From what I have seen, they counsel people on the many problems that ail the human race and act as “personal sages”. Question- Are they trained therapists to deal effectively with people’s problems and provide concrete solutions? Or does the Art of Living teacher title bestow them with great wisdom?

I have encountered highly egoistic AOL teachers who gossip about thier “followers” problems- a real NO-NO in my books, and criticize one and all of them. Demi-holy man? Shame on you. Even I, an ordinary citizen have the integrity to not “spill the beans” on my confidants.
My advice- don’t display your weakness and seek advise from these so-called demi-sages. The meditation and breathing are great outlets but let the problems be resolved by yourself, a family member or trusted friend, or a trained counsellor.

I am 19,just recently done with the YES+ course!
People…whoever think….all this is simply of no use …a business..n…(whatever….goin against AOL)…I would just like to tell them that…My Dear people.. AOL is a business!!! A business that just teaches you to actually live life!! Think again….about your life…do you even smile when its necessary…where here…you keep smiling when its not required! Believe me….everything is beautiful then!! If not me…atleast give it a try…and i guarantee you…ITS WORTH IT! The main new thing which enters your life is ..LOVE!!! YES!! Realize the actual meaning of LOVE!! And you will see it everywhere -around you!!
YES,ITS TRUE….OUR EXPERIENCES CANT BE EXPRESSED… BECUASE ITS TOO BEAUTIFUL,VALUABLE,LOVELY,……………………….-short of words!!
GOD BLESS YOU WITH IT!
JAI GURUDEV!!!

But over the years, the organisation seems to have lost much of its once solid credibility. There is too much focus on publicity and collecting donations. The same courses are recycled and remixed to form new ones, for which substantially high fees are charged. Stories of miracles and angels(!) are being spread and believed by highly educated people, presumably to lure more people to the fold.

I moved away from the activities of the organisation when the focus shifted from spiritual knowledge and social work to publicity and adding more people to the cult, but I have no grudge towards the Guru or the organisation. Rather I am grateful as the course helped me at a very crucial point in my life.

I have a few friends who are staunch devotees of SSRS. They are highly educated, extremely intelligent people who regard SSRS as a SatGuru and do not eulogize him or revere him as God. Yet they justify the cult-like practices of the organisation, including the excessive publicity and hype. They continue to spend a lot of time, effort and money towards AoL courses and activities and for all their pains they don’t seem to radiate peace and joy as they initially did, after first getting involved with AoL. Ironically they sound unhappy, even frustrated at times and their families are pained and worried with their dysfunctional lives.

Everyone chooses to live life his own way, so I guess they must be finding satisfaction in what they do.

I spent the summer volunteering in New Orleans with the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), the service-based sister organization of the Art of Living and the organization to which much of the revenues generated by AoL course fees goes to support service initiatives. In addition to the intense hard-labor of gutting buildings and the soft-labor of facilitating the very popular (especiallyl on this discussion board) AoL stress/trauma relief breathing courses, we began a day camp at a housing project providing free breakfast, lunch, supplies, and camp activities for kids–by the way, there are kids in this country whose only meal is the hot-lunch the state has granted them at school, and when school is out for more than a year, their nutrition suffers tremendously. I personally spearheaded a series of workshops for incarcerated teens in Louisiana at the Juvenile Detention Center to offer these kids some hope and an alternative perspective in life to give them CHOICES about how they wish to conduct their lives.

All of this work was done free of charge to the community. The hard-labor, the soft-labor, the day camp, the detention center workshops. But guess what! It wasn’t free for the organization. Nope, gas prices alone would see to that. Indeed, it costed money to feed volunteers, to rent a space to house volunteers, to get volunteers from the residence hall to the various sites, to purchase supplies and food for kids at camp. Right now we’re raising money to renevate a community room at the housing project, as we conducted camp in a room with no running water or electricity (yes, this is the United States we’re talking about)–we had to pour buckets of water in the toilet to make it flush–and outside was littered with broken glass, used condoms, and hypodermic needles, not to mention gunfire due to neighborhood feuds.

And the response from the community was absolutely amazing. Parents of the children at camp told us of their grattitude for giving their children the opportunity to get outside and play with other kids. They told us that they had not even let their children outside for 6 months due to the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and many of them did not even know there were other kids living there. The kids at the Detention Center wrote such positive reviews of the workshop in their course evaluations, and even sent me cards and letters afterward because they were so touched, that I get a little teary thinking about it.

That said, one particular AoL teacher always tells participants that Sri Sri and the Art of Living are like the ocean. You can give or take as much or as little as you want. You can look upon it and appreciate its vastness, you can dip your toes in it, you can dive in, or you can turn away and go hiking in the forest instead, but the choice is up to you. Nothing is compelling you to give or take more than you wish. This is what I have come to realize.

