Elvis and 'Ma', Sri Daya Mata

More on the Self-Realization Fellowship, and where Elvis spent a lot of time, and emotional investment. And about the late Sri Daya Mata. Thought you'd find it of interest.

They also have their own channel, but these are not from that channel.

rjm

Elvis would have been deeply touched by this topic. This kind woman was incredibly important to Elvis in the last 12 years of his life. He adored her, and greatly valued their private visits. It is said she reminded him of his mother, Gladys.

SriDayaMata.jpg

Sri Daya Mata

She passed away not too long ago.

Spiritual leader Sri Daya Mata dies in US
Washington, Dec 2, 2010 (IANS)

Sri Daya Mata, successor to Indian spiritual leader Paramahansa Yogananda, has passed away after heading the worldwide religious movement founded in 1920 for over half a century. She was 96.

One of the first women in modern history to head an international religious movement, Daya Mata who died Monday in Los Angeles served as president and sanghamata (spiritual leader) of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (SRF/YSS), founded by Yogananda, author of 'Autobiography of a Yogi'.

Born Faye Wright in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 31, 1914, Sri Daya Mata grew up in a Mormon family. Her grandfather, Abraham Reister Wright, was an architect of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City and constructed a Tabernacle replica that now resides in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

In October 1931, at the age of 17, Daya Mata moved to Los Angeles and joined the Self-Realization Fellowship Monastic Order, according to a press release from the organization.

For more than 20 years, Sri Daya Mata was part of the small circle of his closest disciples, who were with him almost constantly. As his secretary, she was responsible for recording all of his talks, lectures and classes in shorthand.

In 1955, three years after Paramahansa Yogananda's passing, Sri Daya Mata succeeded the late Rajarsi Janakananda as president of the society.

As spiritual successor to Sri Yogananda, she saw to the guidance of SRF/YSS members, the training of monastic disciples who reside in the SRF/YSS ashrams in the US, Germany and India, and to the administration of the many worldwide spiritual and humanitarian services of the organization.

Under Sri Daya Mata's leadership, the society continued to grow significantly. Today there are more than 600 SRF/YSS temples, meditation centres and retreats in over 60 countries, the release said.

Spiritual leader Sri Daya Mata dies in US - Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/117475/spiritual-leader-sri-daya-mata.html

Read more here:
In Memoriam: Sri Daya Mata (January 31, 1914 – November 30, 2010)
http://www.yogananda-srf.org/tmp/about_notitle.aspx?id=2802

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Elvis would have been deeply touched by this topic. This kind woman was incredibly important to Elvis in the last 12 years of his life. He adored her, and greatly valued their private visits. It is said she reminded him of his mother, Gladys.

SriDayaMata.jpg

Sri Daya Mata

She passed away not too long ago.

Thank you, Doc! That really means a lot to me. I know; I've seen the memorials, and they have a lot on their channel. It's very important toward understanding him, and mattered so much to him.

rjm

Man this guy was multi layered, just when you think you have a handle on him you remember this was a part of him too. I so wish he had had the strength to get rid of morons like the MM who you know were not supportive of this endeavor to self help. They would have been far too threatened to lose their party boy.
Another thing that gets me is that most of this country has stereotyped Elvis and has no clue about this part of his personality. He was far deeper and more spiritual than Lennon ever thought about being.

Man this guy was multi layered, just when you think you have a handle on him you remember this was a part of him too. I so wish he had had the strength to get rid of morons like the MM who you know were not supportive of this endeavor to self help. They would have been far too threatened to lose their party boy.
Another thing that gets me is that most of this country has stereotyped Elvis and has no clue about this part of his personality. He was far deeper and more spiritual than Lennon ever thought about being.

Regarding the "morons" you speak of, you forget Larry Geller, who was very supportive of Presley's spiritual pursuits. And the one person most determined to separate Elvis from his secular interests was Tom Parker. In early 1967 he succeeded, at least for a while.

