Brahma Kumaris

Brahma Kumaris (the "Daughters of Brahma") is short for Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University ( BKWSU ), a religious-spiritual community from India with several hundred thousand members. Taught Raja Yoga , the loving bond between man and God. "BK" is the abbreviation for the followers and sometimes for the organization. It was founded around 1937 by Lekhraj Kripalani (December 15, 1884 - January 18, 1969), who was later called Brahma Baba. There are more or less independent centers around the world, mostly run by women. The headquarters of the movement is an ashram complex in Mount Abu ( Rajasthan , India ). Global expansion began around 1970.

history

History until 1969

The businessman Dada Lekhraj (1920s)

Brahma Baba with religious sisters (1940s)

On the way to India (around 1947)

Brahma Baba (1950s)

The founder Lekhraj Kripalani lived in Sindh , then a province in British India that is now in Pakistan . He came from the higher Brahmin caste . The son of a schoolmaster succeeded in becoming a successful and India-wide jeweler who also used his fortune for charitable and spiritual purposes. Socially integrated, the father of six was an incontestable authority in a patriarchal society who also listened to the address "Dada Lekhraj". "Dada" means "older brother" or "older uncle" and is a name of honor that occurs more often.

Dada Lekhraj was a rather traditional person, a theological layman and a pious Hindu accompanied by gurus . During the 1930s he held spiritual meetings ( satsangs ) reading from sacred Hindu texts.

The life of the 50-year-old then changed radically: Around 1936/1937 , Lekhraj saw visions that questioned his previous life plan. In addition to visions with feelings of happiness, he saw apocalyptic images . God is said to have shown himself clearly to Lekhraj.

The beginning of the Brahma Kumaris movement is based on these experiences. Lekhraj hadn't looked for her and he obviously couldn't place her at this point. The religious scholar Frank Whaling sums up: "The striking thing about Dada Lekhraj's visions is that they were new, originally, and that they could not be foreseen."

Lekhraj devoted the next decades to the end of his life to building up a spiritual school. He retired from business life and put his considerable fortune into it. Women and children gathered around him, including some men.

The name of Dada Lekhraj was henceforth "Brahma". The followers are the "sons and daughters of Brahma", the "Brahma Kumars and Kumaris".

From 1937 until her death in 1965, his right-hand man and the administrative director of the new movement was "Om Radhe", a young woman, later called "Mama", a "... powerful, yet sensitive personality with a first-class memory".

The years from around 1937–1950 were marked by monastic retreat. Anyone with family ties, i.e. wives and children, was only allowed to stay with Om Mandali with written permission , as the community was initially called. This met with growing, sometimes violent resistance from families and husbands. However, sit-ins, wives held captive and even a lawsuit failed to break up the group.

The partition of India in 1947 made a move to the new India necessary. Sindh was now in Pakistan. The doctrine, which largely related to Hinduism , was easier to represent and ultimately spread in India than in the smaller, Islamic neighboring country. Since 1950, the movement's headquarters on Mount Abu in Rajasthan , northern India, have been called Madhuban by members .

The fortunes of Dada Lekhraj and a few other founding members were used up within a few years of the move, so that the 1950s were marked by shortages and apparent failure. Donations ensured survival. The movement calls this phase the "beggar period". The group melted from about 400 to 100 followers; many women went back to their families. In this way, however, branches of the main ashram , so-called "centers" , gradually emerged . By the late 1960s, the Brahma Kumaris were present all over India - the movement had established itself. Brahma Baba died on January 18, 1969.

Up to this point one can say: Against the idea that Dada Lekhraj has independently designed his own belief system in over 30 years, u. a. his previous life as a very pragmatic, sometimes unconventional businessman, the traditional, even amateurish approach to religious matters, and since 1936/37 the suddenly modified, if not entirely contrary, views on Hinduism. There are also new convictions, such as that God is a point of light.

For the religious community, two convictions are irrevocable to this day: Lekhraj had a "... real vocation experience", i. H. a phase of deep God experience and inspirations with the mandate to serve God and, if necessary, to accept a break with society. And: The doctrine "... is based at least in the most important basic features on revelations from God".

The development since 1969

Leadership by women

The former director Dadi Prakash Mani (around 1945)

After the founder's death, the new, now female management consisted of experienced sisters. The line has always ended in death so far. In chronological order these are:

• Didi Manmohini (1969–1983) and Dadi Prakash Mani (1969–2007), called Dadi Kumarka by the members.
• After the death of Didi Manmohini: Dadi Janki (since 1983), Dadi Chandra Mani (1983–1997) and Dadi Prakash Mani.
• Since 1997: Dadi Prakash Mani and Dadi Janki.
• With the death of Dadi Prakash Mani in 2007, the management passed to Dadi Janki, Dadi Ratan Mohini and Dadi Gulzar, like all the aforementioned founding members, recognizable by the respectful address "Dadi" or "Didi" in front of the name in this context to translate as "older sister".
• Dadi Janki died at the age of 104 on March 27th, 2020. The leadership remains with Dadi Hirdaya Mohini, Dadi Ratan Mohini and more recently with Dadi Ishu, who are each around 90 years old.

Dadi Janki's decades of commitment have apparently led to appreciation among non-members.

After the death of Dada Lekhraj, the movement thus became a "women's religion", but also with men in higher positions and with a tendency to exaggerate and worship Brahma. As a rule, the schools are still run by sisters today.

The principle of leadership by women is unlikely to change in the future. Brahma Baba had already put administrative management in the hands of women in the 1930s and determined that this principle should be maintained in the future. In contrast to guru movements, a special feature of the Brahma Kumaris is that no single (female) person is at the top, but always two or three.

The management style seems to be feminine, convincing, cooperative and amicable over the decades. Due to the high age of the current leaders, it can be assumed that the next generation of women will take over management after their death.

Expansion and current activities

The Universal Peace Hall, Madhuban near Mount Abu , a hall for approx. 2,500 people, decorated for " Diwali ", the Hindu festival of lights.

The "India One" solar power plant under construction (December 2013)

Global Retreat Center, Nuneham House , Courtenay County , near Oxford .

Worldwide expansion and the main Indian center at Mount Abu

As a counter-group to the previous movement, the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishva Vidyalaya formed in 1969, after the death of Brahma Baba, the founder . However, this did not affect the subsequent global expansion from around 1970 with new centers in London and Hong Kong (1971). In the meantime, the BKWSU is apparently represented in 110 countries with more than 8,500 Raja Yoga schools, most of them in India.

Since the 1970s, the Brahma Kumaris have increasingly presented themselves at congresses, interreligious events and with international projects, often dedicated to peace. As a non-governmental organization , the BKWSU is involved with the United Nations ( UN / UN ).

In the meantime, an extensive ashram complex has been built near Mount Abu , according to the company, with an annual flow of 2.5 million people, with lecture halls, hostels and administrative buildings, with non-profit hospitals since 1989 and with its own radio and television channel for India. Renewable Energy Methods, v. a. of solar energy, has been researching the World Renewal Spiritual Trust (WRST), a subsidiary of the Brahma Kumaris , since the mid-1990s . The India One solar power plant is currently being built with German-Indian funding and a targeted 1 megawatt output.

The focus of all activities is ultimately on teaching Raja Yoga , the spiritual yoga of the Brahma Kumaris. The other initiatives are derived from this. Projects, courses and conferences are to be funded by a. Executives and people in the areas of health, media, environmental protection and social work as well as disadvantaged people such as drug addicts and prisoners, in and around Mount Abu apparently also the local population and their living conditions.

The extent to which the activities in the main center, such as solar energy, have an internal organizational benefit or whether they are charitable, is revealed to outsiders on site. Whether the projects and programs for personal development are charitable can possibly be answered in the affirmative.

Given such expansion and the apparent efficiency of the Brahma Kumaris, efficient leadership appears to be a feature of the movement, especially since most of the centers worldwide are run by lay people, especially women. At least outwardly, a kind of modern matriarchy appears here .

The courses and schools are financed through donations; Value is placed on anonymity. The movement offers all offers free of charge or at cost price. Every engagement is voluntary - it is a principle that applies worldwide.

Frank Whaling emphasizes: "In contrast to many religious traditions, which place great value on property, the Brahma Kumaris avoided emphasizing the financial in their spiritual service."

This view can z. B. counter the size of the main ashram. Centers outside of India - not German centers -, for example in England, are also generously dimensioned. However, the large number of lectures, retreats and projects for members and guests require greater logistics and quality in terms of accommodation and catering. This means that there is at least a pragmatic, functional relationship to property.

The first German center was established in Frankfurt / Main in 1974, which led to expansion in the German-speaking area in the years that followed. There were upheavals and setbacks in the 1980s and 1990s. The headlines were made by the group around Heide Fittkau-Garthe, which led its own movement in Tenerife around 1997/1998, the training center for releasing Atma energy , which ended with serious allegations and police investigations. The Brahma Kumaris are still present in larger German cities.

In Germany, courses are offered on the actual subject of Raja Yoga, positive thinking, various lectures, as well as a monthly world peace meditation as well as audio and print media - the global standard program. The director of the German Raja Yoga schools is Didi Sudesh Sethi from India.

In Europe, Brahma Kumaris is most strongly represented in Great Britain, which is explained by the Indo-English colonial history . The headquarters of the approximately 50 branches in England are located in London. The expansion in England also seems to have been accompanied by tension.

Despite its growth, the scientific reception has so far been manageable and is largely limited to the English-speaking area.

Organizational structure and membership

Indian religious sisters on the roof of the Raja Yoga School in Odisha (formerly Orissa), the "Jhanjiri Mangla Center", northeast India (2008)

The organizational structure of the movement is threefold:

• The members meet first as a family, on an equal footing as spiritual brothers and sisters,
• secondly on the administrative level according to their tasks, with a fixed but flat hierarchy ,
• and thirdly as students (and teachers) in the spiritual world school, whose local offshoots are similar in terms of content and leadership structure. At the school level, all yogis are students. Your first teacher and the actual leader of the organization is BapDada , which is explained below.

The organizational structures and the theological-spiritual intentions are intertwined. Every position or task is also a learning task.

Personal commitment, presence in schools and a feeling of belonging result in a rather relaxed membership. The identification and intensity with which the yogi gets involved in the community depend on the life situation and personal state of mind - but above all on the degree of the adopted worldview and the rules of the religious community.

A wide range can therefore be observed

• from members who have attended the introductory course, sometimes listening to the morning discourse, the Murli , but still living their own lifestyle,
• about persons who follow the code of conduct without restriction but who fulfill their professional and family obligations,
• up to members who have given themselves over to the organization. These people can be described as religious sisters and brothers in the classic sense. In India in particular, white clothing is the “religious costume”; for women it is the white sari .

The transition between the first two groups is fluid and not easily ascertainable. The assumption of administrative tasks is a differentiator for the type of membership. To a certain extent it determines one's position in the community.

The number of members in Germany and worldwide is difficult to estimate, since a permanent affiliation without member lists can hardly be determined. Probably there are between 400,000 and 1,000,000 members in India and a few thousand outside of India. In Germany there may be a few hundred members, given 15 smaller centers nationwide.

Because of the size of the organization in India, but also because of a certain urge to mission, the quest for political influence could grow. However, the BKWSU sees itself as a spiritual, not a political organization. Political-economic structures are not called into question because the focus is on personal development and the passing on of teaching.

Teaching

Shiva and Brahma

The movement is convinced that the following terminology is based on God's self-revelations: God bears the name Shiva , Dada Lekhraj means Brahma , members of the movement are called Brahmins . These are not to be confused with the Brahmins of the Indian Brahmin caste , just as Brahma and Shiva are not to be confused with the Hindu deities of the same name.

Shiva is a soul without a body . He needs a human body (= Brahma) in order to be able to teach about language and human personality. Otherwise he could only inspire with visions and promptings.

Shiva has been teaching with and through Brahma since 1936/37. Shiva gradually revealed the knowledge that is open today. He is the actual founder of the BKWSU. Both personalities are called BapDada (father and older brother, grandfather or uncle). Brahma is a spiritual father figure.

The Brahmins' salutation for BapDada is mostly the intimate, emotionally close Baba or ShivBaba . Brahmins rarely use the name "God" ( Bhagvān , Īshvar, Prabhū ); he is too sober for them. You speak of Baba in the singular - for them the duality is almost a unity. A linguistic and essential separation is hardly or not at all possible.

