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Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization, Great Neck, New York

Global Harmony House,
National Coordinating Office

46 S. Middle Neck Road
Great Neck, New York 11021

T 1-516-773 0971
F 1-516-773 0976
E newyork@bkwsu.org

Thought for the day

As soon as you remember your true self, restoration of your inner strength occurs and you return to a place of harmony.

Brahma Kumaris History

Perhaps few organisations have stimulated as much change and discussion at the time of their inception, or have undergone such expansion in succeeding decades, as the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Yet, throughout its growth and development, the BKWSU has managed to maintain its original principles and adhere to its original purpose.

When the University came into being under the name “Om Mandali” it consisted of only a handful of men, women and children living in Hyderabad, Sindh (now part of Pakistan, but at that time part of colonial India). After a respected and wealthy member of their community, Dada Lekhraj, experienced a series of visions in 1936, these spiritual pioneers were inspired to transform their lives

Founder’s Visions

Dada Lekhraj’s visions revealed a body of knowledge about the nature of the soul, of God and of time – concepts so simple in their expression but so profound in meaning that they awakened a powerful sense of recognition in those with whom the visions were shared.
A year after Om Mandali’s establishment, the organisation moved from Hyderabad to Karachi. For fourteen years, until two years after the partition of India and Pakistan, the founding group of nearly 400 individuals lived as a self–sufficient community devoting their time to intense spiritual study, meditation and self transformation.

World Spiritual Headquarters

n 1950, the community moved to Mount Abu, a quiet place reputed for its ancient heritage and regarded as a sacred destination by many in search of spiritual rejuvenation and empowerment. Nestled high in the Aravali Mountains of Rajasthan, it provided an ideal location for reflection and contemplation. After a few years in a rented building, the community moved to the site which remains the University’s world spiritual headquarters: Madhuban (meaning ‘Forest of Honey’).

Expansion of Brahma Kumaris in India

In 1952, Brahma Baba, as Dada Lekhraj had become known – being aware of the devastating scars the troubled independence process and partition had left on peoples’ lives – felt that it was time to share with the rest of India the knowledge that he had received. He therefore sent a few young women members to Bombay and Delhi ‘on service’. Their task was to establish study centres where the knowledge of Raja Yoga could be taught. Today there is scarcely a town in India without a Brahma Kumaris (BK) study centre.
Since the fifties, the organisation has progressed in leaps and bounds. In 1971, permanent centres were established in the UK and Hong Kong, which soon led to worldwide expansion and consistent, progressive growth, both geographically and in overall membership.

World Spiritual University

Today there are hundreds of thousands of students attending thousands of meditation centres in nearly one hundred countries. While Madhuban itself serves as the nucleus of these BK centres, the Madhuban complex currently includes two other campuses, The Academy for a Better World, also known as Gyan Sarovar (Lake of Knowledge) located elsewhere on the mountain, and Shantivan (Forest of Peace) located at the mountain's base. Altogether every year the three campuses attract over 2.5 million individuals (students and visitors) from all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
From humble beginnings, the organisation has come a long way.

Spiritual Headquarters: Mount Abu

India is a country rich in tradition and legendary stories of the intrigues that depict the wars and romances of its ancient kings and their kingdoms of unimaginable wealth. Many of these kings or ‘rajas’ lived in the state of Rajasthan, ‘The Land of Kings’. During the hot summers the Rajput kings travelled across the desert plains to the cooling heights of their summer palaces in the Aravali Mountains. Today, winding their way up the serpentine mountain road away from the desert, travellers are wonderstruck by the magic of these mountains.

Mount Abu

The highest peak among the Aravalis is Mount Abu. In ancient texts and folklore, Abu is associated with the names of sages and seers; thus there are many temples and hermitages to be found upon it. One of the most exquisite works of art in India is the 11th century Dilwala Temple built here and maintained by the Jains.

