Letter from Jose Santiago, and more...
2. Sai Baba's preference for foreigners during interviews
3. Answers from Jose on two comments from a devotee
Date: 08-07-02
Document date: 08-06-02
Original Message
From: "Jose Santiago"
Email: lowprofile789@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 8:21 PM
Subject: from Venezuela
Good day, its a former Sai devotee, from Venezuela.
Let me congratulate you guys for being so complete and accurate. You guys are doing a great service to humankind. Last year, around September, I started to doubt about this impostor named Sathya, when I read the news in a newspaper that three British devotees committed suicide. Then I found the page http://www.saiguru.net and after a week, I was convinced about the truth that he was a huge fraud and gay.I traveled to India two times, 1998 and 2000. In the second time, with the Venezuelan group, I had three interviews. Sai didn't touch me or did something bad, but I know some Venezuelans who had those bad experiences and some are still devotees.
I have told two devotees the information of this page and they became soon ex devotees. Well, I need to tell you guys to add more useful information on this page. There are three important points you could add:
1) First, there is a praise by Sai Baba for the obsolete and cruel cast system. This praise and support can be read in detail in the book "Gita Vahini".
2) The (mis)use of the money given to Sai is one interesting aspect. Last year he built a huge museum, with lots of electronically devices, several floors, etc. Much more costly than the old museum. But Sai is not able to rebuild the bedrooms of the ashram of Whitefield. You have to share those bedrooms with 5 other people. You don't have private bathrooms. No beds. Some of those rooms are damp, you can catch easily a cold adding the usual temperature of Whitefield. If you go outside, they charge you more expensive than Puttaparthi. So if you are short of cash, you don't have more choice than staying in that gross ashram.
3) The obvious preference that Sai has for Western devotees about the choice for interviews. Westerners and foreigners are usually about like 30 percent of all the people in the Mandir. Even at Christmas, they aren't more than 50 percent. Sai gives interviews to foreigners and Westerners 90 percent of the times. The rest are for the Hindu people. Why? Who can give bigger donations, Westerners or Indians? Does Sai give more interviews to Westerners because they live too far and its hard for them to travel? No way. For most Indians its very hard to travel there, because its very hard for them to pay that trip, much more than Westerners, no matter that they live closer.So I hope you can consider these three points. Thank you very much.
Goodbye,
Jose Santiago
Having said this, Jose wrote an article:
SAI BABA'S PREFERENCE FOR FOREIGNERS DURING INTERVIEWS
Date: 08-10-02
Document date: 08-09-02
From: Jose Santiago
Email: lowprofile789@hotmail.com
This article is an explanative addition to 'Letter from Jose Santiago'.
It is the most common thing in the ashram: the desire and craving for an interview with Sai Baba. Some fact that many people have not considered, is that about ninety percent of the times, Baba chooses groups of foreigners, specially from Europe. About ten percent of the times he selects Indians. In the mandir (the temple where Baba gives darshan and interviews), about 30 percent of the people there are foreigners. The rest are Indians. Even at Christmas, foreigners may not exceed the number of fifty percent.
Who can give bigger donations, foreigners or Indians? It is very obvious that Europeans, Americans, Australians, can give more money on donations, than most of the the Indians. A happy Scandinavian with three interviews in his trip, is worthier for the economic goals of Baba, than an Indian who has
the same interviews. The average income of an Scandinavian is 2000 dollars a month or maybe more. For the USA and the rest of European country this is about the same. The average an Indian can earn is 50 dollars a month (...but maybe its less than that).And it is a fact that the groups of Denmark and Sweden are Baba´s favorites for interviews. A devotee who is reading this article might think "this is an angry ex devotee who never got an interview". Let me tell you that I had three interviews with the Venezuelan group and I am not saying this with the proud I had when I was a devotee.
The defenders of Baba may point that Swami gives interview for foreigners because they come from very far and its a hard trip, and Indians live near Baba. No way. For most Europeans and Americans, it is affordable to pay the trip and they can stay in the ashram or in hotel comfortably. But for almost all Indians is valid, that they had to spend most or all their savings to visit Baba, if they can collect the money. But for even an Indian who lives in Kerala or in the same Andhra Pradesh, a train ticket and accommodation can be very expensive.
One devotee defended Baba saying that Swami didn't give lot of interviews to Indians because there are lots of uneducated people among them. It is true, that a large number of peasants finds his way to the ashram, who doesn't respect the rules and they do smell badly. But it is clear that there are lot of Indians who are very educated, respectful and dressed properly, maybe not in expensive Panjabis worn by Westerners to look like Indians, but they look good.
The Indian VIP's and the Government ministers that come to the ashram, are also favorites of Baba for interviews.
And if Swami chooses only the people for the interviews that are prepared for it, are Westerners spiritually superior to Indians? Do they grow up faster than Indians?
To have doubts when something is unfair and wrong IS NOT an spiritual weakness. To overlook, ignore or excuse bad and wrong things IS a spiritual weakness.Jose Santiago from Venezuela
Re: SAI BABA´S PREFERENCE FOR FOREIGNERS DURING INTERVIEWS
Date: 09-02-02
By: "josesantiago789" < josesantiago789@y...>
Document date: Sat Aug 31, 2002 4:47 p.m.
From: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sathyasaibaba2/message/26186
Subject:
Hello Bain,
I think that Sai is a simple human being, who has serious psychological troubles. He's gay, pedophile and he makes a living of cheating others.
I believe we can even learn from evil people as Sai, like his great discipline and patience.
I became a devotee after reading his messages. Its easy for Sai to say them, but he doesn't practice most of them. As I mentioned above, he practices discipline and patience, but his great lust and and big lies are always with him.
No,I did not experience anything worth during those interviews. I wish the devotees knew how worthless are those interviews.
No, I did not witness any sexual abuse. However, I heard from still devotees the special treatments of Sai, like touching genitals and stuff that Sai just did to them.
I know Bain that someday you will become an ex-devotee. Its just a matter of time. When that happens, please send me an email telling me the news.
Thank you.
Jose Santiago
By: "josesantiago789" < josesantiago789@y...>
Document date: Mon Sep 2, 2002 7:53 p.m.
Subject: Re: SAI BABA´S PREFERENCE FOR FOREIGNERS DURING INTERVIEWS
From: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sathyasaibaba2/message/26188
Bain,
Yes, SSB made a prediction about my life, and it did not happen. I am not going to tell it here, cuz its not important.
When I was a devotee, the fact that the prediction didn't happen was not the cause that I became an ex-devotee. There were many other reasons, like the contradictions that SSB told in discourses about the birth date of Christ: in one discourse he said Christ was born in December and I another one Christ was born in March. I had this doubt for a long time. What really really shocked me and started me to doubt seriously about SSB was the news of the three British devotees committed suicide last year. Then I started to search about this SSB.
Thanks
Jose