The lectures

The teaching building was created over the course of decades through lectures , the Murlis . They were called Sakar Murlis until Brahma's death in 1969 . Brahma is said to have been in his light body since his death. ShivBaba and Brahma Baba have been speaking together the Avyakt Murlis since then, teaching through the body of Sister Dadi Gulzar .

Both forms - the Sakar Murli and the Avyakt Murli - differ considerably in their type: The older Sakar Murlis are aimed in simple language at listeners with a Hindu background; the newer Avyakt Murlis are linguistically more complex, psychological and therefore more independent of culture.

“Sakar Murli” can be translated as the “Enchanting Words of God Embodied”. With "Sakar", in German roughly the "embodied God", the living Brahma is meant, formerly Dada Lekhraj. "Murli" is the magic flute of Krishna or God, a well-known image of Indian popular piety.

“Avyakt Murli” is a name that is mainly used in the West - in India it is traditionally called Avyakt Vani . "Avyakt" means "invisible", "otherworldly"; "Vani" is the "holy voice". An "Avyakt Vani" is the "Holy Voice of the Hereafter".

The fact that divine revelation is conveyed therefore resonates with both terms.

In principle, the centers around the world read the same Sakar Murli on the same day, usually six days a week. These approximately 1,850 Murlis are repeated every five years. The now around 500 Avyakt Murlis are read out little by little, without a fixed order, mostly on Sundays.

Internally, the teaching is passed on through the Murli. For those interested, the Brahma Kumaris offer lectures, introductory courses, books and information on the Internet. The prepared content for the public is always derived from the Murlis.

Properties of ShivBaba

The image of the Supreme Soul as a point of light

God with the name Shiva is also referred to by the Brahma Kumaris as the Supreme Soul ( Param Ātmā ). Like the human soul ( Ātmā ), it is a living being made of light , a white point of light. The Supreme Soul has an oval and gold-red light aura. In contrast to humans, God does not have a body of his own. He is sexless and separated from matter .

A Sakar Murli explains: “The soul is so tiny. (…) The Supreme Soul is also a tiny star. ”In another Sakar Murli, ShivBaba says about himself:“ You are stars, just like points. I, the soul, am also a point. I do not, however, take rebirth. Mine Praise is different (to yours, author's note). "

One is not exposed to the law of cause and effect because he cannot act without a body. According to the Brahma Kumaris, God's character quality and inner strength are not tied to the physical requirements. The incorporeal does not share the physical experiences of people, and thus also not their laws. He is not influenced by people's actions. Therefore ShivBaba needs the life experience and the body of Brahma. The vitality of God cannot therefore be compared with the physical and sensual vitality of human beings.

God can think and decide. Its characteristics are positive: only ShivBaba is always loving, compassionate, selfless and therefore independent. He is a loving, not a punishing God. ShivBaba stands beyond space , time and matter, above life, death and polarities such as happiness and suffering. ShivBaba is the eternal balance of power and pure love.

The course of the world belongs to his eternal knowledge, because he, who is free from physical bondage, overlooks the past, present and future ( Trīkaldarshi ) and recognizes the true self of people.

God is not omnipresent as an independent, living personality ( ubiquity , pantheism ). But it is always accessible and tangible for everyone.

The otherworld of light

ShivBaba is usually in a world of light, in the Supreme Place ( Paramdham ). This dimension is eternal, infinite, gold-red light, peace, silence, doing nothing, beyond time and space. This home of God is also the original home of all human souls.

The human being

The Brahma Kumaris represent a dualistic worldview : the human being consists of body and soul. Man is a soul, a spiritual being, and he has a body. The I is forever a point of light, like a sparkling star in the middle of the forehead, invisible, the third eye. This point of light is not created. The soul ( Ātmā ) did not emerge from an act of creation. God is not a creator in this regard .

The soul, the I, full of light, is the conscious element, the core. The human body belongs - which is to be understood without judgment - to the material, unconscious world ( Prakŗiti ). He is only alive with an incarnated soul; both belong together.

The soul has three "organs" or basic faculties: the ability to think, feel and perceive ( Man / Manas ), the judging mind ( Buddhi ) and the partially subconscious habits or imprints ( Sanskāra s).

Thinking and feeling are fed by sensory perceptions and the imprints. To think about nothing is impossible in the long run. The mind is the authority that distinguishes between right and wrong. The thinking and decisions of the mind lead to habits or character traits. Both are constantly shaping the subconscious. Clear, correct decisions are impossible if there is no clear self- awareness . This clarity means the true self, the identification of oneself as a divine being, as close to God as possible, as a person with high qualities.

These functions are a basic structure that all human souls should have in common with the Supreme Soul.

Overall, this results in a cycle of thinking, feeling, deciding and doing. The human task is to direct the mind towards the right decisions. The member therefore follows the training path of Raja Yoga, which starts with the mind first and which is explained below.

Raja Yoga

definition

Differentiation from other forms of yoga

The yoga taught by the Brahma Kumaris is not to be confused with Indian yoga directions , e.g. B. cultivate devotion to a deity ( Bhakti-Yoga ), mean a free action ( Karma-Yoga ) or are also referred to as " Raja Yoga ".

"Raja Yoga" means translated: the "royal connection". The Brahma Kumaris understand it to be the connection with God, the greatest possible emotional closeness to the One, a “ Unio Mystica ”. The term and the translation are therefore the same, based on the "classical" Raja Yoga . If you go into detail, the meanings are fundamentally different.

The Brahma Kumaris are hereinafter referred to as “Raja Yogis” or “Yogis”.

The four subjects of the Raja Yoga of the Brahma Kumaris

The Raja Yoga of the Brahma Kumaris can be learned: It is an "education", a spiritual training or a kind of study. As the yogi engages with the essence of God and his knowledge and experiences the One, he increasingly finds himself and his own degree of divinity. The incorporeal becomes a mirror.

The knowledge is structured with four "subjects":

• Gyan : the "knowledge", that is, the teaching or philosophy.
• Yoga : the "connection" with God.
• Dharna : the "internalization". It means practicing good qualities and working on your own character.
• Seva : supporting and acting for the benefit of others.

Each Murli contains aspects of these four subjects.

An ideal example: By means of the teaching ( Gyan ) it is possible that the human soul, a point of light, can connect with the Supreme Soul ( Yoga ). The course content is to be deepened, e.g. B. through reflection or conversation. This leads to a consolidated knowledge and a change in behavior ( dharna ). Anyone who thinks, says or does something now can do so in connection with God. This naturally has a positive impact on the environment. The actions become service for the benefit of others ( seva ).

The spiritual Raja Yoga is thus also a yoga of doing, a way of life, and thus an ethic ( dharma ).

The relationship with God

The “Raja Yoga” of the BK Order Community is a terminus technicus . Rather, the Brahma Kumaris yogi would like to experience the One in his love; H. in the silence. “The goal of Raja Yoga meditation,” says the religious scholar Frank Whaling, “is to achieve communication with God - it is not just a concentration exercise .” In meditation he experiences this spiritual, invisible connection, if possible also during his actions and in his interaction with others. Corresponding experiences are subjective; they evade evaluation and verification. The obvious serenity of Raja Yogis in extreme situations ( resilience ) could confirm these experiences in a practical way.

The love between God and the yogi is therefore also a relationship. It matures with increasing self and God knowledge and gains vitality when the yogi cultivates and shapes it. ShivBaba, the yogis' address for God, encourages the yogis through the Murlis to experience him as a father, mother, also as a child, as a teacher, beloved partner and friend, as supreme soul guide ( Satguru ).

Because God, according to the Brahma Kumaris, points out the consequences of negative actions in his role as a teacher, he is also a neutral, superior authority: the highest justice ( Dharam Raj , literally: King of righteousness). This function affects the God-human relationship. Here, too, ShivBaba is the loving, not the punishing God for the Brahmins. He draws attention to his children out of concern.

How the incorporeal for his part cultivates the relationship and thus supports the individual out of silence ( Sakash ) is also individual, intimate and therefore hardly verifiable.

The dividing line between man and God

The relationship offers between man and God, d. H. to ShivBaba, the BK brahmin can accept if he accepts his diverse past and his psychological stresses. BapDada divides harmful, auto-aggressive thoughts and actions from the past into five basic weaknesses: greed, arrogance, sensual and sexual desires, anger and emotional dependence on people and things ( Pānch Vikār ).

In the Murlis there is talk of the Māyā - the “deception” and “illusion”, a well-known term in Indian philosophy. BapDada is "maya" in allegorical way as a person. According to the doctrine so there is not really the personification of deceit or of evil. The Raja Yogi is aware that it is a matter of one's own mistakes and negative environmental influences.

The basic requirement for the Brahmin's devotion is trust in the Supreme and in this path. This includes recognizing one's own weaknesses with God as an opportunity for a personality-constant change in character. In this way the yogi becomes the trustee of things and of his own life. With this independence and mental freedom, virtues and values ​​develop. The goal is to be free from unwanted internal and external influences in the here and now.

The matter and body relatedness, the worldly consciousness, is transformed in this way into a "soul consciousness", an awakened self, an individual fullness and closeness to ShivBaba. Lived virtue, inner strength and love match the one. The result is “liberation in life” ( Jīvan Mukti ).

The everyday life of the Raja Yogi

The contrasting experiences of worldly body awareness and spiritual soul awareness

If you want to become a Raja Yogi, you first complete the so-called seven-day course. This introductory course contains the essential information on the theology of the Brahma Kumaris. The new yogi can then listen to the morning Murli, deepen his fresh basic knowledge and apply the recommended behavior to his life, the Supreme Council ( Shrīmat ).

The recommended way of life includes daily Murli study and meditation with open eyes, but also z. B. vegetarian diet and celibacy . With the high commitment of the yogi, "... very strong moral and ethical ideals work."

The basis for the day of the yogi is the morning study, consisting of murli and meditation. The first, private meditation is around 4 a.m. ( Amritvela , literally: the nectar time) in order to take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere of the early morning hours.

General meditation begins at 6 o'clock in most BK yoga schools, followed by the Murli reading half an hour later. The yogis then go about their professional and family tasks. An evening meditation rounds off the day. This daily routine is the ideal case.

There is no initiation. Rituals play a subordinate role, e.g. B. To celebrate Hindu festivals moderately. The day of Brahma's death, January 18, is "... the only specific Brahmin holiday". A visit to the main center in India can be seen as a ritual or pilgrimage. However, it should primarily serve as your own inspiration. B. to be able to meditate undisturbed from everyday life.

The Raja Yogi of the Brahma Kumaris therefore strives for a middle path that integrates spirituality into everyday life.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the Brahma Kumaris' image of man and their ethics presented here can only be fully understood with the remaining doctrines, with the historical image (cycle model) and with karma and rebirth , which will be presented below.

Physical and spiritual-divine love

The Raja Yogi develops his spiritual ability to love because he strives for a living relationship with the incorporeal. His basic need for deep love is fulfilled in meditation with the one. ShivBaba therefore inspires the yogi to maintain a close and trusting relationship with him on an equal footing. The yogi wants to experience the healing feeling of unity with God .

The prerequisite for this, however, is the withdrawal of identification with everything material, with one's own body, one's own social role (job, parenting role, status, etc.) and their evaluation. It includes BapDada's recommendation for a broad understanding of physical and mental purity , including sexual purity .

The demand for chastity therefore serves the purpose of an undisturbed connection with the One. It corresponds to religious traditions, e.g. B. Christian monasticism or the Indian ideal of Brahmacharya , but can meet with criticism and incomprehension from outsiders.

Karma and rebirth

The rebirth is the Brahma Kumaris with the law of karma inseparable - with the law of compensation and the law of cause and effect. Everyone is responsible for himself; the next life results from the quality of the previous life.

If every character trait and every life situation is a reaction, a result of the past, this understanding of karma leads to responsibility for one's own thoughts and actions. That causes spiritual growth. The yogi cannot permanently maintain a sense of entitlement, a victim mentality and blame. He cannot accuse God because of the suffering in the world ( theodicy ), he cannot give in to fate ( fatalism ) and be black painters ( defeatism ). For his part, God remains loving and independent of human deeds; he can only point out the consequences.

