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| Eckankar | |
|---|---|
 The Eckankar "EK" symbol | |
| Type | Dharma-influencednew religious movement |
| Scripture | Main:Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad Minor:Autobiography of a Modern Prophet etc.[1][2] |
| Leader | Harold Klemp[3] |
| Region | Mostly worldwide |
| Headquarters | Temple of ECK,Chanhassen,Minnesota, United States |
| Founder | Paul Twitchell |
| Origin | 1965 San Diego,California[4] |
Eckankar (/ˈɛkənˌkɑːr/EK-ən-kar) is an Americannew religious movement founded byPaul Twitchell in 1965. The group’s spiritual home is theTemple of ECK inChanhassen, Minnesota. Eckankar is not affiliated with any other religious group.[5]
The movement teaches simple spiritual exercises, such as singing "HU ", called "a love song toGod", to experience the "light" and "sound" of God and recognize the presence of theHoly Spirit.[6][7][8]
Twitchell was known for adaptingSanskrit words into English, andEckankar is likely his adaptation of the sacredSikh phraseIk Onkar, meaning "One Creator".[9] According to the Eckankar glossary, the termEckankar means "co-worker with God".[10]
Eck is intended to mean the "Holy Spirit", as found inChristian biblical terminology.[11]: 55
The movement was founded in 1965 by Paul Twitchell (spiritual name: Peddar Zaskq), who remained its spiritual leader ("Living ECK Master") until his death in 1971. He was succeeded by Darwin Gross (spiritual name: Dap Ren). On October 22, 1981, Harold Klemp (spiritual name: Wah Z) was announced as the spiritual leader. Between 1981 and 1987, both Gross and Klemp claimed to be the Living ECK Master and the Inner Master and had their own followers.[12]
Eckankar's headquarters were originally inLas Vegas, Nevada. In 1975, under Gross's leadership, the organization moved toMenlo Park, California. In 1986, Klemp moved the base of operations toMinneapolis, Minnesota.[13]
Eckankar is registered as a nonprofit religious organization. It reports members in more than 120 countries, and its teachings have been translated into over 25 languages.[14] The number of members, known as ECKists, is undisclosed. The world headquarters andTemple of Eck, Eckankar's Spiritual Center, are inChanhassen, Minnesota,[15][16][17] on a 174-acre (70 ha) campus with 2 miles (3.2 km) of contemplation trails open to the public.[18][19]
The Eckankar "EK" symbol appears on theAvailable Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers by theUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs.[20] Sources estimate that there were around 50,000 followers in the 1990s.[21][22]
Some scholars believe that Eckankar beliefs draw in part from theSikh andHindu religions,[23] particularly theRadha Soami movement,[24][25] butJ. Gordon Melton finds significant differences between Radha Soami teachings and Eckankar.[26]
One of the basic tenets is thatsoul (the true self) may be experienced separately from the physical body and, in full consciousness, travel freely in "other planes of reality." Eckankar emphasizes personal spiritual experiences as the most natural way back to God.[27] These are attained via Soul Travel: shifting the awareness from the body to inner planes of existence.[11]: 187
Certainmantras or chants are used to facilitate spiritual growth. One important spiritual exercise is the singing or chanting ofHU, which is viewed in Eckankar as a "love song to God." It is pronounced like the English word "hue" (or "hyoo") in a long, drawn-out breath and is sung for 20 to 30 minutes. ECKists sing it alone or in small groups.[11]: 59 They believe that singingHU draws one closer to the Divine Being and that it can expand awareness, help one experience divine love, heal broken hearts, offer solace in times of grief, and bring peace and calm.[28] ECKists believe the practice allows practitioners to retreat from the overwhelming input of the physical senses and emotions and regain the Soul's spiritually higher viewpoint.
Dreams are regarded as important teaching tools, and members often keepdream journals to facilitate study.[29] According to followers of Eckankar, dream travel often serves as the gateway to Soul Travel[30] (also known by Eckankar as anout-of-body experience), or the shifting of one's consciousness to ever-higher states of being. Soul travel is a term Twitchell created.
