Shri Mataji explains what real leadership quality entails...

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

Shri Mataji taught that in Sahaja Yoga we are to have no hierarchy, no priests,

and that everyone is equally the same:

 

" In Sahaja Yoga we have no hierarchy. There are no priests. Everyone is equally

the same. But only for contact's sake we have leaders and these leaders have to

be the best among the people they lead, the best Sahaja Yogis of the highest

level. This method of appointing leaders is in a way absolutely mythical. Some

leaders became greedy or carried on with bad habits. They (also) had to leave if

they try to do false propaganda. This is the only way one can keep contact with

the large groups, so it has to be accepted and be worked out, but not according

to money, position or education but according to Sahaja life. " (Shri Mataji

Nirmala Devi - First small English Book - Chapter 3 - " Sahaja Culture " )

 

So... the reason for leaders in the first place, according to Shri Mataji... is

that this is the only way one can keep contact with the large groups of

people.... and the main attribute of a Sahaja Yogi leader is naturally... that

they lead the life of a " born of the Spirit " person.

 

In order to keep leaders in check, Shri Mataji warned them against arrogance:

 

" Leaders should be very careful. They should become free of all arrogance. They

are only a communication link, like I have to put a letter in the envelope and

post it. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Guru Padwa - 24 March, 1993)

 

Shri Mataji also warned leaders that Sahaja Yoga is not there to make leaders

out of people:

 

" Sahaja Yoga is not here to make leaders out of you, no never! It is just for

convenience we have leaders. And if they become inconvenient we have to change

them, that's all, as simple as that! " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Christmas Puja

- Ganapatipule, India - 25 December, 1996)

 

Shri Mataji expressed great sadness over the fact that there was 'this great

idea of authority' that Sahaja Yogis were using (and are still using) 'left,

right, and everywhere... in almost every country':

 

" But still I find this idea of authority, it's something very great and they

start using it left and right, everywhere it is happening practically in every

country, has happened and still happening, which is a very sad thing. " (Shri

Mataji Nirmala Devi - Christmas Puja - Ganapatipule, India - 25 December, 1996)

 

Shri Mataji laments that this 'great idea of authority' which is becoming

widespread in Sahaja Yoga so that it is 'left, right, and everywhere,

practically in every country'... that it will never bring forth Her efforts to

synthesize the whole. Instead it causes division among people:

 

" This will never bring forth my efforts. My effort is to synthesize the whole,

not to divide, by no chance to divide. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Christmas

Puja - Ganapatipule, India - 25 December, 1996)

 

Shri Mataji also states that this 'great idea of authority' that is unholy... it

has to be brought to our notice:

 

" Only thing, whatever is wrong, whatever is unholy has to be brought to your

notice. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Christmas Puja - Ganapatipule, India - 25

December, 1996)

 

Just to repeat... " whatever is wrong, whatever is unholy has to be brought to

your notice " :

 

Exhibit 1

 

" Dear brothers and sisters! Sahaja yogis of Russia!

 

I would like to use this only possibility to address to you all. The

stage, when Divine Incarnation, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, founded

and personally was in charge of Sahaja yoga, has finished. The time

has come now, when without Her participation formation of a new

worldwide organization named Sahaja Yoga takes place. The new

leaders, basing on their experience and beliefs emphatically

suggested me to leave the position of leader of Russia and a member

of the World Council I have been taking, as they need a completely

controllable and easily directed from abroad candidate. I do not see

possibility for myself to take part in such organization, as well as

I do not want to fight and act with the same methods they do. Thus I

leave the position I was given in 1999 by Shri Adi Shakti, as now a

new organization is created, where I cannot be a leader, as

principles of it's formation contradict everything taught by our

Mother. I would like to thank you for all your great love and

support, which I felt for all these 6 years. Thank you very much for

we together reached unseen spread of Sahaja Yoga in Russia and are

second (in quantity) collective in the world. And in quality, I

think, the first! I leave with clear conscience.

 

With all my love and best wishes,

ex-leader of Sahaja Yoga in Russia

Perezhogin S.V.

