Submission for local councils to withdraw all support and promotion of Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
This document outlines key reasons and supporting evidence that Australian School of Meditation and Yoga (ASMY) is an organisation which does not stand to benefit the general community, taking into consideration issues of
Potential Findings of Discrimination and Harrassment
Council Promoting a Religious Organisation
Legal Definition of Religion (Australian High Court)
Indicia of ASMY as a Religion
Council Support of ASMY's features as a destructive cult
Deceptive Recruitment
ASMY Identified as a cult in Government Hansard
Meditation as an means of indoctrination
ASMY is anti-homosexual
ASMY is anti-Christian
ASMY is Sexist
Relationship to Philosophy documented as abusive in ISKCON
ASMY is Racist
ASMY Distributes Obscene Literature
It is therefore sumitted as inappropriate for Councils to support and promote ASMY through community funded resources intended for the benefit of the general community.
Potential Findings of Discrimination and Harrassment
ASMY and Councils, on the basis of facilitating and promoting their activities may be in violation of State legislationsincluding anti-discrimination and anti-vilification laws.
Councils may further be liable for damages to individuals who suffer as a result of being recruited into a destructive cult through a Council program. In the general advice of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission :
Under federal and state legislation unlawful discrimination occurs when someone, or a group of people, is treated less favourably than another person or group because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin; sex, pregnancy or marital status; age; disability; religion; sexual preference; membership of a trade union activity; or some other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.
Under federal and state legislation unlawful harassment occurs when someone is made to feel intimidated, insulted or humiliated because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin; sex; disability; sexual preference; or some other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation. It can also happen if someone is working in a 'hostile' - or intimidating - environment.
Harassment can include behaviour such as:
Telling insulting jokes about particular racial groups
Sending explicit or sexually suggestive emails
Displaying offensive or pornographic posters or screen savers
Making derogatory comments or taunts about someone's race or religion
Asking intrusive questions about someone's personal life, including their sex life.
hreoc.gov.au - Information for Employers
It may be that ASMY would be able to successfully claim lawful exemption to anti-discrimination and vilification legislations, depending on whether they were prepared to be forthright about their nature as an organised religion, however the defence would not extend to Council as the owners and promoters of ASMY - specifically as the owners of properties and resources facilitating the activities of ASMY, which their activities would be rendered impossible without.
Council Promoting a Religious Organisation
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga is the Australian branch of the Science of Identity Foundation - a religious organisation.
While ASMY claims to be 'spiritual' rather than 'religious' the indicia of religion, determined by the Australian High Court (1983), in defining Scientology as a religion rather than as a philosophy articulates the nature of ASMY, and sets lawful precedent for the organisation to be deemed religious.
Legal Definition of Religion
"The mantle of immunity would soon be in tatters if it were wrapped around beliefs, practices and observances of every kind whenever a group of adherents chose to call them a religion...A more objective criterion is required...We therefore hold that, for the purposes of the law, the criteria for religion are twofold: first, belief in a supernatural Being, Thing or Principle; and second, the acceptance of canons of conduct in order to give effect to that belief, though canons of conduct which offend against the ordinary laws are outside the area of any immunity, privilege or right conferred on the grounds of religion."
"Wilson and Deane JJ noted that there was no single characteristic which could be used to identify an organisation as constituting a religion and that the most that could be done was to formulate a range of indicia gleaned from past decisions. The indicia of religion as discussed by Wilson and Deane JJ were: that the particular collection of ideas and/or practices involved belief in the supernatural, that is, belief that reality extended beyond that which was capable of perception by the senses; that the ideas related to man's nature and place in the universe and his relations to things supernatural; that the ideas were accepted by adherents as requiring or encouraging them to observe particular practices having supernatural significance; and that, however loosely-knit and varying in beliefs and practices adherents might be, they constituted an identifiable group or identifiable groups."
(1983) 154 CLR 120 at 132, 137.
(1983) 154 CLR 120 at 174.
http://www.cdi.gov.au/report/cdi_chap20.htm
Indicia of ASMY being a religion
"The teachers at Australian School of Meditation are all disciples and students of the world renowned Bhakti yoga teacher - Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa."
Promotional Leaflet Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
australianschoolofmeditationandyoga.com/brochure.php
Biographical information distributed through ASMY relating to Chris Butler is of a 'perfect spiritual teacher or spiritual master' while his teachings are presented as a means for 'sincere, thoughtful, introspective seekers of the truth' to 'find genuine spirituality'.
