Was Sathya Sai Baba a Divinity?

The alleged dual nature of Sathya Sai Baba as avatar – divine and human in one – is nothing more than the common Hindu doctrine that human beings are divine themselves, but invariably do not realise it. Only when a ‘fully realised’ spirit descends to take on a human incarnation, so the avatar story goes, is a human being able to be fully conscious of everything… and that means nothing less than omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent.
This makes a distinction between two kinds of manifestation, actually being God in a human form vs. being human in only a Godlike form. This doctrine aims to convince people that they should strive towards realisation of God.

It would be hard to devise a more subtly beguiling doctrine to gain influence over people without the preacher of it having to deliver any convincing proof. So those who hold this, and who claim to be avatars (and there are a surprising number of them in India), are promoting a speculation, sometimes even knowing it to be a falsehood.

So can human beings really become liberated and hence omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent (i.e. fully God-realised)? To test this, one has to believe it positively and to strive totally towards that end using all time, energy and other means, because it is a lifelong task (all gurus agree on that). This is even more risky than betting absolutely everything on one belief coming true, though one has no real information about it whatever. Because everyone one knows who dies evidently has not achieved that goal, the doctrine explains that – though you has hard luck this time around, the soul will then be reborn in a fresh body so one may try again, and again and so on. In short, an extremely uncertain wager for a goal, the nature of which one cannot possibly know. It is sheer belief without any empirical foundation whatsoever.

What self-proclaimed all-knowing Sai Baba predicted about hundreds of matters did not come true. His own life ended in a most ignominious way and long before he had famously predicted. His constant deceits and frauds are well known by now, as well as his sexual abuses and involvement in the cold-blooded murder of four devotees in 1993 and massive bribery to cover it up.. No one in their right mind can claim that he demonstrated divinity or turned out to be what he claimed, the eternal and pure Creator of the Universe!

Fake Buddhist monks a growing global problem

Not enough that many Hindu gurus model themselves of Sai Baba to deceive and fleece their followers under false pretences, but according to the Buddhist writer Heather Wardle in the journal ‘Lion’s Roar’, we read:-

“In many major cities around the world, men posing as Buddhist monks with shaven heads and monk’s robes harass passers-by for money and react angrily when confronted. According to CTV News, the problem has recently increased across New York City, particularly at tourist destinations including Times Square and the High Line public park.” she was quoting T.K. Nakagaki, president of the Buddhist Council of New York.

Last year, the panhandling monks were dubbed “holy terrors” and the “new squeegee men of New York” by the The New York Post, and according to The New York Times they are “ubiquitous” in the city. The problem grew to such an extent that Facebook pages such as “Fake Monks in New York City” were created to warn others of the issue. There have also been sightings of female panhandlers posing as Buddhist nuns.

According to multiple reports, the faux-monks approach pedestrians and ask them to sign a petition for peace before offering a medallion or bracelet and pushing for donations that will supposedly be donated to a temple in Thailand. Reports of this type of panhandling began surfacing around 2012 and over the years there have been an increasing number of news stories about the impostors appearing in cities in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Cambodia. In January 2015, The New Zealand Herald reported that, according to a woman who was trained to pose as a nun, a Chinese syndicate was behind the fraud. The woman had paid a fee of 10,000 renminbi (US$1613) to be trained and equipped as a fake Taoist nun, and a portion of the cash she collected was sent to the syndicate leaders.

The acts of the panhandling monks are seen as disrespectful to the Buddhism. Traditionally, Buddhist monastics accept donations of food they are offered while on on alms rounds. There’s a simple way to spot a fake monk. A real monk will never aggressively beg for money. If you see a fake monk aggressively panhandling you can register a complaint with the local police. In most cities police are unable to act unless they receive complaints from the public.” (see
http://www.lionsroar.com/fake-buddhist-monks/)

Sathya Sai Baba was undoubtedly the best known self-proclaimed God Avatar and spiritual guru in the last several decades, especially in India but also among countless spiritual aspirants in almost every country in the world. His unprecedented success in gathering a massive following – including many royals, top politicians, celebrities and a vast financial fortune has showed the way for other gurus to accumulate devotees, wealth, uncounted sexual partners and power. This also included Buddhist monks from far and wide.

Other Buddhists – especially some highly reputed Tibetan monks- have been just as worldly regarding money, sex and power as Hindu gurus! For example, in the 1960s when I came to know the inside story of Trungpa Rinpoche who had come to UK and was highly-regarded (by the credulous). Friends of mine were at his retreat in Scotland where this celibate holy man was seducing girls as soon as he got to UK. He became infamous (to non-followers) as a womanizing drunkard and he reportedly died of AIDS. See TimeMagazine’s report on Trungpa:  Subsequent experiences here in Oslo with a Tibetan Buddhist temple were much the same… sex and money was the ruling ‘dharma’.

