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Obituary: Albert Ellis, Father of "Rational Emotive The

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Here is one eye-catching excerpt of Ellis, quoted in "Sex, Love and the Scolding Psychotherapist".
From “The American Sexual Tragedy”: The devotee of Rational Emotive [Behavior] Therapy comes to realize that it is not his beloved’s possible rejection of him that is terrible, frightful or ego destroying, but simply his illogical interpretation of that rejection.
Ohh! Among his many books is one titled Homosexuality: Causes and Cures, published ten years after the Kinsey report revealed that homosexual behavior was common in men and women.

How did I miss this? "In his book Sex Without Guilt, Ellis expressed the opinion that religious restrictions on sexual expression are needless and often harmful to emotional health."
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The Secret: Another Cult that believes in the Law of Karma

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The Secret

Anything bad that happens to you is the result of your own negative energy.
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Cult studies

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International Cult Studies Association (ICSA)
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Nirvana sects big business in today’s world

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India Diary by COOMI KAPOOR
Nirvana sects big business in today’s world

THE recent confrontation between the Punjab state government and the head and followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda brought to the fore the rise of various religious sects all across the country. But the Dera Sacha Sauda is but only one of the hundreds of such faith-based sects. Indeed, a casual television viewer would be surprised to find that India has now come to have its own version of the American television evangelists, what with each saffron-robed preacher marketing nirvana in his own unique way.

And some of them are so successful that multinational companies buy advertising space on their television channels. Most of these modern-age men manage multimillion empires, running them like corporate entities investing in lands, buildings, factories, shares and so on.

Of course, one of the most successful marketers of instant nirvana is the saffron-clad ascetic holy man named Baba Ram Dev. Said to be in his early 40s, this son of a poor intermediate caste family from Haryana is now so successful that his sect controls land, buildings and factories manufacturing Indian medicines worth more than several billions of rupees (hundred millions of ringgit).

Headquartered in the holy Hindu town of Haridwar in the hilly state of Uttarakhand, Ram Dev commands a following of millions. Recently, he too was involved in a public controversy when the firebrand Marxist MP Brinda Karat accused him of using human bones in the medicines manufactured in his factories. Ram Dev denied the charge, challenging Karat to prove it or else withdraw from public life.

The matter died down. Most politicians would not want to entangle with a man who commands a huge following cutting across party lines. For someone who lacks a college degree, and is not well versed in the modern, westernised ways of the world, Ram Dev does come across as a gifted speaker, convincing his large audiences with commonsensical reason and wit. For example, he would rail against aerated drinks, especially foreign colas, telling his audiences to use them for cleaning the stained toilet bowls. He condemns the use of alcohol and cigarettes as grave sins. But the reason for his popularity is that he has taken the practice of the ancient Indian science of Yoga to ordinary Indians throughout the length and breadth of this country.

Cutting across religious, caste and financial lines, countless Indians watch Ram Dev on television every morning as he practices, before a live audience of tens of thousands, various physical or breathing exercises and explains the benefits said to flow from each exercise. Invariably, Ram Dev holds camps in various cities, where entry is ticketed and those who like to sit up front have to shell out 10 times more than those occupying rear seats. So successful have these camps been, that each year Ram Dev holds several of them. Indeed, some time ago he also held successful camps abroad, including London and New Jersey. Ram Dev is now building two universities and already has an ayurvedic hospital running in Hardwar.

Then there is the Bapu Asaram sect headquartered in Ahemdabad, Gujarat, but with branches in Delhi and other big towns. Asaram, too, is a preacher in the mould of Ram Dev though his emphasis is more on the redemption of the human soul via scriptural discourses rather than on yogic exercises. A convincing preacher who peppers his discourse with moral lessons drawn from everyday occurrences, he boasts of some of the richest Gujarati businessmen as his followers. Recently when there was a public split between two heirs of the country’s biggest corporate empire, Asaram had played the peacemaker.

Women far outnumber men at his religious discourse. The bearded guru, too, has a dedicated 24-hours, seven-days-a-week television channel where he can be seen preaching. One estimate put his empire at more than three billion rupees (RM259mil).

