Guruphiliac: Dances With Wolves



Sunday, February 25, 2007

Dances With Wolves

File under: The Siddhi of PR

In honor of the 79th Academy Awards, which are presently illuminating the tube at Guruphiliac HQ, we've named this post after the Oscar winning film Dances With Wolves, which is quite apropos considering that we're talking about Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's recent powwowing with politicians in Bihar, India. But maybe we should be calling it Show Pony Prancing With Jackals, because that's what it must look like to see Sri Sri skipping around in front of politicos, sashaying back and forth on stage, beguiling them with his power to deliver a sizable block of votes. Watch him bat his lashes at those he feels can help him finally secure the Nobel Peace Prize for himself, confident in the knowledge that he's got millions of people hoodwinked into believing he has something to offer other than a dazzling smile, his good looks in a white robe and his naked ambition – on display for all to see who aren't blinded by the occluding expectations "gurus" like Sri Sri continuously pollute the world with.

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9 Comments:

At 2/26/2007 11:49 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I think u need a basic course of art of living to see that practising sudarshan kriya can bring wonders in ones life. donot be shy and lets do that. thereafter u will never comment
' people like sri sri ravishankar are polluting the world'
In todays world people like sri sri are bringing smiles on the faces of millions across the globe by spreading knowledge.

 
At 2/27/2007 11:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with Santosh - you must look at what the course does for millions such as me. I was suffering from stress and depression and Sudarshan Kriya and all of Guruji's techniques have helped me stay away from potentially habit forming drugs.

You know Guruphiliac, sometimes our harsh words create as much violence in the society as a harsh action. I do hope that your blog is not hate oriented.

 
At 2/27/2007 11:37 AM, Blogger guruphiliac said...

You guys are both too dosed on Sri Sri's Kool-Aid to see that any meditation technique practiced with sincerity is effective, that Sri Sri's is just one in a million and that he is riding you to acquire more name, fame and political gain for himself.

This blog is discrimination-oriented, something AoL actively discourages, as does any other bona fide cult looking to keep its membership on the hook and paying dues

 
At 2/27/2007 5:19 PM, Blogger Sanjay Srivastava said...

I agree with Santosh - you must look at what the course does for millions such as me. I was suffering from stress and depression and Sudarshan Kriya and all of Guruji's techniques have helped me stay away from potentially habit forming drugs.

Me too..

I was suffering from excess cash in my bank account. Guruji helped me get rid of it in no time. Millions have benefitted from his expertise in this field and millions more will in future.

JGD

 
At 2/28/2007 6:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

mmmm, so guruphiliac has aspirations of being a blog of discrimination, so good to hear.

It seems to me that the west have long tradition for discrimination. The guts to cut through to the truth at what ever cost. It is culture that stand in the way, and ultimate the experience of the self is radical subjective, and everything else has to go.
A strengthening of discrimination should be our contribution to the spirtual path, and this blog is a good place to start. But again discrimination is a razors edge and is no easy way.
Seen in this perspective any guru is an hindrance or just a diving board. One can not stand on the diving board for ever. One day one will have to jump, and a good guru will push you if you stall.....
Who knows if SSRS pushes when the times come.

But to be fair to the aols I believe they see SSRS as the incarnation of Vishnu and not as God as in "the self". Hinduism after all makes this distinction clear between the form and the formless, where the form still is limited even in the case of Vishnu. By doing this they, the aols, just follow a hindu tradition which in the end I believe is culturally defined and not a result of hinduism meeting the west, as you Jody argue other wise.

It seems to me that all hindu gurus claim to be vishnu incarnated, and there devotees agrees with this assumption. Maybe the right thing for we westerners is to say yes you are but so are everybody else.

If there is anyproblem it is the combination of western mesianic thought with the hindu ways wich gives the I am the one statement a certain twist that very easy leads to untruth. Because the I am the one statement in western thought and perspective have an exclusive context.

