Yes, please write about the Quonset huts because it is highly relevent to this forum and it is important to comment on the accuracy of the reporter's observations. Most of us have gotten reprimands from the moderator, myself included. He runs a tight ship because cult members have tried in the past to divert the conversations. Don't reveal too much current information about yourself and never disclose your identity.

Thanks a lot Flash I was about to reveal my identity.

That article really woke up my memory.
I remember them all talking about the reporter. I had been out foraging for food and came back after she left. Everyone was buzzing about it and how Sai was going to become famous and change public opinion about the chanters. When the article came out Sai was upset and said they they didn’t come for Krishna but rather to trash him. Someone said it was not a coincidence the reporters name was Wolf. The press was pretty down on the chanters back then. Sai thought he could change that. We didn’t think of ourselves as the hare krishnas everyone knows about. Sai thought he knew better than them. The article was partially correct. I don’t remember any body odor and the banana was actually banana smoothie. Hippies loved smoothies back them. If you were at the hut Sai did have absolute control over you. That part was correct and there were some pretty fanatical followers who just joined up but were already ready to give the nazi salute to Sai.

Its been nearly half a century so I don’t remember every detail of those days at the hut. But I will tell you what i do remember. Now I have to say, and anyone on this forum who was around and who knows whats what can back me up here. . A lot of the talk back then was about meat. Why we should not eat it. Why it was such horrible thing and on and on. Sai was fanatically against all kinds of meat eating. Later on after a bunch of episodes Sai devoted a whole issue of the Valley Isle newspaper on the slaughter house on Maui. Anyone remember that? They went in took pictures then distributed the propaganda all over the islands. I remember some of the cult members bragging how many vegetarians that paper made. They claimed at least 100 people became vegetarians because of that paper. I never believed that for a second. As the son of a butcher these things had special relevance for me therefore much of what I remember has to do with meat. That was one tenet of their philosophy that hits a cord with me and why I relate to meat so much.

One day at the hut, one of Sai’s leaders, gave a class at Sai’s bequest. He asked ‘if anyone here likes the taste of meat raise your hand?’. It was a trick question cause we all knew we were supposed to hate it. Heck if they knew i was the son of a butcher they might have flayed and quartered me. I wasn’t about to raise my hand. No one raised their hand. Then the leader said, ‘I LIKE THE TASTE OF MEAT!’. Everyone was shocked! Then he explained that ‘the only reason we don’t eat meat is cause the blue god krishna doesn’t like it’. For some reason he gave us the animals but he himself doesn’t like to eat them. Crazy philosophy. Then Sai told us later we should learn how to make things that taste like meat out of vegetables. We even sometimes had vegetable BBQues. Of course it was first offered to the blue god who doesn’t like to eat meat but likes vegetables that taste like meat. Go figure. How did any of us not see the foolishness. I thought this is so rediculous we are pretending to like vegetables that taste like meat? Man it was wierd. Some of the cultist came up with some resipies that Sai liked so everyone else raved how good they were. I remember a lot of yes men and lots of yes yes women around. I usually just kept my mouth shut.

In fact I was almost a non person in the group. I doubt any of them would remember me. One of the resipies was mock chicken tofu. Didn’t taste anything like the real thing but everyone raved how good it was. That is the truth so help me Jesus! We were just kids but thought we knew everything and had a guru who talked to God. Sai was just a kid. What can I say? Young and foolish. Why eat mock chicken when you can have the real thing? Didn’t make a lick of sense to me but I went along with it. There were some awfully pretty girls in the group, that might be the reason I hung around. But with Sai around they were off base, he controlled our every move and to move on the ladies was a no no. That part of the article was correct. We would do anything Sai said. In my case it was anything Sai said while I was in front of him but on my own I was still doing forbidden things. There werer lots of others skirting the rigid rules as well.

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flashlight_on_roaches
Most of us have gotten reprimands from the moderator, myself included. He runs a tight ship because cult members have tried in the past to divert the conversations. Don't reveal too much current information about yourself and never disclose your identity.

