AOL Basic Course

I use the next one hour to go around the ashram. Ashram is very nice. I feel like staying here. But I also have obligations towards my family. Finish my education, earn money and support the people who have helped me. I am wondering how much money full time workers in AOL are paid. Some folks had told me there is no fixed sum and they get a percentage out of the course fees for the courses conducted by them. They also get a percentage from the donations that are given to the ashram through their coaxing and other efforts. The main revenue of AOL is controlled by Ravishankar’s family. His father, sister and brother in law. They also have many ex professionals who are part of the Veda Vigyan trust. AOL seems to be a lucarative profession for many. It is also fun. No need to think and work hard. Just spread knowledge of the guru.

It am trying to understand the organizational eco system of AOL. At the centre of the group is the Queen Bee which is the Guru.  The core circle around the Queen Bee is the immediate family and top functionaries of the AOL organization. Many of the top functionaries are successful professionals who have left their stressful and lucarative jobs / business to join AOL which is free of stress and lucarative. These elite class of people at the top along with the Queen bee manage the propoganda machinery, travel itenary,  programs of the Guru and token social service programs. They have links with the media, they publish magazines like ‘Rishimukh’, create the propoganda about the Guru’s greatness and miracles. They rope in doctors from reputed organizations to publish researched articles on the efficacy of the breathing techniques. They meet politicians and businessmen to contribute to AOL.

Below the elite managerial group is the group of volunteers. Spaced out spiritually inclined young men and women. Not very rich. Not very accomplished in worldly life. One main qualification is required from them, they need to believe the Guru hundred percent. Guru is perfect. Guru is the wisest of men in the world. Guru is the fountainhead of all knowledge. Some of these volunteers can become teachers. The qualification of being a good teacher is Obedience to guru plus charishma and good communication skills. A good AOL teacher is one who can imitate Ravishankar to the best extent. The mannerisms, body language and meditative gestures. A nice thickset black beard and dark long hair is a great asset although not a prerequisite.  If the AOL teacher cannot grow a beard he or she can grow their hair long. A partial fullfillment. There are some who have a regular hair cut and look like professionals. They are also required. To conduct corporate courses.  AOL teachers should look cheerful all the time. They are the living demonstrations of the efficacy of the AOL techniques. Singing and musical abilities are a major plus.

The third group is the temporary volunteers householders who can volunteer part time. Help in organising programs. It takes a lot of effort to organise programs but the directions and the master plan is avaialable and given from the top. The functionaries execute them. These people are also helpful in word of mouth propoganda. They solicit new members. They are the ones who typically stick posters in colleges, offices and libraries. They participation in Satsangs are key to success of satsangs.

 I found out quite early the most frowned upon thing in art of living is independent critical thinking, individuality and a questioning mind. Questioning is allowed only within limited predefined parameters. If I want to be part of AOL I need to curb and repress some of these faculties of mine. Also develop love for Guru and start believing that he is the well spring of all wisdom and every word he utters comes from an unknown divine source.  I feel I can fit in. I should talk to Ravishankar. Opps sorry Guruji.  

Its twenty minutes to three now and I walk back to the Kutir.

We gather at the dining hall. The rule is to eat the lunch with awareness and silence. There are the brahmin boys from the veda school who are chanting the shanti mantras from the upanishads. They are in the age group of 10 – 15.

We take out plates and wash them. I sit next to one of the teachers of AOL. I strike a conversation with him. He is from some royal family from Kerala. He was also part of the communist party student union like most of the youths in Kerala. But after he did advance course of art of living he decided to dedicate his life full time to the organisation. I asked him since when he knows Ravishankar. He says -’ have always know him since eternity’. I was thinking good one with a nice punch line. But I asked him since when he in his present physical form first meet and see the physical body of Ravishankar. He said he met him some four months ago after he came for the advanced course in the ashram. He tells me I should do the advanced course as it is out of the world. The basic course is just that – basic. In advanced course you will understand what these practices are. I asked him do they teach new breathing exercises in advanced course. He said not much except  some mudra pranayama and padma sadhana (which is a set of 12 traditional yoga postures in a specific sequence). And in the advance course all the five days you will be in silence and practice non doing and meditation. It is a tremendous course to connect with the Guru.

We finish Lunch. Lunch is good, nice and bland south indian vegetarian food. I feel nice and fullfilled. I wash my plates. It’s 1:45 PM now. Teacher tells us we will meet at 3:00 PM in the kutir and till then we can take a seista or go around the ashram and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place.

Saturday 7:00 Am

I arrive at Vyakti Vikas Kendra. Lot of people are present there. Many of them are people who have done the course in other places. They would also be joining us in our stay in the Ashram. We are asked to wear loose fitting clothes, bring a torch apart from our soap, tooth brush and towel. I travel light and have fitted all my things in one bag.

My freinds from the course come in. I join a family who attended the course with us. Father, Mother and Son. Kanakapura road is familiar to me as this is the road I take to visit my home in Kollegal. The kanakapura road is (was) the best road and getaway from the hustle bustle of bangalore. The Ashram is 21 kilometres from Bangalore. But since we are in south bangalore it is about 7-8 kms less. Maybe about 13 – 14 kms. We reach the ashram in about half an hour.  We are asked to go for breakfast. Breakfast is simple fare a couple of idlies and upma. We are asked to assemble in one of the Kutir’s in the ashram.

Ashram is very nice and posh. I have a feeling this is the place I should be living. I feel bad about my dingy existence and the daily troubles I have commuting in overcrowded city buses and attending college. This place seems like heaven. I had heard thae story that Ravishankar and his father got this land sactioned for opening a vedic school for young brahmin kids. Hence the name of this ashram – Veda Vigyan Mahavidyapeeth – ‘Vedic science university’. Our teacher had told us vedic science is very vast and profound. All scientific laws were discovered by vedic seers. This place people learn secrets of vedic mathematics, vastu shastra, ayurveda, yoga, meditation and so on. The AOL teachers are the professors and Ravishankar and his daddy are the chancellors of this university.

8:30 PM

Now we have explored into the nature of ‘Who we are’. Not found any answer except silence. The Teacher now says the next exercise is to find out where we are. Where not in the sense of geo physical coordinates or our body but in our inner sensing of where we are localized. Or where we perceive ourselves to be. This is not a group process. But one which we do individually.

We close our eyes and try to find out where we are. Are we in our head, stomach, chest  where. Are we in all these places or none of these places. The final conclusion from this exercise is – we are nowhere and everywhere.

I remmember Osho describing the story about japanese school children who puzzled the christian missionaries by telling them that they think from their bellies. I am not sure where our sense of Identity comes from. Whether it is a creation of the synaptic nerves which provide us a kind of perception which helps in locating our geo-physical coordinates. I dunno. I think these are questions for which we can never be sure of any answer.

It’s 9:00 now. Time for the raw food dinner and go back to my hostel room. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving to the ashram on kanakapura road. I am going with one family who have a car. They are going to pick me up from the jayanagar centre. I am looking forward to the next two days stay in the ashram in the presence of Ravishankar.