June 17, 1996
Dear Friends:
Last February, an article about Ananda appeared in the Palo Alto Weekly. The focus was a lawsuit filed against Ananda by a woman named Bertolucci. The charge: sexual harassment and other cult-like abuses.
The article was long on sensationalism and very short on truth. It created quite a dust storm when it first came out, but like most newspaper articles, it soon faded away. But the lawsuit itself is far from over and it would be naive to expect that there won’t be another attempt through the media or otherwise to undermine Ananda with these charges. Even though we are pressing for a speedy trial it will be at least next year before that trial takes place.
Two Lawsuits Are Really One Lawsuit
This is not the first legal assault we’ve had to face. In 1990, Self-Realization Fellowship filed a suit against Ananda in an attempt to gain legally what they have long claimed spiritually: exclusive rights to Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings, his name, his image, and the words “Self-realization.”
Fortunately, the law of the land does not favor religious monopoly, and SRF has lost every key decision, even losing rights they did not know were in jeopardy when they filed their suit, such as copyrights to Yogananda’s books. Because of their lawsuit we were able to publish the first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi. Only a few issues remain to be settled in that lawsuit. Given the course of the judge’s decisions so far, they will likely be decided in Ananda’s favor. But despite SRF’s losses, even at the appeal level, and the extraordinary expense—they have already spent over five million dollars—SRF shows no sign of giving up.
In fact, this Bertolucci lawsuit, although on the surface completely separate, is in fact merely a continuation of SRF’s efforts to discredit and destroy Ananda. Having lost on every other front, there is only one legal option left for SRF: a concept called “tarnishment.”
The Latest Attempt by SRF to Gain A Religious Monopoly
If SRF can prove that Ananda and Swami Kriyananda are somehow morally reprehensible, they can then say that any association in the minds of the public between SRF and Ananda would “tarnish” SRF’s reputation. Already this argument has begun to appear in their legal papers merely on the basis of the Bertolucci suit being filed. Eventually we expect SRF will ask the court to legally prohibit Ananda from doing anything that is in any way reminiscent of what SRF also does, i.e., disseminate Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings, publicly display his picture, use Self-realization in our name, and so on—to protect SRF from being “tarnished” by association.
The Bertolucci suit is actually against a minister at Ananda Village with whom Bertolucci had a brief consensual affair. The article, however, and the real target of the lawsuit, is Swami Kriyananda. Bertolucci’s lawyers have filed declarations signed by a few women accusing Swamiji of sexual misconduct. These alleged incidents are alleged to have taken place from thirteen to twenty-eight years ago.
Swamiji has emphatically denied the charges of sexual harassment and abuse, stating that “The declarations are almost entirely false. Where there is truth in them, the facts are so greatly distorted as to be almost unrecognizable.”
The lawsuit describes Ananda itself as being an abusive cult, established only as a front for the systematic exploitation of women. You may think we are exaggerating, but this is precisely how their papers read. The charges are preposterous. We know Bertolucci and the main people supporting her suit —there aren’t many of them—and each one has a personal motive unrelated to the truth. All of them, including two of her three lawyers, have strong connections with SRF.
We Want You To Know the Full Story
Immediately after the article came out, we held a meeting at the church to give you the full story, including the SRF connection, and to answer your questions. (If you missed that meeting, please call and we’ll send you a tape.) We compiled two notebooks of information. One is legal papers from both sides and background material—lots of it!—on all the people involved. The second is a collection of “Open Letters,” written by residents of Ananda Village to each other in March and April, a spontaneous communication event which gives great insight into how devotees deal with this kind of challenge to their faith. Many of you have told us how helpful is was to read the notebooks, especially the letters. (If you haven’t yet read them, come to the church and pick up copies of one or both. A few of the letters are enclosed here.)
“What If I Don’t Want to Know?”
By this point, you may be asking the question, “Why are you writing this letter to me? I came to Ananda seeking a haven of peace. The last thing I want is to get engaged in this kind of controversy!”
We are in complete sympathy with you! This controversy is very unsettling to many of us. But Divine Mother has thrust it upon us and it feels like a test we just have to face, no matter how unwelcome or unpleasant it may seem.
