Editing Eckankar (section)

== History ==
The movement was founded in 1965 by Paul Twitchell ([[spiritual name]]: Peddar Zaskq), who remained its spiritual leader ("Living ECK Master") until his death in 1971. He was succeeded by Darwin Gross (spiritual name: Dap Ren). On October 22, 1981, Harold Klemp (spiritual name: Wah{{Nbsp}}Z) was announced as the spiritual leader. Between 1981 and 1987, both Gross and Klemp claimed to be the Living ECK Master and the Inner Master and had their own followers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lane |first=David C. |title=The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar |publisher=Del Mar Press |year=1993}}</ref>

Eckankar's headquarters were originally in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]. In 1975, under Gross's leadership, the organization moved to [[Menlo Park, California]]. In 1986, Klemp moved the base of operations to [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]].<ref>"'Soul Travelers' Move", ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'', 24 August 1986.</ref>

Eckankar is registered as a nonprofit religious organization. It reports members in more than 120 countries, and its teachings have been translated into over 25 languages.<ref>https://www.eckankar.org/explore/faqs/ and Multifaith Information Manual, 6th Edition, Canadian Multifaith Federation, Toronto, p. 181. "Eckankar subordinate churches have been legally recognized as nonprofit organizations with religious purposes in up to 40 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and others."</ref> The number of members, known as ECKists, is undisclosed. The world headquarters and [[Temple of Eck]], Eckankar's Spiritual Center, are in [[Chanhassen, Minnesota]],<ref>Religions in Minnesota, "(New) Religious Movements)—Eckankar—Global Eckankar" by Lauren Alexander, https://religionsmn.carleton.edu/exhibits/show/eckankar/global-eckankar. "It is estimated that ECKists can be found in anywhere between one hundred to one hundred and twenty countries across the globe. The presence of Eckankar is particularly strong in Africa and Europe, and two such strongholds are located in Nigeria and Germany. Eckankar texts are translated into multiple languages.</ref><ref>Sam Barnes, "Members of Temple Say They Have the Passport for Spiritual Travels," West—Star Tribune, Wednesday, January 18, 2006. ". . .The Temple of ECK in Chanhassen. . . . is the international center of a religious movement that claims tens of thousands of followers worldwide in more than 120 countries.</ref><ref>Nolan Zavoral, "Eckankar's Soul Travel Opens Roads to Insight," Faith & Values, Star Tribune, Saturday, October 25, 1997. "Eckankar, claiming more than 50,000 followers worldwide, moved its headquarters to the Twin Cities at the turn of the '90s. Each year, more than 15,000 people visit the Temple of Eck, an $8 million structure rising like a pyramid from rippling waves of prairie grass in Chanhassen."</ref> on a {{Convert|174|acre|ha|adj=on}} campus with {{Convert|2|mi|km}} of contemplation trails open to the public.<ref>Ibid. Sam Barnes, "Members of Temple Say They Have the Passport for Spiritual Travels," West—Star Tribune, Wednesday, January 18, 2006. ". . .The Temple of ECK in Chanhassen. . . . is located on a 174-acre site on the northwest corner of Hwy 5 and Powers Boulevard."</ref><ref>Andrew Hazzard and Meghan Davy-Sandvold, "Spiritual Movements Ancient and Modern Develop Roots in the Southwest Metro," Southwest News Media, August 31, 2018, https://www.swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/spiritual-movements-ancient-and-modern-develop-roots-in-the-southwest-metro/article_1672e9c7-e5ca-533e-856d-f2f2eb45d2ea.html "The temple sits on 174 rolling prairie off Powers Boulevard. Two miles of contemplation paths wind through the prairie and are open to the public."</ref>

The Eckankar "EK" symbol appears on the ''[[United States Department of Veterans Affairs emblems for headstones and markers|Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers]]'' by the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Administration |first=National Cemetery |title=Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers - National Cemetery Administration |url=http://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/emblems.asp |access-date=16 March 2018 |website=www.cem.va.gov}}</ref> Sources estimate that there were around 50,000 followers in the 1990s.<ref>"Eckankar," by David V. Barret, Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, ed. Peter B. Clarke, Routledge, 2006. "Eckankar claims to have tens of thousands of members worldwide, many of whom also continue to be members of other religions." p. 160</ref><ref>Ibid. Len Woods (2008) Handbook of World Religions. "Though Eckankar doesn't publish membership figures, conservative estimates put the number of adherents to fifty thousand. Followers study at over three hundred Eckankar centers in more than a hundred countries around the world." p. 69</ref>