Buzzardhut
December 14th, 2007, 09:12 AM
Eckankar (http://www.carm.org/list/eckankar.htm) was introduced by Paul Twitchell in 1965. There are an estimated 50, 000 zealous members. Eckankar is a combination of the occult, Hinduistic philosophy, and a little of the Bible. It has all the features of a cult.
Founder: Paul Twitchell in 1965. Died in 1971.
Headquarters: Chanhassen, Minnesota
Membership: Estimate at 50,000
Origins: Paul Twitchell who was involved in the occult, formed the first Eckankar group in 1965. Its origins go back to Hinduistic philosophy. The present leader is Sri Harold Kemp known as Mahanta.
Practices: Spiritual exercises are meditation activities built upon the foundation of the "Holy Spirit" which is the Light and Sound of God who is known as SUGMAD. These exercises are intended to bring the person’s mental, emotional, and spiritual state into a proper awareness of the self’s past lives. The purpose of this is to facilitate the contact and aid of present ECK masters who are on different spiritual planes in the next world. By following their teachings, the subject can remove bad Karma and help in his spiritual progression through various reincarnations. Usually, these exercises consist of solitude and quiet meditation on a repeated word or phrase. After these exercises the meditator(s) says, "I now put my inner experiences into your hands, Mahanta. Take me wherever is best for my own unfoldment at this particular time." Mahanta is the highest state of God consciousness on earth. This is supposed to be the "inner, or spiritual form of the living ECK Master." The Mahanta is given great respect, but is not worshiped.
Group chanting sessions sometimes involve repeating the name of God "Hu" (pronounced as hue) which is considered a love song to God. Interpretations of dreams is a very important part of Eckankar practice.
Soul Travel is encouraged. This is a practice where a person seeks to leave his body and have his soul travel to different places and meet different spiritual beings. Eckankar claims that a soul can achieve omniscience through Soul Travel.
Teachings: ECK is the Divine Spirit, or "Current" of life that flows through all living things. Eckankar is a system of belief that seeks to unify the person’s soul with Light and Sound which are twin aspects of the Holy Spirit, or the Divine Spirit. The human soul is eternal and is on a spiritual journey of reincarnation to discover and improve the true self thereby realizing his own true inner divinity. This process can include incarnations as animal forms. Through ECK teachings, people can learn from their past lives and understand their Karma. Journeys in soul and in dreams are aided by The Spiritual Eye, a part of one’s inner self that helps him see God and your his divine self.
ECK masters are agents of God, vehicles of the Divine Spirit that guide people through spiritual learning, past life regressions, dreams, soul travel, and meditations. Past ECK masters include Socrates, Plato, Jesus, Moses, Martin Luther, Michael Angelo, Mozart, Einstein, etc. who all allegedly made astral journeys for their discoveries. There are different levels of heaven: "Astral, Causal, Mental, Etheric, and Soul" and eleven levels of the astral plane. Christ is a state of consciousness.
Dying is called ‘translating.’
Publications: The Key to Secret Worlds, Stranger by the River, both by Paul Twitchell. The Wind of Change, Soul Travelers of the Far Country, both by Sri Harold Klemp. The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad are divine Scriptures.
Comments: This New Age philosophy is nothing more than Hinduism in another package. It focus on God, the self, and love to a great extent, but its real purpose is the exaltation of the self. Be careful of the deception. It appears calm and loving on the outside, but it houses occultic doctrines and practices.
Resources: www.eckankar.org and Larson’s Book of Cults, 1982.
Eckankar emerged during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's during a time in which the youth counter-culture promoted ideals of ancient eastern wisdom. 7 Eckankar has strong ancient roots and the founder, Paul Twitchell, merely helped introduce these teachings to the modern world. Scholars claim that Eckankar repackages ancient beliefs and practices of the Radhasoami tradition with new "Eck" vocabulary . This interesting mixture of ancient wisdom and new terminology invites comparison of Eckankar to Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy . 8
the primary goals of most cults seem only to be growth and wealth" (7). This definitely seems to be true of Eckankar. Also, the members tend not to be interested in charity work, which is another characteristic of a cult (7). To begin with, the history of Eckankar (which is basically the history of Paul Twitchell) will be discussed; an author in Enroth's book also states this fact: "The story of Eckankar is really the story of Paul Twitchell..." (Enroth 60).
Normally in an account of a person's life, it would begin with that person's date of birth. But as Christopher Lane points out, there are five contrasting accounts of Paul's birth date (11). Out of the five, his birth date must be one of the following three: 1908, 1908, and 1910 (13). It could not be 1912 because this date is inconsistent with other facts relating to his earlier life, such as when he began college (12). Also, the alleged 1922 birth date is psumably incorrect because of the unreliable sources it came from (11). Two of these include Gail Atkinson (Paul Twitchell's second wife) and Brad Steiger (the author of Twitchell's biography) (Lane 11). The "proof" of Twitchell's birth in 1922 was found on his first marriage certificate, which is believed to have been written to convince his young wife (Gail) that he was not so many years older than herself (12). Actually, there is very little information known about the personal life of Paul Twitchell; only information that is in his biography by Brad Steiger, which is not an accurate account because it contains mostly Twitchell's own words (8). Twitchell had begun inventing his own past, as one can conclude from the fact that Steiger's biography only rarely agrees with official information from the government or Twitchell's family (Enroth 60).
In the early 1940's, Paul Twitchell had joined the Navy, and in 1942 had also married Camille Ballowe (Lane 16). In 1945, the Twitchell's had moved to Washington, D.C. with Mr. Twitchell's journalism job, and were attending many churches and religious services (17). Around 1950, Paul and Camille Twitchell joined the "Self Revelation Church of Absolute Monism" (18). In 1955, Swami pmanda requested Twitchell to leave the Church. That same year, Paul and Camille were separated; their marriage ended in divorce five years later (19). This was the time when Paul Twitchell came into contact with the teacher who would influence his spiritual life the most: Kirpal Singh. Years later Twitchell creates his own movement based mainly on the teachings of this man and also of Ruhani Satsung (19). But that does not happen before he takes interest in another Spiritual movement at the same time: Scientology.
