- "ECK" (note capitals) redirects here. "Eck" was also a nickname for former pitcher Dennis Eckersley.
Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, is a teaching founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965. It exists in multiple countries throughout the world, and is run largely on a volunteer basis through "ECK Centers." The Eckankar headquarters are in Chanhassen, Minnesota (southwest of Minneapolis), and are home to the Temple of ECK, an outdoor Chapel, an administrative building, and the ECK "Spiritual Campus." Sri Harold Klemp has been the spiritual leader of Eckankar since October 1981. Image File history File links Acap. ...
Image File history File links USVA_headstone_emb-28. ...
Image File history File links USVA_headstone_emb-28. ...
Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954 in Oakland, California), nicknamed Eck, was a Major League Baseball player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 (his first year of eligibility). ...
Paul Twitchell (d. ...
Chanhassen is a city located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. ...
This article is about the city in Minnesota. ...
Sri Harold Klemp (1942–) is the spiritual leader of Eckankar and also holds the titles of Mahanta (spiritual leader) and the Living ECK Master. ...
Officially, the word Eckankar translates roughly to "Co-Worker with God". [1] but is akin to the Sikh term, Ek Onkar. Eckankar has used several descriptors after its name: "The Ancient Science of Soul Travel," "A Way of Life" and "The Religion of the Light and Sound of God." Stylised Ek Onkar Simple Ek Onkar Ek Onkar (also , , Ä’k ÅŒaá¹…kÄr, Ek Omkar, Ik Onkar and other variants) means one God and is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy. ...
Teachings Eckankar emphasizes personal spiritual experiences as the most natural way back to God. [2] These are attained via "Soul Travel" or shifting the awareness from the body to the Inner Planes of existence. One of the basic tenets of the teaching is that Soul (awareness or consciousness) can leave the body in full consciousness and travel freely in other planes of reality. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...
Eckankar teaches that "spiritual liberation" in one's lifetime is available to all. The membership card for Eckankar states: "The aim and purpose of Eckankar has always been to take Soul by its own path back to Its divine source."
The teaching states that Eckists (students of Eckankar; also called Chelas) must prove the veracity of the path for themselves. Eckists believe it is possible to achieve self-realization (the realization of oneself as soul) and God-realization (the realization of oneself as a spark of God) in one's lifetime. The emphasis has shifted in current times away from out of body experiences to Expansion of Awareness through experiencing God's Love in everyday matters. The final spiritual goal of all ECKists is to become conscious co-workers with God.
Certain Mantras are used to facilitate spiritual growth. One important spiritual exercise of Eckankar is the singing or chanting of HU. The HU has been used in the Sufi traditions and other paths, and is seen to be a "love song to God". It is pronounced like the name "Hugh" and is sung for about 20 minutes. ECKists sing it alone or in groups for spiritual upliftment. HU Sample Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ...
The use of Sacred Words (or Mantras) is to experience Soul Travel. This practice is claimed to allow the student to step back from the overwhelming input of the physical senses and emotions and regain Soul's spiritual viewpoint.
Dreams are regarded as an important teaching tool. Members often keep a dream journal to facilitate study.[3] According to followers of Eckankar, Dream Travel often serves as the gateway to soul travel[4] or the shifting of one's consciousness to an ever-higher states of Being. Dreaming is the subjective experience of imaginary images, sounds/voices, thoughts or sensations during sleep, usually involuntarily. ...
A dream journal is a journal in which one writes down his or her dream experiences. ...
Origins Paul Twitchell founded Eckankar circa 1965, although its teachings claim that the basis for the Eckankar teachings date back to the beginning of human life. The Mythical Origin is with the teacher "Gakko" who dreamed the World Dream that formed the Archetypal nature of man, and who came to Earth from the city of Retz, Venus. (Shariyat Ki Sugmad - Illuminated Way Press)
Eckankar Headquarters were based in Las Vegas, Nevada and then Menlo Park, California until the present Living Eck Master, Sri Harold Klemp, moved the basis of operation to Minnesota. Paul Twitchell sourced many modern and ancient religious teachings in his creation of the Eckankar Teaching, though it would any noted that the main sources appear to be Sufism and a little known teaching in India called "The Parent Faith". (This is where other Light and Sound teachings such as Sant Mat also derived their roots.) (The Whole Truth - Doug Marman) For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...
Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California in the United States of America, in the San Francisco Bay Area. ...
Sufism is a mystic tradition within Islam that encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to Divine love and the cultivation of the elements of the Divine within the individual human being. ...
Eckankar was founded as a business, however the Panel of Administrators urged Twitchell to conform to usual standards, and the teaching was registered as a Non-Profit. (For Tax Reasons). Later Sri Harold Klemp changed it to a recognized Religious Institution. Currently Eckankar is accepted as a religion by the US Army, Boy Scouts, and many other public institutions.
Beliefs The Beliefs of Eckankar are many. Primary to the teaching is the belief that Man's consciousness can leave the body at will (Soul Travel) and explore the Inner Planes of Creation. Also, the doctrine of Karma and Reincarnation is strongly supported.
Soul is seen as the true self, and it wears a mind, emotions and the physical body in the same way as we might put on layers of clothes. Soul can thus leave the body and return at will, when it learn how. Dreams are seen as very important, with books such as "The Art of Spiritual Dreaming" forming part of the essential reading for all Eckankar Students (Chelas).
The belief that each individual is responsible for their own destiny, and that our decisions determine our future is a core subject. Eckankar Students meet in "satsang" which means "spiritual meeting" to discuss books and discourses. Questioning of the stated beliefs is not opposed, and indeed is recommended for new students. In this respect, Eckankar is quite different from other teachings.
Current status Eckankar claims an active membership base[5] in over one hundred countries throughout the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa.[6] 26,000 American Eckists were estimated in 2001 (data from interviews with 50,000 Americans) and 36,700 in 2004.[7] Estimates from varying authors [8] varies from 50,000 to 500,000 [9]. Eckankar does not publish their own membership figures. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ...
A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...
Seminars are held worldwide throughout the year, with attendance ranging up to 10,000 participants.[citation needed]
Eckankar's 50,000 square foot main "Temple of ECK"[10] was dedicated in Chanhassen, Minnesota on October 22, 1990. As of mid-2007, the largest capacity Eckankar Temple was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, Africa, with a total capacity of 10,000. Chanhassen is a city located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. ...
Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area Ranked 12th - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 400 miles (645 km) - % water 8. ...
Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...
A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...
Eckankar has produced dozens of books, videos, CDs, and tapes on a variety of spiritual topics. Membership is based on a suggested donation: members receive discourses, and they are invited to study at home or in the company of other members in Eckankar Satsang classes. Eckankar does not attempt to convert individuals to their religion. They do, however, advertise their presence and distribute literature to interested persons. The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ...
There is no practice of a uniform dress code, but Eckists strive neither to smoke nor drink, and these teachings appear to have attracted individuals from all levels of society.
Recently, there has been an increase of membership in Africa[citation needed], and a large temple houses some 10,000 members at their annual gathering. Eckankar centers are located in almost every capital city in the world, and are staffed by volunteer workers.
The Eckankar "EK" symbol appears on the list of Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.[11]
Ceremonies and Rites There are few personal requirements to be an ECKist, however certain spiritual practices Chief among these is daily practice of the Spiritual Exercises of ECK for 15-20 minutes a day. The most basic ECK Spiritual Exercise is singing the word HU. (pronounced like "hue") There are no dietary requirements, sexual taboos, or enforced ascetic practices. Eckankar does not require potential members to leave their current faith to join.
There are a number of rituals an ECKist can experience as part of the teaching:
ECK Consecration Ceremony: Celebrating the entrance of the young and infant into Eckankar, and new life in the Light and Sound of God.
ECK Rite of Passage: Celebrating the passage from youth into adulthood, usually around thirteen.
