Worried about the greying of gurudom?

Narayani Ganesh

Speaking Tree Speaking Tree

TOI

January 22, 2023

The greying of Indic gurudom is a matter of concern for some. The names most of us are familiar with are legion, including global celebrity-gurus like the hugging mother, Mata Amritanandamayi; Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness The Dalai Lama; the Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; Parmarth Niketan’s Swami Chidanand Saraswati; Prasanna Trust founder, Swami Sukhabodhananda; Isha Foundation head, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev; Satsang Foundation head, Sri M, and more. They are all in the league of senior citizens. Then, there are those who are close to 60, like the 57-year-old Baba Ramdev,  the 56-year-old Anandmurti Gurumaa of Rishi Chaitanya Ashram and others.

Is the ageing of Indic gurus something to worry about? Won’t their teachings live on even after their physical body dissolves? Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Osho, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kanchi Shankaracharya, Neem Karoli Baba and so many others, too numerous to list here including Buddhist and Jain masters, Christian and Muslim leaders, who led illustrious lives, dedicating themselves to spiritual quest and guiding seekers to find their paths, are no longer here, in their physical body. Yet their presence is felt in their organisations, ashrams, institutions and their disciples, in their discourses, anecdotes and teachings that inform, guide and bring succour to millions.

These thoughts got triggered by a little communication that informed of a video message from HH The Dalai Lama on ‘The Art of Hope’, to promote the sense of oneness of eight billion human beings who live together on Planet Earth. His four life commitments that he often shares with audiences are: kindness and compassion; religious harmony; preservation of Tibetan culture and environment; and the revival of ancient Indic wisdom. The last is tribute to all the knowledge, carried forward by Buddhists, that transformed the way the people of Tibet view life and living, and which continues to give them the strength, courage and hope to carry on, despite all the onerous challenges that they have been facing since long. And Tibetan spiritual leaders are returning the favour, re-introducing Indic philosophy to Indians and people of the rest of the world.

Tibetan spiritual tradition has held up the theory of rebirth and reincarnation, thereby somewhat providing solace to those who pine for the guru’s presence long after he has left his mortal coils.

The proliferation and penetration of digital technology has enabled spreading messages — of gurus who have passed on — far and wide, ensuring that every corner of the world becomes aware of their priceless teachings and anecdotes.

For those who yearn for the physical presence of these gurus, technology could help create holograms so that each time you listen to a discourse or talk, you can also ‘feel’ the presence of the guru in the room.

Interestingly, there is another dimension to the guru’s presence, such as the belief that sages like Mahavatar Baba get sighted in the Himalayan region and in other places. Now, that is an entirely different aspect to the subjects of mortality and immortality, presence and absence, the here and the hereafter. The truth is that in whatsoever form one envisions one’s guru, realised mentors are like GPS for the soul, directing seekers on the path of liberation that leads to the ultimate destination, of ecstasy.

ganeshnarayani@yahoo.com 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/worried-about-the-greying-of-gurudom/

Spiritual Leader Sadhguru Takes Baba Ramdev For a Ride On a Ducati

Watch Video

Baba Ramdev and Sadhguru also shared their experience in a video uploaded on Youtube with a title “Biker Dudes”.

Ayushmann Chawla
News18.com
August 17, 2018

Who doesn’t love a good motorcycle ride and that too on a Ducati, well we have a video that can represent that joy as recently spiritual reformer and author Jaggi Vasudev, commonly known as Sadhguru was seen riding a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled with Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev. The two popular Indian spiritual leaders also shared their experience in a video uploaded on Youtube with a title “Biker Dudes”. The two rode the bike at the foothills of Velliangiri which is near the outskirts of Coimbatore, along the Western Ghats. In the video, Baba Ramdev shares his experience where Sadhguru told him “Don’t take both your hands off” as they were riding at pretty good speed. You can watch the video below.

Baba Ramdev also told about the moment where he took his hand off a little and lost balance and how he recovered and held Sadhguru tight after that. Both the spiritual leaders are an idol to their followers and riding a motorcycle without helmet and safety gear doesn’t convey a good message.

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled was launched in India last year and is powered by a 803cc oil cooled engine, as on the standard scrambler, that churns out 74 bhp and 68 Nm of peak torque. It also gets full 200 mm extended travel on the front and rear suspension, higher seat off-road style footpegs with removable rubber.