As a result of variant accounts from friends, family and admirers as well as from what seems to be Twitchell's deliberate attempt to obscure the details of his personal life, details of Paul Twitchell's life prove to be a mystery to Eckankar followers and scholars alike. Even the present leader of Eckankar, Harold Klemp, acknowledges Twitchell's attempt to mislead those who studied his life in saying, "Paul loved his privacy. Early in his youth he was involved in a variety of activities but he made it a point to obscure any facts associated with his life. In so doing he left a trail so clouded that it's going to take our historians years to piece it together." 9 Much of the confusion revolves around specifics of the time, place, and nature of Twitchell's birth as well as specifics concerning his early life. 10
In 1942, Twitchell enlisted in the navy and married Camille Ballowe. During his time in the navy, Twitchell began his prolific career as a journalist, writing for numerous periodicals under various pen names. It was at this time that Twitchell began exploring different religious groups. In 1950 he and his wife joined the Self-Revelation Church of Absolute Monism in Washington, D.C. (a subgroup of the Self-Realization Fellowship ). 11 This group was led by Swami Premananda also referred to as Sudar Singh in Twitchell's later writings. Following his departure from the Self-Revelation compound in 1955, Paul Twitchell and his wife separated. He then joined up with Kirpal Singh, the founder of the Ruhani Satsang, a branch of the Radhasoami tradition.
While maintaining his discipleship of Kirpal Singh, Twitchell also became influenced by L. Ron Hubbard, joined Scientology movement and achieved the status of "clear." Subsequently, Twitchell severed ties with Kirpal Singh's Ruhani Satsang order as a result of a dispute over Twitchell's manuscripts for his book The Tiger's Fang .
Shortly after breaking ties with Kirpal Singh, Twitchell began giving seminars in San Diego, California on the art of bilocation or what he would later call Soul Travel. Through his writings in a variety of periodicals, and his letters to people such as his second wife, Gail Atkinson, Twitchell introduced Eckankar to the world and declared himself to be the 971 st Eckmaster. He claimed to have received teachings from the Vairagi ECK masters including a mysterious Tibetan monk named Rebazar Tarz. 12 Eckankar was officially founded on October 22, 1965 in San Diego, California as a non-profit religious organization.
In 1971 Paul Twitchell died and was succeeded by Darwin Gross, the 972 nd Eckmaster. Before his death, Twitchell had authored over sixty books and recruited many people into the following of Eckankar. 13
Although Gross was selected by the board of Eckankar as well as Twitchell's widow, he brought controversy to Eckankar because many followers felt he was an unworthy successor to the former Eckmaster. Ultimately, Gross lost all of the powers and responsibilities associated with the title of Living Eckmaster and was succeeded by Harold Klemp, the 973 rd and present living Eckmaster. Gross and Eckankar became involved with a number of lawsuits disputing Gross's use of copyrighted Eckankar terminology. 14
Harold Klemp has brought many changes to Eckankar by emphasizing Western ideology rather than the eastern Radhasoami tradition. This change has allowed for a bridge between Eckist and American culture. He has called for followers of Eckankar to perform community service in order to become good co-workers with God.
Basic Beliefs
According to Eckists or chelas, Eckankar means co-worker with God or Sugmand who is neither male nor female. 15 It is believed that Sugmand connects to the soul or Tuza of each individual through light or sound, hence the alternative name of Eckankar, the Religion of Light and Sound. This connection is known as the Eck or Eck current. "Over the centuries it has been given many names. The Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Logos, the Word, Divine Spirit, the Bani, and the Vadan are a few of these names. 16 Eckists are also known to refer to Eck as the Audible Life Stream.
The major goal of the chela is to achieve Self-Realization and ultimately God- Realization. 17 When God-Realization is achieved, the chela will be a true co-worker with God while maintaining individual identity. This belief is contrasted with the Hindu and Buddhist belief in which the ultimate goal is becoming one with God through a complete dissolution into God and losing all individual identity. 18
Soul Travel
Both Self-Realization and God-Realization can be achieved through bilocation or what is now referred to by Eckist's as Soul Travel. In his book, Eckankar: The Key to Secret Worlds , Twitchell describes soul travel as "the separation of the spirit from the body." Soul Travel is distinguished from astral projection which merely involves spiritual exploration of the astral plane. Soul Travel involves the exploration of any one of the God Worlds. 19 There are twelve known planes.
A Living Religion
Eckankar is considered to be a living religion that changes constantly. These constant changes require Eckists to rely heavily on their religious leader. This leader is known as the Eckmaster or the Living Mahanta. There is always a living Eckmaster who comes from a long line of other Eckmasters collectively known as the Vairagi Order. Members of the Vairagi Order reside in the Temples of Golden Wisdom which are located on the various planes. The objective of the Mahanta is to guide the souls of chelas back to God. The Mahanta often serves as a dream master appearing as a blue point of light. In this role, the Mahanta is both omnipresent and omniscient. The living Eckmaster is highly revered but not worshipped 21
Karma
Similar to Buddhists and Hindus, Eckists believe in karma or the idea of past spiritual debt. The goal of each individual is to work off the debt of karma from past lives and become one with God. Once you have achieved Self-Realization through good behavior, you have worked off the debt of past lives but you must continue to live out the rest of this life without accuring more debt. If this is achieved when you leave this life, you will not have to return to this world. 22
Practice
There are more than one hundred different spiritual exercises in Eckankar which may include singing "HU" which is believed to be an ancient name of God. Other exercises consist in focusing on light and sound or what is known as the spiritual form of the Mahanta. Harold Klemp lists many different spiritual exercises regarding dreams in his book, The Art of Spiritual Dreaming. Dreams have become increasingly important in Eckankar practice under Harold Klemp. The serious chela is also expected to go through initiation which currently consists of fourteen stages.
Before Twitchell's Death
The controversy surrounding Eckankar began in the early 1970's shortly before Twitchell's death. Some individuals questioned the source of his teachings and he claimed that others had threatened his life due to their disagreement with his doctrines 24 "Twitchell claimed that he did not borrow ideas from any human source but experienced his own `God-realization' in 1956 and was initiated by a group of Spiritual masters called `The Order of Vairagi Masters' as the Living Eck Master in 1965." 25 This however did not end the controversy.
