stripping the gurus - Brahma Kumaris Info

NORMAN EINSTEIN 203
tance and allegiance of the rich and famous.” (Feuerstein was Da’s
spokesperson in the 1980s, and is a past editor for the Dawn Horse
Press.) That is, a vested interest in enlisting persons such as Ken
Wilber and Ed Kowalczyk. (The latter is the lead singer of the
band Live, who had earlier named his pet turtle “Murti,” after
Krishnamurti, and was “transported into a state of wonderment
and awe” by at least one of Da’s vastly overrated books.) Also, New
Age composer Ray Lynch, plus one of Pearl Jam’s former drummers,
and writer Lee Sannella. And:
We were told that [Da] tried to approach Madonna, and draw
her in as a devotee (Elias, 2000).
As to the difference between being in any such community as a
“star” versus as a peon, Bailey (2003) explained:
For most devotees, a visit to the [Sai Baba] ashram means
sitting in the darshan lines looking on, wishing and hoping
for interaction, whilst listening to the stories others tell. This
is very different to being “in there”—seeing how things work
behind the scenes.
The same is true, of course, of every other ashram, under
every other spiritual leader under the corona-surrounded sun:
Even journalists who would come to write exposés on the doings
at [Rajneesh’s ashram near] Antelope would come out
feeling, The place is really a nice place, those people are really
fine people (Strelley, 1987).
[A]t the center of Moonism is the requirement of secrecy ...
we had heard only a carefully devised elementary lecture
[when first visiting our daughter in Moon’s community]
(Underwood and Underwood, 1979).
[W]hen government visitors, doctors, even our attorney ...
came to Jonestown we put on a tremendous show for them.
The guests were wined and dined with foods we never got to
eat. In fact, when they looked into our faces we really were
happy because on these special occasions we, too, got better
food and we worked only half a day (Layton, 1998).
The tours were entirely staged, with church members rehearsed
in their roles, outfitted in borrowed clothes to look