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This is an largely accurate description of premies in the 70s and early 80s, except that 'surrender' as Rawat used the word was something that happened later. I think the authors were refering to the acceptance of Rawat as the Master which is something aspirants at least had to convince the mahatma/initiator/instructor of.DLM and Rajneeshism are comparable in that in both, the Indian guru is the central object of devotion. While in the Christian tradition the spiritual master is only an intermediate between the individual and God, standing outside their personal relation, in both these new religious movements the devotee’s relation with the guru is considered identical to his relation with God. The guru is accepted as the manifestation and personification of God. His request for total surrender and complete trust is grounded in his claim of ultimate authority derived from his godliness. A difference between the two movements, however, is that in DLM such surrender is a necessary condition for initiation. In Rajneeshism, initiation without immediate total surrender is possible. Surrender is viewed as a manifestation of the maturational process which takes place during membership instead of before initiation.
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'surrender' as Rawat used the word was something that happened laterI don't think so, John, I remember 'surrender' as something that a premie should do, surrendering their life to the Lotus Feet, at least as early as 1971. In fact, I was told the purpose of my life was to surrender it to the living Lord, the Satguru, Guru Maharaj Ji, before I got Knowledge in spring 1970. -- Mike
www.MikeFinch.com
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I think John probably meant that 'surrender' was considered more of a work in progress, than a neccessary achievement before being considered for initiation.
As we all know, the reality of the process didn't go in lockstep with the rhetoric. It was very much easier to get K in 70,71,72, than it was in 73 & onwards.
Actually, I remember asking you once about this, but maybe not directly.
It seemed to me that the whole process tightened up considerably from around mid 72, which of course was when they were flooding through the doors, the ashrams were being set up etc. I wondered whether you had any recollections of how that all happened. How & why certain individuals were chosen to be ashram secretaries & all that sort of thing.
For myself 'surrender' was always secondary to 'realising the knowledge', at least at the beginning.
March 72
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Mike,
The article Andries linked to differentiated between sanyassins and premies saying that premies had to surrender before receiving Knowledge. Although a lot was asked of aspirants by the mahatmas before K, surrender was not one of the requirements. Having no doubts seemed to be the ain one in my K selections. Afterwards, sure I remember Rawat screaming at us, premies, that we had to surrender. If we had already done so before K that wouldn't have been necessary.
John.
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If the following isn't 'surrender', then as a requirement for receiving K it sure walks like it and quacks like it... (From the Knowledge Vows, 1978) "Oh my Guru Maharaj Ji, I dedicate myself to You. I am weak and ignorant and am filled with the impurities of this world. Oh Guru Maharaj Ji, through Knowledge please purify me of the impurities I possess. Reveal to me the Knowledge of all Knowledges. Strengthen me, uplift me and reveal the Truth within inside of me. Bring me from hate to love, darkness to light, death to immortality. I will follow Your direction and never reveal this Knowledge to anybody for any reason. I will keep in contact with You through my devotional love, satsang, meditation and service.
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"A difference between the two movements, however, is that in DLM such surrender is a necessary condition for initiation. In Rajneeshism, initiation without immediate total surrender is possible. Surrender is viewed as a manifestation of the maturational process which takes place during membership instead of before initiation."[Comment: I assisted on many K sessions in the mid-70s (and also participated in a lot of "Knowledge Reviews," by simply attending Knowledge sessions, when accompanying a mahatma/instructor). Both in the aspirant/initiate selection process and during the K initiation ritual (at the beginning), 'surrender' to Maharaji became a bigger deal (from 1973 until the early eighties). The mahatmas/instructors really got into it - i.e. surrender to Guru Maharaj ji (Fakiranand, Charanand, Rajeshwar, et al). Then (in about 1981-2), the whole org and spin shifted again, local satsang programs faded, the ashrams closed, etc.. M. became the only speaker and premies stopped giving satsang, remembering 'the Word' all day, etc. Nowadays, we also have the concept of 'surrender' in meditation. However, the author of this article is clearing referring to a 'surrender' to Rawat prerequisite for Kn, and that is an accurate assessment for the mid through late 1970s, at least from my own experience and observation. Previously, in the first couple of years of propagation in the West, people could go to a program and sometimes get the techs that night or the next day. There wasn't a prolonged process, i.e. having to listen for days and days to "satsang" and then more "satsang." By 1973 the wait was becoming weeks, then