Bibliography of Prem Rawat and related organizations

Bibliography of Prem Rawat and related organizations lists bibliographical material regarding Prem Rawat and organizations like Divine Light Mission,^[1] Elan Vital and The Prem Rawat Foundation.

Legenda

Except in verbatim quotations (of titles etc.) Prem Rawat is always listed under that name in the columns below, whatever the dominant alternative name (Guru Maharaj Ji, Maharaji,...) at the time of the publication.
Click icon to sort table according to entries in the column under it.

Author(s)	Date	Type	Title	Published in/by	Place	Other specifics
Rawat, Prem	1970-11-08	Public address	Peace Bomb satsang	And It Is Divine (transcript: 1972) The Golden Age (transcript: 1978)	India, Delhi (in Hindi) U.S. (1972) Australia (1978)	^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]
	1970-11-09	Article (newspaper)		Hindustan Times	India	^[6]
	1970-11-10	Article (newspaper)		Navbharat Times	India (in Hindi)	^[7]
	1970	Book (part)	Guinness Book of World Records	Sterling Publishing	U.S.	^[8]
	1971-06-17	Article (newspaper)	Hallelujah! The mini Guru, aged 13, cometh	Evening Standard	UK, London	^[9]
	1971-06-18	Article (newspaper)	Worshippers greet the boy guru 'straight from Heaven'	Daily Mirror	UK, London	p. 12^[10]
Rawat, Prem	1971-06	Public address	Glastonbury Festival address	Glastonbury Fayre (footage: 1972)	UK, Glastonbury UK (footage)	^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]
	1971-08-02	Article (magazine)	Boy Guru	Newsweek	U.S.	p. 72^[15]
Allen, Henry	1971-09-14	Article (newspaper)	Pretty Far-Out Little Dude	The Washington Post	U.S., Washington, D.C.	p. B1^[16]
Rawat, Prem	1971-09-17	Public address	Colorado Satsang	Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji? (transcript: 1973)	U.S., Colorado	^[17]
	1970s	Magazine	Divine Times	Divine Light Mission	U.S.	^[18]
	1970s(–)	Periodical	The Divine Times	Divine Light Mission	UK	^[19]^[20]
Rawat, Prem	1972	Book	Reflections on an Indian Sunrise	Divine Light Mission		^[21]^[22]
Ashokanand (mahatma) Sandoz, Jaques (directors)	1972	Film (documentary)	Satguru Has Come	Shri Hans Films		^[4]^[23]
	1972-10-23	Article (newspaper)	Pilgrims jet to see Divine Light	The Times	UK, London	p. 12^[20]
	1972-11-09	Article (newspaper)	Guru's 'Bank' Seized	Los Angeles Times (Reuters)	U.S., Los Angeles	p. A15^[24]
	1972-11-19	Article (newspaper)	India investigates guru's finances	The Times (AP)	UK, London	p. 8^[25]
	1972-11-27	Article (magazine)	Junior Guru	TIME	U.S.	^[26]
Daniel, Leon	1972-12-10	Article (newspaper)	15-Year-Old Hottest Star of Guru Circuit	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. C8^[27]
	1970s	Magazine	And It Is Divine	Shri Hans Productions Divine Light Mission	U.S.	^[28]
Blue Aquarius (Bhole Ji et al.)	1973	Album (music)	Blue Aquarius	Stax: Gospel Truth Series	U.S.	GTS-2725^[29]
	1973-02-03	Article (newspaper)	Guru's Pupil Slates Talk	Syracuse Post-Standard	U.S.	p. 3^[30]
Rawat, Prem	1973-04-01	Article (magazine) Film	DUO proclamation and satsang	Divine Times Vol. II No. 6 by Shri Hans Productions (DLM) (film:) Shri Hans Films	U.S., Denver, Colorado	^[31]
	1973-08– 1973-09	Magazine	Divine Light News	Divine Light Mission	Australia	Vol. I, Nos. 1-3^[32]
	1973-08-08	Article (newspaper)	Guru Gets Testimonial And Some Pie in Face	The New York Times	U.S., New York	p. 43^[33]
	1973-08-08	Article (newspaper)	15-Year Old Guru Slapped in Face by Shaving Cream Pie	Los Angeles Times (UPI)	U.S., Los Angeles	p. 2^[34]
	1973-08-08	Article (newspaper)	Guru Set For Honor, Gets Pie In Face	Independent Press-Telegram (UPI)	U.S., Long Beach, California	p. A-6^[35]
	1973-09-03	Article (newspaper)	Guru Maharaj Ji: Ulcer	The Washington Post	U.S., Washington, D.C.	p. B7^[36]
	1973-09-04	Article (newspaper)	The 'Perfect Master' from India has an ulcer	Stars and Stripes (AP)	U.S.	p. 6^[37]
Carter, Malcolm N.	1973-09-23	Article (newspaper)	Guru Keeps Track Of Subjects With Computer	Great Bend Tribune (AP)	U.S., Kansas	p. 11^[38]
Milner, Bart	1973-09-23	Article (newspaper)	Casting some shadows on the movement of Divine Light	The Times	UK, London	^[39]
	1973	Film	Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji	Shri Hans Productions	U.S.	^[40]
Cameron, Charles Davis, Rennie Rawat, Prem et al.	1973-11	Book	Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?	Bantam Books	U.S.	^[23]
Rawat, Prem Griffin, Merv	1973-11-28	TV show (interview)	The Merv Griffin Show		U.S.	^[41]
Morgan, Ted	1973-12-09	Article	Oz in the Astrodome: Middle-class premies find Guru	The New York Times Magazine	U.S., New York	Section 6, pp. 37–39, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 104^[42]