Darwin Gross, the 972 nd Eckmaster
The controversy continued following Twitchell's death in 1971 with the new Living Eckmaster Darwin Gross. After an intense struggle for power within Eckankar between 1981 and 1983, Gross was stripped of all his authority and succeeded by Harold Klemp. Gross began his group, The Ancient Teachings of the Masters (ATOM) and claimed he was not starting a new teaching but was merely continuing to spread the teachings of Paul Twitchell. Eckankar banned his use of any trademarked Eckankar terminology 26 Gross is still considered the 972 nd Eckmaster, but his picture is not posted in the Temple of Eck and he is not mentioned in discussion of previous masters. 27
MSIA
Meanwhile, John-Roger Hinkins, a former Eckankar member had begun his efforts to form the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Awareness (MSIA) in 1971. A group that heavily resembled Eckankar in terms of organization beliefs as well as practice. 28
David C. Lane
The controversy reached its peak when David C. Lane, a religious studies professor, accused Paul Twitchell of plagarizing his former teachers and fabricating the entire religious history of Eckankar. He essentially devoted his life to proving that Eckankar and MSIA are nothing more than a mere theft of the Radhasoami tradition. Much of Lane's efforts can be viewed on his page, The Neural Surfer . Other comparisons between the three religions can be viewed on the page entitled The Genealogical Connection .
Upon studying Eckankar's writings and secret discourses and by being in it for any length of time, it becomes very apparent
that Eckankar is largely opposed to Christianity and most of the Christian teachings.
' Soul Travelers of the far Country' Harold Klemp
( about an experience on the inner planes)pg118-119. " But when the Bible hit my lap, I immediately jumped up and threw it on the floor," The Bible is dead!", I shouted in response. The preacher hurled barbs at me while I stalked down the aisle without a word, heading for the exit."
' Shariyat Ki Sugmad' book2 Paul Twitchell
pg25. " Such assaults on the Mahanta are those which originate from the Kal using the minds and the consciousness of those persons within it's power to destroy the Mahanta and the ECK, if at all possible. These are the works of the Kal, who uses religions, ministers, and lay persons, to bring about the downfall of the ECK; because it is truth."
For example, Eckankar falsely teaches that the God Christians pray to is a being called the Kal;
a being in the lowest level of the Eckankar heavens.
' Letters to Gail' vol2 Paul Twitchell
pg72. " Many believe that Jehovah, or Yahweh, is God. The masters of the earth are responsible to this deity unless they have developed beyond him, toward God himself."
pg74. " Now within the negative stream in the lower worlds, under Kal Niranjan is the famous trinity so named by the Hindu and Catholic religionists."
Eckankar teaches that sin is an illusion.
' Letters to Gail' Paul Twitchell' Paul Twitchell
pg18. " You see Maya is actually the dreamworld in which you live in that dual viewpoint which sees good and bad. Therefore what is called sin is but an illusion..."
'Shariyat Ki Sudmad' book2 Paul Twitchell
pg3. " The idea of man being born in sin is one of the oldest pitfalls which the Kal Niranjan could plan for keeping Soul in ignorance of it's true glory."
Eckankar teaches that Jesus was actually only a lower initiate who didn't make it very
far on the spiritual ladder.
' In the Company of Eck Masters'
pg176-177. " You see, because of the nature of Jesus' works and words, he must constantly return to the court of Yama until there are no more misunderstandings involving his name." "On the other hand, the followers of Jesus believed that he could take care of the karmic debts himself. Those following him dumped all their transgressions on him, doing nobody any good. They didn't learn the lessons of the laws of karma, and Jesus now has to answer for all the things done in his name."
Eckankar teaches reincarnation.
' Shariyat Ki Sugmad' book2 Paul Twitchell
pg44. " If he seeks elsewhere, it is eventually learned that he is on the path of the Kal and will spin around on the wheel of Awagawan- the coming and going, the age long cycle of rebirths and deaths, transmigration, and reincarnation."
It stresses that the follower of Eckankar can escape reincarnation through various occult
practices whereby the follower experiences ' soul travel'. While in this state, the follower,
assisted by a spirit guide, ascends through various initiations, to higher and higher levels
of heavens. Eckankar often refers to their particular line of spirit guides as the ' Eck masters,
the inner master, or the dream master'.
The follower is said to eventually achieve, at the higher levels of these heavens, a state
referred to as ' god-consciousness' or ' god-realization'.
As with many other new age cults with their different spirit guides, Eckankar also stresses
that to make any progress on the path of Eckankar, one must surrender his consciousness
to this ' inner master' or ' dream master' (spirit guide) whom contacts the follower through his
occult practices or through dreams.
Contact with spirit guides through occultism has always been forbidden by God.
" Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly..." Acts 19:18-19
" Now if people say to you, " Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living, for teaching and instruction?" Surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!" Isaiah 8:19-20
" He made his son pass through the fire in the valley of the sun of Hinnom, practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger." 2 Chronicles 33:6
" No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts and spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord..." Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Spirit guides in the occult often do prove themselves to be nothing more than demonic
spirits masquerading as spirit guides in human form.
Why is this surrender of consciousness to the spirit guide said to be so necessary among
the followers of Eckankar?
Is it because one requires a spirit guide to guide the follower through the spirit realm
during his experiences?
Is it so the follower has protection during his out of body or ' soul travel' experiences?
Or is the requirement of the followers surrender to the ' inner master' or ' dream master'
for a hidden, more sinister purpose?
Just what happens to your perceptions, spiritually, when you surrender your consciousness
to a spirit guide in the occult?
Eckankar places heavy emphasis on dream work and dream development while at the same
time, on surrendering your consciousness to the ' dream master', a spirit guide of
Eckankar.
Normally, one's dreams in everyday life, stem from the subconscious. These dreams can
be anything from stress related dreams to dreams of desire and so on.
