Comparing David's list - part 3

I'm going to skip the introduction I made in the last two posts in this
series. See previous posts if you want more information.

With this post I am looking at the next 16 paragraphs that David identifies
on his, for Paul's Chapter One. These are the following paragraphs: 66, 67,
68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83.

Here is how those paragraphs read from Paul's Chapter One of The Far
Country:

"Sometimes the spiritual travelers call this region the Brahmanda, which
means the egg of Brahm, and refers to the name of its Lord, Brahm. This
Deity is supposed to be the supreme being of all creation by the Yogis. This
is the highest world known to practically all faiths, including
Christianity.

"If the yogi or other holy man claims to be a master and declares that
Brahman is the highest of all creators, that this is the supreme heaven, he
is not a master in the sense that we know. He is only a humble seeker under
the supreme ruler of this plane, Brahman.

"This is the top of the three worlds, the physical, lower and upper Astral.
It is called the first grand division of the universes...

"This is the region of the universal mind, whose power is called AUM. Hence
the word Omkar, the power on this plane, which is still the negative force.
The lower part of this region is that known as the Home of the Universal
Mind. It is from here that all individual minds are derived, and to that
region all minds must return when they are discarded during the upward
flight of Soul.

"An ECK Master takes you through this world, into the next region, for only
a master can be the guide, and know the path, thorny as it is. He is the
recognized Lord of all.

"All other lords, rulers and peoples on every plane pay homage to Him.

"When you arrive at the border of this region the sound of Omkar is heard
continuously resounding, like a great drum. You go up a hill and open a
gate, enter a crooked tunnel, pass on through to the other side. Then you
cross high and low hills where the vision appears to be reversed. It's as if
you are traveling in reverse.

"You pass through a fort like region which is the home of the ruler, Omkar,
and halt, for Soul to become adorned with the attributes of devotion and
faith.

"The seeds of the traveler's karma are burned and destroyed here.

"The color of this region is that of a beautiful, setting sun. Above it is
another part of the world of Omkar where you find deserts, mountains and
gardens. Flowers are arranged in artistic designs everywhere.

"You will be intoxicated with joy, wandering through a splendid region of
canals and streams, before coming to an ocean of water over which you can
cross by bridge to the other side where there are three mountain peaks named
Mer, Sumer and Kailash.

"This is a halting place for many spiritualists and mystics. Some yogis
believe this to be their heaven. The miracles of the mind are performed from
this section of Brahm Lok, e.g., stopping of trains, filling dry wells and
healing the sick...

"There are six planes within Brahm Lok, and many sub-divisions. The chief
city here is called Mersumer Kailash, named after the three peaks of Brahm
Lok.

"This region is controlled by Brahm whose chief duty is to channel the great
power, AUM, into the region and the worlds below.

"The function of AUM, a part of the great sound current, is to create,
maintain and destroy the universes below it. It is the center of creation of
the material and Astral worlds.

"Many of the great scriptures have sprung from this region, including the
Vedas, Christian scriptures, Buddhist texts, to name a few. Lord Krishna as
well as many other spiritual leaders make their home here."

Following are quotes from Julian Johnson's book, With A Great Master In
India, pages 197-198:

"With our great Captain in command, we resume our journey. He alone knows
the Way, and he alone has the key to all regions: for he has traveled them
all many times, and besides, he is the recognized Lord of them all for the
time being. The true Saint is king of kings, and is universally recognized
as Lord because he is ONE with the Supreme. His power and authority are
recognized all alone the route. All other lords, rulers and people, pay
obeisance to him. Under his protection we now enter Trikuti, the second
stage on our journey. Here we may rest and study for a long time, even
years. There is much here to absorb attention, besides, one has to himself
grow and develop before he can advance. Let us quote a brief description of
this region from Soami Ji:

[NOTE: The following three paragraphs are quotes from Shiv Dayal Singh, the
founder of Radhasoami, from his book the Sar Bachan.]

""Now, my dear companion, prepare to enter the second stage. Behold Trikuti,
the abode of the Guru, where the sound of Onkar is heard perpetually
resounding. Then you go on up and open a gate and enter the bankanal
(crooked tunnel), passing on to the other end of it. Then you cross high and
low hills. Now, the vision appears to be reversed, and one sees as if from
the opposite side of the veil which he has penetrated. Looking upward, he
passes into a fort-like region which he enters and becomes Master of it. He
reigns there as lord of that region. Here the soul becomes adorned with the
attributes of devotion and faith. Here the seed of all karma is burned,
destroyed. You will see thick dark clouds, from which peals of thunder
constantly resound. When rising above these dark clouds, behold, the entire
sphere is red, with the beautiful red sun in the center imparting its color
to everything.