ASMY Newsletter Archive
scienceofidentityfoundationcult.info - Newsletters
ASMY adheres to distinct practices as directed by distinct philosophies which advocate authenticity of the supernatural elements of the Hindu sect of Vaishnavism.
"Breathing exercises and physical exercises are part of hatha-yoga, a physical system meant to help people achieve real yoga... Yoga is also the meaning of religion"
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga Newsletter Sept. 2006
scienceofidentityfoundationcult.info - Newsletter 2006 September
Bhakti Yoga is a distinct sectarian value system originating in the Vaishnava text Bhagavad Gita. Despite the common perception of yoga as being related to, or largely concerned with physical exercise in the signed declaration of Science of Identity Foundation President Jeannie Bishop it is clearly stated that physical exercise is a preliminary means to the ends of propogating religion:
"Yoga is an intregal part of the organization's religious beliefs and practices as the proper practice of hatha yoga provides mental, physical and spiritual benefits, assists in developing one's interest in spiritual life, and facilitates the religious practices taught by the Science of Identity Foundation...The Science of Identity Foundation is a church"
cultofbutler.com - Article
'Kirtan' and 'Japa' which are stated as the nature of ASMY's Free Meditation Classes/Courses in multiple sources including those cited above is a Sanskrit word which means to 'repeat the name' referring to the call and response singing of spiritual chants. In the ancient Sanskrit text the Bhagavad-gita (9.13) Krishna states that great souls are always engaged in glorifying him with kirtana. When kirtan is done as a private meditation without song on prayer beads it is called japa.
MacDonell, A. A. (2004). A practical Sanskrit Dictonary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
Prabhupada, A. C. B. S. Bhagavad-gita as it is. Los Angeles, CA: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Council Support of ASMY's features as a destructive cult
Council support is legitamising an organisation which conforms to the commonly defined characteristics of a destructive cult.
This includes - levels of membership, process of indoctrination, authoratarian leadership and deceptive recruitment.
Deceptive Recruitment
Specifically in the case of free meditation and yoga classes through community spaces deceptive recruitment methods employed are'bait and switch' - information control and incremental disclosure.
ASMY appears to be offering free meditation and yoga classes and promotes these as being for purposes of mental and physical health, despite making contradictory statements and ahering to a very different belief system beyond the level of information presented to new recruits.
Distinct religious rituals are cloaked in euphenisms of being 'spiritual' rather than religious. The relationship with Science of Identity Foundation and Chris Butler is obscured and no information is provided as to what his role in the organisation and lives of adherents acting as recruiters of others actually is.
Undertaking to recruit through public venues such as community halls, libraries and parks with the co-operation of Councils is a tactic in furthering such deception. ASMY benefits from appearing to be a benign group which is endorsed by established and accountable authorities.
"Recruiters for harmful cultic groups almost invariably provide evasive responses to questions that touch on issues that reveal the group in a contentious light. They often avoid disclosure of the fact that the group has been publicly identified as a cult. Such groups often set up “Front Groups” with innocuous names designed to avoid disclosure that the group has been publicly identified as a cult. They often avoid disclosure of affiliations of such “front groups” to their group when they are aware that it has been publicly identified as a cult. They employ incremental disclosure of the group’s beliefs and behaviours, which is only provided when the recruit complies with the group’s agenda, and is never disclosed up front."
Cult Information Centre Brisbane. 'Cults- Why?'
www.cultinfo.org
Identification of ASMY as a cult in Government Hansard
It was submitted by Dr Wallace to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Human Rights Subcommittee) 6th March 2000 that Australian School of Meditation was listed as an organisation that the CultAware group received queries about to 30 June 1995
"I might add in passing that the CultAware organisation was a voluntary organisation. There was no real place where people with problems with respect to cultic organisations could turn to government." (pg.10)
"CultAware alone, until they disbanded in 1999, have been handling significant problems that families face with their sons and daughters and spouses." (pg.11)
http://www.aph.gov.au/HANSARD/joint/commttee/j671.pdf
Meditation as an means of indoctrination
As noted by Singer "The techniques used to induce belief, change, and dependency by various thought reform programs appear to be related to the type of psychiatric casualty the program tends to produce. Large group awareness training programs appear more likely to induce mood and affect disorders. Groups that use prolonged mantra and empty-mind meditation, hyperventilation, and chanting appear more likely to have participants who develop relaxation-induced anxiety, panic disorder, marked dissociative problems, and cognitive inefficiencies.
