Elan Vital
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Elan Vital is an organization that supports the work of Prem Rawat also known by the honorary title Maharaji. Prem Rawat speaks of the possibility of knowing inner peace through four techniques of Knowledge. Elan Vital exists in several countries with the purpose of organizing events in which Prem Rawat (known also as Maharaji by his students) is invited to speak. They also engage in fundraising and in some countries they broadcast public addresses of Prem Rawat.
According to Glen Whittaker, a former spokesperson for the organization of the United Kingdom, Elan Vital has no connection anymore to its originally Hindu or Sikh religious background. The Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements states that Elan Vital insists that it is not a religion and that Maharaj's teachings are independent of culture and by no means bound to the traditions of India.
Elan Vital was incorporated in the USA in 1971, is registered as a church in the United States and enjoys 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. The president of Elan Vital is Larry Leblang who presides over a board of directors composed of four individuals who receive no compensation. Elan Vital has a staff of 5 full-time employees for administration and broadcast management. The majority of their work is performed by volunteers. [1] (http://elanvital.org/about_volunteers.html)
Elan Vital provides support for the dissemination of materials containing Prem Rawat's message. It also supports an Archive Project aimed to restore and catalog 30 years of film, video and audio which documents Prem Rawat's work over these years. They claim that their materials reach a global audience in 80 countries in more than 60 languages. They also state that Prem Rawat receives no compensation from Elan Vital. Voluntary contributions and sales of its materials support Elan Vital in the US, with 3,600 active contributors in the USA [2] (http://elanvital.org/about_stats.html).
According to their website, Elan Vital adheres to a policy of nondiscrimination on any basis, whether race, religion, creed, custom, nationality, age, or gender.
The Elan Vital in the United Kingdom is a registered charity with similar aims and objectives as the US counterpart [3] (http://elanvital.org.uk/elan_vital/profile.html).
In Australia, Elan Vital is a non-profit organization with similar aims as well, stating that the organization is almost completely a volunteer organization and that volunteers offer their time, skills and donations in supporting the effort to make Prem Rawat’s teachings available as widely as possible[4] (http://elanvital.com.au/elan_01.html).
Persons who have been taught Maharaji's techniques of Knowledge can apply and receive a Smartcard, issued by Elan Vital in the USA that is used to facilitate admittance to events in which the techniques of Knowledege are reviewed, or to gain access to events designed specifically for people that have received such techniques . [5] (http://www.smartcardoffice.org/englishPublic/generalinformation.cfm)
Criticism
According to Elan Vital, Inc. website the Divine Light Mission changed its name to Elan Vital in 1987[6] (http://www.elanvital.org/events2004/faq_ev_g.htm). The Divine Light Mission, a new religious movement was criticized by the anti-cult movement in the 1970s. See also Criticism of Prem Rawat.
Vocal critics assert that though Prem Rawat is not formally the leader of Elan Vital, he has so much non-reciprocal influence that he is it in practice. The Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements makes no reference to Prem Rawat as the leader of Elan Vital, referring to the dissolution of Divine Light Mission as the departing point from such leadership by Rawat.
References
- Barrett, D. V. The New Believers - A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions (http://www.thenewbelievers.com/) 2001 UK, Cassell & Co ISBN 0-304-35592-92-5 pages 65, 325-329
- Chryssides, George D. (2001). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, pp. 115-116. The Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland and London, 2001. ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
External links
http://elanvital.org/ USA
http://elanvital.org.uk/ United Kingdom
http://fundacionelanvital.es/ Spain
http://elanvital.com.au/ Australia
http://maharaji.net/ Maharaji's personal website