Skepticism about Charan and Gurinder Singh
Skepticism about Charan and Gurinder Singh |
- Skepticism about Charan and Gurinder Singh
- 9 Warning Signs That Your Friends Are Emotional Vampires (And How To Save Yourself)
- They don't understand emptiness
- BPA Linked with Abnormal Egg Cells
- Early Morning Stress Reduction Inspiration - 9/25/2012
- Women Born Early May Face Difficult Pregnancies
- Anxiety After Prostate Cancer Surgery Tied to Depression, Unhappy Sex
- Buddhism for the spiritually blind
- Early Morning Spiritual Consciousness Inspiration - 9/24/2012
| Skepticism about Charan and Gurinder Singh Posted: 25 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Some comments on this blog deserve more attention than they get if hidden away as part of a blog post. Here's one such thoughtful comment from "aloe," published yesterday on this post, which will be of interest to those who follow Sant Mat and Radha Soami Satsang Beas goings-on. It had started earlier, as once in a while someone would mention something that was out of order about Sant Mat. I would tuck these objections in the attic of my mind, thinking them to be exaggerated rumors. Then I got to know younger Satsangis who went in and out of marriages, who acted oddly after being at the Dera, and a Representative who encouraged devotees to smuggle merchandise into the Dera via their suitcases. Then there was my trip to the Dera, to hear Gurinder Singh. My roommate and I would write down what he said during the daily meetings for Westerners in a Yurt as soon as we got to our rooms, so we would not forget anything. We even matched notes. The only word we disagreed upon was "that". I thought he'd leave out the "that" in "so that" and she felt he must speak correct English and had put that word in. What surprised both of us was that Gurinder Singh answered someone who mentioned getting out in four life times (liberation from the material regions into the pure spiritual regions). Gurinder Singh said "I never said that!" No wonder he will not be taped. He doesn't know what the Sant Mat books say and does not want us comparing notes! The other thing that surprised us was when he said that meditation results were "exactly the same as a drug trip." The "only difference is, that a drug trip is unnatural, forcing your way inside. Meditation is the natural way inside." Why this impacted me is that, unlike most Satsangis, I had not taken drugs and was very much against it. I met a man shortly after the above exchange and he said that he had taken drugs and fully agreed with Gurinder Singh. In fact, he felt vindicated for using them, in the beginning, because of what Gurinder Singh had said. This is why I remember the incident so clearly. Two others besides myself heard him say this. Another time a lady came up behind me as I was looking at the photograph of Nimi wearing Rajasthani jewelry with her father, Charan looking lovingly at her in the then new book Legacy of Love. She said curtly, "So that is who I bought that jewelry for!" I looked at her, astonished. She said "And with my money!" Then she walked off. This was on a United States Sant Mat property. In the early 1980's at a Sant Mat potluck, a pretty young lady in Salwar and Kamiz outfit came near me. She was obviously in a bliss state. She said, "Master is all love." I smiled. Then she said, "I spent the night with him in his bedroom and he is all love, all love." Upright me said, "Wait a minute. You spent the night where? "In his bedroom…" Before she could sing song the "love, love" thing again, I said "That is not proper!" She suddenly grasped her face in her hands and said "OH, I want my life back! I just want my life back!" She turned and literally ran away. I was in a Western Representative's home and he asked the group to volunteer to take some merchandise to the Dera. I volunteered and asked what I would be taking. He said that the package would be wraped. I said "What about customs?" Do you know what he said? He said "We don't think about that." I said, "But I will have to go through customs". He said, "No, I don't want you. You are not suitable." Later I read about the smuggling that was the usual way for Dera to stock its computer room with computers and its hospital with medical supplies. I guess that quarter billion dollar business was not up and running yet, and Gurinder could not pay the customs duty? Evidently this also went on under Charan. Bible verses of God revealing Himself to mankind ran through my brain. Reading the Bible again I was shocked that Jesus said that he was God (that is what the Son of God means in Jewish. It means you are God. That is what was so shocking to the Sanhedrin. They did not like Jesus claiming to be God. It was not in their plans for a material kingship type Messiah). My New Age upbringing had always stated that Jesus never claimed to be God! Then there is Genesis, where the Satan as the serpent tempts the Adam and Eve with the path of becoming God through the path of knowledge—just like a Guru, my, my! But wait, mankind through the birth of a Messiah through Mary will crush the head of the serpent, God will make the sacrifice burning up everyone's karma, Jesus will establish His Church which will present the Eucharist as a sacrament to join us in His sacrifice so we will go to Heaven and enjoy the Bliss of God according to our own capacity and the bad guys will be thrown in the prison of Hell, so that goodness will not have to put up with evil any longer! Well, it is different! I was struck by the person who said they were equally as comfortable with Sant Mat as with Catholicism. Well, Charan's daughter was sent to Catholic school so guess where Charan got his