"There are many kinds of meditation being promoted by various individuals, groups, and cults."
"Like many cultic groups, meditation cults have varying degrees of membership and commitment, which become known to members only as time goes on. Those who sample only the beginning course may have little or no knowledge of what a long-term association may entail."
"Meditation, in itself, is not good or bad."
"But when a venal person wants to sell you courses and persuade you to turn over your life to him, you must beware. If you end up a slave to a money-making power-seeking organization that pays no heed to the real difficulties you may experience as a result of certain practices, that is a bad use of those powerful practices."
Cults in Our Midst : Jossey-Bass Publishers San Franciso By Margaret Thaler Singer (with Janja Lalich) Chapter 6 Psychological Persuasion Techniques
ASMY is anti-homosexual
In supporting ASMY Council is promoting discrimination and vilification on the basis of homosexuality.
The image that ASMY promotes of homosexuality is introduced in the publication Homosexuality : The Identity Crisis.
cultofbutler.com/content.php?article.36
ASMY instigated the protest Alliance Against Religious Vilification in 1999 with current meditation teachers serving as spokespersons for the media.
The outrage attributed to protesting the 1999 Mardi Gras was largely constructed in the pattern which has been documented as common practice with Science of Identity organisations and businesses.
cultofbutler.com/aarv/member.html
(Highlighted organisations on this list of supporters are affiliates of the Science of Identity Foundation)
"Every scripture of the world states that homosexual behavior is displeasing to God, and therefore, morally wrong. In Hinduism, The Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, the Narada Purana and other Vedic literatures clearly point this out."
cultofbutler.com/aarv/article1.htmlhttp://cultofbutler.com/aarv/article1.html
AARV presented a lengthy list of scriptural quotes claiming that homosexuality is morally wrong.
cultofbutler.com/aarv/scripture.html
Strong homophobic sentiment was alledged and observed by the gay and lesbian community as documented in Dancing with Ga(y)nesh:
rethinking cultural appropriation in multicultural Australia
SELVARAJ VELAYUTHAM & AMANDA WISE
Postcolonial Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp 143–160, 2001
cultofbutler.com/Gaynesh-PostcolonialStudies.pdf
Rather unfortunately, although not at all surprisingly in light of what was learnt about the reactive nature of religious essentialism during the Salman Rushdie affair—the WVA pamphlet attacked homosutra in blatantly homophobic terms. It argued that ‘this offensive SleazeBall theme erroneously gives the impression that Hinduism promotes and accepts homosexuality , promiscuity and drug use’.
(page 5)
WVA (World Vaishnava Association) had Chris Butler among it's founding members. The Homo-sutra protest was led by disciple of Chris Butler Tusta Krishna das (David Muncie) and at the time the president of WVA was a disciple of Chris Butler Acharaya das (Allan Tibby).
As the debate unfolded, claims of the homophobia of the protesters ? figured strongly. It is not our intention here to weigh into the dispute over whether or not Hinduism or the protesters are homophobic. Of course, some of the rather vitriolic homophobia that has arisen is of obvious concern.
(page 7)
Radha-Krishna das,from the Australian School of Meditation, said in the Indian Observer,‘it deeply saddens me that homosexual activists are engaging in such obvious hatemongering. This kind of religion bashing is anti-Hindu, anti-family, anti-Australian and anti-humanity’.
(page 5)
Pictured is Philip Andrews, father of Malcolm Andrews, and current teacher for ASMY at Glebe Town Hall, leading an AARV protest.
cultofbutler.com/content.php?article.229
(Note as per points 1 & 2 of this submission Radha Krishna das aka Ray Linsley and ASMY are confirming that they are a religion in this instance when it is beneficial for them to do so)
In consideration of these facts it could not reasonably be considered that ASMY was providing services inclusive of gay and lesbian members of the community.
ASMY is Anti-Christian
In supporting ASMY Council is Promoting vilification and discrimination against Christians.
Throughout his published writings and recorded lectures distributed by ASMY Chris Butler denigrates all those who identify as Christian as 'so-called Christians' and 'psuedo-Christians', inauthentic in their beliefs who have a 'perverted' relationship with God and are described 'anti-Christs' 'crucifying Jesus' whose only interest in religion is ensuring their own 'material advancement'.
