Saturday, April 21, 2012

Today is Going to be a Beautiful Day

After I opened my eyes this morning, I looked out my large bedroom window at the blue sky and watched the wind gently blow the leaves on the trees.

Then I breathed a sigh of relief. After all, I’ve come a long way!

Four years ago today, I opened my eyes for the first time in my first home outside of the confines of the Barsana Dham ashram (aka Radha Madhav Dham). April 20, 2009, was my first day of freedom after 15 years of captivity. Back then I was crippled emotionally by my horrible cult experience.

Today is so different. Now, I feel healthy, lighthearted, and, most of all, free. Today I have complete freedom to plan my day the way I chose.

If I were still living in the ashram, I’d have to be working my fingers to the bone and breaking my back to help put on today’s event: the mela (fair). What the visitors don’t realize is how much work is expected of the JKP devotees – every single time there is a public event. This is all free labor donated by the blind faith followers – year after year. It’s actually a form of slave labor.

But on this day I am not a slave any longer to delusional men and women dressed in orange, pretending to be holy, like Kripalu Maharaj and Prakashanand Saraswati. Today I am free.

I have planned to visit farmers’ markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, walk the tree-lined path around the shimmering Town Lake, stop by a friend’s house for a late afternoon get-together, and attend an aerial arts performance this evening.

Yes, I’ve come a long, long way!

10 comments:

  1. Good for you. And thank you for continuing to keep this in the public eye.

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  2. Thank you Bill -- I very much appreciate your support.

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  3. Hi. I stumbled upon your website while searching for something. I just have to say, I wonder why you would live somehwhere and surrender yourself to your guru and not expect to do work, especially when the ashram/temple is sponsering an event to raise awareness and money to pay for things like the roof over your head and the food you eat etc etc. I don't mean to come across as mean or judgemental. But it just seems natural that you would be expected to work and help out. Isn't that part of what ashram living is about? Isn't that what any communal living arrangement is about? It's not slave labor.

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  4. Mark,

    Where did I say that I didn't expect to do my part in a community? Also what do you know know about "especially when the ashram/temple is sponsering an event to raise awareness and money to pay for things like the roof over your head and the food you eat etc etc."? You're just spitting out random thoughts with no basis in reality. You clearly just want to be contrary, because what I'm talking about is doing volunteer work for a criminal, abusive cult run by con men -- I'm not talking about a community with pure intentions.

    Your comment is completely judgmental -- and you know it.

    Rishika

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  5. I completely agree with Rishika on this. I have a friend who is working in a very good organisation and earn very good salary approx. 60000 USD after taxdeduction in India and can you believe he almost give 58000 USD per year to this fithy organisation. Just keeping 2000 USD for himself !!!
    Infact he wanted to live in mangarh ashram to devote his full time to do devotion and seva. But No....JKP wonot allow a milking cow to come to ashram and lose a source of income .....
    and my friend is not the only one there are so many who are feeding greed of JKP and their own expense foolishly dreaming that they will one day meet god thru this con guru....
    JKP insist that all such cash cows should remain unmarried so as not to have any personal family liability and hence this herd just work all life to feed JKP.....So Sad...young people wasting their whole life for such a degraded man and his gang.

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  6. Prabhu,

    200% agreed. I am a true victim of the situation you described and each of your word was true to the best in my case.

    Rgds,
    Sobhu.

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  7. million lifes are waisted in false pride... salute to one life which is spent for hari guru...

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  8. Nisar,

    I'm not sure your exact point, but your comment is quite dangerous if you are suggesting anyone should spend their lives worshiping any guru, because so many are purely corrupt. If a person follows a true guru, his or her aim is to eventually transcend the guru.

    Rishika

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  9. My Kripalu is my guru my all in all. What ever you call him by what means you prove your statement it doesn't matter to me. I will follow him will love him more than myself .

    UTKARSH

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    1. Hi Utkarsh - be careful that you don't follow Kripalu straight to hell, because that's where he resides now along with other child rapists. Maybe you'll have better karma in a future life.

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