information in fusing some Catholic ideas onto Sikkism? It is the Hindu way to accept contradictions, to accept nonsense. That is why Sant Mat can blithely preach that God emanated Himself in a churning motion and precipitated the world out of himself. A rock is as god-like as a Guru. The only difference is that the rock is unconscious that it is God and the Guru is conscious that he is God. Then Sant Mat can turn around and say that God as Divinity created the material world and God transcends the creation. Both are equally true: the creation is God and the creation is transcended by God. The creation always existed and God also made the creation out of nothing. There, everyone can be happy in what they believe. Just believe whatever you want, even both at the same time! The only problem with this is that there are a few of us left who want the truth, just like the lady I heard at Dera, crying, saying "Master, you always speak the truth, don't you? People are saying that you do not speak the truth. But you are truth. You must speak the truth. Tell me that it is not true, that you do speak the truth. Tell these people that they are wrong!" Master looked pityingly at the poor soul, who had obviously not been messed up enough to just accept evil and good as being the same thing, merely an act to get over with until the last karmic tit for tat is done. He said "Why do you care what they think?" Then he just looked at her, saying "I will be what you want me to be." Well, how convenient! The world, my dear friends, is a battle between good and evil. Satan is the great trickster and liar, determined to stop you from fighting on the side of good against evil. Satan has a lot of followers who try to tell you to just be indifferent to everything and stay in a happy, self-induced bliss state through all and you will merge with…..WHAT? Merge with what? With whatever you want that what to be? Few escape the New Age world. Very very few escape. Usually guru followers run after one guru, one New Age path after another. Even Catholicism has its New Age apparition. The current one is Medjugorje. Just type in Medjugorje/ documents , to learn the truth about that one. Read Archbishop Lefebvre's books especially Against the Heresies and The Mass of All Time for one who sees through paganism. This is probably your only escape route, as the Church is courting humanism, right now, and is confusing. Lefefbvre is never confusing. Read the Douay Rhiems version of the Bible as Jerome had manuscripts that are now missing. Thus his sources were older than what exist today, making his translation more accurate. The 1500's Rheims New Testement is hard to obtain, but possible. It is the literal Vulgate. Most are the 1700's version and have a slight humanist slant to them, but it is still mostly intact. The real Christianity is quite austere and frugal in its required behavior. Very disciplined. That is why so many who need discipline follow gurus. The Church dropped the ball and made everything easy, which is not what disciples need. But Lefebvre does not. He follows Jesus, one of the few. God's plan is different from the New Age. Instead of humans inventing and discovering ways to be God, God reveals All to us and gives us a plan to obey so that we can adore God in His Realm and be happy forever. It is really a no- brainer, it is that sad tendency to keep rebelling that is the problem! I hope this helps some of you to get over your deep sentiments of affection for Sant Mat. After the deep pain of seeing the truth (praying to Jesus to keep away all false visions really helps) and the embarrassment of being tricked, there is life after Sant Mat. Few will understand you, but there are some out there who will leave the New Age behind for good, and not simply carry it with them. Just remember, however, that the entire world is against Jesus. Most of the world is much more accepting of Masonic type New Age stuff than it is of a true Jesus. The world loves humanistic Christianity; it will tolerate the moral discipline of a Satsangi, but it will never tolerate the Sacrifice of the Mass. Try to see the Infinity of God and not the chasm of world. Pax Christi 
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| 9 Warning Signs That Your Friends Are Emotional Vampires (And How To Save Yourself) Posted: 25 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT  You spend time with them and even though they were all smiles, you still felt like you had been attacked in some way, and it leaves you feeling confused? You have just been in the company of an emotional vampire. So, how do you spot an emotional vampire? We all know about mythological Vampires, well EV's (Emotional Vampires) aren't much different, except they don't drink blood, but instead they feed on energy of others. They are addicted to drama and feed of the energy created by the emotions of those involved.
You cannot always get away from EV's, especially if they are members of your family, work colleagues or friends, but you can learn to protect yourself whilst you live among t! hem. Her e are my top survival techniques.
Is it possible to save an Emotional Vampire? If you have read this and are now freaked out because you realise that your friends, family, colleagues or even your partner are possibly EV's; take action and implement the survival techniques. You can't rescue an EV. They have to want to rescue themselves and be willing to make the changes. If you try, all you end up doing is sacrificing yourself and being drained dry or turning into an Emotional Vampire yourself. I know this may seem harsh, but the best thing you can do for them is to demonstrate that there is another way of being.
