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Prem Pal Singh Rawat (born December 10, 1957 in Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh - now Uttaranchal State, India) is a self described inspirational speaker and successful private investor. The teachings of Prem Rawat are promoted by a number of organisations including Elan Vital Incorporated., The Prem Rawat Foundation. and Raj Vidya Kender. The focus of Prem Rawat's teaching is the attainment of inner peace which he claims may be achieved through the practice of four specific meditation techniques which Prem Rawat collectively refers to as "Knowledge".
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[edit] INDIAN CONTEXT
[edit] PREM RAWAT'S ORIGINS
Prem Rawat was one of five children of a spiritual teacher known as Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, the only extant history of Shri Hans is a pamphlet written by C L Tandon entitled Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj
Prem Rawat's eldest sibling was a half sister from his father's first marriage, Shri Hans' relationship with his second wife, Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi, produced four sons of whom Prem was the youngest.
Shri Hans Ji Maharaj claimed allegiance to a Guru of the Sant Mat or surat shabd yoga tradition, and from the 1930s onward achieved some success in attaining a following amongst the Hindu communities in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar . By the late 1950s Shri Hans was able to provide his second family with a comfortable home in Dehradun, and also to maintain an Ashram for his followers at Haridwar on the banks of the Ganges, where his first wife lived in comparative seclusion.
Shri Hans achieved a degree of social respectability, and a number of Indian intellectual's such as C.L. Tandon became his followers. This widening of his popularity was coincidental with Shri Hans formalising his devotional following through the creation in 1960 of a registered Association called Divine Light Mission.
Prem Rawat appears to have been his father's favourite and began to emulate Shri Hans' speaking capacity, reportedly from just three years of age. In Rawat's own words at an event in Rome in 1996, he described his early role in his father's mission as:
I was his attractor. Events would often be set up and nobody would be there. So, I would get up and I would start speaking. And people would hear my voice and they would all come.
I remember there was an event in Nasik in the middle of these apartment buildings, and nobody had shown up. It was Sunday morning and nobody was there, except for a few people who had Knowledge. I went out and I started speaking. And when they heard this little boy speaking, everybody started coming out to see what was going on, and the next thing you know, the whole place was packed. And then Shri Maharaj Ji came and spoke to the people.
Shri Hans is said also to have taught Prem the meditation techniques of Knowledge while the boy was aged six. Rawat has said about this:
I was given Knowledge and didn't realize it straight away. I knew it was my duty and in about a month, I realized it'.
Prem Rawat received formal schooling at St. Joseph's Academy , a Catholic school in Dehradun and away from his family seems to have had an unremarkable childhood.
[edit] SUCCESSION OF GURUSHIP
With the establishment of Ashrams in both Delhi and Haridwar, and the creation of the Divine Light Mission, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj had become an established Guru within the Indian tradition of spiritual teaching. Shri Hans himself claimed spiritual lineage from a Guru Swarupanand who was also known as Shree Nangli Niwasi Bhagwan of the Sant Mat tradition. By making a claim to a 'lineage' Shri Hans opened the possibility for one or more of his own followers to lay claim to the 'living' Guruship upon Shri Hans' death.
Shri Hans Ji Maharaj died in 1966, the cause of death has never been made public and a mythology of 'divine ascendancy' is said to have gained currency for a time. A more prosaic report gives the cause as a collapse while Shri Hans was taking his morning shower, his reputed age was 66.
The suddenness of Shri Hans death appears to have provided for some conflict over the succession to both the inheritance of Shri Hans' spiritual role and separately the control of the Divine Light Mission and its assets. One explanation is given by Mishler - Transcript (1979) Bob Mishler Radio Interview.
Whatever the actual mechanisms involved, Prem Rawat, then only eight years old was named as the new 'Guru' and a process of spiritual transmission is suggested to have been alluded to within the Divine Light Mission teaching. Effective control of the Rawat family assets and the Divine Light Mission fell to Prem Rawat's mother and his eldest brother - then called Bal Bhagwan Ji now Sat Pal Maharaj - who acted as 'regents' while Prem remained legally a minor.
Prem Rawat, who was at that time being presented under the name Balyogeshwar began increasingly to give public discourses, attracting much devotional attention from his father's followers and gaining many more adherents.