Paramhansa Yogananda says that a test like this comes sooner or later to every devotee. At some point along the path, perhaps repeatedly until the lesson is deeply learned, negative energy takes form and tries to persuade us to give up our path. Negativity says: your faith is a delusion, what you believe in is not worthy of your loyalty, and now you must repudiate as false that which heretofore has given you inspiration.
This is exactly what the newspaper article and the Bertolucci lawsuit are trying to do. SRF, too, is trying to shake our faith by saying that only they have the true teachings of Master.
Both lawsuits say, “No matter how wonderful Ananda may seem to you, it is false and rotten at the core!”
“By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them.” What Do You Think?
If you yourself had experienced Ananda as rotten, you would never have come back and certainly you would not be receiving this letter! Obviously you have found benefit from Ananda because you have chosen to return again and again. Many of you are church members and have told us how much inspiration you feel in the Ananda vibrations.
Still, you may say, you hardly know Swamiji, and therefore are in no position to judge his true character. Consider, then, the words of Jesus when asked how to tell false prophets from true ones: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
What Ananda “fruits” have you tasted: classes? books? music? Sunday service? the Festival of Light? Kriya? discipleship? ministers?
The test then becomes, “Do I trust my own experience?” Sometimes deep seated fears and memories of past disillusionments have to be faced and resolved before the question can be answered. It’s not always easy. That’s why Divine Mother sends us a test like this.
Ours is a path of Self-realization. We don’t have the safety net of a powerful organization or a dogmatic theology to protect us from hard questions. We’ll share with you the confidence we have in our experience, but ultimately each one of you has to decide for yourself what is true.
With a Little Help From Your Friends
Don’t think, however, that you have to decide in a vacuum, or that it is a sign of greater strength to go it completely alone. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or express your doubts. There is a tendency, however, when we have doubts, to talk mainly to other doubters. But you may find it helpful also to seek the counsel of ministers and others who can offer clarity and a broader perspective. The benefit of a spiritual family is that we can help each other—spiritually.
How much of a test this particular event will be for each person is not a question of spiritual advancement or the lack of it. It just depends on individual karma. Some of the newest people have been untouched; some long-time devotees have struggled for months and months, as you will see from the enclosed letters.
Divine Mother’s Gifts Come in Many Forms
God doesn’t send us challenges as a punishment, they are a gift to make us strong. When these lawsuits are finally over, Divine Mother will just find another way to help us grow. For eventually, Master says, we must learn “To stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.”
Remember this story about St. Theresa of Avila: It was the middle of winter. Theresa was crossing a swollen river when her carriage was swept away by the raging waters. She found herself pulled under the icy current. Just as she thought her life was over, suddenly she found herself safely on the far bank. Jesus, whom she often saw, was standing before her. He looked at her lovingly and said, “Don’t feel badly, Theresa, this is how I treat all my friends.” With her ready wit, Theresa replied, “Ah, my Lord, no wonder you have so few!”
Let us embrace with enthusiasm what Divine Mother has given us.
Fighting these legal battles since 1990 has already cost us more than one million dollars. Much of the money has come from the small, steady donations of individual Ananda members who have taken it upon themselves to support this cause.
By the Grace of God and Gurus Ananda Thrives
Unlike SRF, Ananda is not a wealthy organization. You would think, then, that everywhere within Ananda you would see signs of conservation, neglect, a hunkering down and trying to survive until this is over.
But the exact opposite is true. From the time SRF filed their lawsuit against us and continuing unabated to the present moment, this has been the most expansive, prosperous, outwardly successful period of Ananda’s history! During these years we’ve founded colonies, bought churches, built the Temple in Assisi, published some of Swamiji’s most important books, brought forth a whole new kind of music. The flowering of Ananda you see here in Palo Alto is a reflection of what is happening with Ananda world-wide.
Swamiji says it is simply karmic law: the more SRF and people like Bertolucci assert untruth about Ananda, the more the truth of Ananda has to come out somewhere! SRF has challenged our right to represent Master, and forced us inside to discover our deeply held determination to serve him even more.
At times we’ve thought of sending SRF bouquets of flowers in gratitude as we celebrate the founding of a new colony, the publication of a book, or the development of a new church. Undoubtedly the day will come when we will also feel grateful to Bertolucci and her supporters, not because what they have done is in any way admirable, but because they have given us the opportunity to overcome negativity and become strong in the Light.
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Many blessings, joy, and much love to all of you,
David & Asha
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