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Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
File:Bkwsulogo.jpg
Formation1930s
TypeMillenarianist New Religious Movement
HeadquartersMount Abu, Rajasthan, India
Official language Hindi, English
FounderLekhraj Kripalani (1884–1969), known as "Brahma Baba" to the followers
Key peopleJanki Kripalani, Hirdaya Mohini
WebsiteInternational, India

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU), or Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, projects itself as a vehicle for spiritual teachings and values education and often references its association with the United Nations as an non-governmental organization (NGO) in support of this view. In the academic domain the BKWSU is often classified as a Neo-Hindu millenarian new religious movement (NRM). In the interfaith domain the BKWSU is often considered a spiritual organisation rather than a religion.

The Brahma Kumaris (Template:Lang-hi, pron. [ˈbrəɦmaː kʊˈmaːriː], "daughters of Brahma" abbreviated BK) was founded by Dada Lekharj Kripalani, who later took the name Prajapita Brahma, in India in the 1930s. It is distinctly identified by the prominent role women play in the movement. While the leadership is primarily female, there is also a significant degree of participation from male members.

The BKWSU teach a form of meditation that focuses on their identity as souls, and that the soul is intrinsically good. They believe that all souls are children of one God who is the source of all goodness, and that we are one human family. The BKs teach that identifying with labels associated to the body like race, nationality, religion and even gender, divides people and feeds human weakness. They aspire to establish a global culture based on what they call ‘soul-consciousness’ and believe that the present world is predominantly ‘body-conscious’ and therefore requires total transformation .

The BKWSU maintain they have been criticised and caused some controversy primarily because the social reforms they have been advocating have challenged existing power structures and social norms . Critics make a wide range of accusations, some of which don't fit this characterisation . However the BKWSU are well respected in India for the hospitals, schools, environmental projects and outreach programs which they have established .

By the year 2008, with more than 8,500 centers in 100 countries, the movement claims to have more than 825,000 regular students.

Early history

Lekhraj Kripalani, founder of the Brahma Kumaris religious movement

The origin of BKWSU can be traced to the group "Om Mandli", founded by Lekhraj Kripalani (1884–1969) in Hyderabad, Sindh in the 1930s and later the 'Rajasva Asvamedh Avinashi Gyan Yagya'. Lekhraj Kripalani, known as "Dada Lekhraj" and who later took the name "Brahma Baba", was a diamond merchant and follower of the Vaishnavite Vallabhacharya sect. Kripalani was reported to have retired from his business with assets of 1,000,000 Indian rupees to turn to start his own satsang. Their original spiritual knowledge was obtained though "divine revelations" and "divine visions" by sisters who channeled messages about the concepts of soul, God, world history, karma philosophy and spiritual liberation. Lekhraj started holding satsangs which attracted many people and the group became known as Om Mandli. In the beginning of the movement, members considered God to be omnipresent, and their founder Kripalani to be god Brahma, the author of the Bhagavad Gita beliefs which did not change until at least the 1950s.

In 1937, he named some of his followers to a managing committee, then reportedly transferred his fortune to the committee. Several women joined Om Mandali, and contributed their wealth to the association as well.

Leading members of the local community reacted unfavourably to Kirpalani's satsang. The religion itself portrays the cause of this being that many young married Sindhi women who attended his ashram were encouraged to take vows of celibacy and leave their husbands and families.

Om Shanti Bawan, the main hall at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters

The Om Mandali was denounced as immoral by the "dominantly conservative" Hindu community in the Sindh, with "rowdy" demonstrations in Karachi. The two Hindu ministers resigned and it looked like the Independent Hindu members of the Sindh Assembly might join the opposition threatening the government. A tribunal found the charges of immorality, and the Sindh Government used the Indian Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908 to declare the Om Mandali an "unlawful association". Under further pressure from the Hindus in the Assembly, the Government also ordered the Om Mandali to "close and vacate its premises".

In the latter part of 1939 the organisation relocated from Hyderabad to Karachi. For nearly 11 years the group of approximately 300 people lived as a self-sufficient community practicing meditation and seeking to understand what believed to be a series of progressive divine messages. There is very little formal history for this period. In April 1950, after the Partition of India, the Brahma Kumaris moved to Mount Abu in India. Following Kripalani's death in 1969, the movement expanded to other countries.

Expansion

In 1952, after a 14-year period of retreat, a more structured form of teaching began to be offered to the public by way of a seven lesson course. The movement has distinguished itself from Hinduism and projects itself as a vehicle for spiritual teaching rather than a religion.

Although still world-rejecting, after an unpromising beginning when it almost ran out of funds, from the mid 1950s the Brahma Kumaris began an international expansion program. Since the 1970s, it spread to first London and then the West. The most visible manifestation of the religion are its "Spiritual Museums" sited in most major India cities where its teachings are conveyed vividly.

In 1980 the Brahma Kumaris became affiliated to the United Nations Department of Public Relations as an Non-Governmental Organisation. The relationship grew closer in 1983 when the Brahma Kumaris achieved consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations. The BKWSU now have a permanent office space in New York for their work at the United Nations.