 

/message/4291

 

 

Exhibit 2

 

 

Sir CP:

 

" One thing I want to mention - World Council - is that She (Shri

Mataji) desires for me to convey to you that the World Council is

the highest authority in Sahaja Yoga, representing Her will. And

this will be, the World Council, will be the final deciding

authority in Sahaja Yoga collectives. There should be no doubt about

that. That is Her will, and on behalf of Her, the World Council will

be acting. Is that clear to everyone? That is Her will and She asked

me to convey this, and I am conveying it to you. The final authority

is the World Council. Everything else emanates from the World

Council. Whatever decision is to be taken, the World Council takes,

because that is Her will. The Council represents Her will. Alright?

So there should be no confusion in future. That has been decided.

Thereafter, what happens where is a matter for the World Council to

decide. We have now to move forward, carry forward the message and

act on that basis. "

 

http://www.sahajayoga.org/swan/view/swan_512_2006.asp

/message/6321?threaded=1 & l=1

 

Counterpoints to Exhibit 2...

 

1./ The World Council is not the highest authority in Sahaja Yoga, unless the

World Council consider themselves higher than Shri Ganesh, your Spirit, and God

Almighty. If they don't consider themselves higher than Shri Ganesh, your

Spirit, and God Almighty... then they should be more careful in their

assertions:

 

" You are under the vision of Shri Ganesh, under the guidance of your Spirit, and

under tbe blessings of God Almighty. But be careful, because once you become

that, you bave to keep to that Dharma, you have to be honest about it. (Shri

Mataji Nirmala Devi - Birthday Puja - Bombay, India - 21 March, 1985)

 

2./ The World Council does not represent Her Will anymore than any other Sahaja

Yogi represents Her Will. The only way to have any spiritual association with

Her Will... is to submit your will to the Adi Shakti Within... the Holy Spirit

Within:

 

" Leaders should be very careful. They should become free of all arrogance. They

are only a communication link, like I have to put a letter in the envelope and

post it. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Guru Padwa - 24 March, 1993)

 

3./ The World Council is not a hierarchy over Sahaja Yogis. They are not priests

over Sahaja Yogis. If there is a hierarchy, and if there are priests... then it

is no longer Sahaja Yoga:

 

" In Sahaja Yoga we have no hierarchy. There are no priests. Everyone is equally

the same. But only for contact's sake we have leaders and these leaders have to

be the best among the people they lead, the best Sahaja Yogis of the highest

level. (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - First small English Book - Chapter 3 -

" Sahaja Culture " )

 

4./ To say that whatever decision is taken by the World Council is taken because

it is Her Will is blasphemous of the Incarnation of the Adi Shakti/Holy Spirit:

 

" Leaders should be very careful. They should become free of all arrogance. They

are only a communication link, like I have to put a letter in the envelope and

post it. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Guru Padwa - 24 March, 1993)

 

5./ Commanding Sahaja Yogis to obey a hierarchy and priests in Sahaja Yoga

creates a religion which causes divisiveness. People just take advantage of Shri

Mataji:

 

" So this religion has created this divisiveness. Even in Sahaja Yoga, you will

be surprised, I have seen people taking advantage of my name, are trying to get

into some mesmeric groups. I can't understand, using my name, using my

photograph, so beware this

should not happen to you people. " (Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Christmas Puja -

Ganapatipule, India - 24 December, 1995)

 

6./ " Men, for example, have power orientation and jealousies. Leadership is the

greatest myth ever going. ... There is nothing like leaders in Sahaja Yoga, as

such. It's just a joke and your Mother is very good at playing serious jokes.

It's just a testing point. "

(Extract - Shri Guru Puja Message Synopsis - Avignon, France - 8

July, 1990)

 

Below, then is what a real leader in Sahaja Yogi is like... according to Shri

Mataji.

 

Enjoy!

