Quote
VoxVeritasVita Das
Dabcult, please repost the following excerpt in the comment section under the Tulsi article you mention. Its the best explanation yet on who Bulter is and Tulsi and her family's connection to the cult. This is what the voters should have been made aware of. There is no question that Tulsi is indeed a cult member and that she will obey to the letter whatever Bulter commands. This was posted back in 2008 on this forum:

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QUOTE: Re: The Science of Identity?
by pile » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:15 am

Ahh, found more info on Chris Butler and the science of identity church/cult:

Chris Butler preaches a self-styled philosophy influenced by the Hindu branch of Gauidaya Sampradaya (Hare Krishnas), mystic yoga, zen buddhism, Chinese esoteric practices, the Bible's New Testament and various psuedo-scientific theories. He named his theology the 'science of identity'.


Jagad Guru means 'Teacher of the Entire World' while Paramahamsa means 'Pure Swan' - based on the analogy of a swan being able to eat without consuming any of the dirty water their food is floating in. This infers that he can commit any act but on account of being a 'pure devotee' is not attatched to or capable of being corrupted by it.

The Science of Identity means knowing your identity as part and parcel, servant of God. Your natural function then is to be loving Him. This is what you must learn.
Chris Butler - "Death of a Loved One"

Claiming to be a direct link to God Chris Butler receives 'bhakti' (devotional service) and worship 'as good as God'. Liberation from material suffering is accepted as being relative to how 'loving' and 'pleasing' one is able to be to Chris Butler. His followers (called devotees) refer to him as 'Srila Prabhupad', meaning 'He who is in the position of God.'

As implied the 'submissive surrender' Butler preaches one must have towards a 'bonafide spiritual teacher' (himself) has no boundaries. Devotees are grateful to drink water that has been used to watch his feet and consume his toenails which are regarded as being especially purifying.

Features of a Destructive Cult

The Science of Identity Foundation, founded in Hawaii in 1977, is centre to a network of business, political and spiritual enterprises operating throughout the world under the direction of Chris Butler (Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa).

The 'science of identity' is also the title given to a distinct doctrine, as defined by Chris Butler, centered on the concept of spiritual life being dependent on any individual discovering thier 'actual identity' and being prepared to live according to their 'true nature'.

As organisation and philosophy are entirely co-existent both are essentially referred to by the abbreviation of SoI.

SoI is based around an authoritarian pyramid structure with Chris Butler, accepted as being the only genuine spiritual authority on earth and a direct link to God, at the top.

The means for achieving 'liberation from the endless cycle of birth and death' (re-incarnation) in SoI and 'going home to Godhead' (existing in the eternal bliss of Krishna's heavenly abode) is to accept Chris Butler's teachings as the 'absolute truth' and to engage in 'bhaki yoga' (devotional service).

Devotional service includes acting as a servant in Chris Butler's mansion or his personal kitchen, working in one of the businesses owned by SoI (and 'donating' a mandatory 25% deducted directly from employees wages), serving as a political candidate or other public position under Chris Butler's instruction or acting as an armed bodyguard.

Every need for Chris Butler is catered for from doing his laundry to standing up wind from wherever he is as an 'air-sniffer' on alert for toxins and offensive odours or paddling in the surf to give the impression that the beach is crowded so he may surf undisturbed.

Deceptive and co-ercive tactics are used to recruit and maintain followers (devotees) such as claiming to be non-religious and non-sectarian or to be teaching meditation for 'stress relief' and yoga for 'fitness'. Details of Chris Butler's personal history and teachings are routinely concealed or fabricated. Shunning and retribution are imposed on disobedient and former followers.

While claiming to be teaching ancient and traditional forms of meditation and yoga all disciplines within SoI are the modern creation of Chris Butler derived from various influences. "Gauranga breathing" is claimed by Butler to be able to extend one's life while "Deep Peace" meditation is identical to the practice of progressive relaxation hypnosis. SoI has progressively evolved to the level of deception of presenting the ways in which devotees are instructed to live by Chris Butler as a form of yoga. Jaya yoga (Jaya meaning 'victory') was implemented by massage entreprenuer Brandon Raynor as a means of guiding recruits to Hawaii where the largest population of devotees and Butler himself live.

Chris Butler's own training in yoga and meditation is practically non-existent. He has never acknowledged any teacher of his own despite claiming to be a world renowned yoga master and draws from a range of diverse and conflicting disciplines. One example of his lack of insight is that he claims to have experienced adverse and irreversible effects as a result of practicing Kundalini yoga, going on to teach that it is dangerous and to be avoided. At the same time he instructs his followers to teach the Chinese discipline of Qi-Gong (also called Chi-Kung) which is identical to Kundalini in every aspect.

Chris Butler 'chastises', humilates, punishes, fines and banishes those who are displeasing to him. 'Chastisement' is a common theme in his recorded lectures where he details the problems his followers have written to him about, seeking his guidance, and derides them or is heard to berate a follower speaking with him in person.

Followers live in the general community, although they maintain strict isolation. Chris Butler teaches that to associate with non-devotees, is dangerous to one's consciousness and will lead to the destruction of their spiritual life. Devotees often live co-dependently of each other, sharing houses and with younger devotees taken in by disciples. There are some small communes especially for young single women where they are kept in near total isolation until marriage.

As it is not acceptable to marry non-devotees many families are related. Marriages and divorces are ordered by Butler and he condones his male followers having more than one wife. Women are guided to feel useless and incapable of spiritual advancement if they do not have a husband.

Family is taught to be a false identification and raising children is accepted as being 'devotional service' with the only goal of parenting to be raising souls to be followers of Chris Butler.

Once a child turns five they are considered to be of age to become serious about spiritual life and not be concerned by 'unneccessary' childish behaviour, such as playing with toys. Sending a child to public school has been declared by Butler to be the equivalent of murdering them.

Followers of Chris Butler or 'devotees' fall into categories on the descending hierachy - 'pure devotees', 'senior disciples', 'disciples', 'students' and 'new people'.

Pure devotee is a distinction reserved for Chris Butler himself and those who are his close personal associates, such as his wife Wai Lana, who he gave the initiated name of Vaishnava dasi - meaning servant of a pure devotee.

In his own teachings Chris Butler places himself on the same level of character and devotion as Jesus Christ who he claims is also a pure devotee of Krishna.

Any action of a pure devotee is deemed to be pleasing to God, even when it contradicts the standards which Chris Butler expects of his followers or the scripture he refers to and has written himself.

Senior disciples are slightly more elite than disciples, ranked according to the length of time they have served Chris Butler as 'surrendered souls' and the closer their personal relationship is to him. Those who are considered to be senior disciples have been on friendly terms with Chris Butler personally and worked on his more ambitious or lucrative 'projects'. Mere disciples have often not even met or personally communicated with Chris Butler, even on their initiation.

The signifigance of 'initiation' is that a devotee has offerred their life and every action to Chris Butler and, according to him, that he accepts them on these terms makes the relationship equal. On initiation Chris Butler bestows a 'spiritual name' which his disciples become known by, typically a Vedic word which corressponds alphabetically to their original name. He also chants a mantra on their japa beads and returns them in exchange for the promise that they will chant a set number, usually sixteen, of 'rounds' a day for the rest of their lives. A 'round' is one 'Maha' (great) mantra (ie - Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) on each of a set of one hundred and eight beads which takes with takes about two hours a day.

Disciples are to be deferred to by students in the abscence of Chris Butler, which is typical as he is increasingly reclusive and uncontactable by all but a select few. They act to discipline through meeting among themselves and organise recruitment and projects.

Despite Chris Butler's personally absent spiritual guidance copious instructions are issued by him through his network of secretaries and staff in Hawaii and in his writings and recorded lectures. Disciples rely on contacting him indirectly through these means and issues which are considered important are brought to his attention through his secretary.

Students have had to demonstrate sufficient belief in Chris Butler to become progressively more exposed to his teachings, association with other devotees and involvement in his projects. Most long term students do not contribute a significant amount of money or have been displeasing to Chris Butler in some way. Not being initiated does not provide for liberation, creating an imperative to be as pleasing and devoted as possible.