The size of audience attracted by the boy Guru was impressive, crowds at open air meetings numbered tens of thousands. A seminal event held on Delhi's Ram Lila Ground in 1970 and which came to be characterised as Prem Rawat's Peace Bomb discourse, was reputedly attended by an audience of one million. Transcript (1970). The Peace Bomb.
From 1966 until at least 1971, the message of Bolyogeshwar and the Divine Light Mission was a continuation of the principles adopted by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj * Tandon Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj and instruction in the four techniques of meditation as a means to spiritual advancement provided the core teaching. It was in this context of a 'spiritual teaching' that a number of westerners were attracted to the Haridwar ashram and the ideology of Knowledge. Two westerners are of particular note, Ron Geaves, Mike Finch, both were to become adherents of Prem Rawat and both have written extensively on the history of Prem Rawat's career as a 'teacher'.
[edit] WESTERN CONTEXT
[edit] BOLYOGESHWAR TO GURU MAHARAJ JI
Guru Maharaj Ji was Prem Rawat's preferred form of reference to his father. Whether by deliberate intent on the part of Prem Rawat, his family or the senior disciples of Shri Hans, or by some incidental process, Prem Rawat himself came to be identified as Guru Maharaj Ji. It was under this name that Prem Rawat became widely known outside of India.
A senior disciple of Shri Hans and of Prem Rawat, known as Mahatma Gurucharnand had in the late 1960s been sent by Prem Rawat's mother to proselytise amongst the Hindu community in London UK. In the summer of 1971 Prem Rawat then aged only 13 travelled to London in the company of Mahatma Gurucharnand, here they received support from several westerners who had received the Knowledge techniques of meditation in India and who had adopted a devotional attachment to Prem Rawat.
Soon after arriving in London, Prem Rawat, as Guru Maharaj Ji was taken to the then nascent Glastonbury Festival where he made an impromptu appearance. Guru Maharji Ji was thus launched upon the western world via psychedelia and an increasingly mainstream 'counter culture'.
From the UK, Prem Rawat and Mahatma Gurucharnanand travelled to the US where the boy Guru Maharaj Ji attracted a significant following before returning to India to resume his schooling. A variety of claims have been made about the early development of Prem Rawat's following in Europe and North America although the only extant and consistent testimonies are those of Bob Mishler *Transcript(1979) Bob Mishler Radio Interview. and Mike Finch Maharaji's Start in the West. and The Start of Maharaji's Organisation.
[edit] DEHRADUN TO MALIBU
In the Autumn of 1971 Bob Mishler and others set up an organisation called Divine Light Mission Incorporated, this was registered as a Church for tax purposes with the US Internal Revenue Service, Prem Rawat, despite his being a minor and lacking US citizenship was according to Dettmers listed as 'Chief Minister' Dettmers Response. The US headquarters of DLM Inc. was in Boulder, Colorado.
In the summer of 1972 Prem Rawat returned to the U.S, accompanied by his mother, eldest brother and an entourage of senior disciples of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj who were at that time permitted to teach the meditation techniques of Knowledge, these senior disciples were referred to as mahatmas. With the requirement that only a few discourses need be attended and the ready availability of mahatmas to run the Knowledge sessions where 'aspirants' were taught the four techniques of meditation, the number of individuals following Guru Maharj Ji grew rapidly and substantial sums of donated income flowed into the US DLM and to Prem Rawat personally. Dettmers describes this process - Dettmers Response.
This successful model of attracting adherents was repeated in several European countries, as well as South America and Australasia where local Divine Light Missions were set up during the years 1972 - 1974.
Divine Light Mission Ashrams were set up in western countries despite there being no cultural precedent for their support. Those who entered an ashram were required to take a vow of poverty and give over their possessions and any continuing incomes to the organisation. They also took a vow of chastity and obedience. Drugs and alcohol were prohibited and vegetarianism was required; the rules for ashramites were laid out in The Ashram Manual.
The actual levels of adherence to Prem Rawat are difficult to establish, claims of a 6 million world wide Divine Light Mission membership in the early 1970 seem to have been overstated *Adherents.comIndex.
In 1972 and 1973 Prem Rawat was the focus of much media attention; DLM Inc. made two feature-length films about him during this period, and released a book of testimonials and Rawat's discourses, or satsangs as they were then called, entitled Who Is Guru Maharaj ji? published by Bantam Books.