Another modern-day guru is the tall and bearded Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living foundation. He, too, gives religious discourses, sings hymns, runs a pharmacy and health centres and controls vast tracts of land. A guru of the rich and the famous, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has a corporate programme called Achieving Personal Excellence and runs camps for professionals where his disciples puts paying inmates through breathing exercises and helps them find mental peace through meditation.

One of the more successful women gurus is Kerala’s Mata Amritanandamayi, or simply Amma to millions of her followers at home and abroad. Her multimillion empire includes schools, hospitals and professional institutes. Of course, she has a dedicated TV channel to promote her and advertise her good deeds. She often goes abroad where rich followers, especially with roots in Kerala, play host. Important political leaders, including Defence Minister A.K. Antony, is an unabashed devotee of Amma.

Another sect, the Swaminarayan, is extremely popular with the Patels of Gujarat. It originated in the early 19th century as a social and educational reform movement, but has since splintered into several rival factions. Another old sect, Radha Soami, has more than 2,000 branches spread all over India and in key locations in Nepal, the United States, Britain, Canada and elsewhere. Claiming to have a following of more than 20 million, the Radhi Soami sect was established back in 1890s by an ascetic preacher, Baba Sawan Singh.

The scenic Mt Abu in the desert state of Rajasthan serves as the headquarters of the Brahmakumaris sect. Women members of the sect generally wear dhoti and their feet are unshod and mouths covered with a strip of cloth.

The above list is by no means exhaustive. The pressures of modern-day life have thrown up god men in every nook and cranny who presumably help followers find mental peace by interpreting an ancient religion in a modern phraseology. Rising aspirations, growing consumerist demands and alienation from one’s roots lead more and more Indians to seek salvation through god men and gurus.

Without doubt, middle and upper classes form the mainstay of these gurus. That would also explain the immense riches of a Sri Sri Ravi Shankar or a Ram Dev. Or even a Sai Baba.
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MONKEYS OF EDEN - the telepathic Overlords and the Slaves of

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This is conspiracy theory for the masses. You may not agree with all the answers, but it will raise questions which you have already asked and for which you will find new answers.

MONKEYS OF EDEN - the telepathic Overlords and the Slaves of Earth
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Re: Article links

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Then one day while reading the Web site of a Los Angeles-based spiritual organization called Agape, I saw the name of Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual university ... BURLINGTON COUNTY NEIGHBORS.
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Re: Article links in association with Media Wing of BKWSU

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GLOBAL FORUM FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS

Global Forum for Public Relations - India's International Association of public relations practitioners for values and ethics in public relations profession has been registered vide registration no. 924/2006 in April 2006, with headquarters in Hyderabad. It is intended to promote public relations with a mission of Golden Triangle - Professionalism, Ethics and Spirituality -
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Re: Article links

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We’re more like a humanitarian organization

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Nicholas RAINER wrote:The aim of life is to be happy and to make others happy

Karuna Shetty tells us about the role of the media and technology in the modern world. Both have a positive role to play in a world where inner peace seems increasingly hard to find.

● What is the Brahma Kumaris and what is its raison d’être?

Brahma Kumaris is a non-governmental organization. Its headquarters are located in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. It started in 1937 in Karachi, Pakistan but moved to India in 1950. The founder of Brahma Kumaris, Lekhraj Kripalani, had a vision of a future world that was changing fast due to environmental problems and scientific developments, such as the atom bomb, as well as the degradation of ethical and moral values. He saw all these changes so he became an instrument to establish life values.

«We’re not interested in pushing or brainwashing people. We’re available to whoever understands that something is wrong and would like to find the right path

● What exactly are those values?

