Rest Easy,
I concur with dharmabum. Many of the people on this forum were there when Siddhaswarupananda Swami went to the title Jagat Guru Prabhupad and later on to Mr Vaishnava dasi. He wrote and edited all of the interviews and videos. EVERYTHING was scripted, even the questions. What he says and does are different. He wrote the Haribol Special announcing his self appointment as the next acharya within a year of Bhakivedanta's death. He told his disciples to call him Jagat Guru. This was pages and pages of justification of his twisted ambition to be Guru of the Universe, which is the literal translation from sanscrit, not some spin to hide his arrogance.

I will write you more later.

Also, an exer just sent me a personal letter from Butler I will publish here. I need to edit out personal and identifiable information. Stay tuned!

Rest Easy,
Check out this post.
More info on Jagat Guru and the Haribol Special

In the 1970's Butler published a paper declaring he was Jagat Guru Prabhupad. It was artfully written to look like he was the humble and self-evident/ self-effulgent next in line. Chris Butler authored the whole "interview" in the Haribol Special. I won't publish all the tripe on this forum. The layout, quotes and photos were also selected by Butler. This was his bold move against the ISKCON appointed gurus at ACB's death. There was a lot to criticize ISKCON about and Butler monopolized on this fact. He appointed himself JAGAT GURU and installed himself in equal line with all previous Gaudiya Vaishnava acharyas going back to Chaitanya himself. So the white washed definition of guru and Jagat Guru on the SOI website is false. There is only one initiating guru in the parampara at a time which is passed on by the previous acharya. ACB did not select one disciple to continue the line before his death. This is the tradition that Butler broke when he took the role for himself.

I hope this not too off-topic, but I'm posting this because this is so central to my personal peeve with cultism; that is, brain-dead parents dragging their children into their craziness:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/bill-nye-on-creationism-its-like-teaching-the-earth-is-flat/comment-page-1/

Parents, do not teach creationism

“And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that’s fine,” Nye says. “But don’t make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need people that can – we need engineers that can build stuff, solve problems.”

Rest Easy,
Many of us here once believed the words of Jagat Guru as you do now. We know of the beauty and power of the music and chanting. We know the sweetness of the philosophy and of the yoga lifestyle. We also have known good people in the group. Lives were devoted whole heartedly to the guru you worship. You bow down to and serve this man thinking you are doing G0d’s will. Does he not tell you that he should be treated as good as God while at the same time claiming to be as low as the straw in the street? Others before you have overlooked this contradiction.

Chris Butler’s words are profoundly different from his actions and real teachings. Nothing on the Science of Identity website resembles your guru’s actual teachings and life example. There is a reason he is so inaccessible to followers. It is because many of his closest and sincerest followers saw the contradictions and hypocrisies first hand and left his service. They were not in the clutches of maya nor were they evil people. They reasoned themselves out of a bad situation and have made better lives for themselves.

This forum is a safe place for ex followers and researchers to post their experiences and opinions. It is not out of enviousness that we post, but to express our deepest disappointments and to help other people avoid the same pitfalls. It is Butler’s teachings that have taught you to defend him and categorize all of us as miserable demons. That is the first contradiction and lie. He claims not to be a dominator or master of anyone and yet his first commandment is to demonize and separate you from anyone who may disagree with him. Are you not told to avoid the association of anyone who is not a believer, even a beloved family member? He rules and controls every aspect of a follower’s life.

It seems as if you have had little direct experiences with Chris. Perhaps you have never met him. The farther away you are from his direct service, the easier it is to believe all the amazing stories about him. Nice people pass on the tales and myths. No one is looking over your shoulder and you can feel like a good devotee.

However, if you want to advance and prove your sincerity, you will need to put yourself under more domination through Butler’s lieutenants. As you take on more responsibility for his projects and objectives you will be totally controlled and used. But you won’t initially feel it that way. You will feel like you are really serving G0d and guru. You will feel joy and a profound, sweet humility. You will also feel elite. The feeling that you are above and beyond the rest of the world is the cheap currency he uses to control you. You will sincerely convince yourself that you are now in a position to save the world and that all your intentions are for the good of humanity. You have a mission sanctified by G0d and guru. The answers are all there and you feel secure.