ECK Wedding Ceremony: Celebrating the marriage bond as two Eckists commit their lives to one another before God.
ECK Memorial Service: Honors the journey of Soul and welcomes It into the worlds beyond the physical.
Eckists celebrate a spiritual new year on October 22nd, as well as "Founder's Day" on September 17th.
ECK masters -
ECKists believe contact with Divine Spirit, which they call the ECK [12], can be made via the Spiritual Exercises of ECK and the guidance of the living ECK master. It is held that the ECK masters are Universalists who are here to serve all life irrespective of religious belief. Mahanta redirects here. ...
In the teachings of Eckankar the following Masters are among the better known:
Kata Daki: An ECK Master in the Ancient Order of Vairagi Adepts. She helps people get back on their feet during hardship.
Gopal Das: The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master in Egypt, 3000 B.C., who founded the mystery cults of Osiris and Isis; the guardian of the fourth section of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad on the Astral Plane; he teaches at the Temple of Golden Wisdom there. Gopal Das is said to be youthful but mature in appearance, fair-skinned, clean-shaven and with longish light-colored hair.
Rebazar Tarzs: The officially-designated "torchbearer" (for continuity) of Eckankar in the lower worlds; the spiritual teacher of many ECK Masters including Peddar Zaskq, or Paul Twitchell, to whom he handed the Rod of ECK Power in 1965. Said to be over five hundred years old, Rebazar Tarzs was Tibetan by birth and lives in a hut in the Hindu Kush mountains. He is said to be about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with an athletic physique, dark skin, closely-cropped black hair and beard and piercing black eyes. See the section on Accusations of Plagiarism concerning where words ascribed to Rebazar Tarzs first appeared in print.
Rami Nuri: The ECK Master who is the guardian of the holy book, the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, on the Pinda Lok, the physical world, at the House of Moksha, Temple of Golden Wisdom in the spiritual city of Retz on the planet Venus. The letter M appears on his forehead. He also once served as the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master.
Splinter groups Some splinter groups, such as ATOM, and John Roger's MSIA, have separated from the main body of the Eckankar. MSIA became known during the 1970s by distributing free "Smiley" stickers and cards with happy messages to people on the street. Roger's teaching is certainly similar, and while he acknowledges he was a student of Paul Twitchell, he denies any further connection. The Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (or MSIA, sometimes pronounced messiah) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious corporation, incorporated in California on June 25, 1971. ...
More recently, former Eckist Ford Johnson broke away from Eckankar and formed a spiritual organization based on the central idea that one does not need a master or spiritual guru to achieve spiritual enlightenment.[13] [14] Other splinter groups created by former Eckists, like Michael Owens' "The Way of Truth"[15] and Gary Olsen's "MasterPath," [16] actively recruit members to their own version of Eckankar.. Ford Johnson (1942- ) is an American writer, speaker on spiritual and esoteric topics, and president of a service organization working with adolescents. ...
The current leader of Eckankar has stated that members should feel free to leave Eckankar unbounded by guilt or fear. But critics contend that while Eckankar promotes itself as a path to ending karma and reincarnation, Eckankar writings also speak of karma and reincarnation returning to members who leave Eckankar.[17] For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the theological concept. ...
For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the theological concept. ...
Accusations of plagiarism After Twitchell's death in 1971, David C. Lane, then a member of the Sant Mat derivative RadhaSoami Satsang Beas, charged that Eckankar itself was a derivative of Sant Mat, and that almost all of Twitchell books used passages of other groups' books without crediting their authors. Of these, Twitchell's "The Far Country" was said to be the greatest example of Twitchell's plagiarism of Julian Johnson's "Path of the Masters." Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ...
David Christopher Lane (born April 29, 1956 in Burbank, California) is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mount San Antonio College, USA and lecturer in religious studies at California State University, Long Beach, California. ...
Sant Mat translates from Hindi into English as The Religion of the Saints. ...
Sant Mat translates from Hindi into English as The Religion of the Saints. ...
