a man whose obsessions drove him to expose religious frauds. Sex. Whenever I saw Gross and Atkinson, I would be seated in an auditorium, surrounded by thousands of avid followers, each hoping at some point to receive the darshan, the Masters gaze. Im a mystical agnostic materialist. His earlier writings didnt really talk about Rebazar Tarzs. (The 500-year-old bearded Tibetan monk Rebazar Tarzs wears a maroon robe, carries in his powerful right hand a huge walking staff, and speaks with a musical voice. Known the world over as the Eckankar mafia because of slippery manoeuvring behind the scenes wrecking marriages friendships livelihoods and demographics where ever they plant themselves. Collectively, this means that right-handed humans might be more protected from a deadly strike. When Yelman was six, her family moved to Texas. So I said, 'You guys can get out of this simply, just explain that Twitchell plagiarized. Although no meetings are required, the local Eckankar newsletter lists a variety of classes, book discussions, Hu chants, and lectures. 2 0 Share Reply More Q How-to video gives tips on how to survive after leaving the Eckankar cult. I like you and Im enjoying our talk, but nothing youre saying is very seductive. Instead, Twitchell wrote about Kirpal Singh and Swami Premananda. Everybody has an IQ of 80 or loweruuurrrrrrrrrr, lets go, lets start a religion. , Our pizza arrives, and Lane politely allows me to take the first piece. He and Gross have been sparring since 1977. Susan Rice to leave White House domestic policy post Lane smiles to himself as if he were envisioning Paul Twitchell hunched over some Radhasoami text, scribbling away. Discomfort spreads across his face as I continue, You were the Master most of the time I was in it. Holding my hand, he looks deep into my eyes and says, Im still the Master. Cult Survivors: Victims of the Eckankar cult (The Library of Truth) Operating, as I do now, in a professional arts world in which people want a rsum before deciding whether to talk to you, I miss the support of the Eckankar community. Peebles, says Lane, got so disgruntled when he realized there was some kind of fraud being perpetuated that he wrote Eckankar himself about these findings. Peebles returned to his Baptist roots and sent his paper to Professor Ed Gruss of the Los Angeles Baptist College. Since I dont want to play the awkward game of trying to figure out who one another is in public, I haggle. Charan Singh forwarded it to Lane. JN Sykes was a member of the Eckankar cult ('the cult') from February 1980 to June 1993. If you left Eckankar because of the lies of the founders and their actions, don't spread garbage about totally unrelated things that were largely debunked after the 1980s "Satanic Panic". Ex-Initiator's Guide to Eckankar Initiations - narkive It was hard to leave Eckankar too. Sitting in this pathetic room with its riotously floral turquoise-and-purple carpet, it feels as if nobodys dreams will ever come true. Man, it was a nasty conversation. Rosanne Cash sings, Some dreams die with dignity. "Race me!" 4-year-old Lucia demands. He may have been Rebazar Tarzs. I am afraid my beliefs will cause conflict within the Eckankar community and it may be best that I leave Eckankar. The disciples felt used and manipulated for spiritual reasons., After the secret meeting. Now I "work" on the internet trying to help others to get out, or not join to begin with. My research has helped because its made me more discriminating, more critical-minded. Cult Survivors: Victims of the Eckankar cult (The Library of Truth): Sykes, Joe: 9781659942743: Amazon.com: Books Books Religion & Spirituality Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts Try Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery Buy new: $6.99 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns He took my wifes diaries and made hand-written notes in the margins. I noticed in Baja a highway sign that said Rebasar. I said to myself, I bet this is where Twitchell got the name Rebazar Tarzs! I just went off on him. I was very naive. People sit on park benches, push baby carriages along paths, jog beside the water. Eckists left and right were smiling at the guy, stopping for long chats, and tossing money into his cup. It is mainly because eckankar systematically schools the follower to be dependent on the person of the living eck master and his organization as the only "reliable" source of information and to suppress a mature and less naively subjectivistic view on his own experiences, with suggestions of severe repercussions and spiritual loss in case he acts Driving the news: " As the only person to serve as both National Security Advisor and Domestic Policy Advisor, Susan's record of public service makes history," Biden said of