Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The CC has received many messages from yogis in a number of countries where there are divisions within collectives.
When looking at the matters at hand we see a similar pattern emerging, highlighting issues which need to be addressed by all of us on a global level. Since our Holy Mother left the physical dimension we have seen a deviation from Her teachings and the introduction of new ritualisms and methods, particularly for checking vibrations. We have addressed this in one of our previous communications but it is something that we feel needs to be brought into the collective attention once again.
As divisions and rifts appeared in collectives a few years ago, the level of trust between the sangha and national councils deteriorated. As a result, in some countries elaborate and complex methods to check vibrations for council decisions (especially selecting/electing council members) were created so that the outcome could be ‘immunized’ from our own shortcomings.
New procedures have been created to ‘verify’ those who can feel vibrations and yet more procedures created to determine how those selected should feel vibrations. Instead of improving our own instrument and its ability to feel vibrations, we rationalised that these new methods could protect our decisions from ego/superego. We cannot organise or get ‘more accurate results’ from the Paramchaitanya by using elaborate, complex methods. Shri Mataji taught us to feel vibrations by asking a question to Her photograph in meditation and holding out our hands.
She never taught or spoke of these new methods – not in Her lectures nor through an instruction to any yogi.
These new procedures are part of a creeping ritualism in Sahaja Yoga. The importance of remaining simple and true to Shri Mataji’s teachings doesn’t only apply to the process of selecting members of national councils but extends to the totality of our approach to Sahaja Yoga. Pujas done in Shri Mataji’s Holy presence and especially Havans were somewhat simpler and without the rituals and extended lines of bhramanic mantras that are becoming prevalent today. We must keep Sahaja Yoga simple and pure with our worship offered with wisdom, love and vibrational awareness. For this we can all easily refer to the numerous videos of Pujas and Havans performed in Her presence when She was guiding us.
As more and more new people come to Sahaja Yoga it is especially important that we avoid the mistakes of past religions in creating such new rituals and methods. Newer people often look to older, more established members for guidance and we all have a collective responsibility to future generations not to alter Shri Mataji’s teachings. When we invent rituals, we destroy the opportunity for spontaneity to play its role and for the flow of the Divine to guide us. New developments should be in the heart, not in promoting new layers of ritualism based on old conditionings. Let us maintain clarity and discretion between Nirmala Vidya and avidya.
To that end we would request that in collective havans which are held in the buildup to Guru puja, we throw all ritualism and blind faith into the fire, and that we use shoebeating to work out these issues in the sangha.
With love and respect, Members of the CC