However we under it, the Brahma Kumaris are a spiritualist, not spiritual, religion. Brahma Kumarism is based on spiritualism, the alleged mediumship of disincarnate spirits, the primary of which, they claim, is the god of all religions and their deceased business man and founder speaking from beyond the grave.
One of the more preeminent researchers into the 'phenomena' known as spiritualism was the Frenchman Allan Kardec. In his book 'Livre des Médiums', (The Book of Mediums) Kardec devotes a chapter to the problem of what he called spirit "obsession".
In the many forms of spiritualism which are practised all over the world, and amongst practically all peoples, it is claim certain individuals are able to listen to, speak to, see, feel other non-human personalities ... or even be used as "channels" giving over their physical bodies to be used by said non-human personalities as if they were their own bodies, as in the case of Lekhraj Kirpalani and BK Hirday Mohini aka "Sister Gulzar" (who is said to channel the BK god spirit and the deceased Lekhraj Kirpalani).
Most spiritualisms differentiate between "mediumship", a voluntary relationship between the medium and the spirit or spirits they communed with; and "possession", an involuntary relationship in which the medium is entirely subjected by the spirit or spirits.
Kardec as not just a researcher but also proponent of spiritualism, or Spiritism as he called it, explicitly disavowed the use of the terms "possessed" and "possession by spirits" because of their inflammatory connotation. Instead, he broke down what he called the "colonization" of the sprit medium's identity into three types:
"l'obsession simple" (simple obsession), by which he meant the continued and unwelcome interruption of a spirit during conversations between the spiritualist medium and other (more polite) spirits.
"la fascination" (fascination), in which the spirit is able to secretly enter into the mediums thoughts, temporarily tricking him into believing whatever he says and, lastly,
"la subjugation" (subjugation) in which the medium is completely possessed, mind and body, by the spirit.
Kardec described spirit possession using colonial terms, "prendre de l'empire" (to take the Empire), meaning the invasion of the medium's own soul and the medium's misidentifying with it. He theorised that the possessing spirit or spirits are able to insert themselves into the very selfhood of the medium and colonize the medium's identity.
This would seem to describe the cases of Lekhraj Kirpalani, who for period of over 20 years - from 1932 to 1955 (approximately) - was unaware that he was possessed and acting as a medium for another spirit or spirits, a spirit or spirits that the Brahma Kumaris call now Shiva or BapDada. During the formative years of the Brahma Kumari cult, amongst various pronounced spiritualist phenomena, Lekhraj Kirpalani and the original BKs thought him to be their guru, god and source of teachings (aka Gita Sermoniser). And, since his death, continues with the (claimed) "subjugation" of Sister Gulzar by the spirits of this Shiva and the deceased Lekhraj Kirpalani.
Because of the inflammatory connotations attached to the practises, the Brahma Kumaris now generally downplay or hide the spiritualistic elements of their religion from outsiders and newcomers. It is not even deeply or widely discussed or explained to adherents. Adherents whose knowledge and understanding is severely limited, manipulated and controlled in a cultic fashion by the inner circle of BKs, the inner circle which includes the leading active spirit mediums ('Loading the Language', 'Milieu Control', 'Mystical Manipulation', 'Doctrine over Person' to quote from Dr Lifton's 'Criteria for Thought Reform').
The Brahma Kumari leadership acts solely on behalf of these "spirits", claiming that they are the one true God of all religions and the one Father of humanity, initiating new recruits into a relationship with them; a relationship where the new recruits or BK adherents can be used as unconscious mediums or channels for said spirits ... and other spirits which they variously claim are the spirits of other deceased senior Brahma Kumaris.
This is not a subjective interpretation of Brahma Kumarism, but a simple translation of actual Brahma Kumari claims or beliefs into non-BK language.
As a BK recruit or adherent, you are being initiated into a spiritualist cult to exist either as a channel or spirit medium, or a servant and provider of material necessities to the mediums.
What do BK recruits really know about the spirit or spirits they are said to be channeling, their energy and their agenda ... which, primarily, appears to be to kill off the rest of 'non-compliant humanity' (non-BKs) during what it or they describe as "Destruction"?
All that one can be sure about in "spiritualism", is the only thing reliable about spiritualistic practises is that they are unreliable; and the personalities directing all activities emanating from the practises are absolutely unaccountable (partly because they are beyond proving that they even exist!).
As an aside, it is interesting to note that in the Vodou ceremonies (a form of spiritualism practised in West African communities and their diaspora), the Vodou initiate or medium commonly understands the experience of possession as being "mounted" or "ridden" like a horse. An arrangement by which both the spirit and the initiate share the same physical body and psychological space.