Eckankar teaches that "spiritual liberation" in one's lifetime is available to all and that it is possible to achieve "Self-realization" (the realization[vague] of oneself as Soul) and "God-realization" (the realization of oneself as a "spark" of God) in one's lifetime. The membership card Eckankar followers carry states, "The aim and purpose of Eckankar has always been to take Soul by its own path back to its divine source."
The final spiritual goal of all ECKists is to become conscious "co-workers" with God.[11]: 59 [31]
The leader of Eckankar is known as "the Living ECK Master" (LEM). Eckankar claims that only a cisgender man can be the LEM as the Soul needs the structure of a male body in the physical world to become the spiritual leader, a choice made before birth.[32] Eckankar now claims that some leaders—Twitchell and Klemp, for example—also hold the title "Mahanta", which refers to the inner aspect of the teacher. During Gross's ten-year leadership (1971–1981), the organization claimed he was the Mahanta. The leader functions as both an inner and outer guide for each member's spiritual progress.
ECKists believe that contact with a divine spirit, which they call theECK, can be made via the spiritual exercises of ECK and the guidance of the LEM. It is held that the ECK Masters serve all life irrespective of religious belief. The main Eckankar website includes a list of Masters—some of whom are historical figures.[33]
TheShariyat-Ki-Sugmad, which means "Way of the Eternal", is the holy scripture of Eckankar.[34] It comprises two books of spiritual meaning and purpose written by the Mahanta.[11]: 59 A series ofSatsang writings are available with yearly membership in Eckankar. Satsang classes are available to study discourses with others and individually.[11]: 177
Beliefs taught in theShariyat-Ki-Sugmad include "Soul Travel",karma,reincarnation, love, and "Light and Sound". ECKists believeSugmad is the endless source from which all forms were created and that the ECK, the "Sound Current", flows out ofSugmad and into lower dimensions.[11]: 59, 187, 194
Primary to the teaching is the belief that one may experience the perspective of the Soul beyond the body's limits. Also, the concepts ofkarma andreincarnation help explain situations in life as the playing out of past causes.[11]: 186–187
The beliefs that people are responsible for their destiny and that their decisions determine their future are important in Eckankar. Eckankar students meet in open public services and classes to discuss personal experiences, topics, books, and discourses.[11]: 59
There are few personal requirements to be an ECKist, but certain spiritual practices are recommended. Chief among them is daily practice of the "Spiritual Exercises of ECK" for 15–20 minutes.[11]: 189 The most basic ECK spiritual exercise is singing the syllableHU. Various spiritual exercises are offered, and members are encouraged to create their own. Study of ECK books and written discourses, alone or in groups, is also encouraged. There are no dietary requirements, taboos, or enforced ascetic practices. Eckankar does not require potential members to leave other faiths.
As part of the teaching, an ECKist can experience several ceremonies, including a Consecration ceremony for initiating the young and infants, a Rite of Passage into adulthood (around age 13), a Wedding ceremony, and a Memorial service.[11]: 186
September 17 is celebrated as Founder's Day in honor of Paul Twitchell. October 22 is celebrated as the spiritual new year.[35][36]
In his 1977 bookIntroduction to New and Alternative Religions in America,David C. Lane writes:
This lineage, known as the Vairagi masters in Eckankar, allegedly traces its genealogy back through some 970 Living Eck Masters to Rama, an avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. In other versions, the teachings go even further back to Gakko, a spiritual essence that traveled from the city of Retz on the planet Venus to Earth six million years ago ... In addition, Sudar Singh and Rebazar Tarzs are not genuine historical personages but literary inventions developed by Twitchell to conceal his past associations.[37]
Lane has also suggested that Twitchell, a former Scientologist, incorporatedScientology teachings into Eckankar.[38]
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Emanating from the Radhosoami Satsang (q.v.) background, which is a synthesis of Hinduism and Sikhism (qq.v.), Eckankar teaches a form of surat sabda yoga ...
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