Selection of quotes demonstrating material that ASMY distributes relating to Christianity
australianschoolofmeditationandyoga.com/anti_christian.php
Father Maximadias who maintains a public webpage (
www.fathershomepage.com) has authored a series of open letters to Chris Butler beginning in 2000. Mailed by registered post to the head office of the Science of Identity Foundation these letters have never been responded to by Chris Buter or any member of the Science of Identity Foundation.
"I am curious to learn why you take such hypercritical, and judgemental stance towards Christians, whom you repeatedly refer to as: "so-called Christians" ( op. cit . 4, 9 ). This has the effect of discrediting their moral integrity in the minds of non-discerning readers. Your assumption suggests an incorrect designation of the word ' Christian '. Are you suggesting followers of Christ have, since circa 45 AD ( Acts 11. 26 ), been mistakenly calling themselves Christians , id est. for the past 1,955 years? Or is the term: "so-called Christians" a generic label you employ to describe those who disagree with your teachings? I would be interested to know the basis, of your assumed moral 'authority' in making such judgemental pronouncements. Also the criterion you employed, exempli gratia , the ethical legal codes of Hinduism or Christianity. Furthermore, your definitive description of what, you consider, constitutes a 'Christian'."
fathershomepage.com/butler01.html
Will his authority extend to teaching God how to ' chant Haribol! Haribol!' And teach God how to be God? Or even to teach God how to be a ...faceless big dude!, ...cold as ice OK!, ...hard as concrete, and a ... sadist; as he so bumptiously and brazenly did on the Oleo Public Access TV, 2004.
Those blasphemous descriptions of God would have earned Butler a standing ovation from Satan himself!"
fathershomepage.com/forum000003.html
In consideration of these facts it could not reasonably be considered that ASMY is providing services inclusive of Christian people within the community.
ASMY is Sexist
In supporting ASMY Council is promoting a sect which dehumanises women and advocates sexist doctrine.
In a single letter from Chris Butler he manages to articulate the following points that if a woman is properly submissive to her husband he would not come to the point "of having to physically strike her or push her" and condones polygamy for men.
"As far as questions of whether a wife should be submissive to the husband : Yes, a wife should be submissive to the husband if the husband is submissive to the spiritual master. If the husband is a materialist, if he just wants to enjoy his senses, he is simply a rascal posing as a devotee (or maybe not even posing as a devotee for that matter), then the wife is not obligated to be submissive. However, a wife should not be overly critical if her husband is trying his best to chant the names of Krishna and carry out the activities given to him by the spiritual master. The wife should not sit there, always making judgements on the husband, thinking herself superior in all ways, otherwise the husband will not feel very peaceful around her.
Actually, problems concerning husbands beating their wives or beating their children is all connected with lust. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna makes it very clear that from lust springs anger. This is, without a doubt, the root cause.
So if people are focssing their attention on the solution, which is increasing the amount of devotional activites they are engaged in, instead of just pondering over the so-called problem, which is the bitter fruits of their lust, then the solution will be achieved. Yu can have all kinds of meetings and this and that, but actually it doesn't really require very many meetings. All it requires is a simple understanding of this simple reality.
Sometimes in the Vedic civilisation it is accepted that the husband may be physically dominant over the wife in the sense of being a little bit physical. But as far as the kind of situation that you're talking about, where the husband beats the wife, this is not acceptable. It is not a devotee's tendency to be beating up those who are weaker than he is. If a wife, however, is submissive in her attitude, then the husband will not come to that point (if she is not a complete demon) of having to physically strike her or push her etc. In other words, the wife may, infact, sometimes be asking for it. She is forcing the husband to try to physically stop her from harrassing or something. So if the wife is not submissive, then, of course, this always increases the chance that she is going to get physically banged. Either that or he'll have to leave her prescence. So she probably does not want him to leave her prescence, and she does not want to get banged, so the best thing is that she is more submissive in her attitude and not so argumentative or nagging all the time.