Some disciples have taken advantage of this situation by soliciting money from students for investment and pyramid schemes, developing their businesses via free labour and manipulating sexual favours and money from students in exchange for recommending them for initiation. Chris Butler has shown no interest in these issues when they are brought to his attention beyond directing that all money should be sent directly to him.

New people are defined as those who are not deemed 'serious enough' by the controlling disciples to be given anymore than superficial access to the spiritual nature of the organisation and Chris Butler's teachings.

If a person becomes involved when they are aged beyond their twenties they are regarded with suspicion and may never progress above open classes simply because Chris Butler preaches that the older a person is without becoming his follower the more degraded their consciousness has become. Other factors which are considered is whether a person has a spouse or children that do not attend, whether they are regular attendants and if they have any assets or skills that are useful to service.

Chris Butler has an estimated twenty thousand 'devotees' with confirmed prescences in Australia, Belgium, Canada,China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Phillipines, Poland,Russia, Switzerland and the United States - particularly Hawaii, California, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Texas.

SoI meditation and yoga centres, which serve as the primary means of recruitment, operate under various names. Typically titles are based on the location (eg- Australian School of Meditation) or favour the names of 'Chaitanya' or 'Gauranga' (eg- Chaitanya Mission and Gauranga School of Meditation). Names which contradict this general practice have also been documented (eg- Mantra Meditation in Hawaii and Gokula House in Melbourne,
Australia).

SoI also carries on recruitment through dedicated 'outreach' operating in public spaces, such as libraries, community and youth centres, member's private homes, university campuses, through the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) project, Brandon Raynor Massage Schools and Down to Earth 'Lifestyle Centres'.

Subliminal indoctrination is attempted according to the belief that exposing 'karmis' (non-believers) to the sounds of Chris Butler chanting and the consumption of 'prashadam' (food that has been ritually offered to the deity
Krishna).

Based on these beliefs SoI has established Wai Lana Yoga, which features the chanting of Chris Butler - credited as Siddha, Ajita's Vege Chips, the Down to Earth food chain, Healing Noni Juice and a multitude of smaller scale food service and musical projects, including Chris Butler's own failed rock star aspirations.

Even more abstract attempts to introduce SoI beliefs to an unsuspecting public include the cartoons Ninjai, Karma Kula and Wai Lana's 'Little Yogis' and coveting exposure in the entertainment industry.

As Chris Butler instructs his followers in what career they should take up it is interesting to note how many dedicate themselves to modelling, and acting, especially considering that Butler preaches the superficial nature of such professions and refers to watching movies as a waste of time. Under the guidance of Chris Butler is Radha Mitchell and minor actress Satcha Bellord, a stable of young models and aspiring musicians in Hawaii and Ground Up TV in the Phillipines featuring pop culture alongside solicitous female modelling.

Butler has pursued his political interests over four decades, telling his followers that one of them will eventually be president of the United States. To date he has succeeded in having a disciple on every level of Hawaiian government.

The 70s party Independents for Godly Government which included Rick Reid, Wayne Nishiki, Kathy Hoshijo, Larry Olsen and John Moore dissolved in controversy after Reid was exposed for engaging in dirty campaign tactics, on Chris Butler's orders, by his former wife. Other attempts to manipulate the democratic process have also surfaced.

In 1998 the EarthSave party was established in Australia by disciple Brandon Raynor in which every candidate was a fellow devotee. They failed to win any influence and have since disbanded.

Chris Butler's most successful political endeavour to date has been the Gabbard family. Mike Gabbard (Krishna Kartha das) was elected Senator for Hawaii in 2006. Wife Carol Gabbard (Devaruti dasi) spent a record amount to win a place on the Hawaiian Board of Education and daughter Tulsi Gabbard-Tamayo won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2002.

Chris Butler's candidates show no party preference with Republican and Democrat candidates running simultaneously and Mike Gabbard switching from Republican to Democrat less than a year after being elected. Mike Gabbard has denied his allegiance to Chris Butler claiming to be Catholic, despite clear evidence to the contrary including 95% of his very unusual campaign contributions coming directly from SoI members. The only objective is to assure Chris Butler of as much influence as possible. With this same goal selected followers are directed to take up policing and positions with other government departments.

Various pressure groups have also been established by Chris Butler in the interests of gaining a controlling influence in the Vaishnava religious community and demonising homosexuality, with some interest extended to environmental issues. These include being a founding member and installing the president of the World Vaishnava Association, establishing and directing the Vaishnava Internet News Agency, Alliance Against Religous Vilification, Dharam Rakshak, Stand Up for America, several chapters of Stop Promoting Homosexuality and Save Traditional Marriage and the Healthy Hawaii Coalition.

Who is Chris Butler?

The youngest of three sons and a daughter born to Dr Willis Butler and his wife Barbara on 14th June 1948 Chris was born in Louisiana shorlty before the family relocated to Hawaii.

In his lectures to followers Chris does not remember his childhood fondly and as an adult became estranged from his family, apart from his brother Bruce, who became his disciple. He ordered his disciples in personal service to provide no details to his parents about where he was living refused to attend his own mother's funeral.

As an example of how unattached he is to his own 'material body' Chris Butler claimed to not realise that he was white until he was discriminated against by the local indigenous Hawaiians.

Brahman Realisation

Regardless of the different names the experience is the same. During this experience, the individual soul temporarily forgets his individual existence and merges into the impersonal Brahman effulgence. This effulgence is actually the personal bodily luster of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This effulgence is boundless and all-pervading, and is known as the brahmajyoti. In colloquial terms it is known as the "clear light" or the "white light".

The experience involved can be brought about through various methods of meditation, prayer, chanting, and in some very rare cases, through the use of psychedelic drugs combined with any of the above mentioned processes.

Footnote : The author of this thesis in no way advocates the use of psychedelic drugs. The use of psychadelic drugs can be very dangerous. In this regard, it should be noted that many persons who have experimented with psychedelic drugs, and who think that they have attained great levels of spiritual awareness, are infact simply "space cases" who are out of touch with reality, both material and spiritual.

Tusta Krishna das (David Muncie) The Quest : An Enquiry into the Existence and Nature of the Supreme Being. Page 190.

The Quest, published by The Science of Identity Foundation in 1980 and 1999 is the thesis of Chris Butler's closest personal friend and first disciple in attaining his Master of Arts degree.

Despite his disclaimer Tusta's devotion to Chris Butler did not permit him to dismiss the ability to attain "Brahman realization" through use of psychedelic drugs, since he was well aware this is what led Chris Butler to becoming a guru.

According to legend among Butler's followers it was during an LSD "trip" that he reached the "white light" and claimed that he heard a voice telling him that he needed permission to enter. With this Chris Butler had a realisation that if he needed permission that there must be a higher authority above the impersonal goal. At that point he returned to material existence to share the realisation that God existed.

Origins In ISKCON

That difference of opinion will continue, what can be done. Siddha Swarupananda Maharaja and his group, whenever they see me they give me money. So they are not against me.
-AC Bhaktivedanta Swami in a letter to his disciple Bhurijana 11th Nov 1975


In philosophy and lifestyle, in addition to sharing many critical aspects, SoI is derived from and maintains a strong resemblance to the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) 'Hare Krishna' movement.

Most of Butler's philosophy, inferred credibility as a guru and his early following stems from his relationship with ISKCON.

There is an abundance of evidence to sugguest that he had a profound effect on the organisation in defining it's more controversial aspects and instigating challenges to authority that have proven highly divisive to this day.

Chris Butler claims to be the only true representative of ISKCON founder and guru AC Bhaktivedanta Swami. He portrays himself as a matyr violently oppossed for his devotion by those who became set on corruption following AC Bhaktivedanta Swami's death.

Chris Butler arrived in ISKCON in late 1970 bringing with him a substantial donation of $18 800, property in Hawaii and between 50 to 100 of his own followers. While the estimation of numbers varies considerably it is generally agreed that Sai, as Butler was then known, and his following where the largest group to ever join ISKCON.

