"Bhajan was a leader ‘by fluke’

Recently, a friend sent me articles from The Register-Guard on litigation involving Yogi Bhajan’s organizations in Oregon. The letters to the editor that followed, critical of the reporter, prompt me to throw some light on the subject. Bhajan was extremely good at what he did, but propagation of Sikhism he was not. Criticism of Bhajan’s cult cannot be construed as criticism of Sikhism.

Trilochan Singh, a distinguished Sikh scholar, in his 1977 book “Sikhism and Tantric Yoga,” describes Bhajan devastatingly: “Yogi Bhajan is a Sikh by birth, a Maha Tantric by choice but without training, and a ‘Sri Singh Sahib’ and self-styled leader of the Sikhs of the Western Hemisphere by fluke and mysterious strategy.” There was no mystery to his strategy. He ingratiated himself with the Sikh religious leadership in Punjab, which was more corrupt than the Vatican during the time of Martin Luther.

According to the Tantrics, the best form of worship is the fullest satisfaction of the sexual desires of man, therefore sexual intercourse is prescribed as a part of Tantric worship. In the annals of abuse of women, some had harems, others had concubines and Bhajan had secretaries. The Sikh gurus condemned the Tantrics and their practices. All the cases mentioned in The Register-Guard had merit.

Humility is the hallmark of a Sikh, and Bhajan had none of it. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, describes people such as Bhajan succinctly: “Those ... who have no virtues but are filled with egotistical pride.”

Hardev Singh Shergill President, Khalsa Tricentennial Foundation of North America Editor-in-chief, The Sikh Bulletin El Dorado Hills, Calif.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Register-Guard
Eugene, Oregon

Recently, a friend who knew that I have written about Bhajan Yogi in my magazine, The Sikh Bulletin, in the past, sent me a couple of articles on Yogi’s organizations involved in litigation in Oregon, that appeared in The Register-Guard. This was no surprise to me. But the letters to the editor that followed, critical of the reporter and some implied criticism of writing negative about minorities, prompts me to briefly throw some light on the subject. Bhajan Yogi was extremely good at what he did but propagation of Sikhism it was not. Criticism of Bhajan Yogi’s cult cannot be construed as criticism of Sikhism.

Bhajan Yogi’s cult was based in Los Angeles and New Mexico but Oregon has had its own share of cults of Indian origin. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh moved into the central Oregon town of Antelope and created a commune of free love, immigration scam, mass murder plots and 93 Rolls Royces, gifted to him by his very wealthy twenty and thirty-some things, during 1981-85, before his deportation by Presidential intervention.

Dr. Trilochan Singh, a distinguished Sikh scholar, in his book ‘Sikhism and Tantric Yoga’, published in 1977, describes Bhajan Yogi, succinctly and devastatingly, in the following words: “Yogi Bhajan is a Sikh by birth, a Maha Tantric by choice but without training, and a ‘Sri Singh Sahib’ and self styled Leader of the Sikhs of Western Hemisphere by fluke and mysterious strategy”.

There was no mystery to his strategy. All he had to do was to ingratiate himself with the Sikh Religious leadership in Panjab that was more corrupt than the Vatican during the time of Martin Luther (1483-1546), founder of the Protestant Church.

According to the Tantrics the best form of worship is the fullest satisfaction of the sexual desires of man therefore in Tantric worship sexual intercourse with any woman is prescribed as a part of worship. In the annals of abuse of women some had harems, others had concubines and Bhajan Yogi had Secretaries. The Sikh Gurus condemned the Tantrics and their practices. When I received copies of the court documents of cases against Yogi from the Federal Govt. archives in Colorado I was incredulous about one disciple of Yogi luring her own sister into a rape victim but just then news papers reported exactly a similar story where a sister conspired to have her own sister raped by her boy friend. All the cases mentioned in The Register-Guard had merit, otherwise Yogi would not have settled out of court. In some cases, such as lottery scam, some of yogi’s lieutenants shouldered the entire blame and served prison time but some innocent families were destroyed, including their faith in Sikhism (falsely taught).

Yogi devised ‘The Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi Ji’ as his full name/title. That is eleven words. The person whose teachings Yogi was supposedly practicing and preaching had conquered his ago and used only one word in his name – Nanak. But yogi was full of it. Humility is the hallmark of a Sikh and Yogi did not have any of it. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, himself describes people like Bhajan Yogi in succinct language, “Nanak, those are real asses, who have no virtues but are filled with egotistical pride. GGS P. 1246.”

Sikhism is unique among the world’s religions because it is unlike any of them, except certain principles of ethics and moral norms which are common to all religions as well as the atheists. Sikhism is the only religion of The Book from the East, ‘Guru Granth Sahib’, like the three Semitic religions of, ‘The Torah’, The Holy Bible’ and ‘The Holy Quran’. But similarity ends right there; fundamental difference being the concept of God. Superficially all four religions believe in one God, but which one? God of Jews favours only his chosen people who are still waiting for their Messiah; Christian God would save only those who believe in his son Jesus Christ, the Messiah who has already come, and the Muslim God has the last word because Mohammed is the last Messiah and there shall be no more. President Bush has a different God than Osama-bin-Laden.

