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SRF Walrus
Mt. Washington, Ca
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srfwalrus
ezOP
(6/3/03 6:47 pm)
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Status of a monastic
Dear SRF Walrus,

Do you know, or do any of your contacts know, if Brahmachari Simon is still an SRF monk?

SRF Walrus: Another category of emails we get a lot of are requests for information about ex-monastics. SRF keeps everything related to ex monastics COMPLETELY secret and therefore the only place to go for information is where? If we know something we may email it back but we never give contact information out. A better way is probably posting a message on the board itself.

Edited by: srfwalrus at: 6/3/03 8:04 pm
KS
Registered User
(6/8/03 8:22 pm)
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Re: Status of a monastic
Often the monastics want to disappear and not be tracked down. Why would they want to converse with those who still support their former jail keepers? The disgust with all things SRF once you have lived under their thumb for 20 years is very deep. I suggest we leave them alone or at the least help them find jobs and get their lives back.

babaGEE
Registered User
(6/11/03 3:56 pm)
Reply
Re: Status of a monastic
Bramachari Simon left the Lake Shrine sometime last year. Devotees were given the announcement that "He decided that the monastic life wasn't for him and that the "rule" was for departing monastics not to attend service for at least a year so that devotees would not be confused of the status of the (former) monastic." He was missed by many at the Lake.

member108
Registered User
(6/13/03 9:57 pm)
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Re: Status of a monastic
If anyone needs any further proof that SRF is just an disappointing cult they need look no further than the way SRF treats monastics who leave. They do in fact TELL them not to come around. They also tell the public they do it. They feel members will believe the @#%$ n bull story too. AND THEY DO!

9 out of 10 monastic leave understanding SRF for what it is, a little insignificant cult. It is a cancer on the reputation of a great yogi. THAT is why they don't want the monastics to be around devotees!

God bless those poor monastics and members who have suffered. They deserve our support. It is too bad so many of us believe these excuses SRF gives us for their behavior.

divine gypsy
Registered User
(6/14/03 4:14 pm)
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Re: Status of a monastic
The above seems a bit hyperbolic. Since the thread orginially had to do with the status of Br. Simon, maybe it's worth pointing out that although he left the ashram not that long ago, he's now married to an SRF employee, and they seem to be able to attend Hollywood temple. There are certainly other ex-monastics who are regulars at temples, too, and that also goes for ex-employees, like myself, who still see plenty of value in SRF.

This has certainly been a painful periold for the organization, but I don't think the organization (or the pain) is going to go away. People who live and/or work there eventually have their eyes opened that it's not a maya-free zone, by any means. That just suggests to me that those who have left and those who remain all need our prayers and goodwill even more than ever.

member108
Registered User
(6/14/03 5:18 pm)
Reply
Re: Status of a monastic
Fair enough. However the monks ARE told not to hang around. These days they are even asked to sign a document stating that they will not discuss life inside before they get their "exit" money.

soulcircle
Registered User
(6/14/03 6:46 pm)
Reply
exit money
Hmmmmmmmmmmm,

Are checks varying amounts of exit money written to nuns and monks, is it often the same amount......?

Do we know how much any of the checks have been for......?

Is there a non-srf source of an equal amount of cash for nuns and monks who are considering leaving and will leave....?

finances circle

KS
Registered User
(6/15/03 7:05 am)
Reply
Re: exit money
The exact amount is known only to monastics sworn to secrecy. (click to see this related story) From various conversations the amount might be $25,000 or more. This has only been done the last 3 years or so. Ex-monastics sued for compensation back then which then prompted srf to make the business decision to provide them with some money to hold off lawsuits. The blissful compassionate daya mata only provided these monastics with money to survive on AFTER it became cheaper to pay it rather than pay for lawsuits. There is a story on this board about a nun who had to leave and move into a halfway house because she had no money. Imagine how much she wanted to leave to have dealt with that? Tell this story to the monk (if he was one) who sent the email saying not all monastics felt srf was that bad. (click to see this related story)

Remember that srf didn’t provide health insurance until a member had a heart attack on the job and could have sued them to the stone age. (He didn’t) srf only responds to fear and its own best interests. Its best interests do not include publishing the teachings but rather the maintenance of control by the bad ladies and the hording of money.

Edited by: KS at: 6/15/03 7:06 am
soulcircle
Registered User
(6/17/03 2:06 am)
Reply
as the childhood song goes, oh where oh where
Hi,

oh where oh where .........is there a non-srf source of $25,000. or more?

KS, thanks for the post

soulcircle

Edited by: soulcircle at: 6/17/03 2:06 am
babaGEE
Registered User
(6/17/03 9:22 am)
Reply
Re: as the childhood song goes, oh where oh where
Excuse me for not being more specific. The devotees were told that Br. Simon was asked not to come around the LAKE SHRINE TEMPLE in order to avoid confusion. But to me, it's still splitting hairs. That policy is just an excuse to cover up for MC's attempts to intimidate and control.

KS
Registered User
(6/17/03 9:11 pm)
Reply
Re: as the childhood song goes, oh where oh where
The bad ladies do tell the monastics to stay away, not that most need to be told. The bad ladies are afraid they will spread stories about life on the inside. I talked to one nun who was told not to come around DIRECTLY by Daya Mata herself. DM also told her not to contact any of the other nuns still in the ashram either. She had lived with these people for almost 20 years!

Yes, I said DIRECTLY by Daya Mata herself.

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