Prem Rawat's mother and all three of his brothers were prominent in the Guru Maharaj Ji movement during its early growth in the west and under the influence (it is claimed by present day followers) of the India mahatmas, a quality of divinity was accorded to the whole family.
In November 1973 DLM Inc, booked the Houston Astrodome for a three-day event to coincide with the date of Shri Hans's birthday. Called "Millennium '73" the relevance of the 'millennial' reference was never made explicit although an apocalyptic element has been inferred by some observers.
Despite having Rennie Davis, a former member of the Chicago Seven, as a prominent devotee of Guru Maharaj Ji and speaker at "Millennium '73", the event attracted at most 20,000 attendees - lower estimates say just 7,000. The vast stadium dwarfed the small crowd and losses from the event nearly drove DLM Inc. into bankruptcy as confirmed by Dettmers. Dettmers Response.
In May 1974 at age sixteen Prem Rawat married a twenty-five year old flight attendant named Marolyn Johnson. The marriage apparently precipitated a rift between Prem Rawat his mother and two brothers (the second youngest Raja Ji remained in Prem Rawat's camp). Mishler speaking in 1979 *Transcript Bob Mishler Radio Interview. describes a period of intense conflict in 1974 between Prem Rawat and his mother and eldest brother.
Ultimately Prem Rawat's mother disowned her youngest son and returned to India with two of his brothers - Balbagawan Ji and Bhole Ji. According to a report published the following year in the People Weekly magazine *"The teenaged guru fights", 16 June 1975. , Jagat Janani announced that her son was corrupted by Western ways, had strayed from the holy Hindu path and claimed he drank alcohol, ate meat and visited night clubs.
Legal actions brought by the Officers of the Indian Divine Light Mission (C. L. Tandon v. Prem Pal Singh Rawat, AIR 1978 Delhi 221 ) saw Prem Rawat lose any claim he may have had to the organisation and, Balbagawn Ji, now known as Satpal Maharaj, became the spiritual head of the DLM in India. Most of the mahatmas in the West returned to India maintaining allegiance with Prem Rawat's mother and Balbagwan Ji.
[edit] LEADERSHIP
By the time of his marriage, a property had been acquired for Prem Rawat at Trancas Canyon, Malibu, California - this was to become the location of his main residence for most of the succeeding three decades. With his own home, his mother and brother divorced from any control of the western Divine Light Missions, with an established and devoted following of westerners, and with US citizenship achieved via his marriage, Prem Rawat was in a position to assert sole control over the movement that he found himself to be leading. The peculiarity of this situation is that he was just sixteen years old.
In early 1974 Prem Rawat had announced in India the creation of an organisation called Divine United Organisation *Copy Divine United Organisation. With the loss of the Indian DLM to his brother, DUO became Prem Rawat's Indian base, the organisation eventually being renamed Raj Vidya Kender . DUO was run for many years by one of the mahatmas who chose loyalty to Prem Rawat - Mahatma Sampuranand.
The nationally based organisations that took the name Divine Light Mission in many countries around the world seem to have had no unifying legal structure beyond a commonality of statement of aims, primarily these were based upon a commitment to proselytise the Knowledge and to accept Guru Maharaj Ji as a source of divine inspiration.
There is also no evidence that Prem Rawat had in 1974 any clear strategy in his exercise of leadership, and the developments within the various parts of the worldwide Divine Light Mission movement appear to be influenced largely by local conditions. There are no contemporary reports as to how Prem Rawat's marriage influenced the behaviour of his followers, although discussion on Internet forums in recent years indicates that some individuals felt encouraged to emulate Prem Rawat in entering into close relationships, even leaving ashrams to marry.
A small number of mahatmas had sided with Prem Rawat in the family split and apart from Sampuranad who remained in India Gurucharnand and Jagdeo continued in positions of influence. From the inception of Divine Light Mission Incorporated, Bob Mishler, by his own testimony *Transcript Bob Mishler Radio Interview. was a key advisor to Prem Rawat, however in 1975 this relationship began to break down and Rawat increasingly looked to Canadian Michael Dettmers for advice firstly on financial matters, and from 1976 onward wider organisational matters.