This is not just exactly the same concept as is claimed by the Brahma Kumaris, it is the identical terminology as used in the Brahma Kumaris scripture where Lekhraj Kirpalani is portray as being "ridden" or "mounted" by the Shiva soul. (For example, in the BKs' Sakar Murlis it was claimed that "ShivBaba does not 'mount' a virgin" - meaning use an unmarried Brahma Kumari Sister as a medium. A claim which was later contradicted when both "fathers" mounted the virgin daughter Sister Gulzar and her body became their "Chariot".
The Brahma Kumaris do not teach Raja Yoga. I would even go as far as to say the Brahma Kuamris do not even teach proper meditation.
The meditation the BKs teach is, in essence, only a preparatory practise - a dumbing down of the mind and senses - in order to prepare the adherent as channels or mediums of their spirit masters.
Many adherents and most newcomers, of course, never get beyond the preparatory phase. However, the BK teachings are clear that having been "psychically opened", BK adherents are unlikely to know exactly when they are being "fascinated" or "subjugated" by the BK spirits and used - unknowingly and unwillingly - by them to achieve their ends. To be used as "serviceable instruments".
Does "instrument" not sound like de-humanised, like be a conscience-less tool?
Much of the Brahma Kumari activity they call "service" is really just about targeting and filtering out likely vulnerable and susceptible individuals. Much of the Brahma Kumari social conditioning is about encouraging a submissive and unquestioning state in which the individual surrenders themselves to being directed by the spirits.
Given that is is highly unlikely that the god spirit or spirits of the Brahma Kumaris actually are the God of all religions AND the God Father of all humanity, what would you say spirits who claim to be God are, when they are not? Especially spirits with a bent on killing off all humanity in a holocaust the BK will "inspire" or "give courage" to happen.
Deluded, deluding, tricksters ... or absolutely evil?
Whether spiritualism actually is what claims to be, or whether it is just a mode of cultural transmission that humans use to describe purely human, albeit subconscious urges, it does not really matter. We may never be able to sure about it, however, the BK game plan we can, as it has remain unchanged for 70 years or more.
Interestingly, Lekhraj Kirpalani and the BKWSU often use the a similar language of empires to describe their aims and objectives.
For a small percentage of individuals, being a Brahma Kumari leader provides such egoistic satisfaction (power) - and considerable material comforts (wealth, including unpaid submissive servants) - that it encourages them to wittingly and willingly collaborate with these agenda.
For others, a far larger number, just the potential promise of that - with little evidence it will ever happen - is enough to encourage them to surrender their lives and conform.
One of the more preeminent researchers into the 'phenomena' known as spiritualism was the Frenchman Allan Kardec. In his book 'Livre des Médiums', (The Book of Mediums) Kardec devotes a chapter to the problem of what he called spirit "obsession".
In the many forms of spiritualism which are practised all over the world, and amongst practically all peoples, it is claim certain individuals are able to listen to, speak to, see, feel other non-human personalities ... or even be used as "channels" giving over their physical bodies to be used by said non-human personalities as if they were their own bodies, as in the case of Lekhraj Kirpalani and BK Hirday Mohini aka "Sister Gulzar" (who is said to channel the BK god spirit and the deceased Lekhraj Kirpalani).
Most spiritualisms differentiate between "mediumship", a voluntary relationship between the medium and the spirit or spirits they communed with; and "possession", an involuntary relationship in which the medium is entirely subjected by the spirit or spirits.
Kardec as not just a researcher but also proponent of spiritualism, or Spiritism as he called it, explicitly disavowed the use of the terms "possessed" and "possession by spirits" because of their inflammatory connotation. Instead, he broke down what he called the "colonization" of the sprit medium's identity into three types:
"l'obsession simple" (simple obsession), by which he meant the continued and unwelcome interruption of a spirit during conversations between the spiritualist medium and other (more polite) spirits.
"la fascination" (fascination), in which the spirit is able to secretly enter into the mediums thoughts, temporarily tricking him into believing whatever he says and, lastly,
"la subjugation" (subjugation) in which the medium is completely possessed, mind and body, by the spirit.
Kardec described spirit possession using colonial terms, "prendre de l'empire" (to take the Empire), meaning the invasion of the medium's own soul and the medium's misidentifying with it. He theorised that the possessing spirit or spirits are able to insert themselves into the very selfhood of the medium and colonize the medium's identity.
This would seem to describe the cases of Lekhraj Kirpalani, who for period of over 20 years - from 1932 to 1955 (approximately) - was unaware that he was possessed and acting as a medium for another spirit or spirits, a spirit or spirits that the Brahma Kumaris call now Shiva or BapDada. During the formative years of the Brahma Kumari cult, amongst various pronounced spiritualist phenomena, Lekhraj Kirpalani and the original BKs thought him to be their guru, god and source of teachings (aka Gita Sermoniser). And, since his death, continues with the (claimed) "subjugation" of Sister Gulzar by the spirits of this Shiva and the deceased Lekhraj Kirpalani.
