You can now be woken up for Amrit Vela

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paulkershaw

ex-BK

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Re: You can now be woken up for Amrit Vela

Post26 Sep 2008

Hmm, we've definitely had this discussion before except the comments were more 'defined' as to why Amrit Vela was created. In my opinion, it is very likely another control issue centred around Bhakti processes, although in all fairness it may have just been copied from other forms of Yoga that existed at the time, i.e my hatha Yoga teacher rises very early each morning to go lie on the floor and do some 'Yoga' before her day starts. Good for her if it works, for her.

For me it doesn't. I got over worrying about it long ago although a 'fond' memory emerges in terms of this threads subject. "I remember being woken up VERY early every morning whilst in Abu with the sounds of other silly people rustling their darn plastic bags in their baggage, as they searched for stuff". Shrreeeekkk ... (warned you I' m a screamer ... ;) ).

Whatever happened to being organised the night before - me used to think? Some of them couldn't even get that right in their lives yet were up and about at an (un)Godly hour trying to do what was they had been told was the right thing to do ... Nowadays, I'd just chuck a heavy book at their heads and hope it connects with them ... probably a reason why I won't ever be allowed anywhere near a sleeping BK ever again :D.
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arjun

PBK

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Re: You can now be woken up for Amrit Vela

Post26 Sep 2008

paulkershaw wrote:Good for her if it works, for her.

I remember an incident. Many years ago when I was not so busy in Godly service through computers, I got an oppurtunity to visit the home of a BK Brother whose wife was a non-BK (just supportive of BKs). I had gone there with a PBK Brother (friend of that BK) and a surrendered PBK mother. During the conversation with that couple, the PBK mother suddenly raised the topic of Amrit Vela and while trying to prove the PBKs to be higher than the BKs, told her that while BKs wake up at 3 or 4 AM, the PBKs wake up at 2 AM. I was surprised (rather shocked :shock:) to hear her telling such things to a non-BK who might get terrified at the thought of getting up at 2 AM if she becomes a PBK. Anyway, neither that BK nor his wife became a PBK.

I don't think most PBKs (including me) wake up at 2 AM. Even if many of the surrendered PBKs wake up at 2 AM, I don't think they would be alert throughout if they were to sit in Yoga for an hour continuously without any songs/music being played intermittently to remind them of Baba. ;)
During the conversation with that couple, the PBK mother suddenly raised the topic of Amrit Vela and while trying to prove the PBKs to be higher than the BKs, told her that while BKs wake up at 3 or 4 AM, the PBKs wake up at 2 AM.

It is also true that many BKs try to use the same forumula while serving non-BK Hindus. While Hindus are supposed to wake up at 4 AM to do Bhakti and meditation, BKs wake up at 3 AM to prove that they are higher effort makers than the non-BK Hindus. In fact, this has been mentioned in Murlis/Avyakt Vanis also.
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shivshankar

working towards unification

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Re: You can now be woken up for Amrit Vela

Post13 Oct 2008

Hehe. Deities are being woken up at 4 o clock in Hare Krishna temples as well as in other Hindu temples I suppose. So it's OK to wake up at that time, but I prefer to take shower before meditation:).

jann

friends or family of a BK

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Re: You can now be woken up for Amrit Vela

Post14 Oct 2008

Creating a Pawn
A second characteristic of totalistic environments is mystical manipulation or planned spontaneity. This is a systematic process through which the leadership can create in cult members what I call the psychology of the pawn. The process is managed so that it appears to arise spontaneously; to its objects it rarely feels like manipulation. Religious techniques such as fasting, chanting and limited sleep are used.

Manipulation may take on a special intense quality in a cult for which a particular chosen' human being is the only source of salvation. The person of the leader may attract members to the cult, but can also be a source of disillusionment. If members of the Unification Church, for example, come to believe that Sun Myung Moon, its founder, is associated with the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, they may lose their faith.

Mystical manipulation may also legitimate deception of outsiders, as in the "heavenly deception" of the Unification Church and analogous practices in other cult environments. Anyone who has not seen the light and therefore lives in the realm of evil can be justifiably deceived for a higher purpose. For instance, collectors of funds may be advised to deny their affiliation with a cult that has a dubious public reputation.
Abuse of free will
They must unquestioning submit to the groups teachings and directions and their own free will is broken. Their "will" actually becomes the groups "will" without their realizing it. This is done either by coercive methods including low protein diets and lack of sleep, or over a period of time through intimidation. Both methods make heavy use of "guilt".

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