The everyday experiences in one's life, from the happy and peaceful, to experiences of
desire, fear and stress will often manifest in dreams of the same nature.
These dreams result in a natural psychological balance achieved through dream release.
In this way, sleep and normal dreaming have been found to be very important for our
mental health and for the proper functioning of the brain.
Dreams have also been given to people directly through the power of God.
" Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said," Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Matthew 2:13
Lucid dreaming is being explored by many people in the new age movement as well.
Lucid dreaming involves waking up in one's dream worlds and having complete control over
the dream environment, the characters encountered, and so on.
In Eckankar, however, you are required to surrender your consciousness, dream life,
etc, to the ' inner master' or spirit guide whom often appears in your inner vision.
If you surrender yourself to this ' inner master', it will then acquire control over your
consciousness and can then proceed to take your dreams, thoughts and spiritual perceptions
under it's own control.
For it's own purposes, the ' inner master' (spirit guide) of Eckankar can then change and
manipulate your consciousness, perceptions and dreams. This is in order to persuade you
to believe various false teachings, visions, and spiritual experiences . The spirit guide's
eventual purpose is to take the soul captive , through manipulation of the follower's free
will.
Therefore, the newly joined follower will eventually fall under the control of Eckankar.
The result of surrendering one's consciousness to Eckankar involves the ability of the
demonic spirits (spirit guides) to induce any spiritual or dream experience they wish-
into the follower's consciousness.
' The Art of Spiritual Dreaming ' Harold Klemp
pg33. " The Dream Master sometimes manipulates the dream state so that Soul may communicate with Soul, whatever it's form. Since the man might have discounted a dream about a talking horse, the Master changed the image to one the dreamer could accept. This is just one of the ways the Dream Master works."
pg167-168. " A situation may be mocked up by the Dream Master to simulate something that is causing the Eckist concern in his daily life. Through this dream, the Eckist is shown what he should or should not be doing if he wants to resolve the situation."
As such, the dreams that the follower will have ( past lives, etc...) and the levels of 'heavens'
the follower will experience, are simply mocked up for the follower to experience.
' The Art of Spiritual Dreaming' Harold Klemp
pg36. " The dream world is actually an imperfectly remembered Soul Travel experience. When the memory is not very vivid, we call it a dream. This is why I have linked Soul Travel and Dream Travel so closely together. Basically they are the same thing. They are not dreams and they are not really Soul Travel. They are your experiences of life in the greater worlds."
In Eckankar, however, it is all falsely promoted as being very real.
When one joins Eckankar, and surrenders to the spirit guides appearing to him,
his dreams and spiritual experiences will take on a radical
change.
The dreams and spiritual experiences of the follower will be
induced and manipulated by his 'inner master' (spirit guide), to
make the follower think that he is ascending to heavenly realms
by his own expansion of consciousness.
Aside from being shown false levels of heavens, the follower may also be given dreams
of false past lives which will further instill a belief of reincarnation and karma.
The follower will be shown a false Christian deity and a false Jesus as well as a counterfeit
Christian heaven. The follower is then put above these things to 'higher' realms and will
believe he is above the real Yahweh of the Bible and above the real Jesus. He will be tricked
into believing that he ascended past the Christian heaven to higher realms when he has not.
Eckankar is not the raising of one's consciousness. Eckankar involves the possession of
the follower's consciousness- a possession of one's dream content and spiritual experiences.
What about the ' inner master' or any of Eckankar's spirit guide characters showing up to
people whom have never heard of Eckankar and to people whom didn't surrender their
consciousness to any spirit guides? The spirit guide
characters of Eckankar have also presented themselves outside of
Eckankar for the purpose of making their existence known.
However, these demonic spirits can usually go no further than to appear to non-Eckists.
They cannot take over the consciousness or dream life of an outsider unless given permission
by the person whom experiences them. Permission often includes verbal surrender to them,
complying to their instruction, willing dialogue or communication, practicing in the occult, or
inquiring to them to gain knowledge of some kind.
' The Art of Spiritual Dreaming ' Harold Klemp
pg256. " The Mahanta may sometimes contact a person years before he has come across Eckankar. The person may have no conscious recall of the Mahanta, Soul Travel, or the Sound and Light of ECK. This contact, however, is made in response to his disillusionment with old religious beliefs."
' We Come as Eagles ' Harold Klemp
pg96. " Your dreams are changing because at some level, you have given consent to work with the Inner Master, also called the Mahanta. By studying ECK, being interested in ECK, and indeed even coming to the ECK seminar, you have said ," I would like to know a little bit about ECK."
Eckankar can do nothing for the soul except to lead one into direct disobedience to God's divine will.
" Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons..." 1Timothy 4:1
God's will is for all to come to repentance and be saved through his Son Jesus Christ.
" But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years , and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." 2Peter 3:8-9
" Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10
" Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:19-21
" There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
Are you willing to trade salvation through the real Jesus Christ for some demonically induced
false heavens of Eckankar which upon your real death will not exist?
Are you willing to surrender your consciousness to the demonic spirit guides of Eckankar and
be manipulated by them?
The choice is always yours but please be warned.
Tread cautiously in your spiritual walk of faith.
Do not be deceived by counterfeit spirits or false heavens.
Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin natures once and for all by offering himself back to the
Father as a sinless and perfect atonement for us. This in itself, is something the rest of
us cannot do.
God, through his mercy, love and power, did this for us through his Son Jesus Christ.
" But God proves his love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath of God." Romans 5:8-9
" ...and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
" And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." 1John 5:20
Buzzardhut
December 14th, 2007, 09:37 AM
Though Eckankar (http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=824&Itemid=10&limit=1&limitstart=4) does not try to coerce disillusioned members to remain on the path, Eckists are warned that when they drop out their spiritual growth stops, and they are at the mercy of the Kal, or the negative force of the universe. The Kal is similar to Satan, representing everything that is materialistic and evil, a being of vileness, wrath and vengeance. For years after I left Eckankar I was plagued with wrenching spasms of primal fear, emptiness, collapse, and betrayal. David Lane's critiques of Eckankar may be well documented and rational, but religious devotion is not about rationality. On an Internet alternative religion bulletin board a former Eckist writes that after reading Lane's book, "I felt as if someone had just torn out my insides and served them to me over rice." Losing one's cult is like losing the love of one's life. The lover has lied to you, but the lover is oh so seductive and satisfying, and submission is so thrilling. It's difficult not to resent Lane, that temptress, that town gossip, that snake in Eden.