It is theoretically possible and practically possible for there to be a co-wife system if the following situation is there : absolute control over sexual activity. In other words, the husband does not have sex unless there's a desire there specifically for children, specifically in order to raise them to love Krishna. The reason why he's taking on a second wife is to give protection to that second wife, to give them spiritual and material protection. To get a second wife and be having sex with them to satisfy lust, this is simply demoniac behaviour. "
cultofbutler.com/siddhaswarupanandaletter.html
Relationship to Philosophy documented as abusive in ISKCON
Within ASMY Chris Butler is accepted to be the next in the disciplic succession of Vaishnava tradition within ASMY.
cultofbutler.com/content.php?article.357
In the book Re-incarnation Explained by Chris Butler distributed by ASMY he offers his obeisances (repects) to founder of the ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) movement as his guru and spiritual master.
The teachings of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami advocate the denigration of women and have been recorded as facilitating abuse in ISKCON by former members.
Women in Krishna Consciousness: A Psychological Perspective
Presented in Towaco, New Jersey, in 1988
surrealist.org/betrayalofthespirit/women.html
The Scriptures of the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are key spiritual texts taught and distributed by ASMY. There are many translations of these texts, but the position assumed by Chris Butler as a disciple of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami, following him in disciplic succession dictates that the only translations which are acceptable are those written and commentated by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami.
“…woman has no independence, because they cannot keep their independence---it is not possible.”
“By nature they are weak…”
“In the Western countries, the women are given freedom like man, but that is unnatural.”
“So, woman—the conclusion is that women are weak.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture, Los Angeles, November 30, 1973)
“Independence for women means they become like prostitutes.”
“Women cannot do anything independently. To give them independence means to create some trouble.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture, Los Angeles, May 19, 1972)
“Women are inferior to men, and… men are given full charge of the women.”
“Women are supposed to be less intelligent.”
(TLK 5)
“Women should not be given freedom. Like a child, she is not given freedom.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture, Los Angeles, July 11, 1974)
“It is found that the brain substance in man is found up to 64 ounce. They are very highly intellectual persons. And in woman the brain substance is not found more than 34 ounce. You’ll find, therefore, that there is no very great scientist, mathematician, philosopher, among women. You’ll never find because their brain substance cannot go.”
(Bhagavad-Gita As It Is lecture, Hawaii, February 3, 1975)
“Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.42, purport)
“According to Canakya Pandita, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy.”
“As children are very prone to be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation.”
(Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 1.40, purport)
“Now, in the Manu-Samhita it is clearly stated that a woman should not be given freedom. That does not mean that women are to be kept as slaves, but they are like children. The demons have now neglected such injunctions, and they think that women should be given as much freedom as men.”
(Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 16.7, purport)
“Women as a class are no better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of a man.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.42, purport)
“A woman’s attachment to her husband may elevate her to the body of a man in her next life, but a man’s attachment to woman will degrade him, and in his next life he will get the body of a woman.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.41, purport)
“It is understood that the sexual appetite of a woman is nine times greater than that of a man.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 3.23.44, purport)
“Women in general are very much sexually inclined. Indeed, it is said that a woman’s sex desire is nine times stronger than a man’s.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.27.1, purport)
“Women as a class are merciless and cunning. They cannot tolerate even a slight offense. For their own pleasure they can do anything irreligious, and therefore they do not fear killing even a faithful husband or brother.”
“Because of her nature, a woman can respond to even a slight offense from her husband by not only leaving him but even killing him if required. To say nothing of her husband, she can even kill her brother. That is a woman’s nature.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 9.14.37)
“It is the nature of women to fight verbally at even a slight provocation. As we see from this incident, this has been their nature for a long, long time.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.16, purport)
“To satisfy their own interests, women deal with men as if the men were most dear to them, but no one is actually dear to them. Women are supposed to be very saintly, but for their own interests they can kill even their husbands, sons or brothers, or cause them to be killed by others.”
“Women must be cared for so that they will not be free to manifest their natural tendency for gross selfishness. There have been many cases, even in the present day, in which women have killed their husbands to take advantage of their insurance policies. This is not a criticism of women but a practical study of their nature.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.42, purport)
"Every husband is certainly a great hero to his wife. In other words, if a woman loves a man, that man appears very beautiful and magnanimous. Unless one becomes beautiful in the eyes of another, one cannot dedicate his whole life to another. The husband is considered very magnanimous because he gives as many children to the wife as she likes. Every woman is fond of children; therefore any husband who can please his wife by sex and give her children is considered very magnanimous. Not only does the husband become magnanimous by begetting children, but by giving his wife ornaments, nice food and dresses, he keeps her completely under submission. Such a satisfied wife will never give up the company of her husband. Manu-samhita recommends that to keep a wife satisfied a husband should give her some ornaments because women are generally fond of home, ornaments, dresses, children, etc. In this way the woman is the center of all material enjoyment.