""This is where the Guru really gives Nam; for the Master's Shabd Rup is
here. This Shabd is, in fact, the Fifth Veda. Here you will see the red
four-petalled lotus spoken of by the Saints, the details and colors becoming
visible as one comes nearer to it. Here the bell and conch sounds are left
behind and the sound of mardang (like a drum) is heard.

""After than, the soul resumes his upward journey. Now comes the sound of a
huge drum, beaten incessantly. Here the soul has grasped the Primal Current,
from which all creation emanates. Innumerable suns and moons are seen here
and many kinds of skies, filled with stars. The soul here realizes its
complete separation from Pind, and rises to the upper Brahmand, as if
intoxicated with joy. He sees and traverses deserts and mountains and
gardens. In the gardens are flowers arranged in artistic designs and groups
everywhere. Canals and rivulets of transparent water are flowing in
abundance. Then one approaches an ocean, which he crosses by means of a
bridge. He then beholds the three mountains, or prominences, called Mer,
Sumer and Kailash. (From these the region is named.) After this, he passes
on to a region of the most unalloyed delight." [End of quote from Shiv Dayal
Singh.]

"Again, necessarily, much has been omitted. Volumes could be written and
still tell but little of the worlds crossed by the Saints. Much of it cannot
be told in mortal language, because we have nothing like it here with which
to compare it. So we must pass on along this Royal Highway of the Saints.
They have given us only hints, just a word here and there. Having reached
this region; the soul finds itself in possession of new powers and
understanding never realized before. In fact, he has to grow as he advances.
That is one reason it often takes years to reach the higher regions. He must
be fitted for their higher and purer atmosphere. Each successive stage
brings him just that much nearer to sainthood itself. But very few of the
ancient yogis, seers and prophets, ever reached this second region. None of
the founders of the great world religions ever reached it. And yet, no
doubt, each one thought he had reached the highest, the abode of the
Supreme. For so it appeared to him. In his delight, he could not imagine
anything greater, and he had no Guru to instruct him concerning the many
worlds beyond. Traveling alone, no one can hope to go beyond the upper
frontiers of the first region. A few of the Yogishwars reached the second,
and still fewer the third, by the aid of their gurus who had gone that far
ahead of them. Beyond that none but the Saints and their disciples have ever
gone. From this second region, the Vedas emanated, and consequently, they
know nothing beyond it; although the Lord Krishna hints at a higher region
when he tells his disciple, Arjuna, to transcend the Vedas. They believed it
to be the ultimate region and its lord they accepted as the Supreme Being."

Following is the section from Julian Johnson's book, The Path of the
Masters, Pages 265-266 (The Creation and Order of the Universe):

"The second grand division above downward is Brahmanda, (meaning, the egg of
Brahm, as said before.) This refers to its shape and also to the Governor or
Lord who is its ruler. This Brahm is supposed by most of the old rishis to
be the supreme being of all creation, because they knew of no one higher.
But the Saints know that there is not only one Brahm, but countless numbers
of Brahms, who are governors over so many Brahmandas. For it must be
understood that there are countless Andas and Brahmandas, each circling
about the supreme region in its own orbit. And each of them has its own
governor or ruler. Brahm was the highest God known to the ancient rishi or
yogi, and so the name of Brahm is retained by the Saints to designate the
ruler of the "Three Worlds," including the physical universe, the Anda and
lower portion of Brahmanda, named Trikuti. The upper portion of Brahmanda is
called Par Brahm.

"As said before, this grand division is mostly spirit in substance, but is
mixed with a certain amount of pure, spiritualized matter. It is the finest
order of matter, and that includes mind. This is called the
"spiritual-material region," because spirit dominates the region. The
substance of that division gradually becomes less and less concentrated as
we descend toward the negative pole of creation. The lower portions become
coarser in particle, and more and more mixed with matter. In the lower end
of Brahmanda mind is supreme. It is practically all mind, for mind itself is
material of the finest order. Of course, even mind is mixed with spirit
substance to some slight extend, otherwise it could not exist. All worlds
become a shade darker as we descend, because there is less and less of
spirit substance in the composition. Trikuti, the lowest section of
Brahmanda, is the home of Universal Mind. It is from that region that all
individual minds are derived, and to that region all minds must return when
they are discarded during the upward flight of the spirit.