The yogi's ultimate goal is to be free not only from internal and external influences, but also from the deep-seated effects of the karma of many lives ( karmātīt ). The founder, Brahma or Dada Lekhraj, is said to have made it when he died. The doctrine says, however, that every person who works with full strength can achieve this goal.

If you do not deal adequately with yourself, change can only take place under external pressure (personal crises, illnesses, social unrest). If the BK-Brahmin its original identity not to death have developed, he recognizes painful dying what he has not been able to implement and neutralize.

But thanks to the relationships with the One outlined above, the yogi finds the strength to face this task. One accompanies and protects the yogi, who in turn opens himself to the impulses of ShivBaba.

If the incorporeal inspires the yogi, he acts through or with him - but always for the benefit of others. Any action, even inspired, happens within the framework of the yogi's personal responsibility. The BK brahmin is aware of this role and shares the higher guidance. He is not a mindless tool. The prerequisite for this is: The yogi has opened up to this influence in the course of his life because he has worked on himself.

The reincarnation is a natural idea for the yogi. He can only be reborn as a human being in this world, because the immaterial light point soul carries human experiences, properties and emotions such as happiness and suffering.

The world cycle

The development of human history as a cycle, symbolically represented as the "Floral Cycle".

In order to understand the BK religious order, it is essential to understand its historical picture. Only then do the viewer see the image of man and God.

According to the Brahma Kumaris, human history is a cycle . It never ends and returns to the same starting point. It repeats itself identically and forever, comparable to a film, called drama by the yogis . One cycle lasts about 5000 years. It consists of four equally long ages and a time of transition between the first, the Golden Age, and the last, the Iron Age. This is the time that humanity should now find itself.

Life is predetermined - but leaves room for one's own decision (free will ). The predestination is evident in retrospect. The predetermined future cannot be seen.

For the Brahmins, the cycle is the logical and hermetic explanation of world and salvation history, an immovable pillar of their teaching and decisive for their worldview.

The BKWSU apparently takes up the Indian historical myth of the four ages . Because of the short duration and the identical repetition, however, she corrects this view of history in her opinion. What both have in common is that they "... express a fundamentally identical view of the history of descent."

The Golden age

For the Raja Yogis of the Brahma Kumaris, human history “begins” with the Golden Age ( Sat Yuga , literally: the Age of Truth), a peaceful, paradisiacal world . To feel like a spiritual creature and to receive a new body after death is the " spirituality " of that time. Faith, worship and the memory of God or the divine do not exist because people are satisfied. Everyone rests in himself and experiences security in his family. You live out of yourself, comparable to children. There is only positive, benevolent thinking. Thanks to prosperity, everyone has what they need. Poetry, dance and theater enrich the lives of these divine people. Holistic, gentle technology and science guarantee the high standard of living.

Nature is harmonious and fertile; everything grows and flourishes. The habitat at the beginning of the cycle is today's northern India with almost a million citizens at the beginning. The Thar Desert in Rajasthan, for example, near Pakistan , is said not to have existed at that time.

The corporate form is a monarchy of a united kingdom with the first royal couple Lakshmī and Nārāyana . This kingdom functions without a police force, an army and with minimal administration. In this seemingly utopian world there is no lawlessness, poverty, illness or premature death.

People are said to live to be up to 150 years old. They have harmoniously designed bodies.

How these divine people produce offspring remains to be speculated, since there should not be a sexuality in the modern sense.

The Golden Age is therefore more beautiful and better than the world today, but not fundamentally different from it. It is completely pure, not extreme and in its highest spiritual and energetic state ( satopradhan ). The Murlis rarely provide precise information about life there, but always refer to this time as a future perspective.

The Silver Age

After 1250 years, according to the Brahma Kumaris, the second epoch of paradise begins: the Silver Age ( Tretā Yuga ). Gradually, without the divine human beings knowing it, a law comes into play: Every human being consumes inner strength life after life - a creeping process, similar to a person who is getting older. The experiences of previous lives accumulate in the subconscious . This applies to everyone, no matter how many lives they go through. The lifespan is reduced from 150 to around 125 years.

The differences are increasing, the world population is growing, the freshness and power of the matter is getting weaker. The harvests are z. B. less rich. There will be no wars until the end of this epoch.

During the first paradisiacal half of the cycle - as during almost the entire time of a cycle - God is in the immaterial, light- filled world, in the highest place ( Paramdham ). He doesn't have to intervene; the world is godly.

The Copper and Iron Age

God, the global light that religions remember.

According to the teaching of the BK yogis, after the harmonious, paradisiacal time, the first half of the cycle, there is a comprehensive change in the earth.

The reason should be found in the people of that time: The slowly dwindling psychological strength causes a loss of sovereignty, a gradual change in personality . The unity with oneself is lost, the duality arises with an inkling of happiness and suffering, of right and wrong. From His standing casually in itself, one have, the possessive look at the other person is. What arises is the need for you as a new color in human interaction. The identification with one's own body and one's own role increases. The paradisiacal social order is losing its foundation.

As inside so outside: If the mental and thought power changes in such a massive way, it has a lasting effect on the matter . According to the Brahma Kumaris, the shifted collective consciousness causes a destabilization of everything material. This affects people's bodies and all of nature, including geology and the flora and fauna. The result is an upheaval, a rupture, a kind of deluge . After a pole shift with the earth's axis tilted and natural disasters, e.g. B. earthquakes and floods, the seasons and a different, more extreme world climate arise. Today's continents rise from the water.

The previously high civilization was an expression of harmony and non-violent ethics . That culture has now disappeared; people forget them. You have been driven out of Paradise ; Atlantis has sunk. Wolf and lamb no longer live peacefully together, but from now on are divided into hunter and prey. The second half of the cycle has begun: the Copper Age ( Dvāpara Yuga = literally: the age of duality).

The world we know today is unfolding. Tribes and empires arise and wage war against each other. Distribution struggles and diseases bear witness to the need and fear of the people to this day. From now on one's own well-being and salvation is damaged by anger, desires, arrogance, etc.

Since this break there has been worship, religions and the search for oneself. In ancient India , as almost everywhere else on earth, the belief in a heaven of gods is developing. Little by little the great world religions emerge , i. H. only for about 2500 years.

Philosophies and religions have been of increasing importance since that time. They keep the question of God and the greater truth alive. They are a help in life and describe the struggle between good and evil, between beneficial and harmful thinking and acting.

The teaching pictures of the world tree ( Kalpa tree ), of the world cycle and of the world staircase summarize this course and descent.

A clear turning point between the copper and the last, the Iron Age ( Kali Yuga ), cannot be discerned, not even for the Indian world. In the ancient and medieval societies of the West, the divine, and ultimately Jesus Christ, was the point of reference in life. This is where rationality and materialism have gradually emerged , definitely since the mass societies of the 20th century.

The quality of life has decreased significantly compared to the paradisiacal time. The average lifespan of people has plummeted in the second half of the cycle because of illness, hard work, and premature death. After all, human relationships cause more suffering than happiness; the world is at its lowest spiritual and energetic level ( tamopradhan ).

The age of transition

The present dispensation

Australian image of the tree of life with the four ages

Due to e.g. B. the two world wars, the destruction of the environment and the nuclear threat, humanity has been increasingly in a crisis of meaning and existence since the 20th century. Therefore, according to the Brahma Kumaris, God out of mercy is currently and actively intervening in human affairs. Humanity is approaching a transition - between today's resource-consuming and threatened world and a world renewed by God.

The present epoch is the real and “unique time of salvation”. In the confluence or transition age ( Sangam Yuga ) it becomes visible that the cycle consists of a suitable, coherent interplay of human souls, matter and God, and that after a gradual descent the comparatively fast ascent takes place again. While everyone lives outwardly in the Iron Age, those who open and change their consciousness can “switch” into the transition age. The ages overlap.

To rebuild the paradisiacal world is God's or Shiva's most important task at the present time. He offers his eternal knowledge and his love to people. With his help, they should be able to develop their emotional quality again to their personal maximum. A spiritual renewal affects the Raja Yogis, but basically all people.

In the cycle, the transition age is the epoch between the Iron and Golden Ages. It is short, revolutionary and intense. The exact duration of the current transition epoch is still unclear. It might be a hundred years or so. It started when Shiva entered Brahma's body around 1936/37. It ends with the coronation of the first imperial couple of the Golden Age, with Lakshmī and Nārāyana . God should only show himself to people in the current phase through a body, through Brahma or currently through Sister Dadi Gulzar.

In Hinduism such a drastic, the fifth age is unknown. It forms a contrast to the four ages, the Yugas of Indian philosophy, which go over millions of years, but also to the short ages of the Brahma Kumaris, which total only about 5000 years.

Personality and world transformation, eschatology

Anyone who as a Raja Yogi agrees to the philosophy and the rules ( Maryādās ) of the order, including the cycle, begins their own “pilgrimage of remembrance”. It is the memory of the divine existence in a paradisiacal society that he has forgotten. Like everyone else, he has used up his mental strength in the course of his life. His self-worth, his original identity, has been lost.

In this present time the yogi can recognize his past and thus his future. He has the adventure of becoming what he was again. Thanks to the knowledge and power of God, this recollection leads to inner freedom and sovereignty. The experiences in the transition age are the prerequisite for a liberated life ( Jīvan Mukti ) in the Golden Age.

Apparently caught in the almost unrecognizable predestination and repetition, everyone is free to make a decision and to find the form and way of life that suits them in the current turning point. This applies forever to every cycle.

It is a paradox because everyone forgets their life path, which they have in the future and had earlier. There may be hints, but usually no clear memories. This paradox is supposed to be a law.

The spiritual renewal should ultimately release forces that should bring about regeneration, the remodeling of the earth ( palingenesis , apocatastasis ). In the next decades there will be a short, sudden "end time" ( apocalypse , cataclysm , ecpyrosis ). Brahma experienced visions of this kind. According to the theology of the Brahma Kumaris, this catastrophe corresponds to the war of Indian myths ( Mahābhārata ).

After that, the regenerated world should again be heavenly, god-like and golden age . What was out of balance 2500 years ago should be corrected again.

The world view is therefore to be categorized as "end times" (English: "millenarian"). However, it is not really oriented towards the end of time, because the yogis have the steady progress of human history in mind. The supposed end is a transition. The Brahma Kumaris do not strive for an exit from the cycle, a final salvation , because this cannot exist due to the repetition.

It is currently unclear how the Earth's transformation will take place exactly. People always live on earth; there is no annihilation of the planet. No precise information can be found in the previous Murlis .

God is not a creator who creates something new and unknown - he is the decisive authority who renews the old and used. Only in this sense is the incorporeal or ShivBaba a creator. The omnipotence and truth of God would prove themselves in this way, since only God would be able to perform the work of world renewal.

To be God's helper and to act in his sense is connected with the spiritual transformation. The loving relationship with ShivBaba gives rise to the responsibility to support him in his work. The return of love is to put oneself in the service of God. In preparation, this requires firmness of character, a sense of reality and your own “culture of remembrance”. The transformation of the self is ultimately supposed to bring about the transformation of the world.

At the end of the transition age the souls return to the world of light in their original form of a point of light. It is a return to God. All human souls, freed from the body and from all material connections to the world, find their way back to the absolute beginning. To establish this new world and to bring all people back are ShivBaba's most urgent tasks at the present time.

After the time in silence, each soul re-enters the material world, into the next cycle, each at its appropriate time and according to its individual role, for example right at the beginning, in the Golden Age, or at the end, in the Iron Age. The right time depends on the character and ethics of the individual, as well as the morality of society. Both have to go together.

After the current transition to the Golden Age, mankind is once again going through the stages of consciousness described with their material effects, i.e. H. a descent until God ushers in the age of transition with His coming one more time.

The entire teaching is presented to the public in a variety of ways. B. with spiritual exhibitions and on the Internet, in Germany for example with lectures in your own or in larger rented rooms. According to its own statements, the teaching would like to be an aid to one's own knowledge. It is aimed at everyone, regardless of whether they identify with the content of the BKWSU or not. The Brahma Kumaris therefore endeavor to pursue a moderate proselytizing that wants to be less offensive and more informative.

Critical inquiries about the circular model

The Brahma Kumaris are convinced that ShivBaba revealed the knowledge of the cycle of only 5000 years. To present it as true or to want to represent it as probable is a defensive position, as the attempts to explain the history of mankind and the earth so far are opinion-forming and contradict the very short cycle model of the Brahma Kumaris.

