Leadership and Unity of the Sangha

Posted by the Central Committee & filed under Communications.

Dear brothers and sisters,

In a number of countries there has been a disturbing trend toward division, misunderstanding and reaction within the Sahaj family. In a few instances trust among the yogis has eroded and the open heart, open communication and loving respect and regard for one another that Shri Mataji so often emphasized as essential has been all but lost. This has necessarily had an impact on our collective vibrations.

This phenomenon has manifested itself most strongly in issues surrounding leadership. In a number of countries groups have formed around objections to the behavior of national councils, including instances of censorship and limiting communications amongst yogis, isolating their collectives from the world sangha, bullying, using or threatening to use lawyers against Sahaja yogis, forbidding specific meetings among yogis, lacking financial transparency and other issues. In each case the councils in these countries have expressed differing views and the situations have resulted in standoffs, with varying degrees of division.

It is our experience that in many of these cases yogis are not willing to sit together to work out their differences. Councils isolate themselves from such interactions, feeling they are in power and have responsibilities that the collective cannot understand. They at times become overly political and overly bureaucratic in their mentality and are not willing to enter into the kind of respectful and open-hearted dialogue that will bring peace, unity and understanding to the collective.

Leaders in some cases seem to take themselves and their roles too seriously, forgetting Shri Mataji’s many comments that there is no hierarchy in Sahaj and that the role of the leader is largely one of communication, and also one of providing loving nourishment to the collective – not just the dry task of administering an organization to meet the requirements of their government.

Leadership in Sahaja Yoga is a creation of Shri Mataji. As leaders we would ideally be channels for the attention of Shri Mataji and for communicating with Shri Mataji about the direction of the sangha. To play this role, we need to be deeply connected with Her at the Sahasrara. When this condition is fulfilled, everything we outwardly do in SY is the combined result of two forces: the focal point of attention represented by the leader and the collective action of the whole sangha. When one is missing, nothing happens. If the leader misses the connection, one of the two forces is missing. Worse if the leader, besides losing connection with Shri Mataji, starts to project his/her own mental ideas (such as concepts of organization, structure and hierarchy, to mention a few), then disaster is the only result, as we are witnessing in many countries. Furthermore, leaders are sometimes a sort of “lightning rod” toward whom all the problems of the collective are projected. Again, if the connection with the Divine (The spirit) of a person in a leadership position, is not at the Sahasrara, the thunderbolt, instead of being absorbed by the Divine (in the same way Mother Earth absorbs it in the case of a “lightning rod”), the damage manifests in that person.

We also observed that in some countries problems with leadership are exacerbated by council rotations. While helping to keep any single party from being too powerful in a country and having the positive benefit of bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to leadership, these rotations also may create a more political atmosphere and reinforce the illusion that leadership is something to desire or that a leadership position elevates one into a special category of yogis. This politicization of leadership is something we need to all be aware of and to introspect about.

On the other hand, yogis in some cases have reacted to the whole concept of leadership and have come to view anyone in a role of leadership with suspicion, assuming that they are motivated by a lust for power and position, when in reality most members of the councils are sincere and humble people who want to serve Shri Mataji and the best interests of Sahaja Yoga. We have to trust each other to allow people to serve in these roles, all of us understanding the leela of leadership and the ever-changing nature of who holds those roles over time.

We would like to ask all of you, who are taking responsibility at this time in your countries for the beauty and integrity of Sahaja Yoga, to join us in shoe beating and praying to Shri Mataji to address these issues of division, distrust and reaction. Let us also introspect collectively on what constitutes Sahaj leadership as Shri Mataji has described it to us. To that end, we have attached the chapter which Shri Mataji wrote many years ago on Leadership, in which She describes in detail the attributes and attitudes of a Sahaj leader. Let us read it and try to examine ourselves in the light of this very clear divine guidance.

May truth, unity and the vision of Shri Mataji shine in every collective and in the hearts of each one of us.

With love and respect,
Your brothers and sisters on the Central Committee