Bhaktivedanta would initiate over five thousand disciples, but only one received a page in ISKCON's Back To Godhead magazine to commemorate the occassion. Butler wrote offering his obeisances (respects) to Bhaktivedanta Swami, declaring his commitment to ISKCON and lamenting his past spiritual misjudgements.

Chris Butler was given the initiated name Siddhasvarupa - meaning 'one that is accomplished in image 'in June 1971.

Just six months prior to his initiation Butler had produced Sai Speaks to promote Krishna Yoga Community, a reinvention of his pre-existing commune, which was linked to Sivananda Ashram.

Sai claimed to have mastered every traditional form of yoga, although he was still only twenty years old, and to be a genuine spiritual master although, he admitted at the time, not in disciplic succession.

In his considerably revised personal history Butler would come to represent to his followers that he had attained to the highest level of enlightenment in the 'impersonal' philosophies (those which do not recognise God as an individual but within each human soul) only to encounter God himself and so become certain of his genuine existence.

At the time Butler was regularly using LSD, a fact he admits to in Sai Speaks and his publication "Drugs" and it was during a 'trip' that he experienced his divine awakening. He would later claim that the name Sai, which means 'master' was bestowed on him by Krishna. The name was actually bestowed on him by his initiating spiritual master of Sivananda Ashram as part of his full initiated name Sai Stokala Adhikari, which appears in Sai Speaks.

Hawaiian followers of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami were affronted by Sai's imitiation of their practices, including leading sankirtan (public chanting parties), collecting money and claims to be following their guru. Bhaktivedanta renounced any connection to Sai and directed his disciples to print and distribute a leaflet of his own design to inform the general public that Sai was not representing Krishna Consciousness.

At the time Hare Krishna had become a household name and being denounced by Bhaktivedanta severely restricted Sai's ability to recruit new followers as he had intended as well as challenging his authority in front of his
existing following.

Butler sent his closest friend David Muncie, who would become known as Tusta Krishna das, to study with ISKCON and began to corresspond with Bhaktivedanta in a series of letters enquiring about how he could become accepted. The offer of money and other assets was made immediately and received with much enthusiasm.

Despite their success and already having amassed considerable wealth ISKCON was involved with several very ambitious projects and experiencing some difficulty meeting debts. In particular the society's magazine Back to Godhead, founded by Bhaktivedanta in 1944, was unable to meet costs and under threat of being shut down. Butler may have been aware of this fact due to his association with regarded hallucenogenic artist Bob Schnepp who had taken up residence at Krishna Yoga Community after working for Back to Godhead.

Interestingly, under the influence of LSD Schnepp was responsible for producing Butler's 'authorised' images of Krishna. These he tells his followers are the only true and therefore acceptable depictions of God based on his own claims of having seen him in person.

Sai instructed his following who were accustomed to spending their days 'tripping', surfing and embracing the concept of 'free love' that they were joining ISKCON.

*All copies of Sai Speaks were directed to be burnt and the customs of ISKCON fully adhered to. Specific instructions were given about where followers were to go sugguesting that there was some intention to assume influence within ISKCON in Sai's favour.

Less than two years into initiation Butler was no longer concerned with fitting in and was running his own following benefitting significantly from the guise of being condoned by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami. Tusta Krishna das assumed control of the ISKCON temple in New Zealand while Siddhasvarupa ran ISKCON in Hawaii. He also had a controlling influence in the infamous Californian Laguna Temple which cooperated with Timothy Leary's 'Brotherhood of Eternal Love' to distribute vast amounts of LSD and hash smuggled from India. Eventually scandal would arise when Laguna was raided by the FBI.

Chris Butler was continuously brought to AC Bhaktivedanta Swami's attention by his other disciples with concern for the many ways in which he asserted his independence and ultimately assumed his own authority. Butler appealed to those who had difficulty adapting to standards of temple living such as shaving their heads and wearing orange robes. Such things Butler declared were unimportant. He never attempted to explain why such a saintly and genuine guru as he prepetuated Bhaktivedanta Swami as being would bother to make instructions which were so spiritually irrelevant as to be discarded.

Butler himself could not abide the vow of celibacy he had taken in accepting the initiation as a sanyassin and was forced to marry his secretary when it was discovered that he had been sleeping with her.

Although he maintains to this day that he is celibate and has been his entire life according to some of his former disciples he was in a relationship with his long-time friend and early disciple Kathy Hoshijo, known as Katayani dasi, and he married his 'spiritual daughter' Wai Lana in 1984.

The ISKCON religion is derived from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of India which recognises Krishna as the 'Supreme Lord' among the many gods and goddesses of the complex Hindu belief system. Although maintaining that this theology or 'revealed knowledge' is the original religion - based on the most ancient scripture in existence - Gauidiya Vaishnavism was actually defined and popularised by the Indian sage Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the early 15th century.

According to the key scripture of the Bhagavad Gita a spiritual master is situated in a disciplic succession that originated with God himself and has carried on through the tradition of students representing their departed guru in teachings and example. It is taught that there can be no spiritual enlightenment without 'submissive surrender' to him. Spiritual masters are always male in this belief system as women are deemed too inferior.

The concept of not contradicting a standard derived directly from God is upheld as a guide to authenticity of a guru. Infact each generation, beginning with Chaitanya, has made major alterations to the teachings and example of their predecessor. Chaitanya personally wrote only eight short prayers and never claimed to be God although he would be worshipped as a direct incarnation descended for the purpose of reviving devotion on earth following his death and his teachings would be voluminously declared by others.

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami was an elderly retired pharmacist* when he left his native India with the mission of bringing 'Krishna Consciousness' to the Western world in 1966. He was not well regarded among his 'godbrothers' on account of his casual devotion. While he claimed to have been given the instruction to preach in english while still a young man he did not adopt the rigid constraints of his religion until his business was bankrupt, his children were grown and married life had become tiresome, just eleven years before his death. He was also criticised for assuming the title of his deceased spiritual master Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

*(note: According to Professor (and Swami) Agehananda Bharati, who had close relationships with Subhas Chandao Boses surviving family, and other members of the Bengali elite, Bhaktivedanta had started out in a family in Calcutta who were silver bullion merchants.)

"Excerpted from AB's survey of mysticism entitled 'The Light at the Center: Pretext and Context of Modern Mysticism'--. '(footnote on page 236) ' There is no doubt that Swami AC Bhaktvendanta (Prabhupada) 'the Lord's Food) silver bullion broker of Calcutta turned saint, foudner of the Hare Krishna movement in the western world, created a genuine duplication of the Caitanya movement in an expatriate setting...Sri Caitanya (1485-1533) was a Bengali Brahmin, and the formost devotional reformer of the late Bengali Middle Ages. His influence, although localized in Bengal and Orissa generated a powerful millenial type movement which peaked in the 17th Century all over Northern India and declined thereafter. ' .. 'It is much more difficult to find a troupe of 'Hare Krishna' singing and dancing devotees in the streets of Calcutta (Note: Bharati wrote this in the early to mid 1970s) than in the US...Except for Bengalis abroad, Hindus have hardly heard about 'Hare Krishna' singing in India; only now do they witness in the West what some saint, unknown to them, created a few centuries ago in rural northeastern India. 'Krishna Consciousness' in teh midn and in the words of Swami Bhaktivendanta and his roughly 4,000 followers (1976) in North America is a term referring to an interpreted mystical state. Since the Vaishnava does not want to "merge" (that is does not want to merge with the Deity but remain separate while ecstatically adoring the Deity--my note, not Bharati's) being different from KRSNA in playful eternity, a zero experience (Bharati's term for mystical consummation) occurring to the Vaisnava is interpreted about as negatively as a Christian orthodox mystic's experience. I asked Swami Bhaktivedanta about this--and he got quite irritated, rejecting monistic Vedanta in the same irate style in which Vaishnavas have been rejecting it as heresy for 800 years.' " Bharati was fluent in Bengali, Sanskrit, Hindi and had relationships with the great and good in Bengal. He would have known Prabhupada's family background.