Dettmers oversaw a substantive change in the relationship between Prem Rawat and the Divine Light Mission Incorporated which had implications that went far beyond the administrative borders of the US. Dettmers, working with tax lawyer Robert Jacobs achieved a separation of Prem Rawat's finances from DLM Inc. This not only made Prem Rawat cash rich, but removed the legal burden of his being DLM's Chief (religious) Minister Dettmers Response.
DLM Inc. continued to be registered as a Church, however rather than as previously, paying for Prem Rawat's activities as though he were an integral part of the organisation, DLM Inc. developed two financing strategies - firstly the collection of funds for Prem Rawat's personal benefit as demonstrated by the Jets' Acquisition Committee. secondly the use of donated funds to pay for expenses incurred by Prem Rawat in delivering his message as stated by Elan Vital:
Prem Rawat receives no compensation, fees, honoraria, or financial benefits from Elan Vital, which funds only documented expenses of events that are Elan Vital sponsored. *Elan Vital Canada About Elan Vital.
The pattern of financing adopted by the US Elan Vital Inc. was emulated by other national Divine Light Missions from 1975 onward. Despite the DLM movement claiming large numbers of adherents worldwide, there is no evidence for growth in numbers after 1975 *Adherents.com Index.
In 1976 Prem Rawat began to encourage a reinvigoration of the DLM ashram system and some followers who had moved out of ashrams in 1974 and 1975 returned to the ashram lifestyle. As a whole, after 1974 the DLM movement was less energetic in promoting its public profile than in the 1971 to 1974 period.
For a time around 1980 Prem Rawat moved his centre of operations to Miami where activities included a project known as DECA *PRMI The Young Guru Maharaj Ji goes West. which was concerned with the customisation of a Boeing 707 for Prem Rawat's personal use. The project failed to produce an aircraft suitable for sustained use, and also failed in its commercial ambition and the business was eventually sold.
[edit] THE MAHARAJI TRANSITION
A retrospective study by Geaves *Ron Geaves (22 March 2004). From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: An Exploration of Change and Adaptation. *Copy Nova Religio. concludes that Rawat, never intended to create a religious movement or considered that his message was defined by any lineage or religion. Geaves identifies the changes in Rawat's presentation of himself and his supporting organisations as being evidence for Rawat's non religious and anti devotional intent. According to Chryssides * {{{title}}}. a one time colleague of Geaves, Prem Rawat dissolved the ashrams in the West and went on to deny his divine status and status as a Guru.
A problem with retrospective studies such as that provided by Geaves is that 'intent' may be unduly inferred from events, and Geaves provides little in the way of analysis contemporary with the historic events that he argues demonstrates Rawat's intentions. Chryssides provides no explanation as to why the ashrams were closed nor why they were not instead subject to reform or alteration in purpose in line with the new direction that Rawat wished to take.
It is the case that in 1982 Rawat suddenly announced that the Divine Light Mission ashrams were to close worldwide, a process that was complete by the end of 1983. There is no evidence that the DUO ashram in Delhi was affected by this change nor is there evidence that Rawat addressed the matter of his divine status in any communication to his Indian followers at that time nor at any point since.
Following the ashram closure Prem Rawat indicated to his followers that he wished to be known as Maharaji instead of Guru Maharaj Ji. A process of renaming the various Divine Light Missions as Elan Vital was also begun. The US DLM Inc. underwent a name change in 1985, however its religious status remains unchanged to the present day, providing a contradiction to Geaves' academically informed assertions.
The last named Divine Light Mission did not disappear until 1996 when the UK Charity of that name was closed, a separate UK Elan Vital had been created in 1993; this is the only circumstance where a separately created Elan Vital, replaced an existing Divine Light Mission *Charity Commission The Divine Light Mission. ; *Charity Commission Elan Vital.
In 1986 Michael Dettmers who had been key to maintaining an effective organisational control over the disparate national Divine Light Missions and their transition to Elan Vitals, parted company with Prem Rawat. Dettmers made no public comment on his time with Rawat for nearly fourteen years, when he eventually spoke out his comments were critical, some would say damning, about almost every aspect of Prem Rawat's life. Dettmers Response.
Dettmer's departure does not seem to have caused undue organisational difficulty, however no individual has since held the degree of influence that Dettmer's held Internationally within the Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital organisations.