"But Eckists are such sweet people," I insist. "Don't you feel like the Great White Hunter attacking the endangered rhinoceros?"
Lane responds with animation. "People always say, 'Leave us alone; Eckankar works.' I do leave those people alone, I don't go into Eck centers and walk around and say, 'Here read my book.' All I'm saying is that Twitchell was lying to his constituency in a major way. If you want to go and follow a group in which the founder lies to you point blank at every turn, whether it's about the spiritual masters on the inner planes, about his personal life, or about the sources of his information and his books, well fine. Do people get mad at Ralph Nader for saying that a Pinto blows up? Wouldn't you want to know everything you possibly could about the history of this group, and then make your choice? It seems to me I'm doing a huge favor to the Eckists because now they can know what they're joining, and if they've read my book, they've done all the research and if they still think this is for me, then fine. They've made an open-eyed decision."
"There's contradictions and scandals in every religion, Christianity included. Why do you make a point of fingering Eckankar?"
"I do think Christianity has ****ed up more people in its history than Eckankar ever has. You're right, every world religion has got its problems. I think it would be wrong of me to say that Eckankar is unique. Let's just say that on a relative scale, Jim Jones and Jonestown is the worst, and that Mother Teresa of Calcutta is the best-in that range Eckankar is kind of in the middle, and I don't think it should rank with the most dangerous of cults. It has its positive aspects, a sense of community, a sense of focusing on the individual and his or her experiences of the divine. On the negative side, Twitchell's teachings were synthesized without really maturely thinking whether these different teachings fit in together. I think there's some sophomoric techniques, that it's naive in terms of its psychology. Instead of asking people to be really skeptical of things it's asking them to believe almost anything."
"But, Dave," I counter, "when you talk to Eckists they always tell you, 'I'm a totally skeptical person, I don't believe anything until it's proven to me.'"
"I'm sure they said that about Jim Jones; I'm sure they said that in David Koresh's group, Mother Teresa's group. They would say that in any college or institution. You're not going to say, 'Well I'm a dumb shit. My group is for dumb shits. Everybody has an IQ of 80 or lower … uuurrrrrrrrrr, let's go, let's start a religion.'"
Our pizza arrives, and Lane politely allows me to take the first piece. I ask, "How do you account for Eckankar's success?"
"Eckankar uses two things that everybody has to have. That is, people have to find meaning in their lives, regardless. Second, everybody has to dream at night, or most people dream at night, and Eckists dream about Fubbi Quantz or Rebazar Tarzs or Paul Twitchell. I dream about all these guys myself, because if you study the stuff long enough … I see Eck masters, I see Radhasoami masters, I see Rebazar Tarzs and Sudar Singh. But it's my vivid imagination, the projections of my own mind, my own day to day experiences. I don't give them any value. But if I belonged to an organization that did, I'd really start believing I'd had a spiritual experience, I'd wake up feeling like, 'Wow!' Eckankar works because it doesn't make you have experiences that are impossible to have."
"What about soul travel, visiting higher planes of existence?"
Lane swallows his pizza. "I am skeptical of paranormal claims because I believe we need to shave more with Occam's razor."
"Occam's razor?"
"The principle of competing theories, developed in the 14th Century by a guy named William of Occam, who said that if you have competing theories, go for the simplest theory first-if it explains the issue fully. An example: I claim the reason I missed our appointment last night was because Elvis was on Venus and sucked me up into a space capsule. That's one explanation. The other one is I overslept. Among those two explanations, Occam's razor points to the simpler one: I overslept. The problem is that nobody uses Occam's razor when it comes to spirituality. We have a tendency to want to inflate our lives with spiritual meaning, and skepticism is not much fun. A skeptic goes to an Eckankar meeting, or anybody's meditation meeting, and says, 'Well, now wait a second, are you sure you saw the astral body of Rami Nuri? Maybe it was just some neurons firing in the right part of your brain, or maybe you had too much dopamine in the frontal lobes, or maybe you took an Excedrin four hours ago.' We don't want that kind of explanation."
It's a beautiful, sunny day. Sitting at our outside table, high above Camino Del Mar, surrounded by sky and ocean, I feel as if we're gods feasting on petty human concerns. I swallow my pizza and ask, ever so casually, "Is it true that you have some friends who are Eckists?"
"Oh, yeah."
"How do they justify that you are doing things that might damage the group?"
"They differentiate the message from the medium. They say, the message works for me, the contemplation works for me. Paul Twitchell's the past-we've evolved out of that. They say you can never damage the Eck spirit because it's life. So, I may be damaging the organization, but the real essence of Eckankar is not the organization, it's the Eck, that inner spirit."
"How did you meet these people?"
"They read my book. One interesting guy I met was Jerry Mulvin. He was a pro-bowler as well as a higher initiate in Eckankar. In 1979 he called me from Northridge, where he was living at his girlfriend's aunt's house. He'd read the book and wanted me to visit him. After I'd talked to him for a couple of hours, Jerry said, 'Dave, why don't you start your own religion? With all this information you have, you could start your own thing.' I go, 'Jerry, I can't do that-third eye patch, turban, the flowing robe-I can't do it.' Two years later I got a letter from a guy in Canada saying he'd discovered a genuine guru. So I asked, 'Who is this enlightened being?' It was Jerry Mulvin! He off-shooted from Eckankar and founded this religion called the Divine Science of Light and Sound. He's now in Scottsdale, Arizona. For a hundred bucks per year he gives you the divine connection. If he can't take your soul back to God, he improves your bowling game, money back guarantee." We both laugh so loudly the couple at the next table who have been covertly eyeing the tape recorder, stare at us openly. "I wrote to Jerry, I go, Jerry! Two years ago you were living at your girlfriend's aunt's house, not making much money on the pro-bowling scene, and now you're God."