Another hint of Prabhupada's privliged background and his early sense of entitlement can be found by readign anecdotes in the full version of Lord Krishna's Cusine, written by Prabhupada's devotee and one of his personal cooks--Yanuma Devi. Old man Prab told Devi how he would, as a boy, walk and watch the vendors making fried delicacies at roadside stands in Calcutta, and how the vendors would give him free goodies, to the point of the boy arriving home with his vest pockets full. This indicates that the kid was well off enough to have vest to wear. And with pockets.

There would have been NO shortage of hungry boys in those Calcutta streets. The vendors would have gone broke had they given away food to every boy with longing eyes. But the old man spoke as though he routinely received free goodies. Even if he was a son of a pharmacist, there must have been some serious family power for him, even as a boy to be getting favoritism from food vendors. In India, small kids are often given rough treatmetn in the streets, unless it is known that they come from an upper class background with family clout.

This indicates that Prabupada was from a privilieged background and that the vendors knew it was to their advantage to feed him. (end of note--Corboy Back to Butler)

Bhaktivedanta roundly condemned his godbrothers claiming to be the only true representative of his spiritual master, declaring that they were 'low class', less than human and had lost all meaning of their mission. The anomisity was not resolved on either side until ISKCON had become a popular and very wealthy success.

By 1966 Gaudiya Vaishnavism was an obscure sect in a land of thousands but by actively appealing to the American 'hippie' culture and aided by highly influential figures including Timothy Leary Bhaktivedanta managed to convince thousands that his was the one true religion.

ISKCON was heavily focussed towards raising money as Bhaktivedanta directed 'by hook or by crook'. Any act intended to benefit the society was deemed not only acceptable but morally superior. As such the popular image of Hare Krishnas became irretrivably linked to public solicition.

Contemporary observations refer to dodging gauntlets of saffron robed preachers in every conceivable public space. The New York zoo posted signs advising not to donate to the Hare Krishnas alongside the more traditional Do not feed the animals. A lawsuit was required to remove the abundance of preachers from airport terminals.

The older generations were troubled at seeing so many young people withdrawing from society to live in temples and follow a heavily ritualised lifestyle. Claims of 'brainwashing', control, criminal enterprises and abuse began to surface almost immediately.

In a long running courtcase, beginning in 1976, a minor named Robin George and her parents pursued claims of brainwashing and false imprisonment. In 1983 they were awarded $32 million in damages by a Californian jury, which was reduced to $485 000 in 1993 and eventually finalised by a private
settlement.

ISKCON was futher tainted by widespread pick-pocketing and various street scams, drug use and dealing, abuse and repression of female members, high divorce rates, seperating parents from their children and abuse of children in their boarding schools.

Sulochana das who documented the direction of ISKCON following AC Bhaktivedanta Swami's death in his book The Guru Business was murdered in retaliation two days after publication in 1982. His killer maintained that he had acted on the orders of his guru Kirtananda, who was later jailed for racketeering.

In 2000 forty four complainants titled "children of ISKCON" filed a lawsuit for physical, emotional and sexual abuse in ISKCON boarding schools.

When AC Bhaktivedanta Swami died in 1977 he left no clear instruction as to who his successor should be. Eleven disciples making up the Governing Body Commission GBC, which Bhaktivedanta had founded himself claimed that they had been appointed. ISKCON was immediately divided by those who accepted the 'successor gurus' and those that did not. Some maintained that Bhaktivedanta had been poisoned.

Chris Butler was the first to publicly denounce the'successor gurus', claiming that they had fraudulently assumed control of the organisation since he himself was the only one qualified to continue AC Bhaktivedanta Swami's mission. Immediately following his death Chris Butler assumed Bhaktivedanta's title of 'Srila Prabhupad' - meaning he who has taken the position of the Lord.

Butler and his close followers have maintained vague and unsubstantiated claims for over three decades that 'people' within ISKCON are plotting against him determined to assassinate his character if not his person. He has never been attacked despite his many public gatherings and high profile projects, including his involvement alongside several ISKCON members in the World Vaishnava Association.

In contrast Butler's history of self-interest, disrespect and disruption within ISKCON is well documented.

The premise of being in perptual threat from ISKCON has served to convince Butler's followers that he is protecting them from 'spiritual suicide' by having any association with ISKCON members, fostering fear, mistrust and contempt which prevents them from seeking or believing any accounts of his personal history.

Followers and even former followers of Chris Butler who have maintained some element of faith along the lines of ISKCON are reluctant to examine his relationship to Bhaktivedanta Swami, or to venture any further back in history. The belief in the need for a genuine spiritual master is so pervading in Krishna Consciousness that acknowledging critical facts or enquiring into the background of Chris Butler or Bhaktivedanta severely undermines the will to believe.

Many are ultimately drawn to gurus claiming an unrelated descent in order to continue belief through denoucing Bhaktivedanta and his disciples as bogus.

Inside SoI

SoI maintains the most fundamental philosophy of ISKCON combined with Chris Butler's impersonalist and zen learnings, elements of chinese mysticism, and various psuedo-sciences.

The recognition and worship of Krishna as God, with a focus on the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

SoI does not recognise the distinctive dress code of ISKCON and Butler explicitly instructs not to resemble ISKCON devotees in anyway. There is no position of sanyassi (celibate male preachers) central in the structure of ISKCON and no attempt to follow the emphasis that Bhaktivedanta Swami placed on public chanting, maintaining temples, book distribution and charity.

Chris Butler has never built a temple or undertaken a single charitable project. Gatherings of followers typically take place in parks or on a beach.

Chris Butler's instructions are for religious practices to be cloaked in euphenisms such as 'yoga sound' for names of Krishna, mantra rock (for worshipping Krishna to loud music) and 'yoga lifestyle' for following his teachings on a daily basis.

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08.18.04 First impression after my first night in Hawaii: What the hell was I thinking, and how did I ever think that this was a good idea.

Second thought: I knew this would be hard (especially in the beginning), I wanted to throw myself right into it to get started, and I need to give it some more time to let myself get used to how different everything is before I jump to conclusions.

Third thought: I hope I'm strong enough to actually do this.



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After 4 flights, I landed in Hilo at around 3:30 Hawaii time. I was exhausted and worn out, but I was excited too. Flying in to the Islands was beautiful. After hours and hours of seeing nothing but open water out the window, it was incredible to come upon the Big Island under a canopy of clouds. It was gorgeous. When I arrived at the airport, I quickly found my bag and began to look for Shankar, the owner of Dharma Farms who had promised to pick me up at the airport. He was nowhere to be found. He had mentioned that he lived only five minutes away from the airport, so I figured he might just be taking his time to get there so he woulnd't have to wait for me. At 4:00, I called his house. It rang and rang, and then I got a message "Memory Full" and a dial tone. Now I started to freak out a little bit. I thought maybe I had the wrong number written down, so I even called my Mom and had her look up his number on the website, but it was the right number. At around 4:15 I tried again and was able to reach him. At 5:15, a pick-up truck pulls up in front of the airport. Shankar is riding int the front with two girls next to him, and two guys are hanging off the back. I get in the car and everyone is very friendly, and we start driving.

"Where are we going?" I ask. "To work" Shankar replies. In my head I'm thinking "Are you kidding me? I woke up at 3 AM Milwaukee time and it's now about 11:00 PM Milwaukee time, and I've only had 30 mintues of sleep on the plane, and now I have to work?!" but, of course, I didn't say anything. I just went to work trying to convince myself that I was excited to see the farm and that I could handle a little work after being so tired.

We pull up to the warehouse where the noni is produced. We get out of the car and I'm hit by the smell of ripe noni fruit. It has got to be the single most disgusting smell to ever hit my nostrils: somehwere between rotting eggs, sour milk, and vomit. Shankar tells me to take my things into the warehouse and change into work clothes. I leave my backpack (including my valuables, except for my wallet, which is on me) in the warehouse were he told me to put it, and I come outside. Everyone is waiting in the truck, and we go to another one of Shankar's properties. On the way there, Shankar tells me that they've had an occasional problem with theives (of course, he tells me this AFTER I've left my stuff where he told me to, AFTER I get here - with no prior mention of that in our earlier communications). We pull up to the second farm, referred to as Lava Land because part of it is covered with the solidified lava rock from an eruption about 15-20 years ago, and a girl called Nicole (who is very warm and seems to have adopted me already) shows me around and puts me to work watering plants. We work for about 2 hours or so, which felt like the longest amount of time in my life. I am wandering around, trying to hold back tears because at this point, I am starting to feel disoriented, I'm seeing that I've idealized things quite a bit, and I'm starting to doubt my decision to come here. At the same time, I keep telling myself, almost like a mantra "I'm in Hawaii, this is Paradise, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I can handle this." Nicole takes me over to the edge of Lava Land as it starts to get dark. She points out the glowing light in the distance, and it turns out that is the fresh lava flow off in the distance. It is beautiful.

