Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Poland

für Deutsch sprechende Ex-Bks aus Nederland, Osteuropa und Russisch-Staaten, ihre Freunde und Familie
  • Message
  • Author

raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
  • Location: Planet Earth

Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Poland

Post24 May 2013

Jola Słoma and Mirek Trymbulak are a couple from Tricity (the usual name for the three Polish cities - Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot). Quite unusual couple. Both of them are BKs, and they promote "brahmakumarism" in many smart and creative ways.
    1. They write books on the sattwic vegetarian/vegan cuisine, usually very tempting because of that what's inside (pics and unique recipes). Of course, because the books are some kind artistic they are and must be rather expensive
    2. They hold their own events on "Cooking with soul" (Anybody wants a cup of "Madhubanka"/Madhuban tea)? ;-)
    4. Both of them are quite famous fashion designers and their collections imho, are quite often inspired by the "BK lifestyle".
    5. They created their own, the first programme ever on the (sattwic) vegetarian cuisine in Polish television called "Atelier smaku/The Atelier of Taste" on the channel "Kuchnia +".
    6. They ...
Enough. More details here.
And the "truth is out here"
User avatar

ex-l

ex-BK

  • Posts: 10661
  • Joined: 07 Apr 2006

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post25 May 2013

raistlin wrote:6. They ...

They look very happy and close to each other. What's the lowdown (the inside facts) on them?

How many BKs are there in Poland ... what is the general atmosphere like?

I really know nothing about the BKWSU in East European.

raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
  • Location: Planet Earth

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post25 May 2013

I am sorry for not enough clear explanation. Mea culpa ...

"The truth is out here" link from S&T site is leading straight to the list of the links of BK organizations or BK supporters such as: Michael Timothy, Blissful Music, Relax7, The Janki Foundation, Just a Minute, BK Publications and of course to the BKWSU site as well. I don't think this happened by a mistake. Besides, the BKWSU Poland itself encourages and invites to the Jola & Mirek events on "Cooking with Soul/Gotowanie z duszą" (2007) and names it as a one of their "National Programs".

Here is the link from the BKWSU Poland subsite of BKWSU: which is exactly a copy from the S&T site word by word.

And the last sentence in that page is clear enough:
"Aby dowiedzieć się o kolejnej edycji spotkania „Gotowanie z duszą”, skontaktuj się z najbliższym ośrodkiem".
(To get more about the next meeting on "Cooking with Soul", please contact with the nearest BK centre.)

I hope that I made it clear now. It's not a neutral event on vegetarian cooking and promoting a healthy lifestyle by some celebs. It is a well prepared, smart BK marketing.

Why that concerned me so much and decided to create a topic on it? First, their names (Jola Sloma and Mirek Trymbulak) were, and probably still are mentioned very often in private talks among the Polish BKs, management, teachers, sisters-in-charge, etc and they are given as an example, "look, this is how should looks the perfect example of 'servicing' - not directly, think of that people are very smart nowadays, think of their interests, hobby - they are keen on fashion, cooking, 'healthy lifestyle'. They seek for something unique and creative - that is your target group!". If you would be interested, I own a copy of a mp3 cd from one of the BK retreats, where "Sister" Jola and "Brother" Mirek were invited and were talking about their beginnings in BK, even though nobody never announced them as BKs in public (IMHO, they ARE). Please PM me. Unfortunately the whole audio is in Polish, but I could try to make a transcription in English.

As for your question about the quantity of BKs in Poland, I just don't know how many are they in general (you know, the "we are an organization that have no members" :D ). In my BK life, the most numerous group after that in Warsaw what is rather obvious because of the main centre, was in Gdansk and then in Lodz. Those were the strongest BK centres in Poland in the 90s. I remember visiting Warsaw few times in the 90s, when the Warsaw hasn't their own place for centre (they started to build it), all the programs, BK celebrations, everyday morning classes and other events in 1995-1999(?) were held in the Club of Garrison Command Warsaw. I never counted how many of us were there but I suppose that at least 30-50 in the morning classes, even more in the BK programs and celebrations.

At the moment, the BK centers "don't exist" for few years. They were turned into "Meditation Galleries", but still are in Poland. BKWSU has four "centers" at the moment. Here is the actual list:
Source: BKWSU Poland and: BK Meditation Galleries.

In the past the BKWSU had also their centres in Lublin, Cracow, and Szczecin. They also were making some preparations to create a centre in Wroclaw but it failed. The "youngest" centre is that in Katowice.

You ask about atmosphere? Well, if BK Halina Paradela is one of the Sister Jayanti's pupils and therefore Dadi Janki's as well, you can just imagine that among Polish BKs is also an atmosphere of uncertainty, terror and fear, lies and manipulations, but no one has the courage to do something about and stop that at last. BK Halina is untouchable, like a "holy cow". She is the National Coordinator of BKWSU Poland from the very beginnings until now.