It is clear that anybody saying they are more God than others is wrong. But I believe seeing this truth and stating it clearly is more obvious in the west with its philosophical tradition in the humanities. And at the same time more urgent because of our long tradition of mesianic thought wich goes contra to the less factual oriented hindu thinking.

The interesting thing is after all the conclusion which we can state again in out own context that takes it to truth in a western perspective.

Thou are That

 
At 2/28/2007 6:44 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Having been closely connected with Ravi Shankar in the past and having seen many of his followers and their "progress", I say with confidence, that either the Sudarshana Kriya, or Ravi Shankar himself, produces, in people near to him, excessive mood swings, false 'highs' much like a drug, side effects (several have died young of cancers or developed odd cancers), violent behaviors in close disciples who previously lead apparently normal lives. This, added to the fact that if someone deeply involved in AOL dares to leave the group, they will be called and threatened by these people who have "benefitted", leads me to conclude that the technique and/or Ravi Shankar is not good for you. Yes, some people report all these happy things you mention. But I've read some of the reports, know the people reporting, and they neglect to tell you, for reasons I don't know, that they indeed do have severe emotional problems, the above-mentioned mood swing problems, and uncontrolled behaviors. Perhaps it's because they are employed by AOL? I don't know. Perhaps they write their rosy accounts when they are in the manic phase of their problem? And so they really believe they are improving? Over several years around this group, I noticed people declining from normalcy to various states of increasing problems. Ravi Shankar also appears to depend upon acquiring the loyalty of people who are easily preyed upon -- people in shaky marriages, people unsure of themselves socially, people who have failed in their lives, but have some money, and so are useful to him.

These were my observations, up close and personal.

Still, the large satsangs may benefit the "herds". At least when they are sitting singing bhajans, they are not doing other damage to the society. Nobody every got enlightened around Ravi Shankar, and likely nobody will, but he may be keeping some people off the streets who might otherwise cause some mischief.

When people become more involved, they appear to develop lots of mental, emotional and physical problems. They get sick. I have no idea if the Kriya or Ravi Shankar causes this. Some research should be done.......

The so-called "knowledge" he is spreading is harmless, and can be seen in any scripture printed to date -- in public he basically tells people to be nice to each other, to love one another, they belong to each other, etc. It's a good message, but has been there all along in all the religious institutions around. Nothing new in it. He didn't invent "opposite values are complimentary" nor "acceptance" nor any of the basic course points. All are available elsewhere. I suppose if people have turned away from their own religions, then going to AOL can't hurt. The problem is that it is a cult. Worse than a religion. Far more judgmental, and far more dangerous.

 
At 3/02/2007 7:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sri Sri is God for those who have the blessing and dharma to truly see him. His kool-aid is quite tastey! By the way, you have total freedom with him. Nobody chases you down if you "leave" his movement, whatever that means.

 
At 3/02/2007 8:07 PM, Blogger guruphiliac said...

Sri Sri is God for those who have the blessing and dharma to truly see him.

Err... I think you meant to say "bluster and delusion." If you didn't, you should have.

 
At 3/03/2007 7:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

To anonymous who thinks SSRS's kool aid is tasty:

Keep drinking and see. There is absolutely no freedom in the "inner circle" with SSRS. He is judgmental, cruel, and even threatening those who dare to leave. Those people are labelled variously as having "stole from a Guru in a previous life so they have bad karma...." or "mentally imbalanced", etc. He has no kind words to say about anyone who crosses him, disagrees with him, or leaves him, once they have been close. I suspect you don't know him very well, are not close, or are so totally brainwashed, you choose to look the other way from all his misdeeds. Too bad for you. Keep drinking the kool aid. You'll get nothing there, except highs from satsangs then lows when you don't see him (if you are close). He says this is "Radhe Govind" I say it's simple tantra inducing various degrees of mania and depression in people who are otherwise normal. This guy is a fraud (no degree in anything btw) and a monster in many ways.

Good luck to those who think he is God. They are deluded, members of a clueless cult.

 

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