The leadership and membership of the BK movement remains primarily female, for example, in the UK only one-third of the 42 centres are run by males and 80% of the membership are women. According to the BKWSU website, there are currently over 4,500 centres in 100 countries, mostly in followers' own homes with a tendency toward middle or upper class membership. Estimates for its worldwide membership ranges from 35,000 in 1993 to 400,000 in 1998 to 450,000 in 2000, however, it is reported that many were probably not completely committed to the group's worldview.

Central beliefs

File:Golden-age-brahma-kumaris-1 (12).jpg
An artist impression of the Golden Age
File:Brahma kumaris-universal-light-supreme-soul.jpg
A poster emphasising how many different religions describe God as light

God

God is believed to be a 'Soul' and not having a physical body, as He does not take birth or rebirth, like human souls. However, the marked difference between human souls and God is that God is the perfect and constant embodiment of all virtues, powers and values and that He is the father of all souls, irrespective of religions. It is believed that the Supreme Soul God Shiva is personally guiding and teaching the Brahma Kumaris.

God's purpose is to awaken humanity and to eliminate all evil and negativity. He is not the creator of matter which is itself considered to be eternal..

Self

Human and even animal souls, are believed to be an infinitesimal point of spiritual light residing in the forehead of the body it occupies. Souls are believed to originally exist with God in a "Soul World", a world of infinite light, peace and silence called Nirvana. Here souls are in a state of rest and beyond experience. Souls enter bodies to take birth in order to experience life and give expression to their personality. Unlike other Eastern traditions, the soul is not thought to transmigrate into other species and does not evolve but rather devolves birth after birth. Within this "point of light" all aspects of the personality are contained and is said to enter the human body in the 4th to 5th month of pregnancy.

Meditation

The Brahma Kumaris teach a form of meditation called Raja Yoga, which is not the same as classical Raja Yoga as described by Patanjali, through which members are encouraged to purify their minds. This may be done by sitting tranquilly, then making affirmations regarding the eternal nature of the soul, the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God.

Karma

Every action performed by a soul will create a return accordingly. The destiny of the soul’s next body depends on how you act and behave in this life. Through meditation, by transforming your thinking pattern and eventually your actions, you can purify your karmic account and lead a better life in the present and next birth.

Cycle of time

File:Golden-age-brahma-kumaris-1.jpg
An artist impression of the Golden Age

Time is considered to be cyclic, repeating identically every 5,000 years, and is composed of five ages (yugas): the Golden Age (Sat Yuga), the Silver Age (Treta Yuga), the Copper Age (Dwapar Yuga), the Iron Age (Kali Yuga) each exactly 1,250 years long, and the Confluence Age (Sangam Yuga).

The first half of the cycle (the Golden and Silver ages) is considered to be the age of 'soul conscious living'. The Brahma Kumaris see this as a time of 'heaven on earth' and believe there is no religion or belief in God as human beings are fully virtuous, complete self-realised beings. It is even believed that procreation is possible through 'the power of yoga', without sexual intercourse. The Universe is never annihilated, transformed into primordial or atomic state matter, and the Earth always has a human population.

Destruction

When the organisation began a lot more emphasis was placed on Destruction. As the organisation developed, it witnessed World War II, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War. However nowadays destruction is usually called Transformation, and perhaps also due to some failed speculations on the date, it tends to be downplayed. The Brahma Kumaris continue to believe that present day civilisation is unsustainable and that economic and environmental pressures will ultimately boil over into civil and global war, coupled with natural calamities. However they also believe that every human being is an immortal soul, there will always be a human population on Earth and that cataclysmic events form part of a natural and cathartic cyclic process. The Brahma Kumaris have been criticised for hiding or down playing the significance of destruction from non-members, particularly as BKs still believe it will happen 'soon'. However the BKs maintain their primary purpose is to teach meditation and peace of mind, not to push their views about the different challenges our world is facing on non-members who have usually just come to about learn meditation or values based living.

Murlis

Brahma Kumaris' students study the murli. It is an oral study, read to the class early each morning in most BK centres around the world. Students often take notes on points that seem poignant to them and will reflect on them throughout their day.

There are two types of murli:

1. Sakar Murlis refer to the original orations that BKs believe to be the Supreme Soul speaking through Brahma Baba.
2. Avyakt Murlis, are spoken by BapDada. BKs believe BapDada is the Supreme Soul and the soul of the now angelic Brahma Baba. BapDada comes and speaks to the BKs through a senior BK sister called "Dadi Gulzar". The Brahma Kumaris believe that the soul of Brahma Baba has become perfect and now has the role of an angel. The Murlis are what the Brahma Kumaris use to direct their personal spiritual effort and service activities.

Avyakt murlis are still being spoken at the BKs headquarters in India. Students must complete the Brahma Kumaris foundation course and start by attend morning Murli class before visiting the headquarters.

Lifestyle

Brahma Kumaris follow a lifestyle of disciplines in order achieve greater control over their physical senses

  • Complete celibacy in or out of marriage in order to focus energies on the world to come.
  • Sattvic vegetarianism, a strict lacto-vegetarian diet (excluding eggs, onions, garlic and/or spicy food) cooked only by the self or other members of the BKWSU.
  • Abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and non-prescription drugs.
  • Daily early morning meditation at 4:00 to 4:45 am, called 'Amrit Vela'.
  • Daily morning class at approximately 6:30 am.
  • Men and women traditionally sit on separate sides of the room at the centres during classes.
  • Brahma Kumaris can be identified by their frequent adoption of wearing white clothes, to symbolise purity.
  • Students often prefer to have company of yogis (soul conscious) as opposed to bhogis (Given over to worldly pleasures).