Du Plessix Gray, Francine Kelley, Ken	1973-12-13	Article (magazine)	Blissing out in Houston (du Plessix Gray) Blackjack Love (Kelley)	The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 No. 20	U.S., New York	pp. 36–43^[43]
Winder, Gail Horowitz, Carol	1973-12	Article (magazine)	What's Behind the 15-Year-Old Guru Maharaj Ji?	The Realist No. 97-C	U.S., San Francisco, California	pp. 1–5^[44]
Latimer, Dean	1974-01	Article (magazine)	Who is Guru Maharaj Ji and why is he saying all these terrible things about God?	Penthouse Vol. 5 No. 5	U.S.	pp. 65–66^[45]
Kelley, Ken	1974-01-19	Article (newspaper)	Get Your Red-Hot Panaceas!	The New York Times	U.S., New York	p. 31^[46]
Du Plessix Gray, Francine Kelley, Ken Apter, Joan et al.	1974-01-24	Article (magazine)	Knowledge of the Guru, replies to Joan Apter and to Nicholas B. Dirks, Charles R. D. Lindley, Leela A. Wood	The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 Nos. 21 & 22	U.S., New York	^[47]
Kelley, Ken	1974-02	Article (magazine)	Over the hill at 16	Ramparts No. 12	U.S.	pp. 40–44^[48]
Goldsmith, Paul Traum, Artie	1974-02	Article (magazine)	Bliss and Bones in the Astrodome	Crawdaddy	U.S.	pp. 62–65^[49]
Adler, Dick	1974-02-23	Article (newspaper)	TV Review: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. B2^[50]
Shamberg, Michael (dir.) Rawat, Prem Davis, Rennie et al.	1974-02-24	Film (documentary)	Lord of the Universe	Top Value Television	U.S.	^[51]
O'Connor, John J.	1974-02-25	Article (newspaper)	TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers: Maharaj Ji Is Focus of P.B.S. Documentary: Astrodome Gathering Yields Splendid Show	The New York Times	U.S., New York	p. 53^[52]
Kelley, Ken	1974-03	Article (magazine)	An East Indian Teen-Ager Says He Is God	Vogue	U.S.	^[53]
Elman, Richard	1974-03	Article (magazine)	Godhead Hi-Jinx: Starring the Guru Maharaj Ji	Creem	U.S.	p. 37-39^[12]
	1974-03– 1979-10	Magazine	The Golden Age	Divine Light Mission Duo Productions	Australia	Vol. 1-55^[54]
Levine, Richard	1974-03-14	Article (magazine)	When The Lord of All The Universe Played Houston: Many are called but few show up	Rolling Stone No. 156	U.S.	pp. 36–50^[55]
Gortner, Marjoe	1974-05	Article (magazine)	Who Was Guru Maharaj Ji? Just think of him as a spare tire	Oui	U.S.	pp. 90–133^[56]
Scheer, Robert	1974-06	Article (magazine)	Death of the Salesman: for rennie davis (model high school student, antiwar spokesman and chief proselytizer for guru maharaj ji) the media always meant the message	Playboy	U.S.	pp. 107–108, 112, 236, 238-240^[57]
Kelley, Ken	1974-07	Article (magazine)	I See The Light: In which a young journalist pushes a cream pie into the face of His Divine Fatness and gets his skull cracked open by two disciples	Penthouse	U.S.	pp. 98–100, 137-138, 146, 148, 150-151^[58]
Baxter, Ernie	1974-08	Article (magazine)	The multi-million dollar religion ripoff	Argosy No. 380	U.S.	pp. 72, 77-81^[59]
Dart, John	1974-11-27	Article (newspaper)	Maharaj Ji Buys $400,000 Home Base in Malibu Area	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. B2^[60]
	1974	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Current Biography Yearbook: 1974, entry: "Maharaj Ji, Guru"	H. W. Wilson Company	U.S.	p. 254 ff.^[61]
Frazier, Deborah	1975-03-23	Article (newspaper)	Growing Pile of Unpaid Bills Beneath Guru's Spiritual Bliss	Sunday Journal and Star (UPI)	U.S., Lincoln, Nebraska	p. 11A^[62]
	1975-03-24	Article (newspaper)	Riches Called Goal of Divine Light	Winnipeg Free Press (CP)	U.S.	^[63]
	1975-04-01	Article (newspaper)	Mother Ousts Young Guru as Playboy	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. 2^[64]
Belkind, Myron L.	1975-04-02	Article (newspaper)	Guru's mother rejects him as religion chief	Independent Press-Telegram (AP)	U.S., Long Beach	p. 9^[65]
	1975-04-09	Article (newspaper)	Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission	Ruston Daily Leader	U.S.	^[66]
	1975-04-18	Article (newspaper)	Court Halts Heiress' Money Gift To Guru	Charleston Daily Mail (API)	U.S.	^[67]
Frazier, Deborah	1975-07-14	Article (newspaper)	Guru Maharaj Ji: Pizza, Sports Cars and Millions of Followers	Mansfield News Journal (UPI)	U.S.	^[68]
Rawat, Prem et al.	1975	Book	The Sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji	Divine United Organization Shri Sant Yogashram, Hans Marg	India, New Delhi	Several volumes^[69]
	1976-02-20	Article (newspaper)	Maharaj Ji Wins Fight For Mission	The Washington Post	U.S., Washington, D.C.	p. C7 ^[70]
Cornell, George W.	1976-03-05	Article (newspaper)	Group Led by Teen Guru Toning Down Eastern Style	Albuquerque Journal	U.S.	^[71]
	1976-03-06	Article (newspaper)	Spiritual group's claims, practices are changing	Evening Capital (AP)	U.S.	^[72]
Brown, Mick	1976-04-17	Article (magazine)	Perfect Master and unholy squabbles: The Guru comes of age	Street Life	UK	pp. 18–19^[13]