The truck comes around and while I have been watering plants, the men were bundling up bags of noni, which are now stinking up the bed of the truck. I end up being one of the people who holds on to the back of the truck as we head off to another location for pickup of more bags of fruit. Finally, we get back to the warehouse and all of us unload all of the noni bags onto platforms that have been set out. Each bag weighs 60 lbs and because each bag is filled with ripe, soft noni that has been sitting in a truck with hundreds of other bags of noni on top of it, there is noni juice and pulp seeping out of each bag onto all of us. It is now 8:30 PM Hawaii time, and I realize I have been awake for approximately 24 hours because it is 3:30 AM in Milwaukee. I get my bag from the warehouse and everything is there, no worries. We hop back into the truck and go off to Shankar's house in the city.

It is explained to me that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, people usually stay at Shankar's house, but otherwise, they stay out on one of his properties in makeshift cabins (that are more like shantys) or in the old school bus. Shankar's house is huge and there are several people living there and there are even a couple empty rooms. I was able to take a shower and I skipped dinner because I was so tired. I went to sleep at around 9, and after a few minutes trying to fight back tears because I am delieriously tired and having serious doubts about myself, I finally passed out.

I woke up today at 8:00 and I spoke to Nicole a bit. She lives out here, on Shankar's property, and she does extra work exchange to cover her rent here. I asked her what I am expected to do - stay at the farm or stay here (since there are extra rooms) - and she said I should talk to Shankar. Part of me wants to see what it is like to stay at the farm, but part of me wants to wait a week or so until I am a little more used to being here to start staying at a place without the amenities that Shankar has here, and without anyone else around (that's right - if I stay int he school bus, only one other person is staying there and he's reportedly a loner, so I'm all by myself pretty much).

I'll let you know what happens, I have no idea what I'm doing or how I'm feeling, I keep trying to keep a good attitude but it's been difficult. I'll write again when I have more to say (hopefully better things!). The pictures below are of Kalapana (Lava Land) taken at another date.

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adjusting to surroundings...
08.19.04 I realize that my initial impression of everything was definitely clouded by my extreme lack of sleep and by my sheer frustration that I was expected to work the second I got here. Some have suggested that it might have been a test to let me know that I came here for work and that they don't want anyone who wants a free ride. Still, I think that before I leave here (whenever that will be), I might mention to Shankar that the way I was treated on my first day is a great way to scare off otherwise well intentioned volunteers.

I met a few more of the people who live and work here. There is a young couple, Matthew and Kaitlyn, who are actually from Austin and who are a year younger than me. They just arrived a couple of days before I did, so it's nice not to be the only newbie around here. Matthew and I instantly felt like we had either met or seen each other somewhere before, but we're not sure where. They are living out at one of the farms, so I don't see them as often, and they are actually already talking about moving on to another place because this wasn't what they had in mind. I hope they stick around though. I also met Tommy, a guy who has been living here since October. The three of us ended up doing some work together around the house, cleaning up a bit, making a batch of homemade noni juice that will be ready in a few weeks (and that I'll have to try, even though the smell of it makes me sick), taking out the compost, and feeding old cardboard to the banana patches. Here at the house baby nonis are raised to be planted elsewhere. I overheard Gopal, Shankar's business partner, talking on the phone in the office and it turns out there has been an overproduction of the noni juice and they are trying to unload bottles on people as the demand decreses. I don't think this will mean that the work will be getting much slower though.

There are about eight to ten people living here at the house (or houses -- there are about three or four adjoining buildings on the property) and about 3 - 5 people living at various farming properties. People are apparently coming and going all of the time, but most people here have been here from about 4 - 7 months. We cleaned out an upstairs room and so now I have my own room with a little piece of foam and a sheet on it as my bed, and a little blanket that I used to do yoga this morning. It's nice to have my own space and feel more settled in.

Tommy and Anton (a man from South Africa) made lunches for everyone and at around 2:30 we all climbed into the back of the truck to get to work. We headed out to another farm that I hadn't seen yet and we were all given machetes and set to work weeding the noni trees and pulling off excess leaves. The first hour or so was really hard on me and I felt confused about being here. I was drenced in sweat and the mosquitoes were eating me alive. I had an intense appreciation for all of the organic food that I have eaten, and I don't mind paying the extra price for it because I know now how much work goes into raising foods without the use of pesticides. By the time the truck came around, I felt great. I was exhausted from the work, but I felt good that I had worked so hard and done such a good job, and I was, of course, happy that it was over for the day. We drove back to the warehouse where we quiclky showered and got ready to go to a nearby ashram for dinner. I used an outdoor shower -- a square wooden platform that you stand on with two large wooden planks on each side, so as I was standing there, using a bowl to pour clean water on myself, I was able to look out over the trees and I see the ocean in the distance. I even used a gingerfruit plant that Matthew and Tommy showed me could be used as soap/shampoo.

We headed off to Guruda's ashram and as we approached we could hear devotional songs. I was familiar with kirtan (songs of devotion) from Austin, but i wasn't familiar with this intense Krshna worship. There was an altar in the front of the room and everyone was bowing down before pictures of Krshna intermittently in the singing. I prefer thinking of God as infinite consciousness and universal love intstad of picturing it in the form of an actual depicted god and worshipping it, so I felt out of my element a little bit. I was happy that the people there have found something that means so much to them and they take so seriously, but I don't see myself getting into it like that. It's just not what I'm looking for. I was really looking forward to a group meditation, but there wasn't one, which was disappointing. Still, the meal was great and I met some people and I was given my first lei there, which is now hanging up in my new room.

I have no idea what will be happening in the days ahead, but I am feeling much more comfortable in the meantime. I am still feeling very alone, even though everyone has been very friendly lately, and I tear up when talking to family or when reading your emails. But I am very proud of myself and what I am doing.


it's getting better all the time...
08.20.04 This morning, Gopal woke me up at around 7 and invited me to go surfing with him and Shankar and Anton. We got to Honolii Point at around 7:30ish and the beach was already packed with surfers. I was given a boogie board and a fin and sent out into the ocean. It was really hard, but really fun. Shankar had to keep coming over to me and telling me to come in a little closer so I wouldn't get in the way of the major tidal waves. The current is very strong and it was hard to find my way around, but I was able to catch a couple small waves. Even if I hadn't, it was fun just to be in the Ocean. Gopal surfs every morning and Shankar goes about 3-4 times a week with him. I told them I want to keep going with them so I can get better at it. Shankar says it takes about 30-40 times before you actually get the hang of it, but I hope I can learn faster than that.

I'm starting to feel like less of a stranger. Yesterday I got a chance to talk to a lot of the people here one-on-one and I feel like I'm getting to carve out a place for myself here. After we got home from work last night, I even cooked for everyone and they loved it, so that was cool. When I got back from surfing, I saw Tommy and he told me that we would hitch to the Farm together to meet up with Matthew and Kaitlyn. It was Matthew's birthday and we all met up and hitched down to Kehena beach together. This is the beach where there is a big drum circle every Sunday night. The beach was gorgeous. Black sand, HUGE waves (with no reef or sandbar - and supposedly dolphins swim not too far away from shore), big black cliffs, coconut trees, and a lot of naked hippies. We hung out there for the afternoon until we had to go back to the farm for work.

