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.

While some restaurants develop a “cult following” others are simply run by “cults.”

But food critic Betty Cooney doesn’t seem to care how her food gets to the table. If members of some “cultish group” suffer to serve her, it appears that’s not something Betty worries about, according to her article in the Queens Chronicle.

The “cultish group” restaurant Cooney reviewed is controlled by Guru Sri Chinmoy and is located in Flushing Queens.

But contrary to what Cooney concludes, Chinmoy is not simply the leader of “a cultish group that works for world peace and promotes health.” Chinmoy is instead directly responsible for hurting many people, according to former followers and affected families. And some women once involved within the group claim the supposedly celibate guru sexually abused them.

There are websites that discuss the bad behavior of Chinmoy that are easily accessible through the Internet. But did Ms. Cooney spend her time on such research before recommending his restaurant? Apparently not, the food maven seemed to be more concerned with the guru’s “incredible salads” and “delicious smoothies.”

Sri Chinmoy is not the only guru to staff a restaurant with devotees who work for free or very little pay.

The “Supreme Master Summa Ching Hai” has a chain of vegetarian restaurants and the “Twelve Tribes” have been in the food business since the 70s, first the group had delis and now they run coffee shops.

Starbucks may need to pay the minimum wage, but not the Twelve Tribes. However, a Boston food critic joked, “What I want is to stand in a place that makes a blueberry muffin this good. I nibble a corner and want to shout my lifelong devotion to their cause.”

One month before that reporter’s observations were published the Twelve Tribes was fined for child labor violations. But that didn’t seem to affect the tenor of his story either. Maybe Betty should call him and set up a lunch?

One California “cult” called the “Fellowship of Friends” runs a winery and their wine is sold by the glass for $10.00 at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. The Ritz doesn’t appear to care either about the terms of cult labor. Their buyer sniffed, “There is value and quality and I never took into consideration anything else about them,” reported the Sacramento Bee.

Once upon a time years ago there were organized boycotts of lettuce and other produce to protest the substandard wages and working conditions afforded to migrant farm workers. However, today it seems few people care or are even interested about how “cults” may exploit their members.

One California wine buyer did say that he didn’t want to work with “a winery that has all that excess baggage.” But he appears to be an exception. Most people are more likely to agree with Betty Cooney who wrote, “Don’t let this stop you from trying their restaurant.”

The burgeoning growth industry of self-improvement within the United States continues to include exotic spiritual mentors. And India has been a fount for a litany of purported “gurus,” “swamis,” “yogis” and other would-be “god-men” that have enthralled Americans.

But in India such supposedly “spiritual” types are increasingly seen as simply tricksters or confidence men. And the police in Bombay are busting them, reports Reuters.

One Indian official who has exposed more than a few explained, “[Our] campaign is meant to be an eye-opener. We want to put a complete stop to those posing as god-men.”

But in the United States the First Amendment precludes putting a “complete stop” to any “religious” endeavor. So many of the “god-men” of India have immigrated to a more open market. After all, why work Bombay when you can come to America and make the big bucks?

Since the sixties a virtual wave of Indian gurus has washed upon the shores of North America. And seemingly gullible Americans have proven over and over again that they are willing to buy the wares of these “god-men” and a few “god-women” too.

The list of such spiritual entrepreneurs keeps growing.

There was Swami Satchidananda (now deceased), Guru Sri Chinmoy (still carrying on in Queens New York), Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (perhaps the richest guru on earth), Guru Maharaji (a boy wonder), Swami Prabhupada (deceased founder of “Krishna Consciousness”), Sai Baba, Swami Muktananda (deceased founder of Siddha), Yogi Bhajan of 3HO, Swami Rama and let’s not forget the notorious Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh who was deported before he died.

A new female “guru” is breaking into the American market named “Chalanda Sai Ma.” She is apparently a former pupil of Sai Baba and others, but is now touring solo.

Of course the United States appears to have plenty of homegrown flim flam, which includes an assortment of psychics, faith healers, mediums and even snake handlers. And American authorities are often far less vigilant than their Indian counterparts, when it comes to protecting the public.

Still, despite easily accessible homegrown holy men, there seems to be something about flowing saffron robes, mantras and exotic India that exicites the imagination of many within the US spiritual marketplace. Many “god-men” seem to know how to tap into that market, or that is, turn on the tap to cash in.

The historic success of Indian gurus in the US seems to have inspired a growing list of American wannabes that have taken on Indian names and titles.

Frank Jones from Brooklyn is now “god-man Adi Da,” Fred Lenz was called “Zen Master Rama,” a former New York housewife Joyce Green calls herself “Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati,” Mike Shoemaker became “Swami Chetananada” and Donald Waters became “Swami Kriyananda,” just to name a few.

Some of the “god-men” have turned out to have feet of clay. There have been several scandals and a few lawsuits regarding sexual misconduct and other allegations.

The old consumer adage “buyer beware” seems to be equally appropriate advice within the spiritual marketplace.

One Indian activist intent upon exposing “god-men” as simply con-men said, “It’s easy money — without any investment. As long as fear exists among people such god-men will thrive.”