Sex-Crazed Swami Tries Gets To Skate

[Ed.note: The top three posts here were actually published previously. They were temporarily removed by Google in response to a DMCA take down attempt by the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, the organization behind Kripalu and Prakashanand. When I republished the posts with pictures and videos removed, they lost their place in the post stream.]

File under: Hands Where They Don't Belong and The Siddhi of PR

Sexed-up Swami Ram Tripathi, being held in Trinidad and Tobago on rape charges, pled for the return of his passport today:

Some 50 of his followers prayed and cried for the guru, who, dressed in a traditional saffron-coloured robe, spent several minutes in a courtroom dock with other men charged with robbery, burglary and murder.

Duh! That's where you end up when you're accused of raping a 22-year-old woman.

The 85-year-old swami is apparently quite the horn dog with a long history of sexual escapades with his female devotees, as well one who has a few unresolved rape cases back in India. Many are not surprised these charges have been made.

Nor will we be surprised if the swami never sets foot in Trinidad and Tobago again if he gets his passport back. Such an act would be tantamount to proclaiming him innocent for all the justice that would be left unserved.

Ammachi Thinks You're A Bug

File under: Amma-All-Over-The-Planet and The Siddhi of PR

There's a great article in Rolling Stone about Ammachi. As it turns out, if you don't care to believe she is God, she thinks you're a mosquito or beetle:

"A mosquito will never get milk from the udder of a cow, only blood. The bee draws honey from the flower, but the beetle only drubs through the dirt."

Cult psych-ops, in our opinion, right out of the cow's (or flower's) mouth.

Oh Rajiv!

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Today a member of the Guruphiliac Facebook page turned up with this:

It was also reported that an American devotee who had fallen out of the ashram was working in association with Jody Razdik who specializes in guru bashing at a prominent web site. He was being helped by an Indian based in San Diego, who was once very deeply involved inside the Nithyananda organization but had turned malicious.

It's in an article by Rajiv Malhotra, who's been trying to be the pope of American Hinduism for like, forever.

Well, Mr. Malhotra, we'd like to offer a few corrections. While it's true that I know a former member of Nithyananda's inner circle, he was not from San Diego, although he was in California while Nithyananda was in Los Angeles. What is absolutely untrue is any accusation of maliciousness on the part of this former devotee. He never spoke ill of Nithyananda to me, not once. He was, however, acutely disappointed to see his former hero and mentor turn into such a showman. In fact, his refusal to speak any ill about his former master was a considerable display of honor and dignity, considering the circumstances.

Also, just to make it clear, I bash gurus who use they idea they have magic powers to make themselves famous. Nithyananda is a completely clear and pure example of this. It is this fact, and only this fact, that has been the impetus for my writing about him as I have.

Fellatio-On-Video-With-A-Movie-Star Is A Bitch For A Guru.

FIle under: Hands Where They Don't Belong, Satscams and The Siddhi of PR

Oops! Looks like Swami Nithyananda didn't throw enough money at his fellatio-on-video-with-a-movie-star problem:

For a self-styled ‘godman’ who was himself at the centre of a scandal that revolved around video footage of him allegedly disporting sexually with a Tamil actress … the karmic deeds of a past when kundalini forces—and the hormonal urges to which all men are susceptible—played havoc with a spiritual practice aren’t proving so easy to bury.

The brouhaha this time involves Nithy's infiltration and attempt to usurp a vaunted position in a venerable Hindu order. Seems only the truly celibate qualify:

A controversy has erupted over the appointment of Nityananda as the 293rd pontiff of the spiritual order, with heads of other Saivite spiritual orders taking strenuous objection to his appointment, citing the criminal cases still pending against him.

On Thursday, the Madras High Court ordered notice of admission on a writ petition seeking a direction to the State government to declare Nityananda’s appointment as illegal and to prevent him from acting as the guru.

The petition claimed that Nityananda, who had several cases (including case of sexual abuse) pending against him, was “absolutely incompetent” to hold the post that was venerated by Shiva devotees worldwide.

A second, PIL petition has been filed by M Solaikannan, a local politician, claiming that Nityananda had appointed himself the spiritual head after taking the previous (292nd) pontiff into his illegal custody by deploying “henchmen” from Karnataka. The petition sought a direction to the State government to take control of the Madurai Adheenam.