Mishler, Bob Frazier, Deborah (UPI: interviewer)	1976-05	Interview (magazine)	Part of the mainstream	The Golden Age No. 29	Australia	p. 8 ff.^[73]
Thurmond, Strom (U.S. Congress senator)	1976-07-20	US Congressional Record	Prem Rawat's Inspirational Message to the United States Citizen's Congress	US Congress	U.S., Washington, D.C.	^[74]
Messer, Jeanne	1976	Essay in book	Guru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission	The New Religious Consciousness by Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah (eds.), University of California Press	U.S., Berkeley, California	pp. 52–72^[75]^[76]
	1977–1980s	Magazine (quarterly)	Élan Vital	Divine Light Mission	U.S.	ISSN 0195-2145^[77]
	1977-10-19	Article (newspaper)	Guru Maharaj Ji becomes a citizen of the U.S.	Rocky Mountain News	U.S., Denver, Colorado	^[78]
Como, Don (dir.) Donovan (music) Davis, Rennie Rawat, Prem et al.	1977	Film (part)	Aliens from Spaceship Earth		U.S.	^[79]
Stoner, Carroll Parke, Jo Anne	1977	Book (part)	All Gods Children: The Cult Experience - Salvation Or Slavery?	Chilton	U.S.	ISBN 0-8019-6620-5^[80]
Foss, Daniel A. Larkin, Ralph W.	1978	Essay in periodical	Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji	Sociological Analysis Vol. 39 No. 2 by Association for the Sociology of Religion	U.S.	DOI 10.2307/3710215, pp. 157-164^[81]
Rawat, Prem	1978	Book	The Living Master: quotes from Guru Maharaj Ji	Divine Light Mission	U.S., Denver	^[22]^[82]
Collier, Sophia	1978	Book (autobiography)	Soul Rush: The Odyssey of a Young Woman of the '70s	William Morrow & Co.	U.S., New York	ISBN 0-688-03276-1^[83]
Pilarzyk, Thomas	1978	Essay in periodical	The Origin, Development, and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion: An Application of Sectarianization Theory	Review of Religious Research Vol. 20 No. 1 by Religious Research Association	U.S.	pp. 23–43^[84]
	1978 2001	Book (part)	Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains Army Pamphlet 165-13	U.S. Department of the Army Kirchner Associates (2001:) The Minerva Group	U.S.	(2001:) ISBN 0-89875-607-3 p. II-5 ff.^[1]
Forster, Mark	1979-01-12	Article (newspaper)	Firm Loyalty: Guru's Sect: Misgivings in Malibu Malibu Guru Maintains Following Despite Rising Mistrust of Cults	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. A1, 3,...^[85]
Mishler, Bob Tesler, Gary et al.	1979-02-12	Interview (radio)	Bob Mishler Radio Interview	KOA radio station	U.S., Denver, Colorado	^[86]^[87]
Downton, James V., Jr.	1979-07	Book (monography)	Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission	Columbia University Press	U.S., Columbia	ISBN 0-231-04198-5^[88]
Kemeny, Jim	1979	Essay in periodical	Comment: On Foss, Daniel A. and Ralph W. Larkin. 1978. "Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji." Sociological Analysis 39, 2: 157-164	Sociological Analysis Vol. 40 No. 3 by Association for the Sociology of Religion	U.S.	pp. 262–264^[89]
Nelson, G. K.	1979	Essay in periodical	A Comment on Pilarzyk's Article "The Origin, Development and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion" (RRR, Fall, 1978)	Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1	U.S.	pp. 108–109^[90]
Pilarzyk, Thomas	1979	Essay in periodical	The Cultic Resilience of the Divine Light Mission: A Reply to Nelson	Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1	U.S.	pp. 109–112^[91]
Price, Maeve	1979	Essay in periodical	The Divine Light Mission as a social organization	The Sociological Review Vol. 27	UK, Keele, Staffordshire	pp. 279–296^[92]
Galanter, Marc Buckley, P.	1979	Essay in periodical	Mystical Experience, spiritual knowledge, and a contemporary ecstatic religion	British Journal of Medical Psychology No. 52	UK	pp. 281– 289^[93]
Davis, Ivor	1979-12-19	Article (newspaper)	Malibu opposes plan to build heliport for Divine Light guru	The Times	UK, London	p. 12^[94]
Rawat, Prem	1980	Book	Light Reading	Divine Light Mission	U.S., Miami Beach	^[22]^[95]
Rudin, James A. Rudin, Marcia R.	1980-06	Book (part)	Prison or Paradise?: The New Religious Cults	Fortress Press	U.S., Philadelphia	ISBN 0-8006-0637-X p.63-65^[96]
Robbins, Thomas Anthony, Dick	1980	Essay in periodical	The Limits of 'Coercive Persuasion' as an Explanation for Conversion to Authoritarian Sects	Political Psychology Vol. 2 No. 2 by International Society of Political Psychology	U.S., New York	pp. 22–37^[97]
Stones, C. R. Philbrick, J. I.	1980	Essay in periodical	Purpose in Life in South Africa: A Comparison of American and South African Beliefs	Psychological Reports Vol. 47	South Africa	pp. 739–42^[98]
Aagaard, Johannes	1980	Article (periodical)	Who Is Who In Guruism?	Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements Vol. IV No. 3 by Dialogcentret	Denmark	^[99]
