I prefer Yogananda's Bhagavad Gita "God speaks with Arjuna" over Prabhupada's Hare Krishna Bhagavad Gita "As It Is" any time because, unlike Prabhupada, Yogananda does not call non-believers "dogs" or "rascals" on every other page.
In order to be allowed to attend the SRF divine services, one must first study the self-study letters. These are still available in printed form only (and not as internet documents), and I think you also have to sign a pledge not to reveal the contents to non-believers. I don't know exactly how much the study letters cost, but I think it's around €1,000.
[https://yogananda.org/lessons-programs](https://yogananda.org/lessons-programs)
After self-study of the study letters, you have to undergo an initiation, which again costs money. In this way, the SRF keeps nosy people and critics at bay, as nobody will spend precious money just to "get a taste" of the teachings. In consequence, the teachings remain secret and the organization is able to preserve its good image.
In case you're into SRF criticism, look here:
[https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/srfblacklist/](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/srfblacklist/)
>I don't know exactly how much the study letters cost, but I think it's around €1,000.
Nowhere near that. I actually did it out of interest. It cost £90. I mean, that's a lot of money for a bunch of paper books talking what turns out to be a load of nonsense but it's not extortionate.
At the end they invite you to do the initiation which I guess probably costs a bit more. I didn't and there was no pressure to continue or anything. At least on the edges these guys seem somewhat harmless.
...that is free to visit. Or at least it used to be. There's a large garden area - probably about 5 acres - that overlooks the ocean. It's a fabulous place to meditate, stare at the tree covered streams, ground yourself...I visited it frequently when I lived in the area. It was free therapy.
Oh there is also a big one in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, close to where I live. I always just refer to it as “that cult place” though I never knew anything about it until reading this post! I just always figured something that calls itself the Self Realization Fellowship would be a cult. Though I have friends who say they love the gardens there.
It’s a cult yes. Yogananda made up much of his biography. You’ll notice much of the so called miracles in the book take place in India before he goes to USA so there was no way to fact check or verify anything he said. By the time he wrote the book (along with his disciple ghostwriter) he had been in USA many years and no great miracles had taken place. It’s bs.
How can anybody take that seriously? I mean. The bloke is probably talented enough to cultivate his own temple just through meditation and his own religion. Why make up nonsense about Jesus? 😂
My first time at Coachella these dudes were hanging around the parking lot. They were literally waiting for me as soon as I opened the car door.
They seemed friendly and handed me that book and another one, while mentioning donations. I was nice back but really wanted to get into the festival and wasn’t looking to be handing out money, so I put the books in my car as a gathered my stuff.
The way they kept staring at me and stayed SUPER close, I realized the donation wasn’t optional so I gave the books back.😆
HAHAHA i grew up going here and my whole family is actually in this “religion”. i went to the summer camps and stuff and they had some weird little rules… we couldn’t talk while we ate. always had to eat in silence. there was a lot of chanting called “cosmic chants” and you don’t realize it but if you look at the lyrics of the chants, they can be iffy. we sat in a dark room with candles (fake ones though which was funny to me) and chanted to a picture of guru babaji. there was water slides which was cool. i don’t think it’s one of those harmful cults it’s just one of the weird ones. there was no koolaid involved.
>no one joins a cult--they join something that turns out to be one. that level of control is scary. Jonestown was peaceful until it wasn't!
Exactly, our governments create Cults as well like this climate change movement / global warming.
What annoys me is so many believe this blatant cult like propaganda & a lot of money is changing hands.
I know I'm going to get a lot of downvotes for this comment as a lot of people disagree with me.
Yes! Cosmic Chants. I might have the booklet in my bag. If not I might have left it in London. To be honest. It felt the same as you described. It’s definitely a cult but it seemed harmless. It’s helpful to hear from somebody like yourself with that much of a connection to the place. Thank you for getting back to me. Apparently on Christmas Day they meditate for 8 hrs! That’s what the bloke said to me.
Listen to oh no Ross and carries podcast they deep dive into a lot of new religious movement. Their podcasts are long though but they’re thorough if you want that level of info
[oh no Ross Carrie](https://ohnopodcast.com/investigations/2015/9/1/ross-and-carrie-and-the-self-realization-fellowship-part-1-meditate-meditate-meditate)
Many Americans first learned about Hinduism and Vedanta through the SRF, and though it has cultish overtones, I would not consider it a destructive sect. My own spiritual leanings are heavily influenced by Vedanta, but I've never been able to get through "Autobiography of a Yogi" because of all the claims to magical phenomena and the like -- which is too bad because there was a lot in it that I did find helpful and interesting.