Julian P. Johnson ( -1939) was an American surgeon and author of several books on Eastern spirituality. ...
This claim has largely been refuted, and David Lane himself has made several redactions in regards new information that came to light during discussions on the internet newsgroup, Alt Religion Eckankar
Discussions about plagiarism including the views for and against have been outlined by long standing member, Doug Marman.[18] in his new book "The Whole Truth". It must be noted that Twitchell's widow (Gail) has written to Marman stating that he has come closest to the truth about her deceased husband. Eckankar notes "Paul had taken it [the ECKANKAR teachings] and built upon it from many different areas, and he then moved it more than a step further." (The Writing of Paul Twitchell [19] )
Criticism Eckankar has been labeled a cult by some critics [20], both former members and Christian writers. In the introductory level Eckankar states that spiritual truth is not the possession of a single person or group, and that the many paths all lead to the same goal. However, Eckankar states it is the most direct path to the highest heaven. The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, Eckankar's "Bible" unambiguously states that Eckankar is the only direct path to God. This article does not discuss cult in its original meaning. ...
For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...
The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, which means Way of the Eternal, is the holy scripture of Eckankar, an ancient religion that teaches of the light and sound of God. ...
Some ex-members and critics have formed various boards and forums [1], [2],[3], [4], [5], [6] and the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.eckankar. Some of these communities have been criticizing Eckankar and its leaders for a decade or more.[citation needed] Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ...
Some of the people who have left Eckankar have unintentionally reformed a new faith through their religious participation in the anti-eckankar movement. One would be the after-eckankar position of Ford Johnson who published Confessions of a God Seeker Ford Johnson (1942- ) is an American writer, speaker on spiritual and esoteric topics, and president of a service organization working with adolescents. ...
Some critics cite the David C. Lane et al. references to point at plagiarism as one reason to exit the faith. Some of the most outspoken ex-eckists take the position that it is unethical or "wrong" not to wake up the current adherents of eckankar to the lies and plagiarism they (the current members) are subjected to. David Christopher Lane (born April 29, 1956 in Burbank, California) is a professor of philosophy and sociology at Mount San Antonio College, USA and lecturer in religious studies at California State University, Long Beach, California. ...
Alternate views Johnson, Ford: "Confessions of a God Seeker: A Journey to Higher Consciousness" [21]
Lane, David C: "The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar"[22]
Marman, Doug: "The Whole Truth" A dialog evolved from Plagiarism claims and discussions on alt.religion.eckankar newsgroup.[23]
References - ^ http://www.eckankar.com/glossary.html#eck
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/SEW/
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/dream.html
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/soultravel.html
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/ekcenters.html
- ^ http://www.eckankarnigeria.org/addbk.htm
- ^ Top Twenty Religions in the United States, 2001
- ^ Adherents.com. 43,941 adherent statistic citations: membership and geography data for 4,300+ religions, churches, tribes, etc.
- ^ Godwin, John. Occult America; Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. (1972); pg. 114. "But within the metaphysical world [Twitchell] looms large indeed. With an estimated 500,000 followers worldwide, fifteen centers in the US and four overseas, and a weekly mailbag of some 10,000 letters... "
- ^ http://www.eckankar.com/Temple/index.html
- ^ http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmemb.asp
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/glossary.html#eck
- ^ http://www.thetruth-seeker.com/openletter.asp
- ^ http://www.higherconsciousnesssociety.org/aboutHCS.asp
- ^ http://www.thewayoftruth.org/default.htm
- ^ http://www.masterpath.org/
- ^ http://www.caic.org.au/eastern/eck/subtle.htm
- ^ http://www.littleknownpubs.com
- ^ http://www.eckankar.org/Masters/Peddar/writings.html
- ^ http://www.icoc.us/view/?pageID=317591
- ^ http://www.thetruth-seeker.com/Excerpts.asp
- ^ [http://www.geocities.com/eckcult/
- ^ http://www.littleknownpubs.com
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Ex-members and alternate views Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...
Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ...
Plagiarism discussion
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