Guru Nanak rejected all the religions of his day, including the one he was born into. Guru Nanak’s God is the God of entire creation, “God is ONE. His name is Truth. He is the creator. He is fearless and not inimical. He is without death and without birth. He is self-existent. Humans can attune to him through Guru’s grace.” “God existed in the beginning; He existed when time started running its course; He exists even now and He shall exist forever and ever”.

When the Pope had Galileo (1564-1642) jailed for advocacy of Copernicus’ (1473-1543) theory, condemned by the Roman Catholic Church as heretical, that earth revolves around the sun, Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was postulating views on the origin of the Universe that will make the Big Bang theorists proud and stating unambiguously that there are countless Earths, Moons and Suns. He called the natural laws that govern their motions in space ‘hukam’ (Cosmic Law). Cosmos is the manifest form of God, hukam (Cosmic Law) is the invisible form that pervades the cosmos. And long before Darwin’s (1809-1882) theory of origin of species, Nanak had declared that life began in water and evolved through many life forms in the water, over and under the land and in the air with human beings the ultimate life form. Death is a loss of consciousness. When a person dies he/she does not go to heaven or hell, because heaven and hell exist only on this earth, in this life and we make them. A person gets human form only once. Upon death, the spark we call soul merges with the cosmic law/God and body turns to star dust.

Guru Nanak was born into a Hindu household but with that faith Sikhism shares nothing, not even the concept of One God. At a very young age he refused to wear the janeu (Hindu sacred thread worn by high caste males); discarded the caste system (a religiously sanctioned discrimination still entrenched in the 21st century democratic India); preached against idol worship; recognized the equality of mankind; asserted the equality of men and women; condemned the Hindu practice of Sati (live immolation of widow on her husband’s funeral pyre); instructed the women to discard veil; allowed widow and widower remarriage; rejected the then prevalent concepts of karma, after life salvation, tapasya, heaven and hell (after death), incarnation, transmigration, 84 lakh juni (8,400,000 life forms) yatra to holy places, fasting, multiple gods and goddesses; and of course, unique only to Sikhism, wished ‘sarbat da bhala’ (wishing well being of all, not just of oneself, one’s own family or one’s own country) in his prayers. His was a faith of Universal Humanism.

Sikhism has neither anything like Ten Commandments nor Sharia. Instead the Guru simply says do not commit an act that you will later regret and do not eat or drink that is unhealthy for your body and mind. Simple as that! Guru Nanak rejected the concepts of virgin birth, resurrection (death is final), specific times and facing specific direction for prayer, starving the body for a day or day time and then gorging at night fall, pilgrimage for spiritual gain and feeding the Brahman to sustain deceased relatives.

In Sikhism, no one place is holier than the other because all places are created by God and God permeates everywhere. Eugene, Oregon is just as holy as Hardwar, Banaras, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem; no time or day is more auspicious than the other; but only that time is blessed when one remembers God/Truth; Truth is higher than everything, but higher still is truthful living because that is union with God.

Hardev Singh Shergill
President
Khalsa Tricentennial Foundation of N. A. Inc.
Editor-in-Chief
The Sikh Bulletin
editor@sikhbulletin.com
May 24, 2010

KHALSA TRICENTENNIAL FOUNDATION OF N.A. INC.
201BERKELEY AVE ROSEVILLE, CA 95678 TEL: (916) 773-3828

Dr. Harbhajan Singh Soch March 21/2001
Vice Chancellor
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amdtsar 143 005
Panjab, India

DearDr Harbhajan Singh ji, Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa. Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
It was most kind of you to take my call last evening and confirm the university's decision to confer Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa) on:

The Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi Ji.
(That is eleven words. The person who had conquered his ago used only one word in his name - Nanak)

I was encouraged to hear from you that you would like me to send to you the material that supports my contention that your university should not confer this or any other degree on this person. It is bad enough that a centre of leaning named after the greatest religious teacher, thinker, philosopher, and prophet that the world has ever known succumbed to the political pressures and offended the sensitivities of the entire Sikh Qaum by creating "Satguru' Ram Singh Chair, but to compound it by another affront by honouring this man with an honorary degree will further lower the image and the prestige of the university. We hope and pray that one day when Sikhs come to political power in Panjab and Sikh institutions of SGPC and SAD come once again under the control of Gursikhs, 'Salguru' Ram Singh Chair will be abolished and replaced by a chair honouring a true modern day Gursikh exponent of Nanak's teachings.

In the light of this information supplied to you, whether you decide to reverse your decision to confer this degree on this man or not, for the Sikh Qaum it will be a win win situation. Your decision will determine whether the truth sees light of the day before or after he goes to his grave and in his own words creates a place to spit:

"Let the place be built to the beauty that there shall be nothing in the world which can even try to equal it. Do not gold plate it. Put the very bricks of the gold. Somebody was telling me that soft gold gets taken away. I said, "Well, blessed are those feet which will take it away." They said, "What will you do then?" I said, "We'll replace it, it takes very easy." Build a befitting glory to the throne of Guru Ram Das and the day you shall complete, that day you and your generations shall rule the planet earth. If it comes not true, wherever my ashes are, spit at it".

Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra has already guaranteed his place in the Sikh Hall of Shame, among other things, by extending to this man the respectability and credibility that he did not deserve. Bhai Jiwan Singh of Akhand Kirtani Jatha and his associate from the same Jatha, S, Ripudaman Singh Malik (now himself in Canadian Jail), are responsible for keeping him out of jail. From now on the Sikhs in Diaspora will not allow these unholy alliances in the name of Sikhi, where the watch word is, 'you scratch my back and I will scratch yours', to flourish.

In the recent past I have seen pictures of Yogi hobnobbing with Dr. Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, Vice Chancellor of Panjabi University, Patiala. Dr. Balkar Singh of that university has accepted the employment of yogi thus demeaning himself and losing his credibility. You have my permission to share this information with your colleague so that he and that university Senate are spared the embarrassment of 'lizard in snake's mouth'.
Bhajan Yogi is very good at what he is and what he does. Sikhi is not it.

Gur Fateh. Yours in Guru Seva
Hardev Singh Shergill.

cc. Lt. Gen. JFR Jacob Chancellor of the University, Governor ofPanjab Govt, Secretariat Chandigarh, India.

Enclosure;
1. Kate Felt Interview4pp
2. Katherine Felt, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi Ji, Civil Action No. 86-0839 HB82pp

3. Plaintiff Katherine Felt's Memorandum of Points And Authorities in Opposition To
Defendant Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji's Motion To Dismiss20pp
4. Plaintiff Katherine Felt's Memorandum of Points And Authorities in Opposition To
Corporate Defendants' Motion To Dismiss 26pp
5. Katherine Felt And S. Premka Kaur Khalsa Plaintiffs vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi Ji et al
2pp
6. Oct. 28, 1986 Doctor's letter Re Yogi's Inability To Appear For Deposition On Dec. 1, 1986
1pp
7. S. Premka Kaur Khalsa, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji et al, CA 86-0838 3pp
8. Nov. 11, 1987 Doctor's Letter Re Yogi's Inability To Appear For A Legal Deposition1pp
9. Notice of Defendant Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji's Physical Condition 2pp
10. Order of The Court CA No. 86-0838-M Civil and CA No. 86-0839-HB Civil 4pp
11. Katherine Felt, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, et al. Order of Dismissal 2pp
12. Misrepresentations That Yogi Bhaj an Made About Himself To Premka Kaur Khal sa 4pp
13. S. Premka Kaur Khalsa, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, CA No. 86-0838 M, 44pp
14. Affidavit of Pamela Dyson Aug. 4, 1987
15. Plaintiffs' (Premka and Katherine) First Requests For Admissions, Aug. 27, 19877pp
16. Motion To Compel Discovery, Aug. 27 19875pp
17. Affidavit of Robert C. Fellows, Oct. 9 19874pp
18. Supp. Memo. of Points and Authorities In Supp. of Mot. To Compel Discovery, Oct. 9, 1987 3pp
19. Memorandum Opinion and Order, Oct. 22 1987 12pp
20. Affidavit ofMukhia Sardarni Sahiba Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, Nov. 24, 1987 7pp
21. Affidavit of Plaintiff S. Premka Kaur Khalsa, Jan. 11 1988 18pp
22. Drug Dealers, Cult Leaders, Thieves, Group Picture2pp
23. United States of America vs. Gurujot Singh Khalsa, CANo. 88-210-M, Feb. 29, 1988 17pp
24. Premka Kaur Khalsa, Plaintiff, vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji et al.
Affidavit of Gurujot Singh Khalsa, Aug. 8, 19863pp
25. Katherine Felt, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji et al. Defendants, Supplemental
Affidavit ofManmohan Singh To Plaintiff Brief In Opposition To Motion To Disqualify 4pp
26. S. Premka Kaur Khalsa, Plaintiff vs. Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji et al. Defendants,
Affidavit ofSwaran Singh, Sept. 9,19864pp
27. People of The State of California vs. Kirpal Singh Khalsa, CANo. MCR 8425, Oct. 27,1992 6pp
28. Guru BirSingh's Story9pp
29. United States District Court, Central District of California, Federal Trade Commission, .
Plaintiff vs. Several Corporation and Hari Jiwan Singh KhXisa and Siri Ram Singh Khalsa,
CV-97-4544 LGB (JGX)
30. First Judicial District Court County of Santa Fe, State of New Mexico,.
Case No. SF 88-2286 (C) Mark Baker, Plaintiff vs. Yogi Bhajan, et al. Defendants.
Affidavit of Richard Ofshe, Ph.D, May. 5, 1985
31. April 15, 1995 Letter To Me With The Letter Head Showing: 'IN GOD I DWELL" Banner
Below 'Siri Singh Sahib, Sikh Dharma', Shield, With A British Lion Holding Khanda
In Its Right Paw and Its Tail Wrapped Around Symbol of Ek Onkar (Reminds Me of
S. Parkash Singh Badal's GauMata (Cow), With Its Belly full of Gurus' Pictures,
Sikh Bulletin Feb. 200 l2pp
32. Letters To The Editor, World Sikh News, Aug. 25, 1995 by Dr. Gubakhsh Singb Gill:
'Jathedar (Manjit Singh) Team Visits Yogi Ashram. Why?'1pp
33. The Temple of Steel2pp
34. My March 16, 1999 Letter To Bibi Jagir Kaur, President, SGPC Requesting
That Certain Persons Should Not Be Allowed To Officially Participate In
The 300th Anniversary Celebrations 1pp
35. Two Pictures2pp
36. Misc. From The Internet