The recognized and accepted explanations of world and earth history ( evolution , big bang , etc.) are plausible, but not conclusively proven. Questions remain open, e.g. B. Why religions only emerged a few millennia ago, not hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago.

The historical picture of the cycle is not new: tribes, cultures and personalities were convinced of such a process ( Hopi Indians , Aborigines , Mayas , Germanic Götterdämmerung , Hesiod , Plato etc.). The Brahma Kumaris version is more irritating because of the brevity and identical repetition, but also because modern, western people have a more linear understanding of history. He hardly takes into account such ancient ideas - he has largely disconnected himself from nature and its cycles.

The doctrine of identical repetition is not found in Indian intellectual history, but in Western Stoics and in Nietzsche ( Zarathustra ). From a philosophical point of view, there should therefore be little reason to reject the conviction of the eternal return of the same as irrational, especially since there are cultural and historical indications that it could be so.

Scientific questions that arise from the exact repetition, such as gravity , remain open. The framework is narrow in order to present this concept of history as likely in this area in particular. Final "evidence" from the Brahma Kumaris is pending.

The Murlis , who are the basis of the doctrine, argue for the brevity of the cycle and for the exact return not empirically-scientifically, but to a certain extent psychologically, touching on their own subconscious. BapDada puts this information in the room; he proves nothing. The listeners are thus referred to themselves and to their “ truth ”, their purpose.

The personality of Avyakt BapDada

For the Raja Yogi of the Brahma Kumaris, the basis of the study is the teaching that has emerged from the Murlis over the course of decades . This process of doctrinal training is still ongoing as BapDada is still speaking Murlis. After the Sakar Murlis from the 1960s, spoken by Brahma and ShivBaba (= Sakar BapDada), both now teach Sister (Dadi) Gulzar through the trance medium. The personality is called "Avyakt BapDada". The teaching texts are the "Avyakt Murlis", in India mostly called "Avyakt Vanis".

In the religious life of a Raja Yogi, the Murlis and the personality of BapDada are very important.

Typically, a current audience meeting with Avyakt BapDada goes as follows:

Avyakt BapDada the Murli speaks in front of 15,000 to 20,000 people. Sister Gulzar goes into a meditative trance - after a few minutes another personality looks around. The lecture lasts one and a half to two hours. There are currently around ten meetings a year, spread over the winter half-year. An Avyakt Murli ends with a kind of summary. If it is a Hindu holiday like the Indian festival of colors ( Holī ), then BapDada celebrates it in a family atmosphere, together with the many spectators. At the end the veteran yogis usually gather around BapDada. BapDada closes his eyes and leaves - Dadi Gulzar opens them.

Striking are the sovereignty and the natural appearance of BapDada. It is not Sister Gulzar's acting - she would be rhetorically and physically incapable of doing it.

BapDada speaks with pauses - without embarrassing noises or clearing his throat - the print-ready Avyakt Murli, which consists of long sentences. The religious scholar Stephan Nagel sums up:

“It remains to be said: through total mastery of the language, the Avyakt Vanis speaker succeeds on the one hand in setting his identity aside completely, but on the other hand in creating a personal, even familiar atmosphere while speaking. A huge rhetorical feat. "

- Stephan Nagel : Brahma's Secret Creation, 1999

In addition, there is clairvoyance and unusual body control.

The Hindu background

Religious studies assignment

World Service: Sister Shivani and Brother Suresh at Awakening with Brahma Kumaris, Bangkok (March 2013)

In terms of religious studies, the Brahma Kumaris seem to be a neo-Hindu movement that takes up and changes known knowledge ( syncretism ). This impression is obvious because of the focus of the movement in India and the multiple references to Hinduism . An Indian dominance can easily be determined.

The Neo-Hinduism but not confirmed in this uniqueness, compares it thoroughly Hindu and India-typical aspects of the educational content of the BK Order.

For example, the running of schools by women is a break with Indian tradition, at the same time one of the special features. Hindu beliefs modified and clarified by BapDada , e.g. B. the classic guru-student relationship , which is not acceptable for BapDada, also the caste system , which is seen as discriminatory. On the other hand, the BKWSU comes from Hinduism: All symbols and metaphors refer to Indian culture and religiosity. India is the base.

This is particularly noticeable among the older Sakar Murlis , whose target group were Indian listeners in the 1960s. You question the Hindu beliefs and common Indian attitudes. They demand exemplary behavior and correction from the yogis. The western, non-Indian yogi can also draw this conclusion. However, he can hardly understand the Reformation influence of today's Indian BK Brahmins on Indian society.

The fact that the Sakar Murlis are still read aloud six days a week in the Raja Yoga schools around the world also shows that the criticisms of the time are still relevant. These murlis explain universal, fundamental aspects, e.g. B. Hindu terms such as the ages, the Yugas , in the meaning of the BKWSU. The body of the Sakar Murlis is therefore the foundation of the BK yogis and indispensable - even for non-Indians. The Avyakt Murlis build on this.

In the meantime, however, philosophical-psychological topics predominate in lectures, events and publications, probably due to the zeitgeist. For the Brahmin community itself, the reason for this further development can be found in the Avyakt Murlis, in the discourses since 1969. They are clearly psychologically oriented and focus on the personal development of the listener. The Hindu themes of the Sakar Murlis have partly moved into the background.

Therefore, one can say: The movement, which has now partly developed Western vocabulary, has broken away from its Hindu foundations. However, this process is not complete in its heterogeneity. It remains to be seen: will the religious order be a new religion , independent, universal and independent of culture? Or finally a Reformed Hindu denomination , comparable to the Evangelical Church, which has broken away from the Catholic Church? Until the question can be answered clearly, the BKWSU can still be classified as one of the large number of New Religious Movements (NRB) .

The non-Indian minority

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU) is an Indian organization because 95–98% of it consists of Indians or Indians living abroad. In countries without Indian influence, the BKWSU is almost meaningless or unknown.

There have been non-Indian as well as western BK students since 1970 with about 2–5% since then. They also accept the basic orientation towards the main center Madhuban, where BapDada teaches. The understanding of roles and the way of life as a BK Brahmin in the West is accentuated differently: For example, the identification with the group in India is strong; of individualism , however, in the West. The integration of this minority and its impulses on the Indian community can hardly be grasped. Naturally , difficulties can also be observed with a suitable translation of teaching texts, especially the Murlis .

Particularly attractive for Westerners are the silent meditation , apparently the “low-threshold” self-help offers of Western schools and the largely tradition-free access to spiritual topics, less the Indian references.

The other culture, hence the different socialization and enculturation of the non-Indian, often Western, and also German yogis thus leads to a cultural “gap”. Dealing with Hinduism and Indian culture at least in part enables the non-Indian diaspora to decipher the intention of BapDada's words more precisely and to avoid misinterpretations.

The "sect" Brahma Kumaris?

The Christian-secular background in Europe makes the BK-Order - an Indian group - appear as sectarian or sect . The discussion on the integrity of New Religious Movements (NRA) is being held in the West - hardly or not at all in India.

To what extent are the Brahma Kumaris in this country to be classified as a sect, in view of the claim to proclaim divine revelation , along with the model of the very short cycle and the end-time scenario ?

Some criteria for a sect are:

• the authoritarian as well as revered leadership that does not allow criticism;
• the almost complete social retreat;
• the reduction of social contacts to other group members;
• rigorous group rules and an elite awareness of the group with devaluation of the outside world
• as well as the involuntary loss of autonomy .

On the surface, the movement can be more or less located as a sect according to these criteria. Evidence can be found for every argument per sect. If members z. If, for example, the recommendations of BapDada, the Shrīmat , are applied unreflectively and rigorously, this can be a sign that yogis devalue the environment and displace problematic parts of the personality instead of working through them. A social withdrawal could be the result.

The BKWSU appears to the Commissioner for Weltanschauung questions of the Ev.-Luth. Regional Church of Saxony, Dr. Harald Lamprecht , even "... something like the Indian version of Jehovah's Witnesses , because both combine an expectation of the catastrophic end of the present human race and its systems with an earthly idea of ​​paradise in which their own followers have a privileged special position in the kingdom of God." That would correspond to a clear awareness of the elite, possibly colored negative and derogatory.

Interpreted more positively, the organization can now be seen as a “world reformation movement” that integrates world-rejecting and world-affirming elements.

In a critical and public presentation of the organization of mostly former BK students, it is noticeable that the necessary neutrality for a scientific evaluation is missing. Due to the neglected inventory, it seems to be more about self-statements and the feelings of the authors, whereby the BKWSU can react to this with openness.

The western and German centers in particular promote the meditative and peaceful aspects. However, they hardly inform the public about controversial topics such as the upcoming world transformation. This reluctance can be understood based on possible defense reactions, but can also be viewed critically. Only the introductory course includes the cycle, thus also the “apocalyptic dimension” of the current transition period. To outsiders who do not know about this historical image, the desired image of man by the members should appear idealistic, unrealistic and utopian.

In order to achieve the set goals, the BK yogis are organized in their local center. You manage and finance it. Each school is subject to specific guidelines, in particular the morning meditation and the Murli lecture. The member apparently moves in a free space in which it decides to what extent it accepts the knowledge offered.

However, if hierarchical structures and mutual projection surfaces arise in the relationship structure of a center , a friction and learning process can set in. Such conflict-prone processes are inevitable and even wanted - the goal of the BK brahmins is the fundamental change in personality and thus the preparation for the new cycle.

For Raja yogis with a healthy basic structure, the healing experience of God and one's own reflection may be sufficient if one assumes that ShivBaba is God and that the insights lead to positive coping with life. The question is whether this process could or should be supplemented by in-depth self-awareness and therapy in the case of a deeper problem , as a Western, non-Indian approach to the actual self .

The Indian dominant culture, which also creates identity, could appear sectarian in the western context. This includes the greeting Om Shanti , the light to white clothing in the schools and turning to Madhuban , the main ashram , which includes regular trips there and is a " pilgrimage " for outsiders . What connects all yogis worldwide is the daily Murli study.

This creates a distance to western and also German realities of life. It can be explained by the emotional bond that the Brahmins have with India and Madhuban. However, it is easy to find potential for conflict here, because Indian conditions and attitudes cannot simply be transferred to the West.

Harald Lamprecht points out with regard to the German Brahma Kumaris:

“In the future, too, a lot will depend on how the organization deals with its own teachings. The community would like to see this happen with Indian generosity and not with German thoroughness. "

- Harald Lamprecht : Confessio, 1/2012

If one looks at the BK order in detail, the answer is ambiguous as to whether it should be classified as a sect. Because the movement is, according to the religious scholar Frank Whaling, "... in its complexity diverse, confusing and fascinating". The assessment of the BK community should rather - as Whaling demands for itself - be done without prejudice, as objectively as possible and with empathy. In this way, the viewer can assess the personality of BapDada, the teaching building and the yogis themselves with the most neutral possible view.

