Email from A

'B' wrote me the following email:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I refer to the article published on yr site about Sri Sri Ravi Shankar being a genuine guru or not..... While I admire the critical capabilities of the writer, I would also remind that why then you people are asking for donations?.....For the same motives probably with such a nice site built
and driven by one of the best CMS available!
And I would also like to ask the author whether he ever practised any kind of Yoga or Mediatation himself....if not, then he should, then he would understand himself and his sick mental tendency to cling to all negativities.
Also, instead of criticising may him just try to build one single hut for a poor family, then he can come forward and be a town crier....else let him just keep his mouth shut and enjoy silence! I can write a lot, but I better show compassion to such mentally sick....because time by its destroying capacity will spare not him and then may he realise what he has been doing all his lifetime!


This was my reply:

Dearest Ajay,

I don't think I fully understand what your question is regarding my donations? I have never ever criticised the system of donations. I am more than aquainted enough with volunteer work to know that donations are exactly what keeps volunteer based organisations going. Whether
such an organisation is genuine or not (to keep within the wording of my article) has nothing to do with them receiving donations or not. Drupal which is indeed one of the best CMS around is a perfect example of a genuine volunteer based organisation that receives donations. I'm happy it does. Mambo on the other hand had its issues with it before that's why the spin off Joomla originated. So already two perfect examples of how donations don't matter.

Nonetheless, I thank you for bringing up the issue of my donations. As Yunus is going through some transformational fase (from the original commercial idea to simply volunteer based), I needed to update that page.

My page about Sri Sri will on the other hand remain exactly the same because 'your arguments', like the ones of other Sri Sri followers before you, failed to convince me.

If you would like to know whether I have ever practised any kind of Yoga or Meditation myself, then I think you did not read the further discussion on Sri Sri that gives the my answers to Rajaque Rahman of the Art of Living Bureau of Communication at the Art of Living International Centre in Bangalore (http://www.yunusnews.com/node/506), because there you could read that I have a background in physiotherapy (BA), philosophy (BA), anthropology (MA) and theology (MA). You could see in my CV (the link is on my website and here it is again:
http://www.halalmonk.com/halalmonk/cv/cv_js.pdf ) that this at least shows that I have some knowledge of the things I'm writing about. On top of it, you could see in that CV that I actually have written a book about meditation myself. (You can find more about that on my personal webpage: http://monastery.halalmonk.com/writings_meditation) I hope the fact that a renowned religious publisher in my home country (Belgium) is willing to publish my book about meditation and prayer shows that I have knowledge about the subject.
I have learned and tried many forms of meditation and prayer. I have spend both days on Qi gong workshops and praying in monasteries, I have meditated with vipasana followers and I prayed with the inmates of Vinoba Bhave's Ashram. And so son and so on.

Also your next supposition is false. I did, in a way, 'build huts for the poor'. I have spend many years in different types of volunteer work. One of those would be albezon (http://www.albezon.be/) that organises youth-camps that integrate delinquent youth. I have given spiritual retreats for adolescents both as a volunteer and as a job. And I have (to focus more on the poor of India) been working for a very long time in VRO - village reconstruction organisation. It is an Indian rural development organisation that has build over 500
villages, dozens of schools and medical centres, etc. in different states in India. I made their international website (http://www.vro-int.org but the link might be down right now, so you
can also find it on http://www.halalmonk.com/vro-int - I host the site free of charge) , I researched their projects, I guided the person who made a documentary about them (Udo Dreutler http://www.dreutler.de), I donated quite some money and so on and so on. So I also had my fair share of contact with the poor in India and I certainly had my experience in development work.

And that is exactly why I said that AOL's claims of development work seem exaggerated. Simply because anybody who has experience in it can see from a mile away that it is.

But my biggest argument to say that Sri Sri and AOL are not genuine these days actually is a new one, and comes from emails like yours. Believe, me I get more like yours (although I of course also get mails supporting my article).

First of all, they do not contain real arguments and second they always show exactly what I criticised, because although AOL and Sri Sri claim to be all about "Peace, love and understanding", the only emails I get from followers of Sri Sri are very aggressive (so not
peaceful), disrespectful (so not loving) and show no capacity to respect the opinion of somebody else (so no understanding).

Honestly where is the peace, love and understanding that Sudarshan Kriya brought you telling me to "shut up!" and calling me "mentally sick"? Is this how Sri Sri teaches how to deal with others who can prove a reasonable knowledge and background and that use arguments
instead of cursing to go into a debate? Maybe I should write an article for times about that instead of about how he creates "peace" in Iraq. Let's see whether that would get him the Nobel prize.

So, although I of course understand that you felt personally attacked by me criticising your guru and although I am sorry that I apparently (and above all unwillingly) offended you, I will not, as you requested, shut up. When I think the truth is not being told, it is my right to say so. The intention was simply to correct the news that circulates about Sri Sri. In that sense it did exactly what my site is supposed to do: collect and correct religious news between east and west. Again, I'm sorry if the result of that somehow offended you.

'A' replied:

I can see only 4 characteristics that describe u best:-

1. Anger (probably self-anger)

2. Frustration (u shud know it better!)

3. Hatred (too obvious!)

4. Ego...selfishness....

AOL has lots of means n tools to help u get rid of them....We'll enjoy yr company anyway.

I replied:

I can see you have 4 terrific qualities

1. Persistence (as you still don't bring forward any argument)
2. Devotion (as you still hold on strong to AOL without the need to debate about my objections)
3. Strength (as you continue your aggressive tone although I did my best to be nice in my previous reply)
4. Consistency (as you still think I hate Sri Sri and all things around it although I amply showed to be honestly and for a long time very interested in eastern spirituality and although I often said enough that I do not mind about Sri Sri as such, but more about the truthfulness concerning the news about him)