FAQ's
Curious to know more about Brahma Kumaris? Find answers to your questions related to the organization, what does it do and how.
Curious to know more about Brahma Kumaris? Find answers to your questions related to the organization, what does it do and how.
Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya (fondly knows as Brahma Kumaris) was founded in India in 1936 by The Incorporeal Supreme God Father, through the corporeal medium of Brahma Baba and has its international headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India. Brahma Kumaris services outside India began in 1971 and now comprises a worldwide network of centres in over 120 countries in 5 continents. More than one million individuals are associated with it worldwide, practising meditation and leading a spiritual, non-violent and pure lifestyle. It provides spiritual education and reflective practices for people from diverse cultural backgrounds, inspiring them to live according to their own higher consciousness and contribute towards a better world.
Through its international network of centres Brahma Kumaris offers courses in Rajyoga meditation and a range of lectures, workshops, short courses and programmes in personal development. There are also many community outreach projects that serve a variety of local needs.
At a national and international level, Brahma Kumaris co-ordinates and works in partnership on a variety of projects that provide opportunities for people to participate in activities of social and humanitarian concern.
Brahma Kumaris plays a significant role in reaching out to local communities. We conduct seminars, courses and workshops on meditation, personal development and new ways of working together in the community. The courses and the presentation vary according to country, culture and local facilities, following the law of the land. To find out about the course in your area, you may contact our local branch.
These courses are held at community centres, prisons, hospitals, homes for the elderly, drug rehabilitation units, schools and local businesses. They are based on practical and applied spirituality with a view to enhancing well-being and quality of life. The content is drawn from the teachings of Brahma Kumaris, successfully tried and tested in the laboratory of millions of Rajyogis.
In addition to Rajyoga Meditation, we provide various professional courses that include:
Further support is provided for:
– Empowerment of all sections of society including women, men, children, youth, specially abled, underprivileged, etc.
– Betterment of environment
– Improving Leadership
– Resolving Societal Issues
– Resolving Global Issues
Other areas of activity include education, healthcare, interfaith and places of detention. There are also residential retreat centres, which provide a supportive and nurturing environment, where individuals and professional groups can explore meditation and the spiritual underpinnings of their personal, family and work life.
Brahma Kumaris engages in a variety of partnerships, based on shared purposes and principles. Partnerships include:
Brahma Kumaris global initiatives are drawn from the creative minds of individuals who integrate their personal spiritual growth with the work they do in the world. Applying the double helix of the spiritual with the secular, topical global issues are explored through outreach to the wider population, drawing on their collective wisdom and enlightened insight. Courses, activities, programmes and initiatives are designed to help in everyday life. They cover a broad cultural context and include:
At the heart of the Brahma Kumaris teachings is the Foundation Course in Raja Yoga meditation. This course provides a 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. Learn about:
The lessons are offered in two parts:
There are four main pillars:
The journey towards self-realisation involves observing certain lifestyle disciplines, which are recommended and not imposed. Brahma Kumaris’ environments are nurtured by observing these disciplines.
Spiritual study and practice underpin an individual’s spiritual journey. It is the responsibility of each person to discern and choose what lifestyle disciplines they are ready to implement, and at whatever pace suits them.
The two main lifestyle disciplines observed are:
No. This is a learning community in which all the participants are involved in a process of spiritual development. Each individual chooses what to take from the curriculum, according to their interest. It is an open learning environment, to which people from diverse backgrounds come, bringing with them the richness of their specialties. The level of commitment is a personal decision.
There is no specific dress code, although casual, modest dress is generally appropriate, when attending BK courses or activities. White is the preferred colour within the BK community, as it reflects the inner aspirations towards living a life of simplicity, purity, cleanliness and truth – qualities to which the practice of Raja Yoga meditation gives rise.
The Brahma Kumaris emphasises the importance of the ‘dharma’ element of religion – the inculcation of the universal principles, taught by God to humanity, for spiritual renewal and restoration. The purpose of ‘dharma’ is to recognise that spirituality is the key to bringing justice, peace and well-being to humanity.
Every soul, regardless of the religion, is spiritually moulded by his or her relationship with the Supreme, and their understanding and practice of faith and life experiences. The way forward is a return to the spirituality at the heart of the great faiths. In practical terms, this would mean living the highest ideals that faith inspires within souls – of love, compassion, truth and non-violence.
The Brahma Kumaris teachings are set within the context that the world is at a turning point at which a transformation of consciousness is taking place. One of the main teachings is that the tree of humanity has one seed, God, the Supreme Soul, who stays eternally full of all divine qualities. As children of the one Seed, human beings are one family. By making a subtle shift from an outer, material dependency to an inner, spiritual awareness, human beings realise their true selves and recognise the Source, God, and restore themselves to their original nature of peace, respect and love.
