A teacher, guru.... is very beneficial to some extent. I often meet people who have reached mastery in their lives and let them preach to me as to how they got there. Or get inspired by some souls who live by exemple. However this whole I put my life, my soul, my energy, my heart in the hands of a mortal being who is supposed to be perfect results in what we have seen with all the abusive teache
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My post is not specifically about Karma and Eastern philosphy. Don’t Christians always say Jesus died for our sins on the cross or bathe in the blood of Jesus! Well even if Jesus is not on the cross anymore, him on the cross is the symbol That is in most churches. And the cross is the symbol people wear around their necks. Same with the Martyrs of the Shia muslims. They love to glorify the m
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Gaja, it is normal to seek relief from pain. I too look for ways to calm the mind and I understand your situation. Noone likes to suffer. Happiness is an inside job. The mind is the battlefield. My point is not to sell our soul for bliss and love. To put up with just about anything in order to get that bliss. Like spiritual,mental and physical, financial abuse. It is when you become hostage
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have been thinking a lot about what keeps many followers of mostly “Bhakti” Yoga prisonners of abusive gurus and toxic groups. It is 100% their addiction to bliss. Something we feel all the time when we chant and serve. It is like the transcental crack that keeps one asking for more and more. It is known that Krishna descended as Lord Chaitanya Avatar 500 years ago in order to taste love for
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

We do not always get programmed. We come into this world with programs like computers vis the mind. To give our power away to an external force is something that exists in most of us. Why are humans afraid to tap into their own strength? We often become slaves of addiction, abusive relations, cults, religions... Religions offer many good guidelines as how to be a better peron and have good val
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

When I entered the path of Bhakti Yoga, I arrived with a lot of baggage. Everybody enters this path or any other spiritual path with varying degrees of baggage. This is why some are doing better than others. Many people do not carry heavy loads but are looking for answers and happiness. Those like myself who need more healing, start feeling a great amount of bliss and relief as soon as we star
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

If Rama is still alive after the Wailana mockery video (Namaste my slaves) nobody has anything to fear. He could have not gone any further than that. People don’t have to be rude like me. They can very politely express the misery they endured in the group. Diplomacy is not my forte. As I said it my job is over. Before they threaten anybody, they should keep a low profile for all the criminal
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

As I said it, I am done with these people and my energy will not be wated anymore. I was called to post this for all of you whistleblowers. Take it or leave it. How many people have come in here since 2004? You want to make a greater difference, don’t play it small. Face the abusers. Be it so called god brothers and sisters, Disciples, Brahmans and Mr. B himself. Call them out. Tell them ho
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi Ian and everybody else. I am sorry if I have caused any chaos by joining the thread. My whole body and heart was charged with so much hate and anger for the way my life turned out to be after I left the cult. The Tsunami waves that I have been braving for 12 years. I have never felt as crazy as I did this past year in lockdown Loka. I see now that I must focus on my own absolutley nightm
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Sorry everybody for the bad vibes and nasty exchanges on this post. I am not sure how it got so ugly. I myself have been in a very bad space and regret the way I interacted. Since deleting is not an option, we must really weigh our words. I hope that from now on if anybody joins the conversation, it can be in a spirit of peace. I understand that many of us carry heavy baggage and times are ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have been thinking a lot about the guru follower dynamics. It seems as though the not so perfect gurus are always the one on trial here and elsewhere. They are made to see as those who just take take take take. We see followers as poor victims that we all pitty and wish we could save from the dungeon like a damsel in distress. As much as I am myself fought to expose abuse, I must also ad
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