[edit] NEW AGE TO NEW TECHNOLOGY
Whatever Rawat's failings may have been, he continued to retain immense commitment from a portion of the followers he had attracted in the early 1970s, there is no evidence however that after the late 1970s, new followers were being attracted other than in small numbers and levels of adherence seem to have been static *Adherents.com Index.
One important change appears to have been the comparative increase in the personal finances of Rawat's existing followers, various demographic and social reasons may be advanced to explain why this occurred. The relevance for Prem Rawat was that new forms of promoting his message, notably home video became financially viable and a subsidiary of the US based Elan Vital Inc. called Visions International was formed to capitalise on this opportunity. Visions Int. has had a long standing commercial relationship with Eversound a recording company run by followers of Prem Rawat.
The presentation of Prem Rawat via sophisticated media continued to develop throughout the 1990s and Television, Internet and DVD media featuring Prem Rawat are all produced by Visions International. The availability of increased donation income is evidenced by the success of the Jets' Acquisition Committee in raising $millions to provide Prem Rawat with a series of personal aircraft. Prem Rawat was also to benefit personally from the success of a number of enterprises run by individual followers, from which Rawat was gifted shares and income, the most notable being the software company Deltek and the academic book reseller Amtext.
Between 1985 and 1995 Prem Rawat's access to personal wealth appears to have increased substantially, items such as his yacht SERENITY. ,aircraft (the latest is a Gulfstream G500. ; see also Who Owns What. , and several mansions and the control of shares, were all made available to Prem Rawat via beneficial ownerships such as the Onae Trust *Reference document Sale of Prem Mark. and the SEVA Corporation of America.
[edit] PREM RAWAT INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
The term Inspirational Speaker has only been applied to Prem Rawat with any consistency since the late 1990s and is coincident with Rawat taking on a Motivational Speaker role in the 'trainings' that were organised for his followers in 1998 and 1999; see *Transcript Prem Rawat's Trainings - 1999.
A further coincidence is that three of Rawat's close followers are themselves involved in the commercial aspects of 'motivational speaking' and 'training, Timothy Gallwey, Valerio Pascotto, Jean-Marie Bonthous.
As well as seeking to move from a definition of Teacher to Speaker, Prem Rawat has in the last few years more frequently used his legal name, consigning the name Maharaji to an 'also known as' appellation.
In 2002 the The Prem Rawat Foundation was launched and this presaged a more active promotion of Prem Rawat in the media with frequent press releases being published on the Internet and a series of Executive style subsidy publisher works being produced. Prem Rawat has also to associated himself with the United Nations and its initiatives on Famine and Peace.
During 2003 and 2004 Prem Rawat increased significantly the number of high profile events at which he spoke, many of these were for the first time, charged on a per seat basis as opposed to an entry only Registration fee. In 2005 all events appear to have reverted to Registration fee based access and the overall number of planned events appears to be less than in the previous two years.
In 2005 Prem Rawat introduced an Internet based access point for those wishing to undertake the 'aspirant preparation process' required before an individual can be sanctioned as ready to be taught the techniques of meditation that Rawat calls Knowledge. This access point is titled TheKeys as is the stepped programme of DVD recordings that the student (formerly called aspirant) is required to watch.
The known level of support for Prem Rawat in his later modes of presentation appears substantially reduced from former times. Chryssides * {{{title}}}. gives an unsubstantiated figure of 15,000 North American adherents to Prem Rawat; as of July 2005 Elan Vital Inc. states: "The generosity of over 1,964 U.S. contributors helps support Maharaji's work."
[edit] TEACHING,BELIEF AND DISAFFECTION
[edit] THE TEACHINGS OF PREM RAWAT
The term teaching has been used in the constitution document of every national Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital organisation. Clearly Prem Rawat's followers had an understanding that a 'teaching' existed, however as Rawat commends no standard text, no reference of philosophy, no moral standard or explicit belief, a coherent definition of Rawat's 'teaching' is unobtainable.
The teaching of Prem Rawat's father Shri Hans Ji Maharaj * Tandon Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj clearly belongs in the context of the Sant Mat tradition and the wider cultural philosophy of Sikhism and Hinduism from which Sant Mat is derived. Prem Rawat's disavowal of any religious relevance his teaching and the absence of any philosophical or moral context serves to divorce his teaching from that of his father.
Rawat's disavowal of religious or philosophical relevance is made explicit by Elan Vital.