[It is to the credit of Dr. Soch that during his tenure no such degree was awarded to Bhajan Yogi but this despicable act was performed by his successor. HSS]

I really like this article at:http://www.rickross.com/reference/3ho/3ho1.html
The article might help you understand more about what I am talking about when I say that Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini and Tantric yoga has been extremely damaging to people. I think Dr. Trilochan Singh predicted it correctly in 1977 when he said:

"Yogi Bhajan is using the sacred Sikh mantras and the sacred name of Guru Ram Das as a mantle for his Tantric Sex Yoga which will inevitably lead to mental and physical debauchery of those who take his brand of Sikhism contaminated by crazy sex-energizing asanas seriously." "Sikhism and Tantric Yoga"
by Dr. Trilochan Singh (Link to entire book)

Just a quick note about one passage in the article "The Pure Ones"; "The Sikhs say Yogi Bhajan can see and interpret auras, and this is how he matches people. A Sikh can also find someone he wants to marry and take that person to Bhajan for approval. Says Sat-Peter Singh, "Ninety-five percent of our marriages are sanctioned by him, and the divorce rate is practically non-existent--less than six percent."

This struck me as funny since Sat-Peter ran off with a hollywood floozy a few years later leaving 3HO, Sikhism, his wife and children all in one fell swoop!!

The Pure Ones
Who are these people? Why do they practice the teachings of a former customs agent from New Delhi?
New West, December 1980.
By Mard Naman

I was not looking for a way out, just an extra unit, when, as a student at UC Berkeley, I signed up for a yoga class because the tennis classes were all full. My instructor was a young woman in flowing white clothes and a turban. She was an American member of the Sikh faith (as in Sikher of truth), a religion that synthesized Hinduism and Islam and teaches exercise and the realization of God through meditation. But Sikhs are also very much in the material world, something I realized when I saw my instructor drive off in a new BMW.
The special type of yoga she taught was called kundalini yoga (meaning yoga of awareness). It takes the standard yoga exercise and adds what is called "breath of fire", a rapid inhalation and exhalation through the nose. The exercises are quite strenuous and are punctuated with frequent rest. We wound up each class with a series of chants and ended with a song: "May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you and the pure light within you guide your way on."
My teacher was a thin, intense graduate student in biochemistry. She was intelligent, gracious, warm and friendly. She explained that she belonged to the 3HO, meaning happy, healthy, holy organization. 3HO, she insisted, was not a religious cult but a group of people perfecting the science and technology of happy healthiness and holiness. Some people chose to live together in ashrams, but anyone could be in 3HO if they exercised and meditated (called "Sadhana") every morning, ate vegetarian, didn’t smoke, drink or take drugs and abstained from sex until married.