I plan on staying out at the farm tonight, so we'll see how that goes. There isn't much out there in terms of facilities, but Sunday is our day off and Matthew and Kaitlyn and I want to hang out and check out the drum circle, so it'll be easier to coordinate all of that if we start out at the same place. Hitch hiking seems to be safe here - we've already done it a few times - but I don't feel comfortable doing it by myself, and I don't want to have to try to convince anyone to come with me each time I want to go somewhere.


naked hippies everywhere...
08.23.04 After work on Saturday, I went back to the farm with Matthew and Kaitlyn. I crashed in the old school bus, which has been converted into a pretty nice place to stay, with a little sitting area and a mattress and even a really fat cat who lives there and kept me company.

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I really enjoyed staying in the bus, and I would love to be able to stay there more often, but the thought of being alone out there freaks me out, especially with the risk of theft. There is a little kitchen outside where we all cooked dinner for ourselves, and we stayed up talking about what we are all doing in Hawaii and just getting to know each other better in general. It was great to hang out away from the house for a bit. It made it more clear that I am actually on an island, since I had a great view of the ocean from the farm, and since the vegetation is more apparent outside of the city. The vibe at the house is also a little too intense for me sometimes. Everyone who lives there is 100% Krshna worship all the time. It is all that they want to think about, talk about, and do all day. I admire their dedication, but when that is not the spiritual path that I have chosen for myself, it can get a little tiring to be around it non-stop. Anyway, it was great to hang out at the farm with those kids. They are a really great couple who have been together for about a year. Being around a couple a lot makes me miss Jason even more, but that's to be expected.

We woke up in the morning and ate some breakfast and made sandwiches to take to the beach. We waited out the morning rain and then hitched to the beach with a woman who had Jesus stickers on her car and a keychain that read "Say 'Yes!' to Jesus." Kehena is the place to be on Sundays. There must have been at least 100 people there, drumming and dancing and swimming and smoking and just being naked. It reminded me a lot of the Rainbow Gathering, actually. We met up with some folks we had met when we were on the beach on Friday and we hung out there. One thing I've learned about Hawaii is that the dudes here are incredibly straight forward. The guys who are living here are able to spot fresh meat and go in for the kill. This guy named Yosh chose me as his target and started talking me up. He was a really nice guy and I basically called him on what he was trying to do. I found out later from a guy named Ali that the boys on the beach all had a running bet going on whether or not Yosh would end up getting the girl (apparently he's famous around Puna for this sort of thing). Well, he didn't get me. I told him he's a nice person and, being new here, I'm always looking for new friends, but my heart belongs to someone far away. He seemed cool with that and he toned things down enough for me to feel comfortable just hanging out with him. It started raining on and off and after each little storm there would be this huge rainbow cutting clear across the sky and ending in the ocean. I got a great picture of a double rainbow too, really auspicious I think.

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After about 6 hours at the beach, we caught a ride to Guruda's for the kirtan. Sunday night is their huge night, where they make about 36 pizzas and everyone from the area crowds into the tiny room. They had a huge jam session with drums and guitars and tambourines. Everyone was dancing around singing Hare Krshna, Hare Rama, Hare Hare and it was a great time. I sort of gave myself an attitude adjustment while I was there. I had been feeling really estranged from the entire Krshna worship aspect of living here at Dharma Farms. The people at the house are so into it, almost to the point where they cannot mesh with the "real world" anymore and they have no desire to do so. Two of the youngest people (25 and 31) who are here seem the most devoted and I found out that neither one of them has a close relationship with their families and they don't have any other ties outside of this community. Whenever we go to kirtan, I am asked about my beliefs and I am encouraged to listen to Guruda's talks and watch Jagad Guru's lectures on video and basically get into it. It was making me uncomfortable, but last night I was able to get into it. I basically realized that whether you pray to Allah or Elohim or Krshna, it's the same basic concept but with a different name and a different way of making the connection. I will chant at the kirtans and use the same ideation I do in my meditation - of connecting and being one with infinite consciousness - but ouside of that, I'm still doing my own thing.

I will have been here a week as of tomorrow. I'm glad that I've been able to see a bit of this area in the short time I've been here, but I'm nervous that when Kaitlyn and Matthew leave I won't be able to do as much because of the fear of hitching alone. I'm sure I'll figure something out, and if I do hitch, I'll do it carefully. You don't have to take every ride that is offered, so I can pass up the freaks and hopefully get picked up by some nice women drivers or something, we'll see. Caren gets out here in early September, and I'm psyched to show her all that I've been able to see. I'm also excited to explore more of the island with her. I am hoping that I can find out about some farms in the Kona area to work at after I leave Dharma Farms (probably close to October) so I can be on the sunny side while it is the major rainy season in Puna. This is all very exciting though in the meantime.

If any of you are actually reading these, please email me, I'd love to hear from you. I have a lot more computer access than I thought I would. I probably won't be updating the site as often as I have been unless there is something especially cool to write about, but I will be emailing. It's nice to feel connections from home while I'm here. Take care and be well and know that I'm thinking of you all.

a clarification...
08.25.04 So I realize that some family members are concerned that I will renounce Judaism and become a Krshna worshipper and never see them ever again. This is far far far from the truth. I did not come out here looking for a new religion, and just because I have found myself on a farm where spirituality is the main thing, it doens't mean they will convert me. My earlier attitude adjustment that I spoke of simply means that I am trying not to be so negative about being around this type of thought all of the time. I am trying to be understanding and respectful of their beliefs and as non judgemental as I can be (which has been more of a challenge than I had thought) while not adhering to it myself. I am trying to feel comfortable with it enough to feel ok living and working here, but not so comfortable as to start bowing down before images of Krshna and chanting using japa beads. So, for the sake of my family, I repeat: I am not being converted, and I am not worshipping some strange God. I still consider myself to be Jewish, and that will not change.

In addition, some family members have expressed concern about hitching alone. Matthew and Kaitlyn are talking about leaving on Sunday or Monday, so I won't have "buddies" around to get around town. This means I will have limited mobility because the Krshna's don't seem interested in going anywhere else. This will be very frustrating, and I was trying to talk myself into the idea of hitching safely so that I can get around. But when it comes down to the thought of actually going out and doing it, I am too much of a chicken to feel comfortable, so don't worry, I'm not going to hitch alone.

I will write again when some exciting things are happening. For now, I just wanted to ease the nerves a little bit. (And I wonder where I get my anxious tendencies from...)

i've gotta get out of this place...
08.31.04 The last week has been absolutely crazy. I've realized that when you volunteer to work on organic farms, you are volunteering to step into someone else's life in progress. You are pretty much at their mercy because you are reliant on them for food, shelter, and work. You can take it or leave it, and after the events of the past week, I feel like I need to be leaving it.

Some examples of what has been happening that makes me feel strange about being here:
1. At kirtan, Guruda always gives a lecture to his followers. One day, he was talking about how the Christians have gotten off course by worshipping Jesus as a human. They identify so much with this image of man that they have raised Jesus to a demi-god status and have ignored the Supreme. Then he goes on to criticize Judaism, saying that we are so afraid to see God in a personalized form, that our connection to God is impersonal. I'm sitting there thinking "What's wrong with trying to see God in everything instead of always picturing him as a blue dude with a cow (Krshna)?"
2. In another one of Guruda's lectures, he said that anyone who thinks they can create their own path to come close with God are basically fooling themselves because there is only one true path - Bhakti Yoga. He went on to try to explain how the "Science of God" works, and their true, time tested methods will actually bring you closer to God, and all other methods will fail. To me, that sounds like fundamentalist BS. Belief is a personal choice and I don't believe anyone can say there is a right or wrong way to connect with God. The Krshnas claim to love God so much. If you love God and you see someone else following a different path to connect with God, even if it is not one that you see as bona fide, wouldn't you at least be happy that they are attempting to connect with God in a way that is comfortable for them? Why so much criticism of other ways of thought?
3. In his most recent lecture, and the last kirtan I will ever attend, Guruda slipped into his comments that the Jews were in cahoots with the Romans to kill Jesus. Enough said. This guy is a moron -- and a moron with followers who hang on his every word.
4. At the beach, whenever someone finds out that I'm working for Shankar, they start telling me about his shady business practices. Apparently, he steals land out from under people, and he even desecrated ancient Hawaiian burial ground that is on the property that we work on at Kalapana (Lava Land). These things are all hearsay, but enough people have told me about it on separate occasions to make me think there has to be some truth to it. How Shankar can align his spiritual life with screwing people over makes no sense to me. I want nothing to do with this kind of business.
5. Last night in the truck, Shankar asked me what I want to do with my life when I get back to the mainland. I just told him I didn't know (even though I have had some ideas lately), to which he responds, "There really isn't anything you can do. The most important thing you can do is to work on your own spiritual connection with God." I asked him "Isn't there something wrong with giving all of your energy to yourself instead of helping other people out there who are suffering in this world right now?" and he explained that yogis don't start non-profits because helping people find spiritual enlightenment is more effective than giving food to homeless people. Personally, I don't buy into that theory.
6. In the truck on our way back from the farm, we passed a Steam Vent Inn. Shankar snorted "A bunch of faggots own that land." I wasn't sure I heard him right, so I asked him to repeat himself and he was very clear. "Does Krshna consciousness look down on homosexuality?", I asked. And he replied that they do look down on it because it is the ultimate form of materialism. I wanted to say "And what does Krshna consciousness think of bigotry?" but it wasn't worth getting into an argument. So far, I've heard a lot of talk about love for God and hate for everything else. Something tells me this isn't what Krshna had in mind.

