And this is not even scratching the surface, as Ching Hai is active in many countries. They are pulling in tens of millions, and where is it all going?

To P.O. Boxes in the Virgin Islands, or Cayman Islands?
Transferred between numbered companies worldwide?

This is why one should never give, donate, or buy even ONE DOLLAR worth of anything from these kinds of groups of sects.
No one knows where any of the money is going.
There are no records.
There is no open accounting.

Just a bunch of Stories.
And some Vegan writer telling you that everything is ok, because he says so, the same people who buy his material from him. Meanwhile, there is no content, no facts, no nothing.

Where are the open, audited public documents?
There is literally is nothing. Zero.

This is why not ONE DOLLAR should go to Ching Hai, or any of its groups, or front-groups. They do not have any accountability whatsoever.

And they are pulling in millions a year worldwide, possibly tens of millions.

Quote
The Anticult
(...)
The way they made Will Tuttle's books an "amazon bestseller" is the way most of these sects, and MLM's manipulate the system, so they can claim "Amazon bestseller" (in a fringe category for 2 hours, that is).
They get their people to flood the system, and drive it up the rankings for a couple hours. What honorable behavior.

Someone should find that email that went out about shilling and buying that book
World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony [Paperback] Will Tuttle (Author) [www.amazon.com]
and then repost it in this thread. The facts matter.
You can see books like that have almost all 5 Star reviews, due to the cross-shilling factor. Unlike regular mass-market books, which have Amazon reviews that are balanced.
(...)

Here are some emails someone gave me. A former "saint" from Paris, who whants to keep anonymous.

It's not about World Peace Diet, but it is probably the same trick.

Quote
Paris meditation center

Subj.: [Fwd: Urgent !!! The Birds in my life at Amazon.co.uk]
Date : Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:51:25 +0100
From : <***********@celestialfamily.net>
To : undisclosed-recipients: ;



Dear CP Noble Saints in Europe:

Our sincere thanks and gratitude for all the centres that have supported
the 24th March ordering from www.amazon.co.uk
[www.amazon.co.uk], the Birds in my life now ranks at 92.

We need your support today from those centres that have not ordered yet,
we may need an extra 150 -200 orders today (25th March) to push it to
Top 10.

If you need the addresses to donate in the UK, please email to
noblecreationscoltd@gmail.com <mailto:noblecreationscoltd@gmail.com> the
numbers that you need, we will send to you the addresses straight away.


P. S. For those centres that want to order The dogs in my life, please
only order volume 2 as yet, because the volume 1 is not at discounted
price, and it is not from Noble creations, they are book distributors
that listed on amazon.co.uk [amazon.co.uk] before us, and they
don't want to reduce the price, we can't even list our one on there yet.
For those already ordered the volume 1, you have the right to cancel it
right now before they send out to you.
apologise for the inconvenience caused.
WML

Book promotions Team UK

************************* the day after ***************************

Quote
Paris meditation center

Sujet: Commande The Birds in My Life
Date : Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:23:18 +0100 (CET)
De : <***********@celestialfamily.net>
Pour : undisclosed-recipients: ;


Chers Nobles saints

Pour vous tenir informer : demain le 27 mars, nous commanderons les Birds
in My Life (en anglais) sur amazon.com.uk. Ce sont des commandes
individuelles. Chacun commande ses livres et un livre par commande car il
sera envoyé par amazon à des associations ou hopitaux ou autres situés en
Angleterre. Le centre de l'Angleterre nous fournit les adresses de ces
institutions que je vous enverrai sur demande.

Merci de faire tourner la chaîne téléphonique et de prévenir les frères et
soeurs qui n'ont pas d'emails pour savoir combien de livres ils pourraient
commander et éventuellement passer la commande à leur place.

Ce livre est à commander sur amazon.com.uk le 27 MARS.

Grâce à cette commande, cela permettra de faire monter le livre au TOP 1,
de faire connaître le livre de Maître à des âmes en attente, sauver des
animaux et sauver notre planète.

Merci de me dire combien de livres vous pouvez commander demain sachant
que le prix du livre est très bas 8,50&#128; plus les frais de port.

Merci beaucoup pour votre soutien et participation.

Même un livre peut faire la différence.

Avec les bénédictions de Maître
Isabelle
Centre de Paris

my own translation (if someone see anything wrong, please correct it) :



Dear Noble saints

In order to inform you : tomorrow the 27th of march, we will order Birds in My Life (english version) on amazon.com.uk. These have to be individual orders. Each of you order his own books, and only one book by order, because it will be sent by amazon to some associations or hospitals based out of England. The center [of meditation, I presume] of England will provide the adresses of all these institutions then I'll send it to you on demand.

Please "run the telephone chain" [probably their home-made disciplinary to know who have to contact who] to inform all brothers and sisters who have no email so that we can know how much books they could order and possibly to order instead of them.

This book has to be ordered on amazon.com.uk on march 27th.

Thanks to this order, it will make the book reach the TOP 1, and make the book to be known by some outstanding souls, save animals and save our planet.

Thank you so much for your support and participation.

Even a book can make the difference.