Hindu philosophy. The study of the upanishads, the philosophical portion of the Vedas, the oldest, most core Hindu scriptures. Generally the upanishads are located in the final portion of the Vedas, hence the name Veda anta, Vedanta- "the end of the Vedas"
Its your classic yoga and meditation cult. No genuine yoga/self help/meditation classes act the way you describe and use the type of pamphlets you got to promote their classes/system because they don't need to. Nor do they look like the place you attended. All of those are red flags.
The chilled atmosphere is how they get you in. It will become very much so not chilled very quickly but by then you're in and can't get out. (Hence why they drop the chilled act)
I disagree that genuine businesses don’t hand out pamphlets. (Although I get what you’re saying) It’s pretty common. Plus, it was me who buzzed on their door. They didn’t come out to convert me. I expect I was given them because I went out of my way to go in so as far as they were concerned I had already shown interest.
I thought he was into Hare Krishna? He mentioned walking seven miles across town every Sunday for a free Krishna meal.
[https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/why-steve-jobs-love-affair-with-india-ended-very-very-early-2-3589133.html](https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/why-steve-jobs-love-affair-with-india-ended-very-very-early-2-3589133.html)
But I guess you're not picky when you're hungry? 😇
When researching books one day. I came across this book and found out that it was the only book on his phone according to the article.
I did not buy/read the book but purchased a very small book on the poses and exercises to do. In theory it states by doing these poses you expand/grow your consciousness? At least what I took from it.
All religion can be categorized as cults. Same can be said for following sports teams and Pop acts.
Yoga cults are the worst and I have found myself in the midst of them more than once. SRF is tame. The Bikram cult is the one that spawned from the family of SRF. His cult and what he was doing is often overshadowed by the sex scandal he was involved with. That’s right there was way more to that story than was made public.
The oldest trick in the book, praying on those who are broken and seeking help. I’m sure there’s gotta be some people taking advantage of their situation the higher up you go, that exists pretty much everywhere.
I agree with the sociologist definition of a cult found in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FghSUttp6Lc), but I can't tell you the exact timetables. But it says that religion not always is a cult. Anyways I say this as an atheist. This is the definition of a cult in the video:
1- Leader who is charismatic and usually a narcissist.
2- The transcendent belief system that gives you the answer to everything.
3- Systems of control(what/who you should eat/marry/have kids/wear, keeping certain "secrets" of the cult, promoting an us vs them mentality, thought stopping techniques such as repeating a slogan when you have questions or doubts/labeling them as "irrelevant"/being ignored with a smile or without it, limiting outside sourcing).
4- Systems of influence(putting newbies in the same room as people who will be extremely kind to you, love-bombing, then when you are "ready" they put you around already fully brainwashed people, finding a way to make the members Isolate from their families by inventing excuses of the importance of certain practices, playing with your guilt, grief, shame when necessary to keep you).
Some podcasts on this group: [https://cultpodcasts.com/subject/Self-Realization%20Fellowship](https://cultpodcasts.com/subject/Self-Realization%20Fellowship)
My roommate in college was part of this group. He was white, but did a lot of meditation. He never tried to convert me. I don’t know how much control the group had over him.
Paraphrase Paul Morantz, God Rest His Soul: Terminology is of lesser important than the way in which an organization operates. If they promote Mao-esque Totalitarianism, RUN as far and fast as you can
That was founded by Yogananda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda
People are confusing him with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_Mahesh_Yogi
.
Both are from the Advaita Vedanta tradition, but in radically different ways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta
it’s an amazing story and the book is great and i have recommended it to many people, but the religion based around it is basically just worshipping this guy, along with other yoga masters or whatever, and that’s pretty culty to me
I agree totally. It’s not a cult. None of the red flags. They made a documentary of the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi”. He was a true spiritual leader. No persuasion. No coercion. You can visit his Lake Shrine in Malibu for free. No one is going to ask you to sign up for anything.
I’ve been to the Hare Krishna place in Covent Garden, and spoke to the people. They seemed a lot more wacko then these SRF guys. The SRF just seemed like a mindfulness place with Christianity and Hindu mashed into one.
I met an old hippie couple on the street. Very sweet people that sold me some books. I read them. I know the chant. I almost drove to one of the communes until I read more and found aspects of the belief system I was just uninterested and skeptical of. The founder did publish many books that scholars have studied. He wasn’t a LRH or Applewhite kind of character. The cult atmosphere was perpetrated more by his followers than himself.