Does this have something to do with religion? What Maharaji offers is independent of and compatible with any religion. Maharaji only makes it possible for people to connect to an inner source of fulfillment.
Is this a philosophy or a spiritual path? Knowledge is a practical way of experiencing peace within. It is not related to any philosophy, belief system, or spiritual path.*TPRF Frequently Asked Questions.
The delivery of Prem Rawat's teaching is achieved through his discourses, and through a one off structured tutorial, at which instruction is given in the four techniques of meditation collectively referred to as Knowledge.
Prem Rawat's discourses have three apparent target audiences. There are prepatory discourses aimed at those who aspire to be taught the four techniques of Knowledge, these are now codified into TheKeys , there are Inspirational discourses for those who have been taught the four techniques and who require motivation and inspiration to practice the techniques. The Inspirational discourses also serve as introductions for those unfamiliar with Prem Rawat.
The teaching of the four techniques is achieved by the showing of a DVD of Prem Rawat demonstrating each technique in turn, this DVD is shown in private to a group of aspirants who an appointed follower of Prem Rawat has judged to be ready for the transmission of the techniques. These group tutorials are often referred to as Knowledge Sessions. Prem Rawat never speaks publicly about the mechanics of the practice of meditation and those who accept viewing of the Knowledge DVD must promise never to reveal the techniques to anyone else.
The requirement to keep the techniques secret is sought despite the fact that very full descriptions of the techniques are available publicly on the Internet *PRMI The Four Techniques of Meditation..; *Mike Finch The Knowledge Techniques, and Maharaji as a Meditation Teacher.; *EPO The Aspirant Process: Step 5.
[edit] BELIEFS PROMOTED BY PREM RAWAT
Elan Vital websites claim that acceptance of a belief system. is not required for the techniques of Knowledge to be made available to an individual and that claim seems accurate in contractual terms. see *Elan Vital FAQs Maharaji's Knowledge.
To the extent that "acceptance of a view unsupported by evidence" may be said to constitute belief, Prem Rawat has despite the claims of Elan Vital, appears to have introduced a wide range of beliefs to his followers over the last four decades.
As a child Prem Rawat promoted the beliefs promulgated by his father and his father's followers, that is the beliefs that attach to the Sant Mat, Sikh and Hindu traditions. see *Transcript (1970). The Peace Bomb.
As the teenage Guru Maharj Ji, Prem Rawat, whether by intention or accident promoted a belief that he was 'spiritually' exceptional; certainly there is no evidence that prior to the 1980s Prem Rawat made any attempt to stop the intense devotion expressed to him by his followers *Forum Gallery Devotion.
As Maharaji, Prem Rawat has sought to promote the belief that he has some means that is available only to him, to be able to bring an individual to finding inner peace *TPRF News Release.
As plain Prem Rawat he promotes a belief that he is a successful private investor *TPRF Frequently Asked Questions. and that he is an active humanitarian *TPRF Press Releases.
An important aspect of the presentation of Prem Rawat is the claim made by him and his supporting organisations that practising Knowledge is compatible with all religions and beliefs *TPRF Frequently Asked Questions. This statement in itself seems contradictory as the judgement about what a particular system of belief allows as being 'compatible', is frequently a matter for clerical or liturgical authority. By making this unsupported statement regarding belief, Prem Rawat may be considered to be usurping religious authority in Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and other established religions and pathways of belief.
There is no current extant study of the wider following of Prem Rawat or of the beliefs or 'understandings' that are common to that following; a number of past studies would now appear to be of historic relevance only these include works by Haan *Template:Journal reference ; and Downton * {{{title}}}.
Followers of Prem Rawat are adamant that their involvement with Rawat is based on empirical personal experience and that belief provides no motivation for them. Prem Rawat supporting web sites contain a "What people say" section from which the following personal testimonies appear to be representative:
Listening to Maharaji makes me feel happy, especially when he touches on the subject of falling in love with life, of enjoying every moment, knowing myself. It was as if I was seeing myself for the first time. *TPRF What People Say.
I am impressed by Maharaji's use of simple language and stories that make what he says accessible to everyone. He is so undiscriminating and relatable, talking about the essence of existence in a way that everyone can understand. It is thoroughly enjoyable to listen to him. *TPRF What People Say.