Do you have a bucket list? Here are 101 things to do before you die. Includes a tutorial on how you can create your bucket list too!      Read More @ Source 
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| They don't understand emptiness Posted: 25 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT This modern group of sham Buddhists who make up the Empty-ists don't really understand emptiness (shunyata). They are reading it as there is no independent existence, or the same, they are reading it as universal emptiness of independent existence. This particular view adds up to nihilism no matter how one might slice and dice it with words. But emptiness, as far as the Buddha is concerned, means the emptiness of something, which is to say, in whatever place something is absent, one observes that particular place to be empty of it. Zen master Tsung-mi explains it this way: "When there is nothing in a jar, the jar is said to be empty—it does not mean that there is no jar." We can say that all the Five Aggregates are empty of reality. If we look into them no reality or svabhâva can be found. They are illusory or barren. This is their emptiness. We can also empty out this kind of emptiness (i.e., the lack of reality). This is the emptiness of the absolute which is empty of the unreal. Rather than play with Nagarjuna's poisonous snake of emptiness, the true adept of the Buddha first strives to attain pure Mind that is one without a second. This allows him to see that everything is only a configuration of Mind. With such a Mind it is easy to see that phenomena, of themselves, are empty of true reality and that pure Mind is empty of unreality. 
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| BPA Linked with Abnormal Egg Cells Posted: 25 Sep 2012 04:00 AM PDT
Girls exposed to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) while in the womb may be at increased risk for reproductive problems later in life, a new study in monkeys suggests. In the study, female monkeys exposed to BPA in the womb were at higher risk for abnormal egg development compared with those not exposed to BPA. In female monkeys, as in humans, egg formation begins before birth. However, it's not known whether BPA could have the same effect on egg development in people. Additionally, because the monkeys in the study did not grow to reproductive age, it's not clear what effect the egg abnormalities could have on their ability to reproduce later in life. But the researchers speculated the abnormalities they observed could lead to an increased risk for miscarriages and birth defects, and a reduced "pool" of viable eggs. "All the eggs that a female is going to have in her lifetime are formed before birth," said study researcher Catherine VandeVoort, a professor at the University of California, Davis. "Anything that disrupts that process is going to have an impact later in life," VandeVoort said. The researchers said they hope to conduct a study in which monkeys exposed to BPA in the womb are followed into adulthood, to investigate whether they have problems conceiving healthy offspring, VandeVoort said. BPA is found in many products, including canned foods, plastics, dental sealants and credit card receipts, so people are likely exposed to the chemical daily, the researchers said. Previous studies in mice have suggested BPA exposure may be detrimental to egg development, but the researchers wanted to study the chemical's effects on monkeys because their reproductive system more closely resembles that of people. The monkeys were exposed to BPA during pregnancy, either through their daily food during their second or third trimesters, or through an implant that provided a continuous, low dose of the chemical. The levels of BPA observed in the monkeys were similar to the levels seen in people, the researchers said. Monkeys in the control groups were not exposed to the chemical. The fetuses exposed to the chemical daily through their mothers' food showed abnormalities — their egg cells showed signs that they would not divide properly during development. If this happens, egg cells will end up with too many chromosomes, which can lead to disorders such as Down Syndrome, or to miscarriage. In addition, both groups of fetal monkeys exposed to BPA had problems with the formation of follicles, which are structures that surround the eggs as they develop. The fetuses exposed continuously to BPA had eggs that were not properly packaged into these follicles, the researchers said. This may mean that the egg would die before it matures, VandeVoort said. Although similar findings have been seen in mice, the new results are important because "this is the closest we can get to humans," said Dr. Ana Soto, a professor of anatomy and cellular biology at Tufts University in Boston, who was not involved with the study. Studies that look at the link between fetal BPA exposure and reproductive problems in people would be difficult because of the long time that passes between birth and reproductive age, Soto said. The new study will be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Pass it on: Exposure to BPA in the womb may increase the risk of female reproductive problems, at least in monkeys. Follow Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner, or MyHealthNewsDaily @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+.  Read More @ Source 
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| Early Morning Stress Reduction Inspiration - 9/25/2012 Posted: 25 Sep 2012 03:00 AM PDT  "Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care." ~The Buddha       Read More @ Source 
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| Women Born Early May Face Difficult Pregnancies Posted: 25 Sep 2012 02:00 AM PDT