With Master's blessing
Isabel
Center of Paris





***************** more than 3 monthes after ***********************
(french version first, then english version, both are original)

Quote
Paris meditation center

Subj.: [Fwd: The Birds in My Life]
Date : Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:58:35 +0200
From : <***********@celestialfamily.net>
To : undisclosed-recipients: ;


Chers Saints en Europe

Vous vous souviendrez que nous avons essayé il y a quelques mois que le
livre The Birds in My Life sur amazon.co.uk devienne n° 1 et nous avons
malheureusement rencontré des problèmes avec la commande des livres sur
le site web amazon.co.uk et nous ne pouvions pas poursuivre notre
commande globale.

Grâce aux bénédictions de Maître, nous avons maintenant résolu ce
problème et aimerions vraiment que tous les saints passent encore une
une commander pour que le livre devienne n° 1 et que le message
compatissant de Maître se propage dans le monde entier.

Les livres de Maître ont été votés comme les plus touchants et
inspirants aidant les lecteurs à apprécier l'intelligence et l'amour
divins des créations de Dieu. Merci de partager ces bénédictions avec
tous et les aider à avoir ces merveilleux livres. Merci de saisir cette
opportunité et de le dire à un maximum de personnes.

Maître continue à nous rappeler que le message de ce livre est très
important pour le monde et tous les êtres et il y a encore beaucoup
d'âmes qui sont dans l'attente d'obtenir ces livres. Alors merci de
faire de votre mieux pour les aider à obtenir ces cadeaux spéciaux de Dieu.

Si vous pouvez aider : voici les détails:

Quand commander :

Samedi 12 juillet 2008

Comment commander :
*1) Cliquer sur ce line =
_[www.amazon.co.uk]
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:[www.amazon.co.uk]; *
*2) à droite de la page il y a un rectangle bleu avec la quantité et
ajouter au panier "add to basket" en jaune, mettre le nombre de livres
souhaité et cliquer sur "add to basket" - vous allez ensuite aller sur
la page suivante*
*3) cocher "show gift options" si vous voulez que le livre soit envoyé
en tant que cadeau, sinon cliquer sur "proceed to checkout". Si vous
n'êtes pas inscrits sur amazon, on va vous demander de vous enregistrer
ou signer. Suivre les différentes étapes sur l'écran*
*4) Une fois que vous avez signé vous pourrez insérer une adresse de
livraison insert/choose delivery address -
*
*5) nouvelle page - choisir l'option de livraison. Si vous envoyez le
livre en tant que cadeau, cocher la case en bas de la page sinon ne pas
cocher puis cliquer pour continuer*
*6) la page suivante sera un récapitulatif de ce que vous avez commandé
et sur la droite il y a un espace pour que vous puissiez écrire une mot
pour le cadeau. On vous donnera le message à insérer si vous avez
demandé des adresses pour savoir où envoyer ce livre en tant que don.
Une fois que vous avez cliqué **continuer*
*7) vous êtes ensuite sur l'écran du paiement et entrer les détails
pour confirmer votre commande. *


*Pouvons-nous donner ce livre à des associations caritatives, des
écoles...etc?*
*OUI- nous avons une liste d'écoles, d'associations caritatives, des
refuges pour animaux (au Royaume-Uni) ...etc à qui vous pouvez envoyer
le livre en tant que cadeau. Merci de nous (la France) dire combien de
livres vous voulez offrir et nous nous chargerons de demander des
adresses à l'équipe des livres du Royaume Uni, sinon vous pouvez écrire
vous-mêmes à UK book team at:- _info@noblecreations.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:mailto:info@noblecreations.co.uk>
en leur disant de quel centre vous venez et combien d'adresse vous
voulez. Merci de nous le faire savoir avant vendredi 11 juillet. *

*Que devenons-nous nous souvenir?*
*_PAS_**_ plus de _5 livres par commande/inscription/adresses de
livraison, sinon cela ne sera pas pris en compte pour le classement*
*commander de _www.amazon.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:[www.amazon.co.uk];
(wite web britannique _PAS_ le site web .com ) ou allez sur le lien
ci-dessus.*
*_Appeler _Sister Yuni on (+44) 7884 433828 ou email
_info@noblecreations.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:mailto:info@noblecreations.co.uk>
si vous avez des questions ou des problèmes le jour de la commande *

*Merci beaucoup pour vos efforts sincères.*

Avec l'Amour et les Bénédictions de Maître


*UK Book Team*
_www.noblecreations.co.uk_ [www.noblecreations.co.uk]

Dear CP Saints in Europe

You may remember we tried to really push Master's "The Birds in My Life"
to #1 on Amazon.Co.UK a few months ago, unfortunately we encountered
some problems with the ordering of the books on the website and couldn't
continue with the Global Ordering of the book.

Thankfully with Master's Blessings this issue has now been resolved and
we very much like all saints to have another ago at really getting the
book up to number 1 to get Master's compassionate message out to the world.

Master's books have been voted as most touching and inspiring in helping
the readers to appreciate the divine intelligence and love of God's
creations. Please share this blessing with everyone and help them to own
these wonderful books. Please hold the chance and tell as many people as
possible.

Master continues to remind us that the message inside the books is very
important to the world and all beings and there are still many souls
that are longing to obtain these books. So please try your best to help
them access these special gifts from God.