The bike comes with 19-inch front and 17-inch rear spoked wheels with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres and Brembo braking system that features a Bosch 9.1 MP ABS system with pressure sensor.

https://www.news18.com/news/auto/spiritual-leader-sadhguru-takes-baba-ramdev-for-a-ride-on-a-ducati-watch-video-1847725.html

Life After Isha yoga

1st Experience of 7 Days Inner Engineering Program done, conducted by Isha Yoga

Trained Teacher.

Readers may kindly keep in mind that I already had much scriptural back ground having read all the devotional scriptures of ISKCON since the age of 18 like Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and attended this with just a pure curiosity as to what it involves since Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev [SJV] with his Logical oratory, discourses on World Space Satellite Radio was making too much hype and emphasizing too much on the word experience. I am not the kind of a person who does something by anybody's coaxing and I did not venture for Isha and Sadhguru because of any physical or mental problem as since birth life has been very comfortable for me.

The Introduction involved a simple talk by the teacher who asked us "Do you know where you came" meaning how our landing on this planet happened and why we were doing all those things that we are doing in our life. Some answered for money, some for pleasure, and some for time pass. I kept quite as it was nothing for me having read the "Bhagavad-Gita "As It Is" so many times. ...  Continue Reading.

https://archive.org/stream/LifeAfterIshaYoga/LifeAfterIshaYoga_djvu.txt

Blog: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha foundation is a cult leader

"Broken families is a constant theme in all Isha Yoga full time volunteers. Educate yourself before you leap off the cliff with Jaggi. Specially, protect your children from jumping off the cliff."
http://sadhguruculteducation.blogspot.com/

A-listers line up to meet famed yoga guru in Central Park

Oli Coleman

Page Six

May 25, 2018

New York society is flocking to a new guru.

We’re told socialite Hannah Bronfman, Anna and Andrew Chapman, music mogul Jason Flom and fashion insider Kelly Cutrone among others, have all pilgrimaged to Central Park to meet Sadhguru — as he refuses to meet his supplicants in office buildings.

It being 2018, the Indian mystic is also a YouTube star, naturally, with 1.2 million followers.
We’re told the group sought answers on everything from the global plastic waste crisis to bringing yoga into prisons.
Sadhguru is the author of “Inner Engineering” and has spoken for groups of up to 100,000 people.
He’s in the US as part of his mission to get 4.5 billion people to do yoga.

https://pagesix.com/2018/05/25/a-listers-line-up-to-meet-famed-yoga-guru-in-central-park/

KCR, Naidu Run After Spiritual Gurus!

Greatandhra.com
April 13 , 2018

It looks like Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu have developed a lot of affinity for spiritual gurus to promote their respective political images in the public.

While KCR has been pampering yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Naidu has been seeking the blessings of celebrity spiritual gurus like Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of Isha Foundation and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of Art of Living.

On Thursday, Baba Ramdev came to the residence of KCR and reportedly appreciated his plan to form a federal front.

He also lauded KCR’s vision for agriculture development, particularly his cash incentive scheme. The CMO claimed Baba describing KCR as “super CM.”

However, it is an open secret that Baba Ramdev has business links with KCR’s daughter and Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha.

She has tied with Baba’s Patanjali group to launch a food processing industry in her district.

At the same time, there are also reports that Baba, who is said to be closer to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is also negotiating a secret deal between the TRS and the BJP in the next elections.

On the other hand, Jaggi Vasudev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are high profile spiritual leaders having control over the corporate world in the country.

And Naidu wants their help in bringing the corporate sector to Andhra Pradesh, besides helping his own family business Heritage.

In return, both the spiritual leaders are learnt to have been promised allotment of lands to set up their foundations in Amaravati.

So, it is a sort of quid pro quo in the name of spirituality!

http://m.greatandhra.com/politics/gossip/kcr-naidu-run-after-spiritual-gurus-88773.html

CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/26/2016

​Church of Jesus Christ ​Restored, Abuse-child, FLDS, Scientology, Satanic Temple, Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva, Brahma Kumari, Buddhism, Unarians, legal, India​, Canada​

Bayshore Broadcasting: Member of 'Cult-like' Church Sentenced

King, and his younger brother Fred were arrested in April of 2014 following a 16 month OPP probe into allegations of physical and sexual assault by 7 victims, involving a leader of the ​Church of Jesus Christ ​Restored.​​

http://www.cultnews101.com/2016/12/member-of-cult-like-church-sentenced.html

StarTribune: Minneapolis pastor charged with beating boy, 12, with 2-by-4, electrical cord as religious discipline

