Sai Maa and her "group" based primarily in Crestone, CO have been successfully flying under the radar for some time. Although Satya Sai Baba--her Guru to whom she is very close---is monitored by several groups, Sai Maa (his number one pupil) has escaped.

So far.

Indeed, her message seems harmless enough. She preaches that in this world there is only fear and love, one destructive and the other constructive. But like many cult leaders, it is not her message that is dangerous, its the way in which she presents it.

For example, she preaches that she is Divine Shakti (female energy incarnate) and that hers is the only path to true Love. In fact, she IS Divine love and the only valid love is one's love of her. Granted, being as cunning as she is...she rarely says this outright. But I have personally witnessed her harshly chastise someone who came to see her when he questioned her approach.

Speaking of cunning, she does a very good job leading her sheep to the slaughter. Firstly, she chooses people that feel lesser, unfulfilled and alone. Or people with addictions. She targeted someone I know when his home life turned bad, encouraging him to move with her to Colorado. She called him her, "special child" and doted upon him in ways she knew he hadn't experienced before. Preying on weak and vulnerable people is no way for any respectable spiritual leader to operate. I have heard many people utter the words, "I was addicted to [insert substance here] but then I found Sai Maa!". She indoctrinates with percision, too. At one point she told the assembled, "Put your fingers over your eyes and press down on them. You will see bright colors and lights, that is the Divine Light spreading over you."

Clever, no? Of course you see splashes of light...you're PRESSING ON YOUR EYES. This is just one of the many examples of simple ways she misleads her flock in order to further their fervor.

She's also running a brilliant business! By indoctrinating people (especially independently wealthy ones) she gets them to buy her full line of Sai Maa products. Not just books or CDs or DvDs. Oh no. Blessed Water! For $18 per 20 ounce bottle! They apparently have sacred geometry written on the outside or something, and she reccommends drinking 2 quarts a day. Any idea how much water that is? Any idea how much PROFIT that is? Oh but add to this the meditation pillow covers (only $117!) and bottles of supplements (supposedly "concentrated Vacha and Brahmi") with no nutritional or ingrediant information on them! Not only is that rididulous (she reccommends taking these "pills" three times a day) its illegal. I've already started a complaint with the FDA over this, but I'm not sure whats worse: that she charges so much for a whole lot of nothing or that people actually buy and INGEST things, simply trusting that they're okay for them.

She tells people that all proceeds go to charity (can you say fraud?), while she walks around with pounds of gold jewelry. She has people to wash her feet and draw her baths...houses, estates, you name it. She asked for a jacuzzi for her birthday from her followers. Now thats holiness, right there. How, exactly, are you supposed to convince people of your humility while you speed on the Autobon in a Mercedes?

I'm risking a lot in posting this. My boss is deeply embroiled in Sai Maa's...um...organization, and goes for what I like to call "reprogramming" on a semi-regular basis. When he gets back from these "intensive" excursions, his eyes take on a funny look and he loves everyone. He often says, "She taught me to get out of my head and into my heart." That is a scary, scary thing. She brainwashes people, for all intents and purposes. A co-worker of mine overheard someone who had gotten back from one of said intensive sessions saying, "The first day was really hard. She had us up all day and night, chanting in a dark room. There were a lot of times I thought I wouldn't make it through. But then the next day, it was fantastic. I felt euphoric in her love!" Does no one else see what she's doing? That she's breaking them down with sensory isolation so they will bend easier?

She needs to be monitored, and closely. Her methods are atrocious at best, and she is sucking people in to use them for her own purposes.

For a wikipedia article a coworker wrote,

[en.wikipedia.org]

So, has anyone else encountered this group? Does anyone know of ANYWHERE she is being monitored?

Hello, I am a person who is very close to Sai Maa, and I would like to respond on the credibility of your post, and how many of the "facts" you are presenting in your opinion are false. I will present the information as it appears in your post.

"For example, she preaches that she is Divine Shakti (female energy incarnate) and that hers is the only path to true Love. In fact, she IS Divine love and the only valid love is one's love of her."

Sai Maa does indeed tell us that She is an incarnation of Shakti, but she has never said that She, Sai Maa is the only path to true Love, and that the only valid Love is a love of her. In fact, She says that there are many many paths to true Love, and I have never heard her say that She is the only way. We do not worship Sai Maa, we worship the ideal which She stands for, which includes Loving without judgment, and respecting and acceptance of other peoples' paths and teachers.

"Speaking of cunning, she does a very good job leading her sheep to the slaughter. Firstly, she chooses people that feel lesser, unfulfilled and alone. Or people with addictions. She targeted someone I know when his home life turned bad, encouraging him to move with her to Colorado. She called him her, "special child" and doted upon him in ways she knew he hadn't experienced before. Preying on weak and vulnerable people is no way for any respectable spiritual leader to operate."