If I find some more time I'll try to expand the issue started in the topic "BKWSU Poland" about expelling from the BKWSU Poland a person who is a PBK at the moment, abusing her and threatening.
User avatar

ex-l

ex-BK

  • Posts: 10661
  • Joined: 07 Apr 2006

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post25 May 2013

Do Sloma & Trymbulak follow Shrimat and celibacy etc, or are they allowed certain 'celebrity freedoms' normal Brahma Kumaris might not have?
raistlin wrote:If I find some more time I'll try to expand the issue started in the topic "BKWSU Poland" about expelling from the BKWSU Poland a person who is a PBK at the moment, abusing her and threatening.

Oh, yes. Lucyna (spelling?). We heard a little from her. I understand she had a really tough time mentally, as well as socially from the BKs, and is now out of the PBKs too. PBKism exists as a sort of 'decompression chamber' for some BKs allowing them to take one step out of the BK mind set and start thinking and questioning again. Although I am not a PBK, I think many of the questions the PBKs ask, and anomalies and controversies in the teachings they point out, are perfectly correct; and the way the BKs respond to them says much about the true nature of BKs ... (it's not pretty).

The persecution of PBKs must also have come down from the Kripalani Klan as, surely, there can be no great history of PBKism in Poland, or even Europe.

There was also this ... BK Leader Halina Paradela Sex Allegations reported by PBK.

raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
  • Location: Planet Earth

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post25 May 2013

ex-l wrote:Do Sloma & Trymbulak follow Shrimat and celibacy etc, or are they allowed certain 'celebrity freedoms' normal Brahma Kumaris might not have?

I have no idea, they are from Tricity, I knew some BKs from Tricity, but not "the Trymbulaks". Most BKs I knew best were from Lodz and Warsaw. I heard of Jola & Mirek a lot when I was a BK, but never met them personally, so I really don't know whether they follow Shrimat, celibacy, etc. When I was hearing the audio recording from that retreat I mentioned, I noticed that there is some kind of strange distant between them both. They seem to be rather more like friends than the loving couple. I think that being some kind of "special souls" for the BKWSU, the management allowed Jola & Mirek to have some more freedom than a normal BK.
Oh, yes. Lucyna (spelling?). We heard a little from her. I understand she had a really tough time mentally, as well as socially from the BKs, and is now out of the PBKs too. PBKism exists as a sort of 'decompression chamber' for some BKs allowing them to take one step out of the BK mind set and start thinking and questioning again. Although I am not a PBK, I think many of the questions the PBKs ask, and anomalies and controversies in the teachings they point out, are perfectly correct; and the way the BKs respond to them says much about the true nature of BKs ... (it's not pretty).

I met Lucyna personally in 2010. I was shocked when I heard her story. It is all true. We were exchanging a lot of e-mails about that. We were trying to stop that creepy and sick things, anomalies, and controversies, it almost came to a trial in the court, but finally it all dissolved and she was forced (by someone from the BK management I suppose), to close her blog. For example, we made an "investigation" in which we came to the conclusions that the "Stowarzyszenie Edukacyjne Wartości Życia" society founded in Poland in 2008, is another facade for the BKWSU. It is a Polish wing of ALIVE/LVEP, and what more in the management there are the Seniors of the BKWSU Poland! One of which was BK Joanna Rękawek, a Secretary of the BKWSU Poland management.

I am not sure if I should, but anyway I am happy that Lucyna is out of PBK too. She is a great researcher (an expert in Hindu religion, and ancient languages), smart, intelligent, sensible - very nice and brave woman of a high level of self-respect. Probably the only one among the Polish ex-BKs who had the courage to ask difficult questions and said to the BKWSU: "Enough!" so far. Unfortunately, I lost contact with her in 2011 when I quit with internet until now.

This is also true. I heard of that, personally, also in 2010 from another ex-BK senior, who wants to remain completely anonymous. It happened somewhere in the 80s on one of the BK retreats outside - IMHO, Halina Paradela should have been dismissed as a National Coordinator years ago and perhaps even expelled from the BKWSU (it would be a good example and made something good in clearing the atmosphere inside the organization), but it wouldn't be in a typical "sweeping dirt under the carpet" BK style. Neither Kumarka did not do it nor anybody from the Kirpalani clan won't do.

This is all sick, and made me really ****** off!
User avatar

ex-l

ex-BK

  • Posts: 10661
  • Joined: 07 Apr 2006

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post26 May 2013

raistlin wrote:I think that being some kind of "special souls" for the BKWSU, the management allowed Jola & Mirek to have some more freedom than a normal BK.