the former UN ambassador and national . Lifes kind of sad. Tucker Carlson's Great Replacement. In Youth Ask A Modern Prophet, Harold Klemp writes, "The deep relationship between man and woman is a sacred token of human love. Youre not going to say, Well, Im a dumbshit. They looked just like the Rod of Power! Six DC firefighters, EMS personnel on leave after video shows Eckankar's stance on sexual relations, although overtly heteronormative, speaks to the religion's appreciation of the sex act as an important and meaningful experience in human life. Outsiders would think they had stumbled into a convention of traveling salesmen. I would just close my eyes and he would be there, and I would be there with him too. With all this information you have, you could start your own thing. I go, Jerry, I cant do that third-eye patch, turban, the flowing robe I cant do it.. It affects those who have an unrealistic goal in ECK; those who want to Soul Travel or reach Self-and God-realization with practically no effort. On an Internet alternative religion bulletin board, a former Eckist writes that after reading Lanes book, I felt as if someone had just torn out my insides and served them to me over rice. Losing ones cult is like losing the love of ones life. I dont remember that second story. In the early 70s, when I joined, I was dysfunctionally shy, a borderline agoraphobic, afraid to talk to salesladies in department stores. Hes listed in Ripley's Believe It or Not as having sold an article every day. Actually in the moment it was okay, I hardly noticed it. We dont do that in Eckankar. One exclaims, Arent you afraid of those Eckankarists, arent you afraid what theyre going to do?, I take a guilty sip of my drink. I'd heard rumors about why he left but I wanted to see for myself. "There are three areas that cause people to leave ECK: First is discouragement. Eckankar is cult just like Scientology. The Courier-Journal magazine, to which he was a regular contributor, reported that he sold 1800 stories and articles in three years. About four weeks later Lanes guru in India, Charan Singh, received a letter, supposedly from another follower in San Diego, criticizing Lane and quoting from his wifes stolen diaries. The Making of a Spiritual Movement, which is not advertised or available in bookstores, has sold more than 10,000 copies. Now what do you do when your group is charging money and does not follow any of the restrictions of this Indian group it evolved out of, one whose teachings are free? They say you can never damage the Eck spirit, because its life. Bettina Yelman received her dreamstate while at an Eck seminar in Hawaii. Now, Jagat is actually the first name of a Radhasoami guru named Jagat Singh. Each year Eckankar holds three of these U.S. seminars, which can draw 6000-plus people. Lane says, He got them from his Indian books on Radhasoami, or Julian Johnsons The Path of the Masters, or from With a Great Master in India. Today it is perhaps the most successful religious movement to come out of the 60s, claiming a worldwide membership in the tens of thousands. So you were awake when you had this experience? I ask, intrigued. Through daily spiritual exercises, one can shift ones awareness from the physical world and soul travel to these higher planes. Sri harold klemp is the 973rd living eck master in an unbroken line of eck masters. Im under your spell, but how can I help it. There is a double edge to this torch song; from the way she keeps glancing affectionately over at Gross, it is the Masters spell that Driggs cant be blamed for falling under. Dont you feel like the Great White Hunter attacking the endangered rhinoceros? Lane responds with animation. I open the door to a boyish 38-year-old with a full head of healthy brown hair. I know that here in San Diego, when we had our Eck center, elderly members of Eckankar who were sitting at the center got threatening telephone calls from Christian organizations., No, it had nothing to do with him. The loss of my old loves and Grosss loss of status become merged in an ineffable sadness. Due to eckankar's policy that one not ever request initiations, many suffer in silence, sensing justifiably that something isn't quite right, yet fear to even ask about the possibility of an error. You can get in a debate over whether one paragraph in one of Paul Twitchells writings looks like a paragraph in somebody elses writings, but that has nothing to do with your spiritual experiences and the confirmation you get personally through the teachings and your work with the inner master. WHY I LEFT THE MASTER. The air is cool as I listen to the soft lapping of waves. In 1978 Richards moved from North Carolina to San Diego to pursue his graduate training in psychology. Connie Cook Smith (formerly Constance