DISTORTING THE PATHS OF WISDOM AND LOVE
A typical attempt at rationalizing sexual conduct of a guru can be seen in the writings of the American Ram Das Awle, who I knew in Puttaparthi (1998) as an obviously long time sincere spiritual seeker. For many years, he lived round the famous Indian woman spiritual teacher Ammachi of Kerala, south India. He told me that he had had enough of heart worship and now wanted to learn Jnana Yoga (wisdom that comes from mental discernment) from Sai Baba. As my later remarks on Al Drucker also suggest, there are some great pitfalls for the unwary on this path, which can, as many classical exponents have pointed out, lead to emotional denial and shallow intellectualizing. Awle has more recently informed a number of us that his spiritual teacher has advised him against engaging in Sai Baba apologetics, so he has withdrawn.
A year or so ago, he put a section of his book-in-progress on the Internet, entitled "Sai Baba and Sex - a Clear View." See, http://www.saibaba-and-sex-aclearview.com/ He says, "If Sai Baba has interacted with any of His devotees in a sexual way, it has been only a ... gift of Love and grace.” First, he proposes that Sai Baba is activating the victims' kundalini energy, or else healing them of sexual urges. He speaks about Sai Baba touching the perineum in harmless ways, ignoring the fact that SB's acts are frequently described as going far beyond this into coercive oral sex and more. As any number of traditional accounts of the raising of the kundalini power attest, there is no need for a master to initiate the awakening by means of contact with a disciple’s genitals, tongue kissing, and other intrusions all too commonly described of Sai Baba. Second, Awle asserts that SB uses a thorn to remove another thorn, removing the boys' giving them the same treatment - i.e., the boys have sexually used or abused others in past lifetimes and therefore have deserved to be sexually abused in this lifetime. Sai Baba, with supreme Mercy, according to Awle, gives them this sexual usage so they will not have to get it elsewhere. All the souls to be targeted were put into male bodies, he opines, by Sai Baba Himself. "For whatever reason, He has brought most of those souls with whom overt sexual work is required into male bodies; perhaps God knew this would be somewhat more acceptable in the Indian culture."
One wonders why Sai Baba has zeroed in on sexual karma. (Are all the girls and young women he has so long and so pointedly ignored now counting their blessings?)
Indian friends I have asked about pedophilia say that it is not at all acceptable to them. Indeed, it violates the Indian Penal Code. Moreover, Article 32 of the Indian Constitution enshrines the protection of BOTH Indian citizens AND foreigners who visit India.
Awle continues, "Surely, at the right moment, He will also remove any psychological traumas from the souls with whom He has done His tantric healing work.” Therefore, we may dispense with the need for any human concern. He also asserts that there cannot possibly be any lust in Sai Baba. How absurd! So many first-hand accusers worldwide (as Awle could readily have found out as the rest of us have done) depict Sai Baba as demanding and enjoying oral sex in a patently lustful manner - using lustful words and expressions, emitting groans of enjoyment, or sometimes impatience and anger, not to mention issuing threats if the victim does not comply. If he were simply redressing karma, would he have to take his play-acting this far? Furthermore, it has often been reported that he aggressively threatens his victims if they don't comply - for example, "I will make something bad happen," "I will give you a bad accident." If he seeks only to help or heal, or dole out karma, such pernicious threats would be unnecessary. As well, it has often been reported that he utters insulting or angry comments when the young males decline. He also exhorts some men to leave their wives or girl friends.
As I am tremendously busy doing my best to be a good father to two children and one more child who treats me like a father, I doubt that I can find the time to come in on and enjoy giving this specious nonesense a thorough drubbing. I trust you will apply your marvelous minds to exposing this latest implementation of Awle's terrible and pernicious, but supposedly beautiful and inspiring offering. This piece will now go far and wide, so let the Expose show its abilities to present another vision altogether. The forces of good will pick our efforts up, as has happened repeatedly, so long as we have persisted in the best faith.
Wonderous Love and awesome (not Awlesome) Strength,
Barry