/*If you can help....here are the details...........*/

*When to Order?*
*Saturday 12th July 2008*
**
*How to Order?*
*1) Click on this link =
_[www.amazon.co.uk]
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:[www.amazon.co.uk]; *
*2) on the right hand side of the page there is a blue box with a
quantity box and "add to basket" yellow tap - insert number of copies
you want to buy then click on "add to basket" - you will then be taken
to a new page*
*3) tick "show gift options" if you're sending the book as a gift, if
not leave it blank and click on "proceed to checkout". If you're not
registered with Amazon you will be asked to register or sign in. follow
the on-screen steps*
*4) once you've signed in you will be able to insert/choose delivery
address - complete as appropriate*
*5) new page - choose your delivery option. If sending the book as gift,
tick the box at the end of the page otherwise leave blank and then click
continue*
*6) next page will summarize what you want to order and on the right
there is a space for you to enter a gift note. The message to insert
here will be given to you if you have asked for addresses to donate
these books to. O**nce entered click continue*
*7) you'll then reach the payment screen - enter details and confirm
order. *
**
*Can we donate the book/s to charity, schools...etc?*
*YES - we have a list of schools, charities, animal shelters ...etc that
you can donate the book to. Please email UK book team at:-
_info@noblecreations.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:mailto:info@noblecreations.co.uk>
telling them which centre you're from and how many addresses you want.
Please let them know by Friday 11th July. *
**
*What to remember?*
*_NO_ more than 5 books per ordering/registered/delivery address,
otherwise these will not be counted towards the ranking*
*Order from _www.amazon.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:[www.amazon.co.uk];
(UK website _NOT_ the .com website) or where possible best to use the
attached link above.*
*_Call _Sister Yuni on (+44) 7884 433828 or email
_info@noblecreations.co.uk_
<wlmailhtml:%7B20FEF553-8455-41FD-B175-6B69DF8EFD92%7Dmid://00000030/%21x-usc:mailto:info@noblecreations.co.uk>
if you have any questions or any problems on the day of ordering *
**

//
*Many thanks for all your sincere efforts.*

With Master's Love and Blessings


*UK Book Team*
_www.noblecreations.co.uk_ [www.noblecreations.co.uk]


With Master's Love,

Brother Wo

Contact Person, Surrey Centre
Mobile: 07990 570678
Home: 01293 416698
Centre: 01342 842528
Email: stmchwo@hotmail.com <mailto:stmchwo@hotmail.com>
Please Save The Planet! Go Veg! Be green!
Website: www.godsdirectcontact.org [www.godsdirectcontact.org] /
www.suprememastertv.com [www.suprememastertv.com]

Interesting questions from 1996, and possible early connections with Paul Twitchell and the Eckankar sect.
The difference now is that the Ching Hai money-trail is very obvious.

----------------------
[dlane5.tripod.com]

Questions For Ching Hai

Author: R.A. Whritenour
Publisher: The Neural Surfer
Publication date: 1996

David Christopher Lane
---------------------------------

There is definitely a direct connection with the Eckankar sect, in terms of some of the techniques and the stuff with the "sound".
And that is linked with MSIA - John-Roger - Insight Seminars. [www.culteducation.com]

Its a small world after all.

And Ching Hai has implemented all sorts of other techniques from other groups, to lock followers into Ching Hai, even for life, if she can.
Hopefully current followers of Ching Hai will do some research, and look into all the different techniques Ching Hai is using so obviously on people. More are listed in this article.

She obviously just made-up the stuff about getting "enlightened in the Himalayas" by someone who has now conveniently left their body. Its obviously deliberately vague as to be totally uncheckable. But its a standard technique, to manufacture an uncheckable Enlightenment Story, everyone does it.

And focusing on the Supreme Master as an object in meditation...that is very destructive, as through repetition she gets ingrained into the minds and brains of her followers. Which of course is the objective.
Ching Hai is very blatant and obvious, but she is quite skilled at her kind of group persuasion targeted at her demographic.

The question is, who is her primary worldwide silent partner in business?
Someone else has been with her for a long time, someone with resources who helped get the Ching Hai ball rolling.


-------------------quote excerpt---------------------
[ramsss.com]

Supreme Master Ching Hai

By Louis Hughes; Ireland

The "Supreme Master Ching Hai" visited Ireland recently and gave a seminar entitled: "Immediate Enlightenment, Eternal Liberation". The event took place in the main hall of the Royal Dublin Society, venue for major sporting and cultural events. It was well publicized both through street posters and substantial ads in national newspapers, highlighting the news that "Heaven is here and now!" and inviting the Irish public to "see God while living". More than 1000 people turned up to hear and see the "Supreme Master", many of them conveyed to the hall in mini-buses chartered by the group, which had been cruising the streets of Dublin all afternoon offering free one-way transport.

Ms. Ching Hai, a handsome Chinese-Vietnamese woman, appeared in evening dress on the flower-bedecked stage. She connected easily with her audience, even inviting those who were seatless to share her space and her cushions onstage. Her informality was in stark contrast to the dozens of mainly oriental-looking minders in business suits, who silently monitored the proceedings.

The content of Ching Hai’s address was part Buddhist, part Hindu, but given a New Age twist in, for example, her insistence that the term ‘Christ’ refers not to a person, but to a power that emanates from God and manifests the authority of God in exceptionally enlightened individuals. ...