literature

Used literature

• Ursula Baatz: REPORT / 083: Women's Spirituality - Hinduism and Buddhism (women's solidarity). Narrow institutions - wide spaces. Women's Spirituality in Hinduism and Buddhism. In: Schattenblick. 13th year, No. 98, 2006, ISSN  2190-6963 , pp. 12-13 ( website des Schattenblick´ , Austria)
• Lawrence Babb: Indigenous Feminism in a Modern Hindu Sect. In: Signs. Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Volume 9, No. 3, 1984, ISSN  0097-9740 , pp. 399-416 ( website of JSTOR, Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Chicago. )
• Detlef Bendrath: Brahma Kumaris / Raja Yoga: Presentation-Reports-Documents. Ev. Press Association for Bavaria, Munich, 1985, ISBN 3-583-50642-1 (out of print)
• Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris BKWSU. In: ( Website of the ev. Information page churches-sects-religions )
• Will Hodgkinson: The House is Full of Yogis. HarperCollins, London, 2014, ISBN 978-0-00-751462-5 . The ironic and humorous autobiography of the musician Will Hodgkinson describes the change of his parents from well-known journalists to convinced yogis of the Brahma Kumaris.
• Will Hodgkinson: I was hoping I could just cease to exist. In: brand eins. Business magazine. Volume 15, 08/2014, ISSN  1438-9339 , pp. 110-113. ( Website of brand eins magazine) Translation of an excerpt from Will Hodgkinson's autobiography.
• Julia Day Howell: Brahma Kumaris (Daughters of Brahma). In: Peter Clarke. Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements . Routledge, London, 2012. pp. 71 f, ISBN 978-0-203-48433-3
• Julia Day Howell: ( Website by CESNUR, English ) Islam, the New Age and Marginal Religions in Indonesia: Changing Meanings of Religious Pluralism. Lecture given on April 9, 2003, Vilnius (Lithuania). The CESNUR 2003 International Conference (English).
• Julia Day Howell: Lekhraj, Dada. In: Peter Clarke: Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements . Routledge, London, 2012. pp. 342f, ISBN 978-1-134-63696-9
• Reender Kranenburg: Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion? Lecture from 1999 at CESNUR 1999 International Conference, Bryn Athyn (Pennsylvania). ( CESNUR website , English)
• Harald Lamprecht: Brahma's daughters in Dresden. Brahma Kumaris in conversation with the Evangelical Union of Saxony. In: Confessio . 13th year, No. 1, 2012, pp. 6–11. ( Website of Confessio )
• Richard Musselwhite: Possessing Knowledge: Organizational Boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009. ( Website of the "University of North Carolina". Dissertation as PDF file, 531 kB. )
• Stephan Nagel: Brahma's secret creation. The Indian reform movement of the "Brahma Kumaris". Sources, teaching, Raja Yoga. Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 1999, ISBN 3-631-35484-3 .
• Elizabeth Puttick: Women in New Religious Movements . In: Bryan Wilson, Jamie Cresswell (Eds.): New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response . Routledge, London, 1999, ISBN 0-415-20049-0
• Tamasin Ramsay, Wendy Smith, Leonore Manderson: Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith. In: Lenore Manderson, Wendy Smith, Matt Tomlinson (Eds.): Flows of Faith. Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York, 2012, ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5 , pp. 51–70 ( website of the Springer publishing house. )
• Tamasin Ramsay: The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. In: Iliad. The International Institute for Asian Studies. Volume 47, 2008 ISSN  0929-8738 , pp. 1, 4-5 ( website of ILIAS, Holland. ).
• Tamasin Ramsay: Custodians of Purity. An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris. Monash University, Melbourne, 2009. ( Website of "Monash University", Melbourne, Australia. Dissertation as PDF file, 11.2 MB )
• Travel destination Sirius. In: DER SPIEGEL. 51st year, January 12, 1998. ( Leading article to the issue: Esotericism. The gentle madness. Suicide trip to Tenerife. Online article )
• James T. Richardson (Ed.): Regulating Religion. Case Studies from Around the Globe . ISBN 978-0-306-47887-1 . Springer, Boston, 2003.
• Viola Roggenkamp : No connection under this number. Conversations between pagan and God and about the difficulties in establishing contact with the Supreme Soul. In: THE TIME. Volume 35, January 12, 1981, ISSN  0044-2070 , p. 60 ( DIE ZEIT website )
• Unsuccessful mass suicide in Tenerife. Was brainwashing involved? In: Rhein Zeitung online. Volume 43, January 9, 1998. ( Website of the Rhein Zeitung, Koblenz )
• John Walliss: The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition. Responding to Late Modernity. Ashgate Publishing (Ashgate New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies), Ashgate, 2002, ISBN 978-81-208-2955-8 and Motilial Barnarsidass Publishers, Delhi 2007, ISBN 978-81-208-2955-8 (Indian Output)
• Frank Whaling: Understanding the Brahma Kumaris. Dunedin Academic Press, Edinburgh, 2012, ISBN 978-1-903765-51-7

Brahma Kumaris literature used

• BK Jayanti: God's Healing Power. How Meditation Can Help Transform Your Life. London, 2006, ISBN 1-886872-36-8 .
• Jagdish Chander: Adi Dev. The First Man. Om Shanti Press, Prajapita Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Mount Abu, 1983, 2nd edition.
• Jagdish Chander: The Eternal World Drama. Om Shanti Press, Prajapita Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Mount Abu, 1981.
• Neville Hodgkinson: The Brahma Kumaris As a 'Reflexive Tradition': Responding to Late Modernity. ( Brahma Kumaris website. ) Brahma Kumaris book review of John Walliss: The Brahma Kumaris As a 'Reflexive Tradition'.
• Mohini Punjabi: The Story of Immortality. A Return to Self Sovereignty. Brahma Kumaris Information Services Publications. OO, 2008, ISBN 978-1-886872-51-6
• Strano, Anthony: The Alpha Point. Experiences with God. Regensburg, 2011, ISBN 978-3-939493-24-2

Other Brahma Kumaris documents (selection)

Most of the writings by and about the Brahma Kumaris are cataloged by the British Library, London .
( British Library website with hit list for "Brahma Kumaris" )

• Historical documents from the first twenty years ( website of brahmakumarisresearch, which sheds light on historical, sociological and anthropological aspects of the movement. )
• Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya: Landmarks in the History of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. Mount Abu, India, 1996.
• Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya: One Week Course. For Attainment of Complete Purity, Peace and Prosperity. Mount Abu, India, 1996.
• Dadi Janki: Inside Out. Live inner freedom. Regensburg, 2010, ISBN 978-3-939493-36-5 .
• Dadi Janki: encounter with wisdom. Regensburg, 2007, ISBN 978-3-939493-23-5 .
• Simó, Enrique: The gift of peace. Thoughts for a peaceful world. Regensburg, 2007, 2nd edition, ISBN 978-3-939493-21-1 .
• Meanwhile. magazine for good news-raja yoga-lived meditation-transformation. ( Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, issues of the magazines as PDF files, no ISSN ).

further reading

• Lawrence Babb: Amnesia and Remembrance among the Brahma Kumaris In: Derselbe, Redemptive Encounters. Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1986, pp. 91-155, ISBN 0-520-07636-2 .
• Lawrence Babb: Brahma Kumari. In: Jonathan Smith, William Scott Green (Eds.): HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1996, p. 126, ISBN 0-00-627967-8 .
• George D. Chryssides, Margaret Z. Wilkins: A Reader in New Religious Movements. Continuum International Publishing Group, London, 2006, ISBN 0-8264-6168-9 , p. 15 f., P. 36 ff., P. 130 f., P. 154 f., P. 188 ff., P. 229 f., P. 269 f., P. 304 ff.
• Julia Day Howell: Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: clarification of the Brahma Kumari case. In: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Volume 37, No. 3, 1998, ISSN  0021-8294 , pp. 453-461 ( website of JSTOR Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion ).
• Julia Day Howell, Peter L. Nelson: The Brahma Kumaris in the Western World, Part I: Structural Adaptation and 'Success' in Transplantation of an Asian New Religious Movement. In: Joanne Marie Greer, David O. Moberg (Ed.): Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion. Volume 8, Jai Press Inc., Stamford, 1997, pp. 1-33. Unknown ISBN.
• Julia Day Howell, Peter L. Nelson: The Brahma-Kumaris in the Western World, Part II: Structural Adaptation and 'Success' in Transplantation of an Asian New Religious Movement. In: Joanne Marie Greer, David O. Moberg (Ed.): Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion. Volume 11, Jai Press Inc., Stamford, 2000, pp. 226-239, ISBN 0-7623-0656-4 . Part I and II are studies of the Brahma Kumaris in Australia from the 1990s.
• Julia Day Howell. ASC Induction Techniques, Spiritual Experiences, and Commitment to New Religious Movements. In: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Volume 58, No. 2, 1997, ISSN  1069-4404 , pp. 141-164 ( website of JSTOR Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion )
• VS Lalrinawma: The Liberation of Women in and Through the Movement of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris. ISPCK (Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), New Delhi, 2004, ISBN 81-7214-771-6 .
• Elizabeth Puttick, Peter Bernard Clarke: Women as Teachers and Disciples in Traditional and New Religions. Edwin Mellen Press, New York 1993, ISBN 0-7734-9346-8 .
• Paul van der Velde: The Brahma Kumaris As a 'Reflexive Tradition': Responding to Late Modernity. In: Ars Disputandi. Utrecht University, undated ( website by ars disputandi, Utrecht ) Book review of John Walliss: The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition: Responding to Late Modernity.
• Frank Whaling: The Brahma Kumaris. In: Elisabeth Arweck, Peter Bernard Clarke (Ed.): Journal of Contemporary Religion . Volume 10, No. 1, 1995. ISSN  1353-7903 , pp. 3–28 ( website from Taylor & Francis with a link to the article )

Film documentaries, broadcasts

• Jürgen Petersen: Come back as someone else. Produced by Radio Bremen . ( Website )

Documentary about German travelers to India and visitors to Madhuban, the main center of the Brahma Kumaris. Shot in 1976, broadcast nationwide on January 15, 1978. Available from Radio Bremen.

• Marie Edery: Beyond words. Produced by Marie Edery, 2012. ( Website )

Documentation by a member about Dadi Janki, the current leader of the movement.

• Koschka Hetzer-Molden: Women in White - From India to the World. A report of the series "Tao" of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, broadcast on March 5, 2016, Ö1. online , accessed March 13, 2016

Web links

• Official website of the Brahma Kumaris (with language option)
• Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Germany
• BKmedia, a German website that distributes Brahma Kumaris media.
• BKPublications website, Publications from the Brahma Kumaris. Distribution of English-language BK media and devotional items.
• English-language website, related to the Brahma Kumaris, with further articles and interviews.
• Indian website with the current, daily changing syllabus (= Murli), with Murli archive from 2010 on
• Association of journalists according to the BKWSU mission statement

• Research website on Brahma Kumaris by Dr. T. Ramsay and Wendy Sargent, Australia.
• Available works on the Brahma Kumaris by Dr. Tamasin Ramsay, Monash University, Australia

• Confessio.de, orientation on the market of religions, magazine of the ev. Federal Saxony.
• Ev. Information point on church-sect-religions
• English website with counter notices about the Brahma Kumaris