"Brahmanda is extremely vast in area when compared with the physical
universe, but small when compared with the first grand division. It is
itself subdivided into many distinct regions or planes. Some mention six
subdivisions; but as a matter of fact, there are scores of subdivisions in
that one grand division, almost numberless subdivisions, each constituting a
separate and distinct world. Divisions and subdivisions shade into one
another so imperceptibly that it is not easy to say just where one ends and
another begins. This accounts in part for the many different descriptions of
those regions, and the great variety of names assigned to them."

THE COMPARISON:

Paragraph 66. Paul's version reads like this:

"Sometimes the spiritual travelers call this region the Brahmanda, which
means the egg of Brahm, and refers to the name of its Lord, Brahm. This
Deity is supposed to be the supreme being of all creation by the Yogis. This
is the highest world known to practically all faiths, including
Christianity."

Johnson's closest version reads like this:

"The second grand division above downward is Brahmanda, (meaning, the egg of
Brahm, as said before.) This refers to its shape and also to the Governor or
Lord who is its ruler. This Brahm is supposed by most of the old rishis to
be the supreme being of all creation. because they knew of no one higher."

As we can see, the information is basically covering the same ground, but
the two are written differently. The only string of words that seems to be
the same is "the egg of Brahm" which is simply the definition of what "anda"
means at the end of Brahmanda. This paragraph hardly seems to fit the
category of plagiarism.

Paragraph 67. Paul's version reads like this:

"If the yogi or other holy man claims to be a master and declares that
Brahman is the highest of all creators, that this is the supreme heaven, he
is not a master in the sense that we know. He is only a humble seeker under
the supreme ruler of this plane, Brahman."

I can't find anything close to matching this paragraph. I even re-read the
other sections of these chapters that David identified, but still nothing
that looks like this.

Paragraph 68. Paul's version reads like this:

"This is the top of the three worlds, the physical, lower and upper Astral.
It is called the first grand division of the universes."

Here is the closest match to Johnson's version that I could find:

"Brahm was the highest God known to the ancient rishi or yogi, and so the
name of Brahm is retained by the Saints to designate the ruler of the "Three
Worlds," including the physical universe, the Anda and lower portion of
Brahmanda, named Trikuti. The upper portion of Brahmanda is called Par
Brahm."

As we can see, this hardly fits as plagiarism.

Paragraph 70. Here is Paul's version:

"This is the region of the universal mind, whose power is called AUM. Hence
the word Omkar, the power on this plane, which is still the negative force.
The lower part of this region is that known as the Home of the Universal
Mind. It is from here that all individual minds are derived, and to that
region all minds must return when they are discarded during the upward
flight of Soul."

Here is the closest I could find from Johnson:

"Trikuti, the lowest section of Brahmanda, is the home of Universal Mind. It
is from that region that all individual minds are derived, and to that
region all minds must return when they are discarded during the upward
flight of the spirit."

As we can see, there is "the Home of the Universal Mind" and "the home of
Universal Mind." Only a portion of a sentence, but still one of the longest
matches so far. However, the last sentence in Paul's paragraph is very close
to the last sentence in Johnson's. We find this string that are word for
word the same: "..that all individual minds are derived, and to that region
all minds must return when they are discarded during the upward flight
of..."

I would call this our first true case of a plagiarized paragraph so far, or
at least two full sentences, anyway.

Paragraph 71. Here is Paul's version:

"An ECK Master takes you through this world, into the next region, for only
a master can be the guide, and know the path, thorny as it is. He is the
recognized Lord of all."

Here is the closest match with Johnson:

"With our great Captain in command, we resume our journey. He alone knows
the Way, and he alone has the key to all regions: for he has traveled them
all many times, and besides, he is the recognized Lord of them all for the
time being. The true Saint is king of kings, and is universally recognized
as Lord because he is ONE with the Supreme. His power and authority are
recognized all alone the route."

There is a string of six words that are the same: "He is the recognized Lord
of..." This is close enough to call it a plagiarized sentence, however the
rest of the paragraph is quite different, so it is hardly a full paragraph.

Paragraph 72. Here is Paul's version:

"All other lords, rulers and peoples on every plane pay homage to Him."

Here is Johnson's closest match:

"All other lords, rulers and people, pay obeisance to him."

I would call this another plagiarized sentence, although we have yet to find
even a complete sentence that is word for word the same.

Paragraph 73. Here is Paul's version:

"When you arrive at the border of this region the sound of Omkar is heard
continuously resounding, like a great drum. You go up a hill and open a
gate, enter a crooked tunnel, pass on through to the other side. Then you
cross high and low hills where the vision appears to be reversed. It's as if
you are traveling in reverse."