Then, going far beyond Wordsworth, she reasoned that if God lives in here (pointing to her heart), logically one should be able to see him at any time – "we just have to know where to direct our attention. Seeing (the Light of God) is believing". Consequently, she declared: "I am offering proof of God’s existence". This proof however, is evident only to those who have been initiated into what she terms the "Quan Yin Method" of meditation.
....

However, the "Quan Yin Method" of meditation bears little relationship to the traditional simple prayers and offerings made to the goddess. While reluctant to explain the method to the uninitiated, Ching Hai did indicate in replies to questions from the audience that it involves turning our attention inwards to listen to God – something we have forgotten in the course of our busy lives. During meditation one will hear musical sounds, such as that of the bagpipe. Quan Yin meditation is practised with one’s attention focused on the ‘third eye’ centre, located in the middle of the forehead. This, she said, is the wisdom centre and the highest gateway for leaving one’s body.

However, the technique should be learned properly and practised correctly. She warned of the danger of focusing on any chakras or centres of energy without proper guidance. That guidance is given during the process of initiation into the method. All present were invited to take initiation there and then. About 100 people took up the offer. Some underwent full initiation which involves a life-long commitment to a vegan diet and at least two hours meditation daily, as well as refraining from all alternative forms of meditation and other spiritual practices. Others received the "quick initiation" or "convenient method", requiring a half-hours meditation daily and abstinence from meat for ten days each month.

Ms. Ching Hai is portrayed as a talented and energetic woman - evident in the displays round the hall of paintings, jewelry, Chinese lanterns and fashion. All – we were told – were designed by herself and available for purchase. Also on sale were her videos, CDs, tapes and books. A magazine and a booklet of her talks were available for free....

... However, in a brief autobiography she explains that her significant spiritual experience came about as a result of time spent in the Himalayas where she discovered "the Quan Yin Method and the Divine Transmission". ("A Brief Biography of the Supreme Master Ching Hai" in The Key of Immediate Enlightenment by the Supreme Master Ching Hai [Formosa, 27th edition, 1999], p.9).

Nowhere in the movement’s literature is any mention made of how she came upon this enlightenment. An enquiry to one of her retinue as to who Ching Hai’s teacher was, yielded the vague reply: "Kutaji – he lives in a cave in the Himalayas – maybe has left his body now." Such reticence in regard to the identity of one’s initiating guru is quite unusual among Oriental religious teachers and begs the question as to the true origins of Ching Hai’s teaching. Some clues however, are to be found in the language that she uses in her writings and talks.

....

The main features held in common both by the Radha Soamis and Ching Hai include: the requirement to practise long hours of meditation under the direction of the Master; focussing on the Master himself/herself as the object of meditation ; the practice of meditation at the "third eye"; the idea of spiritual progression through ascending planes or levels of consciousness; the prediction that the meditator will see inner light and hear inner sounds, particularly musical sounds; the ability to leave the body at will during meditation and explore the astral world.

Former disciples of Ching Hai have alleged that disciples are taught to meditate with a blanket over their heads. This practice tends to induce hyper-ventilation which makes people more susceptible to mind-control. It has also been reported that disciples were strongly encouraged by Ching Hai herself to put together a six-figure donation towards U.S. President Clinton’s personal legal defence fund. (See Tom Fitton’s, "Brain-washed Clinton Donors" in Opinion Inc 08/05/97, down-loaded from www.freerepublic.com, August 4, 1999).

And, as for the Dublin mission, several letters appeared subsquently in the "Irish Times" from some of those initiated. They complained that, though they attempted to practise the "Quan Yin Method", their efforts to see God ended in failure.

CHING HAI AND RADHASOAMIS COMPARED

....

The best known of these is Eckankar, established by Paul Twitchell, one-time disciple of Kirpal Singh. His movement consists mainly of plagiarized Radhasoami elements with a few added idiosyncratic twists. John-Roger Hinkins, a former disciple of Twitchell’s, in 1968 started his own movement M.S.I.A., which is plagiarized Eckankar! It has also suggested that the Divine Light Mission has a connection with the Radhasoami tradition. According to some accounts, the father of Guru Maharaj had been a follower of one or other branch of the Radhasoamis.

....
Some of those who have not wished to acknowledge their indebtedness to the mainline Radhasoami tradition or to any other living tradition, have stated that they were enlightened or initiated by unidentified Masters at various undefined locations "in the Himalayas". An example of this was Dr. Bhagat Singh Thind, an initiate of Sawan Singh, who built his movement in the U.S. in the first half of the twentieth century. Another such example is, I believe, Ching Hai. However, at the moment it is not known to me where or from whom she received initiation.

Ching Hai’s teaching combines Radhasoami elements with bits and pieces from other religious traditions in a way that lacks coherence. For example, she speaks about the three bodies in Buddhism, which she terms respectively the ‘dharma body’, the ‘manifestation body’ and the ‘physical body’ and then she states: "Catholics speak of this as the Trinity." ("Trinity – spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Chuongli, Formosa, February 25, 1989", published in The Supreme Master Ching Hai [News No. 105, September 1999], 9).

She is also heavily into New Age. Her speeches contain on occasion liberal dollops of astrology, ecology, alternative medicine and diet, use of positive thinking’ and ‘positive energy’. Her movement also appears to be highly commercialized.
---------------------------------

and the real irony is, that if someone told the REAL story of Ching Hai, (the real person, her real birth name, not the concocted fictional Bio she's created), that would actually be more interesting.
It sounds like someone who started out like anyone else, got involved with American soldiers, and apparently had a child young, and then lost that child? Is that part of the story true?

