Ashram turns a hotbed for patronage seeking and cronyism

[Fanaticism by James V. Schall (Gilbert Magazine) from Science, Culture and Integral Yoga™ by Rich
Fanaticism is often associated with religious practice and its mystical tendencies. In this article on G.K. Chesterton view of the fanatic, the reviewer notes that Chesterton rather associated fanaticism with a particular logic that is derived from mystical experience and not from mystical experience itself. The article focuses on Chesterton's critique of Tolstoy. Today, we often hear it said that “fanaticism” is the consequence of religion, that science is its alternative. If I understand Chesterton's view of both the scientists and Islam, it is that “fanaticism” stems from both... In the end, “fanaticism” is not a product of mysticism, but of logic. By looking for its causes in the wrong place, we often reveal our own “fanaticisms.” The “fanatical” concern about the religious cause of “fanaticism” has blinded us to the “fanaticisms” that stem from science itself and has caused us to misunderstand what it is within Islam that often makes it so “fanatical.”]

All said and done, a major factor contributing to the chaos exposed by the Heehs imbroglio is sycophancy. A sycophant is one “who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people,” and an Ashram functioning without well-defined rules and procedures turns a hotbed for breeding patronage seeking and cronyism. Devotees frequenting Puducherry also cultivate their contacts with (senior) sadhaks to ensure suitable accommodation and welcome. Besides, commercial transactions, charitable purchases, and donations etc. falling outside the essential boundary of yoga are fertile fields for spawning sycophancy. [TNM]