In this regard, the word vikhyatam is very significant. A man is always famous for his aggression toward a beautiful woman, and such aggression is sometimes considered rape. Although rape is not legally allowed, it is a fact that a woman likes a man who is very expert at rape."
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.25.41, purport)
"When a husbandless woman is attacked by an aggressive man, she takes his action to be mercy. A woman is generally very much attracted by a man's long arms. A serpent's body is round, and it becomes narrower and thinner at the end. The beautiful arms of a man appear to a woman just like serpents, and she very much desires to be embraced by such arms.
The word anatha-varga is very significant in this verse. Natha means "husband," and a means "without." A young woman who has no husband is called anatha, meaning "one who is not protected." As soon as a woman attains the age of puberty, she immediately becomes very much agitated by sexual desire. It is therefore the duty of the father to get his daughter married before she attains puberty. Otherwise she will be very much mortified by not having a husband. Anyone who satisfies her desire for sex at that age becomes a great object of satisfaction. It is a psychological fact that when a woman at the age of puberty meets a man and the man satisfies her sexually, she will love that man for the rest of her life, regardless who he is. Thus so-called love within this material world is nothing but sexual satisfaction."
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.25.42, purport)
In consideration of these facts there is no reasonable way to assume that Council is promoting services which are inclusive of women in the community.
ASMY is Racist
In supporting ASMY Council is promoting views which dehumanise racial minorities and further racist doctrine.
Further to the above point regarding the realationship between ASMY and the philosophy authored by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami are the following teachings regarding racial minorities.
“It may be concluded that white or a golden hue is the color of the higher caste, and black is the complexion of the sudras [lower class].
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.14.45, purport)
“[The dark-skinned races] are not allowed to live in cities and towns because they are sinful by nature. As such, their bodies are very ugly, and their occupations are also sinful.”
“They are always engaged in sinful activities like stealing…”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.14.46, purport)
“Sudra is to be controlled only. They are never to be given freedom. Just like in America. The Blacks were slaves. They were under control. And since you have given them equal rights they are disturbing, most disturbing, always creating a fearful situation, uncultured and drunkards. What training they have got? They have got equal right? That is best, to keep them under control as slaves but give them sufficient food, sufficient cloth, not more than that. Then they will be satisfied.”
(Room Conversation, Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced, Mayapura, February 14, 1977)
“…the higher classes of men are white (sukla), and the lower classes of men are black. This division of white and black is in terms of one’s white and black duties of life. Pious acts lead one to… acquire beautiful features. Impious acts lead one to… acquire ugly bodily features.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 3.5.9, purport)
“Yes. We hate to mix with you (a man reported to be homosexual). No gentleman tries to mix with loafers. Even in America, they don’t like to live with the Blacks. Crows will not like to live with the ducks and white swans. And white swans will not like to live with the crows. That is natural division. ‘Birds of the same feather flock together.’”
(Allahabad, January 11, 1977)
In consideration of these facts it cannot be reasonably assumed that Council is promoting services which are inclusive of racial minorities within the community.
ASMY Distributes Obscene Literature
In promoting ASMY Council is facilitating the distribution of sexually explicit literature to children and young people, as well as the wider community and promoting the doctrine of a guru who is frequently pre-occupied with sex in his writings and recorded lectures.
The following is a selection of quotes from the book 'Who Are You?' the key text of the Science of Identity distributed by ASMY taken from Chapter 12 : Hedonism.
Mentioned are strip clubs, pornography, the claim "marriage is nothing more than legalized prostitution" teenage sex, abortion, child pornography, child prostitution, homosexuality, bisexuality, sex toys, sexual violence, bondage, rape, rape/murder, orgies, paraphilias, cannabalism, snuff movies and beastiality.
Many crude terms and graphic details are included, and the below is not the limit of these. Other publications by Chris Butler focus on and expand upon these themes. Statistics and references of a dubious nature are quoted with no source information provided.
'Who Are You?' and all other works by Chris Butler are distributed by Transcendental Sound, the publishing branch of the Science of Identity Foundation. Up until December 2004 Transcendental Sound was registered to the Australian School of Meditation (ASM).