Then as is typical, got involved in various new agey / cultic / spiritual groups, and being naturally smart and ambitious, realized very fast what was really going on, with the sham Gurus.
Then also realizing that she could do what they were doing, even better than them.
That would also satisfy her desire to be famous, respected, glamorous, and revered, and of course rich. (and to be on TV, ya gotta be on TV, to be someone. So if no one will put you on TV, then just start your on TV station starring yourself!)

So like the endless Gurus before them, they start out small, and build up their base of followers over a number of years.

Unlike other Gurus, it does appear that Ching Hai does design those logos, and some of the material, as it does match.

The sham of "Ching Hai" is not interesting, just another in a standard long-line of New Agey type Gurus of the month.
But the real story of how she did it, that would be interesting.

Maybe one day a Guru will come clean, and then tell the world what they really did, and how they did it. Then they could become even more famous, and appear on talk shows, and tell everyone how they made themselves into a Guru to get famous and rich.

Missed this excellent detailed post in this thread about...


[forum.culteducation.com]
"Supreme Mystery" by Abigail Young for VegNews magazine.

Supreme Mystery by Abigail Young

[www.meetup.com]
[webcache.googleusercontent.com]

-----------article quote excerpt for research and analysis----------------
Supreme Mystery
by Abigail Young

"With more than 160 locations opened since 2008, Loving Hut is the world's fastest growing veg restaurant chain. Though the brand is more noticeable than ever, the woman behind it remains something of an enigma. Who is Supreme Master Ching Hai?

THE SUPREME MASTER CHING HAI INTERNATIONAL Association (SMCHIA), a non-religious spiritual group
headquartered in Taiwan, is in the throes of its latest mission: publicizing vegan food in the form of its mass-produced restaurant chain, Loving Hut. First opened in Taipei City, Taiwan, in April 2008, the East-meets-West eatery made its way to the US the same year, establishing itself in Milpitas, Calif. As of July 2010, more than 160 locations exist worldwide, with nearly 60 waiting in the pipeline, all thanks to the group’s enigmatic leader, Supreme Master Ching Hai. From conflicting reports of her ascension to “Supreme Master” status to an international vegan empire, the force behind Loving Hut’s explosive expansion might be the most controversial figure in veganism today.

Customers rave about the eatery’s fast-casual service, dishing out everything from barbecue skewers to fresh spring rolls, fried rice to flan, and even burgers and fries. Not only are prices comparable to meat-laden fast-food chains, but the streamlined expansion and similar design of each location imparts
a franchised feel, successfully achieving the approachable atmosphere that appeals to themass market. Vegetarians can enjoy a “typical” experience, and omnivores can explore new, meat-free options in a familiar setting. It’s a dream come true for most veg activists, with animal-free food in more mainstream locationsevery day. But curious diners are compelled to ask, who, or what, is the Supreme Master?

At most Loving Hut locations, a quick read of a strategically placed brochure will casually introduce the uninitiated to Supreme Master Ching Hai: a smiling, Chinese-Vietnamese woman with long, blonde hair and an impeccable, airbrushed complexion, dressed in bright colors. This is “god’s direct contact,” the self-proclaimed “chosen one” to millions of devout followers, and sole creator of the Loving Hut chain. To skeptics, she’s better known as the leader of the fastest growing cult in the world.

According to Ching Hai’s authorized biography, her story is simple, albeit vague. Growing up the daughter of a naturopathic doctor in Vietnam, Ching Hai read Chinese philosophy before she even started elementary school. She claims that at a young age, a clairvoyant predicted her noble path to save
all beings. While attending college in England, Ching Hai traveled, volunteering in Germany for the International Red Cross, where she married a German doctor. After a brief marriage, the two had an amicable separation when Ching Hai realized she needed to explore her spiritual path, eventually leading her to the Himalayas, where she learned the Quan Yin meditation method. Upon her return, followers
sought her out and begged for guidance, and the rest is history.

Her organization spans the globe, including more than 60 restaurants in addition to the Loving Hut chain, EcoVegan (a Taiwan-based vegan meat factory), 78 international meditation centers, and Supreme Master
Television, a 24-hour online station dedicated to all things vegan and Ching Hai. The channel also airs on 14 satellite networks worldwide and is translated into 42 languages. Her mission is simple: “promoting a vegetarian diet to be a compassionate and noble way of living.”

After embracing veganism in 2008, primarily due to concern for the environment, Ching Hai announced her new mission worldwide, asking all of her followers to focus solely on funding and operating her latest idea—the Loving Hut. Currently, only initiated practitioners—those who have joined SMCHIA and follow Ching Hai’s precepts—are permitted to run individual franchises, adhering to strict decor and operational guidelines.

Today, interested parties must maintain a vegan diet for a minimum of two months before formally applying to be accepted to SMCHIA. But before joining other followers, Ching Hai must approve all requests from her undisclosed location, according to a volunteer at the San Francisco center. Her “messengers,” specially trained disciples, instruct new initiates in the hours-long Quan Yin meditation
process, an integral element of her teachings.