Activities and recognition

BK Sister Shivani Verma presenting an Awakening with Brahmakumaris program in Bangkok.

As an initiation process, it conducts seven one-hour-long courses in their philosophy and open-eyed meditation technique. The organisation also offers courses in "positive thinking", "self management leadership", and "living values." They also have a number of voluntary outreach programs in prisons.

The Brahma Kumaris have starting building coalitions and leading conglomerated networks of cooperation. One such example, with the support of Vicente Fox, was carried out under the guise of a commercial enterprise introducing Brahma Kumari teachings and practises to the Government of Mexico through the "Self Management Leadership" course which grew out of Brahma Kumaris beliefs and is the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy. 90 trained facilitators ran programs through which 25,000 people at the top level of government have passed.

In India, the BKWSU runs a charitable Village Outreach Programme in Mount Abu and administers the Global Hospital and Research Centre (GHRC), established in 1991 and funded by the J. Wattammull Memorial Trust. In 2004, the Brahma Kumaris established the G.V. Mody Rural Health Care Centre & Eye Hospital, located at the base of Mount Abu. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and UNICEF. It is associated with the UN Department of Public Information.

The Brahma Kumaris have undertaken two major international projects; ‘The Million Minutes for Peace’ in 1986, for which they received 7 Peace Messenger Awards, and ‘Global Cooperation for a Better World’ in 1988.

The organisation now has hundreds of branches internationally and

  • was awarded 7 UN Peace Messenger Awards 1987 for its co-ordination of the ‘Million Minutes of Peace’ project.
A large solar generator at the Brahma Kumaris HQ
  • Pioneering work in solar energy and sustainable energy, including developing the world's largest solar cooker.
  • Chief administrator Prakashmani awarded Peace Medal of the United Nations for the year 1981 for the ‘Million Minutes of Peace’ project.
  • granted International Peace Messenger Initiative status by the U.N. for the Global Co-operation for a Better World campaign.
  • UNESCO special award for collecting 35 million signatures from all over India and 120 other countries in support and promotion of the UNESCO’s ‘Culture of Peace’ Project entitled Peace Manifesto-2000 in the International Year of Culture of Peace −2,000 as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in the year 2,000.
  • The Governor of the Indian state of Uttarakhand; Margaret Alva (First woman governor of that state) commended the Brahma Kumaris: "The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University had influence on changing cultural opinions of women, and its teachings and practise has brought about a significant change in the status of women and the regard that men hold for women."
  • BKs are known for charitable activities. Ruth Broyde Sharone, the Co-Chair of the Interfaith Ambassadors for a Parliament of the World Religions (IAPWR) and journalist; wrote: “BKs are also well known for their charitable acts, especially on Mount Abu, where they have established themselves as teachers and healers. A modern hospital provides low-cost care for not just the BK community but the entire population of Rajasthan. (A visit to the dentist and an ex-ray for an infected tooth cost me only $10.) Several years ago Dr. Vinay Laxmi, a charming gynaecologist, launched a program in several surrounding villages to provide natal care for mothers and good nutrition for their children. I visited one of the villages and met ‘miracle children’ who would have died or been severely crippled from malnutrition and sickness were it not for the BKs’ dedication.“
  • Current chief administrator, Janki Kripalani, received an honorary doctorate from the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management.
  • The Brahma Kumaris Youth Wing was award a place in the Guinness World Records for the "largest sand painting in the world" on 26 November 2010.

Controversies and criticism

During its history, a range of accusations have been made against the Brahma Kumaris.