The pastor of a north Minneapolis church was arrested last week on assault and child endangerment charges for beating a 12-year-old boy with a 2-by-4 and an electrical cord as religious discipline, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.

http://m.startribune.com/minneapolis-pastor-charged-with-beating-boy-12-with-2-by-4-electrical-cord-as-religious-discipline/407636966/

Fox13: New tape of Warren Jeffs released as judge considers letting FLDS members out of jail again

Federal prosecutors insist both men are loyal to imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, and would do whatever he commanded. They referenced a recording of a conversation Warren Jeffs had with one of his wives and a daughter who visited him in a Texas prison, where he’s serving a life sentence for child sex assault related to underage “marriages.”

http://fox13now.com/2016/12/20/judge-considers-releasing-flds-members-from-jail-again/

Inquisitr: Laura DeCrescenzo Is Suing Church of Scientology Over Forced Abortion, Is This Standard Scientology Practice?

"LAist reported back in April that an LA County Superior Judge issued a ruling which stated that a Scientologist who believed she was coerced into having an abortion would be able to take her case to trial."

http://www.inquisitr.com/3814133/laura-decrescenzo-is-suing-church-of-scientology-over-forced-abortion-is-this-standard-scientology-practice/

Snopes:  Pentagram Displayed at Florida Park Run Over by Angry Driver

A Boca Raton school teacher and member of The Satanic Temple activist group has launched a local controversy after erecting a 300-pound pentagram display next to a nativity scene on public grounds in early December 2016. Some time overnight on 20 December 2016, an angry observer ran over it, according to Boca Raton police. Local news footage showed the pentagram on the grass, bisected by tire marks.

http://www.snopes.com/2016/12/20/pentagram-displayed-florida-park-run-angry-driver/

Indian Television: Tata Sky Guru launched; to feature Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru

"Tata Sky has launched a 24X7 ad-free video service providing teachings of spiritual gurus on its interactive platform. Called Tata Sky Gurus, the subscribers can now have access to the wisdom of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Art of Living Foundation), Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation) and Brahma Kumaris (Brahma Kumari World Spiritual University) from the comfort of their homes."

http://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/tata-sky-guru-launched-to-feature-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-sadhguru-161221

Washington Post: Ex-Scientologists tell disturbing stories about David Miscavige, the ‘pope of Scientology,’ on A&E series

Tuesday night’s episode had a theme: Disturbing stories about the organization’s leader David Miscavige, whom ex-members refer to as “the pope of Scientology,” as well as the “undisputed dictator.”

http://www.cultnews101.com/2016/12/ex-scientologists-tell-disturbing.html

New York Times: Where Buddhism's Eight-Fold Path Can Be Followed With a Six-Figure Salary

“Sit here and get rich,” read small medallions embedded in the floor under each white plastic chair in a vast, open-sided meditation center. In his sermons, the temple’s charismatic 72-year-old leader, Phra Dhammachayo, often exhorts his adherents, “Be rich, be rich, be rich!”

http://www.cultnews101.com/2016/12/where-buddhisms-eight-fold-path-can-be.html

KQED: We Are Not Alone: Unarians Celebrate a Message From Outer Space

"The group was founded by Ernest and Ruth Norman. He was a scientist, a channeler and follower of spiritualism. She had worked as a fruit packer, a maid, a property manager and restaurant owner, among other things, and was interested in spiritualism. Both in their 50s, they met at a psychics’ convention in Los Angeles."

http://www.cultnews101.com/2016/12/we-are-not-alone-unarians-celebrate.html

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Guru-preneurs - Babas are the New Babes in Entrepreneurship

Rasananda Panda and RK Renin Singh
Orissa Diary
April 11, 2016

Sri Sri Ravishankar

There is a new spiritual awakening happening in the business world today. Babas and Gurus who have up till now taught people how to perform yoga and enhance spirituality are now teaching the world a new lesson- how to do business!

