Cult News

Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, who calls himself “Guru Sri Chinmoy” from Jamaica Queens, New York is now on a weight lifting tour in New Zealand.

The so-called “guru,” that once inspired Carlos Santana and who many call a “cult leader,” hit the road with his own traveling show.

The Chinmoy “guru show” is apparently designed to demonstrate the “god” qualities of the 71-year-old American, who immigrated to the United States from what is now Bangladesh in 1964 and became known during the “guru” craze of the 70s.

Chinmoy performs supposed weight lifting “feats,” but only with the assistance of his so-called “whatawhata” machine, reports the Waikato Times.

Sheep seem to be his preferred thing to lift “down under” in New Zealand. Perhaps in Texas it would be cows and who knows, in the Middle East Chinmoy might even try a couple of camels.

However, what the old guru-with-a-gut lifts, is actually of little consequence. The mechanical device Chinmoy uses does the real work, not the peripatetic “god-man.”

Almost anyone could lift sheep or whatever else they wanted with such an apparatus. An Auckland grandmother might use it moving furniture for an intensive house cleaning, though it would be awkward in a living room.

What then, is the point?

The point is that this guru will do whatever it takes to get attention, press coverage and another photo op.

One Chinmoy disciple watching the recent stunt in New Zealand said, “He is selfless and so humble.” But a more obvious conclusion is that the New York guru has an insatiable need to feed his ego.

Chinmoy has been staging stunts like this for years. He also has encouraged his devotees to do some pretty ridiculous “world record” feats, such as pogo stick hopping underwater. One follower made it all the way into the Guiness Book and onto “Oprah.” And of course this was an opportunity to promote and praise his guru publicly.

But the truth is that weight lifting “feats” are not the only phony thing about the aging guru. The man, who claims to be a spiritual celibate, actually has a history of being a sexual predator, who has used devotees as little more than “sex slaves.”

And Chinmoy’s former followers have been speaking out on the Internet.

So as the guru’s sheep show winds its way through New Zealand, it might benefit the public more if the press reported the real story about Chinmoy.

It may be fun to write about this “portly man” and his “whatawhata” machine, but Chinmoy is not so funny to the many individuals and families he has hurt over the years.