Here is the closest match from Johnson's book:

"Behold Trikuti, the abode of the Guru, where the sound of Onkar is heard
perpetually resounding. Then you go on up and open a gate and enter the
bankanal (crooked tunnel), passing on to the other end of it. Then you cross
high and low hills. Now, the vision appears to be reversed, and one sees as
if from the opposite side of the veil which he has penetrated."

This seems fairly close in wording. What is interesting here is that this
isn't Johnson's words, however, but a quote from Shiv Dayal Singh's book,
Sar Bachan. Nonetheless, I would call this a plagiarized paragraph of three
sentences.

Paragraph 74. Paul's version:

"You pass through a fort like region which is the home of the ruler, Omkar,
and halt, for Soul to become adorned with the attributes of devotion and
faith."

Closest match from Johnson's book:

"Looking upward, he passes into a fort-like region which he enters and
becomes Master of it. He reigns there as lord of that region. Here the soul
becomes adorned with the attributes of devotion and faith."

The first sentence has "a fort-like region which" that are the same. However
it is the last half of Paul's sentence that has the closest match: "adorned
with the attributes of devotion and faith." This is enough that I would call
this a case of another plagiarized sentence. Once again, this happens to be
from Shiv Dayal Singh, not Johnson, however.

Paragraph 75. Paul's version

"The seeds of the traveler's karma are burned and destroyed here."

Closest match from Johnson's books:

"Here the seed of all karma is burned, destroyed."

These are actually different in many ways, but I would still call this close
enough in expression to be plagiarism. Another sentence that comes from Shiv
Dayal Singh.

Paragraph 76. Paul's version:

"The color of this region is that of a beautiful, setting sun. Above it is
another part of the world of Omkar where you find deserts, mountains and
gardens. Flowers are arranged in artistic designs everywhere."

Closest matches from Johnson's books:

"When rising above these dark clouds, behold, the entire sphere is red, with
the beautiful red sun in the center imparting its color to everything."

"In the gardens are flowers arranged in artistic designs and groups
everywhere."

Although there are resemblances in Paul's last paragraph, these different
versions seem different enough that I would not call this a match. These two
quotes from Johnson also come from different paragraphs.

Paragraph 77. Paul's version:

"You will be intoxicated with joy, wandering through a splendid region of
canals and streams, before coming to an ocean of water over which you can
cross by bridge to the other side where there are three mountain peaks named
Mer, Sumer and Kailash."

Closest match from Johnson's books:

"Canals and rivulets of transparent water are flowing in abundance. Then one
approaches an ocean, which he crosses by means of a
bridge. He then beholds the three mountains, or prominences, called Mer,
Sumer and Kailash. (From these the region is named.) After this, he passes
on to a region of the most unalloyed delight."

Except for the names of the three mountains, these are two differently
written versions, so I would not count this as plagiarism. It is
interesting, however, that Paul is making a very similar description as Shiv
Dayal Singh is. However, the expressions are very different.

Paragraph 78. Paul's version:

"This is a halting place for many spiritualists and mystics. Some yogis
believe this to be their heaven. The miracles of the mind are performed from
this section of Brahm Lok, e.g., stopping of trains, filling dry wells and
healing the sick."

I could not find anything close to this from Johnson's books.

Paragraph 80. Paul's version:

"There are six planes within Brahm Lok, and many sub-divisions. The chief
city here is called Mersumer Kailash, named after the three peaks of Brahm
Lok."

This is the closest match I could find from Johnson:

"Brahmanda is extremely vast in area when compared with the physical
universe, but small when compared with the first grand division. It is
itself subdivided into many distinct regions or planes. Some mention six
subdivisions; but as a matter of fact, there are scores of subdivisions in
that one grand division, almost numberless subdivisions, each constituting a
separate and distinct world. Divisions and subdivisions shade into one
another so imperceptibly that it is not easy to say just where one ends and
another begins. This accounts in part for the many different descriptions of
those regions, and the great variety of names assigned to them."

This is clearly very different and can not be called plagiarism.

Paragraph 81. Paul's version.

"This region is controlled by Brahm whose chief duty is to channel the great
power, AUM, into the region and the worlds below."

I couldn't find anything close to this from Johnson.

Paragraph 82. Paul's version:

"The function of AUM, a part of the great sound current, is to create,
maintain and destroy the universes below it. It is the center of creation of
the material and Astral worlds."

I couldn't find anything close to this, either, from Johnson.

Paragraph 83. Paul's version:

"Many of the great scriptures have sprung from this region, including the
Vedas, Christian scriptures, Buddhist texts, to name a few. Lord Krishna as
well as many other spiritual leaders make their home here."