When you start gushing over a guru and kiss their feet, there is no question that it is a cult. In this day and age true Saints that are worthy of so. ich praise and having their feet kissed are rare. At least he wers socks. lol! I also heard he has a good time having sex with the female followers.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have been posting a lot lately as we never know what tomorrow holds. Also the lockdowns are quite challenging as one cannot escape. If not for the lockdowns, I would not even be in here. Life has been altered. I want to contribute to this forum as much as I can. I have been sitting with the hurt and finally letting go of a group I had know for 20 years. I am starting to see how complex the
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Dawatcher, I must say that there are also many things that are too comical. Last summer a friend of mine (ex butler follower) was telling me stories aboit her service as a laundry girl onsite The ridiculous stuff they had to do... I laughed so hard that I almost fell off the Sofa. She was laughing too. Also the Giardia incident where all devotees had to be tested in Hawaii because one little bo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I don’t care what anybody says or thinks. Every single person has a different relationship with the divine. It does not matter what deity or religion one relates to. I respect everybody and I try really hard to understand how some people think everything is bogus. Souls are at a different level of evolution. We must have the humility to accept this. And each person has different spiritual abi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I am not sure I understand the situation. You are still living in that situation and need someone to help you get out?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I am not sure I mentioned this before. I stayed at an Ashram ages ago. The program was very full on. We also had to do Arotik at 5 AM. The leader of the center was quite nice and non fanatical. The atmosphere was friendly except of course the few difficult personalies and the here and there clashes. There was this young attractive woman in her mid 20’s. Very calm within, surrendered, serious,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Henr Jolicoeur exposes cults.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

Today I remembered something Butler said in a lecture. I am going to paraphrase as I don’t remember Word for Word. “People come to our meditation classes and gatherings and wonder how come we offer them for free. It costs nothing but then once you get serious about spiritual life, you will have to give away EVERYTHING. (or maybe he said it will cost your everything)”. This cult has taken e
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Facet, I personally am at a very different place now. I have gone way too deep into everything and sometimes talking about all the things I do in here is boring to me. I do it only because I want to shed light on the spiritual traps, the abuse.... It will help whoever it is supposed to. When I look at my own journey, I see that the soul’s evolution is like an Avalanche that noone can stop.
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

I know that many people consider this to be mythology. However Krishna supposedly appeared on this planet 5000 years ago. He is an avatar of lord Vishnu. He has always existed and is unborn. I know it is all quite far out but I am just repeating what I have learned. It is not like he just appeared out of the blue thousands of years before Christ. This is when he had the conversation with Arjun
Forum: Recovery from Destructive Cults and Groups

I just found this letter from ACB. It broke my heart because Beharilal das is one of the few people who commited suicide in SoI. I copied the relevent part. I wish he would have listened to his Diksha guru. Maybe his fate would be different. Not sure what pushed him to end his life. I just know that when a person ends their lives, they blame it mostly on offenses. I suspect that most suicid
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I have been speaking at length about the partialities in the Butler group on the thread dedicated to him and the cult. However because it is such an important subject, I feel it is important I make a post about it. People think that because of what has been said here, that group is absolutely hellish for everybody. First of all I must say that after researching other cult leaders I believe t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Whirwind, no hard feelings. It is all good. I may have many faults but dishonesty is not one of them. I am as transparent as it gets. As I said it before, I am just giving a very soft version of my fringe experiences. Also since I am the only one who witnessed and lived them, I cannot prove it. And I do not really need to prove anything. It is not like I am selling a product. I have not re
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I wish you healing from the hurt and abuse you experienced in Iskcon. I am sorry you totally took what I said the wrong way. I suggested you start a blog or a new post on that specific topic. I specifically came to this forum to expose SoI, to heal from the spiritual trauma and find people from my own group, which I did. I did not come in here to argue about off topic subjects. If I have
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I guess it just gets chaotic we starr getting into the philosophy and argue about it. We all seem to have different views and there are apparently different versions.... We have covered the fact that SoI is practicing a diluted version of Vaishnavism. I think the most important issues with SoI have been exposed in this forum. The subject started in 2004. We cannot make up new stories. Until s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Whirlwind seems to be quite clear on his position. He sees the wrong things that Iskcon is doing. He is also defending the Founder who brought the philosphy to the East. Krishna Consciousness is not made of a body of people. It is not something a person joins or leaves. It is just a more intimate, personal relationship with “God” (for those who believe). I have only written a mild versio
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My friend you are quite fixated on the name of this forum. It is very much a SUPPORT GROUP. A place where we can openly discuss our negative and traumatic experiences. People are free to think what they want really. Including atheism. You stepped in the process willingly. You were thrown into it. I also dove in deep and quick. It was a choice. Those who were forced into it by parents or bo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Wirlwind, I have been out of this conversation for a while. You say that you are trying to explain the mystical forces that drove you to K Consciousness. I am not sure I read one single exemple of supernatural events on your journey other than you were an atheist before you were introduced to the maha mantra... I have no doubts that you have your own fringe experiences. So yes I feel we ar
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"