  • Pratibha Patil, the UPA-Left candidate and former president of India said on camera during the Indian presidential election, 2007, that she spoke to the spirit of the deceased leader of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University at their headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Patil stated that she had received a mediumistic message indicating great responsibility coming her way during the last season in which the spirits called "Bapdada" communicated with the faithful of the Brahma Kumaris. She had gone to seek the blessings of Hirday Mohini, also known as Dadi Gulzar or Dadiji.
  • Excluding suicides, numerous serious crimes have been allegedly carried out at Brahma Kumari centres in India including murder, rape, poisoning and kidnapping in which responsible parties have absconded. In one case, the corpse of the deceased victims was removed and evidence destroyed before police could investigate the crime. Allegations include individual being targeted after threatening to expose secrets of the involved centre to the higher authorities in BKWSU. In an interview, organisational spokesperson Shivani Verma admitted cases of child sex abuse and others.
  • In Poland conflicts arose between the Brahma Kumaris and a local Catholic priest who organised an anti-Brahma Kumaris campaign. Thereafter, local newspapers accused the organisation of being a "dangerous sect".
  • Dr. John Wallis wrote a book examining the status of tradition in the contemporary world which used the religion as a case-study, focusing on recruitment methods, the issue of celibacy, reinterpretation of religious history. He reports about the re-writing of the revelatory messages (Murlis) by the BKWSU leaders and anger and aggression towards the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. (The Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya or Advance Party and the BKWSU form the two halves of the Brahmin family who will supposedly eventually re-unite to transform this hell into heaven).
  • In the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Howell reported that the families of teenage girls surrendering to the organisation were required to pay their dowries to the organisation. The payment was meant to prevent parents from "dumping" their daughters at the BKWSU as a way to avoid the costs of ordinary marriages.
  • Indian feminists have criticised the religions restraining of female sexuality as an expression of patriarchal control within Sindh society under the guise of reforming society.
  • The institution uses Hindu terminologies such as Raja Yoga and Bhagavad Gita to attract people, but what is taught in the organisation is completely different from their original meanings in Hinduism.
  • Followers' total dedication to BK activities may cause conflicts within their families.
  • Followers are encouraged to undergo a ‘death-in-life’ and ‘die towards the outer world’ renouncing their families and thus be ‘divinely’ reborn in the ‘divine family consequently, the Brahma Kumaris have been accused of breaking up marriages and families since the 1930s.
  • In 2007 Graham Baldwin,president of the educational counter- cult organisation Catalyst, was reported stating that the former members and the families of members had told him that BKWSU has driven a wedge between husband and wife and that there were complaints that it encourages single women and widows to donate property and savings and move to a community house. The BKWSU, a organisation being notable for its sex ban, was said to have "used pernicious methods to control its followers".
  • Ian Howarth of the Cult Information Centre, was further quoted about complaints that people have gone undergone personality changes after joining BKWSU and become alienated from their families. Responding to the allegation that Brahma Kumaris had wrecked marriages through its sex ban BKWSU spokeswoman replied, "this is very much a minority thing. In any organisation there are people who gain a huge amount and that is what you need to focus on." but declined to comment on allegations that BKWSU encourages followers to donate property and savings.
  • The Brahma Kumaris have featured in the Wissen schützt reports of Austria (edited by then Austrian Minister for Family Affairs Mr. Martin Bartenstein), Russia (International Conference "Totalitarian Cults – Threat of Twenty-First Century", Nizhny Novgorod, 2001) and in a MIVILUDES report submitted to the French National Assembly as a sectes dangereuses ("harmful cult") and groupe d'enfermement ("group of confinement"). This has led to the persecution of followers in local media leading to job losses after it discovered that they belonged to a secte and denouncement for their influence on children under their care.
  • In 2007, the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization instituted action through the National Arbitration Forum to lay claim to a domain name (brahmakumaris.info) used by an independent website critical of the organisation. The BKWSO claimed trademark rights while Brahma Kumaris Info as part of its response claimed that it was an attempt to suppress criticism. The arbitration process did not find that the domain name was being used contrary to ICANN policy nor that the complaint was made in bad faith; Brahma Kumaris Info retained the domain name.