Robertson) How I Quit My Whole Way of Life, Without a Sense of Loss. For a hundred bucks per year he gives you the divine connection. But Eckists are such sweet people, I insist. He used to send me Christmas cards, he gave me his personal phone number, and he offered me $5000 to help with my research on Eckankar.. It wasnt just David Lanes personal opinion. I need it. Apparently Lane has equally conflicted feelings about me. All rights reserved. Lane does arrive, at one oclock Thursday afternoon, on time to the minute. Scientology is worse but that is a difference in degree and magnitude. Video explores the spiritual problems that may come, and explains how to deal wit. I was a member for almost 15 years, but thanks to the internet, I found out the truth about it and got out. For tax purposes Twitchell moved Eckankar to Las Vegas, but he maintained residence in San Diego for the rest of his life. Well, the upshot of it is, we were friendly for five years, and then in 1983 four of his closest disciples defected. I think it was a resistance to being in the physical world and being fully embodied, and so I tried to exit a few times. There is, indeed, something ethereal about this frail woman. We take our seats among the 50 or so other seekers, many of whom have flown in for the event. Lane places his hand to his face like a phone receiver, Hi, Fubbi, this is Gakko. I choke down the last gulp of my Green Garden vegetable cocktail and ask,. We have to make sure for ourselves that what were experiencing is truth and not an illusion.. But even in his formality I instinctively trusted him. Thats one explanation. Why Ex-Eckists Left Eckankar - Angelfire Cautiously I bring up David Lane. Members are deluded into believing they make spiritual progress, while they are merely psychologically entrapped. Eckankar is not for everybody. Im greeted by a tall, handsome black man with a mustache and short-cropped hair graying slightly at the temples. I dont believe anything until its proven to me. , Im sure they said that about Jim Jones; Im sure they said that in David Koreshs group. They would say that in any college or institution. When I get home, my hosts greet me with a Manhattan. But the woman I remember was mousy, with a broad smile; no Bond girl was she. I could almost picture the legendary Rod of Power in Darwins hand. I asked what happened to my friend, my childhood master. And the sex though Eckankar in no way encourages sexual contact among its members with that degree of trust and the sense of two souls meeting, the sex was great. I dont give them any value. Seriously, what could one say about anybody that left a long held teaching based solely on words in one book? Paul Twitchells the past; weve evolved out of that. This feels like all the atoms in the universe moving around, its like a rushing sound in the background. So I sent my term paper to Eckankar, and then they turned around two months later and said they were going to sue me if I published it. But Im amazed that after all the dirt hes dug up on religions, he could be seriously involved in any spiritual path. Read full review of Eckankar Helpful? Buying a used car you at least look underneath the hood, hit the tires, maybe take it to a mechanic to check it out. They were gods to me, and one doesnt question the mating patterns of gods. As members are leaving in droves, the speaker looks into why. He didnt bring up David Lane, but he requested that I not dwell on Darwin Gross. Hes touring the Southwest, as we speak. May the Force be with you.). Freeways knocked out Sorrento Rd., getting from the 5 to the 805, fitness fanatics head for Corner House, get those Mira Mesa signs out. ECKANKAR - YouTube And who knows? I was 21. When Paul Twitchell suddenly died in September 1971, he left no word as to who his successor should be. Yelman received hers while at an Eck seminar in Hawaii. Im a surfer, so I had this surfer hair and a turtleneck. The inner form of the Living Eck Master, known as the Mahanta, works with students in the dreamstate and during their spiritual exercises. Eight years later he broke with Kirpal Singh and thereafter denied any involvement with him. Eckankar lost. I wrote to Jerry, way to go, Jerry! I am afraid my beliefs will cause conflict within the Eckankar community and it may be best that I leave Eckankar. Paul Twitchell. The next day Channel 8 news came out and did as their lead story Cult Researcher Robbed. They took a copy of my article The J.R. Controversy. But they didnt name John-Roger.. In another lifetime I may have had a connection with Rebazar Tarzs, and so that would be a good way of linking me back in. I was teaching at UC-San Diego at the time. Lane asks me if I want to see Twitchells Del Mar home.

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