Leslie and lesson 51

Is Self Realization Fellowship a cult blog has gotten many recent views concerning this post on the Manson family murderess, Leslie Van Houten. I think it is because of her recent parole hearings. This blog entry is about how searching for her "true guru" may have affected her thinking. This blog entry is not about the drugs, popular culture or any other analysis of her character which undoubtedly are factors in this sad story.


Manson family

SO WHAT?
You may wonder why this is relevant to SRF since many religions have had their share of crazy members.

DOESN'T EVERY RELIGION HAVE FREAKS?
yes.

Unfortunately every legitimate major world religion has various sects and cults founded by nuts.

From suicide bombers to the practice of Sati (widow burning), the nuts are out there.

Jim Jones claimed he was Jesus Christ. David Koresh claimed he was Jesus Christ. Charles Manson claimed he was Jesus Christ.
Jesus want to be

Yogananda claimed to be the chosen perfect god-like Avatar of this age and spokesman for Jesus Christ, getting information directly from him. Yogananda also claimed to be a Christ himself. He claimed he was all knowing and could  heal colds and read minds.

Yogananda placed a picture of himself next to a picture of Jesus Christ on the altar to be worshipped by his followers. I do not know if he worshipped himself at this altar.

Seems they all want to get in on the Jesus action.

It is within this context that Leslie Van Houten went looking for her true Guru.

There is no indication that Yogananda was anything other than a  non violent man.  In fairness the manson family was heavily influenced by the Beatles, drugs and other popular culture icons.

The inquiry I am making here is not to compare a benign self aggrandizing guru to an evil one. I am just exploring how the search for a true living Guru -disciple relationship may have lead her to Manson.

So what did Yogananda teach that may have sent Leslie Van Houten looking for her "Real Guru'?

SHE WAS ONLY THERE FOR EIGHT PERFECT MONTHS


She left the order after only 8 months. What could she have learned in such a short time that would have left her confused brain open to Charles Manson? Well, ironically one of the last lessons she would have read was lesson 51: The Guru and Disciple.


SUPER SECRET BRAINWASHING


The SRF lessons are copyrighted and super super secret, so even members don't share information with each other about the contents. The SRF organization has been very forward with lawsuits in the past. For this reason I am going to have to summarize and paraphrase a bit and of course stay within the fair use laws.

The SRF lessons are arranged in an order that gives an array of Hindu philosophy, 1900's health observances and Religious quotes taken completely out of context. Periodically the spiritual aspirant is exposed to a new sensory deprivation or self hypnotic technique along with some regular mainstream yoga techniques. Interwoven in the fabric of these lessons are messages to make the reader susceptible to worshipping Yogananda and loyal to SRF. 'THE LESSONS' are considered holy and they are sent to your house every other week in sets of two. It is a gradual indoctrination over time.

This is a summary of Yogananda's
LESSON 51


Point one: ONLY through a guru-disciple relationship can your soul make it's way back to God as only the Guru "knows God" personally. 

Point two: It is ok to try a variety of teachers in the beginning but when you find a TRUE Guru you must be loyal to him for all eternity through all incarnations and become one with the Guru.

Point three:Yogananda is himself a TRUE Guru and can "be the cause of their (SRF members) salvation", even after he is dead.


Point four: All true Gurus are alive even if they no longer have a body. Yogananda then claims to be omnipresent like God.


Point five: For this "perfect union" to occur the disciple must be completely receptive to the Guru who works in invisible and visible ways to transform the disciple. The "ever-living" immortal BABAJI will provide guidance as will all the SRF gurus.

This Hindu highlander  has never been photographed so all we have is this artists depiction

Point six: In the beginning of our spiritual search we may have teachers but we have only ONE guru. If you study with a teacher you are only a student. If you study with your Guru (chosen for you by God) you are a disciple. You can not find your Guru unless God himself has brought you to him. The Guru is ordained by God and a "living embodiment of scriptural truth and an agent of salvation appointed by God".


Point seven: Once the relationship is established it can not be broken. Not even if the Guru admonishes you or for any other reason. If you do not immediately recognize that the guru is sent by God, it is because your memory of the relationship is buried in ignorance.
(side note: In SRF lay members generally take a formal vow of obedience and acceptance of the Guru about a year after starting the lessons. This involves a secret ceremony. After the vow is taken you are stuck with that Guru for all eternity no matter what. Leslie Van Houten apparently may have left just prior to taking this vow to search for her "chosen" guru.)


Point eight: SIGNS OF A GURU
The way to tell if a Guru is the real deal:
A) His eyes are still and unwinking

B) His breath is quiet

C) His mind is focused

Point nine: Ordinary people who have studied Religious texts are not to be listened to because they do not KNOW God. Only a true Guru with cosmic consciousness is equipped with super pychophysical methods that lead to self realization. 

Point ten: "OBEDIENCE TO THE GURU"

Tune your will in with the will of the Guru. Obey the Guru.

Underlined in the lessons are the words A REAL GURU IS SENT BY GOD.  If after following a guru for some time the disciple spurns him then "he actually spurns the help sent by God"

Point eleven: Yogananda then goes into a description of how he formed this bond with his Guru Yukteswar (Yukteswar is currently the Savior Christ of the planet Hiranyaloka ). Yogananda describes how he made a pact with Yukteswar and after that he understood the importance of this Guru-disciple relationship. That he was not complete until he "attuned" himself with the "unconditional loyalty and devotion" to the Guru.


So then the Cadet Yogi goes onto lesson 52, which is a summary of lessons 27 through 52. It includes a question sheet for self study. The questions are arranged by lesson with questions for lesson 51 like "What are the signs of a Guru?"




Peace and Best Wishes,
Katie