China alerts citizens against Indian spiritual courses, ‘cults’

The alert was issued by the ministry of public security (MPS), China’s police, after a Taiwanese actress promoted a spiritual course offered by a south India-based organisation.

Sutirtho Patranobis
Hindustan Times
January 17, 2019

China has warned its citizens to stay alert about spiritual courses offered by Indian religious schools, warning that some of them are mired in “sexual assault” cases and urged its citizens to stay off “suspected religious cults”.

The alert was issued by the ministry of public security (MPS), China’s police, after a Taiwanese actress promoted a spiritual course offered by a south India-based organisation. It triggered a debate across the country’s social media whether the celebrity was actually promoting a “religious cult”.

“Yi Nengjing, or Annie Yi, an actress from the island of Taiwan, posted on Sina Weibo on Monday promoting lessons of Amma and Bhagavan, creators of the Oneness University based in Chittoor, India,” the tabloid, Global Times said in a report.

Following the “heated discussions” on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, the MPS and the China Anti-Cult Association (CACA) “forwarded the post and warned the public that some spiritual schools are mired in sexual assault cases”.

The actress subsequently deleted her post.

“The CACA referred to a case of a so-called Indian religious master named Singh who was reportedly arrested for imprisoning and raping nearly 200 female believers in December 2017,” the report added.

The report was possibly referring to the case of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his woman followers.

Quoting anonymous experts, the report said the teachings and courses offered by the south Indian organisation fell within the definition of “cult”.

“The Beijing-based expert also noted that its courses are a mix of Buddhism and Christianity, which is similar to the doctrine of the South Korean Unification Church, which the State Council, China’s cabinet, considers a cult,” it said.

The Supreme People’s Court of China defines a cult as an illegal organisation that uses religion or ‘qigong’, a kind of healing practice that involves breathing exercises, as a means to deceive and ultimately control its members.

“Cult leaders whose activities result in especially serious consequences, such as the death of three or more people, can be fined and imprisoned for at least seven years,” the SixthTone website said in a report.

“Chinese authorities have long been wary of religious sects. The 19th-century Taiping Rebellion, a violent uprising led by a man claiming to be the younger brother of Jesus, lasted for 14 years and resulted in the deaths of over 20 million people,” the Foreign Policy magazine website said in an earlier report.

In 2017, according to the official news agency Xinhua, China opened a website named China Anti-Cult Network, aiming to promote the preventative measures and policies that China has for combatting cults, offer an interpretation of the anti-cult law and related information.

“The website also has a section where the public can report criminal offences related to cults. It provides psychological guidance for the victims of cults and their families, and assistance in the search for missing relatives. An online pledge called ‘Say No to Cults’ calls for the public to sign their names to show they oppose and resist cults,” the report added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-alerts-citizens-against-indian-spiritual-courses-cults/story-3bMHRKnz3ZsW5aTYtO0yrL.html

Spotlight: The Cult Of Amma

Sruthi Gottipati

WORLDCRUNCH
December 06, 2016

-Farewell-

Foreigners who visit Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India that’s home to stunning Hindu temples and a robust economy, would often puzzle over the matronly woman draped in a sari watching over them from posters and billboards seemingly splashed on every street. There’s even a statue of her in blood. She was born with the name Jayalalithaa, although it’s unlikely anyone would have called her that to her face. The state’s House speaker even ruled earlier this year, unlawfully, that she couldn’t be referred to by her name in the legislative assembly. (Here’s a list of epithets that can be used instead. Think “Great Revolutionary Leader.”) Supporters, of whom there are millions, would just call her Amma, meaning Mother, a term in keeping with her extraordinary power.

Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu’s top leader, died on Monday from a massive cardiac arrest at age 68 leaving supporters bereft, with some threatening suicide. Even before her death, when she was in poor health, at least one supporter had reportedly “died of shock.”

Visitors are often surprised to learn that Amma was once an actress, having started out in the movies at age 16. Groomed by her onscreen partner “MGR,” another wildly popular actor-turned-politician, Jayalalithaa fought her way to the top of power after his death, and spent the next decades alternating as chief minister with a rival political party, which also drew its head from the world of Tamil cinema.


Dinamalar, Chennai, Dec. 6, 2016

Yes, actors in southern India are treated like the Gods they sometimes portray in movies, often becoming the receptacles of astonishing political power and sycophancy. It’s not unusual to see Jayalalithaa’s fans, including, and perhaps especially, grown men, crouch down and touch her feet with their foreheads. When she was jailed for corruption, Jayalalithaa’s supporters threatened to lie down on the street in front of oncoming buses. Since the news came last night, the howls of grief and over-the-top vows of self-inflicted harm have continued unabated. Thousands of police have been deployed to avoid a repeat of the kind of riots MGR’s death had once provoked.