Kriegman, Daniel	1980	Book (part)	A Psycho-social Study of Religious Cults From the Perspective of Self Psychology, Appendix A: "The Guru Mahara Ji Group: An experiential description: the journey to God"	Boston University	U.S.	Doctoral dissertation pp. 164–188 references: pp. 218–220 ^[100]
Downton, James V., Jr.	1980-12	Essay in periodical	An Evolutionary Theory of Spiritual Conversion and Commitment: The Case of Divine Light Mission	Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Vol. 19 No. 4	U.S. UK	ISSN 0021-8294 pp. 381–396^[101]
Lammers, Jos	1981-02-14	Article (magazine)	Het concern van Guru Maharaj ji: Vijf jaar zakenman in dienst van de verlichting	Haagse Post Vol. 68 No. 7 (in Dutch)	Netherlands, The Hague	pp. 48–53^[102]
	1981-05-22	Article (newspaper)	1-Year Trial OKd for Sect's Helipad	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. F6^[103]
Godfrey (justice)	1981-10-19	Court decision	Dotter v. Maine Employment Sec. Commission	Supreme Judicial Court of Maine	U.S., Maine	Case 435 A.2d 1368^[104]
McGuire, Meredith B.	1981 2002⁵	Book (part)	Religion: the Social Context Ch. 5 "The Dynamics of Religious Collectivities", section "How Religious Collectivities Develop and Change", sub-section "Organizational Transformations"	Wadsworth	U.S.	ISBN 0-534-00951-4 ⁵ ISBN 0-534-54126-7 p. 175^[105]
Robbins, Thomas Anthony, Dick	1982-02	Essay in periodical	Deprogramming, Brainwashing and the Medicalization of Deviant Religious Groups	Social Problems Vol. 29 No. 3. by Society for the Study of Social Problems University of California Press	U.S.	pp. 283-297^[106]
Brown, Chip	1982-02-15	Article (newspaper)	Parents Versus Cult: Frustration, Kidnaping, Tears; A Question of Will: Law-Abiding Couple ... Who Became Kidnapers to Rescue Daughter from Her Guru	The Washington Post	U.S., Washington, D.C.	p. A1^[87]
Schwartz, Lita Linzer Kaslow, Florence W.	1982-06-07	Essay in periodical	The Cult Phenomenon: Historical, Sociological, and Familial Factors Contributing to Their Development and Appeal	Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4 Haworth Press	U.S.	ISSN 0149-4929 pp. 3–30^[107]
Robbins, Thomas Anthony, Dick	1982-06-07	Essay in periodical	Cults, Culture, and Community	Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4 Haworth Press	U.S.	ISSN 0149-4929 pp. 57–79^[108]
Ottenberg, Donald J.	1982-06-07	Essay in periodical	Therapeutic Community and the Danger of the Cult Phenomenon	Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4 Haworth Press	U.S.	ISSN 0149-4929 pp. 151–173^[109]
Kranenborg, Reender	1982	Book (part)	Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen		Netherlands (in Dutch)	ISBN 90-210-4965-1^[5]
Schnabel, Paul	1982 (2007)	Book (part)	Tussen stigma en charisma: nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en geestelijke volksgezondheid	Van Loghum Slaterus Digital library for Dutch literature	Netherlands (in Dutch)	ISBN 90-6001-746-3, p. 32, p. 53, p. 99, 101-102, p. 142^[110]
	1983-10-06	Article (periodical)	Whatever Happened to Guru Maharaj Ji?	Hinduism Today by Himalayan Academy	U.S.	ISSN 0896-0801^[111]
Lans, Jan M. van der Derks, Frans	1984	Essay in book	Subgroups in Divine Light Mission Membership: A Comment on Downton	Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West by Eileen Barker, ed. Mercer University Press	U.S., Macon, GA	ISBN 0-86554-095-0 pp. 303-308^[112]
Chagnon, Roland	1985-01	Book (part)	Trois nouvelles religions de la lumière et du son: la Science de la spiritualité, Eckankar, la Mission de la lumière divine	Paulines Médiaspaul (in French)	Canada, Montréal France, Paris	ISBN 2-89039-985-0^[113]^[114]
Kriegman, Daniel Solomon, L.	1985-04	Essay in periodical	Cult groups and the narcissistic personality: The offer to heal defects in the self	International Journal of Group Psychotherapy Vol. 35 No. 2	U.S.	pp. 239–261^[115]
Pasternak, Judy	1985-07-07	Article (newspaper)	Maharaji Denied in Bid to Triple Copter Use	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. 1^[116]
Melton, J. Gordon	1986^rev	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, entry: "Divine Light Mission"	Garland	U.S., New York UK, London	ISBN 0-8240-9036-5, pp. 141–145^[22]
Lans, Jan M. van der Derks, Frans	1986-06-14	Essay in periodical	Premies Versus Sannyasins	Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements Vol. X No. 2 by Dialogcentret	Denmark	^[117]
DuPertuis, Lucy	1986	Essay in periodical	How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission	Sociological Analysis: A Journal in the Sociology of Religion Vol. 47 No. 2 by Association for the Sociology of Religion	U.S., Chicago	ISSN 0038-0210 pp. 111-124^[118]
