I think it only fair that If I am going to use this column as a launching point for discussing my personal account about my transition from Jew to Christian (this change took place 1977), that I should come out and openly admit that between 1968 and the time when I forever abandoned the world of occultism and mysticism, I was a hardcore member of a very powerful cult, a very dangerous cult.
The leader of this cult was a man named Jiddu Krishnamurti, though he was most often referred to simply as Krishnamurti. During earlier periods of his life, Krishnamurti was known by members of his master group, the Theosophical Society (headed up by mystic and occultist Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky), as Krishnaji, as well as other terms. All of his names were intended to denote his position of power within the Theosophical Society.
The Theosophical Society, which was formed in 1875, was a large, highly diverse group of mystics, occultists and magicians who had headquarters in Adyar, Madras, India and Ojai, California, and is today, a wealthy, powerful cult with millions of members throughout the world.
Madame Blavatsky, and her partner – a man named Dr. Charles Leadbeater – were purportedly able to make contact with spirit beings that abided on the Astral Plane. These beings – or "masters" – were responsible for all of the Theosophical Society's rules and teachings.
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Madame Blavatasky herself wrote a four-volume series of books called "The Secret Doctrine," which had been "channeled" to her by a being called Lord Maietrya, who abided on the Astral Plane. In the book, Maietrya outlined his plan for the spiritual and political future of the world and, in fact, the entire universe.
One of the things that Maietrya told Made Blavatasky was that at some point in time he would take human form, and that after that, he would continue to spread his wisdom through a person simply known as the world teacher.
One of the jobs of the members of the Theosophical Society was to constantly be on the lookout for the personage of the world teacher, who some said was already alive and living somewhere in the world. Many thought that he currently lived in London.
One day, Leadbeater found a dreamy-eyed young Indian boy wandering on one of the beaches of the Adyar River in India. The boy seemed almost to be an idiot. Though he was 10 years old, he could barely speak, nor could he seem to grasp the concepts most children his own age could understand.
This boy was, in fact, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Nonetheless, Leadbeater felt that the boy had a "certain aura" about him. He took Krishnamurti home, introduced him to Madame Blavatsky – and together they traveled to the astral plane – where it was confirmed to them Krishnamurti was, in fact, the reincarnation of the Lord Maietrya. Yes, Krishnamurti would – when the time was right – be revealed as the world teacher.
Throughout his teenage years, Krishnamurti was educated in the finest schools in England. Then, at an open camp meeting, in the presence of thousands of members of the Theosophical Society in 1911, Krishnamurti declared that he was, indeed, the world teacher. He had come to earth, he said, to bring wisdom and understanding to all mankind
And so the die was cast.
I was 19 years old when I first heard Krishnamurti speak. It was, as were most of his talks, at an "open camp" outdoor setting in a large oak grove in Ojai, California, where the Theosophical Society had one of its homes.
I recall that after that meeting I had the distinct feeling that something had changed forever in my life. I was in college at the University of California at Santa Barbara at the time, but after hearing Krishnamurti, I decided to quit school and dedicate myself to following the his teachings.
I read every one of his books and attended all of his talks. Finally, after attending many meetings (including two one-on-one meetings with Krishnamurti himself), I was accepted into an "inner circle" of young people who were invited to secret meetings where Krishnamurti would talk with this select group of his followers.
Thus, I became one of the special students in this "inner core" of Krishnamurti disciples. Each summer, for the next eight years (this was from 1971-1980), I would travel to Saanen, Switzerland, where Krishnamuri held large meetings attended by thousands of people each morning in a huge tent. He also held "private meetings" with his "inner core" group.
At this point, you may be asking, well, what is so wrong with all this? Let's say that Krishnamurti's teachings were highly anti-Christian – as well as anti-Semitic and anti-black. Isn't this nothing more than a typical case of a 19-year-old boy "seeking out the answers of life"?
I must respond with a clear "no." As I became more and more involved in the Krishnamurti cult, I fell gradually into a kind of a spell – a trance. I soon abandoned all of my former friends, as well as (some of) my family. I was dedicated to one thing only. I wanted to undergo "the experience," where I too – like Krishnamurti – would manifest Maietrya, the world teacher. I was determined to achieve the state where I would cease to exist, as it were, and become a vehicle for the person of Lord Maietrya.
Fortunately (as you can read about in my columns of March 9, 16 and 23), I was able to break out of this dangerous – and yes, it was absolutely dangerous! – cult, and accept the personage of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
As these columns go on, I will, upon occasion, explain to the readers of WND how subtle the teachings of evil can be – even when they operate through a "teacher" as apparently benign as Krishnamurti.
If you want more information on this, please write me at: [email protected].