See also

Associated concepts
General

References

  1. Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Peter Clarke. Routledge, 2006, ISBN 0-203-59897-0 (Adobe e-reader format)
  2. ^ Religions of the World. A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. J Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann. ABC-CLEO, LLC 2010, ISBN 978-1-57884-203-6
  3. Religions of the World. A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. J Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann. Facts on File Inc, 2007, ISBN 0-8160-5458-4
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan. ABC-CLEO, LLC 2010, ISBN 978-1-57884-203-6
  5. ^ Walliss, John (2002). From World-Rejection to Ambivalence. Ashgate Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7546-0951-3. Lekhraj was born in Sindh in 1876 into the Kriplani family who were devotees of the Valabhacharya sect. Cite error: The named reference "John_Walliss_reflexive" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ Chander, B. K Jagdish (1981). Adi Dev: The first man. B.K. Raja Yoga Center for the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
  7. World Religion Congress, Shimizu City, Japan. Ananai-Kyo, 1954. University of Michigan, Mar 2006. "The world philanthropist God Brahma, devoted all his wealth to finance this institution which was significantly named as 'Rajasva Asvamedh Avinashi Gyan Yagya"
  8. ^ Hardy, Hardayal (1984). Struggles and Sorrows: The Personal Testimony of a Chief Justice. Vikas Publishing House. pp. 37–39. ISBN 0-7069-2563-7.
  9. "BKWSU History". BKWSU. Archived from the original on 12 October 2002. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  10. Anti Om Mandli Committee (1940). Om Mandli : a true authenticated story about its activities being a reply to "Is This Justice" (pdf). Hyderabad, Sind: Anti Om Mandli Committee. transcription published by www.brahmakumaris.info
  11. Tamasin Ramsay, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson (2012). "4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith". Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer Science + Business Media. ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Abbott, Elizabeth (2001). A History of Celibacy. James Clarke & Co. pp. 172–174. ISBN 0-7188-3006-7.
  13. Barrett, David V (2001). The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions. Cassell & Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35592-1. 'sex is an expression of 'body-consciousness' and leads to the other vices', probably stems in part from the origins of the movement in 1930s India, when women had to submit to their husbands.
  14. ^ Hodgkinson, Liz (2002). Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution. HCI. pp. 2–29. ISBN 1-55874-962-4.
  15. Coupland, Reginald (1944). The Indian Problem: Report on the Constitutional Problem in India. Oxford University Press. pp. 67–68.
  16. Hunt, Stephen J. (2003). Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 120. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8.
  17. ^ Reender Kranenborg (1999). "Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion?". Center for Studies on New Religions. Retrieved 27 July 2007. A preliminary version of a paper presented at CESNUR 99
  18. ^ Julia Day Howell (2006), "Brahma Kumaris (Daughters of Brahma)" (pp. 71–72). In: Clarke, Peter B. (2006). Encyclopedia of new religious movements. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-48433-3. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  19. Howell (2006) states that "The "Brahma Kumaris" are a world-wide spiritual movement... Drawing on Hindu religious culture of its founder, the movement has nonetheless distinguished itself from Hinduism and projects itself as a vehicle for spiritual teaching rather than a religion " (p. 71).
  20. ^ 'Why are Women More Religious Than Men?' Trzebiatowska, Marta. Bruce, Steve. Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN 0199608105,
  21. ^ 'A Reader in New Religious Movements: Readings in the Study of New Religious Movements'. George D. Chryssides, Margaret Wilkins, Margaret Z. Wilkins. Continuum, 2006. ISBN 0826461689
  22. Howell, Julia (1998). "Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 37 (3): 453–461. doi:10.2307/1388052. JSTOR 1388052. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. 'Religion & globalization: world religions in historical perspective'. Esposito, John L. Fasching, Darrell J. Lewis, Todd Thornton. Oxford University Press, 2002 - P. 340
  24. Whaling, Frank (2012). Understanding the Brahma Kumaris. Dunedin Academic Press Ltd. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-903765-51-7.
  25. Howell, Julia Day (1998). "Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: Clarification of the Brahma Kumari Case". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 37 (3): 453–461. doi:10.2307/1388052. JSTOR 1388052. Today the leadership of the BK movement in India remains heavily female. Sisters, or kumaris (daughters), are still "put in front", that is favoured for the position of "center-in-charge" (head of a local center). As of December 1995 all Indian centres were run by "sisters." However, "brothers" also reside in many of the centres run by "sisters". Brothers are expected to work to earn an outside income, which provides a substantial share of the support of the centres, and do the domestic work other than cooking. This frees the sisters to engage full-time in service to the organisation as teachers, leaders of meditation sessions and spiritual directors. Indian migrants made up half the number of Brahmins in the UK. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  26. Musselwhite, Richard (2009). Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris (Ph.D.). University of North Carolina. pp. 51–52. The most recognizable religious feature of the Brahma Kumaris institution is spirit-possession. Ever since God possessed the body of Dada Lekhraj for the first time in 1935, God has continued to descend and possess the body of a Brahma Kumaris host in order to speak to them." "Far from seeking to undermine or protest the world's hegemonic orders, the Brahma Kumaris practise of spirit-possession seeks to quicken it in preparation for the end of days. One could argue that the Brahma Kumaris' ultimate aims are subversive (because they anticipate the end of the world), but the Brahma Kumaris never seek to undermine global order. {{cite thesis}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  27. "Adherent Statistic Citations". Adherents.com. Retrieved 20 August 2007. Worldwide, this path has 4000 centres and approximately 400,000 members.
  28. "Since the University spread to Western societies it has increasingly accommodated people with little interest in its theodicy but attracted to the practical applications of BK spiritual practises. The community service programmes of the 1980s and 1990s stimulated creative renderings of BK meditation as a tool for psychological healing and eclectic spiritual exploration. The casual participants whom the BKs have attracted in this way probably made up the vast majority of the 450,000 people on the University's records at the turn of the 20th to 21st century". p.72
