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Maharaji

Born in India in 1957, the guru Prem Rawat (known also as Maharaji, an honorary title given to him in India) started speaking to audiences at the age of six. He was the fourth son of the 'satguru' (true guru), who had a large following in northern India. His father died in 1966, and Maharaji at the age of eight, became the new satguru and took over his father's following. He then started presenting his message of peace throughout the Indian subcontinent. At thirteen, he was invited to speak in London, UK and Los Angeles, USA.

Since then, he claims to have presented his message to more than 5.5 million people in over 250 cities and 50 countries around the world.

Maharaji claims he teaches a way to meditate and to go within oneself, which he calls "Knowledge". According to practitioners of this "Knowledge", it is the way to inner peace. It is believed to be the tool for enjoyment of the gift of life. He often speaks about peace, for example:

"Peace needs to be in everyone's life. Of all the things we have tried in this world, there is one thing we have never given a chance. That one thing is peace. If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life. The peace that we are looking for is within. It is in the heart, waiting to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. It is not the world that needs peace; it is people. When people in the world are at peace within, the world will be at peace."

The movement that he founded is called the Divine Light Mission. Later the Divine Light Mission's ashrams were dismantled with Maharaji remaining the head of the movement but which was then renamed Elan Vital. The followers of Maharaji are called Premies.

The dissemination of his message, which is made available in more than 88 countries and 70 languages, is entirely supported by voluntary contributions and the sale of related materials.

Within the United States, Elan Vital is a "Registered Church" and accordingly is able to take advantage of the favorable tax regimes that apply to such entities.

There is also a daily digital satellite video broadcasting with lectures of Maharaji and hundreds of video tapes and printed material of his addresses.

Mr. Rawat currently lives with his family in Malibu, near Los Angeles.

Controversial issues

some material of this section has been taken with permission from www.mikefinch.com

Prem Rawat's elder brother Satpal also claimed ownership of their father's Divine Light Mission which led to a protracted legal challenge in India. Satpal won ownership of all the Indian Divine Light Mission assets whilst Prem Rawat retained ownership of the assets of Divine Light Mission (renamed Elan Vital) elsewhere. Satpal positions himself in essentially the same manner as his brother, that of being the Satguru (true guru).

Ex-followers assert that these meditation techniques have not helped the guru to stop daily drinking of cognac, or having sex with followers, stopped him from cheating on his wife, they did not help the guru overcome his hatred of his mom and two brothers, he shunned his mom seventeen years till she finally died. He still has not let his kids meet their uncles or cousins after over twenty five years and counting. Opponents, including people who have followed the guru for thirty years, like Mike Finch, claim that the techniques can be easily learned without Maharaji, for example on the internet and do not bring anyone to a higher state.

Ex-followers, like Mike Finch, assert that the number of 5.5 million is inaccurate, as the tabulation method counts each audience as if it were all new people. For example, a four-day program with 2,000 people attending would be counted as 8,000 people. Basically, the same people are counted over and over again, as propaganda to bring credibility to the guru.

Finch and some other ex-members assert that Maharaji has misled the donors of the "voluntary contributions" by claiming to be lord God almighty in person, and claiming that extremely adamantly for years, though toned down by now. Finch writes that some of his followers are so entrapped, indoctrinated and mind controlled that they give their inheritances and their money to a guy that insists on only having the most expensive excessive lifestyle items. Some ex-followers point out that most, if not all, of his money has come from his followers, through individual donations or businesses.

Maharaji is now very wealthy. Apologists claim that his followers support him for giving them such a wonderful gift, and they are only providing him with the comfortable life-style that he deserves. Detractors say that he has milked his followers through manipulation, though opinion differs on whether he is an actual con-artist, deliberately deceiving people, or whether he himself believes that he is indeed the satguru (true guru) of this age and that he is as deluded as his followers.

Finch claims that eyewitnesses among his ex-followers have published accounts of his regular drinking to excess, keeping a mistress, and smoking cigarettes; and that he had knowledge of one of his senior disciples, Mahatma Jagdeo, actively engaging in pedophilia for years without taking any action. The only action that he took was to send the disciple back to India once the issue heated up. A court case has been settled for one woman who was abused.

There is also an account of his having accidentally run over and killed an Indian man and allowed a young follower to take the blame.

He travels around the world in a Gulfstream V jet airplane (worth $45 million), leased for his exclusive use, owns 3 helicopters, and just sold his $7 million yacht. He has mansions in California, England, and India. This expensive method of travel is subsidized by non-profit organizations around the world, as a business expense.

Not surprisingly, to some of his ex-followers, Maharaji is the head of a cult, who teaches platitudes and fluff, and lives off the gullibility and credulity of his followers. The late Margaret Singer, Ph.D., one of the most prominent anti-cult activists, included the Divine Light Mission in her list of cults.

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New religious movements