Warm greetings and salutations to you, yogi or yogini, on behalf of The SYDA Foundation Board of Trustees. My name is Fernando Del Cant and as junior member of the Board it is my sad duty to have to deal with the following situation.
I am writing to respond to inquiries that The SYDA Foundation has received regarding an upcoming movie, Eat, Pray, Love. I am told this film is based on a book of the same title and includes an account of one woman's alleged spiritual retreat in India. A number of people have asked if The SYDA Foundation is aware of this film and if the film represents the Siddha Yoga path.
First, let me say that of course we are aware of the film. The SYDA Foundation is aware of many things most things everything. Allow me to share with you the perspective of The SYDA Foundation regarding this film. It is NOT a representation of the Siddha Yoga path. Now, some people may say but I saw Elizabeth Gilbert at South Fallsburgh and I know for a fact that she traveled to Ganeshpuri to be with Gurumayi, she was one of us, a devotee, what do you mean the book and film about her Guru don't portray Siddha Yoga? To those people I say YES! Yes, the book and movie do not represent the path. Also, The SYDA Foundation was not involved in the production of this film. We weren't even brought on as technical consultants, for Christ's sake.
Not that any of that matters. The core purpose of The SYDA Foundation is to Protect, Preserve and Disseminate the Siddha Yoga teachings! And to insure that the Siddha Yoga path is maintained as An Enduring Legacy for students Now and For Generations to Come, Amen. This is our focus our bread and butter our get-that-bitch-back scheme for leaving us in the lurch.
When Gilbert first wrote her book we hit her with a cease and desist order designed to lock her lips in full-lotus permanently unless SYDA got a cut of the action. And it worked, for awhile. But once she brought in the Hollywood guns I guess all bets were off. Those fockers don't freak around, they're freakin SCIENTOLOGISTS! We got served with papers that threatened to, well, legally I'm not allowed to discuss specifics but let's just say that waking up as a demon in a waterless place would have been an ESCAPE from what those papers promised.
So. To reiterate. The SYDA Foundation does not participate in activities that are unrelated to its core purpose as stated above. The SYDA Foundation does not seek publicity or...wait a sec, checking papers for exact wording here...gain from commercial ventures such as the film Eat, Pray, Love.
If friends or relatives would like to learn about the Siddha Yoga path and its teach...oh, what's the use. We're the focus of the biggest Hollywood phenomenon in decades and we can't even talk about it. This sucks.
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This was apparently SYDA's response to Salon:
Siddha Yoga responds to Salon story
Organization linked to "Eat, Pray, Love" says it "emphatically rejects the grossly false picture"
BY SALON STAFF
The following statement was sent to Salon on behalf of the SYDA Foundation Board of Trustees, and responds to the article The "Eat, Pray, Love" guru's troubling past.
Note: The writer of the story made several attempts to reach SYDA for comment before the story ran.
"The SYDA Foundation Board of Trustees emphatically rejects the grossly false picture drawn by Salon.com magazine in its recent article about Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Swami Muktananda, and the Siddha Yoga path. The Siddha Yoga path is an authentic path of self-knowledge and thousands of Siddha Yoga students can attest to the beneficial effect it has on their lives. For almost three decades, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, the spiritual head of the Siddha Yoga path, has guided students through her teachings.
The purpose of the SYDA Foundation is to disseminate the Siddha Yoga teachings. The SYDA Foundation does not engage in activities unrelated to its purpose and has done nothing whatsoever to capitalize on the film or the book "Eat, Pray, Love."
Tens of thousands of people around the world have chosen Siddha Yoga as their spiritual path. Over time, some people have decided not to continue on this path. A few of these former practitioners have become critics. Salon.com and writer Riddhi Shah chose to focus on a handful of critics rather than the thousands of Siddha Yoga practitioners who are living active and productive lives in their communities.
Shah relies heavily on what she herself acknowledges as rumors and accusations from articles written in 1983 and 1994. She then insinuates there is currency to those claims by falsely stating that Gurumayi disappeared from public view amid the allegations. In fact, Gurumayi actively continues to teach and guide Siddha Yoga students from all parts of the world.
It is unfortunate that the writer has used the release of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" in an attempt to discredit a path that has enriched the lives of so many."
This was apparently SYDA's response to Salon:
Siddha Yoga responds to Salon story
Organization linked to "Eat, Pray, Love" says it "emphatically rejects the grossly false picture"
BY SALON STAFF
The following statement was sent to Salon on behalf of the SYDA Foundation Board of Trustees, and responds to the article The "Eat, Pray, Love" guru's troubling past.
Note: The writer of the story made several attempts to reach SYDA for comment before the story ran.
"The SYDA Foundation Board of Trustees emphatically rejects the grossly false picture drawn by Salon.com magazine in its recent article about Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Swami Muktananda, and the Siddha Yoga path. The Siddha Yoga path is an authentic path of self-knowledge and thousands of Siddha Yoga students can attest to the beneficial effect it has on their lives. For almost three decades, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, the spiritual head of the Siddha Yoga path, has guided students through her teachings.
The purpose of the SYDA Foundation is to disseminate the Siddha Yoga teachings. The SYDA Foundation does not engage in activities unrelated to its purpose and has done nothing whatsoever to capitalize on the film or the book "Eat, Pray, Love."
Tens of thousands of people around the world have chosen Siddha Yoga as their spiritual path. Over time, some people have decided not to continue on this path. A few of these former practitioners have become critics. Salon.com and writer Riddhi Shah chose to focus on a handful of critics rather than the thousands of Siddha Yoga practitioners who are living active and productive lives in their communities.
Shah relies heavily on what she herself acknowledges as rumors and accusations from articles written in 1983 and 1994. She then insinuates there is currency to those claims by falsely stating that Gurumayi disappeared from public view amid the allegations. In fact, Gurumayi actively continues to teach and guide Siddha Yoga students from all parts of the world.
It is unfortunate that the writer has used the release of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" in an attempt to discredit a path that has enriched the lives of so many."
Anon:
Given that many may not have read the Salon piece, I'm posting it separately--thanks for this!
very very funny dude!
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