Isaac Tigrett on the go again

Isaac Tigrett is busy touring all over the world, claiming a prestigious place on the stage with ‘oracle boy’ Madhusudhana Naidu, the controversial self-proclaimed spokesman for ‘subtle sai baba’ (you have to use your imagination to believe there is an invisible baba). 

Recently in California, the plans were announced by oracle boy to start a free ‘Super Speciality Hospital’ in the state of Mississippi in America, and Isaac will be in charge. He has already been warned about the “opposition and threats” that will try to hinder his mission. One wonders how many rich fools there are to finance such a venture? 

One also wonders what has become of the “Mystic Inn of the 7th Ray” mammoth new age project that Isaac proclaimed to the world in 2012 and has since gone exactly nowhere since then? One cannot find information about any development whatsoever and the Facebook page and website started to offer news on the venture, has not been updated in years. http://www.mysticinnofthe7thray.com/

Below are quotes regarding the hospital-to-be in Mississippi; will this also be yet another dead-end venture of the now quite aged and cash-poor Isaac Tigrett? There is also a video of Isaac saying online that oracle boy wants him to open a casino in Las Vegas: joke or not? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swY8110AZ_8

“This occasion was used to announce that a Super Speciality Hospital will be built in the state of Mississippi. (It is the poorest place in the United States). Also that Isaac Tigrett will spend a little more time with him in India before he moves to United States to continue his assignments which included this project.

“It will be a very difficult undertaking as there will be opposition and threats from many people.  When confronted by this negativity, he should call upon Sai Baba who will immediately take care of the situation.”

Tigrett and his supernatural wonders that fade away never cease to amuse us! This buffoon presumably still has some cash stashed away… or is he relying on the rump of the US SSO donors? Or is it is crystal skull he put in the pyramid in Memphis that is working its magic at last?
A casino in Las Vegas could be a likely financial source for this Hard Rock, beer and beef-burger entrepreneur – taking money from the rich suckers to build a monument, allegedly to Swami – whether the dead one or the invented ‘subtle Sai’, who can say. The whole satirical saga is unbeatable and unbearably weird. The Mystic Inn of the Seventh Ray, which Sai Baba designed with his close buddy, Isaac, will have to wait for any future successful claimant to wear the mantle of Prema Sai, I suppose.

Puttaparthi Ghost Town

Baba’s demise eclipses Puttaparthi’s glory  by The Hans India. We read that many foreign devotees of Baba have stopped visiting the small town of Puttaparthi:-

“Puttaparthi (Anantapur): The pilgrim town of Puttaparthi which ruled the roost as an international tourist destination for more than three decades is virtually a ghost town today. The demise of Sathya Sai Baba,a renowned religious teacher on April 24, 2011 set the tone for its gradual decline.”
There was life in the township which is today conspicuous by its absence.  At least 10,000 tourists from around the country and abroad were seen on any given day. Foreign tourists had purchased flats in apartments and villas in the sprawling gated communities and used to stay for months and inland tourists for weeks. Many had planned post retirement life in the spiritual town and had purchased flats.
Today there are no takers for those wanting to dispose them off. With the soul of Puttaparthi no more, the sheen of the town has been lost and a despondency among devotees set in.
Now there is hardly any business except on selected days such as birthday anniversary and death anniversary of Baba.
Even NRI’s from Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius and African countries who used to come for darshan of Baba are no longer returning. Overnight, restaurants, lodges and ayurvedic massage centers had lost their business and many have downed their shutters. Foreign currency exchange was big business then. Today there are hardly a few such counters.” Read more at http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-07-01/Babas-demise-eclipses-Puttaparthis-glory-/238832

The Hans also notes that the Sathya Sai Airport, which once had regular weekly flights, has closed down. It cannot be sold, despite being on the market for many years, with considerable added sweeteners.

See also:-
Sathya Sai Airport “white elephant” for sale!
Puttaparthi becoming a ghost town? (2011)
Puttaparthi’s white elephant airport plea

also Soumya Bhaskara, a Sai devotee’s comment on this blogsite

Sathya Sai Baba film confusion continues

Malayalam actor Sreejith Vijay to play biopic on godman Sathya Sai Baba Thursday, June 2, 2016 – 13:38

“Legendary Telugu filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna, who has over 100 films to his credit, is currently working on the biopic of Puttaparthi Sai Baba, and it features Malayalam actor Sreejith Vijay in the title role.Being made with the support of members from Sai Baba’s mission, nearly 40 percent of the ambitious project has already been shot. Ramakrishna plans to release the film in as many Indian languages as possible because of the godman’s popularity.“It took me over 5 years to get this project started. It wasn’t easy to find a producer and more importantly the right actor for the lead role. Initially, Malayalam actor Dileep was really excited to be part of the project and I was equally elated. However, I feared that his star image might come in the way of the character and I may have to make changes to satisfy him as well as his fans. Hence, I skipped the idea of working with him and instead roped in Sreejith, who is relatively lesser known,” Ramakrishna told The News Minute. With another five months of the shoot left, Ramakrishna hopes to release the film early next year. It will have a wide theatrical release, he assured.”

