Analysis Of Brahma Kumaris

Brahma Kumaris, Beauty, and Breathing Walking along the street, the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center is just part of the cityscape. It is located almost directly in the center of San Francisco, quite close to the panhandle of Golden Gate Park. The exterior of the building does not stand out in a typical “religious” way, and a person making his or her way past the Meditation Center might not even realize what it is. But that is exactly how those who follow this branch of Hinduism view physical shells: exteriors that are merely vessels in which the true self is contained. Brahma Kumaris is an extension of Hinduism, the oldest living religion. Hinduism originated in the Indian subcontinent almost 4,000 years ago (though traces of it can be
Purity of mind and soul are expressed through the white and cream color palette of the walls and décor. Sister Sukanya wore all white, most likely to symbolize the purity her atman has attained through meditation and contemplation. Adjectives relating to the site could be “ornate,” “peaceful,” and “detailed.” It was somewhat surprising to see how aesthetic the site was, given the ascetic principles of Hinduism. It was obvious that the leaders of the center took great pride in making the building calm and noble, worthy of the sacred scriptures read in ceremonies. The wood panels and floors were highly detailed, and there were numerous stained glass windows throughout the building; perhaps these windows were a metaphor of how human beings display the light of Brahman in beautiful ways. An oval shape, representing incorporeal Brahman, could be found in much of the artwork, and the theme of a cyclic world was also consistent. In particular, there were depictions of the Golden Age, Silver Age, Copper Age, and the Iron Age; the Iron Age will soon end, thus ending this cycle of the world. From this destruction, a new, beautiful world will
According to Sister Sukanya, Brahman is the ocean from which all stems, but the water can take different paths on its journey back to Brahman. Other religions wind away from Hinduism and Brahma Kumaris, but the eventual goal of all faiths is constant: eternal bliss, reunification with higher powers, and purity. This interconnectedness or parallelism was displayed in various artworks at the Brahma Kumaris San Francisco Meditation Center. There was a Christmas tree still standing, a statue of Buddha, and a depiction of a tree with discrete religious traditions on each branch. Sister Sukanya explained that the Brahma Kumaris members view other religions as varying ways of exploring truth; each branch of the tree turns in a separate way, but the tree is one. Religion teaches spirituality; different faiths are just forks in the river of spirituality. Though drops of the ocean will wind down separate branches of the river, all drops are water, and as Aristotle said long ago, “ego sum qui sum, or “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Every religious lineage is derived from Brahman, and all lead back to