First off, let me say that I find your way of presenting your opinion is tasteless and completely disrespectful, which of course, is your right. You say that she chooses people who feel lesser, unfulfilled, and alone. From reading other posts on this forum, I see that this is a trait commonly attributed to cults who are trying to harm and bring people into their organization. There is a difference to be made between a "cult" and what Sai Maa is doing, is that Sai Maa teaches people how to fulfill themselves, instead of having to look outside of themselves for fulfillment. You later speak about your boss who came back loving everyone. I'm not sure how loving everyone is destructive. I will come back to this later. You also speak about how you feel a spiritual leader should act and behave. Who are any of us to dictate what a spiritual leader should behave like? Spiritual leaders behave in a way which serves their purpose while incarnated on earth.

You then speak about Master Water, which does cost $18 a bottle, however, it is a concentrate, and so two capfuls of M-Water transmute a gallon of tap water into Master Water. Let me also explain how M-Water works as best I can. The molecule of water is a cluster and has about 30 parts to it. M-Water is broken down in a laboratory to its purest form of 12 parts (I apologize I don't know the scientific terms associated with this process). You are drinking enlightened water, in its purest form. The meditation pillow covers are handmade by a beautiful woman who is very close to Sai Maa. After they were made, Sai Maa rolled around on them and blessed each one of them for the person who bought it. As she says, she is an incarnation of Shakti, and she puts her Shakti into the meditation covers. If you don't think it's worth that much money, then don't buy it, but some people do find it worth that much money.

The next paragraph:

"She tells people that all proceeds go to charity (can you say fraud?), while she walks around with pounds of gold jewelry. She has people to wash her feet and draw her baths...houses, estates, you name it. She asked for a jacuzzi for her birthday from her followers. Now thats holiness, right there. How, exactly, are you supposed to convince people of your humility while you speed on the Autobon in a Mercedes?"

First, most of her jewelry is gifted to her by other people, and she does have a job working in France for the French government. She has spent much time there in the past, and actually I think that she has just recently ended her job there so she will be spending more time in the U.S. While she was there, she stayed in her son's appartment. We do wash her feet, and it is a part of the Hindu tradition to wash the Guru's feet, as that is where most of her Shakti rests in her body. It has nothing to do with flaunting and being pompous, it is clear to me that you have no concept of other traditions in which we practice. In the future it might be wise of you to do a little research before making unbased accusations. She does not own houses, estates. In Crestone, where I live, at her Ashram, she owns a medium size house down the road from our Ashram. She does not own a car (although she would like to). You could also ask for a jacuuzi for your birthday, so I don't see a flaw in that. The clothes that she wears are primarily handmade by the same woman who makes the meditation covers. And once again, they are mostly gifts.

I would recommend any readers of this post to use discernment in what you take out of this authors' posts to be fact. It is clear to me, as being a being who is closer to Sai Maa than most, that this author's claims are biased and clearly created out of the fervor of his misunderstandings.

I will gladly respond to any questions you have, but I will not respond to any more accusations you wish to make. I will speak to the moderators of this thread and ask that your post be removed as it is unfactual and an attack on someone who does not deserve it.

Thanks!

Ornithopter:

Your response is posted.

But no post will be removed.

Thanks Mod for posting,

Also, I forgot to add some information about Sai maa and HIU (Humanity In Unity). Sai Maa recieved the honor Mahamandaleshwar in early 2005, meaning "Owner of many Ashrams". It was given to her by a prestigious group of gurus and swamis (spiritual leaders) in India, and has not been given to a woman in 5000 (five thousand) years and has never been given to anyone from the west. Also, after Hurricane Katrina, HIU working through Airline Ambassadors (a relief organization) contributed more money to relief efforts than any other non-government organization.

"kath", I have reframed my reply to "thesharkyanimist". Please see my subsequent posting. You asked me to address the points rather than the person, so I have done so. Many blessings....

Quote
fioraval
As Sai Maa's popularity grows, we expect that she will be targeted by people who are not entirely stable. The purpose of my reply is to inform you that this person has a history of maligning Sai Maa, and that the consensus is that she has emotional problems.

Even if snarkyanimist were to have emotional problems (as we all do at times- though from her post I see no evidence that she has,) that doesn't effect what she is saying.

Why not address her very reasoned criticisms individually, rather than seeking to discredit her via personal attacks?

(trying to delete a double post.)

read my post Kath

:D

[www.humanityinunity.org]

Ha Ha Ha !
This is hilarious.
There are BEFORE and AFTER photos of miracle water !
I can understand Maa Sai wants to dupe as many people as possible
and make the most amount of money.
But will you please ask her to be a little subtle?

By the way she is a disciple of Sathya Sai Baba
( gold locket fame)

Consumer warning : stay away !

Quote
ornithopter
read my post Kath

Have done, thank you for it.

I wasn't responding to your answer but that of Fioraval which just claimed snarkyanimist was a nutter.