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Whaling, 2012, p. 1, Nagel, 1999, p. 208, Ramsay, 2009, p. 20, Adi Dev, 1983, p. 25, Brahma Baba. Retrieved November 15, 2013 . 
2. ↑ See Adi Dev, 1983, p. 25, Nagel, 1999, p. 308, Whaling, 2012, p. 1
3. ↑ "The individual centers are autonomous, but intellectually closely linked to the mother center in Mt. Abu." Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 15, 2013 (section: History of the BKWSU after the death of Lekh Raj). 
4. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 15, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 20–23, Nagel, 1999, pp. 26 f., P. 308 ff., Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 24–31, Howell, 2006 , P. 71.
5. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. 11. Translation by the author.
6. ↑ See for the overall presentation of the first years: Nagel, 1999, p. 182 f. (on male members in higher positions), p. 313 ff., Whaling, 2012, p. 15–19, Ramsay, 2009, p. 23–26, also Babb, 1984, p. 402 ff. See also Nagel, 1999 , Appendix, Figs. 7–11.
7. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. 17. Translation by the author. See on "Om Radhe" Whaling, 2012, p. 17 f., P. 56 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 98, p. 117, p. 317, Ramsay, 2009, p. 31 f., P. 118 and Nagel, 1999, Appendix, Fig. 11, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28.
8. ↑ See on the founding years up to around 1950: Nagel, 1999, pp. 314–318, p. 325 and p. 306 (duration of the withdrawal), p. 400–408, Whaling, 2012, pp. 20–43, p. 82, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 26-30, Babb, 1984, pp. 402 f., Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 49-165.
9. ↑ See Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 179–182, Whaling, 2012, pp. 49–58, Nagel, 1999, p. 306, pp. 324–327, p. 378 ff., Also p. 158 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 30 f., P. 144 f.
10. ^ Adi Dev, 1983, p. 197. Translation by the author.
11. ↑ See Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 189–209, Nagel, 1999, pp. 327–333, also pp. 405 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 54 ff., Ramsay, 2009, p. 31, official website of Brahma Kumaris, History 1. Retrieved November 15, 2013 .  , Brahma Kumaris Official Website, History 2. Retrieved November 15, 2013 .  The German website of the Brahma Kumaris uses the actually American spelling "Center", the English and Indian website the English spelling "Center". See the official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Germany, listing the "Centers". Retrieved November 15, 2013 . 
12. ↑ On the overall presentation from 1937–1969: See Nagel, 1999, pp. 306–334, Appendix, Fig. 12–27, Whaling, 2012, pp. 1–83, pp. 131–139, Adi Dev, 1983, p. 19 -254, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 17-31, Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed November 15, 2013 (Section: Lekh Raj, the founder).  , Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Brahma Baba. Retrieved November 23, 2013 . 
13. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 26–30, p. 405
14. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 30.
15. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 30. See also Whaling, 2012, p. 13.
16. ↑ See Beloved "Didi", Sivabhaktar and Co-Head of Brahma Kumaris, Passes In Bombay. Himalayan Academy, October 1983, accessed November 29, 2013 .  , Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 185–188, Nagel, 1999, p. 178, Appendix, Fig. 28, 29 and 31.
17. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Official Website, Dadi Prakashmani - former leader, 1923-2007. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 19, 2015 ; accessed on November 15, 2013 (the article about the deceased leader is only available on the German site). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Nagel, 1999, p. 171 f., P. 178 f., P. 379, Ramsay, 2009, p. 25 f., P. 32, p. 35, p. 146–179 and Nagel, 1999, appendix , Fig. 18, 28, 30, 31, 42, 43 and Ramsay, 2009, p. 33, Fig. 6.  
18. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 180.
19. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Official Website, Dadi Janki - Main Leader. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 20, 2015 ; Retrieved November 15, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Marie Edery: Beyond words. DVD. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 4, 2014 ; Retrieved November 15, 2013 (English, French). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Janki Foundation for Global Health Care. Retrieved November 15, 2013 . , CVs of senior teachers in the organization. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 26, 2014 (Hindi, English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2009, p. 13 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 35, Nagel, 1999, p. 179.          
20. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Official Website, Dadi Ratan Mohini. Retrieved on November 22, 2013 (English, article only available from the English site). CVs of senior teachers in the organization. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 26, 2014 (Hindi, English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Nagel, 1999, p. 181.     
21. ↑ See on Dadi Gulzar and (officially) Dadi Hirdaya Mohini: Ramsay, 2009, p. 35, Whaling, 2012, p. Xiv, p. 60, Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Dadi Hirdaya Mohini - Deputy Chief Executive. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 20, 2015 ; Retrieved November 15, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , CVs of senior teachers in the organization. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved April 26, 2014 (Hindi, English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.      
22. ↑ THE HINDU, Brahmakumaris chief Dadi Janki passes away, Modi expresses grief, March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English). THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, Chief of Brahma Kumaris Dadi Janki passes away at 104, March 27th, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English). The current leaders of the Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English).     
23. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, pp. 62 ff., P. 99, From the Inside Out - Robbin Gibb. March 15, 2013, accessed on June 19, 2015 (The singer Robin Gibb of the " Bee Gees ", who died in 2012, with the song "Mother of Love" about Dadi Janki, 2006).  , The manager Tex Gunning (Unilever, Head of Asia) on Dadi Janki. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010 ; Retrieved June 19, 2015 . 
24. ↑ Nagel, 1999 p. 299.
25. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 182 f., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 135 ff., Pp. 138–161, Whaling, 2012, p. 53 f., Adi Dev, 1983, p. 189, p. 234 -237, pp. 251 f.
26. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 58, p. 90, Nagel, 1999, p. 261 f., Appendix, Fig. 38.
27. ↑ See e.g. B. Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 16 ff., Pp. 79-87 (description of the management of a center by Sister Charlotte), Nagel, 1999, pp. 178-182, pp. 289 f., P. 298 f. (Excursus: The Brahma Kumaris as a women's religion), p. 319 f., P. 383 f., P. 400–408, Ramsay, 2009, p. 18 f., P. 33 f., P. 144, Whaling, 2012, p. 100, Puttik, in: Wilson, 1999, p. 144 f., Adi Dev, 1983, p. 248, p. 250 ff., Baatz, 2006.
28. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Official Website, The Role of Women. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 19, 2015 ; Retrieved June 19, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Whaling, 2012, p. 90, p. 117 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 289 f., P. 407 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 33 f., P. 43, p. 379, Ramsay , 2012, 59.  
29. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 81 ff.
30. ^ See Whaling, pp. Xiii, pp. 59–80, Howell / Nelson, 1997, pp. 3–10, in: Musselwhite, pp. 29–29, Brahma Kumaris Official Website, History II. Accessed November 22 2013 . 
31. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 80, p. 92, Ramsay, 2009, p. 19, Official Website of the Brahma Kumaris. Accessed November 15, 2013 (list of number of centers).  , Official website of the Brahma Kumaris. Accessed November 15, 2013 (list of all centers worldwide). 
32. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, pp. Xvif., Pp. 62-79, Musselwhite, 2009, p. 33, Ramsay, 2009, p. 34, Landmarks, 1996, pp. 15-23, in: Musselwhite, 2009, p 30-34
33. ↑ See Landmarks, 1996, p. 18 f., P. 34, in: Musselwhite, 2009, p. 32 ff., P. 47 f., P. 88–91, Ramsay, 2009, p. 32 f., P. 45, pp. 207–232, search result for “Brahma Kumaris” on the UN website. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Brahma Kumaris website on engagement with the United Nations. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on November 22, 2013 (English, website under construction).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    , Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, commitment to the UN. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Indian website of the Brahma Kumaris, commitment to the UN. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 22, 2013 ; accessed on November 22, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The BKWSU at the UN, reply. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .   
34. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Official Website, History II. Retrieved November 15, 2013 .  and Whaling, 2012, p. 65 f. ("Universal Peace Hall"), p. 74 f. ("Diamond Hall", "Gyan Sarovar"), pp. Xviii-xxi ("Madhuban").
35. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 34 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 65 f., 74 f.
36. ↑ See the official website of "The J. Watumull Global Hospital & Research Center". Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Website of India Care eV, Global Hospital. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 15, 2013 ; Retrieved November 22, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Whaling, 2012, p. 51, p. 70 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 34  
37. ↑ See Radio Madhuban FM 90.4. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 1, 2013 ; accessed on November 22, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Peace of Mind TV Channel. Retrieved November 22, 2013 (English, Hindi).   
38. ↑ See the official website of the World Renewal Spiritual Trust (WRST). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 10, 2013 ; accessed on January 12, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Solar power to help out annadanam. Report on the successful installation of the solar power plant. Times of India, October 1, 2002, accessed November 22, 2013 . , Brahma Kumaris official website, listing of solar energy activities. Retrieved November 22, 2013 . , Ramsay, 2009, p. 231    
39. ↑ See India One Official Website. Retrieved January 12, 2014 . 
40. ↑ See the Brahma Kumaris Official Website, Description of the Initiatives. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Association of journalists according to the BKWSU mission statement. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 57-64, pp. 76 f., Pp. 83-87 and Whaling, 2012, pp. 76-79
41. ↑ See general information on the activities: Whaling, 2012, p. 81 f., P. 77 ff., Nagel, 1999, p. 265 (about the former gang leader Pancham Singh), Kranenburg, 1999, section f), investigation for Improving crop yield and farmer wellbeing on a project in Gujarat, India. Retrieved June 19, 2015 .  , Association of journalists according to the BKWSU mission statement. Retrieved November 22, 2013 . 
42. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 50, Musselwhite, 2009, p. 10, p. 49, p. 51, Ramsay, 2009, p. 37 f.
43. ↑ See the official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Germany. Retrieved November 23, 2013 .  , Nagel, 1999, p. 290 ff., P. 383, Ramsay, 2009, p. 38, Whaling, 2012, p. 81 (reply to Walliss, 2002, p. 113), p. 97, Adi Dev, 1983 , P. 216 f.
44. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. 50. Translation by the author.
45. ↑ See the Brahma Kumaris Official Website, London. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Official website of the Global Retreat Center near Oxford. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Official website of the Global Retreat Center at Oxford, History of Nuneham House. Retrieved November 15, 2013 . 
46. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 30
47. ↑ See Petersen, 1978.
48. ↑ See Bendrath, 1985, Brainwashing, 1998, Roggenkamp, ​​1981, DER SPIEGEL, March 16, 1998, and Richardson, 2003, p. 157: The case refers to the Atman Foundation (originally a splinter group from the Brahma Kumaris) and made international headlines on January 8, 1998 when it was announced that the Canary Islands police had prevented a mass suicide of `a branch of the Solar Temple´ by arresting its leader German motivational speaker Heide Fittkau — Garthe and a number of followers. During subsequent months the case disappeared from the international media. At the local level, it was clarified that the Atman Foundation has nothing to do with the Solar Temple but, according to a family of disgruntled German ex-members, may be `just as bad´. Police investigations in Germany failed to detect any evidence that the Foundation was preparing a mass suicide. However, the accusation is maintained in Spain at the time of this writing, together with some others, although no trial has been scheduled.
49. ↑ See the official website of the Brahma Kumaris, List of Centers in Germany. Retrieved November 22, 2013 . 
50. ↑ See the official website of Brahma Kumaris, Germany. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Brahma Kumaris media website, Germany. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Whaling, 2012, p. 64 (Didi Sudesh Sethi)
51. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, pp. 59 f., On the beginnings in England, listing all centers of the Brahma Kumaris in England. Retrieved December 28, 2014 .  , Self-portrayal of the Brahma Kumaris to the main center in London, the "Global Co-operation House". Retrieved December 27, 2014 .  , Replies from former members, v. a. from England. Retrieved December 28, 2014 .  , Hodgkinson, 2014, or synopsis of the autobiography of the musician Will Hodgkinson about his childhood as a parent with the Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved December 27, 2014 .  and Hodgkinson, 2014, in: brand eins.
52. ↑ See Howell / Nelson, 1997, in: Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 40–43, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 18 f., Nagel, 1999, pp. 2–8
53. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 10-26, pp. 108-132, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 16 f. The first source on this topic is the doctoral thesis by R. Musselwhite, as he has chosen organizational structures as the topic of his doctoral thesis.
54. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 45, p. 105
55. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 284, Ramsay, 2009, p. 34 f.
56. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 99 ff, p. 104-107, Whaling, 2012, p. Xv, p. 93, Nagel, 1999, p. 275 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 39 f., P 52-56, pp. 66-72, also Babb, 1984, p. 410
57. ↑ See Musselwhite, p. 136, also Ramsay, 2009, p. 91 f.
58. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 80: over 900,000 members (status: around 2011), Musselwhite, 2009, p. 107: approx. 405,000 members (status: 2009), Ramsay, 2009, p. 34 f .: 850,000 members (Status: 2009), Ramsay, 2012, p. 63: 1 million. See on the difficulty of counting Nagel, 1999, p. 374 f., P. 374, footnote 2. The information from Joachim Finger and Stephan Nagel are from 1999 and therefore out of date. See Nagel, 1999, and Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed November 22, 2013 . 
59. ↑ See the official website of the Brahma Kumaris, List of Centers in Germany. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Religions & Weltanschauung Communities in Germany: Membership Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2013 . 
60. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 77, p. 83, pp. 85-88, Ramsay, 2009, p. 14, Nagel, 1999, pp. 382-395
61. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2012, p. 54, Nagel, 1999, p. 111, p. 221 f., P. 282 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 107, Howell, 2003, Whaling, 2012, p. 87– 90
62. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 64, p. 113, also p. 264 f.
63. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 405, Ramsay, 2009, p. 103 ff., P. 112 f., P. 115 (Fig. 26) and p. 117 f., Comparison of key points of the teaching from the first decades and Today. Retrieved March 31, 2015 .  , Brahma Kumaris Official Website, History 2. Retrieved November 15, 2013 . 
64. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 12, who translates BapDada as "father-uncle". Nagel, 1999, p. 35 and p. 121, translates BapDada as “father-brother” ( Sindhi ) or “father-grandfather” ( Hindi ).
65. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 86, p. 144
66. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 89, p. 254, Ramsay, 2009, p. 107
67. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 89, p. 134 f., P. 253 f
68. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 89, Ramsay, 2009, p. 136 ff.
69. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 32–35, pp. 50–59, pp. 121 f., P. 151, p. 275, Ramsay, 2009, p. 136 ff., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 108– 111
70. ↑ Read out in centers around the world on March 7, 2012.
71. ↑ Read on May 5, 2001 according to Ramsay, 2009, p. 105 and p. 319. The Murli was repeated around May 2006, then in May 2011 (every five years).
72. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 225–228, p. 68 on the “shape” of God ( nir-ākār ), Whaling, 2012, p. 87 ff., Babb, 1984, p. 405, p. 410, Ramsay, 2009, p. 105 ff., P. 116 (Fig. 28), p. 117 f.
73. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 186
74. ↑ See Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on October 31, 2013 (Section: The Teaching).  , Story, 2008, p. 40
75. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 113, p. 187, p. 246, Ramsay, 2009, p. 107 f.
76. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 4, Nagel, 1999, p. 113, p. 172, p. 225 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 107 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 87 ff.
77. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 101
78. ↑ See the overall presentations on Shiva: Whaling, 2012, p. 44, p. 89, Story, 2008, p. 40, BK Jayanti, 2006, p. 81–130, Nagel, 1999, p. 252–254, p. 300
79. ↑ See Babb, 1984, p. 405, Story, 2008, p. 14, pp. 26–41, Nagel, 1999, p. 111
80. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 62 f., Pp. 206–209, also in contrast to Indian philosophical concepts of the self and Ramsay, 2009, p. 106 f., Whaling, 2012, on the Sanskāras and coinage: P. 86, p. 101, p. 109, p. 111, further on Sanskāras , Geist und Verstand / Intellekt: p. 111 and Avyakt-Murli of January 4, 1980, in: Whaling, 2012, p. 109 f.
81. ↑ See on the duality of soul and body: Story, 2008, pp. 14-25, Strano, 2011, p. 13, Nagel, 1999, p. 62 f., Pp. 202-210, Ramsay, 2009, p. 191 , Whaling, 2012, p. 101, Babb, 1984, p. 405, Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 23, 2013 (Section: The Teaching). 
82. ↑ See Story, 2008, pp. 19-25, Jayanti, 2006, pp. 3-77.
83. ↑ See the descriptions of the four subjects in Ramsay, 2009, pp. 191–195, pp. 201–205, Whaling, 2012, p. 100, p. 107 f., P. 10, official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Germany , Meditation. Retrieved November 15, 2013 . 