"And what was Jerry's response?"
Lane rolls his eyes. "Classic. He said, 'Some of us live the spiritual life, others intellectualize it. Signed, The Master.' Another former Eckist named Gary Olsen started the MasterPath. He's touring the southwest, as we speak. Another man named 'Sri' Michael Turner, in Tucson, claims to be the 974th Living Master of the Midnight Sun. I keep discovering more and more offshoots, in India as well as here-it's like an ebolo virus, it keeps reproducing itself."
"You know the ins and outs of how religions are organized, and you're a charismatic person-Jerry Mulvin's suggestion that you start your own cult must have been intriguing on some level. I bet you've fantasized about it. Do you think it would be an easy thing to do?"
Lane gives me a big grin. "Well, yes … I've always thought that as a sociological experiment it would be a lot of fun to create your own religion. I wouldn't do it myself because I have too many skeletons in my closet. The skeletons would just keep coming out and coming out. Some old girlfriend would come over, 'Hey wait a minute. ' I don't need a Paul Twitchell scenario. Also I wouldn't do it because it plays too much on people's ultimate vulnerability. But in my lurid imagination I've always thought, how would you pull this thing off?"
Lane needs a bit of prompting. "How would you do it?"
"People aren't doing it the right way, I can tell you that much. First of all, I'd pick a woman as the leader. There's not enough women taking advantage of the market." What about me I think. I imagine a new religion in which I, Dodie Bellamy, would be exalted as the 974th Living Mistress of the Mystical Surf. I'd live in a mansion in Del Mar and have cute boys in short-shorts polishing my Lexus. I'd wear body-hugging white robes and jewel-studded sandals.
"Number two, you don't charge any money because you'll make tremendous amounts of money by not charging money. What you say is, 'This is completely free.' The more you keep saying that, you're going to get people who feel really good about you. Precisely at that point you have people set up donation funds for other activities, which people voluntarily give to.
"Thirdly, you create a hierarchy-you know, levels, initiations. Eckankar does this really well. Scientology does it even better. People love hierarchies; they love status. You may be a loser in the real world, but if you join this cult and all of a sudden you're some ninth honcho, it really gives you a sense of meaning, of purpose-and a sense of power. In our day to day society unless you have the money, education, political connections, you don't have much power. You're just part of a big huge clog. But in these associative groups, these mini-universes, boy, you can become addicted. So the more you have this tier level, the more people will stay within your group.
"Then of course you come up with secret esoteric teachings, which I would synthesize but not plagiarize. You totally acknowledge your sources. But then I'd say that in my trip in 1978-because everybody knows I went to India in '78, meeting all these gurus-I'd say that I met somebody I never talked about and that I found his secret manuscript which reveals the secrets to life. However, it's been ordained that only the first chapter be printed before the turn of the millennium. The other twenty chapters, will have to wait. You get all this interest, "Wow!" You come out with the other chapters later. It's a marketing device."
The waiter arrives with our check, and Lane and I bicker over who's going to pay for it. Nobody wins, so we just let it sit there. Lane's still a member of Radhasoami, but he's been reticent to talk about it beyond mentioning that his guru Charan Singh's death in 1990 has thrown him into a state of crisis. Other students of Radhasoami have objected to Lane's critical stance in The Radhasoami Tradition: A Critical History of Guru Successorship (Garland Publishing, Inc. ). Clearly Lane is not a blind follower, but I'm amazed that, after all the dirt he's dug up on religions, he could seriously be involved in any spiritual path. I ask him how his research into cults has affected his own beliefs.
"My research has helped because it's made me more discriminating, more critical-minded. At this stage of the game I can't buy the crap that permeates religion, not just new religions, but religion in general. There's so much shit. I only accept that thing which I can verify or that thing which I consider to be somewhat genuine. I think of Rumi, the great Persian poet, who said, with all these false coins abounding there's got to be something genuine in the midst of it."
Again, I am reminded of Houdini, whose interest in spiritualism was awakened with his dearly-loved mother's death. Houdini longed to communicate with her beyond the grave. But, whereas his friend Arthur Conan Doyle and other enthusiasts were impressed with mediums' supernatural sideshows, Houdini, with his vast knowledge of magic techniques, could duplicate the effects. He took to unmasking frauds, but always with the hopes of finding a true medium. In The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini, Ruth Brandon writes, "He terribly wanted to be convinced. That he could not be, was his tragedy." I wonder if this is not Lane's tragedy too. I ask gently, "Dave, what do you believe?"
"I'm a mystical agnostic materialist. What it means is that I ultimately don't know. And in my unknowingness I like to explore how much more I don't know."
"Is this a scary position?"
"I love it. I love unknowingness."
"Talking to these Eckists the conscious, rational, jaded Dodie faded out, and this other little Dodie inside me was starting to feel an incredible seduction. I wanted Bettina Yelman's calm, I wanted Charles Richards' benevolence, I wanted Kevin McMahon's assurance. I like you and I'm enjoying our talk, but nothing you're saying is very seductive. Do you know what I mean?"
"When my philosophy students come in and we talk, everybody wants to know the secret of life. And I want to give them the secret, but I don't know it. You're saying that my sense of unknowingness, my sense of skepticism, isn't glamorous or enticing. To be quite frank with you, I loved my guru beyond description. I didn't call him my guru, I called him my friend, because guru has such a weird, master/slave connotation. He was a beautiful person, and I don't know anything beyond that. To me it was very tangible, very real going to India and seeing him work with the poor in the hospitals and feed the masses. Everybody was happy just to see him. And when he died my dreams …" Lane makes a downward, crashing movement with his hand then looks into my eyes so woefully my heart goes out to him.