Myself included as well.

Keep in mind that this forum is also watched by the cult and not only do some of them post irrelevant/sidetracking information but also disinformation as well.

Also, yes, its not recommended to reveal too much current information about yourself or disclose your identity as it is possible to track back to who and where you are.



In regards to the article, GREAT JOB FLASH! Glad that you followed up on that particular lead regarding that clipping. High five indeed. That article is a gold mine.

As everyone can see, even back then, he was mesmerizing/hypnotizing/brainwashing his followers to pure blindness.

Oh that reminds me, I had once heard someone comment that ACB had said something along the lines of "people say that I am brainwashing my followers. I say yes, it is because their brains are dirty and need to be cleaned out" Giving a light hearted joking rationalization for what was happening to people, to allow them to internally rationalize the real brainwashing that they were experiencing and to give them an accepting mental response when people tell them they are being brainwashed. Its quite clever. People can say "youre being brainwashed by this guy!" and the zombie devotee can say "yes, yes he is. It is a good thing and I want more of it!" without the zombie having to say "no, youre wrong. wait, perhaps you are right if I stop and think about this."

What flash has done has found and preserved a pre-internet primary source on early start of the Butler group.

There are pre-internet sources buried in libraries, basements, attics and files. Putting these online is a priceless assist to students and journalists today.

One sign that a set up is totalitarian is how its leaders change history to suit their whims. When history is mutable and can be rewritten at a leaders whim, there remain no objective benchmarks by which followers can trace how the story and mission of the group are changing, contrary to early promises.

Persons part of the early history of the group often find themselves distrusted, precisely because they can remember how things were before the leader began changing things around.

From the description given in that article, seeds of fear and distrust of the outside world were already being put in place

Information that was not in line with the groups cherished self image was perceived as threat.

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VitaminC

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flashlight_on_roaches
Most of us have gotten reprimands from the moderator, myself included. He runs a tight ship because cult members have tried in the past to divert the conversations. Don't reveal too much current information about yourself and never disclose your identity.

Myself included as well.

Keep in mind that this forum is also watched by the cult and not only do some of them post irrelevant/sidetracking information but also disinformation as well.

Also, yes, its not recommended to reveal too much current information about yourself or disclose your identity as it is possible to track back to who and where you are.

Ok VitC then here is some more memories. Please forgive me if I repeat anything. I am very busy at my business and am just spilling everything I remember without much editing. So bare with me please.


The quonset hut was owned by the Butler family. Sai’s brother, can’t remember his name now, was in charge of it. He also followed Sai and let him use the quonset hut. So the reporter made a boo boo on that one. There was no landlord. It was Sai’s own family property. He bragged it could all be his if he gave up yoga and the blue god. Some one might want to check in on that property and see if it is still owned by the Butler family. Maybe Sais brother is still there. Maybe some cult members are there. Can’t imagine they would let go of such a beautiful spot.

The reporter fudged a little about the cleanliness of the place. Sai was fanatically clean. At the hut we were forced to bath three times a day!! !! And there was a constant vigil to keep the shack clean. It was the 'devotional service’ of two people. That’s all they did all day, clean, clean clean. Most surfed or swam in the ocean then washed with bronners peppermint hippie soap. Some bathed even more than 3 times, in and out of the ocean!!!For those who know the truth, bathing too much is not good for the skin, it washes away essential oils and can cause all kinds of problems. I remember a lot the surfers in the group had problems with dry skin and hair. It was actually unhealthy to bath so much. Sai said once, ‘cleanliness is NOT next to Godliness IT IS GODLINESS’!! ? He would even look at our fingernails to make sure they were clean!! If anyone tried preparing food with dirty fingers or hands they would get a severe chastisment for Sai. He was like the father and we were the no nothing children.