In order to be eligible for initiation, practitioners must maintain a vegan lifestyle, one of Ching Hai’s five basic precepts: no taking of life, using intoxicants, lying, stealing, or adultery.With millions of estimated
followers (no formal records are kept), Ching Hai’s dream of disciple-funded ventures has come to fruition in two short years, and currently shows no sign of slowing. SMCHIA membership numbers are growing at pace, up from an estimated 100,000 in 1995.

San Francisco-based David Smugar is one of Ching Hai’s impassioned followers. He maintains three official positions for the association, spearheading the Loving Hut’s US public relations efforts, reporting for
Supreme Master Television, and marketing the new line of EcoVegan meat analogs. He lives in a small, humble room in one of the most expensive cities in the country and spends almost every waking hour working. He reports sleeping only two hours a night, meditates at least the requisite two and a half,
and travels extensively, all without monetary compensation. “Those of us who work with Supreme Master Ching Hai treasure it. This is a much better job than any job that pays money. I never felt so much satisfaction, or sense of timeliness or importance,” says Smugar. Currently, he is living on funds saved from
previous employment.

On May 1, downtown San Francisco welcomed its second Loving Hut location, smack dab in the middle of the behemoth Westfield Mall Shopping Centre food court. Westfield is the largest mall west of the
Mississippi, attracting more than 25 million visitors each year—restaurateurs couldn’t ask for a better space. Smugar agrees, adding that such prime real estate doesn’t come easy, or cheap. “We didn’t know if we could, but we contacted everyone, had meetings, and asked, ‘Can people contribute money?’ and we were pleasantly surprised that yes, we did have enough money to open in Westfield Mall,” says Smugar.

The “we” Smugar refers to are 20 members of San Francisco’s local association meditation center, where he and approximately 50 other practitioners of the Quan Yin method congregate. The money needed to open the restaurant came from their savings accounts and retirement funds, among other sources. While it’s against the organization’s policy to ask for donations, eager followers are often more than willing to help Ching Hai on her mission.

While securing and opening the location was strictly business, Smugar and his associates aren’t in it for the money. Following the example of Ching Hai’s own humanitarian efforts, he predicts that if needed, profits will be donated. “A group decision would be made based on the state of the world… The main
focus is the mission of getting the world to wake up as quickly as possible,” says Smugar.”

According to Ching Hai’s website, in addition to natural-disaster relief efforts, she also donates thousands of dollars to organizations and causes around the globe including a number of animal-protection organizations. In 2008, SMCHIA donated a total of $2.4 million, including grants aiding animal sanctuaries and shelters, earthquake disaster relief, vegetarian school lunches, the World Wildlife Fund, and dozens of others. Online records date back to 1989, totaling 1,017 individual contributions since her arrival in
the US.

A walking, talking catalog of the association’s information-heavy website, Smugar’s Ching Hai-inspired 10-minute tangents on melting ice caps, methane, and a grim future of fabricated housing pepper his conversation. These are not scare tactics, he says, but simply facts. This wealth of knowledge comes straight from Ching Hai, whose compassion for all living creatures makes her “the most radiant,
the most beautiful being inside and out,” Smugar says.

Fear, however, is no stranger in Ching Hai’s role as a leader. According to UC Berkeley graduate Eric Lai, whose thesis detailed the workings of SMCHIA, Ching Hai’s apocalyptic message in 1995 paralleled other fringe groups. Playing on Y2K fears and foreshadowing the end of the world, predicting that if humans didn’t change their ways, she warned the earth faced an untimely end as early as 1997. Thirteen years later, a familiar message echoes in her literature, updated for timeliness: “If we human beings don’t take steps to halt global warming within the next two years, after that, it will be too late and we could see all of life vanish from this planet by the year 2012.”

As with many controversial spiritual groups, followers don’t view Ching Hai as manipulative. Those who have met her tear up when talking about the experience, feeling blessed to have been touched by her, physically and spiritually. “She’s spent all of her life teaching others so they can also become enlightened and learn how to overcome the physical challenges of life, which would include attachments to physical things such as homes, cars, husbands, wives—none of those things last forever,” says Smugar.

Ching Hai lectures on her website, “Everything I tell you is the age-old essence of a practitioner who wants to get away from all the traps of this materialism and rise above this mind-matter controlling power so that he can realize there is something greater than his own body and his own machine brain.”

In contrast to her denouncement of materialism, the $2.4 million Ching Hai donated to humanitarian efforts in 2008 is reported to come from selling her creative projects—paintings, home decor, jewelry,
books, and more. A $15 locket with her photo, a $250 painting of a clown, or a $1,000 “longevity lamp,” among other seemingly random arts, are available to anyone willing to invest in material attachments from their master. And, more surprisingly, the reported multi-million dollar retail purchases occurred the same year Ching Hai was mobilizing practitioners to spend their savings on the Loving Hut expansion.

In addition to the $2.4 million donated by Ching Hai, the association’s Los Angeles-based center collected $3.1 million dollars in 2008, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), claimed as contributions and
grants. Nearly all of the revenue was spent on Supreme Master Television, whose studios are based in LA. Ching Hai is said to solely fund SMTV without outside help from contributors (minus free labor), bringing her yearly income, save personal living and housing costs, to $5.5 million.