Toward the end of the quarter, she encouraged everyone to go to an upcoming tantric yoga session, conducted by 3HO leader, Yogi Bhajan. Tantric Yoga was so powerful, she said, that Yogi Bhajan was the only living master, the one person in the world qualified to teach it. Tantric Yoga wove together the energies of the male and female and was done in pairs. "No one", she added softly, "knows his way around a woman’s body like Yogi Bhajan". "How do you know?" I teased. "I know", she replied evenly. "He can go on for hours".
I never attended that Tantric yoga session, but I have since learned about Yogi Bhajan, a six foot, two inch bear of a man who, it turns out, is a former customs agent from New Delhi. He set up residence in Los Angeles twelve years ago as an unknown yoga teacher and within a year began to introduce thousands of young Americans to the Sikh religion. "America is a mess"; Bhajan is fond of saying. "It is a complete mental mess and our children are suffering". He has struck a responsive chord by combining traditional eastern religious practices with yoga and a cozy communal lifestyle.
Believers swear by him, following his orders on how to dress, what to eat and even whom to marry. But, predictably, Bhajan’s detractors are as harsh in their criticisms as the faithful are in their praise. Many Indian Sikhs abhor the way Bhajan practices the religion. Others have attacked him for the explicit sexual instructions he dishes out and for treating women as though they were back in the 15th century.
Today Bhajan's followers claim there are 250,000 people living his special lifestyle--about 2500 in ashrams, which also often serve as places of worship. The largest single concentration of followers is in California, primarily in LA. Los Angeles is home not only to the 3HO International Headquarters but to the Kundalini Research Institute as well.
The Sikh religion goes back about 500 years and is now practiced by more that eight million Indians. A Punjabi Indian named Nanak was its first guru. In all there have been ten [such gurus] each one taking over when the one before him died. The fifth guru, Arjun Dev, became a victim of religious persecution when he was placed on a burning hot plate and had hot sand poured over him. Since that time, Sikhs have been instructed to bear arms and to be fearless in defending their faith. The tenth and final guru, Guru Gobind Singh, embodied the Sikh ideal of the warrior-saint, which is still maintained: "When all other means have failed," he wrote, "then it is righteous to take up the sword".
Today the Sikhs, who still live mostly in northern India, are sometimes called the Jews of India. They are both bright and industrious and for the most part, solidly middle class. In India, Sikhs allow democratic elections of priests and abhor personality cults. Yoga has no part in Sikhism, and India's Sikhs are known to be meat eaters.
This is all in sharp contrast to Yogi Bhajan's brand of Sikhism, which the force of his personality is definitely the attraction. Also, Yogi Bhajan not only teaches kundalini yoga and Tantric yoga but dispenses advice on breathing and massage techniques to improve one’s sexual performance. Further, he has wrapped the faithful in ritualistic clothing, first given to the Sikhs by the tenth guru.
Ironically it is almost exclusively the young American followers, not the Indian Sikhs, who follow this prescription for dress. It includes white turban with all white clothing, unshaven hair and beard, specially made tight cotton underwear, a steel bracelet, a sword and a wooden comb. Each of these items has come to symbolize the elements of the Khalsa, the "Pure Ones". The white clothing represents purity; the turban helps maintain an elevated state of consciousness and protects the temporal lobes from soaking up negativity. As for the long hair and beard; "The hair functions as an antenna, conducting energy to the brain where it is stored." say a 3HO newsletter. "By wearing the hair coiled and covering the head we increase the efficiency of our antennae".
The tight underwear is a "reminder of the commitment to chastity and procreation", but, here again, Bhajan takes it further: "If you don’t have the proper underwear and don’t control the area, the testicles can become lodged. This is the beginning of sexual problems for the male--male frigidity." The steel bracelet symbolizes "one's bondage to the truth", the sword a vow to "defend the poor, the weak and the innocent", and the comb is a symbol of cleanliness.
Although Yogi Bhajan says, "Our saying is if someone hits your right cheek, blow up his left so he cannot do it to anyone else," contemporary American Sikhs appear to be for the most part, peaceful and gentle. The small swords they carry are mostly symbolic. In fact, it is tough to get a Sikh to unsheathe his weapon. They are instructed that if they ever take out their weapon they had better be prepared to use it to draw blood. There is a story told among Sikhs about two fellows who got into a heated argument and drew weapons. At that point they realized how ridiculous their argument was and ambled down to the blood band to donate a pint each.
The total effect of this garb is that at first glance these young Americans look decidedly foreign. In fact, they are sometimes referred to as "ayatollahs" or "diaperheads". But converse with one and you realize that he is just your average middle-class Joe in a white turban. They are friendly, laugh easily, live in nice houses, drive nice cars and don’t proselytize. It’s their life-style that’s different.
For one thing, every morning they get up at three and take a cold shower after only five hours of sleep. Then they practice Sadhana, the morning spiritual discipline those last two to three hours and include chanting, meditation, vigorous yoga exercises, spiritual readings and songs. After eating a wholesome vegetarian breakfast, they’re off to work.
Sikhs come from all walks of life; their jobs range from construction worker to doctor They are hard workers, put in long hours and abhor welfare. Some work for large companies, others have their own business. In fact, American Sikhs have set up partnerships and corporations, and a number of these businesses are apparently quite successful. These include Golden Temple restaurants; Sunshine Brass Beds; Shakti Shoes a variation on the Earth Shoe theme; Sunshine Scented Oils; and Golden Temple Health Food, which makes a candy bar called Wha Guru Chew. According to Sopurkh Kaur Khalsa, Bhajan’s head of finance, the brass bed and shoe sales each surpass $1 million a year.