Sharma, Arvind	1986	Essay in book	New Hindu Religious Movements in India	New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change by James A. Beckford Unesco/Sage Publications	UK, London	ISBN 0-8039-8003-5, p. 224^[119]
Galanter, Marc	1989-05-04 1999²	Book (part)	Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion	Oxford University Press	U.S.	ISBN 0-19-505631-0 ² ISBN 0-19-512369-7 ² ISBN 0-19-512370-0 ^[120]^[121]
Tucker, Ruth A.	1989 1991 2004	Book (part)	Another Gospel: alternative religions and the new age movement (1989) Strange Gospels: a comprehensive survey of cults, alternative religions and the New Age movement (1991) Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement (2004)	Academie Books (1989) Zondervan (1989, 2004) Marshall Pickering, Harpercollins (1991)	U.S. (1989, 2004) UK (1991)	ISBN 0-310-40440-1 (1989) ISBN 0-551-02277-9 (1991) ISBN 0-310-25937-1 (2004) p. 320, p. 364-365^[122]
Björkqvist, Kaj	1990	Essay	World-rejection, world-affirmation, and goal displacement: some aspects of change in three new religious movements of Hindu origin	Encounter with India: Studies in Neohinduism (Nils G. Holm, ed.) Åbo Akademi	Finland	ISBN 951-649-731-4, pp. 79-99^[123]
McIlwain, Doris J. F.	1990 (2006-06)	Book (part)	Impatient for paradise: a rites of passage model of the role of the psychological predispositions in determining differential openness to involvement in new religious movements	University of Sydney Sydney eScholarship Repository	Australia, Sydney	PhD Doctorate^[124]
Melton, J. Gordon	1991 (1999-03²) (2008)	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Religious Leaders of America, entry: "Guru Maharaj Ji"	Gale; ²Gale Group (2008:) Biography Resource Center	U.S., Michigan	pp. 285–286. ² ISBN 0-8103-8878-2^[125]
Juergensmeyer, Mark	1991 1996	Book (part)	Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith	Princeton University Press	U.S.	ISBN 0-691-07378-3 ISBN 0-691-01092-7 pp. 206–207^[126]
Mangalwadi, Vishal Hoeksema, Kurt	1992²	Book (part)	The world of gurus: a critical look at the philosophies of India’s influential gurus and mystics.	Cornerstone Press	U.S., Chicago	ISBN 0-940895-03-X (revised edition), pp. 137–138^[127]
Melton, J. Gordon (Project Director) Lewis, James R. et al.	1993	Book (part)	Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains	The Institute for the Study of American Religion	U.S.	chapter on Sikh/Sant Mat Groups, section: Elan Vital^[128]
Barbour, John D.	1994	Book (part)	Versions of Deconversion: Autobiography and the Loss of Faith	University of Virginia Press	U.S.	ISBN 0-8139-1546-5 p. 170 ff.^[129]
Gest, Alain et al.	1995-12-22	Report (government)	N° 2468: Rapport Fait au nom de la commission d'enquête sur les sectes, Ch. I.B: "Un phénomène difficile à mesurer"	National Assembly, Parliamentary Commission on Cults (1995) (in French)	France	p. 14 ff. ^[130]
Melton, J. Gordon (ed.) ⁵Shepard, Leslie (ed.)	1996⁴ (2000-11⁵) (2008)	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, entry: "Maharaj Ji, Guru"	Gale; ⁵Thomson Gale (2008:) Biography Resource Center	U.S.	⁴p. 803 ⁵ ISBN 0-8103-8570-8^[131]
Winter, Mark et al	1996-07-17	Magazine (special edition)	The Divine Times: Special Edition 17 July 1996			^[132]
Scheer, Robert	1997-04-01	Article (newspaper)	How I Was Stood Up by the Venusians: Even a brief encounter with a cult's absurdity reveals its power to attract	Los Angeles Times	U.S., Los Angeles	p. 7^[133]
Brauns, John et al.	1997–	Web site	Ex-Premie.org			^[134]^[135]^[136]^[137]^[138]^[139]^[140]^[141]
Jones, Rebecca	1998-01-30	Article (newspaper)	Former Guru on a Different Mission	Rocky Mountain News	U.S., Denver, Colorado	^[134]
Lewis, James R.	1998-11-01 ²2005	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Cults ¹[in America]: A Reference Handbook, entries "Elan Vital (Divine Light Mission)" and "Maharaji (b. 1957)"	ABC-Clio, Contemporary World Issues series	U.S.	ISBN 1-57607-031-X ² ISBN 1-85109-618-3 pp. 84-85, 121-122, 286-287, 307-308^[142]
Richardson, James T.	1998	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Encyclopedia of Religion and Society (William H. Swatos, Jr., ed.), entry: "Divine Light Mission"	AltaMira Press Sage publications	U.S. UK India	ISBN 0-7619-8956-0, p. 141^[143]
Melton, J. Gordon	1999	Essay	Brainwashing and the Cults: The Rise and Fall of a Theory in forthcoming The Brainwashing Controversy: An Anthology of Essential Documents	CESNUR	Italy	^[144]
Abgrall, Jean-Marie	2000	Book (part)	Soul Snatchers: The Mechanics of Cults	U.S., New York	Algora Publishing	ISBN 1-892941-04-X p. 285^[145]
Rhodes, Ron	2001	Book (part)	The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response	Zondervan	U.S.	ISBN 0-310-23217-1 pp. 32, 170^[146]
