Alexis said:
(...)
Clearly, it would seem that Clark Powell wanted to address his criticism of the SRCM to his circle of friends on Facebook. As soon as the information filtered beyond his circle, he has removed it and does not appear to want to fuel a controversy abroad.
According to the text provided by Shashwat, he would not be happy that the SRCM and other blogs or websites are disseminating his writings and/or his 14 years of recordings of conversations with Chari. An agreement had apparently been reached with the SRCM on his best seller (Sahaj Marg Companion), but not on his future publications, but the SRCM has continued to disseminate his messages without asking permission. Is it the losses of future expected royalties which got him to react? Or is it the lack of recognition that he is given?
Powell retains his confidence in, and his friendship with his guru, Chari, but he criticizes the current SRCM organization, which is apparently managed by a half dozen people who are imbued with power, such as Santosh Khanjee. According to him, Chari would have even said to him that he felt himself captive to the SRCM organization, but that Babuji apparently refuses him permission to leave the Presidency (of SRCM (California-1997)).
In short, Powell eventually writes to Chari that he left the SRCM because it describes a different Sahaj Marg from that of its' origins.
How much credence can we give this text?
It is already for quite some time that Clark Powell has been expressing doubts about the SRCM, he went away and then he came back so as to better move away from it. In 1997, he resigned from all his functions. In spring 2003, he met again with Chari in the USA when he renews his relationship with him on a trip in the following November to Satkhol, India. During May 2004, he is hosting a website entitled "Invertendo.com" for "spiritual travelers" with a blog and a forum. On July 2nd, Chari orders him to close it: "I have been seeing the emails between you and others proliferating, and this causes me to Disquiet. By this mail I request you to finally stop your website invertendo.com permanently and oblige. I thank you for you obedience. "
Powell immediately complies, but his answer hints at a certain misunderstanding. Not to mention the frustration. ... Until his new resignation in 2009!
Here is what he then published on the blog by Elodie June 16, 2006
ELodie, 4-d Don, Michael, Christian:
I have been reading your blogs with interest. When I discovered a reference to me in this one, I decided to drop a note to thank you and to let you know that I am working on a book that I hope will address many of the concerns expressed and correct a few misconception based on my direct experience and 14 years of recording conversations with Chariji -- I mean recording verbatim, on tape.
I once asked Chari if I could ask him ANYTHING, even those questions some might consider rude or impertinent. He was delighted -- and our conversations ever since have been "no-holds-barred"! I never hesitated to ask the kinds of questions a child would ask, or an enemy -- for enemies are considered valuable gurus to true sadhaks.
Even so, I too once got frustrated with what I thought were the foibles and political machinations of my fellow abhyasis (what group of humans is without these things) and left the Mission to go off on my own to think over some of the issues brought up here, resigned as board member of SRCM USA and as preceptor, and after a spell, returned. I suppose I now have over 200 hours taped of what seems to be a single vast conversation, one in which we have discussed seemingly everything under the sun and maybe a few things OVER the sun as well!
My Master has always insisted that abhyasis think for themselves, and that the REAL "master" is to be found within. There is much I would say about the ancient guru-disciple tradation, beyond what was published in Yoga International or in The Sahaj Marg Companion. But right now I'm amidst the chaos of liquidating all my stuff and moving to India. I'll be offline for a spell but maybe later on I can pick up and clarify.
I'm also supposed to be working on some books, and in the frank and heartfelt discussion on these blogs I find impetus and inspiration -- I thank you all for your courage and honesty!
I don't know how long it will take me to finish the book(s) or video(s) about Chariji and Sahaj Marg but I trust you will stay tuned.
BTW, did you ever hear the one about the demon Ravanna, the sworn enemy of Lord Rama? Seems Ravanna got liberated BEFORE most of Lord Rama's devotees. Chariji told me this was because in
Ravanna's passion, he was in constant remembrance of Lord Rama to a great degree.
"I suppose, then, it's important to hate the right people?" I said.
"Yes," Master replied. "Bhakti is comparatively easy -- many can love half-heartedly. But who can hate with constancy and one-pointed purity of a Ravanna?"
Live, love, and laugh a lot (for God's sake, and your own, and for the rest of us, too)! Well, that's all. For now. Stay tuned...
Cp
Then, the next day, on June 17, 2006, he resurfaces on Wikipedia to complete his message:
"... with apologies for bending Yeats, to Elodie, 4-d Don, Michael, and Christian ~
I have been reading your blogs with interest. When I discovered a reference to a Sahaj Sandesh report I wrote and to my old blog (now closed to the public) in Elodie's, I decided to drop a note to thank you all. I'm also supposed to be working on some books, and the frank and heartfelt discussion on these blogs finally gives me, lazy fellow that I am, impetus and inspiration.
To me, such outspoken honesty deserves sincere and serious consideration!"
"And it is my humble hope that 14 years of recording verbatim conversations with Chariji can address many of the concerns, hurt, indignation, and frankly misconceptions I have read. I suppose there are now have over 200 hours taped of what now seems to be a single vast conversation, one in which we have discussed seemingly everything under the sun and maybe a few things over the sun as well!"
"The Masters have always insisted that abhyasis think for themselves, and that the REAL "master" is to be found within."
"Especially for Westerners, there is much to say about the ancient guru-disciple tradition, beyond what I could write in Yoga International or in The Sahaj Marg Companion."