it became months... Beginning in the mid-1970s some people even had to wait years to "receive Knowledge." Later, during the 1980s and 1990s aspirants had to go through 6 months of watching vids, or more recently the Keys (and sign away one's legal rights, from the start). During the 1970s Knowledge sessions: Per the direction of the mahatmas/instructors, there was the ritual of bowing down to M.'s large framed picture (placed on an upholstered chair) and repeating the words of adoration/subjection, the act of 'surrendering' oneself to Guru Maharaj ji, and also making an offering - money, jewelry preferred, of course, but sometimes it was just flowers or fruit. Then came some brief satsang and explanations from the mahatma, some instructions, and boom - the light, music, breath (aka Holy Name, the Word, 'so hung' ...), and nectar meditation techniques. Then, after the K sessions, the new cult members would be treated to some food. Then, there'd be evening satsang, with the mahatma and the new cult members attending. Yes, surrender to Maharaji, upon his direction, increasingly became a bigger focus throughout the 1970s. For instance, "Surrender to your lover" was a Blue Aquarius/Shiva tune of early 1974, and the 'lover' was Guru Maharaj ji. (Soon thereafter, bandleader bro Bhole ji bolted with Mata ji and Bal Bhagwanji in the family breakup.) Indeed, "Surrender" was a frequent term and focus in the cult. Surrender to whatever was happening, "surrender your mind," "surrender the reins of your life" to Maharaji, "surrender" to the Living Lord, the Perfect Master, the Satguru, Guru Maharaj ji, Our Father - Prempal Singh Rawat - and to his perfect form, his perfect golden body, to his agya (direction), to his desires for an Aston Martin (like James Bond), a plane, a more expensive plane, a house, a bigger house, a mansion, another mansion, a bigger jet plane, some more luxury cars, and the ever-present calls for more monetary donations and monthly pledges, etc., under the banner of "Satsang, Service, and Meditation" in "DEVOTION" to the 'Living Lord', the divine Himself who comes in the flesh into this world - Prem Rawat. Remember, we were "devotees of the Living Lord." The devotee's DEVOTION, SURRENDER to the Living Master, the satguru, the Perfect Master, the incarnation of Krishna who wears the crown of Krishna and his flute and dances onstage with his gopis and devotees at every festival, and whose thousands of followers ritually bow down and literally worship him - as the omniscient, all-powerful supernatural divinity in human form, who is the manifestation of God himself. In point of fact, for premies Maharaji was our "LORD."] "A second similarity is that in both movements, participation involves rejection of previous habits and lifestyle. According to Maharaj Ji, all evil should be attributed to the mind, while for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the ego is the responsible agent. Apparently, these merely represent linguistic variants to indicate the same obstacle of freeing oneself from former bonds, but in essence they refer to different realities. DLM’s concept of mind refers primarily to a state of consciousness characterized by everything but passive, nonrational confidence and trust." [Note: "According to Maharaj Ji, all evil should be attributed to the mind... DLM’s concept of mind refers primarily to a state of consciousness characterized by everything but passive, nonrational confidence and trust." Poor "Mr. Mind." A mind is a terrible thing to have, er, lose. - Prem Quayle]
This article belongs in all the Rawat cult member archives. - Mick]
Modified by Mick at Mon, Mar 27, 2006, 13:38:50
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. . . although I don't know if the surrendering prior to getting the techs was so much a conscious act of submission or a bought into belief system about Rawat. It could be just a semantical difference though.
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Remember the black and white poster that was everywhere in 1973? The pic was of a young prem with a white cloth on his head and his arms outstretched.....wasn't it? The words invited us to: "Surrender the reins of your life to me, and I will give you such a love that will never die" The notion of "surrender" had a huge effect on me.I agonised over whether I would be able to do it and wondered if I were sincere enough to receive knowledge and try.I thought it was the ultimate giving up of my identity and "merging" with the Lord of Creation. " I surrender to my Satgurudev" Fancy torturing myself with that bollocks at the age of 19 !
Modified by Lexy at Mon, Mar 27, 2006, 17:37:25
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Hate to be a broken record here but the primary key to the DLM/Elan Vital mind-set can be found in Arti, which many of us sang twice a day for years on end. Talk about programming.
Mine, Thine, Wealth, Health
Give them to the lotus feet of love
Give them to the lotus feet of the Lord
Give yourself to Satguru
Sacrifice yourself to Satguru
Be united with the blissful Truth
Jai Dev, Jai Satgurudev.
IMHO, surrender was and always has been part of the equation.
Modified by Steve at Mon, Mar 27, 2006, 20:21:08
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The article was originally published in a magazine called Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements, 10/2 June 1986, as partially mentioned on the Dialog Center webpage. I had not understood this. Andries
Modified by Andries at Sat, Apr 01, 2006, 05:56:07
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