Guru’s attention, kind words and smiles are addicting. Being given a garland, food off his plate, a personal letter, is deeply revered because you feel God himself has seen you, recognized you, and accepted you. When you are fully open, receptive, and committed, Butler will begin the chastisements, the insults, and the mocking. Feelings of humility turn to feelings of humiliation. This is confusing. It creates a dissonance within and disorients your thinking processes. It also serves to motivate you to work harder to get back in the guru’s graces. He will tell you that it is for your own good. He will claim that he is performing spiritual surgery and that is why it is painful. But he is only binding you more to his need for your money, labor, and adulation. You will not find Butler’s real teachings on the Science of Identity website. You will not find Butler’s true biography or history on that website. That website, along with his outreach programs for new people are just shiny, attractive spider webs.

Many of the people who post on this forum were in positions of power in Butler’s organization or had close contact with Chris Butler and his senior disciples. Discovering that he is not only an ordinary man, but a very flawed man, was a painful and hard awakening. In this striking moment, a person goes through a difficult internal crisis. You see that everything you believed in is a lie. You have invested time, money, energy, and all your love into the person you thought was going to bring you back to G0dhead. Now you have to make a choice. Leave or stay? There is a price to pay for either choice and yet the benefits of one outweigh the other.

There is an expression that says, “enlightenment is falling down a well with your eyes open.” It is not the peaceful, blissful experience you are supposed to get by meditating. To look the truth in the eye is often a painful, but necessary experience.

If you stay, knowing the truth, you reposition your life to take advantage of the situation. People who run successful businesses, have artistic talents, or political acumen learn to use the large network of followers for their own gain. They learn to apologize for their guru and his antics as being beyond mundane understanding. Of course you are taught to doubt your own senses and thinking, but may take following in your guru’s footsteps quite literally. Katyayani had her own businesses supported by Butler and his followers. Before Wai Lana, Katyayani was proclaimed a pure devotee and was treated to housing and servants while she was a political candidate. Later, after failing politics, she was given a television show and cookbooks promoting her brand. All this was dictated by Butler and produced by the free labor of his followers. Later she set herself up as a guru in Southern California using Butler’s methods. (She was later shunned by Butler for her independence). Katyayani and her husband left the islands to get away from the “heavy trips” surrounding Butler.

I am of the opinion that Mike Gabbard knew he had a good thing going with Butler’s guidance. It led him into a stunning political career, but turned him into an obnoxious bigot along the way. That’s the price he paid. Oddly, neither he nor Tulsi need to pay those kinds of prices for their own accomplishment and spiritual success.

If you leave the cult, you have to start your life all over again. You have to take responsibility and wake up your critical thinking skills. This is easier said than done. You may have to leave behind beloved family, friends and a lifestyle to which you have become accustomed. You may live in fear and experience post-traumatic stress disorders. Exers describe spending years waiting for “the shoe to drop”, for Yamadutas to pull their souls out of their bodies, for their life going to hell. They feared they would become spiritually dead as Butler predicted. They suffered many of the same symptoms as prisoners of war. Over time they came to realize that none of it was true and life only got better.

For years you will have to fight the verbiage, the justifications, and programing of Butler’s cult. What you posted from the SOI website is an example of the lies and programing. Reality contradicts his interview statements.

Some exers found new gurus and remained Vaishnavas. Others found different rewarding spiritual paths, helping professions, or just went on with their lives. Not one regrets their decision to leave. Even those who are still cult apologists and hang on to a few good memories will not go back. In fact, every one grieves their lost time and years under Butler’s thumb. The experiences of many contradict Butler’s statements. He speaks flowery words and is very charismatic, laughing all the way to the bank. Behind your backs he puts you down and laughs at your stupidity. But you are not stupid. You have been misled.

Does not Butler tell you to shun psychology and science? Do you know why? Because if you knew psychology and trained your mind in scientific thinking, you would be able to see Butler’s pathology and delusions clearly. If Jagat Guru is so pure and above reproach, then he should have no problem with psychology, the writings of other gurus, or this forum. None would threaten.

There are no new writings, photos, or videos from Butler. Most are over 30 years old. As dabcult wrote, is he afraid of old age? Even old ACB kept writing into his 80’s. Butler’s writings are shallow, simplistic, and watered down twists on bhakti yoga philosophy. He falsely banks his cult on the backs of previous acharyas, with no authority. He will never agree to a debate because he knows he will fail and be exposed as a fraud. He has a lot to lose in light of the truth.