Maharaji's message of understanding the self and finding peace within is eye-opening and very helpful. In a peace-striving world where humans are living miserable lives despite material achievements, Maharaji's message about discovering peace within can help a lot. It is really an amazing message. *TPRF What People Say.
[edit] DISSENT, CRITICISM AND OPPOSITION
There is almost no contemporary evidence of dissent within the western Divine Light Missions of the 1970s, this lack of evidence may be related to the fact that the followers of Prem Rawat had no rights as members of an association or a congregation, nor was there any form of representative council where dissent could be expressed. The first public note of any serious disagreement with Prem Rawat from within the ranks of his followers was when Bob Mishler, formerly President of DLM Inc. and Rawat's closest American adviser gave a radio interview in 1979 *Transcript Bob Mishler Radio Interview.
Mishler's allegations centred around Rawat's materialism and lack of interest in making the Knowledge accessible to more people. The effect upon Rawat's followers at the time appears not to have been significant and Mishler's subsequent death in an air crash removed the possibility of his making further criticism. Current followers of Rawat accord various negative motivations to Mishler as explanation of his allegations against Prem Rawat.
By 1979 tens of thousands of westerners who had, for a time at least been followers of Prem Rawat in the early 1970s, were no longer involved with Divine Light Mission. It is a matter of judgement whether this desertion represents unspoken dissent or simply disinterest.
During the 1980s and early 1990s the organisations and movement that supported Prem Rawat came in for increasing criticism from psychologists and anti cult activists for what was identified as being the cult like nature of the movement. Psychologist Margaret Singer, who had recently been commended for her work on the Jones Town tragedy referenced Divine Light Mission in a1979 article on cults *Template:Journal reference, other critics included Rick Ross and Steve Hassan.
It was not until 1996 that any indication of the level of dissatisfaction, disagreement and contempt with and for Prem Rawat by his former followers became public. Using a reference to the name adopted by Rawat's followers - premie from the Hindu meaning lover - the Ex Premie Org./ website was created. Ex Premie Org. attracted the interest of those followers who had deliberately abandoned Rawat, those who had simply drifted away and even some who were still ardent followers.
EPO currently lists over a thousand web pages of DLM history, personal testimony, and criticism. Other web sites and Internet forums have come into existence in the years since 1996 and the total volume of unique critical material about Prem Rawat appears to at least equal that which is supportive of him.
[edit] SPECIFIC CRITICISM
The scope of expressed dissatisfaction with Prem Rawat is broad and derives from individual experience, philosophical and moral differences and perceptions of illegality. The allegations about Rawat and his supporting organisations are so extensive that critical assessment requires examination at source, however specific criticism may summarised as:
- Prem Rawat is [removed as per WP:BLP] See diff *EPO The 14 Objections.
- Prem Rawat is the leader of a cult (sourced to among other Marc Galanter's book cults and new religious movements)[removed as per WP:BLP] See diff *EPO Is Maharaji the leader of a cult?.
- Prem Rawat has benefited undeservedly from his role as a 'teacher' *EPO Who Owns What.
- Prem Rawat has with the assistance of close followers, sought deliberately to misrepresent the religious nature of his early teaching *EPO Open letter to Dr. Ron Geaves regarding the 'Passages' video.
- The meditation taught by Rawat is neither unique, nor is it unequivocally safe to practice *EPO The Myth of the Perfect Masters Lineage. ; *PRMI Meditation : Harmful Effects.
- The organisations supporting Prem Rawat are illegitimately registered for charitable purposes. *"SPIRITUAL BODY FACES INQUIRY", 17 June 2003.
- . The organisations supporting Prem Rawat channel non profit funds to support Prem Rawat's lifestyle *EPO How Prem Rawat's Events are Organised.
In broad terms, sources for these criticisms are the Mishler and Dettmers testimonies *Transcript Bob Mishler Radio Interview. ; Response. articles written by Mike Finch *Mike Finch Articles on Maharaji . . revelations regarding Mahatma Jagdeo *EPO The Jagdeo Issue. and the collective testimony of over one hundred former followers *EPO Journeys.
Assessment of the inadequacy of the Rawat mediation is given by Finch Why Knowledge Does not Work. and analysis of potential dangers of the Rawat meditation *PRMI Meditation : Harmful Effects. and the financial structures of Elan Vital *PRMI Financing the Promotion of Prem Rawat. are given on the PRMI web site which claims neutrality although it was created by former followers of Prem Rawat.