  29. Doctor Jitendra Patel's Homepage. Yahoo! GeoCities: 5 Mar. 2009 <http://web.archive.org/web/20091026233720/http://geocities.com/bk_abu/>
  30. "Hindus in America Speak out on Abortion Issues". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 18 July 2007. The Brahma Kumaris view the body as a physical vehicle for the immortal soul, and therefore the issue is not "pro-life" or "anti-life" but a choice between the amount of suffering caused to the souls of the parents and child in either course, abortion or motherhood. They view existing legislation in America as fair and reasonable, with the proviso that abortion after the 4th month should be avoided except in medical emergencies, since in their view the soul enters the fetus in the 4th to 5th month.
  31. Bartholomeusz, Tessa J.; Clayton, John; Collins; de Lange, Nicholas (1994). Women under the Bo Tree: Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka. Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46129-0. {{cite book}}: |first4= missing |last4= (help)
  32. Reender Kranenborg. "Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion?". Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR). Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  33. Chryssides, George (2011). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810879670. Members are encouraged to purify their minds by the practise of Raja Yoga. This can entail sitting tranquilly, in front of a screen which Dada Lehkraj's picture projected, then making a number of "affirmations", regarding the eternal nature of the soul (atma), the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God (paramatmā Shiva). The Brahma Kumaris believe that practise of Raja Yoga enables spiritual progress as well as having pragmatic benefits, for example, business success. Brahma Kumaris frequently organise seminars on business management and on developing personal life skills
  34. Barrett, David V (2001). The New Believers. Cassell & Co. p. 265. ISBN 0-304-35592-5. Time is cyclical with each 5,000-year cycle consisting of a perfect Golden Age, a slightly degraded Silver age, a decadent Copper Age, and an Iron Age which is characterised by violence, greed, and lust. Each of these lasts for exactly 1,250 years. Our current Iron Age will shortly come to an end, after which the cycle will begin again.
  35. Babb, Lawrence A. (1987). Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-7069-2563-7. Sexual intercourse is unnecessary for reproduction because the souls that enter the world during the first half of the Cycle are in possession of a special yogic power (yog bal) by which they conceive children
  36. Lalrinawma, V.S. (2003). The Liberation of Women in and through the Movement of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris. ISPCK. Cambridge Press, Delhi. p. 13. ISBN 81-7214-771-6.
  37. Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity, Hinduism Today, May 1995
  38. Jain, Chandra Mohan (1983). Guida Spirituale. Rajneesh Foundation International. pp. 98–99. ISBN 0-88050-575-3. The other is these Brahma Kumaris, they have not reached the whole world, they have remained confined to India. They talk utter nonsense, and they talk with authority. And they go on saying everything. This date that you mention that in 1987 this world will end... This date has changed many times in thirty years, and it will change again..
  39. Miller, Sam (2010). Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity. Penguin India. ISBN 0099526743. The movement's very strong millenarian belief are underplayed
  40. "Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  41. Beit-Hallahmi, Benjaminin (2003). Apocalyptic Dreams and Religious Ideologies: Losing and Saving Self and World. PSYCHOANALYTIC REVIEW, VOL 90; PART 4. pp. 403–439. ISBN 0-304-35592-5. A case study of Brahma Kumaris, a contemporary group characterised by an apocalyptic vision.
  42. "Brahma Kumaris: Landmarks in History". BKWSU. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  43. Howell and Nelson (1998). "On celibate marriages: the Polish Catholics' encounter with Hindu spirituality". Glancing: Visual Interaction in Hinduism", Journal of Anthropological Research. in order to progress to the next stage of membership – the visit to the University's headquarters in Rajasthan during the period where its deceased founder communicates via trance-medium – they have to not only demonstrate their commitment by following the recommended lifestyle but also, more importantly, be seen to be doing so by the university. this is instrinsicly linked with the second technique, the utilisation and negotiation of different metaphors or readings of the university's theodicy at the different events and in different types of literature in relation to its intended (core or periphery) audience" ... "amongst committed, core members "...the tradition is lived without apology, translation or dilution". {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  44. Lochtefeld, PhD, James G. (2002). "Brahma Kumaris". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Vol. I. New York: Rosen. ISBN 0-8239-3179-X.
  45. ^ Babb, Lawrence A. (1987). Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. Comparative Studies in Religion and Society. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0706925637.
  46. ^ Wilson, Bryan (1999). Wilson, Bryan (ed.). New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-20049-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  47. Milner, Murray (1994). Status and sacredness: a general theory of status relations and an analysis of Indian culture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-508489-4.
  48. ^ Bartholomeusz, Tessa J. (1994). Women Under the Bo Tree: Buddhist Nuns in Sri Lanka. Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions. New York: Rosen. ISBN 0-521-46129-4. series edited by John Clayton (University of Lancaster), Steven Collins (University of Chicago) and Nicholas de Lange (University of Cambridge)
  49. "Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 28 July 2007. The most strict will not eat food which is not prepared by a Brahma Kumaris. While traveling they abstain from public fare and carry their own utensils for cooking.
  50. Whaling, Prof Frank (2004). Partridge, Christopher; Melton, Gorden (eds.). Encyclopedia of New Religions; New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities. New York: Rosen. ISBN 0-7459-5073-6.
  51. Peace & purity: the story of the Brahma Kumaris. Page 96. Liz Hodgkinson – 2002
  52. Hinnells, John (1997). The Penguin Dictionary of Religions. Extract by Eileen Barker. Rosen, New York. ISBN 0-14-051261-6.
  53. Barker, Eileen (1989). New Religious Movement: A Practical Introduction. London: HMSO. pp. 168–70. ISBN 0-14-051261-6.
  54. Melton, J. Gordon (1993). The Encyclopedia of American Religions (4th ed.). Detroit: Gale. pp. 909–10.
  55. Nesbitt, Eleanor (2003). "Religious Organisations in the UK and Values Education Programmes for Schools". Journal of Beliefs and Values,. 24 (1): 75–88. doi:10.1080/1361767032000053015. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  56. Bedi, Kiran (2007). It's Always Possible : One Woman's Transformation of India's Prison System. Himalayan Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-89389-258-6.
