Guruphiliac: September 2009



Sunday, September 27, 2009

Nithyananda's Little Asuras Play The Terrorism Card

File under: Gurus Doin' Time and The Siddhi of PR

When their threat of violence landed with a thud (ending up on the desk of a local law enforcement officer,) Nithyananda's little demons had to come up with a new plan; to whit: make fraudulent claims of terrorism, (and even more laughably, black magic,) to the FBI:
Did you guys know there are sufficient laws to put fanatics and fundamentalists like these blog posters behind bars? I have heard that there have already been complaints to FBI and there is an investigation in progress.

There is news that these posters who abuse Nithyananda and other swamis are black magic practitioners who want to destroy hindu dharma and tradition.

Your druggist and black magic background is well-known. You cant escape by feigning innocence. One of the other posters in this site is also known to practice black majic in his yard with skulls and skeletons. There is clear evidence. I know that there have been life threatening letters received and you and some other posters on this site and others are in the list of suspects. Investigation going on. Wait and see.

Can anyone prove that this website is not run by some sort of terrorist group? Already the druggist connection of the blog owner and some suspected posters is well-known. Someone should be looking into the defamation and terrorism angle on this? When then [sic] happens, the number of days these bloggers spend wallowing in filth in the name of freedom would be numbered.
Oh yeah, they also threw in some good old fashioned obscenity:
You a**ole Jody, dont you have any morals. you seem to lick your dick and live in shit and f*k your mother everyday and what else can be expected out of you.

can you also write about what your favorite position in which you f*k your mom...

and whose sh*t do you like the most....what do you think when you have your faced burried in your dad's ass with your tongue caught deep in it....
Nice, eh? That Nithyananda sure knows how to instill love in his devotees. Too bad they're dumb as paint. While we doubt that anyone has talked to the FBI, we're quite sure if we are investigated, they will see, as anyone else who actually reads this site can see, that we are merely skeptical of superstitious claims made by gurus, and we drive home the point by making fun of them. There is no hate here, let alone terroristic threats. In fact, there has never been any call to violence in a blog post, outright or implied, since we launched in March 2005.

Apparently, Nithyananda plays to the cheap seats in India, although now we are curious as to how far up the chain of command this little operation is being orchestrated. What all these folks are failing to see is that for every reaction against this site, many more people come to read it. Not that we're asking for it, but the whole thing is playing right into our hands. Here's a hint, folks: ignore us. We're just one teeny weeny voice with very little credibility, although with these latest efforts, even that is sure to be augmented in contrast to the complete lack of credibility of these attacks.

Oh, one more thing. Pray that the FBI does not launch an investigation, because if they do, they're going to be coming after you for making false statements to a federal officer. That is likely to land you in jail and result in an investigation of Nithyananda and his org, perhaps resulting in a visa denial the next time he wants to come to the States. The boy wonder guru better reel in his ranks before they blow it big time.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Defined: Hands Where They Don't Belong

File under: Gurubusting and Hands Where They Don't Belong

A reader sent us an interesting photo this morning:


Now you know what we mean when we say "hands where they don't belong."

Source. Original source.

Update: According to a commenter, this is a photo of the mostly well-respected, recently-deceased yoga guru Krishna Pattabhi Jois of Ashtanga Yoga. That being the case, this is still wildly inappropriate, in our opinion.

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Sunday, September 06, 2009

Dahngerous "Yoga"

File under: Gurubusting, Gurus Clockin' Dollars and Hands Where They Don't Belong

A reader turned us on to a fine piece of investigative journalism about Korean guru Ilchi Lee's Dahn Hak, aka Dahn Yoga in the States, an org that's chock full of the usual culty nastiness in which lives are wrecked while the cash gets clocked:
Shipley, now 25, is one of 27 former Dahn practitioners who filed suit in Arizona in May claiming the group subjected them to psychological manipulation and fraudulently induced them to spend thousands of dollars on Dahn yoga classes and retreats in Sedona, Ariz. and other places. The punishing techniques, they say, included forced isolation from friends and families, exercises like bowing 3,000 times all night long without breaks, disciplining members by sticking their heads in the toilet and making them lick other members' feet, and having them hold certain poses, like the push-up position, for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. On top of those charges, the suit alleges that Ilchi Lee, the 57-year-old Korean founder of Dahn and its spiritual leader, sexually preyed on young female disciples.
Dahn makes its money the traditional way, squeezing it out of hapless initiates with "money training," ridiculous quackery and straight-up pseudo-science:
Dahn centers sell a variety of products it deems healing-related. Nina Miller, a plaintiff in the Arizona suit, is seeking reimbursement for the $1,800 she spent on a gold painted "Okum turtle"--an item purportedly made from "living metallic materials" that "optimizes harmony within the body." For $450 Dahn sells a kit that includes a Brain Respiration Quotient, a transmitter that uses light and sound to supposedly stimulate the brain, and Power Brains, a brain-shaped handheld vibrator that is said to increase awareness during meditation.

Testimonials on the company's Web site claim brain wave vibration has lowered high blood pressure, corrected lazy eyes and healed the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. But the company cannot point to any independent peer-reviewed studies vouching for its effectiveness. Brian Cummings, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, says calling it pseudoscience would be generous. "Exercising, stretching and meditating may be beneficial to health. But there is no science behind the claim that vibrations in the body alter brain activity in a meaningful way," says Cummings.
And guess where all the money goes:
Dahn claims that founder Ilchi Lee is no longer directly involved in the company but instead runs a consulting firm, BR Consulting, which owns the intellectual property used by Dahn Yoga. (Lee is seeking to dismiss the suit against him on this basis as well.) But according to the plaintiffs, Ilchi Lee controls them all. They claim Dahn's profits are transferred to Lee and used to fund a lifestyle that includes a horse ranch in Arizona, high stakes gambling, a yacht and a private jet. forbes confirmed that BR Consulting owns the jet, the horse ranch and some residential properties.
In the end, you'll take it in the end for the guru and like it. This is the operating principle of almost every bit-time guru's satsang. Lee is no exception, and apparently, despite all the bad press he's generating in the States, there's still a full, rich market of the disaffected from which he can continue to steal.

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Saturday, September 05, 2009

Nithyananda's Love Is Coming To Get Us

File under: Gurus Who Threaten

For those investigating Nithyananda, this is the type of devotee that he is attracting:
BAD KARMA has left a new comment on your post ""Nithyananda Is Not Who He Claims To Be"":

MR GURU BUSTING JODY RAZDIK..

Ur all safe here on the internet are nt you.. bad mouthing spiritual teachers and their followers..

Mr Razdik I now know everything about you including where you live.. U are not safe anymore.. I know who u are.. you dont who i am..

Do u believe in KARMA dude.. Ur going down one way or another.. someday our paths will cross and believe me you will not enjoy meeting me in person..
Nice. That's the love that Nithyananda is fostering among his devotees.

"By ye works (and devotees) ye will know him."

BTW: That's Radzik. "D" before the "z."

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