Mt. Abu: The Town

The town of Mount Abu itself is a bustling bazaar: dusty shops burst into narrow streets, vendors cry out their wares and sacred cows wander aimlessly amidst the people. More often than not, the hospitable shopkeepers proudly introduce foreign customers to their family members. The friendly, hard working Rajasthani people still carry the regal bearing of their heritage – the men are decked in their turbans and the women in their colourful dresses and traditional jewellery.

Spiritual Headquarters Campuses

However, a short walk takes you away from the maze of activity into the tranquil seclusion of this sacred destination whose atmosphere emanates a sense of enchantment; and to the worldwide spiritual headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris from whence the knowledge of the king of all yogas, Raja Yoga, is disseminated. The spiritual headquarters complex consists of three campuses – Madhuban, Gyan Sarovar and Shantivan – as well as a recreational park and the Global Hospital & Research Centre.

Meditation

The most important journey you can take is the journey within. This is a journey to the truth of who you really are. This is the place, just beyond every day consciousness, where spiritual empowerment begins. Spiritual power gives you the power to choose creative thinking rather than automated thinking, response rather than reaction, peace, love and harmony rather than stress, conflict and chaos.

Meditation enables you to embark on this inward journey. Raja Yoga meditation gives you a clear spiritual understanding of yourself, helps you re–discover and use the positive qualities already latent within you, enables you to develop your strengths of character and create new attitudes and responses to life.
You begin to remember things about yourself that you once knew, but had long forgotten. You start to enjoy moments of silence and to savour periods of introspection and reflection.
Meditation also helps you disconnect from damaging habits of thought, feeling and reaction. This results in a conscious, positive release of energy which improves the quality of your attitude, actions, and interactions.
The process of going within, disconnecting from harmful habits, connecting to your innate spiritual resources, and reconnecting with your external life, is personally empowering in a lasting way.
Meditation is taught as a method of raising self-awareness leading to self–realisation. Meditation stills the mind and empowers the intellect to achieve insight and understanding of the spiritual laws and principles which sustain harmony and can bring natural renewal at all levels of life on earth.

Raja Yoga Meditation

“Meditation, accurately directed, makes God accessible to everyone.” –Sr. Jayanti, God’s Healing Power (Michael Joseph, Penguin Group, 2002)
Raja Yoga meditation redefines the self as a soul and enables a direct connection and relationship with the Supreme Source of purest energy and highest consciousness. Raja Yoga can be translated as ‘supreme union’, or as ‘highest connection’. Every soul has a right to experience this ultimate relationship.

Experience Meditation

Like any skill, meditation requires practice to achieve satisfying results. More and more people are adding some kind of meditation to their daily routine either as an effective antidote to stress, or as a simple method of relaxation. By doing a little meditation every day, it soon becomes a natural and easy habit, which generously rewards you for the effort it involves (Experience Meditation)

Courses

All of the Brahma Kumaris centres offer courses in meditation and spiritual knowledge, as well as seminars and special events facilitating self development and personal change. All courses, seminar and workshops are offered to the public free of charge, as a community service.

The Foundation Course in Meditation, described below, is available at every Brahma Kumaris centre on a regular basis. The other courses are offered from time to time. For information as to what is available in your area, contact a location near you.

The Foundation Course in Raja Yoga Meditation

At the heart of the University’s teachings is The Foundation Course in Raja Yoga Meditation. This course provides a logical and practical understanding of the relationship between spirit and matter, as well as an understanding of the interplay between souls, God and the material world. The series of classes in this course will facilitate your inward journey in an efficient and effective way

Positive Thinking Course

If you are not sure that you’re ready for meditation but would like to understand your mind better, gain greater clarity and learn how to manage your thoughts, the Positive Thinking Course is for you.

Stress Free Living Seminars

Stress getting to you? Everyone experiences difficult periods in their lives when deadlines, family worries, financial pressures and or turbulent relationships take their toll on our sense of mental and physical well–being. Calm down and learn to relax through a Stress Free Living Seminar.

Directions & Contact

With three conveniently accessible centers in New York City and Long Island, the Brahma Kumaris are right in your back yard! Come and visit an oasis of calm in the heart of Manhattan, our charming meditation center in Queens, or the North American coordinating office of the organization in Great Neck, Long Island.