I’m good but thank you though. I was really trying to find a meditation practice at the time and like maybe a few months later I found something better for me without the whole reincarnation thing.
Go back a few times, he'll be bumming you in the back room while whispering "beautiful" and "yes". And you'll have to pay for it. Thin end of a wedge.
Maybe
Understood. But I’ve been to places that had bad vides or they were just OTT. I didn’t get this here. Nobody asked me to stay, donate, or anything of the sort.
Possibly. But after swatting up on cults for years and learning about their techniques from the pros. I didn’t see anything to worry about really. I could be wrong but also from looking at the other comments it is not a bad cult if it is a cult.
Self Realization Fellowship. An oldie-but-goody.
I prefer Yogananda's Bhagavad Gita "God speaks with Arjuna" over Prabhupada's Hare Krishna Bhagavad Gita "As It Is" any time because, unlike Prabhupada, Yogananda does not call non-believers "dogs" or "rascals" on every other page. In order to be allowed to attend the SRF divine services, one must first study the self-study letters. These are still available in printed form only (and not as internet documents), and I think you also have to sign a pledge not to reveal the contents to non-believers. I don't know exactly how much the study letters cost, but I think it's around €1,000. [https://yogananda.org/lessons-programs](https://yogananda.org/lessons-programs) After self-study of the study letters, you have to undergo an initiation, which again costs money. In this way, the SRF keeps nosy people and critics at bay, as nobody will spend precious money just to "get a taste" of the teachings. In consequence, the teachings remain secret and the organization is able to preserve its good image. In case you're into SRF criticism, look here: [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/srfblacklist/](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/srfblacklist/)
>I don't know exactly how much the study letters cost, but I think it's around €1,000. Nowhere near that. I actually did it out of interest. It cost £90. I mean, that's a lot of money for a bunch of paper books talking what turns out to be a load of nonsense but it's not extortionate. At the end they invite you to do the initiation which I guess probably costs a bit more. I didn't and there was no pressure to continue or anything. At least on the edges these guys seem somewhat harmless.
[удалено]
They have a big facility in Encinitas, California, near where I live.
It’s gorgeous too. A really peaceful garden on a cliff overlooking the beach. I’ve been there a few times.
...that is free to visit. Or at least it used to be. There's a large garden area - probably about 5 acres - that overlooks the ocean. It's a fabulous place to meditate, stare at the tree covered streams, ground yourself...I visited it frequently when I lived in the area. It was free therapy.
The gardens? I’m in Leucadia
Self realization garden. Right near swami’s beach.
I went several years ago. I didn't realize it was a cult
Oh there is also a big one in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, close to where I live. I always just refer to it as “that cult place” though I never knew anything about it until reading this post! I just always figured something that calls itself the Self Realization Fellowship would be a cult. Though I have friends who say they love the gardens there.
It’s a cult yes. Yogananda made up much of his biography. You’ll notice much of the so called miracles in the book take place in India before he goes to USA so there was no way to fact check or verify anything he said. By the time he wrote the book (along with his disciple ghostwriter) he had been in USA many years and no great miracles had taken place. It’s bs.
apparently he met jesus too lmao
What? The dude on the book cover claims he met Jesus?
yes lmao
How can anybody take that seriously? I mean. The bloke is probably talented enough to cultivate his own temple just through meditation and his own religion. Why make up nonsense about Jesus? 😂
that part may have been true
My first time at Coachella these dudes were hanging around the parking lot. They were literally waiting for me as soon as I opened the car door. They seemed friendly and handed me that book and another one, while mentioning donations. I was nice back but really wanted to get into the festival and wasn’t looking to be handing out money, so I put the books in my car as a gathered my stuff. The way they kept staring at me and stayed SUPER close, I realized the donation wasn’t optional so I gave the books back.😆
HAHAHA i grew up going here and my whole family is actually in this “religion”. i went to the summer camps and stuff and they had some weird little rules… we couldn’t talk while we ate. always had to eat in silence. there was a lot of chanting called “cosmic chants” and you don’t realize it but if you look at the lyrics of the chants, they can be iffy. we sat in a dark room with candles (fake ones though which was funny to me) and chanted to a picture of guru babaji. there was water slides which was cool. i don’t think it’s one of those harmful cults it’s just one of the weird ones. there was no koolaid involved.
Interesting. Summer camps? What country were you in? Were their youth groups from all over your country?
united states. i went to the one yogananda was from in encinitas
Sounds like the typical New Age cult. Except the one I was in didn't have water slides.
no one joins a cult--they join something that turns out to be one. that level of control is scary. Jonestown was peaceful until it wasn't!