File under, "Good for Business" ... like the Relax Kids and Management Leadership wallahs.
I met Lucyna personally in 2010. I was shocked when I heard her story. It is all true. We were exchanging a lot of e-mails about that. We were trying to stop that creepy and sick things, anomalies, and controversies, it almost came to a trial in the court, but finally it all dissolved and she was forced (by someone from the BK management I suppose), to close her blog.

I don't know her story. It would be good to let us know what happened in a separate topic. I am 100% sympathetic towards her plight and her "decompression" from BKism ... unfortunately it happened at the same time as I was business in the real world and then she went through a very confusing PBK phase.
For example, we made an "investigation" in which we came to the conclusions that the "Stowarzyszenie Edukacyjne Wartości Życia" society founded in Poland in 2008, is another facade for the BKWSU. It is a Polish wing of ALIVE/LVEP, and what more in the management there are the Seniors of the BKWSU Poland! One of which was BK Joanna Rękawek, a Secretary of the BKWSU Poland management.

No surprises there ... they'll use whatever front they can for extra mileages. The BKWSU appears to be distancing itself even further from it now in the West.

I suspect this is not for any great moral or ethical reason ... but, knowing the Sindis, more of a 'business decision'.

At present, the BKWSU seem to be getting more out of doing their various "management leadership" or 'corporate coaching' things which they are able to spin even into place like Islamic nations which Hinduism or Yoga would have been unthinkable. My guess is that LVEP/Living Values was costing them and not bring back much of a return in either VIPs or money, whereas the 'management leadership" or 'corporate coaching' gigs are ... including a network of profitable business relationships between BKs the world over.
IMHO, Halina Paradela should have been dismissed as a National Coordinator years ago and perhaps even expelled from the BKWSU (it would be a good example and made something good in clearing the atmosphere inside the organization), but it wouldn't be in a typical "sweeping dirt under the carpet" BK style. Neither Kumarka did not do it nor anybody from the Kirpalani clan won't do.

What happened specifically? I was just hearing about another case in the UK where one leading BK center-in-charge was exhorting young women to surrender their sex, affection and femininity to Baba ... while at the same time she herself was indulging in a romance which led to her "leaving" and getting married.

Can you imagine how betrayed that woman feels now? Of course, few within the BK have the courage to speak out and most that do are skillfully hushed up, silenced and whitewashed by the Kirpalani Klan. Keep hidden so as not to "infect" the rest of the flock.

I can understand you feeling. If this is all true then;
    It has happened in the USA ...
    it happened in Italy ...
    it happened in England ...
    it happened in Poland ... and we can guess it probably happened elsewhere especially India.

Indeed ... the way things are right now, it looks as if it happened right back to the beginning of the religion too.

There has been numerous veils of hypocrisy behind which the Brahma Kumaris have condone all sort of sinful or even unlawful behaviour whilst presenting themselves and their religion as something else. Why aren't they just honest about it as say it is an option in their religion for ALL Kumaris ... not just the chosen few close to Jayanti or whoever.
    "Celibacy, sexual liberation or a marriage of your own preference ... it's your choice."
I agree with you ... there are a number of cases where they should have made an example of certain individuals and yet instead they reward them. I guess they are afraid that if they did, they would have no one left and ... like the mafia ... having some 'dirty' on someone else is a good way of keeping them in their place or indebted to you.

raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
  • Location: Planet Earth

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post26 May 2013

As for Lucyna, I agree to explain as much as I can in the separate topic. Actually everything was recorded by her on the internet in details in her Polish-English blog that she was forced to delete. The whole case ended in the police station, and I was hoping at that time that she will be able to manage to put it further straight to the court hall as she was going to.

I am sorry, I don't know what exactly happened in other countries. We have never discussed about that neither in BK nor outside, just like we wouldn't feel of being co-responsible for those issues outside as well. We would, and still we are. All those horrible things that happened in the BKWSU movement in the past and still happen can happen just because we let others do it. We were forced to sit quiet and do not even try to critize and we still sit quiet (Baba's course of being a traitor to the family is really powerful and fear from the Dharamraj punishment great and paralyzing).

We never discussed even about that strange case of a BK center in Hamburg in 1998, when Sudesh had to go to Germany urgently (we were informed of it in Poland), and personally "sweep some dirt under the carpet". Do you know some details? Did it have anything related to the "(un)famous Isis priestess" and ex-BK Heide Fittkau-Garthe? I don't know anything about what happened in Hamburg in the past.

I can only acknowledge that BK Halina Paradela, the Head of Polish BKs, on one of the retreats in the past had a sexual affair with that ex-BK mentioned in that topic, who's been actually living somewhere in the UK and probably don't want to call the memories from the past anymore and to have nothing common with his past life.