 

violet

 

 

 

THE LEADER IN SAHAJA YOGA

 

To be leader is a much higher test than just to be a Sahaja Yogi, because the

leader has to be an ideal for others to follow. He should know and master all

the knowledge about Sahaja Yoga, the modus operandi of awakening the Kundalini,

giving realisation to others, with all patience and love, use Sahaja Yoga's

foundations are Divine love and Divine benevolence and if you are really earnest

that the whole world should be benefited then you have to develop a beautiful

loving patience to achieve the realisation of others and to lead others. So, a

leader has to have an approach towards other Sahaja Yogis in the Centre that he

leads from the heart, and not pay a lip-service. The leader should be a patient

listener, not criticising or jumping to conclusions. The leader should have a

quick understanding of the complex problems which are facing an individual, or

the Centre.

 

He should always try to find out why there is a problem and how it can be solved

extremely gently, with care.

 

The leader should never rationalise his mistakes, which can be just a cosmetic

appearance, and not the truth. The leader has to first face himself and has to

purify himself so that his own purified life will enlighten others much more

easily than (by) giving lectures. So whatever are your precepts, they must be

practised by the leader with great zeal and with great joy about it.

 

That means the leader should become first his own leader, experimenting all his

beautiful ideas upon himself, so that he should know how he can manage himself

before he tries to handle others.

 

The leader should be very active, efficient, prompt, forgiving, generous,

respectable and loving. If he is not respectable then respect cannot be demanded

from the other members. The Sahaja Yogis will definitely respect him and trust

him automatically because he manifests respectful qualities. The leader should

never try to enhance his own credibility by diminishing that of others, but must

always build up a democratic style of leadership that is a collective one and

should not assemble " yes men " or coteries around him and should not give way to

false praises. Everyone must have access to the leader in person, in case there

is a problem.

 

The leader must understand the process of growth, which is a living process that

unfolds itself like a seed becoming a tree. So, forcing or manipulating will not

work out the unfolding. On the contrary it will hamper or maybe kill the living

process. The best way is that the leader should also introspect and watch the

natural process which is unfolding beautifully within himself.

 

If there is a storm or chaos around, just calm down, station yourself on the

axis of peace. A leader must know that we have achieved a state by which we can

put our attention absolutely on the pivotal point of peace, which he should

practise again and again and master it. The leader must (by) his experimentation

and the proofs he gets believe as reality that we are now in the Kingdom of God,

and the power of His love, the Paramachaitanya, is completely knowledgeable and

absolutely efficient. Gradually the experience of this Divine love, which acts,

makes a very strong group. They will lovingly adhere to each other and feel the

collective force as a living energy. The leader should try to live and to be

like everyone else, not to be extraordinary, knowing consciously that if you are

ordinary, that is extraordinary. In Sanskrit: 'Samanyas asamanya . Awareness is

the source of your ability to lead.

 

So, the leader must try to watch the growth of his awareness of things, very

carefully. It is very easy (if you) use (it) you can depend on your Kundalini,

who will make you aware of whatever subtle area you want to be aware. You can

achieve it by using your power to project your attention to whichever area you

want to know more about, and it will work out. This modus operandi of your

attention can be mastered by you as a leader and then you can teach all other

Sahaja Yogis how to master this art of directing your attention through your

Kundalini.

 

The leader should not stir up any emotions violently, but delicately allow the

emotions of the Yogis to come up and allow them to calm down by themselves. If

the Sahaja Yogis are heated up on some point, and even if you know they are

right in their anger, try to understand the whole problem and make a drama as if

you are also angry with them for the same reason. You should not suddenly drop

cold water on the heated minds, but after acting with them try to bring them

round and cool them down, then sit down with them and coolly discuss and decide

whatever is the best way of solving the problem.

 

The modus operandi is to know how this Divine power is to be used, is to be

manifested and is to be respected. The leader should not stoop down to get after

or fit any one person of the group members, because your weapon is the light of

the Spirit which is the ocean of forgiveness. The leader must step back in

silence and be gracious. Your silence will definitely calm down the fighting

spirit of any angry group member. So the leader must know and master the skill

of silence, which makes the Divine power take over.

 

Sahaja Yoga is to be mentally understood and is practised by the heart. For some

people it is the other way round. There should be no hypocrisy about the

knowledge. If someone in the group finds out or experiences anything subtle, it

should be listened to and very much appreciated by the leader and the group.