Pregnancy complications are more common among women who were themselves born early, a new study finds. In the report, 19.9 percent of women who were born before 32 weeks of pregnancy had at least one complication, such as gestational diabetes or high blood pressure, when they became pregnant. In contrast, only 13.2 percent of women born between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, and 11.7 percent of women who were born at full-term (at least 37 weeks), experienced a complication during their pregnancy. "Our study showed that preterm birth was a substantial risk factor for pregnancy complications, especially among women who were born before 32 weeks," the researchers wrote in their study, published today (Sept. 24) in the in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Over the past 30 years, the survival of babies born preterm has improved, which may mean that the rates of pregnancy complications will rise in the coming years, the researchers said. Women who experience those complications may in turn face more health problems later on. "Pregnancy can be considered a stress test for future cardiovascular and metabolic health," the researchers said. For example, studies have shown that women who experience complications during pregnancy are more likely to later develop metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of medical issues that can include high blood pressure, a large waist and low levels of "good" cholesterol. Increased survival of preterm babies could also mean that, as those babies age, conditions like cardiovascular disease will increase in the general population. In the study, the researchers looked at data gathered on women born between 1976 and 1995 in the province of Quebec who delivered at least one baby between 1987 and 2008. The study included 7,405 women who had been born preterm and 16,714 women born at term. The women's average age when they gave birth was 25. In the U.S., 12 percent of babies are born preterm, according to the World Health Organization. Results in the recent study showed that the earlier a woman had been born, the greater were her chances of having a complication during pregnancy, even after the researchers took into account factors such as the mother's year of birth, chronic high blood pressure, kidney disease and type 1 or 2 diabetes. The study also showed that women who were born small for their gestational age, whether they were born preterm or at full-term, were more likely to have pregnancy complications. While the reason for the link between preterm birth and pregnancy complications isn't exactly clear, it could be that women born preterm have undiagnosed risk factors for complications before they become pregnant, the researchers said. Studies have shown that children and young adults born preterm have higher insulin resistance and blood pressure, which are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. While previous studies have shown that babies born with low birth weight are at an increased risk of high blood pressure as adults, the new findings show that preterm birth, independent of birth weight, may be linked to such conditions in adulthood. "The impact of the patients' preterm birth on obstetric care should be taken into account in the care of pregnant patients," the researchers said. Pass it on: Women who were born preterm may be at a higher risk for complications during pregnancy. FollowMyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Read More @ Source 
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| Anxiety After Prostate Cancer Surgery Tied to Depression, Unhappy Sex Posted: 25 Sep 2012 01:00 AM PDT
Men who experience high levels of anxiety following prostate cancer surgery are at increased risk for depression and dissatisfaction with their sex life, a new study finds. The findings suggest that anxious men may benefit from counseling that addresses their worries, and improve their quality of life, the researchers said. "Given that the majority of men who undergo [surgery] for prostate cancer will not die from their disease, we are concerned about what life will be like for these patients decades after diagnosis and treatment," said study researcher Alexander Parker, an associate professor of epidemiology and urology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. Parker and colleagues analyzed information from 365 men who underwent surgery for prostate cancer. One year after the surgery, participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure their anxiety about their diagnosis and treatment. They also answered questions to measure their levels of erectile function, sexual satisfaction and depression. The results showed that the men who reported high anxiety levels were more likely to also report low sexual satisfaction and a high rate of depression symptoms. Interestingly, anxiety was not linked with erectile dysfunction. "If our results can be confirmed by other investigators, it would suggest that anxiety is not affecting some men's ability to perform sexually, but perhaps more their ability to enjoy their sex life," Parker said. "We are building on these results by designing trials to test whether counseling can help these patients," Parker said. The findings were presented at a joint meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America and the International Society for Sexual Medicine in Chicago last month. Pass it on: Anxiety after prostate cancer surgery may lead to depression and poor sexual satisfaction. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Read More @ Source 
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| Buddhism for the spiritually blind Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT According to the commentarial literature (Vibhanga Atthakatha, 49 f) only a Buddha knows what the self is not (anattâ/anâtman) such as material shape, feeling, perception, habitual tendencies, and consciousness which constitute the Five Aggregates. While everyone knows the signs of impermanence and suffering, ordinary beings lack the ability to distinguish what the self is and is not. Such beings do not even know that what is not their self is impermanent and suffering—and mortal. Nor do such beings realize that suffering, the first noble truth (arya-satya), is material shape, feeling, perception, habitual tendencies and consciousness. In addition, they don't realize that spiritual separation from the just named aggregates is release from impermanence and suffering. In their self-inflicted blindness, ordinary beings (P., puthujjana) are not adverse to constructing a counterfeit Yoga led by the most spiritually blind of this deluded flock. Because of this, they have doomed themselves to endless samsara. These are some of the tenets of a counterfeit Yoga which if any Buddhist believes them, they are far from true Yoga.
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| Early Morning Spiritual Consciousness Inspiration - 9/24/2012 Posted: 24 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT  "More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body. The most valuable of all are the treasures of the heart." ~The Buddha    Read More @ Source 
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