84. ↑ See the Brahma Kumaris Official Website. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 1, 2013 ; Retrieved November 22, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Whaling, 2012, p. 107 f., P. 112 and Nagel, 1999, on the term "Raja Yoga": p. 64, pp. 266–270, on "dharma": p. 85 and Ramsay, 2009, P. 109 ff., On the definition of Raja Yoga meditation: p. 225  
85. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. 107. Translation by the author.
86. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, pp. 106 ff., P. 112, on resilience: Ramsay, 2012, pp. 183–300, also Adi Dev, 1983, p. 125 f.
87. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 110. Translation by the author. See also Ramsay, 2009, p. 107, p. 110, p. 159 on bhawna , Whaling, 2012, p. 106 ff., Story, 2008, pp. 26–42
88. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 97, p. 245 f., Story, 2008, p. 37
89. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 39 ( Sakash ), on relationships in general: Strano, 2011, pp. 17-77, Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 55-56, Ramsay, 2009, p. 109, Adi Dev, 1983 , Pp. 228 f., Pp. 265-271
90. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 8 f., 132 ff., P. 133 (Fig. 32), Nagel, 1999, p. 120, p. 285 f. as well as 92 f. on the term pāp (= "sin")
91. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 61 f., P. 68 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 202
92. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 115 f.
93. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, pp. 197 f., Pp. 201–205 and pp. 244–256
94. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 7, p. 68, p. 94, p. 105 f., Dadi Janki, 2010, Ramsay, 2009, p. 133 f., P. 203
95. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 99 f., P. 223 f., P. 233, p. 288
96. ↑ For the introductory course, see Brahma Kumaris Official Website, Course Offers. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Official website of the Brahma Kumaris, Raja Yoga Meditation. Retrieved November 22, 2013 .  , Musselwhite, 2009, p. 3 f., P. 99-104, Nagel, 1999, p. 94 f., P. 118 f., P. 253, also p. 256 ff., Ramsay, 2009, p. 8 f., P. 36, p. 79, on the content of the seven lessons: Whaling, 2012, p. 84 ff., P. 86 (Figure 7.1, The Eight Forces), pp. 100–103.
97. ↑ See Ramsay, 2008, p. 4, Ramsay, 2009, p. 109, Nagel, 1999, pp. 254–266 and p. 166 on Bhaţţī (intensive, prolonged meditation), p. 254, footnote 2, on meditation, yād and dhyān (a) , p. 263 ff. (visions).
98. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 275–281 and Ramsay, 2009, p. 127, also p. 249, Whaling, 2012, p. 94, Adi Dev, 1983, p. 224 ff., P. 248 f.
99. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 82 f., P. 276 f.
100. ↑ Whaling, 2012, p. 96. Translation by the author.
101. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 94
102. ↑ See on the daily routine Whaling, 2012, p. 57, p. 91, p. 93 f., P. 96 ff., P. 106, p. 108–115, Ramsay, 2009, p. 134–145, p. 193 ff., P. 246 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 79, p. 116 (each on Familienweg), also p. 265, p. 286, Musselwhite, 2009, p. 78–87, p. 108– 132, Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on October 31, 2013 (section: The students at BKWSU). 
103. ↑ See Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 15, 2013 (section: The students at BKWSU). 
104. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 121. See on Indian festivals and BK rituals: Nagel, 1999, p. 65, p. 121, p. 150, p. 263 ( Bhog ), p. 279–284 (physical purity) , Ramsay, 2009, p. 89 ( Rakshabandhan ), p. 109 ( Drishti ), pp. 140–144 ( Brahmā Bhojan, Bhog ), Whaling, 2012, pp. 93–96
105. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 119, Ramsay, 2009, p. 138, p. 156 f., Whaling, 2012, pp. Xviii – xxi
106. ↑ See summaries of Raja Yoga in Story, 2008, pp. 104–117, BK Jayanti, 2006, Strano, 2011, Nagel, 1999, pp. 30–32, pp. 252–274, Ramsay, 2009, p. 244– 249, pp. 251-255, Whaling, 2012, pp. 84-116
107. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 75, p. 79 (each for identification with the body), Ramsay, 2009, p. 91–92 ( kanya kumāri ), p. 126 ff., Pp. 130–134, p. 139-145, pp. 229-232, pp. 248 f., P. 257 f. (Definition of “body awareness”), Adi Dev, 1983, p. 224 ff., P. 248, Puttick, in: Wilson, 1999, p. 150.
108. ↑ See Mahatma Gandhi: Brahmacharya is Bliss. A body less troubled by desires stays healthy, writes MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI in a letter to a friend. (No longer available online.) In: Speaking Tree. Times of India, December 29, 2012, formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 22, 2013 (English, reprint of a letter from Gandhi).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
109. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 69, p. 74 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 276 f., P. 285 f., P. 400-408, Whaling, 2012, p. 55 f., P. 119, Ramsay, 2009, p. Xx (abstract)
110. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 125 f., P. 199 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 101 f. ( karma, sukarma, vikarma ), Story, 2008, p. 40, Nagel, 1999, p. 92 f. ( pāp = sin)
111. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 70, also p. 111 f. ( farishtā = angel), Whaling, 2012, p. 113 f.
112. ↑ See Brahma's agony of death: Nagel, 1999, p. 162 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 150 f.
113. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 245 f., P. 293
114. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 152 ff. ( Nimitt , translated by the Brahmins as “instrument”), also Ramsay, 2009, p. 142 f., Story, 2008, pp. 73–89
115. ↑ See on reincarnation in animals: Nagel, 1999, p. 205, p. 209 f., P. 215–220, also Ramsay, 2009, p. 105, p. 199 f. (on dealing with suffering in the Raja Yogis), Babb, 1984, p. 405, Story, 2008, p. 15
116. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 9, Nagel, 1999, p. 77 (excursus: Drama), p. 231 ff., P. 231, footnote 2, Whaling, 2012, p. 102 f., Babb, 1984, P. 405, Ramsay, 2009, 112 f. (on the term drama)
117. ↑ For the length and presentation of the cycle, see Story, 2008, p. 46 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 68, p. 78 f., P. 86, p. 109 f., Appendix, image 3, Musselwhite, 2009 , P. 4 ff., P. 9 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 113 f. (Duration of the cycle), pp. 112–125 (overview of the cycle model as a whole), Whaling, 2012, p. 102, p. 113
118. ↑ See on predetermination: Nagel, 1999, pp. 70 f., Babb, 1984, p. 405 ff., Ramsay, 2009, p. 118 ff.
119. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 238, Ramsay, 2009, p. 123, Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on October 31, 2013 (Section: Recent Trends). 
120. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 238.See also Nagel, 1999, p. 238, footnote 12.
121. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 239, also Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 213-216
122. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 96, p. 197 f., P. 239 f., Story, 2008, p. 49
123. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 47, Nagel, 1999, p. 197, p. 234, Ramsay, 2009, p. 125
124. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 6, Nagel, 1999, p. 110 ff., P. 239 f. and p. 240, footnote 22
125. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 239, p. 249, Appendix, Fig. 4
126. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 88
127. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 93, p. 47, p. 147 (glossary), Nagel, 1999, p. 68
128. ↑ See v. a. Avyakt Murli of January 2, 1980, in: Nagel, 1999, pp. 195–200 (translation from Hindi to German) and in Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 279–283 (translation from Hindi to English), Story, p. 47 ff., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 5, Ramsay, 2009, p. 120 f.
129. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 49 f., And Nagel, 1999, on the number of paradisiacal births: p. 109 f., P. 249
130. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 49 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 80, p. 240 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 120 f.
131. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 50 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 66, p. 241, Ramsay, 2009, p. 121 f., Adi Dev, 1983, p. 114 (on the origin of the continents)
132. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 103, Nagel, 1999, p. 241, Adi Dev, 1983, p. 44
133. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, pp. 113–117, Whaling, 2012, pp. 8 f., Pp. 43–48, Nagel, 1999, appendix, image 3
134. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 72 f., P. 110, p. 241
135. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 249, also p. 109 f.
136. ↑ See for a definition of tamopradhan : Story, 2008, p. 52 f., P. 148 (glossary), Nagel, 1999, p. 68
137. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 248
138. ↑ See on the transition age in general: Nagel, 1999, p. 64 f., P. 86 f., P. 233, p. 247 f., Babb, 1984, p. 407, Whaling, 2012, p. 112 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 112 f., P. 122 f.
139. ↑ See Story, 2008, pp. 37–41, p. 53, Nagel, 1999, p. 96 f., P. 222, p. 243, p. 247 f.
140. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 244 f.
141. ↑ See on the duration of the transition age: Musselwhite, 2009, p. 5, Nagel, 1999, p. 86 f., P. 242, Ramsay, 2009, p. 113, p. 122
142. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 5, p. 9, Nagel, 1999, p. 243, Whaling, 2012, p. 88
143. ↑ See Kranenburg, 1999, section f)
144. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, pp. 134 ff., Pp. 139–145, in particular the list of rules on p. 365, Nagel, 1999, pp. 275–296
145. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 91
146. ↑ See Story, 2008, pp. 53–56, p. 63, Musselwhite, 2009, p. 6 f., P. 9 f., P. 134 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 202 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 113, Ramsay, 2009, 122 f. and Avyakt Murli of January 4, 1980, in: Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 279-283
147. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 132, Nagel, 1999, p. 249 f.
148. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 147 (Glossary), Nagel, 1999, p. 86 ff. (Explanation of terms by Mahābhārata ), p. 103, p. 164, p. 170, p. 174 f., Ramsay, 2009, P. 118 f.
149. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 243 f., P. 249 f., P. 295 f., P. 395, p. 399 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 16 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 103, p. 113, Story, 2008, p. 56
150. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 241 f. and 241 f., footnote 26
151. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 107, Whaling, 2012, p. 89
152. ↑ See Nagel, 2009, p. 76, p. 97 f., P. 194, p. 247 ff., P. 292, p. 294–297, p. 397 ff., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 61– 64, pp. 91–98, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 195–205 (observations of resilience among the Brahma Kumaris in New York on the occasion of the attack on September 11, 2001), pp. 233–300 (observations of resilience among the Brahma Kumaris in Orissa, East India, on the occasion of a hurricane), Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 47–162 (legendary description of attacks by outsiders on the still young community).
153. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 55 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 123, Nagel, 1999, p. 67 ( sadgati = redemption), p. 242
154. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 242, Story, 2008, p. 155
155. ↑ See for the overall presentation of the cycle: Story, 2008, pp. 1–9, pp. 14 f., P. 37 ff., P. 42–57, Whaling, 2012, p. 102 f., P. 112 f. , Adi Dev, 1983, pp. 112-116, Nagel, 1999, pp. 231-251, pp. 293-294, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 112-125
156. ↑ See Whaling, 2012, p. 78 f., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 87 f., P. 98, also Nagel, 1999, p. 294 f., Babb, 1984
157. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 250 f. and p. 250, footnote 62
158. ↑ See Chander, 1981, who is an exception: as a Raja Yogi, he discusses these scientific arguments. See also Nagel, 1999, pp. 211–215 (The physical world view), pp. 345–372 (Problems with India's history and chronology), Walliss, 2002. Brahma's visions around 1936/37, described in Adi Dev, 1983 and Story , 2008, should be treated with caution due to the legendary description.
159. ↑ The real name of the trance medium sister or Dadi Gulzar is Hirday Mohini. The BK yogis call her "Dadi Gulzar".
160. ↑ See sweetshivbaba: Bapdada Drill for day 8 times Part2. July 12, 2007, accessed on December 30, 2014 (Hindi, final synopsis of a Murli by Avyakt BapDada, accompanied by meditation music, English subtitles and images from the main Ashram Madhuban. Duration: 5:21 min.).  , OmShantiVideo: Avyakt BapDada Sandesh Through Gulzar Dadi Ji on 25082011 Part August 2 , 2011, accessed on December 30, 2014 (Hindi, lecture by Dadi Gulzar as a contrast to the whispered murlis of Avyakt BapDada).  Also Whaling, 2012, p. 74 (New buildings near Mount Abu)
161. ↑ See iforeveryone: BapDada playing Holi. September 15, 2007, accessed on November 23, 2013 (Hindi, Holi celebration after an Avyakt Murli with BapDada and many yogis on stage, accompanied by Hindi songs. Duration: 5:38 min.).  Also Nagel, 1999, p. 176 ff.
162. ↑ See BabKeArun: Brahma Kumaris: Video Song of millenium: BapDada giving drishti to all (with song AAP Drishti Yun Hi). March 30, 2009, accessed on December 30, 2014 (Hindi, final round with BapDada after an Avyakt Murli. The older yogis gather around BapDada, recognizable from 1:08 min. Duration: 3:15 min.). 
163. ↑ See Madhuban Murli Brahma Kumaris: BapDada taking leave. March 20, 2012, accessed on December 30, 2014 (Hindi, last look into the group of BapDada, then BapDada closes his eyes, recognizable from 2:21 min. Duration: 3:23 min.). 
164. ↑ Nagel, 1999, p. 134
165. ↑ See Vijay Ramasubramanian: BAPDADA HOISTING FLAG. April 12, 2007, archived from the original on June 10, 2014 ; accessed on November 23, 2013 (Hindi, BapDada, surrounded by many yogis, calmly hoist the flag. Duration: 1:34 min.).  , Musselwhite, 2009, p. 44 f. and Nagel, 1999, pp. 121-137, pp. 176 ff., Ramsay, 2009, p. 138
166. ↑ See Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 24, 2013 (Sections: Classification of Religious Studies, BKWSU and Hinduism).  , Ramsay, 2009, pp. 12–16, Walliss, 2002, p. 29, Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11 (Section: Conclusion)
167. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 165, p. 203, p. 207, p. 261 f., Story, 2008, p. 70, Ramsay, 2009, p. 91 f., P. 128–132 (Indian caste system )
168. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 229 f., P. 389, footnote 29, p. 389 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 105
169. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, pp. 265 f., Pp. 382-409, Ramsay, 2009, p. 7
170. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 79, p. 137 f., Musselwhite, 2009, p. 108–111
171. ↑ See B. Sivakumar: Awaken Your Potential. The Times of India, November 13, 2011, accessed November 23, 2013 (English, interview with director Dadi Gulzar).  , Blog of the Indian BK Shivani. Retrieved November 16, 2013 .  , BK Publications. Retrieved November 23, 2013 .  , Whaling, 2012, p. 104
172. ↑ See Kranenburg, 1999, Howell, 2006, p. 71, p. 378 f., Especially p. 389 on the misunderstanding of the term “religion”, Howell, 2003, Whaling, 2012, p. 103, p. 120, Ramsay, 2009, p. 36, p. 144 f., But p. 185 f.
173. ↑ The BKWSU is recorded in only three out of ten German-language sect databases: Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed November 24, 2013 .  , Homepage with search function. Retrieved November 23, 2013 .  , REMID Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst eV Accessed on November 23, 2013 . 
174. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 3, Nagel, 1999, p. 295, footnote 35, pp. 378-382
175. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 138, p. 144 f., P. 156 f., Whaling, 2012, p. 91
176. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 52, p. 117 (comparison of an Indian and Australian teaching picture), Nagel, 1999, p. 295, footnote 35, pp. 378–382
177. ↑ See on questions of translation: Nagel, 1999, pp. 31–49, pp. 92 f., P. 167 f., P. 173, pp. 175–178
178. ↑ Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11 (section: Conclusion)
179. ↑ See Story, 2008, p. 70, Musselwhite, 2009, p. 84–98, here: 84 f., Strano, 2011, p. 5, Nagel, 1999, p. 252–256, p. 259 ff., Ramsay, 2009, p. 110, Whaling, 2012, p. 83 f., Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11
180. ↑ See sects. Attempt at a definition. 1997, accessed November 23, 2013 . 
181. ↑ See on Shrīmat : Ramsay, 2009, p. Xviii (glossary), p. 365, Nagel, 1999, p. 58 f., P. 61, p. 189, also p. 295, footnote 35 and p. 378– 382
182. ↑ Lamprecht, 2012, p. 10 (section: End times group?)
183. ↑ Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11 (section: Conclusion)
184. ↑ See Ramsay, 2008, p. 4, Walliss, 2002, but also the counter-statement by Hodgkinson, n.d., Ramsay, 2009, p. 12–17, p. 230 f., Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 16, 2013 (Section: Recent Trends). 
185. ↑ See Brahma Kumaris Info - the Truth about the BKWSU. Independent thought about the brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Retrieved November 23, 2013 .  , Seven Cardinal Sins in Mount Abu. October 28, 2010, accessed on November 23, 2013 (English, The author of the article on this Polish website names the English website www.brahmakumaris.info as the source).  , Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University? (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 17, 2013 ; accessed on November 23, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Brahma Kumaris hidden doctrine. Retrieved November 23, 2013 . , John Allen: Quello che la Brahma Kumaris non vuole che le Nazioni Unite sappiano; come lo Shiv Shakti Army cerca di conquistare il mondo, 32 piedi alla volta (con attenzione particolare alla terminologia utilizzata). (No longer available online.) 2008, archived from the original on December 15, 2013 ; Retrieved on November 23, 2013 (Italian, ex-yogi John Allen on BKWSU's commitment to the United Nations). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Ramsay, 2009, pp. 44 f., Pp. 94-97. Bendrath, 1985, wrote an unfounded description of the Brahma Kumaris as a Protestant pastor. Also note the reply to Bendrath von Nagel, 1999, pp. 413–421.      
186. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 95
187. ↑ See Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11, Nagel, 1999, p. 399 f.
188. ^ Lamprecht, 2012, p. 11
189. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, p. 80 f., Nagel, 1999, p. 382 f., Ramsay, 2009, p. 37 f.
190. ↑ See Musselwhite, 2009, pp. 18 f., Pp. 108-132, pp. 164-169
191. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 109, Whaling, 2012, p. 91
192. ↑ See Ramsay, 2009, p. 138, p. 144 f., P. 156 f., Adi Dev, 1983, 226 ff.
193. ↑ Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved November 23, 2013 . 
194. ↑ See Nagel, 1999, p. 295, footnote 35, p. 381 f. and Hodgkinson, 2014, or summary of the autobiography of the musician Will Hodgkinson about his childhood as a parent with the Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved December 27, 2014 .  and Hodgkinson, 2014, in: brand eins
195. ^ Lamprecht, 2012, 11 (section: Conclusion)
196. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. Xi. Translation by the author.
197. ^ Whaling, 2012, p. Xi. Whaling follows the basic principles of scientific and anthropological considerations.