Dear rest easy .......if your guru is truthful and honest let him take my challenge and lets debate this whole JAGAT guru thing for a YOUTUBE VIDEO
with some ex disciples present to file some important questions

Who dare call himself PRABHUPAD (master at whose feet all other master bow down ).. immediatlly after the departure of Swami Bhaktivedanta ?

Did he not let disciples eat his toe nail clippings as special "PRASADAM"( and drink the water that wash his feet )

Was he not a fallen a guy who abandon the orange robe for the chinese wife of one of his disciple .

What about the PARAMAHANSA thing .....in India ...Paramansa Yogananda was given the title by his teacher Sri Yukteshvar .....

who gave Butler that title.....usely reserve in some traditions for enlighten masters that live in a permanent state of enlightment ....HIMSELF??

What kind of a man would have made disciples live in the unfamous wherehouse squalors when he lived in luxary in a $10,000 a month condo near Diamond head .....$100,000 private jet ride ?.....Snow ski vacation for his whole famaly ? the Malibu extravaganza ...while telling some disciples its was OK to eat from dumpters if they where hungry ?... What would Swami Bhaktivedanta think of all this ......I knew him best here on this forum
many years of direct association ......he was piss when I told him about the psychic sleep thing and he would be piss about ....the JAGAT GURU >>PRABHUPAD PARAMAHANSA ...self name given extravagansa
Did he not take children,s from divorcing parents and sent his lawyers after the one paren that wanted out of SOI
and sent the kids to the Philipines?
As far as I have read about BUTLER .......he can be a HEARTLESS asshole ......NO HEART >>>>ITS all about HIM
How can you be so heartless and claim to be a lover of GOD and a lover of humanity.
Jagat guru .....PRABHUPAD ....Paramahansa ...all phoney names to impress the uneducated and the naive
I remember the quote from CHRIS father saying that CHRIS did not want to come to his mother memorial
"BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE NO ONE TO BOW DOWN TO HIM WITH FOLDEN HANDS"
Vera is 100% right .....what BUTLER says ....and how BUTLER act is 2 different .......movies
Excuse my english .....I was educated in french
I do appreciate the tone of your sharing ..........some other disciples have call me DEMON...ASSHOLE and more .

I believe that Rest Easy is fulfilling his/her mission which is to get people involved in another "spiritual" discussion and away from the discussion of Chris butler's criminal activities.

Chris Butler is a criminal. He can be charged with tax-evasion, hiring 'illegals', avoiding payroll taxes, avoiding payrolls entirely, and a whole slew of questionable financial dealings. For a man with no income, he patently lives beyond his means, there is no documentation available on all the home-improvements, acquisition of property, property taxes paid, etc. All his dummy corporations are likewise on shaky grounds.

the financial assets/disbursements of the Science of Identity foundation, will not survive the light of an aggressive tax audit, to justify their charitable designation. Again, where are the invoices for goods purchased, contractors' fees for works done, payroll taxes, etc....


So, if Rest Easy can get people all worked up about whether Chris butler is a truly holy man, then I guess all the mundane stuff like money can be ignored. S/he can go back to Chris butler with a job well done. Of course there will only be chastisement and put-downs waiting, it will never be enough.

Rest Easy's misguided spirituality is sad, but not really worth the time of day. It is just another lie.

Here are two more articles from IndiaWest stating that Tulsi is a disciple of Jagad Guru. I just thought I post them for researchers' refs:

http://www.indiawest.com/news/6068-hindu-tulsi-gabbard-wins-primary-for-congress-in-hawaii.html
http://indiawest.com/news/5825-hindu-tulsi-gabbard-runs-for-congress-in-hawaii.html


Hindu Tulsi Gabbard Wins Primary for Congress in Hawaii

Richard Springer, Staff Reporter

Aug 16, 2012

Due to heavily Democratic voter registration, Tulsi Gabbard is the favorite to be elected to Congress in November in Hawaii.

United States

Honolulu City Council member Tulsi Gabbard, who hopes to become the first person of the Hindu faith to serve in the U.S. Congress, easily won the Democratic primary for the House of Representatives in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District Aug. 11.

She romped to a surprisingly decisive victory over former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann. Polls had shown her with just a slight lead just two weeks before the election (I-W, Aug. 3).

Gabbard received 61,803 votes, or 55%, to 38,451 (34%) for Hannemann. Four other Democratic candidates split the rest of the ballots.

Hannemann began the race as the favorite and his loss followed his 2010 defeat by Neil Abercrombie in the governor’s race in 2010.