Referencing Ching Hai’s 1990 records, the spiritual leader donated more than $500,000 to charitable causes. Impressive, yes, but critics question how this hefty sum materialized without the existence of her retail products.

Association members stand by the statement that their master does not accept donations, denying speculation that enlightenment comes at a price.

As for her personal lifestyle, little is revealed today due to her “safety,” which followers believe is jeopardized by the US meat and dairy industries, and constrictive governments in countries such as China. The latest rumors include Ching Hai seeking shelter in a cave or a trailer—dwellings that purportedly prove her distaste for ostentatious living. The last report of a US home base was in 2004 when, in an odd sequence of events, Miami-Dade officials in Florida discovered an illegal compound being constructed on a man-made island near Biscayne Bay National Park.

The future meditation retreat, registered under Ching Hai’s then-alias Celestia De Lamour (“star of love”), included a 50-foot aviary, a 350-foot boardwalk whose construction demolished coastal mangroves, and a small 50-foot island built from boulders. Construction was still underway when authorities discovered the operation, and workers quickly vanished. Another Miami property also owned by Lamour was seized and sold, and cost for repairs to the South Florida coastline reached the $1 million mark. Attempts to locate Lamour, aka Ching Hai, for questioning and financial restitution were unsuccessful. Who was this woman, and where did she come from?

In comparison to Ching Hai’s published biography, Eric Lai’s research turned up an entirely different story. Born Hue Dang Trinh on May 12, 1950, Hue completed 9th grade before becoming a nurse and spent most of her time socializing with American soldiers stationed in Vietnam. By 19, she had given birth to a baby whom she left in her mother’s care, leaving home with the German doctor she later married.

Hue began pursuing Buddhism in 1979. She became a vegetarian and studied with Master Thich Nhu Dien, a Buddhist monk, before being rejected from the monastery based on her gender. Later, traveling to India, Hue didn’t learn meditation from an anonymous man in the Himalayas, but in fact studied under controversial Sikh leader Thakar Singh, whose own laundry list of indiscretions includes sexual assault and violence.

Moving to Taiwan in 1983, Hue was given the name Ching Hai (“pure ocean”) by Jing-xing, a Vietnamese Buddhist nun. After her confirmation as a nun, Ching Hai traveled to Queens, NY, to volunteer at the Institute of Chung-hua Buddhist Culture. There, she began promoting her Quan Yin method of meditation,
which received a lukewarm response. Returning to Taiwan in 1986, Ching Hai began accumulating followers, many pulled from her former mentor, Jing-xing, which created hostility between the up-and-coming guru and her former colleagues. Rumors of her supposed “otherworldliness” spread, and the Supreme Master Ching Hai was born.

Today, Ching Hai rarely makes public appearances. Smugar last saw the spiritual leader in 2006 and feels grateful to have been able to meet her at all. Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t as difficult to meet the “master” given the proper time and place. While studying in Taiwan in 1994, Lai attended a Supreme Master retreat and sat front-row alongside 6,000 followers at her lecture, which he describes as “a rambling, hour-long talk sprinkled with motherly advice and jokes.”

Unlike today’s restricted access to her meditation centers, there was little issue with Lai attending the retreat. “They were definitely more open, because it’s a totally different media environment now,” says Lai. “It was very charismatic and revivalistic. She was a tiny woman who commands all this respect; it
was kind of absurd. I think she might’ve even touched my forehead, a blessing or something,” he comments matter-of-factly, hardly convinced of her status as god’s direct contact.

As for Lai’s unaffected reaction, it seems that people either fall in love with Ching Hai’s philosophy, or they don’t. One man claims Ching Hai saved his life after a car accident, while Smugar believes her power has kept him alive despite his congenital heart condition. “People did seem inordinately passionate about it. You definitely didn’t have people like, ‘My parents are into it, so I’m just along for the ride,’” Lai says. When it comes to the association, it's all or nothing.

A San Jose man reported his wife's devotion to Ching Hai as the cause for extreme behavioral changes. Taking Ching Hai’s adultery precept literally (a single partner is, in fact, permitted), she withdrew all physical contact from her husband. “She became strange, always upset with me, and screaming at the children,” he said. The anger escalated to her reportedly beating their two sons if they didn’t participate in daily meditation.

Other anecdotes surfaced about women leaving their husbands for their new family— the association. It’s this, Ching Hai has said, which motivated her to move away from the modest look of her Buddhist days. Now, she claims, wearing clothes that cost hundreds of dollars, dyeing her hair, and adorning herself
with handmade jewelry are necessary to not only gain respect from those who may not see her as a worthy “master,” but prevent women from becoming celibate. By showing women that you can dress beautifully, she says, she’s lessening their desire to become nuns.

Despite the main message of Ching Hai’s being one of compassion and love, select practitioners take their devotion too far, including using scare tactics toward the media. Critical journalists and curious Buddhist
monks received bomb threats and promises of violent acts, including execution and “eternal hell.” These actions don’t exactly align with the smiling, love-all-beings image, nor do reports of Ching Hai’s own temper tantrums and explosive episodes toward disciples.