"Everybody wants to see their guru, their teacher as God," he continues. "I'm quite the opposite. I'm the one guy who wants to see him pick his nails. I'm the guy who wants to see him eat a jellabi. I'm the guy who wants to see a tear in his eye. I want to see the humanness. That's what I love. I don't know anything about God. I'm the guy who doesn't believe, but who is extraordinarily religious. Sometimes when people talk about their religion, I love it and I want all of it, and I'm there, but I can't believe. It's like the square peg doesn't fit no more, because the answer is less than what I know the truth must be. I know it's a lie, I know it's a con. We don't want to face that people die of AIDS. My brother, whom I loved dearly, died of a heart attack three years ago, out of the blue. My dad died of a heart attack. My best friend died. People talk about mythology and spirituality and astral planes and all that crap, but, man, this place *****. I don't give a shit who created it. I don't care what planes there are. When I see somebody in Bombay sitting on a little towel begging, who's got elephantitis, who's got pockmarks on his face, and nobody pays attention to him, the world *****. Bottom line. I want to believe, but I can't. It's a real drag."
Lane drives me back to Hillcrest, and we part with gifts. I give him my new book, and he gives me a rare copy of the 1983 edition of The Making of a Spiritual Movement, the one with the banned no-smoking sign on the cover. "Sign it," I urge. He writes, "To my friend for a lovely 2 days of conversation. Thanks-the Kal force, Dave." The Kal force, remember, is the power of negativity. Lane can be such a card.
The following evening, when the airport shuttle drops me off in front of my San Francisco apartment, five guys are smoking crack beside a dumpster. It's hard to leave the magical vistas of Del Mar. It was hard to leave Eckankar too. And it's hard to write this article. I turn on the stereo and stare out the window. Rosanne Cash sings, "Some dreams die with dignity. They fade out clean and quietly. But some won't let you let 'em go." It's raining. In her Golden-tongued wisdom Rosanne Cash continues to sing, "A cold hard rain comes pouring down. It wasn't like this last time around. There's no calm center to this storm." And it continues to rain. In January, while I'm working on this article it rains twenty-six days in San Francisco. The skies themselves seem to be weeping with loss.
Just when I thought this story was over, a new development pops up, like the arm jutting from the grave at the end of Carrie. Lane tells me that former Living Eck Master Darwin Gross is appearing February 11 at the Best Western Hanalei Hotel. Every thriller these days has a false ending and then a real ending, to the point that when I watch a pre-Carrie film I am disappointed at how easily chaos is defeated. With some trepidation, I return to San Diego, exhausted from two months' immersion in religion. I have a nightmare in which Lane and I go to the wedding reception of a couple we do not know, and Lane abandons me.
The mastership of Darwin Gross is a black cloud in Eckankar history, a history that Eckankar wants to erase. Nowhere in any of the Eckankar press materials is Gross mentioned. I wonder how long it takes new Eckists to even learn of his existence. When word got round that I was doing this article, I got an odd phone call from Don Ginn, the California Regional Eck Spiritual Aid. He didn't bring up David Lane, but he requested that I not dwell on Darwin Gross. Sorry, Don-I really wasn't planning to write about him.
Gross' rise to power was steeped in controversy from the beginning. When Paul Twitchell suddenly died in September, 1971, he left no word as to who his successor should be. Then his widow, Gail Atkinson, had a vision in the night in which Twitchell named Gross. In October, at a seminar in Las Vegas, Gross was revealed to be the new Living Eck Master when Atkinson walked over to him and handed him a blue carnation. Gross actually received the mantleship on the inner planes when he was handed, not a flower, but the Rod of Power. Various Eckists say they witnessed the ceremony. (In one illustration the Rod of Power is depicted as a glowing white wand. When a group of Eckists and I went to see the Bloomington, Indiana premiere of Star Wars, we were thrilled by the light sabers of the Jedi knights. They looked just like the Rod of Power! To top it off, their white helmets bore an insignia that was remarkably similar to Eckankar's circular EK logo. Star Wars was no ordinary action flick, we concluded, but a profound spiritual saga. "May the Force be with you.")
Since Gross had been in Eckankar less than two years, his appointment shocked and disturbed many Eckists. Some left the movement. A few months later Gross and Twitchell's widow married, sending more ripples of confusion throughout the fold. Not long afterwards I joined Eckankar, unaware of the dissension that was brewing. Whenever I saw Gross and Atkinson I would be seated in an auditorium, surrounded by thousands of avid followers, each hoping at some point to receive the darshan, the Master's gaze. Gross was in the habit of wearing light blue leisure suits, and men throughout the audience mimicked his attire. Outsiders would think they had stumbled into a convention of traveling salesmen. My husband, who had never heard of Atkinson before I started writing this article, sees her as a kind of sixties super-vixen, like ***** Galore. But the woman I remember was mousy with a broad smile; no Bond girl was she, Ellen Burstyn, maybe. I raised my head to the stage in rapt silence, devouring every word the Grosses spoke. I could almost picture the legendary Rod of Power in Darwin's hand. They were gods to me-and one doesn't question the mating patterns of gods. Gross and Gail Twitchell divorced in 1978.
In October, 1981, Eckists were again floored with Gross announced his resignation as the Living Eck Master, but not without first signing a contract which gave him a salary of $65,000 for life, as well as full medical and dental coverage, use of a company car, and entertainment expenses. His new title was President of Eckankar. The Rod of Power was passed on to Harold Klemp. Within two years Klemp fired Gross, accusing him of negativity, spiritual decay, and embezzlement. "Apparently," says Lane, "Darwin took $2.5 million and put it into a front corporation in Oregon called Dharma Corporation. He basically took Eckankar's money, while saying it was really for Eckankar purposes." Excommunicated from Eckankar, his lifetime agreement terminated, Gross was suddenly penniless. His books were suppressed, and he was forbidden to associate himself with Eckankar or Eckankar teaching in any way, including the use of trademark terms such as Eck, EK, Living Eck Master, and Eckankar. When Gross protested, he was slapped with lawsuit for business impropriety and copyright infringement.
Gross continues to work as a spiritual master, with a small group of devoted followers, many of them former Eckists. He publishes books through an organization called Be Good to Your Self, located in Las Vegas. Home study discourses and musical tapes are also available. Much of Gross' current teachings center around the easy-listening jazz he performs on the vibes. Gross' uplifting music is claimed to have miraculous healing powers. The program Lane and I attend at the Best Western Hanalei is called "The Universal Basics of Life Through Music." It costs $35 at the door.
