|
International Cultic Studies Association
News Summaries: group
|
|
|
Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002 |
|
| _______________________________________________ |
| News Summaries |
|
| |
News Summaries: February 01-15, 2002
|
| |
Group: Kashi Ashram |
|
|
Founder: Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, aka Joyce Greene |
| |
Category: eastern |
|
|
Topic: legal, violence |
Kashi Ashram/Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Kashi Ashram Leader Accused of "Brainwashing"
Several former key members of Ma Jaya Bhagvati's Kashi Ashram. Headquartered near San Sebastian, Florida, are accusing her of brainwashing, intimidation through violence, illegal drug use, and siphoning off nonprofit funds for shopping and gambling sprees.
Bhagavati is a Jewish housewife with three children, formerly known as Joyce Greene, who, at age 32, left New York City after a vision of Jesus and two Hindi spirit guides ignited in her an interfaith odyssey of preaching racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance. Her organization's crusade against AIDS and its promotion of world peace have earned the group citations for
public service.
Kashi now presides over an 80 acre sanctuary with 150 residents, including a blend of teachers, psychologists, lawyers, bankers, and other assorted white- and blue-collar vocations, each of whom is given a Hindu name. United in communal living, they help with maintenance, prepare vegetarian meals, practice yoga, meditation, and celibate lifestyles.
Former Kashi PR director Richard Rosenkranz said, "I know I'm going to look like a total dupe, a fool, a moron, but it will not stop me from telling the truth? No. This needs to come to an end. This sham needs to stop."
Financial questions
Salvatore Conti, a jeweler from Woodridge, NY, moved to the ashram in 1989 and became involved, as treasurer, in raising money, through sales of Bhagvati's paintings and ceramics, for construction of a 40-room convalescence house for AIDS patients. "I'm a gay man, and I've lost many friends to the AIDS virus," he said. "I very much admired what she wanted to do."
But the house never went up, he said, because Bhagavati squandered the half-million dollars raised for its construction.
Conti said that he watched Bhagavati go on spending splurges — "never less than $1,000 a week" — for clothes, jewelry, CDs in triplicate, vacations disguised as missionary work, and cosmetic surgery. "Spending money was a compulsive thing with her," and her appetite included casino gambling, at which he says sarcastically, "this spiritual woman once spent $30,000 on
slot machines in a single night." He alleges that "She took everybody for a ride, and most of the people in the ashram don't have a clue. In fact, she was making so much money they didn't know how to hide it, so they had to form a new corporation for it."
Rosenkranz, meanwhile, said that his mother invested $1 million in a trust fund for his daughter that cannot be accessed until the teenager turns 40. "She [his mother] was concerned that he [the grandson] would give it all to Ma."
Physical violence
In a 1997 autobiography called It's Here Now (Are You?), spiritual chanter Bhagavan Das writes that he was confronted by Bhagavati's followers when he tried to leave Kashi. "I was beaten until I was bruised and bleeding. Fortunately, they didn't break any bones. I ... thought, 'We have given (Bhagavati) the power of God. It's time to leave."
Paul Rousseau, now 36, who grew up in the Ashram, says: "It was an insular environment, and I didn’t want to leave. I realize now, looking back, just how clever Joyce (Bhagavati) really was, how well she manipulated us. When my parents took me back to Canada (following a court order), I wanted to go back to Kashi. In fact, I ran away twice. They [at the Ashram] told me
all I had to do was accuse my parents of rape, destroy the house, and generally go wild, and they'd send me back to the ashram. Would I have lied for Kashi?" said the computer engineer, now living in Silicon Valley."Sure. I did lie for them. They were my family."
Kashi's current PR director says the financial allegations are part of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Rosenkrantz, a "disgruntled former employee" engaged in alimony negotiations with his soon-to-be ex-wife, who lives at the ashram. Concerning the convalescence home, he said that building "is a long-term process that we have in no way abandoned. This is a smear
campaign leveled at a holy being whose deeds have touched millions of lives in positive ways." Bhagavati denies that she lost $30,000 on the slots, saying that she does not frequent casinos.
