Abhidevananda: Difference between revisions

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'''Abhidevananda''' has been a leading figure in [[Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha|Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS)]] for more than 40 years. In that capacity he carries the titles of [[Acarya]] (one who teaches by example) and [[Avadhuta]] (renunciate monk in the Shaivite tradition). He has toured the world extensively, initiating many thousands of people worldwide into the practice of yoga and meditation.

* 1971-1972 In early 1971, at the age of 20, Abhidevananda was initiated into [[Ananda Marga]] by Ac. Raghaw Prasad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Later that year, Abhidevananda met his Guru, [[Shrii Shrii Anandamurti]] (aka Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar and Baba) in [[:wikipedia:Patna|Patna, Bihar, India]]. A few months later, in early 1972, Baba gave Abhidevananda his first [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] name, Abhiik Kumar.

* 2014 Abhidevananda took up a 15-year project of translating the mostly [[:wikipedia:Bengali language|Bengali]] songs of the 5,018-song collection of [[Prabhat Samgiita]] into English. Currently, the first 700 songs have been completed. Abhidevananda also began work on a feature-length [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, Yesterday's Man of Tomorrow|documentary film]] about [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar]]. Though financial support for the project has been less than encouraging, Abhidevananda's team continues work on the project and insists that it will be finished.

Abhidevananda is a [[:wikipedia:Naturalization|naturalized]] citizen of Australia. In mid-1978, the Australian government briefly withdrew Abhidevananda's passport. However, within a few weeks, after sustained protests by members of [[AMPS]] in Australia, the Foreign Affairs minister, [[:wikipedia:Andrew Peacock|Andrew Peacock]], invited Abhidevananda to Canberra, where an accommodation was struck. The Australian Government, however, was less than forthright in their implementation of the deal, first seeking Abhidevananda's arrest in Nepal and then in Germany. In both cases, Abhidevananda was quickly released from custody. (In Germany, it was almost instantaneous. However, in Nepal, it took three days, because the Government of India had threatened that they would consider it an [[:wikipedia:Casus belli|act of war]] by Nepal if Abhidevananda were to enter India through Nepal.)

In April 2016, [http://psysri.com/landers/wbth.pdf a book] authored by [https://www.aftrs.edu.au/staff/degree-program/dr-rachel-landers Rachel Landers] was published in Australia. In that book, Landers accuses Abhidevananda of being responsible for the [[:wikipedia:Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing|Hilton bombing]] and a host of other crimes, all based on evidence that is at best double hearsay. Landers knew how to contact Abhidevananda but chose not to do so. In her own words, Landers "made a vow not to trust the living".<ref>[http://psysri.com/landers/wbth.pdf ''Who Bombed the Hilton'' by Rachel Landers], ''Epilogue'', NewSouth Books, April 2016</ref> The first [http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B01D0YGJD4?tag=professionalde03&linkCo review] of the book by [http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3NVK64VLM7D7G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pdp?ie=UTF8 T. Manning] on [[:wikipedia:amazon.com|Amazon]] has panned the book as "very poor history" and adds a caution regarding "false advertising". That review also takes note of Landers's opportunistic intent to make a movie from her book. (Landers has even selected the [[:wikipedia:Kit Harrington|actor]] whom she would cast for the role of Abhidevananda.)<ref>[https://filmink.com.au/2016/they-should-make-a-movie-of-that-who-bombed-the-hilton/ They Should Make A Movie Of That: ''Who Bombed The Hilton?'', Rachel Landers, 2016 May 2]</ref>

Abhidevananda is recognized globally, both within and without Ananda Marga, as an authority on [[PROUT]], [[Neohumanism]], [[Ananda Marga]] spiritual and social philosophy, [[Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha]] organizational matters, and [[Prabhat Samgiita]]. In that connection, Abhidevananda has been a prolific writer of articles, books, and assorted presentations. He has also produced one film on PROUT<ref>[http://proutfilms.com/prout-film-1/ PROUT (The Movie)], Ac. Abhidevananda Avadhuta, 2010</ref> and is producing another film at this time, a documentary on [[Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar]].

* [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Prabhat+Samgiita Prabhat Samgiita – The First 600]