The 2nd District encompasses all rural and most suburban areas in the city and county of Honolulu.

The district has a clear Democratic Party advantage in voter registration, so Gabbard will be heavily favored to win in the general election in November.

She will oppose Republican David Kawika Crowley to fill a seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono.

Gabbard, 31, a practicing Hindu, a Vaishnava disciple of Jagad Guru Siddhaswanupananda Paramahamsa and a strict vegetarian, was born in Leloalao, American Samoa. She moved to Hawaii when she was two years old.

Gabbard’s mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, a Caucasian American, is a practicing Hindu. Her father, Mike Gabbard, is a state senator and a Catholic.

According to press reports, Gabbard was joined by U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, at her campaign headquarters on election night. She thanked her supporters. Akaka, who is retiring from office this year, called Gabbard, a former aide, “a great leader” and “a great person.”

The first Indian American to serve in Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh American, who represented California’s Central Valley in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In 2005, Bobby Jindal, a convert to Christianity and the current governor of Louisiana, became the second Indian American elected to Congress.

Two years ago Hansen Clarke became the first Bangladeshi American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, but he lost to a fellow Democratic incumbent in the Michigan primary in the Detroit area Aug. 7.

Gabbard, the youngest person to ever serve in the Hawaii state legislature when she was 21, left the government to volunteer for the medical operations unit of the U.S. National Guard. She was deployed to Iraq for a year and later trained the Kuwait National Guard’s counter-terrorism unit.

Quote
dharmabum
Here are two more articles from IndiaWest stating that Tulsi is a disciple of Jagad Guru. I just thought I post them for researchers' refs:

http://www.indiawest.com/news/6068-hindu-tulsi-gabbard-wins-primary-for-congress-in-hawaii.html
http://indiawest.com/news/5825-hindu-tulsi-gabbard-runs-for-congress-in-hawaii.html


...

I need to point out once again that Tulsi Gabbard still has complete deniability of all these articles mentioning her Hindu faith and her relationship with Jagad Guru. Please read each article carefully and notice that any direct quotes are from other sources, and there are no direct quotes to prove or disprove her association with Chris Butler. The stories have been planted for future use depending on whether she needs to deny the stories, or prove that she was hiding nothing. The day you read her direct quotes in mainstream publications is the day you can believe she admits to being a follower of Chris Butler.

We should all wait until after the election to expose her further. They don’t play nice-nice in Congress and no one there will trust Tulsi Gabbard once they fully understand her background and devotion to such a flawed human being.

Quote
terrenaut
I believe that Rest Easy is fulfilling his/her mission which is to get people involved in another "spiritual" discussion and away from the discussion of Chris butler's criminal activities.

Chris Butler is a criminal. He can be charged with tax-evasion, hiring 'illegals', avoiding payroll taxes, avoiding payrolls entirely, and a whole slew of questionable financial dealings. For a man with no income, he patently lives beyond his means, there is no documentation available on all the home-improvements, acquisition of property, property taxes paid, etc. All his dummy corporations are likewise on shaky grounds.

the financial assets/disbursements of the Science of Identity foundation, will not survive the light of an aggressive tax audit, to justify their charitable designation. Again, where are the invoices for goods purchased, contractors' fees for works done, payroll taxes, etc....


So, if Rest Easy can get people all worked up about whether Chris butler is a truly holy man, then I guess all the mundane stuff like money can be ignored. S/he can go back to Chris butler with a job well done. Of course there will only be chastisement and put-downs waiting, it will never be enough.

Rest Easy's misguided spirituality is sad, but not really worth the time of day. It is just another lie.

Terrenaut, I agree with you completely. Having never been a follower of Chris Butler, I have no mixed emotions or appreciation for the notion of our sensitive handling of his current followers. It seems to me that the normal reaction to discovering the horrible lies of Chris Butler should be like discovering a cheating spouse; Outrage, anger, and then leaving for freedom and sanity. If RestEasy cannot discover those outrageous lies on this forum, he is hopelessly lost. All he need do is to quietly ask a fellow devotee a revealing question like “where did you get the money to contribute to Tulsi Gabbard?”

Al Capone was brought down by tax evasion and Butler is just as vulnerable. I am working behind the scenes on the cult criminal activity and hope to have more to report soon. Speaking of dummy corporations, I’ve just discovered a new one with links to both Down to Earth and a relative of Chris Butler (possibly for the purpose of money laundering).