Another business Americana Sikhs seem to take an interest in is firearms. Sikh members have been licensed to buy and sell guns in New Mexico and California. Integrity Arms in Los Angeles sells rifles and shotguns. And a Los Angeles firm called Khalsa Security Company provides bodyguards and security for executives and VIPs.
The sect owns 210 acres of prime property in Espanola, New Mexico, much of which is used as a training center and for summer solstice celebrations. Worldwide, they own over 120 training centers, from Anchorage to Hong Kong. The Sikhs have started nursery, elementary and junior high schools for their children. They want to be everywhere, intent on fulfilling the ancient prophecy of "960 million Sikhs rising from the West".
The money for these projects and properties comes form the members of the sect. Like the Mormons, Sikhs are obligated to give 10 percent of their incomes to the church. Of course larger donations are welcome: Joanne Rollo of Homewood, California, says she has had no communication with her daughter since the later signed over a $1.3 million inheritance to Bhajan's cause.
In some respects, Yogi Bhajan appeals to the same group of young Americans who flock to the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, or the Hare Krishna movement. Many come from middle-class and upper-middle-class backgrounds, and a surprising percent of them are Jewish. A lot of them used mind-expanding drugs prior to joining, but anyone who sticks with Yogi Bhajan is quickly broken of any such habits. Sikhs are, for the most part, young, idealistic and searching for that sense of family and spirituality that they can't get elsewhere.
It is the American Sikhs’ outer appearance, more than their behavior that has caused them a few problems. Sikhs also have had some difficulty being accepted in the community. Although they certainly do not invite trouble, they do at all times stick up for their rights. Sat-Peter Singh Khalsa, director of public relations for the 3HO regional office, describes two Sikh victories against discrimination: "We got the army to change the dress code to allow Sikhs to wear turbans and uncut beards" (This is a bit of an overstatement. The army does make allowances for their garb, but in non-combat situations only. Still this is impressive.). He continues, "We had had people laid off in labor positions because they refused to wear hard hats over their turbans. We took that to court to allow Sikhs to maintain their turbans."
Sikhs also have had some difficulty being accepted in the community. About three years ago, for example, when Sikh families started buying homes in a neighborhood in the old section of central Phoenix, the locals got worried. One Phoenix resident, Sue, confesses her reservations: "I was fearful of them diminishing the resale value of the homes. Isn’t that middle class? Isn’t that awful? But that was the general attitude on our street". What was it that so terrified those good citizens of Phoenix?
"Well, first, I always have a Christmas party for the children and one year I wanted to invite the Sikh family. But I was told that it might be insulting to them because I was having a Santa Claus come to the house". And she continues, "you can’t invite them to a block party because you are probably going to have hamburgers and they don’t eat meat. Plus, they have very difficult names and I can never remember what they are. [Names go like this: All followers have "Khalsa", the "Pure Ones"; men have "Singh", "Lion" and women have "Kaur", "Princess"] We just kept finding all these picayune things to prove that they were not like us." Sue did not feel comfortable with her attitude. "This plaguing voice kept saying, "'Jesus I 'm prejudiced.'"
The Sikhs own several houses in Arizona, mostly in Phoenix and Tucson and their attempts to buy houses are evidence of their attitude of upward mobility. So far, they've bought seven in the Robertson/Preuss area of Los Angeles. We're slowly buying up the entire block", says regional director Krishna Kaur Khalsa. "When they see us coming they jack up the price." They also own houses Altadena, Fullerton, Long Beach, Pomona, south central LA, San Bernardino and San Diego. Some of these are single family dwellings, others are ashrams. And individuals own most of the ashrams. But Phil Hoskins, Yogi Bhajan's chancellor and part-time legal adviser until he left the sect in 1976, says that although when he left most of this property seemed to be owned by individuals, a lot of it was actually owned by a clique of five or six top echelon women who were under Bhajan’s control. This, claims Hoskins, made the group look more decentralized that it really was.
If this upwardly mobile approach is in line with today’s "I want and MBA degree", world, Bhajan’s attitude toward women seems to be a throwback to ancient India. In a series of lectures entitled "Man to Man", Yogi Bhajan explains women’s nature to the males: "One day she is very bright and charming and after a couple days she is totally dumb and non-communicative. This is called the ‘normal woman mood’." And because women fluctuate so much, "a female needs constant social security and constant leadership ...when you are not the leader, she is not satisfied".
A woman who sleeps around "trashes her aura," as one female Sikh describes it. Akasha Kaur Khalsa, a Sikh member, explains, "A women holds the imprint of every man she’s had sex with; she brings the imprint to the next bed". And what about the man who does the same? "A man’s aura is not trashed the way a women’s is. The man plants the seed and he leaves. But the women is designed to grow the seed". Lest this sounds too sexist, men are also discouraged from engaging in pre-or extramarital sex. It is just more of a burden to women.
Yogi Bhajan has revealed many exercises designed to repair the damaged nervous systems of America’s wayward youth, who, he says, know nothing of real love. He claims he can help with almost all problems, from trashed auras to premature ejaculation. And it is true that Yogi Bhajan arranges marriages, though not for everyone. "He may be giving a lecture and say ‘Oh, you two people are engaged’. They may or may not even know each other", explains Akasha Kaur Khalsa. And sure enough, perfect strangers often consent to marrying each other.
The Sikhs say Yogi Bhajan can see and interpret auras, and this is how he matches people. A Sikh can also find someone he wants to marry and take that person to Bhajan for approval. Says Sat-Peter Singh, "Ninety-five percent of our marriages are sanctioned by him, and the divorce rate is practically non-existent--less than six percent."