  57. Musselwhite, Richard (2009). "Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris". University of North Carolina: 172, 173, 175. The core motivation behind both of those endeavors is no one other than God, who regularly and frequently visits the Brahma Kumaris and speaks with them through the lived performance of spirit-possession. God teaches the Brahma Kumaris that the world will be entirely transformed through a cataclysmic millennial event extremely soon, and thus that the Brahma Kumaris must commit themselves to purifying their souls and establishing their expertise as world leaders now, while there is still time. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  58. Musselwhite, Richard (2009). Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris (PhD). University of North Carolina. pp. 141, 163–164, 174. The problem was that up until that time, my relationship with him had been through the Brahma Kumaris; but now he was President, and he wanted to use...not only Self Management Leadership, but the whole strategic focusing thing, and his party was the center-right, Catholic party. They're sufficiently fundamentalist for them to have a fit about Brahma Kumaris" "So we went there, but it had to be done within the context of a commercial enterprise. So, we set up a branch of a consulting company there. But the fact of the matter is, most of his senior people have...been to Oxford for the Brahma Kumaris program. Many have been here to Madhuban.... So the Brahma Kumaris have had a huge influence in the reform process there .... We have trained 90 facilitators from the government who are running these programs, 25,000 people, all the top level of government throughout the entire country have been through the course.", " a management training program called Self Management Leadership, which has become the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy {{cite thesis}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  59. "Brahma Kumaris: Global Hospital". BKWSU. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  60. "ECOSOC". UNO. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  61. "List of UN NGO and respective status within UNICEF" (PDF). UNO. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  62. "DPI/NGO Directory". United Nations Department of Public Information. Retrieved 20 August 2007. NGO in consultative status with ECOSOC; associated with DPI
  63. Walliss, John (1999). When Prophecy Fails: The Brahma Kumaris and the Pursuit of the Millennium(s). p. 5. ...The Million Minutes of Peace which raised over one billion 'minutes of peace' people in 88 countries participating in prayer, meditation and positive thoughts. For this the University was awarded one International and six UN National 'Peace Messenger' Awards. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  64. Mike Wooldridge (17 January 2000). "Harnessing the sun's power". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  65. "Niche Faiths", The Sunday, Indian Express, 26 May 2007, retrieved 21 August 2007, Current head is Dadi Prakashmani. Recipient of UN Peace Medal for her efforts to spread across the message of peace and goodwill.
  66. "Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity". Hinduism Today. May 1995. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  67. Joshua, Anita (30 November 2000). "Youngsters sign up for peace culture". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 2000-11-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  68. "Alva hails Brahmakumaris for working for women's betterment". New Kerala. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  69. "A Timeless Woman with a Timely Message". theinterfaithobserver.org. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  70. "GITAM Honorary Doctorates to eminent personalities". baynews.in. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  71. Largest sand painting. Guinnessworldrecords.com (2010-11-26). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
  72. ^ "Race for Raisina: Shekhawat vs Patil". IBN. Retrieved 22 July 2007. Dadiji ke shareer mein Baba aye ... Maine unse baat ki ("Baba entered Dadi's body and he communicated to me through her")
  73. "Patil kicks up another row". IBN. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  74. "Battle for the palace". The Pioneer. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  75. "Pratibha believes in spirits?". Times of India. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  76. "Dadi Hirdaya Mohini- Joint Administrative Head". BKWSU. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
  77. आगरा में ब्रह्माकुमारी की हत्या Navbharat Times Dec 29, 2003
  78. प्रसाद खिलाकर आश्रम में रेप का प्रयास May 2012
  79. ब्रह्माकुमारी कविता की हालत में सुधार, मगर नहीं हुए बयान Dainik Bhaskar News, Apr 29, 2013, 06:02AM IST
  80. सुनील चोपड़ा केस की जांच के लिए पुलिस पहुंची ब्रह्माकुमारी आश्रम Dainik Jagran, March 2013
  81. कशमीरी लाल चोपड़ा ने विधायक घोड़ेला का पुतला फूंका Dainik Jagran, May 2013
  82. Man accuses spiritual sect of abducting wife
  83. लापता पुत्र की तलाश के लिए फिर आंदोलन करेगे कशमीरी लाल चोपड़ाजागरण – शनि., १६ मार्च २०१३
  84. Abhijit Majumder "Being normal, being spiritual" 12 December 2012 "There is literature widely available on the Internet that speaks about child abuse in the organisation, people drawn away from their families, patrons forced to donate huge sums. What do you say to that?... Now, if there are nine or ten lakh people coming for purification, there would be one or two who can do something. There may be a possibility that one or two cases may have happened, but I don't know about it. But if somebody is saying something has happened with them, total benefit of doubt should go to him or her. It must have happened. But we tend to look at that one case instead of the nine or ten lakhs who are working on cleaning themselves."
  85. On the margins of religion by Frances Pine, João de Pina-Cabral 2008 ISBN 1-84545-409-X page 175
  86. Walliss, John (2002). The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition: Responding to Late Modernity.
  87. Walliss, John (1999). "When Prophecy Fails: The Brahma Kumaris and the Pursuit of the Millennium(s)". British Association for the Advancement of Science, Sheffield. In addition, they accuse the University hierarchy of actively censoring or altering murlis that could potentially undermine their privileged position or which 'don't suit their philosophy'. The 'Special instruments' (senior members are, they allege 'constantly revising Murlis" to the extent that, for example, a passage from a 1969 murli referring to Shiva being unable to 'mount a virgin' was altered in the 1990 revised edition before being removed completely in the 1993 revision..." Dr. Walliss also notes that while the BKWSU was, "originally a reclusive, world-rejecting organization, over the last 30 years the Brahma Kumaris have begun a campaign of active proselytizing and international growth. Thus, whilst still retaining its original millenarianism, currently within the West the organization promotes itself as part of the New Age movement and emphasizes ideas around the issues of self-development, empowerment and personal success." Finally, Dr. Wallis disputes BKWSU's belief that Raja Yoga is the precursor to all world religions, including those that historically predate it. Specifically, "This is part of a lengthy answer to the question of how the University could claim that Raja Yoga is the precursor to and influence of world religions that historically predate it often by a few thousand years. Again, 'Baba' is cited as the source of ultimate authority." {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  88. Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya [God Fatherly Spiritual University]. Pbks.info. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