Jayalalithaa, who built her political party around the cult of her personality, left behind no clear successors. Tamil Nadu, home to 78 million people (larger than France or the UK) and carmakers from around the world, holds national sway. After her death, the state’s finance minister O Panneerselvam was quietly sworn in as chief minister. During a stint as temporary head of government while she was hospitalized, he had refused to sit in her chair instead placing a picture of her there during state cabinet meetings. He clearly knew who’s boss in Tamil Nadu.

http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/spotlight-the-cult-of-amma

My Honest Experience Meeting Amma, the Hugging Saint

September 9, 2015
Huffington Post
Cathy Margel

I kept hearing about Amma. She just kept popping up in books and conversations. So when I found out she would be in NYC last month, I knew I had to get there. I started Googling, and she was pretty impressive. According to her website, "Amma has given this motherly embrace, known as her darshan, to more than 33 million people throughout the world." People said this woman changed their life. My yoga teacher said it felt like God was hugging her. Like I said, pretty impressive stuff!

I have a fear of missing out, so I knew I had to get there. I figured I better bring along my family too. I wouldn't want them to miss out on something life changing. So I dragged my husband and two kids there. Okay, so my husband is not into this type of thing, to say the least. But he was somewhat willing to help me, because he saw how excited I was. I told him how this was a once in a lifetime experience and she only comes to the U.S. once every 10 years (okay, I just read she was here last year... so oops on that).

So we get to the city, which is an adventure in itself with an 11-month-old and a 3-year-old. I am really pumped at this point and trying not to listen to my husband's jokes as we walk in. I am in the Amma zone. Lots of people come from all over so we had to wait a couple hours before she arrived. Finally she walks in. I immediately start checking in with myself. What do I feel? Do I feel any different now that she is in the room? No different, but I am excited! I am not a big picture taker but I quickly grab my phone and start snapping away. Then the woman in front of me starts screaming at me and nearly jumps over her seat. She is yelling to put my phone away and delete the pictures immediately. Clearly I am off to a bad start.

They start a 20-minute meditation. Not sure if you have ever meditated with a baby and toddler on your lap, but it's not easy and not relaxing. Add hundreds of people and it makes it even harder. I am trying to keep the kids quiet to not ruin everyone's experience and my stress level is through the roof at this point. My husband is not helping by making faces and saying he wants to leave. Finally they start the hugs! Thank God. I notice my token, that they gave out at the door, has the letter T on it. We are at A. Not good. One of the women working for Amma informs me that it will be hours before we get our hugs. Ahhhhh. I finally convince her that with two kids I need to get moved ahead. Luckily, I think the entire place has had enough of us and she agrees.

The woman ushers us up and my husband announces to her that he will not be getting a hug -- he is "gonna skip it!" I am ready to lose my shit at this point. The woman is shocked, disgusted and mad. I quickly tell her he is kidding and will be getting his hug and force him onto the stage.

You kneel right in front of Amma and she hugs you. She quickly grabbed the baby and kissed him. He started crying but Amma just smiled. She then hugged us both very tightly and whispered "my daughter, my daughter, my daughter" in my ear. So one ear I have her sweet voice and the other the baby screaming. That put a little damper on the hug. Amma gives a really good hug and I felt her good energy. She has a beautiful smile and smelled really good. Anyone that can sit for that long and hug complete strangers all day is pretty special in my opinion.

I stood up and quickly started thinking how do I feel? There were people all around her meditating after the hug. At this point, I knew not even to ask my husband for a few extra minutes, because he was already out the door! But how did I feel? I looked around again and saw people crying. Hmm... that's what I was looking for. Nope, no tears. Instead I felt tired and to be honest a little disappointed. I had high hopes for this hug. Even though it was a nice hug, I was looking for more. I felt bad for dragging my family there and mostly confused about what I was looking for. So I came home and re-read a beautiful post by Spirited Well Being Do You Need a Guru? It really made a lot of sense to me. The truth is I always think everyone else knows better. I always think that everyone else has all the answers. After meditating on my experience that night, I got my answer. I need to trust myself.

Meeting Amma made me realize I need to be my own guru. I need to look inside myself for the answers. I know best. It feels great to finally accept that. I am my own guru. Thanks, Amma.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cathy-margel/my-honest-experience-meet_b_8119974.html