Saturday afternoon when we arrive at the Hawaiian-themed hotel with photographer David Allen, Lane keeps disappearing into the bathroom. He and Gross have been sparring since 1977. As late as December, 1993, Gross sent out a memo to all his readers defending Paul Twitchell and "the corporation he started" against Lane's attacks. Gross' fastidious avoidance of the copyrighted term "Eckankar" is noticeably awkward and circuitous. Lane has countered with a point by point rebuttal, "When God Responds: Sri Darwin Gross versus David Lane," which he's including in his new book Gakko Came From Venus. While Lane is in the bathroom, Allen and I try, to no avail, to get permission to photograph the event. Gross' assistant, Dawn, explains, "Frankly, there have been lawsuits." She agrees to provide Allen with an official photograph of Gross at the vibes, and I leave to find Lane. He's sitting on a couch in the small lobby outside the conference room, looking more boyish than ever in forest green shorts, tan canvas shirt, white velcro-fastened running shoes, and crew socks. I've attempted a more professional effect-black linen skirt, muted teal silk jacket and black ankle boots. I look like a temp, like a very good temp. Since Lane doesn't budge from the couch, I urge, "Come on, Dave, it's starting." I practically have to pull him into the concert.
We take our seats among the fifty or so other seekers, many of whom have flown in for the event. Gross's young perky assistant, Dawn, is finishing an applied kinesiology demonstration of the power of Gross's music. A volunteer raises one arm straight out to the side, and Dawn easily pushes it down. Then she asks him to think about Gross' music as he again holds out his arm. This time the arm doesn't budge no matter how hard she pushes down on it. "See!" she exclaims. We close our eyes and chant Hu together for several minutes. I feel shy about doing this while seated next to Lane, knowing he'll be able to hear how off-key I am against the general harmonics of the room. Gross enters and takes his position behind the gold-toned vibes. Remembering him in his better days, thin and attractive, I am shocked by the corpulent aging man standing before me, coughing. He reminds me of the bloated near-death Elvis, only fatter and older. He jokes about his "Nevada cold," blaming it on the dust from the Indian burial grounds being dug up to build housing. Lane looks like he's swallowed a mouse, grinning and biting his finger. Gross' movements are frail and slow as he removes his dark blue jacket to reveal a short-sleeved white shirt and tan pants held up with wide red suspenders. Accompanied by key boardist and devotee, Ron Kurz, Gross begins with "Blues in E Flat." The music is great, lethargic and soothing, the kind of music one should listen to in a cocktail lounge with an umbrellaed drink. Gross smiles to himself as he hits the vibes. He seems gently ecstatic, but so tired. When he finishes the song, he takes off his shoes "to be closer to the keys." The atmosphere in the room is homey and protective.
After a couple more tunes, Gross and Kurz are joined by vocalist Kim Driggs, an attractive woman with dark shaggy hair. In a husky voice smooth as malt whiskey she sings, "Don't blame me for falling in love with you. I'm under your spell, but how can I help it." There is a double edge to this torch song-from the way she keeps glancing affectionately over at Gross, it is the Master's spell that Driggs can't be blamed for falling under. When she begins her next selection, "My Funny Valentine," I lose all objectivity. Valentine's Day, my birthday, is only three days away. I vacantly stare at Lane's tanned hairy legs, nostalgic for the boyfriends who played this song for me. The loss of my old loves and Gross' loss of status become merged in an ineffable sadness. After she finishes, Gross says, "She can belt one out, can't she? I hope you all had your seatbelts fastened." Even more moving is Driggs' rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Gross sits this one out on a rattan stool, his arms folded over his huge stomach, lost in thought. When Driggs gets to the line "way above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me," I focus on Gross' bulbous belly and red suspenders. He looks like Santa, I think, like a fallen Santa. Lane has tears in his eyes. I lean against his arm and whisper, "You are so opaque." I am surprised by my cruelty. Sitting in this pathetic room with its riotously floral turquoise and purple carpet, it feels as if nobody's dreams will ever come true.
I keep waiting for Gross to give a speech, but he never does. We zone out on lounge music for an hour and a half, then Dawn walks to the front of the room and says, "That's it." I ask Lane if he's going to introduce himself. Lane shakes his head. "I don't want to tweak his day. He's got his music. He's having a good time." So, I walk over to Gross myself and shake his hand. "I used to be in Eckankar," I tell him. Discomfort spreads across his face as I continue, "You were the Master most of the time I was in it." Holding my hand he looks deep into my eyes and says, "I'm still the Master. I always have been. I never stopped, not even for a minute-even though they, pardon my expression, treated me like shit. " As I walk away he yells after me, "Hang in there!"
Sri Harold Klemp has immense financial resources available to guide the spiritual lives of his tens of thousands of believers. Gail Atkinson, who has long since broken with Eckankar, is said to live in wealthy seclusion in Palm Springs. Lane and I drive over to La Jolla for leaden upscale Mexican food. Sipping his virgin strawberry margarita, Lane says, "I got a sense of authenticity when he played his vibes, like that's who he really was, a musician, instead of trying to be a master. One of the reasons he may have relinquished his spiritual role to Harold is that it didn't jive with him. He may like the trappings, but not the actual duty of it. I really enjoyed the music, but it was kind of sad. Life's kind of sad. Forty people in a hotel named Hanalei in San Diego for a man who used to draw thousands. He's big, coughing, not in the best of health, and he doesn't have any money. Yet it has a sweetness to it. It was like an outpost of spirituality. I felt the world has gone by but these people are still there." After another ten minutes of equally banal comments on both sides, I turn off the tape recorder and Lane and I launch into a painfully personal conversation. It's the intimacy of the trenches-after the ordeal of witnessing Gross' tragic descent, both of us are battle-scarred, punchy. "How are your flautas?" I ask. "A dip in the darkness," laughs Lane. "They're Darwin's revenge. " Lane pays the bill and we walk over to a candy store for fudge, then over to Starbuck's for orange spice tea. Lane unwraps the fudge, which is extremely soft. We eat it by scooping off globs with our fingers, giggling like a couple of gradeschool kids............
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