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Besides naming the leader of a cult as her spirital leader, she has several members of the cult working for her, Her own parents admit to being members of the cult, and her mother even worked as their bookkeeper for a while.
Science of Identity founder Chris Butler, who Tulsi Gabbard has referred to as her ‘guru dev’, or spiritual leader
(Science of Identity Foundation / YouTube)
But in interviews and speeches, she has acknowledged and defended her links to Butler, referring to him as her “guru dev” – or spiritual leader – in 2015.
Butler is rarely seen in public these days, with the Science of Identity Foundation regularly posting decades old clips of his teachings on YouTube.
The foundation did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
In a 2017 interview with The New Yorker, Gabbard said she had never heard Butler “say anything hateful, or anything mean about anybody”.
“I can speak to my own personal experience and, frankly, my gratitude to him, for the gift of this wonderful spiritual practice that he has given to me, and to so many people.”
Butler gave a rare interview for the same New Yorker article in 2017, saying that he did have disciples, but rejecting claims he was an authoritarian.
Butler, who also goes by the name Jagad Guru, or teacher of the world, said he preferred to think of himself as a follower or student, rather than a teacher or leader.
He described his relationship with his devotees as one of love.
Sinavaiana Gabbard remembers learning some 40 years ago that her brother Mike – Tulsi’s father and longterm Hawaiian state lawmaker – had joined the Science of Identity.
The extended family were gathering for Sunday brunch, a weekly feast and cultural institution in Samoa. When Mike announced he and his family had become strict vegetarians, her mother was deeply upset.
Then seemingly overnight, her nephews, Tulsi’s older brothers, had new Sanskrit names.
She says as a child of the ‘60s, she didn’t find this strange, but it was an “unsettling” adjustment for her parents.
She later learned that the whole family were “prostrating at the feet” of Butler, a “white surfer dude”.
Dr Carolina Sinavaiana Gabbard with her brother Mike Gabbard, a Hawaiian state senator
(Supplied)
Tulsi attended a Science of Identity boarding school in the Philippines, according to several sources, and spent her formative years and schooling sheltered from outside influences, her aunt said.
The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) was formed in 1977 by Chris Butler as a breakaway sect of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement.
Its stated aim is to “pass on the ancient teachings of yoga in a scientific, logical, and clear manner so that people can, with intelligence, seriously contemplate upon, consider”.
However, former members have been speaking out about the abusive practices of the Science of Identity Foundation for several years.
Science of Identity founder Chris Butler, who Tulsi Gabbard has referred to as her ‘guru dev’, or spiritual leader
(Science of Identity Foundation / YouTube)
But in interviews and speeches, she has acknowledged and defended her links to Butler, referring to him as her “guru dev” – or spiritual leader – in 2015.
Butler is rarely seen in public these days, with the Science of Identity Foundation regularly posting decades old clips of his teachings on YouTube.
The foundation did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
In a 2017 interview with The New Yorker, Gabbard said she had never heard Butler “say anything hateful, or anything mean about anybody”.
“I can speak to my own personal experience and, frankly, my gratitude to him, for the gift of this wonderful spiritual practice that he has given to me, and to so many people.”
Butler gave a rare interview for the same New Yorker article in 2017, saying that he did have disciples, but rejecting claims he was an authoritarian.
Butler, who also goes by the name Jagad Guru, or teacher of the world, said he preferred to think of himself as a follower or student, rather than a teacher or leader.
He described his relationship with his devotees as one of love.
Sinavaiana Gabbard remembers learning some 40 years ago that her brother Mike – Tulsi’s father and longterm Hawaiian state lawmaker – had joined the Science of Identity.
The extended family were gathering for Sunday brunch, a weekly feast and cultural institution in Samoa. When Mike announced he and his family had become strict vegetarians, her mother was deeply upset.
Then seemingly overnight, her nephews, Tulsi’s older brothers, had new Sanskrit names.
She says as a child of the ‘60s, she didn’t find this strange, but it was an “unsettling” adjustment for her parents.
She later learned that the whole family were “prostrating at the feet” of Butler, a “white surfer dude”.
Dr Carolina Sinavaiana Gabbard with her brother Mike Gabbard, a Hawaiian state senator
(Supplied)
Tulsi attended a Science of Identity boarding school in the Philippines, according to several sources, and spent her formative years and schooling sheltered from outside influences, her aunt said.
The Science of Identity Foundation (SIF) was formed in 1977 by Chris Butler as a breakaway sect of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement.
Its stated aim is to “pass on the ancient teachings of yoga in a scientific, logical, and clear manner so that people can, with intelligence, seriously contemplate upon, consider”.
However, former members have been speaking out about the abusive practices of the Science of Identity Foundation for several years.
Tulsi Gabbard’s ties to secretive cult may explain her perplexing political journey
Tulsi Gabbard has staked out extreme positions on LGBT+ rights , spread disinformation about Ukrainian biolabs , and claimed she was being shadowbanned by Big T
news.inspiretohire.com