He couldn’ stand to see anyone BBQ on the beach either. He said the meat people eat was full of antibiotics and things to make us sick and that the only reason it does not rot on the shelf is it is pumped up with preservatives and artificial colors. He tried to make us believe only animals ate meat!!!
He said people who eat meat were nothing more than walking graveyards!!! HUMAN ANIMALS!! So insulting!! He would not allow anyone to BBQ near the hut.
We were told to chase them away.
Remember the hut was on the beach in Hawaii so naturally normal people liked to BBQ there. That did not make him very popular in the area.
Wolf got that right.
I remember once being invited to eat some chicken near the hut. I was tempted it sure did look and smell good fresh off the grill. I was starving for some real food. It was all so crazy. And becasue we were not getting enough protien from not eating any meat many were skinny and sickly, as I recall. Especially those surfers. They looked terribly skinny and not healthy at all.

It was ok for the guys to go with just shorts and even speedos but Sai said the girls should not wear bikinis or clothes that showed their bodies too much. You can just image sitting in paradise in Hawaii with beautiful young girls all around in bikinis on the North Shore but we were not supposed to look at them. It was all so artificial. Sick self depravation.


Sai could not stand body odor or any kind of perfume, except for the blue god. And he was always worried about food that had too much mucus. He said mucus was not clean. Sai said we were all dirty hippies and needed to clean up our act and act like decent human beings. He said we needed to set the perfect example if we were serious to serve the blue god. He thought we were all sub-human!!! He knew it all and we were just subservient slaves!! He said it was good to be a slave for his god!!!

About being sweaty yea thats true, we were all sweating, it was July in Hawaii and Sai was against any kind of comforts like AC. I don’t think we even had a fan. Sai was very austere. When it comes to austerity we were not any different from the hare krishnas in Honolulu. Only our looks were different.

I don’t know how I stayed there. We were deprived of all the things that make life worthwhile, normal things like beef stew, movies, sex. We were all forbidden to enjoy like normal people. Once a couple of us let ourselves go to Pizza Hut. We were supposed to be looking for fruit. Sai said we should be careful not to eat where they cooked meat or we would be responsible for the bad karma of killing animals EVEN IF WE ONLY ATE VEGETABLES AT THE RESTAURANT!! Crazy rules!! That was the best food I had had in months. The only thing missing on that pizza was pepperoni anchovies and some good old beef. For me that was a little test. The guy I was with said Sai would know we went. But
when we went back to the hut Sai didn’t have a clue.
Others were saying he had mystic powers but I wasn’t sure. After the pizza I was convinced he could not really read minds or hear our hearts. We covered our base by bringing back some pineapples. We had stewed pinapple that night.
Me and my friend didn’t take any. Everyone thought we were being really austere and fasting and Sai almost gave us a compliment. But we had a stomach full of good old Pizza Hut Pizza. Ha ha Sai if you are reading this I GOT YOU!!

Not everyone was a surf bum. I thought it was one of the most unnatural things in the world and an overrated sport. But I dare not say a word as Sai was good enough to be a professional and had many surf pro friends dropping in and out of the hut. He thought he was going to convert the whole surfing world into his cult. But even surfing he said was not for enjoyment. He said it was only to keep the body healthy to serve the blue god. So even the surfers were not supposed to enjoy it. NUTS!! He called the surfers SUFFERERS!! I did try surfing once and found it was not very enoyable at all, so maybe Sai was right about that. The cult members would sit and watch Sai surf. I could not help but think he was enjoying the audience and the surfing as much as anyone and only pretending it was only to keep the body fit to serve.

His name was spreading like wildfire in the hippie new age movement at that time. Even Timothy Leary came to see Sai at the hut.

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Not everyone was a surf bum. I thought it was one of the most unnatural things in the world and an overrated sport. But I dare not say a word as Sai was good enough to be a professional and had many surf pro friends dropping in and out of the hut.

Gotta wonder.

Is it possible that Sai/Butler was following the dietary rules he required for followers?