Raja Yoga meditation requires the individual to study spiritual knowledge. Understanding of the knowledge is essential to its practice and application. The aim of Raja Yoga is self-sovereignty and self-mastery and so it is important for the individual to be discerning on his or her spiritual journey. The process of learning is a simple one: listening to and understanding the teachings; contemplating and making sense of how to apply the teachings in life; inculcating the teachings and emerging the innate qualities into the awareness of the self; experiencing the meaning of insightful wisdom and deciding the quality of one’s actions.
The process begins at the personal level with a collective momentum building, and eventually leads to a shift from a world torn apart by anger, attachment, arrogance, greed and lust to a kinder, gentler world, with only the finest in human virtues – happiness, love, peace and purity.
The term ‘teacher’ is used for a person facilitating the process of taking an individual through the lessons of the Raja Yoga Meditation Course. The teacher’s role is more of a spiritual coach.
The Brahma Kumaris runs on voluntary contributions, both financial and in kind, from individuals who have benefited personally through its courses and activities. Brahma Kumaris students, inspired to serve others, choose to contribute regularly in support of the work, according to their means. There is no membership fee.
Funds from philanthropists, national or international agencies are sometimes received for humanitarian and environmental initiatives, in such fields as solar energy projects, health and education.
From its beginning, the work of Brahma Kumaris has been based on the principle that spiritual knowledge is a basic right of every human being. It was the founder’s (Brahma Baba’s) aim to provide opportunities for everyone to develop their own spiritual potential, without charge, regardless of age, gender, background or financial circumstances. This ethic is practised by all participating BK teachers and students.
All adults are welcome to participate in any activity of their choice. Informal open-house meetings and visits provide an opportunity for individuals to learn more about the organisation even before deciding to participate in any of the courses or activities at local centres. For many of the courses and programmes, prior registration is required.
Young people aged 16 and over may join group classes and activities. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by their parent/carer.
All Brahma Kumaris centres carry child-protection policies, in accordance with the laws of their respective countries and cities.
In general, anyone can benefit from Rajyoga Meditation. In case of any medical condition of the mind/ brain, prior consultation with the Rajyoga Teacher or a doctor is recommended. It is also important that you explain your medical condition before embarking on this journey and do not discontinue any medication without first consulting your doctor.
The organisation does not offer counselling at any of its centres, but spiritual guidance. It provides a wide range of courses in spiritual knowledge which the individuals are free to choose to take and practise.
It was founded in 1930’s in Hyderabad, Sindh (now part of Pakistan, but at that time part of colonial India) by Brahma Baba, formerly known as Dada Lekhraj Kripalani, who had a series of visions depicting world transformation. In 1937, he formed a managing committee of eight young women and established an informal group that grew into the Brahma Kumaris of today.
For More information :- Journey
Dada Lekhraj was a successful and much-respected jeweller. In 1936, around the time when most people at his age start to plan their retirement, he actually entered into the most active and fascinating phase of his life. After a series of deep spiritual experiences and visions, he felt an extremely strong pull to give up his business and dedicate his time, energy and wealth to laying the foundations of what later would become the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. He soon became known as Brahma Baba. He spent the rest of his life bringing people of all cultural, socio-economic and religious backgrounds together to rediscover and develop the spiritual dimensions of their personal lives and to integrate this into their world. He insisted that his role was that of a simple instrument and not that of a guru. He recognised God, the Being of Light, the Benevolent one, as the primary inspiration for Brahma Kumaris and their work. In May 1950 he moved with the other founding members from Karachi, Pakistan, to Mt. Abu in India, where he remained until his passing in 1969.
When the founder, Brahma Baba, passed from this life in January of 1969, the leadership of the community continued under the wise guidance of the original group of young women, who came to be called “Dadis,” (senior sister in Hindi). This transition to leadership by the sisters was mandated by the founder, and it proved to be a deep and stable foundation, protecting the organization and preserving their sacred knowledge and practices in an ever-more-turbulent world.
Under their leadership the Brahma Kumaris grew to a million members at our world-wide centres in 120 countries, making it the largest spiritual organization in the world led by women. As the original Dadi’s became fewer in number, the sisters they had mentored stepped forward into positions of leadership, where they currently lead in India and in all regions of the world.
Brahma Kumaris means ‘daughters of Brahma’. Seminal to the vision of world renewal was the revelation of the important and prominent role of women as spiritual teachers. Brahma Baba correctly foresaw that core values based on traditionally feminine qualities – patience, tolerance, sacrifice, kindness and love – would increasingly become the foundation of progress in personal growth, human relations and the development of caring communities. To maintain the emphasis on this vital core of leadership, the organisation is named ‘Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya’, also known world- wide as ‘The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University’
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