  89. Howell, Julia Day (1998). "Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: clarification of the Brahma Kumari case". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 37 (3): 453–461. doi:10.2307/1388052. JSTOR 1388052. The likelihood that surrendered sisters in India will remain Brahmins throughout their lives is increased by the practise of parent giving dowries to the Brahma Kumaris for daughters they concede will not marry. This practise goes back to the early days of the organization but it is not clear how common it was. Whaling and Babb report it as an occasional practise. Recently the pattern has been formalized, with retreats at Mount Abu being offered for girls in their mid-teens who may wish to undertake a fuller commitment to the organization. The girls are offered a short period of taking classes and living near Senior Sisters, at the end of which they may nominate to undertake a year trial as surrendered sisters. A payment equivalent to a dowry is required from the girls' natural families to cover their living expenses over the trial period. This payment is also meant to prevent parent "dumping" daughters on the Brahma Kumaris to avoid the dowries and other costs of ordinary marriages. Return to the world for women who have has such a dowry paid for them is difficult. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  90. Chowdry, Prem (1996). "Marriage, Sexuality and the Female Ascetic-Understanding a Hindu Sect". Economic and Political Weekly. 31 (34). An analysis of the Brahma Kumari sect in its initial years enables us to unravel certain hidden aspects of Sindh society which account for an unprecedented but successful patriarchal attempt to regulate and rest rain female sexuality or stimulate its self- restraint under the all-encompassing claims of reforming society. In the later years, with the coming of the partition and subsequent migration to India, this sect, confronting a greatly changed social milieu, assumed a somewhat different focus and identity. Despite this shifting of emphasis and consequent contradictions, the core doctrine of celibacy has remained and its advocacy of female sexual control continues to find receptive echoes. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  91. "BK Brahmins are totally dedicated to the BK activities: they spend all their life on meditation and in organising social events aimed at popularising meditation. Total devotion to the BK ideas may cause conflicts within mixed Brahmin families. Agnieszka Kościańska The Shakti Power. The Brahma Kumaris Word Spirituals University: an Idea of Female Leadership, Uniwersytet Warszawski. Instytut Etnologii i Antropologii Kulturowej, 2003
  92. Walliss, John (2002). The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition: Responding to Late Modernity. Ashgate Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7546-0951-3. Of primary importance in the revelations Lekhraj is said to have received is that the members of the Brahma Kumari 'university' should undergo 'death-in-life', they should 'die towards the outer world'. They had to renounce their families and thus they got the opportunity to be 'divinely reborn' in a 'divine family
  93. Smith, Dr Wendy A. (2007). "Asian New Religious Movements as global cultural systems". International Institute for Asian Studies. 45: 16–17. Conversion involves members changing their daily lifestles and even leaving long term relationships...Married converts have often had to forgo their marriage partnerships. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  94. Kościańska, Agnieszka Z (15–17 May 2003). "On celibate marriages: the Polish Catholics' encounter with Hindu spirituality". On the Margins of Religion, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Warsaw University. Conversion to so-called new religions often causes a conflict within converts' families. He/she changes his/her beliefs, but also lifestyle: He converts prays differently and eats differently. The Brahma Kumaris members spend most of their time on 'spiritual development'. To be successful on this path one must fulfil very strict requirements, which totally reorganise everyday life of both members and their families. Families of converts become arenas of conflict between spirituality rooted in Hindu tradition and the very Polish 'popular Catholicism', on two indissoluble levels. First, on the level of religious practises and second, on the level of daily live. Sexual relations within marriage are considered to be 'sacred' by Catholics in Poland. The Brahma Kumaris believe that relations between husband and wife should be based on 'a marriage of souls' e.g. they should meditate together, communicate via telepathy etc. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  95. Geraldine Bedell (15 January 1995). "Is joining a cult always wrong? Geraldine Bedell on the murky ethics of rescuing people from religious sects". The Independent. London.
  96. ^ "The PM's wife, the Druid priestess and the no-sex guru" The London Evening Standard, 6 January 2007
  97. Gallagher, Ian; Rice, Dennis; Churcher, Sharon (6 January 2007). "The PM's wife, the Druid priestess and the no-sex guru". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 24 January 2008. Brahma Kumaris, a women-led spiritual organisation that, while striving for world peace, has allegedly used 'pernicious' methods to control its followers. The group is led by 90-year-old Indian spiritualist Dadi Janki, a woman Dwina regards as her guru and whom she consults, according to a source close to her, 'about everything'. Both Dwina and Robin make regular donations to Brahma Kumaris ... "Former members and the families of members have told me that Brahma has driven a wedge between husband and wife,' said Graham Baldwin, a cult expert who has counselled former Brahma members.
  98. Momin, Sajeda (2007). "Is Cherie becoming a Brahma Kumari?". Daily News and Analysis, Mumbai. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
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  101. "Orthophoniste et naturopathe, il est dénoncé comme "gourou"". Coordination des Associations & Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience. 2000. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  102. Licenciements dans une crèche en Gironde pour appartenance à une secte, Agence France-Presse 18 Juin 2003
  103. Jeffrey M. Samuels, David E. Sorkin, Hon. Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr., Esq. (19 November 2007). "National Arbitration Forum Decision". National Arbitration Forum. Retrieved 4 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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