Best of the Forum - Joe - Knowledge for the WHOLE WORLD and the Rawat Devotional/Catholic Period

Knowledge for the WHOLE WORLD and the Rawat Devotional/Catholic Period

Posted by:	Joe
Date:	01/26/2005, 10:46:47
Original URL:	Click here (However, the link may be stale.)

Remember how, at one time, Prem Rawat claimed that the whole world would receive knowledge? His brother, Bal Bahgwan Ji, who is now the "other" one and only Perfect Master of our time, said even the Pope would receive knowledge. (You can see him say it in the "Lord of the Universe" video (available on Amazon.com.)). Down below, Thorin and Hamzen had a discussion about whether it was going to be 1975 or 1980 that Rawat would bring peace to the entire world.

I don't know if I had a date in mind, but I recall I believed it was relatively soon, like at least within 5-7 years. So, none of us felt it was necessary to do things like get an education, or start a family, or worry about having friends or a decent relationship with our relatives. None of that mattered because we got to be part of the establishment of the "United States of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth," which would have at least one Divine City, if not more. Nixon and Breshnev were going to kiss. Muslims and Jews in the Middle East were going to have satsang together and share communally -- like one big ashram.

Anyhow, I think one of the reasons Rawat started drinking so heavily in the mid-70s and also got ulcers and severely high blood pressure, was that for some reason, the plan wasn't working too well. Millennium was a disaster and new devotees failed to materialize, and many of his existing devotees split, never to return. He got really angry at the world, particularly the press, for failing to prostrate before him, kiss his feet, and write glowing newspaper articles about how the savior of mankind was here.

[If you want to see an example of this anger, just check out the LOTU video that shows the Millennium press conference. Rawat is one smug and pissed off 15 year old, let me tell you, when the press has the audacity to ask him hard questions without proper deference. He clearly was not used to being treated that way.] That was the end of his ever doing press conferences, if you remember.

Anyhow, my theory is that after that, Rawat decided that because his plan wasn't working out, that he would show he was the perfect master of our time in other ways:

1. Demand ever greater levels of devotion and surrender from the devotees he still had. Hence, we have the 1977-1983 period, in which there wasn't really any propagation, but he screamed at us at every program about how messed up we were, how we weren't devoted enough, and that devotion to him was everything, even more important than practicing knowledge. A lot of Hilltop's great original quotes are from this period and prove that to be true.

2. Get married, have a lot of sex, drink and smoke a lot of dope, and get as many new residences, cars, clothes and anything else, befitting what he thought the status of the LIVING PERFECT MASTER OF OUR TIME, deserved. Basically, have a grand old time now that he was out of the contraints of India, and his Mom. Hence, it seemed more money was raised to fund his purchase of luxury goods than to run his mission.

3. Have continued proof that the premies were really devoted, by not only demanding that they raise millions to get him a Boeing 707, but have the premies (as opposed to some ignorant professional non-premies), uproot their lives and work 24/7 in slave conditions to revamp the plane with gold, leather, and jeweled fixtures. I remember one time when I was at DECA working on Rawat's plane project, that Mr. Hession told me that Rawat had suggested that premies even weave the seat coverings for his plane. I remember at the time thinking that this was Rawat's great concern for the premies, that they would get to have the divine "service" of doing that work, but in retrospect I think this was in the same category of wanting ever more proof that the premies would do absolutely anything for him, and, therefore, he must be THE LIVING PERFECT MASTER OF OUR TIME, helping to quell doubts in his own mind.

And this is all in addition, to the endless renditions of dancing with Krishna crowns, the countless darshan lines (how many times did you kiss Rawat's feet during that 7-year period?). It seemed like dozens, but for me, it must have been at least 25 times. (Cringe)

See, I believe that Rawat's "devotional, Catholic period" (thanks, Jim for the apt title), was imposed on us premies, not because it had anything to do with practicing knowledge, or experiencing peace, but due to the psychological insecurities of the LIVING PERFECT MASTER OF OUR TIME. I think the only way that period makes sense is that Rawat did it as psychological reinforcement for his own insecurities, to try to demonstrate that he really was who he thought he was, and as compensation for the fact that "the divine plan" wasn't working.

I've thought a lot about this, and it's the only way it makes sense to me. It's also probably a period that is the most problematic to Rawat in his attempts to reshape his image into something less megalomaniacal. In retrospect, it didn't help him too much. Of course, it was a LOT more damaging to all of us.

Any comments?

provocative

Posted by:	dant
Date:	01/26/2005, 11:32:19
Original URL:	Click here (However, the link may be stale.)

