Harassment of former members

August 2003
By a former disciple

I was a disciple of Chinmoy's for 24 years. And I know first hand how people are manipulated at Chinmoy centers.

There is also harassment against anyone who stands in Chinmoy's way. Many people who are no longer with Sri Chinmoy have reported that they have been harassed, which has included threats of violence.

Some former members have lost their jobs after employers were called and threatened.

I once participated in such harassment schemes and know first hand how they are carried out.

And I have heard how a select group of disciples now carry out the same kind of intimidation tactics I myself once participated in.

They have even tried to close down the various Internet sites that expose the seamy side of Sri Chinmoy.

However, most disciples probably have no idea what is going on. And they are often told not to get on the Internet.

Once I thought that Chinmoy embodied Truth. We disciples were all convinced. We were all indoctrinated and believed that Chinmoy was an Avatar, or someone in direct contact with God.

Many of us grew up during the 1960s. Eastern philosophy and our experiences with psychotropic drugs opened doors in our understanding. We felt that there was more to be experienced than the workaday world around us.

Then the gurus came to the West and some capitalized on our naiveté.

Guru Sri Chinmoy cultivated a bizarre mindset where his word became law. He is essentially God Incarnate, to his devotees.

Chinmoy's disciples believe that to support him is to support all that is good and right. And subsequently to go against him is wrong and evil.

It is the mind of the fanatic, although none of us would have described ourselves that way.

This fanatical mindset provides a context to better understand the recent harassment efforts against former members.

In my opinion the followers of Guru Sri Chinmoy are definitely what could be called a "cult." But it must be understood that cult members are most often good trusting people believing in a heartless fraud.