12 Apr 2011
Something today made me question the BK leaders claim about their Indian headquarters, Madhuban, being the only place on earth they say is “pure enough” for God to incarnate (forgetting for a moments that now "God" does not even come to Madhuban any more, he goes down to the hill to their new, mega-complex).
My question is, is it really about the "purity" ... or is it about the cash?
OK, so first we throw out the ridiculous notion it is "God" in the first place. For all the crap, class abuse, politicking and tragedy that goes on, we throw out the equally ridiculous notion that Madhuban is wonderfully "pure" in any way. The Emperors of the BKWSU have built this habit up, in the first place, by wrapping it up in existing religious superstition (the 'power' of giving to specific temples' etc) and then, in the second place, increased turnover by turning Madhuban into a fairly commercial conference center cum upmarket retreat for the middle or professional classes (where, of course, there is more money).
All of the leaders continue on the myth about donations being made at Madhuban being "karmically" worth more than donations made to local centers ... and, their god forbid, actually giving it to poor people, abused animals, to save the environment or some other "negative" karma. The donations flood in - mainly in cash-cash - to the large and well place donation boxes. Equally, they - like Janki Kripalani - are on record telling adherents that any cash given to her will go direct to Madhuban (... and therefore be worth more). No receipts given, of course.
Additionally, BK Westerners do not always see such scenes as the hundreds, if not thousands, of young Indian Brahma Kumari made to queue up nervously to hand over their Gita pashalas' cash-cash donations to a senior on a throne as part of deep social conditioning that goes on ... the submission to their power.
And then there is the migration of money from sub-centers to main or zone-in-charges ...
So what it is really all about? How many zones or centers have financial autonomy within the BKWSU? What precisely are the mysterious karma mechanism that inflate the value of one's donations into the Bank of Madhuban?
Personally, like so much in the BK religion, I have woken up to the idea that every word they use is given some other, generally hidden, meaning from what the rest of the world might consider, and that goes for the word "Pure". Perhaps someone can define what that *really* means to them.
* For those interested in language, apparently the word "tosh" is a combination of 'trash' and 'bosh' meaning nonsense. Bosh meaning foolish talk from the Turkish "boş". 'Trashy foolish talk' or 'foolish talk worth chucking out' ... Seems to suit just fine.
My question is, is it really about the "purity" ... or is it about the cash?
- That is to say, is it about the "purity" of Madhuban, or is it about securing their financial well being and power within the Brahma Kumari movement. Money = power. I suggest that using the "purity" theory is actually a way of them highly centralising and monopolising the financial income within their religion?
A BK 'must' come to Madhuban at least once. To give money in Madhuban is something special, worth more than giving elsewhere they say. How very convenient for them! Why couldn't their "God" coming anywhere that their medium Hirday Mohini goes?
OK, so first we throw out the ridiculous notion it is "God" in the first place. For all the crap, class abuse, politicking and tragedy that goes on, we throw out the equally ridiculous notion that Madhuban is wonderfully "pure" in any way. The Emperors of the BKWSU have built this habit up, in the first place, by wrapping it up in existing religious superstition (the 'power' of giving to specific temples' etc) and then, in the second place, increased turnover by turning Madhuban into a fairly commercial conference center cum upmarket retreat for the middle or professional classes (where, of course, there is more money).
All of the leaders continue on the myth about donations being made at Madhuban being "karmically" worth more than donations made to local centers ... and, their god forbid, actually giving it to poor people, abused animals, to save the environment or some other "negative" karma. The donations flood in - mainly in cash-cash - to the large and well place donation boxes. Equally, they - like Janki Kripalani - are on record telling adherents that any cash given to her will go direct to Madhuban (... and therefore be worth more). No receipts given, of course.
Additionally, BK Westerners do not always see such scenes as the hundreds, if not thousands, of young Indian Brahma Kumari made to queue up nervously to hand over their Gita pashalas' cash-cash donations to a senior on a throne as part of deep social conditioning that goes on ... the submission to their power.
And then there is the migration of money from sub-centers to main or zone-in-charges ...
So what it is really all about? How many zones or centers have financial autonomy within the BKWSU? What precisely are the mysterious karma mechanism that inflate the value of one's donations into the Bank of Madhuban?
Personally, like so much in the BK religion, I have woken up to the idea that every word they use is given some other, generally hidden, meaning from what the rest of the world might consider, and that goes for the word "Pure". Perhaps someone can define what that *really* means to them.
* For those interested in language, apparently the word "tosh" is a combination of 'trash' and 'bosh' meaning nonsense. Bosh meaning foolish talk from the Turkish "boş". 'Trashy foolish talk' or 'foolish talk worth chucking out' ... Seems to suit just fine.
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