It is not a foolish accusation or a try to take a revenge on her. I have no reason to do it. I don't know Paradela personally, and really I am not against her, but I am talking about BK Halina Paradela, a National Coordinator of the BKWSU Poland, a leader and teacher and a student of BK Raj Yoga who had violated Shrimat committing the worst sin of all in the BK belief and still have no consequences at all! That's the problem!

I just wonder, how it is possible that this woman one day is going to bed with someone, and next day she is wearing a white sari, sitting on a gaddhi and is preaching about the "ocean of poison" and "sword of lust" and says that "marriage is like a diving in the dirt/mud". She also was and still is a mother for her child! She had a husband who she left, it's not a suspicion - it's a fact also known by many of BKs, but never discussed. Her son is living out of Poland, somewhere in the world and has nothing common with the BKs. I met him just once in the past on some of the BK gatherings, when he was a teenager. He seemed to be rather confused of his presence there.

How the hell it is possible that this woman is still an unquestionable authority for many BKs?! That's why she "deserves" to be deprived of the National Coordinator function and expelled from the BKWSU in my opinion, not such people as Lucyna. For what? That she had the courage not to follow Baba's "you have to delete from your dictionaries the words such as: 'why?', 'how come?', 'what?' and say: 'why - bye bye'" command?!

ex-l, do you think that curiosity, criticism and common sense can really be serious obstacles in spiritual development and this is REALLY a CRIME, a reason to expel someone from the Gita patshala/fire from work/put to the jail etc. because he or her is just asking questions, and have some doubts?

WTF is their REAL system of values they preach about in almost every their event or program?! This is called hypocrisy!

I did not even know about Paradela's sexual affair, until I heard about it from that ex-BK I met three years ago, but I suspected something (I thought that it is just a vicious gossip of some ex-BK who dislikes HP, perhaps because of jealousy or sth) when I found on the internet an anonymous posting on some Polish board not related to the BKs at all.

Sorry for my enigmatic posts, but I feel some kind responsible for the safety and peace of the people who I talked with and must pay attention to my words not to reveal them as I suppose the BKWSU Poland are reading the board as well. That's why I am trying to focus mainly on the facts, not individuals.
User avatar

ex-l

ex-BK

  • Posts: 10661
  • Joined: 07 Apr 2006

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post26 May 2013

raistlin wrote:It is not a foolish accusation or a try to take a revenge on her. I have no reason to do it. I don't know Paradela personally, and really I am not against her, but I am talking about BK Halina Paradela, a National Coordinator of the BKWSU Poland, a leader and teacher and a student of BK Raj Yoga who had violated Shrimat committing the worst sin of all in the BK belief and still have no consequences at all! That's the problem!

One of the big problems is not everyone get treated equally ... not everyone is allow the same indulgences ... there is no discussion of it ... and, as you point out, it send out a confusing message of what the ruling principles of the BKWSU actually are.

Of course, I would argue that this 'confusion', and the insecurity it breeds, are actually part of the devices a cult uses to control its adherents; no necessarily consciously but certain habitually. No one know precisely what do so and so sit, literally and metaphorically, scared afraid to move in any direction ... taking refuge in the idea of "Remembering Baba".

BK Halina Paradela, the Sisters in the USA, Italy etc might all be allow to lift their saris to a Brother and get away ... with it whereas 1,000s of young girls in India are still being turned into robot slaves, made afraid by Dadi Janki of even having natural thoughts of love and affection in their dreams.

Good looking, talented or educated Western BKs are allow to have relationships and start business off the back of BK service ... whereas 1,000s of plain, hopeless, uneducated "BK serfs" across India, South America into Russia are suppressed into conforming to the Kirpalani Klan's fantasy not helped nor given real opportunities.

That's why I question their individual supporters, such as 'Sloma & Trymbulak', who are held up at the top of the pyramid as a positive example of BKism and allowed to run BK related business, when 99 times of out 100, their talent is their own and unrelated to the BKWSU and they are afforded privileges normal BKs are not ... because they are good for BK business.

raistlin

ex-BK

  • Posts: 47
  • Joined: 10 Sep 2009
  • Location: Planet Earth

Re: Sloma & Trymbulak - model example for BK marketing in Po

Post27 May 2013

I agree with you completely. Those people who are not educated, not talented, not physically attractive, charismatic or influential some kind - and from that side rather useless for the BKWSU as they are not able to run their "own" BK business, but are precious because they are genuine, religious, altruistic, gullible, honest, surrendered and passionate to everything they do, they are turned into "spiritual zombies" deprived of their own identity and individual needs, and programmed only to do a "BK service" or so called "karma Yoga" with "body, mind and wealth".

Just like in Orwell's "Animal Farm": "All animals are equal, (but some animals are more equal than others)".

Return to Osteuropa