Every summer for six weeks, Bhajan holds a training camp in New Mexico for women. The men don’t get such a camp. In one lecture, Bhajan emphasizes the traditional role of women. "The guy has gone to work at seven o'clock after having done Sadhana. In work he is hassled and hassled and did everything he was supposed to do. He came back home at seven o'clock. Right? Why is he coming home? Tell me. To relax, find comfort, look at the sky. If there is a big bitch with an open mouth waiting for him, how many days can you expect him to come back home?" Later he says, "There’s no such thing as buddyness between husband and wife. No matter how rotten he may be, he will still expect and demand respect…When you start talking to him as your buddy and your friend, then you will also have slaps and black eyes."
American Sikh women, however, are encouraged to study the martial arts as well as to become involved in high administrative levels of the organization. "There is no discrimination as far as a person's ability to do any tasks or hold any position," explains Krishna Kaur Khalsa. And, in addition to everything else Yogi Bhajan says about women, he is also fond of saying things like "A woman is sixteen times stronger than a man."
Yogi Bhajan’s sex lectures to the men aren’t exactly of the "let's transcend desires and reach nirvana" genre. This is your basic sex manual. "The women has nine highly sensitive areas, which are called ‘moon centers’. There is an order in which these centers need to be touched, using any technique you wish. First, the breasts; then the neck; third the lips; fourth is the cheeks; number five is the ears, a most sensitive moon area. After the ears, remember the spine. Then the thighs are seven; the calves eight; and the clitoris or vagina, nine. If you use any other order, you are an idiot."
And, "There are three different positions of the opening to the vagina: upper, normal and lower. The woman with an upper entry has no problem with orgasms. Because her vagina and her clitoris are so close together, all she needs is a little touch, a little entry, a little doing, and there she goes". Unfortunately says Bhajan, "Out of hundred women, sixty will have lower vaginal entry. The sixty- percent is a problem. Never satisfied, always bitchy, always complaining, always blaming".
In another lecture he asks, "All these yogis and swamis who are celibate don’t marry. Why not? They can’t handle women". Handling women, though, does not appear to be a problem for the fifty-one-year old Bhajan. For the six weeks of his summer camp, Yogi works with them in absence of all other men save a few helpers.
Bhajan’s "handling of women" however, has also become a point of criticism. In the summer of 1977, there were accusations of Yogi Bhajan, a married man with three children, being a womanizer. Colleen Hoskins, who was in the group almost seven years, worked for Bhajan in New Mexico. There, she said, he was served by as many as fourteen women, "some of whom attend his baths, give him group massages and take turns spending the night in his room while his wife slept elsewhere".
She now adds, "I saw women go into his bedroom in their nightgowns, and the next morning they would emerge fully dressed." When she became disillusioned and decided to leave the group, she says Bhajan told her she would be responsible for a nuclear holocaust and that her young daughter would go insane by the time she was fifteen. Bhajan denies these charges and says he does not want to discuss "negativity...The critics didn’t spare Jesus Christ, they didn’t spare Buddha, and they don’t spare me."
Now other charges have come to light. Dr. A.S. Marwah, a Los Angeles dentist, is a respected Indian Sikh who has been living in this country 30 years. He was president for many years, and is still chairman of the board of the Sikh Temple. According to Marwah, when Yogi Bhajan left India, he first went to Toronto Canada. There he called Marwah and told him he wanted to come to the States. Bhajan stayed with Marwah for a month, and Marwah got him a job at the East-West Cultural Center in LA. What Marwah didn’t expect was that ten days later a young lady would arrive from Toronto, pregnant, looking for Bhajan. "This poor girl came to my office", remembers Marwah, "so I called him [Bhajan] and said, ‘ This girl is pregnant and she’s looking for you What happened?’ He admitted it at the time."
Marwah went on a short trip to India and when he returned the head of the center where Bhajan worked was distraught and in tears. According to Marwah, Bhajan was living with six girls in his room. Marwah was on the phone immediately. He relates this conversation between him and Bhajan: "What are you doing The same hanky-panky you did in Canada?", he asked Bhajan. "I’m not doing anything with the girls. They’re just staying with me.", Marwah remembers Bhajan saying. Soon after, Bhajan was fired. Today, however, Bhajan scoffs at Marwah’s accusations. "He’s just made at me because I cannot cater to his ego".
American Sikhs have countered such criticism of their leader--and more general criticism from Indian Sikhs about the way Bhajan has distorted their religion--through good deeds in the community and very thorough public relations campaigns. They have several outreach programs, including a successful drug rehabilitation program ("Try meditation instead of medication"), a free food program and a group called the Grace of God Movement has marched in candlelight processions against the topless and bottomless nightclubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.
Indeed, it seems that Yogi Bhajan has achieved a certain degree of respectability in this county. In Beads of Truth, a magazine published by 3HO there is a photo of Bhajan with former LA mayor, Sam Yorty at a dinner, another of Yogi Bhajan and Liv Ullmann on a talk show together, and another of New Mexico governor Bruce King presenting Bhajan with a proclamation honoring 3HO for its work against drug abuse. There are also photos of Bhajan meeting with Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Manning.
"I’m a very new rising phenomenon on this hemisphere!" Bhajan declares. "I’m a successful religious leader! At first people thought the American Sikhs would never last. They thought we would fade away. But now, I hear them say, "They’re’ going to stay and they’re going to live, and, oh my God, they’re better than us".

