Why I am a BK[1]
Background
I was born a Hindu and by the time I reached college, I had the inclination to explore different religions and philosophies [2] to enquire into the meaning of life and death. I found most religions to be well meaning but they did not appeal to me in entirety[3].
Discussions on God seemed to be quite intellectually inadequate, often based on mythology and hyperbole. Omnipotence in particular seemed to be a logical fallacy[4]. I also could not fathom how God could be a creator or that there could be a first cause for the origin of the universe. The same problem was there with science and the big bang theory. I had turned to be an atheist but I continued to explore different philosophies as I did not have any conclusive answers on life. Science seemed inadequate in providing answers. One of the Buddhist books inspired me to learn meditation but it was not very useful when I experimented with it through books. With this background I took up the Rajayoga course[5] at the Brahma Kumaris.
I had a great deal of challenge in getting past the course as most of the content was not acceptable to me. I was unable to accept the teachings on Soul, God and his roles, the cycle of time and its duration and basically each of the teachings as they all depended on believing the first few lessons to be true. I had come to learn meditation so after the first few debates I decided to just keep silent until I was taught meditation. But when I reached there, I found that meditation also depended on belief in these lessons. It was quite discouraging.
At the end of the course, I was introduced to the murli[6] – an insightful one on concentration. It was so fascinating and profound that I decided that if this kind of material is the basis of the course, it was worth continuing on and re-exploring the course until I had more clarity. I was willing to re-examine my existing beliefs but I was not willing to accept anything that was being taught until it really made sense.
By the end of two months of murli study, I reached a point of reasonable clarity so much so that I felt comfortable calling myself a BK and putting on a badge.
Who is a BK?
As it happens amongst followers of all religions and belief systems, BKs come in a variety of flavours.
At the minimum, I would say, a BK is one who believes that God, the father of all, directly teaches spiritual knowledge to souls through the medium of Brahma.
An ideal BK would be one who leads an exemplary life of impeccable character through daily in-depth spiritual study, constant practice of Godly remembrance, following all spiritual disciplines and service to humanity through thoughts, words and deeds.
How I became a BK
I became a BK when I discovered that the concepts of soul, God, nature etc though quite different from existing world views (and my own existing beliefs), were remarkably coherent and fit well together. I found that the model offered a big picture view that discussed space, time and events in a reasonable way.
Souls and God also were described as natural entities that did not have any magical or supernatural powers but had properties that could explain life and existence in a meaningful manner. I felt this to be reasonable model to start accepting and experimenting. Soon the yoga experiments started bringing powerful results in terms of personal peace, power and joy and I gained more and more clarity in the knowledge that I was studying.
Why I am a BK today
The initial years were a bumpy ride as I moved from passionate conviction[7] wanting to serve all of humanity at once, to a time when I mellowed down and learnt that change starts from within and that every aspect of spiritual study, yoga and service finally boils down to self development.
Over the years, my understanding of the BK knowledge deepened. I found a universal vantage point through which I could look at the world. I had a greater purpose towards which I worked and developed an integrated lifestyle. The teachings in the murli were my primary support that provided a wealth of wisdom. I found that everything was common sense once I saw the perspective. I could think independently on issues without being biased by societal pressures. There was fresh perspective on everything in life. My lifestyle changed and I began to dedicate more of my time and resources for service.
The murlis provided depth of understanding on life and provided meaning in a rapidly changing world. The greatest satisfaction was that the learning was completely ‘inside out’. Through personal change I could impact change in the environment. Introspection became second nature and I started taking personal responsibility for my responses in any situation. I was freed from blaming situations and people and the positivity that ensued was extraordinary. This boosted my self respect tremendously and I also developed compassion for others.
Creativity and self expression developed with time and virtues like equanimity, tolerance, maturity, balance etc started appearing in my life. An abundance mindset followed and with that came the ability to face ambiguity with calm. I was able to prioritize my life goals with clarity and regained an active student life. I could see through challenges that many of my peers were facing and offer support when asked for. I became unafraid of criticism (I faced much of it from family and friends initially due to my unconventional approach) and could easily accept diverse viewpoints without having to agree with all of them. I was able to be flexible where I felt it was necessary and yet stay firm on principles that I espoused. Empathy became a big asset.
The high standards of personal excellence were great motivators to initial transformational change. They also became challenges when I failed to sustain the standards consistently. There was guilt of failure and a struggle to maintain personal integrity. Later, I learnt to smile at my own failures on the spiritual journey and use them as lessons in humility.
Today as I look back at the thirteen years[8] of my BK life, I feel very satisfied with the quality of life I have had.
It is a fantastic journey of personal transformation and I still have a long way to go but I am on my way.
Footnotes[1] Brahma Kumar (son of Brahma) or Brahma Kumari(daughter of Brahma).
[2] I had explored the Gita, some Upanishads, Christianity, Buddhism, Atheism and a variety of philosophical books and essays. These were not scholarly studies but I had an interest in learning different views.
[3] In general I found the values and morals in the stories to be good but disliked the hero worship especially since the hero (
[4] My reasoning was: If God is omnipotent, he should be able to create something that is indestructible. By virtue of omnipotence, God should himself be able to destroy his creation. These two sentences cannot hold true at the same time and therefore God cannot be omnipotent.
[5] In
[6] A 4 page text discourse that is said to be directly spoken by God and Brahma
[7] In one of my initial letters, I referred to my grandfather as my spiritual brother. I tried giving the context but it was more enthusiasm and less clarity.
[8] I took up the course in 1994
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