<p align="left">Emails from Dennis Hanisch and Richard Allen</p>

Emails from Dennis Hanisch and Richard Allen

Dear Richard Allen,

First let me quikly introduce myself. I am a former devotee of 27 years who has worked at least a few hours almost everyday for the last 3+ years helping to expose SSB.

I notice on your recent posting that you have a negative reference to Yogananda. I believe this is a grave mistake on your part. Consider the following:
1) The organization which Yogananda founded (Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) ( http://yogananda-srf.org ) never has a week go by wherein they do not receive at least DOZENS of testimonials of thanks regarding help and postive progress received from the weekly SRF lessons which last over 5 years, advice given from the monastics and in the literature of the publications, healing from the Worldwid Prayer Circle, and especially through the practice of the scientific meditation techniques taught by Yogananda. I know this because I attend the SRF Temple here in Phoenix, am a personal friend of some of the monastics, and practice the teachings.
2) Paramahansa Yogananda (PY) taught that a true satguru only leads you and guides you to find the God within. He does not go around claiming he is God. I suggest that you read his famous classic "Autobiography of a Yogi." This book helps to bridge the gap between the East and the West. Chapter 18, in fact, is devoted to a fakir who could materialize objests with the help of an entity from the astral world but who, as a person, lacked spiritual attainment. This may also help you understand some of the paranormal activity attributed to SSB.

3) Before I came a SSB devotee in the early 70's I had read the first 3 years of the SRF lessons. It was not until I became an ex-devotee over 3 years ago that I took the Kriya Initiation. The proper practice of Kriya Yoga, a form of pranayama and life force control consists of a scientific or systematic method. It definitely works!! And you know why it works and how it works! It is really the highest form of Raja Yoga.

4) Many organizations are now teaching Kriya and claiming to represent Yogananda --organizations of which he is not the founder. This may be part of the problem.

5) For what's worth, PY was also very devoted to Christ and recognized him as an avatar.

PY always exuded an example of true humility and was very devoted to God.

6) PY's had a beautiful life chiseled for the ages. Any negative rumors have been proved to false. There is so much more that time does not permit to say.
Best regards
Dennis J. Hanisch marswalker108@hotmail.com

From: "Joyce Allan"

To:

Subject: Yogananda

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:24:55 -0400

Dear Dennis,

Sincerest thanks for your work, dedication and postings helping to unmask SSB.

I too had highest regard for PY, and still do so, regarding much of his life, and many of his teachings. I have been exposed to the Kriya lessons, taken them myself during a one-year SRF membership in the '70's, and feel they are fine and valuable.

A longtime friend of mine, however, has been associated with the LA PY Center for many decades. He was for years close to a number of the elder devotees living at and near the Shrine Center, and reports to me, from these informants who knew PY personally, and were there during the first formative years of SRF, that: 1) much of the material in Autobiograpy is bogus, and was ghost-written by a devotee in order to magnify PY's otherwise outstanding spirtual model of life. The bilocation and other most "miraculous" tales were inserted in order to sell books, at a time - the 1920's - when mysticism was the rage; 2) PY fathered a child, by a devotee, who was spirited away by his underlings and is alive today, yet is disenfranchised from his paternity and the wealth it has accrued [am sure you've read the press reports re this aspect]; 3) later SRF leaders have benefitted temporally from income the LA center receives [which I gather is massive, if looked at over the many decades the book and SRF lessons have been purveyed].

Let me assure you that I have no ax to grind , nor any intent to engage in lengthy debate, re the above. I trust my informant, whom I know, just as I trust the SSB informant's, whom I don't know. [My reason for the latter stems from my own longtime study of child sexual abuse. It is clear to me that the fondling stories fit a pattern, and are too broad-based to be deniable.] I also implicitly trust the judgement and efforts of our fellow ex-devotee, Barry Pittard, whose character I know to be beyond reproach.

I believe that: the Kriya course, as well as PY's own core of teachings [not unlike SSB's], are a spur encouraging each of us to seek and we will find; that there exists an inner condition of luminance; that when we encounter it, our ego perforce falls away; that while dwelling in this Source, or Blessing, we Know and are assured that Peace and Union are the ultimate context of being.

I suspect you know well the condition I refer to. All the mystics name it, but words, including those above, will never suffice to express it. Only through indirection, metaphor or poetry can mere language frame that which is utterly beyond language.

Thank you again for your fine works.

Respectfully,

Richard

Take care,

I have only time now to scan your letter but there is one point I will address now. I too heard of the stories concerning that PY fathered a child. I decided to do my own personal investigation. The person who claimed that PY was his father did give 2 DNA samples when SRF threatened a lawsuit which, as I remember, included the NEW TIMES. Yes, the mother DID tell his son that PY was the father but both DNA samples proved that PY is not the father!! I am sure of this. PY passed in 1952. Frankly, you are problably going to find both "good" people in SRF and maybe some not so good. I certainly would be one of the first to admit that at least most of the monstics at SRF are not now God-Realized. My point is that, in general, it did no good to put a religion down such as Hinduism, etc. These are, of course, my opinions.
Dennis