It's a great theory, though it's hard to confirm of course. It reminds me of hypotheses by historians who study famous enigmas like Alexander, Napolean and Hitler which attempt to figure out what made them act the way they did. Brilliant actually! I think such theories are often true on at least some level even if they are not completely accurate. What I really like about it is that it works so well. It take into account all of the strange behavioural abberations of Rawat up until 1983. I can't wait for part two of your theory, the time after 1983, but I guess that is after you left anyway. My theory is that after 1983 he did some kind of soul searching, if you can call it that, and from out of that came the image makeover.

Rawat does have his Hallmark/poolhall-style cleverness about him I must admit. Trite euphemisms mixed in with bawdy humour and a good sense of timing. I don't think it makes him brilliant, I know lots of people with similar talents, but I don't think he is just a puppet or idiot either. It isn't a compliment for that matter though, because it makes him all the more culpable for his manipulation.

The post-1983 period

Posted by:	Joe
Date:	01/26/2005, 12:36:17
Original URL:	Click here (However, the link may be stale.)

True, I left the cult in March, 1983. That's when I moved out of the ashram and into my own apartment. I felt so burned that I didn't want anything to do with premies, nor them with me, since I was somewhat vocal in my criticisms of Mr. Rawat. I did go to a couple of "events" after that, mostly out of curiosity, but I no longer believed Rawat was any kind of "master" at that point. About the only person who remained a premie that I still hung out with was Richie Azzarone. I have to say, he was about the only person who seemed to put friendship above the cult. We agreed not to talk about the cult anymore, and that was fine with me. But I really admire Richie for that. It actually meant a lot to me at the time, because when you leave a cult you are pretty isolated for awhile.

At that point, let's face it, the premies were fried. DECA collapsed into this "business," the ashrams looked like refugee camps, and Rawat had pretty much soaked both the physical and financial capabilities of all of them. At least this was true in North America. Everybody I knew was just kind of surviving as premies, and Rawat seemed burned out, too.

Anyhow, from what I gather, around that time Rawat actually wanted to quit being PERFECT MASTER OF OUR TIME. I guess he did go through a lot of reflection on that. Then, I am told, that Rawat didn't do any programs and later started having these "dinners," or "parties" and I guess Rawat smoked in front of the premies, and they drank alcohol and ate meat. He seemed to be trying to change the way the premies related to him, and he to them. I know a couple of people who are still premies who think that was the WEIRDEST period in the whole history of the cult. Like most premies, they WANT him to be God, and many of them hate it if he starts to act like just another guy who is also some kind of meditation instructor.

Then, around 1988, Rawat did these "REJOICE" events and actually started talking about meditation and knowledge again. I guess some people came back then. Not me, however.

Rawat has never been able to maintain any kind of campaign to change his image from that of supreme being for very long. He tried it in 1976 ("Humanitarian Leader" -- even suspended the feet-kissing ceremony for awhile) and again in the mid-80s with those "parties," but he seems always to revert back to giving darshan, and instituting ARTI, and dancing and being worshipped. Again, I think this is partly because he has a psychological need to be worshipped and can't go to long without it. Also, once the premies start to see him as something other than the SUPERIOR POWER IN PERSON, many of them tend to split, along with their financial support. This happened in 1976, and I think it happend again in the 80s.

But Rawat always reverts to being God, because it always works with the premies who are the holdovers from the 70s. They are just into it, because it reinforces what they believe. They love it. It's fun, to a certain extent. That's what makes "events" so high for people who believe that, because they believe he's really something supernatural. It's more than being with a rockstar, because they believe Rawat is so powerful, that he actually knows them personally, and loves them. It's a wonderful fairy tale, for sure. And, I think on some level, it's what Rawat believes, too, or at least would like to believe.

It's just part of the pattern of his extremely werid life, at least in the West. I think it's more that just the money. I think he has a deep psychological problem -- a need to be worshipped and I don't think he's known anything else in his life. How could he possibly be an ordinary person when he has never experienced that in his life?

So, because of that need, he will do things that completely undermine his stated mission -- like have people kiss his feet, have them sing arti, have them go ape-shit when he dances around, and the rest, while at the same time, claiming to be a "motivational speaker," who is just giving people the opportunity to experience peace. He has this schizophrenic image that he tries to keep separated, but can't, partly because there are people who know about it, who aren't in on the deal to keep it secret from the public.

He tries to hide all that devotional stuff in places like Amaroo, but it appears he is now doing the wobble dance again, even in Los Angeles, if I understand what happened this past weekend correctly. It's a recurring pattern with him. Very predictable, actually.