Barrett, David V.	2001 2003-05	Book (part)	The New Believers: Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions	Cassell	UK	ISBN 0-304-35592-5 ISBN 1-84403-040-7 p. 65; Part Two: Alternative Religions & Other Groups, Ch. 14: Eastern Movements in the West, Elan Vital, p. 325-329^[147]
Kent, Stephen A.	2001-10	Book (part)	From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era	Syracuse University Press	U.S.	ISBN 0-8156-2923-0 ISBN 0-8156-2948-6^[148]
Hassan, Steve et al.	2001–	Web page	Elan Vital	Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center	U.S.	^[135]
Macgregor, John	2002-08-31	Article (magazine)	Blinded by the Light	Good Weekend	Australia, Sydney	pp. 38–42^[136]
Geaves, Ron	2002 2004-03	Essay	From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: an Exploration of Change and Adaptation	2002 International Conference on Minority Religions, Social Change and Freedom of Conscience at University of Utah (2004:) Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions Vol. 7 No. 3	U.S., Salt Lake City (2004:) U.S.	(2004:) pp. 45–62^[139]
Rawat, Prem et al.	2003–	TV series	Words of Peace		South America North America Europe Satellite	^[149]^[150]
Rawat, Prem	2003	Book	Clarity	The Prem Rawat Foundation	U.S.	ISBN 0-9740627-1-5^[151]
	2003	Essay	"Premies" Complain to Google of "Ex-Premie.org" site	Chilling Effects	U.S.	^[138]
	2003-07	Entry in encyclopedic resource	The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography, entry: "Maharaj Ji"	Houghton Mifflin	U.S.	ISBN 0-618-25210-X p. 994^[152]
Jackson, Sally	2004-03-11	Article (newspaper)	Court lets 'cult' gag journalist	The Australian	Australia	p. 21^[153]
O’Regan, Mick (host) Macgregor, John et al.	2004-03-18	Interview (radio)	Suppression Orders & the Media	The Media Report on ABC Radio National	Australia	^[154]
Thomas, Hedley	2004-04-24	Article (newspaper)	Peace at a price	The Courier-Mail	Australia, Brisbane	p. 35^[155]
	2004-11-29	Press release	Words of Peace by Prem Rawat receives TV Award in Brazil	tprf.net Press Room by The Prem Rawat Foundation	U.S.	^[156]
Rawat, Prem Wolf, Burt (interviewer)	2005	Interview (DVD)	Inner Journey: A Spirited Conversation About Self-discovery	The Prem Rawat Foundation	U.S.	OCLC 85767576 ASIN B000EDUGI4^[157]
Rawat, Prem	2005-05-17	Public Address	Maharaji at Thamamssat University	Wikisource (transcript: 2006)	Thailand, Bangkok	^[158]
	2005-06-30	Article (newspaper)	US names June 16 after Indian.	Times of India	India	^[159]
	2006	Web page	About Us	Raj Vidya Kender	India	^[160]
Geaves, Ron	2006	Essay in periodical	Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji)	Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Vol. 2 by Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Association	UK	ISBN 978-1-4196-2696-8 pp. 44–62^[161]
Mather, George Nichols, Larry A. Schmidt, Alvin J.	2006-08-01	Entry in encyclopedic resource	Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition, entry "ELAN VITAL / DIVINE LIGHT MISSION"	Zondervan	U.S.	ISBN 0-310-23954-0^[140]
Geaves, Ron	2006-10-30	Essay in book	From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of Forty Years as a "Master" (1966-2006)	Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America by Eugene V. Gallagher and W. Michael Ashcraft (eds.), Vol. IV: Asian Traditions, Greenwood Publishing Group	US	ISBN 0-275-98712-4 pp. 63–84^[162]
	2006-12-20	Newsletter (digital)	Prem Rawat’s “Words of Peace” Receives Brazilian TV Award	Inspire by The Prem Rawat Foundation	U.S.	^[163]
Cagan, Andrea	2007-01-16	Book (biography)	Peace is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat	Mighty River Press	U.S.	ISBN 0-9788694-9-4 OCLC 123014238^[164]
Mendick, Robert	2007-05-31	Article (newspaper)	Cult leader gives cash to Lord Mayor appeal	Evening Standard	UK, London	p. 4^[165]
Rawat, Prem et al.	2007-06-01	Public address	Prem Rawat at Guildhall, London	The Prem Rawat Foundation (DVD release)	UK, London	^[166]
Rossiter, Joe	2007-11-25	Article (newspaper)	Patrick Halley: Outgoing reporter lived colorful life	Detroit Free Press	U.S., Detroit	^[167]
Mendick, Robert	2007-11-30 2007-12-02	Article (newspaper)	Guru followers asked to target Gandhi party	Evening Standard Gulf Times	UK, London Qatar, Doha	^[168]
Rawat, Prem Robles, Marta (interviewer)	2007	Interview (DVD)	Journey Within: a conversation between journalist Marta Robles and Prem Rawat, Barcelona, Spain	The Prem Rawat Foundation		^[169]
Bromley, David G.	2007	Book (part)	Teaching New Religious Movements	Aar Teaching Religious Studies Series by American Academy of Religion	U.S.	ISBN 0-19-517729-0^[170]
Metz, Cade	2008-02-06	Article (magazine)	Wikipedia ruled by 'Lord of the Universe'	The Register	UK	^[141]
Finch, Michael	2009	Book	Without the Guru: How I Took My Life Back After Thirty Years	BookSurge Publishing	U.S.	ISBN 1-4392-4504-5 ISBN 978-1-4392-4504-0

