Having a little trawl around the internet, I was interested to find a few more alternative voices discussing their BK-related experiences. It is very interesting to discover the many shades of white kurtas and saris out there, some of them less than a whiter shade of Pa le.
I suggest we collect them so that the sociologists that come this way don't have such a hard job find an overall impression. A few might need help, a few might be able to offer it, most are entertaining just to read something written without basis. And I think both we and the BKWSU have something to learn from them. (Blue links go to blog for as long as it lasts on the internet.)
I suggest we collect them so that the sociologists that come this way don't have such a hard job find an overall impression. A few might need help, a few might be able to offer it, most are entertaining just to read something written without basis. And I think both we and the BKWSU have something to learn from them. (Blue links go to blog for as long as it lasts on the internet.)
the mango i shall peel wrote:Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - a personal journey
Firstly, a clarification, i am not sufficiently enlightened or learned in the matter of religion or spirituality to blog very much. However, opinions and experiences do count as something.
Recently, my Dad asked me, "so what religion do you practise now?" A bit of an odd question but anyone familiar with my circumstances would be aware that having a Catholic Ma and a Hindu Pa is enough to confound most individuals. By law, one follows their Father's religion until the age of 18. That would have made me Hindu while i remained under 18. However, by religious convention, a Catholic would require their spouse to convert and thus their children to also be Christian. This did not happen since my parents decided to respect each others religion as neither wished to convert.
As a child, that left me confused, yet i reveled in my uncertain state since i was allowed to choose what i wanted. However, since my parents knew that a kid needed guidance, they decided to give us that! When i was young (about up to primary school), each parent asserted that their children should practise their respective religion. That meant that i got an equal dosage of Hindu mythology and Bible stories. In my own warped manner, i came up with a hybrid religion whereby a prayed to 'God' in general ... it seemed to work. As i grew older, i was getting less satisfied.
It did not help that my parents were experimenting too. My Dad in particular. He joined the Brahma Kumaris, an alternative sort of spiritual practise. Their practises were interesting but somehow it did not quite cater to married life and my parents had horrible rows over it. We decided my Dad was going on an odd trip but as family, we were going with him. My Brother and i were taught about their concept of life and the universe (neither of us got much out of it since we were distracted by the teacher's bad breath and shrill nasal voice ... plus we kept on giggling every time she told us to look into this red bulb and imagine it was our third eye). My Dad eventually dropped it.
His journey on the spiritual path led him through many things ... while i admire my parents drive to attain Moksha (being one with the divine or if you believe in rebirth, breaking The Cycle of life and death), i cannot imagine not having an ego, i.e. not existing, never being me but being a merged part of a greater force that i am apparently unaware of at present. The very fact that i have given myself an individual identity (refering to me as 'i', 'me', 'myself' etc) is extremely telling. Anyway, my Dad just laughed at my uncertain look and my piquant answer that i may decide to be an atheist or may stick to being a free thinker. He reminded me that it was important to be spiritual rather than religious. I hope that one day I may truly realise what the precise difference would be in the muddled up section of my brain devoted to religion/spirituality/God.
posted bythe-mango-peeler at 5:26 AM