Ching Hai considers herself to be the living Buddha, a god for those in spiritual need, but are her actions and emotions anything but human? The difficulty lies in distinguishing between a successful, fast-growing vegan food business aiming to save thousands of animals and help humankind, and extremely questionable behaviors of a powerful, mysterious woman in control of millions. Anyone concerned with the state of the planet and well-being of animals would be happy to have a Loving Hut in town, and the spiritually bankrupt find solace in her methods. But is this intense growth sustainable, and what will happen to the hundreds of investors if the market can’t support the restaurant chain’s exponential growth?

For now, more locations are opening monthly, adding to Ching Hai’s long list of disciple-run restaurants. Her followers maintain faith in their leader and her business plan. “Master Ching Hai is strictly about compassion for every sentient being,” says Smugar. “It’s a model for the world.”

(Abigail Young is associate and web editor of VegNews)
--------------------------------------



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2011 10:11AM by The Anticult.

Its very interesting how such a mild article, becomes so traumatic in the Ching Hai followers mind. Its because the messianic Leader of the sect is built up in their mind to be "perfect" and divine.
One notices how cult experts often ask a follower to name even ONE critical thing about their Guru-Leader. Just ask them to criticize one single thing about their Master. They can't do it.

When added to members putting all their money into the Loving Hut...what happened to "no donations"? Putting all your money into the Loving Hut, under the direction of the Supreme Master to do it, that is a "donation".
Paying inflated prices for a lamp, that's a backdoor donation.

And with the continual pressing buttons of the End Is Near, first Y2K, then 2012, what's next? What's the next hype for the end of the world? Probably 2020, round numbers.

Does Hue Dang Trinh (Ching Hai) live in a cave or trailer? No, not buying that, not with her taste in decor!
After the debacle when she was destroying coastal mangroves as her alias "Celestia De Lamour" she has moved to plan B. Does that sound like a "Vegan" to be destroying the natural habitat like that? No it does not.
Frankly, her Veganism smacks of psy-manipulation, and since Ching Hai is now promoting Breatharianism, it shows that in fact she is just using FOOD as a tactic of psychological manipulation, like many other sects.

So Hue Dang Trinh (Ching Hai) uses aliases, like many other sect leaders.
She got busted with "Celestia De Lamour", are any of the other names floating around an alias?
Where could she be staying? Anywhere. Other sect leaders have their chief follower lease homes, houseboats, hotel suites, anywhere.
But it seems strange for Ching Hai to be hiding out like Howard Hughes. That doesn't make sense...

Search Google:

"Hue Dang Trinh"




-------------------------------------------
warning signs

[www.factnet.org]

[www.culteducation.com]

[en.wikipedia.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2011 10:37AM by The Anticult.

[www.sfweekly.com]
God Inc.

Inner peace isn't the only thing Supreme Master Ching Hai is selling Bay Area disciples
By Gordon Young
published: May 22, 1996

"Contrast this radiant official bio with the unauthorized one, a graduate thesis in journalism at Berkeley written in 1995 by Eric Lai. In "Spiritual Messiah Out of Taiwan,"

...

San Francisco's Mike Treacy was a devoted Ching Hai disciple for years, even traveling to Taiwan in 1990 to live at the Master's compound for six months. He broke away from the movement two years ago and now labels it a moneymaking sham.

"Ching Hai has basically got thousands of slaves and all the power and money she wants," says Treacy, who runs a service transporting the elderly and disabled. "The followers may be smiling and seem happy, but they're still getting ripped off."

Asked what it's like to interact with someone many place on par with Jesus Christ, Treacy is equally blunt: "She rules with an iron fist. She has tantrums; she screams; she yells. Basically, she's an asshole."

...

Last year, Long outbid a throng of other disciples for a pair of the Master's sweat socks at a retreat in Taiwan. The price? $800.

"The socks are a memory of the Master, so they are priceless," says Long, who admits that she's not sure if the socks were washed before the auction. "When the Master leaves the physical world, at least I will have her socks."

...

For the extremely well-off followers, the Supreme Master sells diamond-studded yin and yang cuff links designed by her for just $750.
...
In addition to her clothing line, the Master's other big-ticket items are her custom-made lamps and her oil paintings. One wood-and-rice-paper lamp titled "At One With All Creation" is a steal at just $2,160.
...
The cost of a Supreme Master original oil is as difficult to come by as the paintings themselves. Disciples simply wouldn't name a price. Apparently, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.
-------------------------------



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2011 10:44AM by The Anticult.

It actually looks like after the PR blow-ups, and the critical media articles, Hue Dang Trinh (Ching Hai) decided to copy the technique used in the Siddha-Yoga sect. [www.leavingsiddhayoga.net]
Their current leader, a woman named Gurumayi, also decided to withdraw from access to her followers. [ritualsofdisenchantment.blogspot.com]

Look at the google images for: GURUMAYI
Some similar images to Ching Hai.


This is very clever. Lets call it the Elvis Method, the Vanishing Guru Act, always leave them wanting more. So it creates a craving and mystery in the followers, and they start to try to imagine where she could be, meditation on mountain-tops, communing with Jesus in other dimensions, skiing in the Alps...
But its just a tactic, to create more mystery and tension with the followers.

As well, it serves to avoid media criticism, and oftentimes Gurus get sick and tired of their own followers in public, so they decide to withdraw. They have an entire system set-up in private, to cater to all of their needs.

Hue Dang Trinh (Ching Hai) is a very clever manipulator and persuader, and knows exactly how to trigger those buttons in her followers worldwide.