Kashi associates such as Judy Martin label allegations of control and abuse ludicrous. Now a radio/television journalist in New York City, Martin said that when she was vacillating between pursuing her career or staying at the ashram, Bhagavati encouraged her to choose New York. "For every person who feels compelled to say something negative about Ma," said Martin,
"There are thousands more like me who are in gratitude." And ashram resident Robin Bruner, a child psychologist, said that she's never seen or even heard of anyone getting beaten at the ashram. (From "Ex-members rip enclave," by Billy Cox, Florida Today, 2/2/02, Internet)
|
| ____________________________________________ ^ |
|
|
___________________________________________^ |
| |
|
International Cultic Studies Association
News Summaries: group
|
|
|
Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002 |
|
| _______________________________________________ |
| News Summaries |
|
| |
News Summaries: February 01-15, 2002
|
| |
Group: Kashi Ashram |
|
|
Founder: Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, aka Joyce Greene |
| |
Category: eastern |
|
|
Topic: legal, violence |
Kashi Ashram/Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Kashi Ashram Leader Accused of "Brainwashing"
Several former key members of Ma Jaya Bhagvati's Kashi Ashram. Headquartered near San Sebastian, Florida, are accusing her of brainwashing, intimidation through violence, illegal drug use, and siphoning off nonprofit funds for shopping and gambling sprees.
Bhagavati is a Jewish housewife with three children, formerly known as Joyce Greene, who, at age 32, left New York City after a vision of Jesus and two Hindi spirit guides ignited in her an interfaith odyssey of preaching racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance. Her organization's crusade against AIDS and its promotion of world peace have earned the group citations for
public service.
Kashi now presides over an 80 acre sanctuary with 150 residents, including a blend of teachers, psychologists, lawyers, bankers, and other assorted white- and blue-collar vocations, each of whom is given a Hindu name. United in communal living, they help with maintenance, prepare vegetarian meals, practice yoga, meditation, and celibate lifestyles.
Former Kashi PR director Richard Rosenkranz said, "I know I'm going to look like a total dupe, a fool, a moron, but it will not stop me from telling the truth? No. This needs to come to an end. This sham needs to stop."
Financial questions
Salvatore Conti, a jeweler from Woodridge, NY, moved to the ashram in 1989 and became involved, as treasurer, in raising money, through sales of Bhagvati's paintings and ceramics, for construction of a 40-room convalescence house for AIDS patients. "I'm a gay man, and I've lost many friends to the AIDS virus," he said. "I very much admired what she wanted to do."
But the house never went up, he said, because Bhagavati squandered the half-million dollars raised for its construction.
Conti said that he watched Bhagavati go on spending splurges — "never less than $1,000 a week" — for clothes, jewelry, CDs in triplicate, vacations disguised as missionary work, and cosmetic surgery. "Spending money was a compulsive thing with her," and her appetite included casino gambling, at which he says sarcastically, "this spiritual woman once spent $30,000 on
slot machines in a single night." He alleges that "She took everybody for a ride, and most of the people in the ashram don't have a clue. In fact, she was making so much money they didn't know how to hide it, so they had to form a new corporation for it."
Rosenkranz, meanwhile, said that his mother invested $1 million in a trust fund for his daughter that cannot be accessed until the teenager turns 40. "She [his mother] was concerned that he [the grandson] would give it all to Ma."
Physical violence
In a 1997 autobiography called It's Here Now (Are You?), spiritual chanter Bhagavan Das writes that he was confronted by Bhagavati's followers when he tried to leave Kashi. "I was beaten until I was bruised and bleeding. Fortunately, they didn't break any bones. I ... thought, 'We have given (Bhagavati) the power of God. It's time to leave."
Paul Rousseau, now 36, who grew up in the Ashram, says: "It was an insular environment, and I didn’t want to leave. I realize now, looking back, just how clever Joyce (Bhagavati) really was, how well she manipulated us. When my parents took me back to Canada (following a court order), I wanted to go back to Kashi. In fact, I ran away twice. They [at the Ashram] told me
all I had to do was accuse my parents of rape, destroy the house, and generally go wild, and they'd send me back to the ashram. Would I have lied for Kashi?" said the computer engineer, now living in Silicon Valley."Sure. I did lie for them. They were my family."
Kashi's current PR director says the financial allegations are part of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Rosenkrantz, a "disgruntled former employee" engaged in alimony negotiations with his soon-to-be ex-wife, who lives at the ashram. Concerning the convalescence home, he said that building "is a long-term process that we have in no way abandoned. This is a smear
campaign leveled at a holy being whose deeds have touched millions of lives in positive ways." Bhagavati denies that she lost $30,000 on the slots, saying that she does not frequent casinos.