Australian School of Meditation now maintains the registered trading names of Australian School of Meditation and Yoga and Transcendental Sound (Australia) in Queensland. (View Registration)
Chris Butler begins the chapter :
Hedonism is “the belief that the indulgence in sensual pleasure will bring true satisfaction or happiness."
"Life is an element distinct from matter.
Life is your essence. You are a life particle, temporarily living in a material body. If you don´t know this – if you are ignorant of your actual nonmaterial nature – then you will identify yourself with your material body. You will consider your body to be you. And this will automatically lead you to hedonism." (page 201)
(In other words those who do not know their 'real' identity, ie- who do not accept the teachings of Chris Butler as the 'Absolute Truth' automatically become 'hedonists', which is who he attributes his catalogue of perversions to.)
"Our attempt to satisfy the sexual urge or itch has lead us into all sorts of sexual behavior. But no matter how many beauty queens, beach boys, children, donkeys, dogs, dead bodies, plastic vaginas, electric vibrators, or fire hydrants we screw, we still aren´t satisfied." (page 221)
"The desire for the pleasurable sensation at the tip of your genitals may drive you to strip clubs. If you have a male body, you may go to the strip joints to see naked women dancing erotically on stage, or to watch a man and woman or a group of men and women having sexual intercourse. And if you have a female body, there are now clubs that cater to you which feature male strippers."
"If you go to such a club, the men will dance, strip, and in general try to tease you into a frenzy. Along with the other women in the audience, you may clap, whistle, throw money, claw off the stripper´s clothes, and in general go completely beserk." (page 208)
"As a hedonist, you no doubt revere and feel gratitude toward the father of modern hedonism, Hugh Hefner. And you probably like his Playboy magazine more than ever before. No more do you have to imagine what the cute college coed´s vagina looks like. You can now see it in full color. But Playboy is not your only choice in pornographic magazines. You can now drool over the countless dripping vaginas that appear in such magazines as Penthouse, Hustler, and more."
"However, because of the static nature of still photography, pornographic magazines still leave something to be desired. So you may like to add to your monthly, weekly, or even daily schedule a visit to one of the many pornographic movie houses that dot our landscape. There you can see everything in motion and with sound. Instead of just seeing a still photo of a woman´s breasts, you can now see them jiggle and bounce! Instead of just seeing still photos of vaginas, you can see people licking them.
Of course, movie houses can have a confining effect upon a free man´s spirit, so you may prefer to spend your money on pornographic video cassettes (a billion-dollar industry). Or you can subscribe to one of the growing number of cable stations that show or even specialize in pornographic movies." (page 209)
"Increasingly, men are being treated as sex machines. If you are a hedonist with a female body, you desire, expect, and may even demand from your male partner a particular quota of orgasms per week, per day, or even per sexual encounter.....And of course, he feels the pressure of having to compete not only with your previous or concurrent lovers, but also with electric vibrators." (page 210)
"For hedonists, marriage is nothing more than legalized prostitution. If you are a woman, you sell your body. You get paid in food, shelter, sexual enjoyment, and other material rewards. If you are a man, you likewise prostitute yourself: You work very hard so that you can always have a woman serving your tongue, genitals, and other senses." (page 211)
"If your spouse is also a dedicated hedonist, you may jointly decide that you should both enjoy sex with other people. You may even get into orgies with your neighbors or friends – a sort of “New Age” bridge club. Or you may opt to join the orgy clubs already in existence." (page 212)
"If you are a teenager, it´s highly likely that you are well an your way to becoming a full-fledged member of our hedonistic culture. You´ve witnessed the social acceptability of illicit sex among adults, and you´ve been well versed by the mass media in the “enjoy-yourself” philosophy of life. What reason could you possibly have for not engaging in premarital sex?" (page 213)
"You may, of course, have second thoughts about your lifestyle if you run into the “pregnancy problem.” Despite your sex-education classes, if you are male, you may have already gotten a girl pregnant; if you´re female, you may be one of the approximately one million teenagers who becomes pregnant every year." (page 213)
"If you haven´t been sexually satisfied – whatever that´s supposed to mean – by liaisons with members of the opposite sex, you may have turned to homosexuality or bisexuality." (page 214)
"Like many hedonists, you may long to enjoy a fresh, innocent, unsophisticated sexual partner. If so, then you may be involved in sexual relationships with children. It´s becoming quite the “in” thing nowadays among the “truly liberated.”" (page 214)
