Sathya Sai Baba

bjp

That is a great offence, and what idiots they must be to believe that. And so foolish to think that he is "renounced" because he does not spend any of the money on luxury for himself.


That is not faith, it is delusion.

He is not guru. He has no lineage, that's why the concocted story that he is reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Aupmanyav

That you have your equation with Puttaparthi is OK. But which place is not powerful? You have been to many. Where is the place where truth not present? And what is Bhagawan? Are you not that? Can you be something else when there is nothing else in the universe?

Nick-H

There can't be much possibility of saying or teaching anything really new! The fact that a person's sayings can all be found elsewhere does not, of itself, discount them as a teacher. Of course, packaging and selling it as something new would be a different matter; I'm told that multiple-Sri Ravi Shankar does quite nicely out of the re-packaging business. Mind you, you pays your money and takes your choice!

cityMONK

Now days there is trend among all modren day babas and sadhavis to go on Long luxury cruise, and in evening and morning hours to chant some discourses.

I do not know why these people do not keep families or marry at all.Why is marriage a very great sin in their eyes.Great restrictions on food, drinks, indulgence or sex are just opposite to things we are promised after death.

bjp

Bona fide guru does not say or teach anything new! He presents it as it is, according to his lineage. Not concocting. What varies is purport, way of presenting, sometimes depending on the "target market".

SSRS, AOL, I have much personal experience of that, and I eventually learned what he was doing. "Re-packaging" is so as to get through to people who are "de-spiritualised", who are too busy, and who are not inclined to read much. What you see on the surface with AOL, there is much more behind that, which is really quite standard/traditional/authentic bhakti path. The courses for the teachers include studying standard puranas, nothing concocted.

The basis of it is yoga and pranayama and meditation on paramatma (the Lord in the form of the Self, "the divine in you".)

bjp

Not all! Where are you looking?!


Please, do you want a list of some who were married and those who are married?

It is not! Where do you get that from?!

Promised by who, where? (Koran?)
Why do you think that material sense enjoyment would be applicable in spiritual world? Why do you think that it would be desired?

bjp

Food and drink? The taste of it, that you enjoy? So the taste buds provide input signals to the brain and the mind enjoys, that is all. The purpose is to maintain the body. In the spiritual world, the body is spiritual, not material.

Goran

Yes it is. And a deep need, especially for those that do not get it otherwise.. that’s one of the reasons cult leaders can do what they do, they give you a few sweet phrases of love and you are all over them. And indoctrination is also very contagious. Even when you know the mechanisms. A famous hypnotherapy instructor told us to go and listen to charismatic Pentecostal preachers to see indirect suggestion/hypnosis at it’s best, but to be careful as in such situations, in masses taken by emotions and suggestions, it is difficult sometimes to be objective and analytical and not become part of it even if you know the psychological mechanisms behind it all.

So of course it is contagious, that’s why cults can prosper. It is because they give you something you need (and use emotions, authority figures, peer pressure and such to unconsciously alter your perception), what else. Now if that something they supposedly give you is realistic, that is the question here

Goran

And he himself said he is the greatest avatar of them all.. well, he is not the most consistent individual even in the bogus guru field. He mixes all the different philosophies, one day a puranic vaishnava, an-other a staunch advaitin .. whatever fits for the occasion So one day he is “The God”, another he has just realized our innate godliness .. besides there are indication other (and different) authors were writing some of his more famous (if not all) vahinis which can also account for the differences in style and attitude..

Goran

they don't know better. It seems you are a Gaudya (ISKCON, GM, traditional? )
If you did not get involved with Prabhupada’s books (or someone’s else’s) from which you now evaluate others, you might be now defending Baba as much as you are defending traditional Hinduism.

there is not that much difference in mechanisms. It is not that what is written in the puranas is a scientific fact. This same attitude is the problem. Unless we are able to change our views and see things from different perspectives and accept the relativity and limitedness of any position we are all believers just the same.. of course some get more lucky and believe in healthier things than others, but those who misuse the faith misuse it because they can use exactly the same mechanisms to indoctrinate that the “big faiths” can..
Well, Buddha has no lineage either. Ramana Maharishi.. and how many “sahajias” had been initiated in authentic lineages.. even that itself is not a perfect criteria, though it can be a useful factor in determining someone’s genuineness.
P.S. speaking about lineages, if you are a Saraswata (ISKCON, GM), how is it that this argument is forgotten when the issue of Bhaktisiddhanta taking sannyas on his own (not being initiated by a sannyasi) is discussed?

cityMONK

O.k not all but most of them.
Those in lime light of media currently, ramdev,sathya saibaba, e.t.c.

Bapu Asaram is married yes.

Goran

look at this:

There is only one Caste—
The Caste of HUMANITY.
There is only one Religion—
The Religion of LOVE.
There is only one Commandment—
The Commandment of TRUTHFULNESS.
There is only one Law—
The Law of CAUSE and EFFECT.
There is only one God—
The Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient Lord.
There is only one Language—
The Language of HEART or the Language of SILENCE.

----

There is only one religion -- the religion of love; one caste -- the caste of humanity; one language -- the language of the heart; one law -- the law of Karma and there is only one God -- He is omnipresent

The first by Sivananda and the second (of a later date, of course) by Sai Baba

Hmm.. he reminds mi of a local singer. Listening to him is like a music quiz. Who will be the first to guess what has he copied this time..

Nick-H

Goran, I take my hat off to your wide knowledge. I long-since lost interest to read so many things and do so much research to discuss the fine points.

<--- but this doesn't mean I am your disciple

Goran

oh well, you are not a young girl and I don’t share Baba’s tastes in that area... Well, just tell me you are not rich and I’ll get over it somehow

kullukid