Solaikannan alleged that Nityananda “does not practice celibacy and is not a sanyasi”—in the sense that he had nor relinquished worldly pleasures—and was therefore ineligible to head the spiritual order.

It's nice to see that not everyone in India has been cowed, steamrolled, and/or hoodwinked into believing the Nithyananda sex tape was a special effects job rather than the plain old blow job it clearly depicts the swami receiving.

Mohan Singh's Sex Racket Screwed Him

File under: Gurus Doin' Time, Hands Where They Don't Belong and The Siddhi of PR

Mohan Singh, of the "I can empower you with some tantric energy transfer, Baby" school of enlightenment, (see Swami Nithyananda, Swami Muktananda, and so many others), is going to remain in jail for the misdeed.

The court heard Lyons, who adopted the name Mohan Singh, preyed on women who came to him for spiritual guidance. He had created a tight-knit group, described as a ‘cult’, made up predominantly of female followers …

New women were invited to Lyons’ gatherings with offers of communal food and enlightenment. There, they would be given treatments and assaulted …

Lord Justice Toulson dismissed the application for permission to appeal against conviction…

It looks like Mr. Singh will now have a lot more time to devote to his meditation.

She's Not Perfect, World Still Turns

File under Amma All-Over-The-Planet, Hands Where They Don't Belong, and The Siddhi of PR

You didn't know this, because Amma's little helpers are very efficient at disappearing the truth:

Rishi Taavi Kassila, top promoter, tour organizer, meditation instructor and ashram resident of the Amma Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Hugging Saint cult [in Finland] has been accused of sex addiction, abuse and dishonesty. Embarrassing testimony, posted by authenticated witnesses, challenged Kassila to defend himself in court. Publicly, the Amma cult responded with a single online statement denying their connection to the accused, Taavi Kassila. Secretly, Amma's helpers were scrubbing their internet servers, erasing all evidence of Taavi Kassila's long history of public service within the Amma cult.

While it maybe not be the fault of the hugging devi herself that her org's leader in Finland allegedly got handsy with the devotees, it's certainly her fault to order a coverup. What does this prove? That Amma is a businesswoman first and foremost, and that she and her org went into high gear to protect their source of revenue. The truth, meanwhile, gets hacked to death and left in a ditch to die.

Sri Sri Called Out As RSS

File under: The Siddhi of PR

The RSS is the Indian equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan; its founder admired Adoph Hitler and emulated the methods of the Nazi party of WWII Germany. Now, guess which popular guru in India has been called out as a prominent supporter… [Ed.note: correct answer: pretty much all of them.]

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday fired a fresh salvo at Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravishankar, saying the spiritual guru is the "C grade worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)".

While we realize this is just politics, let us point out that this is just politics, not spirituality in any form that we care to recognize. It's just another par on the course for the famous fauxru on his seemingly insatiable charge for more money, power, and influence in Bharat.

Very Little Enlightening, A Lot More Mad

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Andrew Cohen's "truth," by a kind and talented reader. (click to enlarge)

1000th Post! Crooked Christ Still Crooked

File under: Gurubusting, Satscams and The Siddhi of PR

[Ed.note: For those who care, this is the 1000th entry on this blog.]

Today, a Kaleshwar insider sent a revealing comment about this notorious satscammer:

Kaleshwar knows little humility himself anymore. Last year he told many of us that he has now achieved greater power than Kali herself.

He's praying upon those who are desperate to believe in something. His teachers will eventually relate to you that he, (or deferentially Shirdi Sai Baba), chose you to become a student through some divine knowledge of your soul's readiness… but really this is psychological warfare against your natural doubt.

You are meant to think... "What if he's right? What if I am special. I will miss something."

…and suddenly, you'll be spending another $1008.00 for a process, or a useless blessed trinket.

Wackadoo guru, scheming flimflam man, or both? Whichever, he's not worth your time, and most definitely not worth your money.

How To Be A Bigtime Guru

File under: Gurubusting and The Siddhi of PR

Step 1: Make up a fanciful mythology about your youth:

Kaleshwar did not speak for the first seven years of his life and would often accept only a single drop of water as his daily sustenance. When asked years later the reason for this unusual behavior, he said, simply, that he was absorbing cosmic energy. Miracles occurred around him: once his grandfather observed the divine appearance of the Goddess Saraswati standing guard over him while he slept; another time, it was a king cobra, its mantel spread, that shaded him as he napped soundly on the ground in the backyard at his grandfather’s farm.