The film that took five years due to lack of support and now heavily financed with funds from “members from sai baba’s mission” and a change of lead actor. Will Kodi Ramakrishna finally finish and release this long NOT-awaited film? The word is a release “early next year” but we have heard that line several times already over the last few years. Not holding our breath.

See also:-
Film ‘Baba Sathya Sai’ shelved
Satya Sai Baba film trailer review
‘Baba Satya Sai’ film demotes the swami to a ‘Demigod’
Sathya Sai Baba film (shooting in Parthi)
Two Sai Baba films to compete against BBC’s ‘The Secret Swami’?
Global Baba – upcoming film on Indian spiritual gurus
 

Puttaparthi: rubbish foraging pigs menace residents

Pig menace trouble residents in Puttaparthi

Puttaparthi (Anantapur): Sai devotees residing at Rangasai apartment on Chitravati road on Tuesday staged a sit-in on the road demanding officials to take steps to save them from the pig menace. On account of the garbage thrown on the roads, they pointed out that pigs are roaming free on the Chitravati Road posing a potential health hazard to residents of the area.Moreover, the area is reeking in foul smell as residents of the apartments are disposing of garbage near the apartment complex. The devotees say that they are facing untold problems because of the foul smell and pig menace while going and coming from Sai Baba Samadhi daily. They asked the officials to take steps to clear the garbage over night ensure steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.

When the issue was taken to the notice of the municipal commissioner Vijaybhaskar Reddy, he assured the protestors to solve the problem after taking it up with the municipal councillors.

The self-proclaimed almighty god, Sathya Sai Baba, who promised to protect his devotees, especially in the holy precincts of Prashanthi Nilayam is not protecting them from a pig menace! There were always many pigs around but nowadays not enough residents to chase them off, apparently. It is no doubt dangerous, they can be aggressive! Instead of make demands, the devotees should take upon themselves some public ‘selfless service’ to clean up the filthy garbage where the pigs root for food, just as so many Indians do with Sathya Sai Baba Badly Failed. E.g., See Inspiring Tedx Talk On ‘The Ugly Indian’ Movement. Despite the constant talk and boasting of doing selfless service by Sai Baba and his followers, it was quite evident to observers that – even in the heyday – there was relatively little done by the residents or visitors to the ashrams compared to all the overblown publicity about it.

See Avinash Naidoo’s despicable and hypocritical comments and my riposte at my web pages here 

Dr. Art-Ong Jumsai – leader of cults

Dr. Art-Ong Jumsai of Thailand has long been a totally uncritical member of the Sathya Sai Baba cult, where he performed on the a lunatic fringe with miracle stories, futile cures for all ills, a rigid and redundant educational model for schools and much besides. Since the demise of Sathya Sai Baba, Jumsai has come to promote ‘pyramid power’, claims contact with aliens and UFOs, and thinks he is descended from Egyptian sorcerers. It is all very entertaining, but, as scientists point out, is not suitable teaching as it involves false beliefs. He is the subject of a petition to remove him from the Office of Basic Education Commission.

PYRAMID CULT LEADER APPOINTED TO REFORM PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM

By Khaosod English

Mr. Art-ong’s appointment has alarmed many Thai scientists because of his association with a “pyramid cult” and endorsement of pseudo-scientific ideas.

Mr. Art-ong, an engineer who reportedly collaborated with NASA on several projects, is heavily involved with the Baan Suan Pyramid movement, a cult that claims to posses the ability to heal sick people with “pyramid power” and boasts a lineage to ancient Egyptian “sorcerers.” Mr. Art-ong gave lectures at many of the group’s gatherings, including an occasion in which he claimed “pyramid power” can slow down the decay of fruit.

Mr. Art-ong  has also expressed his belief in extra-terrestrials; he asserted in one lecture that he could communicate with the “UFOs” that were hovering over the earth. As of the time this article is published, international astrophysicists have unanimously agreed that Earth has not been visited by any extraterrestrial civilisations.

To protest his appointment, Chulalongkorn University scientist Mr. Jessada launched an online petition calling for the removal of Mr. Art-ong from the OBEC subcommittee. “If Dr. Art-ong, a believer in pseudoscience, has the role in reforming curriculum, he may use beliefs that are not based on credible science to affect his decisions about reforming the curriculum,” the petition reads. “It may lead to teaching false beliefs to Thai youth.”

See also – Art-ong Jumsai’s fanciful mind takes flight again