John wrote: For example how did BKs teach/practise rememberance before 1969?
The Seniors' accounts I recall were that they never distinguished between Shiva and Brahma. Brahma was Baba to them. There was only one Baba to them.
With the development of their spiritual teachings, it does not surprise me that they would have expunged their prior history. When did the practice of soul consciousness begin? When did the soul-conscious/body-conscious duality emerge? Interesting questions. At least to those who are interested to know.
I think one aspect of the spiritual philosophy is the Truthiness of it, something absolute that people might hold onto. The other aspect is how a set of beliefs allows one to bond to a group of people with similar beliefs. That is more of a cultural bond. Beliefs, rituals, songs, diet, disciplines, lifestyle--all merge together as group identity.
It is especially Western to try to isolate each atomic component of the philosophy and argue it to death. I think many Indians are less rigid in how they interpret things.
On the other hand, some Indian BKs (Jagdish comes to mind) were happy to argue anything to any imaginable length. He was able to do it with both rigor and humor, although that doesn't make anything true.
If there are some examples of children "remembering" their past lives, identifying people by name and recalling their histories, does that prove that all are reborn? Or could it be a mysterious "apparent rebirth" where the person knows things for inexplicable reasons?
Do we need answers to live a happy life? Does someone with a developed philosophy of karma who can give convincing lectures lead a happier or more enlightened life than one who doesn't? Is spiritual knowledge curative? In every case? Probably in some cases. In other cases it is avocation. There are ways to reframe one's life in a positive light without having to resort to cosmology or philosophy. If individuals differ, perhaps there can be no one medicine for everyone.
"Consider yourself a soul and remember God" according to the BKs is the one medicine everyone needs. They need a message of hope and faith. Or they need examples of radiant beings that will fulfill their longing for their own religious founders or saints. BKs believe they are preparing themselves to fulfill all such desires before we return to the Soul World together.
If one size could fit all, then maybe the BKs somewhere have the answer to that. I am going off topic, but maybe this is the topic.
"I am Chaturburj." Maybe we should try that for a while? What constitutes my sense of self? Do I need to tell myself who I am in order to be myself?