Because of the inflammatory connotations attached to the practises, the Brahma Kumaris now generally downplay or hide the spiritualistic elements of their religion from outsiders and newcomers. It is not even deeply or widely discussed or explained to adherents. Adherents whose knowledge and understanding is severely limited, manipulated and controlled in a cultic fashion by the inner circle of BKs, the inner circle which includes the leading active spirit mediums ('Loading the Language', 'Milieu Control', 'Mystical Manipulation', 'Doctrine over Person' to quote from Dr Lifton's 'Criteria for Thought Reform').
The Brahma Kumari leadership acts solely on behalf of these "spirits", claiming that they are the one true God of all religions and the one Father of humanity, initiating new recruits into a relationship with them; a relationship where the new recruits or BK adherents can be used as unconscious mediums or channels for said spirits ... and other spirits which they variously claim are the spirits of other deceased senior Brahma Kumaris.
This is not a subjective interpretation of Brahma Kumarism, but a simple translation of actual Brahma Kumari claims or beliefs into non-BK language.
As a BK recruit or adherent, you are being initiated into a spiritualist cult to exist either as a channel or spirit medium, or a servant and provider of material necessities to the mediums.
What do BK recruits really know about the spirit or spirits they are said to be channeling, their energy and their agenda ... which, primarily, appears to be to kill off the rest of 'non-compliant humanity' (non-BKs) during what it or they describe as "Destruction"?
All that one can be sure about in "spiritualism", is the only thing reliable about spiritualistic practises is that they are unreliable; and the personalities directing all activities emanating from the practises are absolutely unaccountable (partly because they are beyond proving that they even exist!).
As an aside, it is interesting to note that in the Vodou ceremonies (a form of spiritualism practised in West African communities and their diaspora), the Vodou initiate or medium commonly understands the experience of possession as being "mounted" or "ridden" like a horse. An arrangement by which both the spirit and the initiate share the same physical body and psychological space.
This is not just exactly the same concept as is claimed by the Brahma Kumaris, it is the identical terminology as used in the Brahma Kumaris scripture where Lekhraj Kirpalani is portray as being "ridden" or "mounted" by the Shiva soul. (For example, in the BKs' Sakar Murlis it was claimed that "ShivBaba does not 'mount' a virgin" - meaning use an unmarried Brahma Kumari Sister as a medium. A claim which was later contradicted when both "fathers" mounted the virgin daughter Sister Gulzar and her body became their "Chariot".
The Brahma Kumaris do not teach Raja Yoga. I would even go as far as to say the Brahma Kuamris do not even teach proper meditation.
The meditation the BKs teach is, in essence, only a preparatory practise - a dumbing down of the mind and senses - in order to prepare the adherent as channels or mediums of their spirit masters.
Many adherents and most newcomers, of course, never get beyond the preparatory phase. However, the BK teachings are clear that having been "psychically opened", BK adherents are unlikely to know exactly when they are being "fascinated" or "subjugated" by the BK spirits and used - unknowingly and unwillingly - by them to achieve their ends. To be used as "serviceable instruments".
Does "instrument" not sound like de-humanised, like be a conscience-less tool?
Much of the Brahma Kumari activity they call "service" is really just about targeting and filtering out likely vulnerable and susceptible individuals. Much of the Brahma Kumari social conditioning is about encouraging a submissive and unquestioning state in which the individual surrenders themselves to being directed by the spirits.
Given that is is highly unlikely that the god spirit or spirits of the Brahma Kumaris actually are the God of all religions AND the God Father of all humanity, what would you say spirits who claim to be God are, when they are not? Especially spirits with a bent on killing off all humanity in a holocaust the BK will "inspire" or "give courage" to happen.
Deluded, deluding, tricksters ... or absolutely evil?
Whether spiritualism actually is what claims to be, or whether it is just a mode of cultural transmission that humans use to describe purely human, albeit subconscious urges, it does not really matter. We may never be able to sure about it, however, the BK game plan we can, as it has remain unchanged for 70 years or more.
Interestingly, Lekhraj Kirpalani and the BKWSU often use the a similar language of empires to describe their aims and objectives.
For a small percentage of individuals, being a Brahma Kumari leader provides such egoistic satisfaction (power) - and considerable material comforts (wealth, including unpaid submissive servants) - that it encourages them to wittingly and willingly collaborate with these agenda.
For others, a far larger number, just the potential promise of that - with little evidence it will ever happen - is enough to encourage them to surrender their lives and conform.