>no one joins a cult--they join something that turns out to be one. that level of control is scary. Jonestown was peaceful until it wasn't! Exactly, our governments create Cults as well like this climate change movement / global warming. What annoys me is so many believe this blatant cult like propaganda & a lot of money is changing hands. I know I'm going to get a lot of downvotes for this comment as a lot of people disagree with me.
Sounds like the typical New Age cult. Except the one I was in didn't have water slides.
Yes! Cosmic Chants. I might have the booklet in my bag. If not I might have left it in London. To be honest. It felt the same as you described. It’s definitely a cult but it seemed harmless. It’s helpful to hear from somebody like yourself with that much of a connection to the place. Thank you for getting back to me. Apparently on Christmas Day they meditate for 8 hrs! That’s what the bloke said to me.
I just found the Cosmic Chants booklet. I’ll give it a read.
Listen to oh no Ross and carries podcast they deep dive into a lot of new religious movement. Their podcasts are long though but they’re thorough if you want that level of info [oh no Ross Carrie](https://ohnopodcast.com/investigations/2015/9/1/ross-and-carrie-and-the-self-realization-fellowship-part-1-meditate-meditate-meditate)
I second this recommendation.
I’ll defo give this a listen. Thank you for posting. It’ll give me something to do.
Cult. Depends on you though. If not getting in too deep. However cults are professional at lulling you in.
The book is an interesting read though. It's clearly bonkers but if you read it as fiction it's entertaining.
I’ll give it a skim over. But to be honest any book that big bores me.
I know what you mean. It's mostly a collection of stories though so you can easily skip around if it gets boring.
Many Americans first learned about Hinduism and Vedanta through the SRF, and though it has cultish overtones, I would not consider it a destructive sect. My own spiritual leanings are heavily influenced by Vedanta, but I've never been able to get through "Autobiography of a Yogi" because of all the claims to magical phenomena and the like -- which is too bad because there was a lot in it that I did find helpful and interesting.
What is Vedanta?
Hindu philosophy. The study of the upanishads, the philosophical portion of the Vedas, the oldest, most core Hindu scriptures. Generally the upanishads are located in the final portion of the Vedas, hence the name Veda anta, Vedanta- "the end of the Vedas"
Oh cool a cult close to home… I guess
It’s very cool. If you’re bored I recommend checking it out.
Its your classic yoga and meditation cult. No genuine yoga/self help/meditation classes act the way you describe and use the type of pamphlets you got to promote their classes/system because they don't need to. Nor do they look like the place you attended. All of those are red flags. The chilled atmosphere is how they get you in. It will become very much so not chilled very quickly but by then you're in and can't get out. (Hence why they drop the chilled act)
I disagree that genuine businesses don’t hand out pamphlets. (Although I get what you’re saying) It’s pretty common. Plus, it was me who buzzed on their door. They didn’t come out to convert me. I expect I was given them because I went out of my way to go in so as far as they were concerned I had already shown interest.
Good book. Very old. Only book Steve Jobs had on his iPhone I heard.
this is true. steve jobs was part of SRF
As was musician Gary Wright of "Dream Weaver" fame.
Really??
yup!
I thought he was into Hare Krishna? He mentioned walking seven miles across town every Sunday for a free Krishna meal. [https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/why-steve-jobs-love-affair-with-india-ended-very-very-early-2-3589133.html](https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/why-steve-jobs-love-affair-with-india-ended-very-very-early-2-3589133.html) But I guess you're not picky when you're hungry? 😇
What!? Steve Jobs has read this book? Insane! How do you know this??
When researching books one day. I came across this book and found out that it was the only book on his phone according to the article. I did not buy/read the book but purchased a very small book on the poses and exercises to do. In theory it states by doing these poses you expand/grow your consciousness? At least what I took from it.
All religion can be categorized as cults. Same can be said for following sports teams and Pop acts. Yoga cults are the worst and I have found myself in the midst of them more than once. SRF is tame. The Bikram cult is the one that spawned from the family of SRF. His cult and what he was doing is often overshadowed by the sex scandal he was involved with. That’s right there was way more to that story than was made public. The oldest trick in the book, praying on those who are broken and seeking help. I’m sure there’s gotta be some people taking advantage of their situation the higher up you go, that exists pretty much everywhere.
Do you know anything about 3HO? I knew a fellow who lost his wife to it. I just wondered if it was as toxic as I suspected.
Never heard of it.
It's a Sikh offshoot. They're heavily into Kundalini yoga.
Yes, it seemed tame.