Remarks

1. ↑ The exact surname is "Khubchand" according to the birth certificate, written there as "Koob Chand". See also the birth certificate of Lekhraj Kripalani. Retrieved August 15, 2014 .  In Adi Dev, 1983, the BKWSU book on the history of the movement, you can read “Kripalani” on p. 25, as well as on the organization's website. Therefore this surname is used. Relevant authors are inconsistent in the naming of names: Whaling, 2012, mentions “Khubchand” on p. 1, Nagel, 1999, “Kripalani” on p. 208, Ramsay, 2009, “Khubchand Kripalani” on p. 20.
2. ↑ The legendary BK historiography states 1876 as the year of birth. See Adi Dev, 1983, p. 25. Nagel, 1999, p. 308 (with reservation) and Whaling, 2012, p. 1, have taken over this year of birth. Ramsay suspects a later year of birth in her doctoral thesis. See Ramsay, 2009, p. 20 ff. On the general problem of exact dating in India at that time, see Nagel, 1999, p. 121, footnote 1. The fact is that Lekhraj was in Hyderabad, in today's Pakistan, on December 15, 1884, was born. The extract of the birth certificate, issued on September 12, 2011 by the Hyderabad City Council, can be viewed at the address provided by Dr. Ramsay and Wendy Sargent operated a research website on the Brahma Kumaris. See Lekhraj Kripalani's birth certificate. Retrieved August 15, 2014 . 
3. ↑ Whaling, 2012, describes all six visions from 1936/37 in his popular science introduction to the Brahma Kumaris on pp. 12–17, Nagel, 1999, in his dissertation on pp. 310 ff. Both authors refer to Adi Dev, 1983 , Pp. 35–43, a short story about the first decades of the movement, euphemistic and in keeping with oriental tradition, written by BK Jagdish Chander (narrated time: 1936-approx. 1980). Ramsay, 2009, indicates this phase on p. 25.
4. ↑ The illustration by Joachim Finger extends from 1969 to 1999 and is therefore out of date. It is ruled out as a source of development since the turn of the millennium. See Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on November 23, 2013 (section: History of the BKWSU after the death of Lekh Raj until today). 
5. ↑ Musselwhite cites Landmarks, 1996, the organization's own listing of all BK centers. Both state 1975 as the year the Frankfurt Center was founded. However, following inquiries from the Frankfurt center, the opening took place in the summer of 1974, and the entry in the Frankfurt register of associations in June 1975.
6. ↑ See on the concept of the three worlds not explained here ( Trī-Mūrti ), consisting of earth, subtle world of light and intermediate world as well as the otherworldly world of light: Nagel, 1999, pp. 221–225, Ramsay, 2009, pp. 110 ff. And Whaling , 2012, p. 45 (Fig. 4.1), p. 101, p. 114, Joachim Finger: Brahma Kumaris. 1999, accessed on October 31, 2013 (Section: The Teaching). 
7. ↑ BapDada wants to dissuade the Indian listeners from an unfiltered adoption of knowledge, "... from an attitude of blind faith, which in his opinion is widespread in Indian popular piety." Nagel, 1999, p. 71.
8. ↑ The core time for "Amritvela" in the main Ashram Madhuban and the centers worldwide is between 4:00 am and 4:45 am. However, this recommendation is not binding. See Nagel, p. 94, (3–5 a.m. and 4–4.45 p.m.), pp. 119–120 (4–4.45 a.m.), p. 174 (3–5 a.m.), p. 260 (4–5 O'clock), Ramsay, 2009, p. 139 (2-6 o'clock).
9. ↑ The times for the Murli lecture in Madhuban are: after the meditation (6:00 am - 6:30 am) the Murli reading follows from 6:30 am. These times are a guideline for all centers worldwide, but are not mandatory.
10. ↑ Criteria according to Hugo Stamm, applicable to the BKWSU, are: Theory of salvation with claim to absoluteness, elite awareness, missionary mandate, artificial language, possibly also discrepancy between internal and external view (4–5 of 13 characteristics). With Gross' summarizing, wide-meshed classification of six criteria, three characteristics may apply: ideology, group structure, techniques for personality change. See What are sects? (No longer available online.) GSK Society against Sect and Cult Risks, archived from the original on December 15, 2013 ; Retrieved November 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.