Kashi associates such as Judy Martin label allegations of control and abuse ludicrous. Now a radio/television journalist in New York City, Martin said that when she was vacillating between pursuing her career or staying at the ashram, Bhagavati encouraged her to choose New York. "For every person who feels compelled to say something negative about Ma," said Martin,
"There are thousands more like me who are in gratitude." And ashram resident Robin Bruner, a child psychologist, said that she's never seen or even heard of anyone getting beaten at the ashram. (From "Ex-members rip enclave," by Billy Cox, Florida Today, 2/2/02, Internet)
|
| ____________________________________________ ^ |
|
|
___________________________________________^ |
| |
|
International Cultic Studies Association
News Summaries: group
|
|
|
Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002 |
|
| _______________________________________________ |
| News Summaries |
|
| |
News Summaries: February 01-15, 2002
|
| |
Group: Kashi Ashram |
|
|
Founder: Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, aka Joyce Greene |
| |
Category: eastern |
|
|
Topic: legal, violence |
Kashi Ashram/Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Kashi Ashram Leader Accused of "Brainwashing"
Several former key members of Ma Jaya Bhagvati's Kashi Ashram. Headquartered near San Sebastian, Florida, are accusing her of brainwashing, intimidation through violence, illegal drug use, and siphoning off nonprofit funds for shopping and gambling sprees.
Bhagavati is a Jewish housewife with three children, formerly known as Joyce Greene, who, at age 32, left New York City after a vision of Jesus and two Hindi spirit guides ignited in her an interfaith odyssey of preaching racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance. Her organization's crusade against AIDS and its promotion of world peace have earned the group citations for
public service.
Kashi now presides over an 80 acre sanctuary with 150 residents, including a blend of teachers, psychologists, lawyers, bankers, and other assorted white- and blue-collar vocations, each of whom is given a Hindu name. United in communal living, they help with maintenance, prepare vegetarian meals, practice yoga, meditation, and celibate lifestyles.
Former Kashi PR director Richard Rosenkranz said, "I know I'm going to look like a total dupe, a fool, a moron, but it will not stop me from telling the truth? No. This needs to come to an end. This sham needs to stop."
Financial questions
Salvatore Conti, a jeweler from Woodridge, NY, moved to the ashram in 1989 and became involved, as treasurer, in raising money, through sales of Bhagvati's paintings and ceramics, for construction of a 40-room convalescence house for AIDS patients. "I'm a gay man, and I've lost many friends to the AIDS virus," he said. "I very much admired what she wanted to do."
But the house never went up, he said, because Bhagavati squandered the half-million dollars raised for its construction.
Conti said that he watched Bhagavati go on spending splurges — "never less than $1,000 a week" — for clothes, jewelry, CDs in triplicate, vacations disguised as missionary work, and cosmetic surgery. "Spending money was a compulsive thing with her," and her appetite included casino gambling, at which he says sarcastically, "this spiritual woman once spent $30,000 on
slot machines in a single night." He alleges that "She took everybody for a ride, and most of the people in the ashram don't have a clue. In fact, she was making so much money they didn't know how to hide it, so they had to form a new corporation for it."
Rosenkranz, meanwhile, said that his mother invested $1 million in a trust fund for his daughter that cannot be accessed until the teenager turns 40. "She [his mother] was concerned that he [the grandson] would give it all to Ma."
Physical violence
In a 1997 autobiography called It's Here Now (Are You?), spiritual chanter Bhagavan Das writes that he was confronted by Bhagavati's followers when he tried to leave Kashi. "I was beaten until I was bruised and bleeding. Fortunately, they didn't break any bones. I ... thought, 'We have given (Bhagavati) the power of God. It's time to leave."
Paul Rousseau, now 36, who grew up in the Ashram, says: "It was an insular environment, and I didn’t want to leave. I realize now, looking back, just how clever Joyce (Bhagavati) really was, how well she manipulated us. When my parents took me back to Canada (following a court order), I wanted to go back to Kashi. In fact, I ran away twice. They [at the Ashram] told me
all I had to do was accuse my parents of rape, destroy the house, and generally go wild, and they'd send me back to the ashram. Would I have lied for Kashi?" said the computer engineer, now living in Silicon Valley."Sure. I did lie for them. They were my family."
Kashi's current PR director says the financial allegations are part of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by Rosenkrantz, a "disgruntled former employee" engaged in alimony negotiations with his soon-to-be ex-wife, who lives at the ashram. Concerning the convalescence home, he said that building "is a long-term process that we have in no way abandoned. This is a smear
campaign leveled at a holy being whose deeds have touched millions of lives in positive ways." Bhagavati denies that she lost $30,000 on the slots, saying that she does not frequent casinos.
Kashi associates such as Judy Martin label allegations of control and abuse ludicrous. Now a radio/television journalist in New York City, Martin said that when she was vacillating between pursuing her career or staying at the ashram, Bhagavati encouraged her to choose New York. "For every person who feels compelled to say something negative about Ma," said Martin,
"There are thousands more like me who are in gratitude." And ashram resident Robin Bruner, a child psychologist, said that she's never seen or even heard of anyone getting beaten at the ashram. (From "Ex-members rip enclave," by Billy Cox, Florida Today, 2/2/02, Internet)
|
| ____________________________________________ ^ |
|
|
___________________________________________^ |
|
News Summaries - group