Global Harmony House,
National Coordinating Office

46 S. Middle Neck Road
Great Neck, New York 11021

T 1-516-773 0971
F 1-516-773 0976
E newyork@bkwsu.org

By car
Take LIE (495) to Exit #33, Lakeville Rd. Then, go 1 mile on Lakeville Road to the junction of Northern Blvd (Route 25A). Cross Northern Blvd and continue straight along Middle Neck Road to the 2nd set of traffic lights. The building is on the left, on the corner of Pont Street. Parking is at the back of the building.

By train
Take the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) Port Washington Line to Great Neck. The building is one block from the station. 

By bus
Take N21 from Main St. Flushing. Get off at Great Neck Station Plaza.

The Meditation Center and Gallery

306 5th Ave. (between 31st and 32nd Streets)
2nd Floor
New York, New York 10001

T 1-212-564 4335
E manhattan@us.bkwsu.org

By subway, train, bus or car
The Manhattan Meditation Center and Gallery is located on 5th Ave. between 31st and 32nd streets. There are a variety of transportation options. Visit the mta online for transit maps and schedules, 

Queens Meditation Center

41-30 Forley Street
Elmhurst, New York 11373

T 1-718-565 5133
F 1-718-205 6613
E queens@us.bkwsu.org

By subway
The Queens Meditation Center is accessible by the Number 7 line (get off at the 90th St - Elmhurst Ave Station) and the R or V lines (get off at Elmhurst Avenue

By bus
Take the Queens 29 to Hampton St. at Elmhurst. Walk two blocks north and turn the left on Forley St. The center is between Elmhurst and Britton Avenues. 

City	Address	Contact Information
New York Main centre	Global Harmony House 46 S. Middle Neck Road Great Neck New York 11021	T  1-516-773 0971 F  1-516-773 0976 E newyork@bkwsu.org W www.ghhny.com
New York	41-30 Forley Street Elmhurst Elmhurst New York 11373	T  1-718-565 5133 F  1-718-205 6613 E queens@us.bkwsu.org W www.bkwsu.org/us/newyork
New York Retreat centre	Peace Village - Learning & Retreat Centre 54 O hara Rd - PO Box 99 Haines Falls New York 12436	T  1-518-589 5000 F  1-518-589 5005 E peace-village@bkwsu.org W www.peace-village.org
New York	Brahma Kumaris United Nations Office 866 UN Plaza Suite 436 New York New York 10017	T  1-212-688 1335 F  1-212-504 2798 E bkun@bkwsu.org W un.brahmakumaris.org
New York	The Meditation Centre and Gallery 306 5th Avenue 2nd Floor New York New York 10001	T  1-212-564 4335 E manhattan@us.bkwsu.org W www.bkwsu.org/us/newyork

Facts About Brahma Kumaris
World Spiritual Organization, USA

Date Started:

August 1977

National Headquarters:

Great Neck, New York

Status:

Incorporated as a not-for-profit organization (IRC 501C3)

Number of Centers:

25

State Registration:

California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Community:

To Be Given

Enrollment:

Centers are open to people from all walks of life, professional and ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions.

Aims of Activities:

To provide individuals with the opportunity to discover the spiritual virtues latent in the human soul; and to provide the understanding necessary to improve the quality of family, community, professional and personal life.

Criteria for Establishment of Centers:

Centers are established based on local requests from within the community.

Sources of Financial Support:

Voluntary contributions and gifts are received and accepted from the community and general public, in such amounts as donors may choose. All activities are offered as a free service to the community.

International Affiliation:

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization, USA propagates the teachings, beliefs, and practices of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU) which is headquartered in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. The body of knowledge taught is called Raja Yoga Meditation. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University is an international non-governmental organization in general category consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in consultative status with UNICEF and is affiliated to the Department of Public Information (DPI). The BKWSU international is in 103 countries.

 

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...)                                                                                                                              

(My humble  salutations to the great devotees ,  wikisources  and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the collection )