I don't know what I wanted out of my traveling experience, but I know this isn't it. I had been trying to convince myself to stay here - partly because Caren will be coming and I wanted it to be easy for her to find me, but largely because I was afraid to move on to another unsure place and have to adjust all over again. This is what traveling alone is all about though - making the right decisions for myself and taking chances. I am going to spend this week making phone calls and looking for another place to stay and hopefully I will have moved on to a better farm by next Monday. I am trying to see every experience - good or bad - as worthwhile for myself. None of this would have happened if I hadn't grown some cojones and gotten myself out on this island on my own, so I'm going to take each experience as a new one that can teach me something. I'm still not sure yet what I learned here though...maybe that is coming with time and a new perspective.

Besides all of the BS, there were a lot of cool things that happened in the last week. Last Thursday after work we went to the natural hot ponds near Kapoho. The hot ponds are these tide pools that are pretty shallow, near some steam vents, so the lava below heats the water. It was like being in a lukewarm salt water bathtub, looking up at the nearly full moon and stars, with silhouettes of palm trees against the sky. It was absolutly gorgeous, and I hope to get there again.

I spent the weekend out at the farm, living in the bus, and hanging out with Matthew and Kaitlyn who just moved on to another farm near South Point. We went back to Kehena Beach and later ended up at a potluck dinner in Pahoa. Matthew was swimming in the ocean and found a $50 bill, and it really was a lucky day for us. The weather was perfect, we met a lot of great people, and had a great time. Hawaii really attracts a lot of crazy characters though, and all of them seemed attracted to us at the beach. We met one older hippie woman, who called herself Dark Girl, who was trying to sell us a book of erotic tips for women called "Tales from the Lingerie" that she wrote. Kaitlyn bought one. Nuts. Then there was this guy who came up to us and was trying to sell us HIS books that he wrote (when I say book, it is more like photocopied pieces of paper stapled together). He was explaining how he is a Breatharian - he lives without eating. One of the books he had, called "Stop Eating", was about that concept. Another was called "Urine" which apparently is about how you should drink your own urine for health benefits. I mentioned all of this to Nicole and Shankar in the truck the other day, telling them how my weekend was, and they BOTH admitted to trying the Urine thing for about a month. I REALLY don't belong here...I'll let you know where I end up.

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19 Responses to ZNZ Pros and Cons Is it real or another scam?

deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 8:49 am


TAKEN FROM THE BOOK” BARBARA memoir of a love affair” byDR WILLIS BUTLER …the father of CHRIS BUTLER .
When the mother of Chris Butler pass away Dr Will Butler invited is son Chris over the phone to a memorial in honor of his mother but the son responded “I probably will not come,I am not much for partying”
Dr Butler :”My interpretation was that he did not care to come to an event
(even his mother memorial ) which he would not be the center of attention with much bowing over folded hands .

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 9:20 am


BUTLER did order the divorce of his follower Wai Lana(who was merried to a diciple of BUTLER so he could marry her himself in spite of the fact that he preached heavily against divorce! Remember, he thinks of himself as a pure devotee and the “Guru to the Whole Universe” ” THE NEW AMELIORATED PRABHUPAD”so he can do anything he damn well pleases. My take is that he really doesn’t care if anyone divorces or not as long as his money is rolling in.

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 9:52 am


A young woman found a nice guy outside the cult but Butler did not like him. He compared the woman to a “dog in heat” for wanting to marry a person outside the cult. She wanted to marry and have a family but had not found anyone within the cult. She was devastated by Butler’s cruel “so fucking what!” reaction. They had sold everything and moved to Hawaii to serve guru. The guy ended up doing janitorial work for free at one of Butler’s businesses as his “service”. They eventually left


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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 9:56 am


You should be very concerned about your son going to Hawaii to work on Dharma Farms.
Alan Yoza is a long time devotee of Chris Butler that goes back to his “Sai” days.
Historically, there is little regard for the physical nor mental health and safety of followers and volunteers.
Butler has a big hand in the Noni Farming business.
Take a close look at the altar where they worship and you will see photos of “BUTLER”
This is another slave labor operation so typical of Butler francises.

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 10:00 am


As soon as I was accepted among the very reclusive and secretive followers I was taught that meditation is secondary to bhakti yoga, which is devotional service. Basically devotional service is whatever Chris Butler tells you to do, whether it is recruiting others or working in one of the factories…run by him but under the names of his various YES MAN,s

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 10:28 am


[Butler told stories of how ISKCON followers whanted to assasinate him so much that he built a secret escape tunnel in his closet! He also plays the victim with all of his illnesses due to taking on the sins of his followers and yet still clings to the planet out of his great "mercy".
Ex diciples have given testimonials that BUTLER nearly every year tells his diciples that he will leave his body and go back to the spiritual world...because they are so offensive ..THAT GETS THEM GOING
...

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 11:17 am


[In the Cult of Butler, who is considered GOD representative, perfect and pure, all of his verbal abuses and small kindnesses are considered benefits. Followers are addicted to looking for any sign of pleasing him. Getting a Chris Butler charismatic smile, a garland, some small recognition of service rendered, even a chiding or sarcastic joke could make the Butler follower loyal for life.] NO WONDER THAT EX DICIPLES HAVE TESTIFIED THAT IT TOOK YEARS OF DEPROGRAMMING TO BARELY FONCTION

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 11:24 am


I left the cult of Butler because
1. suicides of really nice people
2. Being told to HATE gays
3. CB ended up ranting on about gays, or insulting devotees (yes, on tape), or just getting stuck in a cursing tantrum
4. Hate, intolerance, lying, cheating, scamming, and good old stupidity, all in God’s name.

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 11:31 am


QUOTES OF CHRIS BUTLER SPEAKING TO HIS BELOVED DICIPLEs
“My Godbrothers in Iskcon are clumps of dog stool.”
” If I don’t want to answer you, you are at fault not me.”
“If you don’t know you are not supposed to know.”
“It is your fault, the guru is faultless.”
“My disciples make me sick.”
“Tell that diciple he can wear a bag over his head, then I don’t have to see his face.”
“I am more humble than anyone, even my own guru.”
“Everyone has guruitis but me and WAI LANA”
!!”

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 12:02 pm


I remember seeing the mats on the floor with a bit of foam on top that was the bed for a few of the single men at the old warehouse. They were worked hard and I know they had to be physiclaly hurting when they had only
cardboard and foam for a bed. But the Guru BUTLER, he had the finest of matresses and while many of his followers shivered in the cold months in Cottonwood and down in Twizel, he & his consort WAI LANA were getting to wear $300.00 Eddie Bauer jackets.