Don't be fooled, folks. This guy is a crook.

(Thanks, Semblanceji!)

Assassination Attempt Becomes PR Boon For Sri Sri

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Our own guru of gurubusting just informed us that last night in Bangalore, after returning from giving satsang, someone took a shot with a .38 handgun at the car Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was riding in. An attendant sustained a minor graze, but there were no other injuries. Nobody saw the attacker.

While we are sincerely glad he "survived", we wonder if we'll be the only one to consider the fact that this "setup" has resulted in a huge PR boost for Sri Sri. As one might expect after observing him for a few years, he's already playing it up as the spiritual hero and has "forgave" his attacker(s).

Like other brilliant self-promoters throughout history, Sri Sri has managed to turn this sour vinegar into a fine wine.

Update: As forecast, it's turning out that Sri Sri just may have brewed this vinegar himself:

It seems like this fell far short of a serious attack on one of India’s most revered religious figures.

The director-general of police of Karnataka, Ajai Kumar Singh, held a press conference Monday morning. Among his revelations: The bullet was fired from more than 700 feet. That’s more than 200 yards. With a .32-caliber pistol.

He also refused to call it an attack. Or an assassination attempt. Or, indeed, anything beyond “an incident.” He noted that the incident appears to have taken place five minutes after Mr. Shankar left the place where it happened.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram, at a press conference later Monday in New Delhi, also said it was his understanding that Mr. Shankar was not there when the incident took place and that it stemmed from a disagreement between two of his followers.

This assassiscam has been brought to you by the Art of Living.

Buddhist "Monk" On The Town

File under: The Siddhi of PR

This guy is showing Swami Nithyananda how it's done:

With his heavily lined face and thin graying hair brushing his shoulders, the guru didn't quite blend with the Cielo scene, though he did his best, boogying down with a young Chanel-clad Russian girl. Erin Vaughan, another yoga teacher there that night, was shocked. "He was on the dance floor, and there was nothing enlightened about it," she says.

It's amazing how far down the path of the ridiculous one's grandiosity will carry one. There, but for the grace of the fact that most folks think we're full of crap, go we.

Itchie Leeves His U.S. Nest, Still Supreme Leader of Dahn

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Dahn Yoga founder Ilchi Lee has resigned from the board of "the group which advised Dahn Yoga and other affiliated entities," in the U.S. He's still very much in charge of his org in Korea, and almost certainly so in the U.S., despite what Dahn recruitment personnel may be saying.

Turban tip to Yogadawg for the link.

Swami Nithyananda Down For The Count

File under: Gurubusting and The Siddhi of PR

We have to admit a tinge of sadness for the guy:

The 32-year-old said in a statement that he was resigning as the head of his organisation, Dhyanapeetam (Knowledge Centre), and from all the trusts associated with him.

His organisation has branches in several countries, including the US and Europe.

"If required, I will return and talk about all that had happened as an independent witness to my conduct with a clean heart and pure soul and in a less prejudiced atmosphere," he said.

He said he had decided to live a "life of spiritual seclusion for an indefinite time".

We don't think for a minute that it's over. These kind of conditions are perfect for generating a phoenix.

An "American Guru's" Sleazy Steering

File under: Gurubusting and The Siddhi of PR

It is being alleged that Andrew Cohen is using sleazy SEO tactics to divert folks from William Yenner's American Guru page.

Excuse us for a sec so we can suddenly fall out of our chair in disbelief.

Rancorous Ramdev On A Rampage

File under: The Siddhi of PR

With Sri Sri Ravi Shankar remaining relatively silent during the great guru gotchas of the last few weeks, the rancorous Swami Ramdev has stepped to the line and let loose with both barrels:

Yoga guru Swami Ramdev… has sought [a] death sentence for fraud 'babas' who indulged in wrong doings in the name of religion.

Expressing the need to keep a check on fraud religious gurus, Ramdev prescribed a minimum qualification to prevent everyone from becoming a 'baba'.

We imagine he'll have most of his own frauds grandfathered in.

Nithy Leads India's Lewd Godmen

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Look who made the top of the list of naughty (and some downright nasty) gurus:

In the complaint filed with Chennai City Police Commissioner T Rajendran, Lenin, who claimed to be an inmate of the ashram in Bangalore since 2006, said the swami used to lure young women devotees claiming that he was the reincarnation of Lord Krishna.

That's Kreepalu (Kripalu) Maharaj's conceit. He's number three now.

