Shri Ram Chandra Mission
Encyclopedia
The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Shahjahanpur) (also named SRCM) is a non-profit organization
, a new religious movement
. It was registered in 1945 in Lucknow
, India, by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (aka Babuji) (1899–1983) in memory of his spiritual teacher, Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh (aka Lalaji) (1873–1931), whom he met a few times before Lalaji's death in 1931, and to promote the method of Sahaj Marg
which Babuji invented and registered in 1945. The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Chennai) was registered in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, in 1997.
starting at step #7 of Patanjali's Raja Yoga is not based on "mechanical methods involving austerity and penance unsuited to current living conditions" but on "simple and natural means". The proposed practice claims to be seeking to be "universal", "easily practiceable" and one can quickly "get to find yourself in what is sought unsuccessfully on the outside". The Sahaj Marg system uses the cleansing of the past impressions (samskara
), meditation
on the heart and the support of a living spiritual master. The role of the spiritual teacher is said to be essential, according to the books published by the SRCM, as "he is well aware of all issues and all matters of spirituality
and is claimed to have walked the path to realization or enlightenment of the soul, thus ending the cycles of life". He allegedly knows what to do for the traveler. "He is regarded by the practitioners as "a living example, a teacher by his writings and by his words. "It is God who is the true Guru
, Master, and from him (God?) alone that we receive the light", wrote Ram Chandra in his book Reality at Dawn.
Lalaji and his lineage claim that Lalaji was the first "non-Muslim" Master of the Naqshbandiya Sufi Order and that his Master was Hazrat Maulana Shah Fazl Ahemad Khan Naqshbandi Mujaddadi Mazahari r.a. (Huzur Maharaj) of Raipur (Kaimganj), Uttar Pradesh, India. Lalaji was initiated on January 23, 1896 at 05 P.M. and was confered full Master-ship on October 11, 1896, which he remained to his death on Aug. 14, 1931. The teachings of Lalaji are the teachings of his Master, Huzur Maharaj, of whom he was declared "a perfect copy" by an independent panel of other religious disciplines.
The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) is now present on all continents, and books published by SRCM have been translated into twenty languages and used in many ashram
s.
In France, the SRCM is organized as a non-profit organization established in 1986, but has been classified as an orientalist cult
with over 2,000 members in the 1995 report established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France. Around 1995, it counted about 60 tutors for 600 abhyasis. The anti-cults association GEMPPI denounced the "indigence doctrinal and philosophical talks among followers, unrelated to the Eastern religious systems". Its President stated that one sole life of total and absolute obedience to the Master of SRCM is supposed to interrupt the cycle of reincarnation. "Critical reflection and autonomy of thought are stifled in this ideological movement which claims to be revolutionary in its ideas".
In Belgium, the 1997 parliamentary report established a list of 189 movements which contained the Shri Ram Chandra Mission.
The inclusion in the parliamentary report on cults has been criticized by lawyer Lawrence Hincker, who said that "this system of meditation, called Sahaj Marg, does not lead to a life away from the world. It integrates all aspects of man, whether physical, mental or spiritual, without charge or austerity or penance or self-negation". According to the sociologist Bruno Étienne
, an expert on religious issues, the SRCM publishes books as any other group but does not proselytize, and has never been convicted: "To us, it is fully a NMR (new religious movement), modern religious group, although based on an ancient tradition, and subject to serious arguments advanced by others more knowledgeable, we do not understand why it is criticized on the list of the damned". Raphaël Liogier
, Director of the Observatory of religious and university professor at the Institut d'Études Politiques
in Aix-en-Provence
, said he did not understand the inclusion on the cult list of an association that is fully recognized in India
. The Centre d'Information et de Conseil des Nouvelles Spiritualités (CICNS), a French association for the defense of religious freedom and conscience, said the movement is victim of slander on the Internet.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, a new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
. It was registered in 1945 in Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, India, by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur (aka Babuji) (1899–1983) in memory of his spiritual teacher, Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh (aka Lalaji) (1873–1931), whom he met a few times before Lalaji's death in 1931, and to promote the method of Sahaj Marg
Sahaj Marg
Sahaj Marg , a form of Raja Yoga, is a heart-based meditation system. The essential features of Sahaj Marg system are Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer. The "cleaning" of impressions is claimed to be unique to this method...
which Babuji invented and registered in 1945. The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Chennai) was registered in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, in 1997.