"In the United States alone, you can chose from hundreds of magazines that deal exclusively in child pornography. In these magazines, you´ll be able to see children showing off their genitals just like their adult counterparts do in porno magazines like Playboy and Playgirl. You´ll also be able to “enjoy” seeing these children having sex with other children as well as with adults. Such magazines sell millions of copies every month. The films might turn you on even more." (page 215)
"After a while, mastubating over “kiddie porn” magazines and films may not be enough for you. If you´re like a legion of other hedonists, you´ll eventually graduate to the real thing – you´ll want to have direct personal sexual relations with a child. And it won´t be too hard to find what you´re looking for. In New York City alone there are at least 30,000 child prostitutes – boys and girls. The situation is quite similar in other large cities throughout the United States and other industrialized countries. If you live in the Los Angeles area, you probably already know that on any given evening on certain boulevards you can pick up a young boy or girl – whatever your “sexual preference” – with no effort at all. Or, if you live in Sydney, Australia, you can take your pick of the estimated 3,000 to 5,000 child prostitutes." (page 215)
"You may consider yourself a good, upstanding hedonist, and you may want to get into kiddie sex, but you might be hesitating out of fear that you´ll be running with the “low-life” crowd. Don´t worry, in the United States, for example, the average customer for a child prostitute or child pornographic material has been described by authorities as “white, male, middle-aged, middle class, and usually married.”" (page 216)
"If you want to feel better about yourself after having set upon the path of kiddie sexploitation, you may even want to join with those in our society who promote such activities as beneficial to the children. You may, for example, want to join the Chicago.based Pedophiliacs Anonymous Society (PAN), which actively promotes the idea that “sensitive, loving adults are the only reasonable agents for the futherance of childhood sexuality.”" (page 217)
"Sexual violence is not only an outlet for anger and frustration – it is also a way that you can continue to delude yourself into believing that you are indeed the lord, controller, and owner of all that you survey. It is a means to reinforce your illusory concept of yourself as the supreme dominator and enjoyer." (page 221)
"For instance, you may have come to the point where you feel the need to “spice up” your sex life with sadomasochism (or “SM,” as those in the know call it). As a sadomasochist, you try to heighten your sexual pleasure by intorducing the element of pain and fear into your sexual encounters. You may use torture or simulated torture; or you may be into “bondage” – tying or handcuffing your partner in various positions, etc. Or you might really enjoy whipping or being whipped by your mate. Of course, you may be a novice in sadomasochism and thus need the advice of experts. If so, you would be interested in the better porno shops. There you can buy not only the handcuffs, whips, chains, and everything else you might need to express your “love” to your mate, but also the books and magazines you will need for guidance." (page 222)
"If you can´t find a mate to play sex-violence games with, or if you are not satisfied with simulated torture, or if you don´t want to be restrained in your behavior by your partner´s “hangups” against being severely tortured, maimed, or killed, you can always resort to that most common of hedonistic sports – rape and/or rapemurder." (page 222)
"If you are afraid to take up rape as a way of life (if you´re afraid of jail), then you may choose to stimulate your genitals by watching someone else raping and murdering people. You may choose to patronize the increasingly violent pornographic movies." (page 224)
"The first reel shows five eight-year-old girls receiving their communion, perfect innocents in the perfect ceremony of innocence. Suddenly, a motorcycle gang breaks into the church. Right then, you know what is going to happen ... And here there is a surprise. For, instead on immediately commencing to rape the girls, the gang pauses to beat up the priest with chains. Then they crucify him to the cross above the altar. Finally, by reel four, the sex begins. You can actually see the little girls bleeding. All of them are screaming."
"Pornographic movies now dish out a regular fare of rapes, beatings, whippings, tortures, murders, and more. In fact, there are some pornographic movies which show women actually geing raped, murdered, and even eaten. Appropriately, such films are called “snuff" movies." (page 224)
"Snuff movies usually end with the victim being eaten – consumed." (page 226)
"An increasing number of women in the United States keep dogs for sexual reasons. There are even kennels that specialize in the breeding of such sex dogs – big ones like German shepherds are evidently the most popular." (page 235)
In consideration of these facts it cannot be reasonably assumed that Council is promoting services which are appropriate for children and young people, and have the potential to be offensive to other members of the community.