Cohen Leaves Lenox For A Less Spoiled Pasture

File under: Gurubusting and The Siddhi of PR

Apparently, some folks in Lenox, MA are pissed off that Andrew Cohen is shipping out with his EnlightenNext org, and they've got fingers pointed at American Guru author William Yenner. But based on Yenner's 13-year sojourn as an inner-circle member, Cohen has no business teaching nondual realization at all:

During my 13 years with Andrew Cohen, as a member of his inner circle of students, manager of Foxhollow, and a member of the Board of Directors, I was witness to countless instances of abusive behavior toward students on a regular basis. The strategy at EnlightenNext has always been to "destroy the ego", believing it to be the main obstacle to spiritual "evolution". Andrew's tactics are largely based on ever increasing levels of demands and psychological pressure on the "ego", which is often how the abuse results. I have witnessed such treatment escalate in some cases to emotional, financial and even physical abuse. In far too many cases students were coerced to behave in ways that violated their own dignity, privacy and good sense, all in the belief that only a self-limiting ego would resist their guru's instruction.

Can you say ego-fixation? And that whole idea of destroying the ego is so 2000 and late.

Not that it's going to stop everyone from going. Cohen has rendered himself a star, and there will always be folks who want to catch some of that "shine." His being an asshole isn't likely to hobble his appeal to that reflex. In fact, it's just as likely to enhance it with some folks.

70,000 Miles Of Nothing: Nithyananda Caught In Huge Lie

File under: Gurubusting, Satscams and The Siddhi of PR

Nithyananda claimed to wander for 6 years between 1994 and 2000, covering over 70,000 miles of India. It turns out he spent at least 5 of those years as a failed novice monk of the Ramakrishna Order in Chennai and Belur Math:

"Nithyananda probably joined the monastery in Madras (Chennai) in 1994 or 1995... He attended the monastic training college in Belur Math in 1999 (or 2000), and left the Order from there within a few months."

The other shoe just dropped, and it's a size 108. The man is a fraud, it has now been proven. Buyer beware.

Kudos to the folks at The Truth About the Cult of Nithyananda for launching this nuclear fact missle. The cold hard truth of this lie exposes a seamy underbelly to the enterprise of Nithyananda's satsang. Nor does it bode well for what seemed a guaranteed future as a great satguru and possible avatar, unless folks are willing to accept the advent of the Lying Avatar.

And while the spinners have undoubtedly already begun to spin these facts to preserve their personal delusions about their space-daddy, it's now too late to stop the clear light of honest truth from piercing this fraudster's back-story for good.

"Holosync" Harris Holohammered On Twitter

File under: Gurubusting, Gurus Clockin' Dollars and The Siddhi of PR

As the regular reader of this blog knows, we generally go after spiritual teachers who claim to be God and use this claim as their primary marketing conceit. Woo-woo noise peddler and "The Secret" star Bill Harris doesn't appear to quite fit that bill, but like most others who make your spirituality their business, it has become quite clear that he's all about the money. At the moment, he's threatening legal action against Gp pal Duff McDuffee, a personal development industry critic and partner with Eric Schiller in a blog called Beyond Growth. A post McDuffee made on November 13 this year criticized the way Harris markets his "Holosync" sound meditation cds, also noting that up until the Death Lodge incident of October 8, 2009, James Arthur Ray was an enthusiastic endorser of Harris' products, (as well as being his ex-partner.) [Ed.note: As it turns out, James Arthur Ray had Holosync sessions scheduled during the days leading up to the Death Lodge tragedy.]

The result of all this is now a cease-and-desist letter demanding the removal and retraction of McDuffee's blog post, all at the approval of Harris and his lawyers. The heavy-handedness of the move belies a man desperate to protect a shaky business, and while it's definitely not pleasant to receive a letter like this, its claims appear to have more holes than a 20-year-old tin pail at the bottom of Lake Erie. [Ed.note: According to those in the know, Harris did about 20-million last year, so the shakiness isn't preventing him from getting his grind on.]

Since this gauntlet has been dropped there has been a Kelvin wave of support for McDuffee and against Harris on Twitter. The viral nature of this bad PR has the potential to do a lot more damage to the claimant than the defendant, but somehow, we don't think Harris has enough of a view around his own self-image to recognize bad PR if it took him out to an expensive dinner and then back to a hotel room for an all-limits-transgressed romp.