With a decrease in volume growth and value, the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector has been facing a crisis since quite some time. Hindustan Unilever Limited, one of the biggest FMCG players in India has its revenue growth in negative since the past seven quarters. From 13.2 per cent in June 2014 to 3.2 per cent in February 2016, there is a huge fall in the MNC’s revenue. Other competitors like ITC’s FMCG business has also fallen from 11-12 per cent to seven per cent in the same duration. The situation is same for other major FMCG players in India. Companies have been trying to cope up with the slow down using various strategies such as increasing ad spending, launching new products and starting various promotional schemes, but to no avail.

As against that, take for instance the case of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved. With an estimated turnover of Rs 5000 crores for FY 2016, Patanjali Ayurved on the other hand is growing rapidly day in and day out and the path ahead looks even brighter. Indian consumers have always looked for affordability as well as quality in every purchase they make. Patanjali products provide exactly this to the Indian customers. With 500 products in its product portfolio such as biscuits, juices, supplements, toiletries etc., Patanjali products are placed across as herbal and Ayurvedic products and are considered purer than similar products available in the market. Also, the products are priced quite low comparatively. Add to it the recent trend towards Ayurveda and health is acting as a catalyst in the process. It is hence a no brainer that the demand for Patanjali products has skyrocketed in just a few years after its launch.

Another fact to be noted here is the huge number of followers of these Guru-preneurs. With an estimated number of 70 million + followers, Patanjali products have an already established consumer base that believes in what Baba Ramdev suggests to them. Also, the gurus themselves act as the brand ambassador of these companies and the image of the gurus significantly helps in placing the products. Patanjali Ayurved also advertises aggressively on television with an earmarked Rs 300 Crore as advertisement expenditure thus far. With the tie up with Kishore Biyani owned Future group, Patanjali Ayurved has a well established and far reaching distribution channel. Should we not say strategic alliance?

Interestingly Ramdev baba is not the only one or even the first one to make a cocktail of religion with business. Sri Sri Ravishankar with its Sri Sri Ayurveda- an FMCG arm of Sri Sri’s Art of Living Foundation has also made quite inroads in Indian FMCG sector. Further, Sri Sri released Ojasvita- a malt based health drink targeting the market leaders- Horlicks (a product by GlaxoSmithKline) and Bournvita (a product by Mondelez International) who command 51 percent and 16 percent of the health drink market respectively.

With an even larger follower base of 370 million, the Art of Living Foundation is slowly inching on to the business of wellness and comfort to an otherwise irresistible Indian middle class. Unlike Patanjali Ayurved, Sri Sri Ayurveda products are sold only at POS (Point of Sale) and have just started to use the mass media. Other religious groups like BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), Aurobindo Ashram, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva and ISKCON have also established themselves as reliable brands in the FMCG sector. BAPS produces and sells FMCG products under the BAPS Amrut brand name. Similarly Aurobindo Ashram and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva (Isha foundation) produce and sell food, wellness and personal care items for its followers and own consumption.

The entry of Babas in business is not limited only to the FMCG sector but there are many other places the Guru-preneurs have started to show their mark.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has entered the media and entertainment sector by releasing two movies - MSG: The Messenger and MSG-2: The Messenger. In both the films, Singh has acted as the main protagonist, directed, produced as well as gave music to both the films. Both the movies were heavily advertised along television and other digital platforms with considerable amount of budget spent towards it. The rock star image of Guru Ram Rahim and a significant number of followers in states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan has made sure that there will be many takers for both the films and any film that is due to release. MSG: The Messenger had grossed Rs 216 crore in the box office collection and the second part is claimed to have entered the Rs 50 crore leagues by one of the Dera’s spokesperson. Going by the figures, it is easily seen that Guru Ram Rahim’s strategy is working and working quite good. Also it is believed that three more movies from the same production house are in the pipeline. Besides the movies, the Dera sells spiritual discourses, speeches and music composed by the Dera chief to the various followers. It is also expected that the Dera will also join the FMCG path as it has already taken the MSG franchise.

This trend is however not limited to India. It can also be seen globally as various religious organizations have capitalized on tourism as a source of revenue. Also Televangelism from where it all started is quite prominent in many parts of the world where the tele-evangelists sell their merchandizes.

The Indian economy, it seems is going to depend on these Gurus and Babas who are surely going to become the drivers of Indian economy in the near future. Other companies however will have to fight not only against the marketing strategies of these Guru led companies but also have to deal with the faith of their followers who are loyal to these guru-brands and thus constitutes a sizable market of their products.

http://orissadiary.com/ShowOriyaColumn.asp?id=66299