As a skeptical westerner, it was a bit hard for me to take at first, seeing what seemed to be a “cultish” vibe that many of you have remarked upon. Watching people literally follow this man around to get a glipmse or to touch him. I wondered, is this guy some kind of imposter? What I came to realize is that he has asked nothing of me. He has asked nothing of these people who want so much to touch him. Indeed, these devotees are simply having the relationship that THEY seek with Sri Sri. That is not my way. And that’s fine. I thought about my question some more: is this guy just an imposter? Then I realized, you know, I’ve learned a lot from his courses–which, by the way, I never had to pay for my first basic course, and I found immense value in it, despite what some may argue–and I see the value in the work he is doing by bringing these workshops to people and encouraging them to materialize the dreams they have for their community (like the day camp or, in my case, prison reform and gang intervention). From that, I’ve really come to respect Sri Sri and to be grateful to him. I feel inspired. I feel a renewed enthusiasm for my own life and the lives of others. I want to affect the course of this world.

I don’t pray to Sri Sri. I don’t fall on my knees at the sight of him. I do get a warm feeling in my heart, however. A deep sense of grattitude. And I do my absolute best to live by the teachings that he echos–the same teachings of Jesus and the Buddha and of my own heart. Sri Sri doesn’t have a monopoly on this knowledge; it’s in everyone. But he sure does help us allow it to arise in our own lives through very practical means, like the breath and community service. For that, I’m thankful.

A’ho to life! A’ho to the great skeptic! It’s all a part of the process…

Angela

1. The course doesn’t come free.
I think it should not come free. Whatever comes free is not valued by people. The most important things people need is free. Air is free, water is free. If they are free, they have been abused by the humans. If people have to pay for it, people value it. I know of a few people who didn’t want to do the Kriya practice regularly but did it just because they spent some money learning it. After doing it for some time, they themselves started observing the benefits.
I think the course should not be free…

2. They have to sign that because the course is a package. It is not just a set of techniques. It’s not that you teach someone the techniques and the course is done. Again, you can’t appreciate this fact unless you do the course.

3. Claiming IPR means it is a cult? Is this statement correct? Don’t you think you are coming to conclusions too early? Give some solid reason if you are making such a statement. With so many people telling with their experiences that it is not, how foolish you seem making such statements without knowing what it is!

Regards,
Rajesh

That is a genuine doubt. Why charge so much money? Is it a business?
Does Sri Sri like to hoard money like everyone of us?

I wonder what will he do with money?

Actually I wonder what can he do with money?

Probably 21 to 22 hours of a day he is outside, with people. With devotees, with AOL volunteers, with people who are eager to just get a glimpse of him. Attending satsangs, giving talks etc. And most importantly, traveling. He could easily get the Guiness entry for his number of travels!
And travel doesn’t mean sight-seeing. His routine will be similar irrespective of where he is. But the amount of traveling he does, I am sure most of us will say “Enough” of it. But he continues. Do you think he does it for his pleasure? What does he get?

Anyway, my point is, what will he spend money on?
Clothes? He doesn’t need more than two pieces of it.
House? The entire world is literally his home!
Food? Cars? What else? He doesn’t even need to have money for these. If he asks once there will be a line of people to offer these.

What can he do with money? Does he even need money?

So where does the money go?

The best way to find the answer is to become a volunteer in AOL. Just volunteer to do some service activities. If I say, you may not believe it. Why not do it. Once you actually do something you will come to know how limited resources are and how much the needs are. It takes money to run schools. It takes money to provide food. It takes money to adopt the villages. It takes a lot of money. But don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself. Unless you have first hand experience, you won’t realize it.

Now, Why take so much money?

I ask, why not? Don’t you pay a few hundred bucks to listen to your favorite band in concert? You probably spend more than that in many things. You probably spend a 1000 bucks every year on your car. Can’t you spend 300 bucks on yourself? You don’t consider yourself worth spending 300 bucks? But you probably spend more than that on your looks anyway. Why does spending money on a thing which changes your life positively, bother you so much?

Have you considered what are you getting for your money? Do a sincere analysis yourself.
And let us know.

“Shweta, I feel sorry for you and all people who think that they can put their life in the hands of just one person. Life is much more than “Art of Living”. ”

I understand your loss. I know it hurts. In this state, you would naturally have a feeling of hatred for AOL (whatever that is!).

You may not understand what your man felt. I would say not to blame it on AOL. It all depends on the person. I did attend many AOL courses but I still married and live a happy married life. I feel AOL has helped me in my married life too. But I have a batchmate who wanted to leave his studies and join AOL as a full time teacher. Sri Sri himself had told him not to leave studies.
Anyway, my point is, your boyfriend found what his destination was. You couldn’t have stopped him whether it was AOL or anything else. He found what gives him happiness.
There is no point now regretting and blaming it on AOL.

Regarding your feelings towards AOL, I would say don’t hate it or love it. If you want to know what it is, just do the course. No need to leave anything. Don’t form an opinion without giving it a try.

Regards,
Rajesh