I see by your post that you did not spend much time around Yogi Bhajan or his 3HO Sikhs. I spent 30 years around Yogi Bhajan, living in his 3HO cult. Only after a severe wake up call while I was being detained in India and living among true Gursikhs, did I realize what a complete fraud Yogi Bhajan and his 3HO Sikhs are. I know it is hard to believe when you see these young people all dressed in white with perfect bana and turbans but believe me when I say, not all is what it seems to be. I encourage you to read Dr. Trilochan Singh's book "Sikhism and Tantric Yoga" which is the true story of Yogi Bhajan and 3HO.

Please read an Excerpt below taken from

"Sikhism and Tantric Yoga"
by Dr. Trilochan Singh (Link to entire book)

Please read an Excerpt below taken from

"Sikhism and Tantric Yoga"
by Dr. Trilochan Singh (Link to entire book)

You may also view individual chapters to "Sikhism and Tantric Yoga" at these links:

Sikhism & Tantric Yoga A Critical Evaluation of Yogi Bhajan
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=192

Sikh Doctrines and Yogi Bhajan's Secret Science
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=193

Yogi Bhajan's Adi Shakti Shaktimans and Shaktis
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=194

Yogi Bhajan's Clap Trap Theories of Kundalini Yoga
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=195

Yogi Bhajan's Ego Maniac Utterances
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=205

Yogi Bhajan's Seven Years in America and His Tinkling Titles
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=206

Yogi Bhajan's Arrest and Release on Bail
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=207

Yogi Bhajan Becomes the Only Maha Tantric in the World
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=208

Sikh Leaders without Conscience
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=209

Call to Truth and Authentic Sikhism
http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?id=210

See more photos and discussion on facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108156&id=1214270541&l=5a22781e63

“Amid the legal infighting following Yogi Bhajan’s death, critics are offering another portrait of the Sikh leader.”

Simple way to look at the damaging affects of Yogi Bhajan's teachings:

Sure the yoga and mantras YB taught get you high and give you a sense of well being but these are false highs like some drug. Eventually leading to corruption and destruction as we saw with Yogi Bhajan's personal life, ie the Premka scandal and other corrupt and illegal practices. What we are now seeing with the infighting and greed between the Unto Infinity Board and Sikh Dharma is another example of the rotten fruit produced from Yogi Bhajan's corrupt teachings and practices.

Below is a discussion I had with Guru Fatah Singh about Yogi Bhajan and his teachings. This might give you some insight into why the Kundalini and tantric yoga which Yogi Bhajan taught eventually leads to "physical and mental debauchery" as Dr. Trilochan said 33 years ago in his well researched book that was highly critical of Yogi Bhajan.

Since you are quoting Jesus I will refer to the entire bible quotation about this subject as stated in Matthew 7:15 through Matthew 7:23:

A Tree and Its Fruit 15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

I would say Yogi Bhajan’s fruit looks pretty rotten at this point if you consider the corrupt leaders in 3HO that Yogi Bhajan hand picked for the Unto Infinity Board and Sikh Dharma leadership. If you’re not already aware of the current corruption in the inner halls of 3HO then I will include here a quotation from MSS Guru Terath Singh whom you no doubt respect since you have included in this article’s discussion forum below, a long rebuttal he wrote in 1977 against the Time magazine article which was highly critical of Yogi Bhajan. Yes indeed, "Time will tell" if Yogi Bhajan was a false prophet and whether he produced good or bad fruit. Personally I would rather place my bets for salvation on the traditional values and teachings of Sikhism as exemplified in the lives and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, the scriptures of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and Dr. Trilochan Singh’s writings rather than the sacrilegious hodgepodge of tantric and shakti cult rubbish which Yogi Bhajan espouses and no traditional Sikh supports. Signed Guru Sant Singh

From: gt khalsa <gtkhalsa_2000@yahoo.com> Subject: [khalsa-council] A Global Settlement To: khalsa-council@mail-list.com Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010, 6:24 PM Sat Nam. If I were a young man searching for a spiritual path - as I was at one time - and read the emails that have been posted for the world to read over the past year, I would see what appeared to be one group that was a bunch of crooks and the other that was a bunch of very angry, self-righteous, old people. The only thing they would have in common would be their spiritual practices. I would, of course, quickly move on with my search. This is the real danger that the SSS's legacy is facing. If this goes on, I expect that there will be a well funded SDI with very few people. There will be a SDW with many more people, but with inadequate, ongoing funding to do much of anything in the years ahead……… M.S.S. Guru Terath Singh

Guru Terath Singh is right, of course. That is why people like me are investing in keeping the teachings, the authenticity and the legacy alive. Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa (talk) 16:12, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

To Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa:

You seem to be overlooking the obvious 800 pound gorilla in the room. [10]The actions of YB’s students prove the result of Yogi Bhajan's corrupt teachings. In fact, Yogi Bhajan set up the insane power structure of the Unto Infinity Board which controls all of the 3HO finances. Yogi Bhajan installed five corrupt people who are not even Sikhs anymore and who control the Unto Infinity Board for life! Guru Terath Singh has so astutely alluded to Yogi Bhajan's folie and the danger of the truth coming out about Yogi Bhajan’s legacy. Signed Guru Sant Singh

Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa
Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!
Dear Guru Fatha Singh Ji,

I am not sure what you mean by this comment "I am Yogi Bhajan's student." If you are saying, look at me I have done allot of good because of what Yogi Bhajan taught me, then my reply would be, think about what more good you could have done and be doing without Yogi Bhajan and his teachings. I know for myself that I am a better person and a better Sikh without the teachings of Yogi Bhajan.

I particularly like this quotation below from a traditional Punjabi Sikh;

"Some people may not like Yogi Bhajan bashing and will say, "Look at what he has done for Sikhi." I personally would have liked to see what Sikhi would have been like without him."