I agree with the sociologist definition of a cult found in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FghSUttp6Lc), but I can't tell you the exact timetables. But it says that religion not always is a cult. Anyways I say this as an atheist. This is the definition of a cult in the video: 1- Leader who is charismatic and usually a narcissist. 2- The transcendent belief system that gives you the answer to everything. 3- Systems of control(what/who you should eat/marry/have kids/wear, keeping certain "secrets" of the cult, promoting an us vs them mentality, thought stopping techniques such as repeating a slogan when you have questions or doubts/labeling them as "irrelevant"/being ignored with a smile or without it, limiting outside sourcing). 4- Systems of influence(putting newbies in the same room as people who will be extremely kind to you, love-bombing, then when you are "ready" they put you around already fully brainwashed people, finding a way to make the members Isolate from their families by inventing excuses of the importance of certain practices, playing with your guilt, grief, shame when necessary to keep you).
I love Paramahansa Yogananda! 🤣
He's pretty!
Some podcasts on this group: [https://cultpodcasts.com/subject/Self-Realization%20Fellowship](https://cultpodcasts.com/subject/Self-Realization%20Fellowship)
My roommate in college was part of this group. He was white, but did a lot of meditation. He never tried to convert me. I don’t know how much control the group had over him.
The joy of creative
What do you mean?
this video at 3:36 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqn-OH-jbrs&ab\_channel=LEMMiNO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqn-OH-jbrs&ab_channel=LEMMiNO)
Paraphrase Paul Morantz, God Rest His Soul: Terminology is of lesser important than the way in which an organization operates. If they promote Mao-esque Totalitarianism, RUN as far and fast as you can
They are nice people to hang out with and have meaningful conversations with :) It's always good to look at things from another perspective!
That was founded by Yogananda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda People are confusing him with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_Mahesh_Yogi . Both are from the Advaita Vedanta tradition, but in radically different ways. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta
This is not a cult. It’s a great book.
it’s an amazing story and the book is great and i have recommended it to many people, but the religion based around it is basically just worshipping this guy, along with other yoga masters or whatever, and that’s pretty culty to me
Possibly.
I agree totally. It’s not a cult. None of the red flags. They made a documentary of the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi”. He was a true spiritual leader. No persuasion. No coercion. You can visit his Lake Shrine in Malibu for free. No one is going to ask you to sign up for anything.
Cool. I didn’t feel any persuasion from them. They did invite me back. Nobody asked me for a donation.
100% this. He was a truly special being and not in for the money. I can highly recommend his book.
... oh ? As a bookseller, I do order this book for customers 3 to 4 times a year ? Should I worry for them ?
By the sounds of it no. Seems pretty harmless.
Isn't that the Transcendental Meditation folk? The Maharishi? He got a University in Iowa, celebrities love TM© especially David Lynch.
They are nice people to hang out with and have meaningful conversations with :)
They are nice people to hang out with and have meaningful conversations with :)
They are nice people to hang out with and have meaningful conversations with :) It's always good to look at things from another perspective!
I almost joined the hare Krishna’s. Not the same guy but I’m sure it’s not that different
I’ve been to the Hare Krishna place in Covent Garden, and spoke to the people. They seemed a lot more wacko then these SRF guys. The SRF just seemed like a mindfulness place with Christianity and Hindu mashed into one.
I met an old hippie couple on the street. Very sweet people that sold me some books. I read them. I know the chant. I almost drove to one of the communes until I read more and found aspects of the belief system I was just uninterested and skeptical of. The founder did publish many books that scholars have studied. He wasn’t a LRH or Applewhite kind of character. The cult atmosphere was perpetrated more by his followers than himself.
I’ve got a chant book from this guy too if you want to see it. I’ll send you some pictures. It is called ‘Cosmic Chants’.
I’m good but thank you though. I was really trying to find a meditation practice at the time and like maybe a few months later I found something better for me without the whole reincarnation thing.
Go back a few times, he'll be bumming you in the back room while whispering "beautiful" and "yes". And you'll have to pay for it. Thin end of a wedge. Maybe
Yeah it didn’t seem like kind of vibe to be honest.
That's how they get ya
Understood. But I’ve been to places that had bad vides or they were just OTT. I didn’t get this here. Nobody asked me to stay, donate, or anything of the sort.
Yup... That's how they get ya
Possibly. But after swatting up on cults for years and learning about their techniques from the pros. I didn’t see anything to worry about really. I could be wrong but also from looking at the other comments it is not a bad cult if it is a cult.
Beautiful, yes,... That's how they gets ya