Can't imagine how he could keep his strength up enough to monitor the group, and function at high capacity as a surfer.

Muscle strength, muscle mass and immune function are all compromised if one does not eat enough protein.

If Sai continued to be an expert surfer all during this time, he'd have needed a diet capable of supporting all that effort.

Ha. Congratulations on scoring that pizza. And double congratulations on not getting caught. Garlic and oregano are difficult to disguise after one has partaken.

Great work flash .....I tell you there is a movie here ....I just can picture it
Still beautifull Hawaii .... good looking surfur boy who had studied a little bit with the Shivananda ashram ...very LSD experience
already using hypnosis ........Now you bring some good line ....

ey said Young receives his enlightenment directly from Krishna and is the only one in the group to "know" and communicate with Krishna.
"SAI KNOWS EVERYTHING. We know nothing," said Tulsi. “We are just fools with no knowledge.
"Sai is our complete adviser." Boni said. "He even knows everything we do before we do it. There are thousands of times we would have done something, not knowing it was wrong. But thank goodness Sai knew and stopped us." Single members of the group said they are celibate. Married couples are forbidden to engage in sex except for the procreation of children—"to have babies for Krishna."

This is a front seat view of a young meglomeniac
I get more a picture now where I landed in 1971 ...in his MAUI ashram ...and witnessing the psychic sleep

In the few days I was there ...I notice a few of his close followers
they where totally sold and dedicated to him ......and he would treat them like servants ...and even then he was abusive with them ..yelling and so forth

A funny story: when i arrive in Maui i was coming from living in Asia for the last 2 years ....sanyasin I was always in the Hare krishna robes

Siddha was dress casual ...."To a leader who call him on the phone when I was there .....Asking Siddha to please wear the Krishna robes ...
Siddha awnser that "Whohever invented the pants .....was a genius ....one of the great invention of mankind"

And still after 40 years ..he still claim that "HE IS THE WAY >>>THE TRUTH>>> he is so HOLY is wife Wai Lana collect his nal clippings
so that the devotees become ever more dedicated ......
Some MEDIA PERSON MUST SEE THAT THERE IS A GREAT STORY

Last scene could be TULSI waving from the step of congress .....or BUTLER on the phone with TULSI
VOTE YES ON .......??????????????

Great find FLASH!
I had heard about this article. Butler had mentioned this visit and of course put down the journalist
mercilessly years later making a big joke of it. He refused to speak to journalists after that.
Since that time he has learned to manipulate the media through his faithful. It totally confirms
that while he lived a simpler life in his youth, he was just as controlling and paranoid and dependent
on his swooning followers as ever. It also verifies his germ phobia. But the truth always comes out.
The truth never can be hidden or rest in place.

If anyone still has the letter to disciples blaming them for
Vaishnava dasi's head injury and condemning every one to hell - that would be great to see. It also begs
for money saying how he takes on the karma of his followers and that if they don't donate they will all
be spiritually dead.

IN light of the article you posted I think the following photos illustrate the time period very well.

alaphusihs
Thanks for sharing your memories. All the Sai followers spoke of his supposed mystical powers.
But others discovered as you did, that he was clueless and had no idea of what his followers did or did not do.
One report is that Tusta used to drink Orange Julius all the time which contained egg powder and
you had to get them at the Mall - a forbidden place for true believers ~ but some, like Tusta were above
the rules....
Also, Bruce Butler, his brother used to get french fries at Mc Donald's.
So it stands to reason that Butler could have gone off with
his "boyz" on some protein eating! Attached are some photos from the
Sai days from his forbidden book "Sai Speaks". Hopefully, it will jog your memory some more.

Several of the people pictured are still followers.

STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!











Tusta passe away. He is shown preaching in this photo.













STILL PARANOID AFTER ALL THESE YEARS (photo from the 1970's from his failed Album) depicting living in this material world.

Tremendous pictures of the only man in Hawaii .......at the times to be so adore by hippies ....

Master manipulator ...