 

The leader should know self and not indulge in sycophancy at any cost: he should

not have any favourites. The leader should have his absolute values and Divine

experiences intact. He should never project them or give his own colour to them.

He should not try to outshine the teachings of Sahaja Yoga, and never entangle

Sahaja Yoga in the network of words that is Shabdajalam. The leader should not

try to be spectacular or a show-off but should be innately humble. If he seeks

(that) he will be carried away from reality and his great task of the

emancipation of human beings.

 

The leader should nourish his or her group and make all efforts to make every

individual grow and also the collective grow in Divinity. The leader when not

able to handle anyone, should inform the world leader. Without the permission of

the world leader he cannot ask anyone to leave or take anyone back into the

group.

 

The leader in silence can feel the content and the concern of the group and also

(such) like the seasons of the year. Sahaja Yoga is a living process, so it is

to be worked out like an expert gardener. If anyone like a flower is drooping,

find out the root cause and help the individual. Sometimes the whole garden

could be under attack, so find out the real problem and try to solve it through

Sahaja Yoga methods.

 

The efforts of a leader should be to create an honest and an open group. His job

is to facilitate and illuminate what is happening, have very few rules and

taboos. Too many rules reduce freedom and responsibility. Moreover, enforcement

reduces spontaneity. Remember that all of the group of persons are yogis. They

are enlightened people. Manipulation will breed evasion. Every law creates an

outlaw. In the light of the awareness of the leader the group will grow as an

honest, open, loving group, acting in a wholesome manner. Their behaviour

towards each other, towards the leader and towards others in the society will be

very peaceful and gracious.

 

The leader should be softly-spoken but strong, like water which can cut rocks

but cannot be cut. The leader should know that we are all part and parcel of one

unity, one body. Any harm anywhere in the body hurts the whole, so he has to be

very careful not to take sides or hurt anyone who is a Yogi. All things which

are against the whole create bad vibrations and negative forces build up, and

sometimes they might explode and be a very big force against Sahaja Yoga.

 

The leader should not fuss about food or comfort. He should express contentment.

He should see joy in simple things. The leader should not indulge in any contest

of eloquence, nor should a Yogi be encouraged to pass blunt or sharp comments on

others. Of course, subtle humour and sweet friendly, mirthful relationships like

" pulling legs " is to be enjoyed. Whatever is benevolent is good for everyone and

not just for one person. If this principle is understood then most of the things

will become very much easier in detail.

 

The leader should follow Sahaj culture, which encompasses all the good and

righteousness of all other cultures. The social cultures, political cultures,

economic cultures, whenever they deviate from spirituality lose their balance

and their basic principles. They are not in the centre and so they will be

thrown out of the circulation of evolution. Sahaj culture is in the centre, is

dharmic, and makes you ascend in your spirituality.

 

The leader should know about... and respect... all traditional religions, all

the incarnations, prophets, seers and all the realised souls of the past and the

present. They should be aware of these religions, which have been in their

purest forms once upon a time and might have deviated from the right and true

path. That deviation can be easily detected by an enlightened soul. The people

who have deviated go into a kind of a conditioning which creates a blind faith

and a complete halt to the further progress of spirituality. When the religion

is professing about one person, then especially it can create people who start

despising other religions and criticising others and finding faults with others.

So whatever religion they might profess, if they are criticising each other,

they are just the same. One must realise that they have lost the sense that all

religions come from the same source. They have only partial knowledge which

should be expanded and is to be verified through Sahaja Yoga.

 

Every religion has said that you have to have your Self-realisation, your second

birth, but these people can just brand themselves as self-realised or selected

or elected people, and can go ahead with their blindness into the darkness of

destruction. That is why sometimes we are (seeing) how certain people who are

professing a religion are creating a society which is completely decadent. Those

people who just believe in the Father, the God, are all right as far as their

economics and politics is concerned. They might also after some time deviate

very greatly, because after all it is a movement towards the right side.

 

Now, if they believe in God Almighty as the Father, and not in the Primordial

Mother, then they can commit sins against their mother and the sins against the

mother are absolute immorality. Such people will find their freedom to go into

all areas of immorality which will give them all kinds of horrible diseases and

troubles. So one has to be careful. Before criticising these people, the leader

must tell the group to take a very benevolent attitude towards all of them, to

save as many as possible by telling them what these great saints or these true

incarnations have said. In any case they are getting destroyed.