The effort to one-up John Lennon's interests is misplaced. Elvis never expounded on his far-reaching religious quests, except privately. In public he only cited his Pentecostal upbringing and teachings, and only recorded music of a Christian nature. All votes for "Life" do not count as stretching this envelope, by the way.

On the other hand, John Lennon and his group, the Beatles, very publicly spoke of all manner of spiritual questions and answers, released many songs covering these topics, and also very publicly went on religious retreats.

John also declared with some vehemence his disappointment when he found out that certain mystical figureheads were ultimately found to be charlatans.

He even wrote and released a very tough song about it.

John Lennon, "I Found Out" John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (Apple PCS 7124, December 1970)
Note: the rhythm track is strongly influenced by Carl Perkins' 1955 Sun single, "Gone, Gone, Gone"

Great topic.Elvis spent a lot of time looking for answers and ways to get closer to finding them.

His broader spiritual interests are things that Elvis could talk about more easily with Jerry Schiling and Larry Gellar than with others. In fact, I think I read somewhere that Priscilla had gone so far as to burn many of Elvis' books. Is that true? I don't know.

Both Jerry and Larry write positively about Daya Mata and her SRF organisation, however, Marty Lacker was not so positive about Daya Mata and SRF, and labels it as "California Crap." He has argued with Larry Gellar about his use of that blunt term.

His broader spiritual interests are things that Elvis could talk about more easily with Jerry Schiling and Larry Gellar than with others. In fact, I think I read somewhere that Priscilla had gone so far as to burn many of Elvis' books. Is that true? I don't know.

It has been written about in several biographies. Elvis and Priscilla together went and burned a pile of his spiritual books shortly after they were married, and Geller had been banished. It was a weird time for our hero.

His broader spiritual interests are things that Elvis could talk about more easily with Jerry Schiling and Larry Gellar than with others. In fact, I think I read somewhere that Priscilla had gone so far as to burn many of Elvis' books. Is that true? I don't know.

It has been written about in several biographies. Elvis and Priscilla together went and burned a pile of his spiritual books shortly after they were married, and Geller had been banished. It was a weird time for our hero.

I think we know who encouraged that. But that he went through with it . . . bespeaks of an insecurity perhaps none of us can truly understand. You really had to have walked many, many miles in his boots.

As to Lennon, let's remember that there were FOUR DIFFERENT members of the Beatles, and that George Harrison had a set of beliefs that were very different than Lennon's, and closer to Elvis's. And Lennon didn't totally understand that, from a chance comment here and there. He just didn't want to be saddled by "religion," but that doesn't mean he wasn't a deeply spiritual person; that's not fair because at the end, they had a gospel choir on the last album, and he was very enthusiastic and said that was what he was all about. (He always said "we" meaning him and Yoko, but it was him.)

Neither should be pigeonholed. Elvis's beliefs were wide-ranging and open. As for "publicly," well, he did push that "Impersonal Life" book on so many people, and according to EWH, made Don Rickles read it on stage. Rickles was very uncomfortable, and didn't know what was happening.

You can't just blame the guys; Elvis chose to have the guys around. If he just wanted to go his own way, on his own, he would have. He wanted his cake, and to eat it too.

But, yeah, he burned his own books. Talk about complexity!

rjm (Thanks, Norrie!)

Elvis's beliefs were wide-ranging and open. As for "publicly," well, he did push that "Impersonal Life" book on so many people, and according to EWH, made Don Rickles read it on stage. Rickles was very uncomfortable, and didn't know what was happening.

An odd, one-off incident on a Las Vegas stage does not in any way equate to expounding in published interviews on spiritual beliefs outside the Christian realm, or recording songs that touch upon same.

Elvis's beliefs were wide-ranging and open. As for "publicly," well, he did push that "Impersonal Life" book on so many people, and according to EWH, made Don Rickles read it on stage. Rickles was very uncomfortable, and didn't know what was happening.

An odd, one-off incident on a Las Vegas stage does not in any way equate to expounding in published interviews on spiritual beliefs outside the Christian realm, or recording songs that touch upon same.

Okay, okay. He was loaded!

rjm