References

1 2 Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains by U.S. Department of the Army, published 2001 by The Minerva Group, ISBN 0-89875-607-3 - reprint of Army Pamphlet 165-13, published in 1978 by Kirchner Associates in Honolulu, p. II-5 ff.

Quotation
Following his death, Shri Hans Ji appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji as the next Perfect Master and therefore he assumed the head of the Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father.

↑ "Guru Maharaj Ji was twelve years old when he gave the following discourse at the 1970 Hans Jayanti. Here he proclaimed that he was going to establish peace on the earth. The effect of this satsang was so profound that it has become known as the 'Peace Bomb'. Hundreds of thousands of people wept to hear him, but their tears were all of love." in And It Is Divine. Divine Light Mission, 1972.
↑ "The Peace Bomb" in The Golden Age. Divine Light Mission, Australia, November 1978, No. 49, pp. 15-21
1 2 Mahatma Ashokanand and Jaques Sandoz (directors). Satguru Has Come. Shri Hans Films, 1972

1 2 (in Dutch) Kranenborg, Reender. Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen ("Eastern faith movements in the West"). 1982, ISBN 90-210-4965-1

Quotation
(p. 64) In 1969 stuurt Maharaj ji de eerste discipel naar het Westen. In het daaropvolgende jaar houdt hij een toespraak in Delhi voor een gehoor van duizenden mensen. Deze toespraak staat bekend als de 'vredesbom' en is het begin van de grote zending naar het Westen.	In 1969 Maharaj ji sends the first disciple to the West. In the next year he holds a speech for an audience of thousands of people in Delhi. This speech is known as the 'peace bomb' and is the start of the great mission to the West.

↑ Hindustan Times. India, 9 November 1970

Quotation
Roads in the Capital spilled over with 1,000,000 processionists, men, women and children marched from Indra Prasha Estate to the India Gate lawn. [...] People had come from all over the country and belonged to several religions. A few Europeans dressed in white were also in the procession.

↑ (in Hindi) Navbharat Times. India, 10 November 1970

Quotation (translated)
A three-day event in commemoration of Sri Hans Ji Maharaj, the largest procession in Delhi history of 18 miles of processionists culminating in a public event at India Gate, where Sant Ji Maharaj addressed the large gathering.