The first one is peace. Nowadays, peace is a very rare commodity, be it on the indivi-dual level, national or international levels. His first interest was to establish peace. The second value is love, which is so badly misunderstood, be it individual or universal love. He saw the world as a global family. That was his conception of love. The third one is happiness. If you are not happy in life then it has no value. He thought that happiness can’t just be boiled down to monetary or physical things. Happiness is all about giving. It’s a universal way of thinking. Lekhraj Kripalani taught a meditation technique known as positive meditation, or Raja Yoga, which aims to show people how to think positively about the world. Raja in India means “king” and, in the context of this meditation, it means “king of self”. If you are not able to rule over yourself, if you are the slave of your own desires, you are lost. Raja Yoga thus teaches people how to control themselves. The founder found that these teachings could be dispensed by Sisters. He thus recommended that the organization be run by Brahma Kumaris, which means The Sisters. Today Brahma Kumaris has 900,000 dedicated members in 120 countries striving for peace day and night.

● The media plays an important role in society on many different levels. It seems however to often focus on the bad news. What is your interpretation of this?

I am a journalist by profession. I spent more than 30 years in the industry. It is true that we are taught that good news is not really news. But, because of the growing competition in the industry, the media can no longer survive by only giving the bad news. In India I have noticed this shift. Media is increasingly talking about spirituality and values.

● Let’s talk about technology. Many people think that technology is the only hope for a planet that is increasingly suffering from environmental problems, such as climate change. On the other hand, many of these problems have arisen because of technology. Do you think that technology can solve our problems?

We have to be very clear about this. Scientists are dedicated to making the world a better place. They try to help humanity. On the other hand, politicians and power-hungry people, try to use scientists and their inventions to negative ends. Unfortunately, we began exploiting the environment long before we understood how it works. Nowadays, everyone is paying for the exploitation of nature. Technology itself is not going to change that. Yet we can use technology to reach the maximum number of people to caution and tell them to strive for spirituality and peace. Technology is always created for the greater good, but it is often used to do bad things. India is facing these sorts of problems with the nuclear treaty.

● Do you hope that Brahma Kumaris will gradually achieve the critical mass necessary to influence the world system?

I wouldn’t say that. We’re not interested in pushing or brainwashing people. We’re available to whoever understands that something is wrong and would like to find the right path. It’s very simple. Our interest is in personal peace. If we can help someone to achieve peace we have succeeded.

● How does one achieve a state of inner peace?

The first thing is lifestyle. People lack the proper discipline. Then comes food. People care more about satisfying their palate than looking after their health. The third thing is work. We find that many people lead very stressful lives because of their jobs. There’s a lot of exploitation. Nobody is interested about the person behind the employee; it’s all about the company’s progress. Be happy and make others happy. That’s the aim of life.
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"Girls who practise simple RajYoga dress up as goddesses

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Living Durga' woos crowds in Durga Puja
The members of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya have been depicting the presence of 'Durga' and 'Asura' in all human beings by putting up three girls dressed up as Durga and her daughters - Lakshmi and Saraswati – at Spiritual Museum opposite Shambhunath Pandit Hospital on Elgin Road in Kolkata.

"Girls, who practise simple RajYoga or meditation, have dressed up as goddesses and stand still on the pandal with Durga clutching a trident, Saraswati holding a veena and Lakshmi depicted with a pot of wealth," Brahmakumari Meera said

Voices like "look, Durga is moving" or "Saraswati is shifting her feet" or "Lakshmi is blinking" are often heard. Surabhi, who stood as Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga in the past two days of the festival, said, "As we overhear the comments we try to do our best but regular practice of meditation helps us to stand still for hours."

"I visited puja pandals on the first day and did not like the crowd. It is better to stay here and play goddesses," said Surabhi, a student of class VIII in Delhi Public School, when asked whether she had missed visiting puja pandals.

A curtain is pulled before the standing girls every five minutes to give them 2-minute break and let the crowd disperse. The "Living Durga" show is held from 7 pm to 12 midnight during the four-day of Durga puja except the last day of Bijoya Dashami.

Several girls offer to play goddesses and the authorities try to give them opportunity in turns. They procure the filigree from the market and decorate it themselves. Visitors patiently wait in front of the pandal for the curtain to go up. They take photos of the "living goddesses" with mobile cameras and children look in wonder as devotional music plays in the background.
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Re: Article links

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Ha! That sounds just like the Brahma Kumaris ...

Give up education ... pretend to be a goddess doing nothing for long periods of time ... end up with a pot of wealth.
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