[edit] RESPONSE TO CRITICISM
Prior to the advent of the EPO website the response of Prem Rawat to criticism appears to have been disinterest, certainly there is no evidence of any systematic attempt to address criticism either by Prem Rawat personally, or by his supporting organisations. More recently a process of systematic rebuttal has been pursued. Rawat has personally remained largely aloof from this process however he has made at least two references to ex followers in his discourses. In one case Rawat spoke of an elephant keeping to its intended course untroubled by dogs 'barking in the night', in another his reference was to a 'lighted candle' surrounded by matches which had failed to ignite *Transcript Maharaji's Response to His Critics.
Elan Vital websites have FAQ sections which contain detailed rebuttals and outright attacks on critics *Elan Vital Hate group harasses EV and Maharaji's students. . A study *Template:Journal referenceinto Internet overuse is quoted in explanation of the behaviour of Prem Rawat's critics, as is reference to the mental and neurological health of unnamed individuals *Elan Vital Are the people in this hate group credible?.
A key proposition made by the Rawat supporting organisations is that critics of Prem Rawat comprise of a small, cohesive and unrepresentative group of disaffected persons who have failed to understand what Prem Rawat has to offer. The Elan Vital websites identify Prem Rawat with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King as being individuals persecuted for their commitment to peace *Elan Vital Does Maharaji have opponents?.
Elan Vital has twice made unssustained claims under the DMCA against web sites it considers to be critical of Prem Rawat *Copy Stroock, Stroock and Lavan's copyright complaint on behalf of Elan Vital. ; *PRC Free Speech. forcing temporary closure of both sites and leading to counter claims of attempted censorship. A DMCA complaint by The Prem Rawat Foundation was judged in the Foundation's favour *National Arbitration Forum Decision.
In addition to the official response of TPRF and Elan Vital the One Reality web site which states independence from any Rawat supporting organisation offers an assertive counter critique of Rawat's ex followers.
[edit] Article Notes
Note 1. Retrieval Dates: All web references were retrieved August 1st 2005 unless otherwise stated.
Note 2. The problematic availability of published material: The EPO (critical) web site is the most extensive source of online historic material related to Prem Rawat. The Prem Rawat supporting organisations provide little or no access to material published historically by them or their precursor organisations, there is therefore necessarily some reliance on the EPO site as a library source for historically published material. The fact that a document is 'sourced' from a web site critical of Prem Rawat, should not be taken as evidence that the document is itself critical.
Note 3. On the conflicting perspectives of present and former followers of Prem Rawat: The source of the conflict appears to go beyond mere differences of view, ex followers have many levels of dispute with Prem Rawat and specific disputes may be characterised as political, moral, philosophical or even health and consumerist advocacy.
Current followers have expressed disgust and dismay at the disparagement of Prem Rawat by former followers and a triangular conflict has ensued. Charges laid against Prem Rawat by ex followers are subject to rebuttal by Rawat's supporting organisations, these organisations have no representative role in respect of Prem Rawat's current followers. Individual current followers have engaged in argument with ex followers, while some of those ex followers who have made criticism of Prem Rawat have engaged in challenging the rebuttals put out by the organisations, others have engage in argument with current followers, while yet other ex followers have engaged in counter argument with both the organisations and current followers.
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Added to discussion Prem Rawat:
The Apostasy Problem
Proposition [1]: The testimony of apostates is unreliable - after Wilson, Bromley & Shupe etc.
Condition [1]: Prem Rawat and his pre circa 1980 followers were de facto adherents of the Rhadasomi tradition as taught by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj - Prem Rawat's father and Guru.
Condition [2]: Prem Rawat and his pre 'circa 1980' followers are no longer adherents of the Rhadasomi tradition as taught by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj.
Deduction [1]: Conditions [1] and [2] require that Prem Rawat and his longest serving followers must be apostates of the Rhadasomi tradition and the teaching of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj.
Deduction [2]: If Proposition [1] holds then Prem Rawat and his longest serving followers are unreliable sources of testimony for all aspects of Prem Rawat's mission prior to Prem Rawat's and his longest serving followers', collective apostasy in the early 1980s !