"Even though I supposedly "knew" this stuff, I too once got frustrated with the 3-M's: the Mission and what I thought were the foibles of my fellow abhyasis -- what group of humans is without these things? -- and doubts about the Master and Method? (But more on this later, perhaps.) For these and other, personal reasons of my own, in 1997 I left the Mission. My idea was to try to see originally, to get some perspective. Master kindly referred to this hiatus as a sabbatical"
"but at the time I felt I would never return, since my temperament tends toward the solitary."
"This was also a problem for me during my days in a Soto Zen community, where everything is done as a group, Japanese-style. I stayed alone to think over some of the same issues brought up in your blogs. I resigned as board member of SRCM-USA and as preceptor."
"I kept in touch with Chariji by email, and went to pay my respects when he visited the States in August, 2003."
"I was making rather awkward small-talk about the ashram at Manappakkam when once again, he invited me to visit a new ashram at a place called Satkhol: "You have seen the South Pole already, Clark. Now you must see the North Pole!" I knew what he meant."
"He smiled mischievously: "If it will help I will make it a command!""
"So in November 2003, after seven years away, I was back in India, "
"I felt I would never return".
"as Chariji says, back "with the lion in his own den.""
"In Haridwar in a room crowded with about 200 abhyasis I was playing my comfortable role as journalist, trying to get my new video camera rolling, and you could see that Master was in a mood to talk. Waving off other questions, he looked at me and said, "Well?" As usual I had no questions prepared and not a thing in my head, so to stall for time, I asked Chariji if I could ask him anything, even questions some that were present might consider rude or impertinent. He smiled and laughed the high giggling laugh, one of his three laughs, the kind when he is surprised and delighted: "Of course. Please do!" I immediately asked him about his successor, if he knew now who it was, and off we went!"
"I can say that our conversations and correspondence have been "no-holds-barred" -- about building fancy ashrams, about the parampara or lineage, including Lalaji's Sufi guru (I also corresponded and later met R.K. Gupta in Delhi and recorded an interview with him)"
"but the wonders of those five weeks at Satkhol and later in Chennai were extra special. In Haridwar, after I'd turned off the camera (I was to discover that these moments often happened when no camera or tape recorder was going) Master said something that went right to my core. the conversation got around to why people leave the Mission, and I said that I didn't know about others, but in my case, it was because of the emphasis on buildings and the politics and that I had tried to depart with respect and --
"And I felt a crackling in the air, and the hairs on the nape of my neck tingling."
"The old man was transmitting something somehow in his words, just as I felt the very first time I met him in 1992 and asked him my first question.
He continued, and I have to tell you that these words went right into my heart: "You left because you have a poor self-image and you were afraid to let yourself be loved!"
"So with Chariji I never hesitated to ask the kinds of questions a child would ask, or even an enemy -- for enemies are considered valuable gurus to true sadhaks."
"From the very beginning I always had the feeling that the conversations were meant to be shared, and lately Master has made this fact very clear: "Much of what we just talked about has never been written," he told me after another typically impromptu session last January in Rudrapur. He looked at me and said, "So you better get busy, Clark. You are always recording, recording, and never producing!""
"Yikes. I don't know how long it will take me to finish the book(s) or video(s) about Chariji and Sahaj Marg but it better not be too long!
BTW, did yall ever hear the one about the famous asura or demon Ravanna, the sworn enemy of Lord Rama? Seems Ravanna got liberated BEFORE most of Lord Rama's devotees! Chariji told me this was because in Ravanna's passion, he was in a very intense state of constant remembrance of Lord Rama -- and the central law of raja yoga that we become that which we think in our hearts."
""I suppose, then, it's important to hate the right people?" I said.
"Yes," Master replied. "Bhakti is comparatively easy -- many can love half-heartedly. But who can hate with constancy and intensity of a Ravanna?""
"For all of us,"
"Elodie, Don, Michael, Christian, and if I may include myself, are still thinking of a Master (even if you do not consider Chariji to be one, you are nonetheless thinking of what a Master should be, yes?). Maybe not often, but you think about this enough and with enough intensity to cause you to make blogs about the Master, the Mission, and the Method."
"The hierarchy of the Masters of Sahaj Marg and all Masters teach the obvious, that we are all masters."
"What is it that we can claim that belongs to us? "No, God, you are not allowed into MY private hell, my secret shame!" Nonsense. Not just our virtues, our faith, our charity come from God. Even our "vices," our suspicions, our doubts, our fears belong to God. The difference between us and the greatest Avatars? Babuji Maharaj put it simply: we have more coverings."
"I like to remind myself daily: Why did I get born -- and why am I still here? What's my mission? Questions like these help me sort though what is important and what is not important. Lots of times these questions turn upside-down my notions of what is "good" or desireable and what is "bad.""
"It's good we meditate on the supposition of light -- who can argue with that?"
"So let's lighten up. Live a lot, love a lot -- and for God's sake (and our own, and for everybody else's sake, too) laugh a lot (and especially if we can laugh at ourselves) Simple stuff. Pause. Catch your breath and lower the threshold of your attention."
"Feel yourself widen out like a circle on water, lay back and learn! Joy, cheerfulness, ease, an abiding sense of gratitude -- these are sure signs we're back in close contact with Reality."
"And so to end this meditation, let us say together with the Looney Tunes, Th- th- th-That's all, folks!
Meanwhile, stay tuned... Sakha 22:29, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
cp"
Alexis
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