 

Also the leader can read books which are written by some enlightened people to

show where they have gone wrong. They should not say that " I say so " but they

can use some other book like Khalil Gibran or William Blake or someone like that

to show how things were said absolutely in a wrong manner by some. Of the people

who managed to enter into the scriptures and master them.

 

The conditioning of religion, though people are educated, is very strong and the

strength of these religions is not of morality, of goodness or righteousness,

but of destruction, because they think they are the best and they try to destroy

others. Sometimes when these things come up with such a vengeance people lose

faith in religion as well as in God, but a Sahaja Yogi knows that there is God.

A leader when dealing with such people in the presence of other Sahaja Yogis has

to warn the Sahaja Yogis beforehand that they should not try to jump to any

conclusions and should not say things that will upset those people who are

already blind and who are going towards Hell.

 

If you take a very motherly attitude you will understand that these are like

lost sheep and they have to be saved with great kindness, compassion and

attention. But in case it is too difficult you should not bother about them.

Leave them alone and maybe one day they may work out better because if the

Kundalini has started working in them, gradually they will come round.

 

Sometimes the people who are lost in blind faith are never seeking their

enlightenment or their second birth. Leaders should not force the illumination

of such people because it is a big task. Instead of that, try to look after

easier people who are earnestly and honestly seeking the truth. If we understand

that all the incarnations are coming from the same source through their inner

Divinity enlightening them, then automatically we will know that there is a

higher life than just blindly believing in some faith. Somehow they should know

the basic principle that all religions are the same. They came in at different

times and they had to work it out according to the times: " Samayachar " . Knowing

the Self... " Gnyana " ... is higher than reasoning. Reasoning comes from ego, but

absolute knowledge comes from the Self. The leader should follow a spiritual

life, enjoying his spiritual values and his Gnyana will grow more and more on

his central nervous system.

 

The leader should enjoy his selflessness. He must speak in the third person for

example he should say " It does not work " or " It works " . He should not say " I am

doing this, this is mine, these are my things " . The word " my " should be dropped

completely from the vocabulary.

 

The leader should develop himself fully, but if he needs to he can take help

from the world leader. He has all the freedom that gives him complete

responsibility to decide for himself. But if he finds himself in a situation

where he needs help from any other leader or from the world leader, he should go

all out, because they are all your own, part and parcel of the one whole.

 

The leader should not be a money-oriented, materialistic personality. He should

not be rigid, tough or aggressive or demanding about material things. He should

not ask for money, but he should give away his things and his money as presents

to people... or to help them. The modern materialistic society should never be a

model for a leader.

 

The leader should lead a very clean, neat and artistic life. He should also

respect tradition in his dress and household.

 

The leader should know about the world-wide growth of Sahaja Yoga and whatever

is taking place.

 

They should keep all the cuttings from the newspapers. If the media is

criticising Sahaja Yoga, then it should be noted. It is good in a way that we

can see our shortcomings. If the media is not honest... one should not worry

about them.

 

All successful experiments of Sahaja Yoga in other areas of medicine, culture,

sciences, music, arts and crafts, literature, drama, poetry, business, education

and schools, photography and architecture must be recorded carefully. They

should be reported to all the City Centres.

 

The miracles of Sahaja Yoga must be recorded and should be reported to the world

leaders. The miraculous photographs must be reported and shown. They should not

be shown to people who are not seeking the truth.

 

There have been a few Sahaja Yogis who were leaders and who have had to leave

Sahaja Yoga. Some of them started becoming dictatorial and started making money

on their own. Some of them had some physical weaknesses for some sort of carnal

love and have also departed from Sahaja Yoga. But there are some who fell a prey

to their wives, who were not Sahaja Yogis and were nowhere near the quality of a

Sahaja Yogi.

 

(First small English book/Chapter 5 - " The Leader in Sahaja Yoga " /by Shri Mataji

Nirmala Devi)