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 12:03 pm


The security and contentment you feel is fantastic, but it is false. You spend the rest of your time in the cult using your higher cognitive powers of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis to protect this feeling of abusrd certainty that you have all the answers. It robs you of your energy and creativity. It robs you of life lessons and earned wisdom. remain a child and can not escape it because of an addiction to that initial rush of conversion.]

deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 12:37 pm


continuation..certainty. It is a feeling more powerful than anything experienced in one’s lifetime. You are in the arms of an UBER PARENT and no longer need to think or wonder if you are doing the right thing in life or not.

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 12:56 pm


“The power of conversion experiences lies in the psychological
shift from confusion to certainty.” [Anyone who has experienced an “initiation”, a new name, the emotional high of complete and utter acceptance of the guru knows this feeling of certainty

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 1:14 pm


Many ex Butler followers have reported that as time went on, as they chanted more, associated more, delved more into the philosophy, that they began to drop some of their of their old core ethics and understandings to only mirror the gurus. They began to feel that they could no longer value or trust their own thinking, willing or feeling(THATS BRAINWASHING FOR YOU FOLKS>>>>SURRENDER TO MR UNIVERS AND FORGET ABOUT YOUR OWN CRITICAL THINKING)..but fortunatly as you can be DEHYPNOTISE..DEPROGRAM

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 1:24 pm


Former member, “Justin”, 30, told Queensland Pride he was “born into” the BUTLER cult because his parents had been members since the 1970s. When he came out to his parents at the age of 16, and told them he was gay he was disowned. “They kicked me out and told me the house would need to be sterilised because being gay was dirty, and my father said he hoped I died in hospital of AIDS,” Justin said

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 2:20 pm


around page 270 on the Rick ross forum…it is mention that BUTLER was afraid of being assasinated …and would require at least 20 body guards to protect him ….
Fear of dirty air …fear of germs and virus ….fear of being touch by women…fear of being poison by his own diciples ….fear of anyone finding out whre he lives ….fear of being betrayed by diciples …..fear of being investigated by the media and various goverment agencies …fear of all the ISKCON leaders ..GURU MY ASS

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deathmeditation
May 20, 2012 | 3:06 pm


In his considerably revised personal history Butler would come to represent to his followers that he had attained to the highest level of enlightenment in the ‘impersonal’ philosophies NIRVAKALPA SAMADHI At the time Butler was regularly using LSD, a fact he admits to in Sai Speaks and his publication “Drugs” and it was during a ‘trip’ that he experienced his divine awakening. The name SAI was bestowed on him by the Sivananda Ashram as part of his full initiated name Sai Stokala Adhikari

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Homophobia: a truly interfaith phenomenon
4082008

A homophobic yogic cult, claiming to be able to “cure” homosexuality through chanting, has infiltrated the Gold Coast City Council, according to Religion News Blog. Through its front organisation the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga, the Science of Identity movement is running yoga and meditation courses in collaboration with the Gold Coast council (as part of the latter’s “Active and Healthy” program). The leader, one Chris Butler a.k.a. Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa Jagad Guru, claims to be a “living yoga master” as well as (according to a critical site) “teacher of the entire world, a direct link to God and the only true follower of Jesus Christ.” Ex-members have some interesting stories to tell:


Former member, “Justin”, 30, told SX he was “born into” the cult because his parents had been members since the 1970s. When he came out to his parents at the age of 16, he was disowned.

“They kicked me out and told me the house would need to be sterilised because being gay was dirty, and my father said he hoped I died in hospital of AIDS,” Justin said.

“They have interesting ‘facts’ they put out about homosexuality. I was told that AIDS can live on warm surfaces for 48 hours, so that you can pick it up from toilet seats, and that kids can pick it up by putting fingers in their mouths.

“They tell stories that gays eat faeces and have up to 2,000 sexual partners a year.”

The faeces libel against gay people is not unique to Butler’s group: for example, a Polish Catholic group in 2004 issued a pamphlet to thousands of school principals making claims about homosexuals “crawling in faeces” and being “blood-suckers.” The notion that there exists a “gay agenda” is also not unique to Science of Identity:


Another former cult member, Cara James, told SX Guru Chris Butler was convinced there is a “gay agenda”.

“Once, he started talking about Jesus at Christmas and went into a complete tirade against gay people, claiming that gays were trying to get rid of Christmas,” James said.

She said the cult was “very guarded” about who they allow to hear Butler’s lectures because “they are very much aware of the fact that they would breach vilification laws” if the speeches were made public.

In a pamphlet, Homosexuality: The Identity Crisis, Butler wrote: “The homosexuals are trying to convince themselves and others that their perverted sexual dealings are very satisfying, that’s why they call themselves gay, as if they are in perpetual bliss and are free”. (Religion News Blog)

Others claim that Science of Identity advocates polygamy and arranged marriages, and (like many other cults) the group appears to be in sync with Luke 14:26 on how members should dispose themselves towards their families.

The Gold Coast Council is currently investigating the matter.

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13 responses
4082008
CASE (16:12:45) :


My group – the Brisbane Atheist Meetup Group have sent a few letters to the GCCC requesting that the yoga classes be removed from the ‘Healthy and Active’ program being run by the Council. We are particularly worried about providing the class to children as several ex-members claim to have been persuaded to leave school from the age of 15 to join the cult.

[atheists.meetup.com]

The cult runs several businesses including the “Vege Chips” brand – which are manufactured using “cult” labour.

Information is also available at [www.cultofbutler.com]

Essentially, these guys are nuts and we should pressure the GCCC to stop promoting their activities.

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4082008
Bruce (17:59:43) :


Vege Chips? Oh, no. I liked them.

As for homophobia, it’s a virulent little nasty isn’t it? No social group seems immune.

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4082008
AV (22:15:48) :


If soy makes you gay, will Vege Chips cure you of your homosexuality?

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5082008
Karen (03:13:01) :


I’ve noticed when looking for more information on this cult leader and ‘Science of Identity’ they have pages and pages of websites with the same contact details and almost identical content. The about us consists of two lines introducing the guru.

Obviously they are trying to cover up this critical information about them and what better way to convince people that you are not crazy fanatics than to manically and fanatically spam everywhere?

Gold Coast Council should be ashamed of being so ignorant. I am going to send them a letter too. [www.cultofbutler.com] has a sister site to encourage people to do something about this [www.australianschoolofmeditationandyoga.com] with contact details.

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5082008
arthurvandelay (10:39:21) :


Karen: I also found it difficult to find information on the multitudinous SOI sites corroborating the allegations regarding Butler’s claims about himself and his pronouncements on homosexuality, arranged marriages, and so on. This doesn’t render said allegations untrue, given that cults have been known to be secretive about the wackier/more controversial aspects of their doctrine in the past. (Scientology, anyone?) But it should be acknowledged nonetheless.

BTW: WordPress placed your comment in moderation, given the multiple hyperlinks it contains.

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5082008
Oz Atheist (12:01:29) :


Vege Chips! Damn that’s another product I’ll have to cross off my list.

Nice investigative work AV and CASE

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5082008
Karen (21:17:57) :


I take your point Arthur. But that doesn’t mean corroborating information can’t be found. Scientology is a good example but even they have not created a multitude of sites to make sure they get the top x-number of google slots on ALL relevant searches. That is extremist behavior and set off major alarm bells in my mind.

Looking further down the list I found news articles about a senator Rick Reed of Hawaii, also a Butler adherent, saying that HIV patients should be sent to concerntration camps over 20 years ago. More recently a Fred Phelps-like senator Mike Gabbard accused all homosexuals of being child-molestors. (I’d post links but that seems to be a wordpress faux pas)

I’d suggest that there is more to this cult than the sickly sweet sites that plant those seeds of doubt. I’m not buying it for a second.

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Wet Hot and Wild American Yogi: A Memoir: Shyam Dodge, Scott L ...



www.amazon.com › Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Memoirsý

With a pulsing wit Shyam Dodge takes us on a savagely satiric tour through the ..... and "New Religious Movements" and look for the thread titled, "Chris Butler, ...


Multi-millionare yoga guru charged with rape and human trafficing



forum.culteducation.com/read.php?12,120473,120473ý

May 14, 2013 - Would you mind sharing it over on the Chris Butler forum? ... book 'Wet Hot American Yogi" by Shyam Dodge - cult kid from the Butler group.