Beliefs and practices
The stated purpose of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission is to "awaken the divine consciousness and support on the path of evolution", and according to the movement, its modified form of Raja YogaRaja Yoga
Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
starting at step #7 of Patanjali's Raja Yoga is not based on "mechanical methods involving austerity and penance unsuited to current living conditions" but on "simple and natural means". The proposed practice claims to be seeking to be "universal", "easily practiceable" and one can quickly "get to find yourself in what is sought unsuccessfully on the outside". The Sahaj Marg system uses the cleansing of the past impressions (samskara
Samskara
Samskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
), meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
on the heart and the support of a living spiritual master. The role of the spiritual teacher is said to be essential, according to the books published by the SRCM, as "he is well aware of all issues and all matters of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and is claimed to have walked the path to realization or enlightenment of the soul, thus ending the cycles of life". He allegedly knows what to do for the traveler. "He is regarded by the practitioners as "a living example, a teacher by his writings and by his words. "It is God who is the true Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, Master, and from him (God?) alone that we receive the light", wrote Ram Chandra in his book Reality at Dawn.
Organization
The current President and spiritual Master of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission registered in California, USA in 1997 (SRCM California-1997), is Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (aka Chariji) (b. 1927). The current President and spiritual master of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission registered in Lucknow, India in 1945, (SRCM-Shahjahanpur-1945) is Navneet Kumar Saxena, the founder's grandson. Chariji was the disciple of the founder, Sri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, (aka "Babuji") who himself was taught for a short while by Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, aka "Lalaji" having met him a few times. The SRCM claim that Lalalji rediscovered a very old method of spiritual training, the so-called inherited knowledge of the sages of ancient India, and which is based on the transmission of divine energy or "pranahuti."Lalaji and his lineage claim that Lalaji was the first "non-Muslim" Master of the Naqshbandiya Sufi Order and that his Master was Hazrat Maulana Shah Fazl Ahemad Khan Naqshbandi Mujaddadi Mazahari r.a. (Huzur Maharaj) of Raipur (Kaimganj), Uttar Pradesh, India. Lalaji was initiated on January 23, 1896 at 05 P.M. and was confered full Master-ship on October 11, 1896, which he remained to his death on Aug. 14, 1931. The teachings of Lalaji are the teachings of his Master, Huzur Maharaj, of whom he was declared "a perfect copy" by an independent panel of other religious disciplines.
The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) is now present on all continents, and books published by SRCM have been translated into twenty languages and used in many ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
s.
Reception
The Shri Ram Chandra Mission registered in California in 1997 (SRCM California, 1997) and headquartered in Chennai, India, is an NGO recognized by the UNDPI (Department of Public Information) as a "non-profit organization" in Denmark, the United States and India.In France, the SRCM is organized as a non-profit organization established in 1986, but has been classified as an orientalist cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
with over 2,000 members in the 1995 report established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France. Around 1995, it counted about 60 tutors for 600 abhyasis. The anti-cults association GEMPPI denounced the "indigence doctrinal and philosophical talks among followers, unrelated to the Eastern religious systems". Its President stated that one sole life of total and absolute obedience to the Master of SRCM is supposed to interrupt the cycle of reincarnation. "Critical reflection and autonomy of thought are stifled in this ideological movement which claims to be revolutionary in its ideas".
In Belgium, the 1997 parliamentary report established a list of 189 movements which contained the Shri Ram Chandra Mission.
The inclusion in the parliamentary report on cults has been criticized by lawyer Lawrence Hincker, who said that "this system of meditation, called Sahaj Marg, does not lead to a life away from the world. It integrates all aspects of man, whether physical, mental or spiritual, without charge or austerity or penance or self-negation". According to the sociologist Bruno Étienne
Bruno Étienne
Bruno Étienne was a French sociologist and a political analyst. He was a specialist of Algeria, Islam and anthropology of the religious fact....
, an expert on religious issues, the SRCM publishes books as any other group but does not proselytize, and has never been convicted: "To us, it is fully a NMR (new religious movement), modern religious group, although based on an ancient tradition, and subject to serious arguments advanced by others more knowledgeable, we do not understand why it is criticized on the list of the damned". Raphaël Liogier
Raphaël Liogier
Raphaël Liogier is the director of the Observatoire du religieux and a professor of universities at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence and the Institut de management public et de gouvernance territoriale....
, Director of the Observatory of religious and university professor at the Institut d'Études Politiques
Institut d'études politiques
Instituts d'études politiques , or IEPs, are nine publicly owned institutions of higher learning in France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse , and their vocation is the study and research of contemporary political science...
in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, said he did not understand the inclusion on the cult list of an association that is fully recognized in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Centre d'Information et de Conseil des Nouvelles Spiritualités (CICNS), a French association for the defense of religious freedom and conscience, said the movement is victim of slander on the Internet.