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Techniques of KnowledgeThe techniques of Knowledge as taught by Prem Rawat, known as Maharaji to his students, comprises four techniques that he claims helps his students to take their senses and invert them within to experience inner peace. Students often describe the experience simply as "going within." In the past, these techniques were referred to as "Light", "Sound", "Name" and "Nectar". To remove any cultural connotations, Maharaji nowadays refers to them as simply 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th techniques. Students see the ongoing relationship between the disciple and their teacher (guruin Indian culture) to be of central importance for the usefulness of the techniques. Students say that the techniques of Knowledge have always been a prominent part of the clarity on life which they see Maharaji as presenting and that these techniques have not changed throughout the years. See also the past teachingsand current teachings of Prem Rawat. There is a self-paced process of preparation, called "The Keys," before a person is taught the techniques of Knowledge. Going through the Keys process involves watching video materials in which Maharaji helps the person develop the understanding necessary to learn the techniques of Knowledge. <ref>The KeysRetrieved November, 2005</ref>
The experience of Knowledge is described by practitioners as highly internal and "atomistically" individual. The techniques are to be practiced privately, there being no social structure or hierarchy related to their practice. According to students, there is no liturgy or social obligation involved, but Maharaji instructs them to practice the techniques daily for at least one hour to fully benefit from them. They also say that the techniques are universally applicable and their practice has no impact on or relationship to a student's gender, race, sexual orientation, economic status or national origin. Elan Vitalalso states that practice of Knowledge will not affect a person's religion.<ref>FAQs about KnowledgeElan Vital website, August 2005. Retrieved November 2005</ref> Descriptions of Rawat's techniques have been posted on websites by critical former students, purportedly described by people authorized by Rawat to teach the techniques in the past.<ref>The Aspirant process. Step 5: The Knowledge session(date of publication unknown). Retrieved November 2005</ref> Current students answer that the descriptions posted by these apostates are not accurate and moreover, to be useful, the techniques require preparation and mentoring by a living teacher. Students say that they accepted the trust given to them by their teacher and that they have made a vow not to share the techniques with anyone, and that the posting of the description of the techniques would be an unbridgeable affront to the sensitivities of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world that consider Maharaji their teacher, and his trust as a source of dignity and love. In his early days in the West, Prem Rawat himself or his instructors (called Mahatmasin India) conducted these sessions in person with smaller groups. Nowadays, the techniques are taught via a multimedia presentation made by Maharaji. It is available in more than 50 languages (of which he speaks five himself: English, Hindi, Nepalese, Spanishand Italian. The other languages are dubbed). In this multimedia presentation, Maharaji explains the techniques step-by-step, demonstrating them one by one in ample detail, to ensure that these are understood and practiced correctly. The whole process takes 2 1/2 hours, of which one hour is dedicated to practicing the techniques, 15 minutes each. Before the presentation starts, people can hear Maharaji asking for three promises: a) to keep in touch, b) to give Knowledge a fair chance, and c) to not to share these techniques with anyone. He then asks attendees to stay and receive "the gift of Knoweldge" if they agree with these three promises. These Knowledge sessions are facilitated by a technical operator that runs the multimedia presentation and the video equipment needed, and another person that ensures the comfort of the attendees and assist them if needed. These people do this as volunteers. Knowledge sessions are available throughout the year in most Western countries mainly during weekends. In India, due to the large number of people, there are Knowledge sessions every day of the year. In special cases such as people in hospitals, or bed-ridden, etc, these volunteers go to were these people are to conduct the Knowledge session at their convenience. The terms conditions to prepare to be taught the techniques of Knowledge, via the self-paced process of "The Keys", include statements about the need to be 18-years old and of legal age; that the process is voluntary; that three promises will need to be made before being taught the techniques (giving Knowledge a fair chance, keeping in touch with Maharaji, and never reveal the techniques to anyone); that the person entering the process of preparation understands that the access to the Keys materials is solely for their personal interest and that as such, the student waives its rights in terms of research, creating commentary and any other "fair use" purposes; that the practice of Knowledge does not prevent, cure or treat any medical or mental illnesses, and that unresolved mental, emotional and health problems may interfere with a person's ability to make choices related to asking, for, practicing and enjoy Knowledge.<ref>Terms & Conditions, The Keys wesbsite, June 2005, Retrieved November 2005</ref> A website by critical former "followers," refers to some of these terms and conditions as inhibition of free speech<ref>Inhibition of free speech, Prem Rawat critique website. Retrieved November 2005</ref>. However, neither Rawat nor his assistants, nor representatives of any legal entities associated with Rawat and the Knowledge, have been known to exert enforcement of any kind over the individual student's promise. As with all non legally binding agreements, practitioners are free to do as their conscience guides them. Eileen Barkerrefers for more information about the defunct Divine Light Mission to a 1981 article by a student of religion that appeared in the magazine about religious movements of the Free Universityin Amsterdam. Wim Haan, who belonged to a critical movement within the Roman CatholicChurch) wrote that article while he was a student of theology at a Pastoral and Theology school in a small town in the Netherlands, not as an expert in the Knowledge experience himself. In that article, Haam writes that receiving Knowledge involved a formal initiation that the aspirant had to keep secret and speculates that the reason for the secrecy is that he saw a direct connection between the techniques, the initiation and the need to live what he believed to be a life a devotion to Rawat. He also speculated that the fact that other groups may also use the same techniques would probably not help to increase the interest in them. Haan did not receive the techniques of Knowledge and wrote this article based on observations of the Dutch branch of the defunct DLM between 1980 and 1981. The Dutch religious scholar Reender Kranenborgwrites that the techniques of Knowledge of the Divine Light Mission, are not unique but a simplification of techniques that originated from yoga], mantrayoga, Radha Soami, and Shabd(the Path of the "Sound Current")<ref>Kranenborg, Reender (Dutch language) Neohindoeďstische bewegingen in Nederland : een encyclopedisch overzicht (En: Neo-Hindu movements in the Netherlands, published by Kampen Kok cop. (2002) ISBN 9043504939</ref>. Practitioners of Knowledge counter that whether this is true or not is irrelevant, as the experience of focusing within to one's unique self in the moment is satisfying regardless of past efforts, teachings, or explanations.
Generic references to the kryias, Knowledge and the teacher
References<references /> Bibliography
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