This is the closest I could find from Johnson:

"From this second region, the Vedas emanated, and consequently, they
know nothing beyond it; although the Lord Krishna hints at a higher region
when he tells his disciple, Arjuna, to transcend the Vedas. They believed it
to be the ultimate region and its lord they accepted as the Supreme Being."

Clearly very different, and thus not plagiarism.

TWO MISSING PARAGRAPHS:

Before I go to my conclusion, I feel I should mention that it seems odd that
David would leave out paragraphs 69 and 79. In fact, I think these represent
some close matches.

Paragraph 69. Paul's version:

"This is the world of the spiritual-material essence, because spirit
dominates it."

Closest match from Johnson:

"This is called the "spiritual-material region," because spirit dominates
the region."

Although slightly reworded, I would call this a plagiarized sentence. It has
a string of seven identical words in a row.

Paragraph 79. Paul's version:

"This world is extremely vast, despite what the scientists assert when
comparing it with the physical world or the Astral plane."

Closest match from Johnson:

"Brahmanda is extremely vast in area when compared with the physical
universe, but small when compared with the first grand division."

I would say this is too different to call plagiarism, but seems as close as
most of the paragraphs that David identified.

CONCLUSION:

Well, in this section we find the first cases of what I would call actual
plagiarism. We still aren't seeing even complete sentences that are word for
word, never mind paragraphs. However, I would list the plagiarism hits like
this:

10 plagiarized sentences from 7 different paragraphs. Of these 5 sentences
from 3 paragraphs are actually from Shiv Dayal Singh, not Johnson's
authorship. I would still call this plagiarism, but I thought it was
interesting.

This is what I've found so far out of the first 32 paragraphs (59 sentences)
that David identified as plagiarisms, and in fact this counts an extra
paragraph, which I added, that David didn't even have on his list.

So, David is batting about 20%.

Doug.

Interesting, Doug. I have mixed feeling about the "plagerism". For thos most
part, I see the copied info as generally either common themes or
insignificant fillers. However, I find the quotes where he claimed to have
come from Rebazar to have been done in really poor taste... and perhaps not
a great move in his part ???

What are your on that stuff ?

"Michael Basso" <mb1...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:be1gj6$vkq$1...@slb9.atl.mindspring.net...

I agree with you that plagiarism is not the real issue. I think the fact
that many felt The Far Country was a transcription of an actual dialog means
this matter of plagiarism shows them a very different picture. It means the
words really came from Paul's pen, with help from other authors, and not
word for word from Rebazar Tarzs.

As for poor taste, I think it looks a lot differently now. I can look back
at some of my early writings and see strong similarities with Paul's books.
He influenced me significantly. Let's say I decided to leave ECKANKAR and
start writing for some other teacher. Let's say I took some of my old
writings and just re-worked them to fit with the new teachings. Now,
somebody eventually sees that my writings are almost word for word from some
of Paul's writings. Now it looks like I was "stealing" from ECKANKAR, and
that the new teacher is just a spin-off.

It's all a matter of perspective.

I think Paul was clearly influenced by Johnson's books. He obviously liked
them enough that he covered a lot of the same material, and even used very
similar words in many cases, when he wrote The Far Country. However, he was
also writing this at the same time as he handed Kirpal Singh his first draft
of The Tiger's Fang. If Kirpal had not rejected his efforts, I believe
Kirpal's students would have looked at The Far Country far differently.

On the other hand, I don't really know what Paul was thinking when he wrote
this book. I do like The Far Country far more than Johnson's books, so I'm
glad he wrote it. However, I do think that it is a serious negative to his
popularity in the public sector. I'm not sure Paul would mind too much about
that.

Doug.

I liked Pauls style in those books too * also Johnson. It may also be
noteworthy that the Tigers Fang closely resembles Sar Bachan POERTY VERSION
vol 1 & 2, (but importantly without comments about being higher than JC,
etc, being God of Earth...and suggestions to drink guru's spit and
bathwater, commit widow suicide... I realize that these were cultural norms
for the times (written by Shiv), but having read them at the time of 911
coincidentally, they had a stronger impact... & did not add to the important
messages.)

As for Julian, I liked his books, but also found them to be redundant of
earlier authors, notably Sawan Singh and Shiv Dayal Singh who appear to have
carried important points from earlier authors from Buddism (surangama Sutra,
Hermeticm Sufi and Sikh writings. Reminds me of the Hara Krishna writings
in a way.

I tnink that the important point is that NONE of these authors have done
more than repeat universal truths in different ways and then add some of
their own unique experiences..