↑ Guinness Book of World Records. Sterling Publishing, 1970
↑ "Hallelujah! The mini Guru, aged 13, cometh" in Evening Standard. London, UK, June 17, 1971
↑ "Worshippers greet the boy guru 'straight from Heaven'" in Daily Mirror, London, UK, June 18, 1971, p. 12
↑ Neal, Peter (director). Glastonbury Fayre (1972 documentary, commercial release)

1 2 Elman, Richard. "Godhead Hi-Jinx: Staring the Guru Maharaj Ji" in Creem. March 1974, p. 37-39

Quotation
The Maharaj Ji made his first Western appearance in 1971 at England's Glastonbury pop festival. He cruised up to the stage in a white Rolls Royce and harangued the crowd about peace and the one true path to salvation until a merciful stagehand cut off the power on his microphone.

1 2 Brown, Mick. "Perfect Master and unholy squabbles: The Guru comes of age" in Street Life magazine. UK, April 17–30, 1976, pp. 18-19

Quotation

GURU MAHARAJ Ji made his first public appearance in England in 1971 at the Glastonbury Festival - a final spasm in the death-throes of what was the love and - peace movement. Glastonbury is a place of legends, Arthurian, Christian, and mystical, and the Gurus appearance was imbued with appropriate cosmic significance. It was said that the position of the planets on an alignment with Glastonbury at the time of the Festival would herald the dawn of a new, Golden Age and the coming of a Great Man. Two rainbows appearing in the sky would signal his arrival. The thirteen-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji astonished festival organisers and the assembled multitudes by turning up unannounced in a White Rolls Royce, taking over the stage, and delivering an impromptu five-minute satsang (literally, 'truth talk') before the power on the microphone was cut. The next day, so the legend has it, two rainbows appeared in a clear blue sky.

↑ "Lost weekends" in The Guardian. June 18, 2004

Quotation

They have been lectured on the transience of possessions by a guru, who may have undermined his argument somewhat by being chauffeur-driven to the stage in a Rolls Royce.
↑ "Boy Guru" in Newsweek. August 2, 1971, p. 72
↑ Allen, Henry. "Pretty Far-Out Little Dude" in The Washington Post. September 14, 1971, p. B1. At thewashingtonpost.com
↑ Rawat, Prem. "Colorado Satsang: The following discourse was given by Guru Maharaj Ji on the 17th of September, 1971, at Boulder, Colorado" in Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?. 1973.
↑ Divine Times by Divine Light Mission, U.S., 1970s
↑ The Divine Times by Divine Light Mission, UK, from early 1970s
1 2 "Pilgrims jet to see Divine Light" in The Times. London, October 23, 1972, p. 12
↑ Rawat, Prem. Reflections on an Indian Sunrise. Divine Light Mission, 1972.
1 2 3 4 Melton, J. Gordon. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. New York/London: Garland, 1986 (revised edition), ISBN 0-8240-9036-5, pp. 141-145.
1 2 Cameron, Charles (Ed.); Rennie Davis (Introduction). Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?. Bantam Books, Inc., 1973
↑ "Guru's 'Bank' Seized" in Los Angeles Times (Reuters). Los Angeles, November 9, 1972, p. A15. At L.A. Times Archives
↑ "India investigates guru's finances" in The Times (AP). London, November 19, 1972, p. 8
↑ "Junior Guru" in TIME. November 27, 1972. Available at TIME website
↑ Daniel, Leon. "15-Year-Old Hottest Star of Guru Circuit" in Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, December 10, 1972, p. C8. At L.A. Times Archives

Abstract

The hottest star on the international guru circuit these days is 15-year-old Maharaj Ji, a chubby cherub who transmits something his transported devotees call perfect knowledge.
↑ And It Is Divine by Shri Hans Productions, Divine Light Mission. U.S., mid-1970s
↑ Blue Aquarius (Bhole Ji's band). Blue Aquarius. Stax: Gospel Truth Series, GTS-2725
↑ "Guru's Pupil Slates Talk" in Syracuse Post-Standard. February 3, 1973, p. 3

↑ "World Set Up to Provide for Mankind: Divine Satsang Filmed" in Divine Times Vol. II No. 6 by Shri Hans Productions (DLM). Denver, Colorado, April 1, 1973

Introduction

By the Divine Times press date of April 1, [1973] the DUO film should have reached distribution to ashrams and premie houses around the nation. In this 16-minute presentation from Shri Hans Films, Guru Maharaj Ji addresses His premies, and announces the formation of Divine United Organization. Filmed earlier this year in India, the movie primarily shows Guru Maharaj Ji sitting at His desk, as He reads the DUO Proclamation: then, turning His eyes to the camera, He gives His satsang directly to the premies viewing the film. At the Beginning of the film, the new DUO flag is shown. A brief segment at the end of the film shows our Lord at play on the ashram roof with the flag in the background. Below are the Proclamation and a transcription of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji's satsang in the film.

↑ Divine Light News by Divine Light Mission. Australia, August–September 1973
↑ "Guru Gets Testimonial And Some Pie in Face" in The New York Times. August 8, 1973, p. 43. At NYT website
↑ "15-Year Old Guru Slapped in Face by Shaving Cream Pie" in Los Angeles Times (UPI). August 8, 1973, p. 2. At L.A. Times Archives

Lede

A bearded young man pulled a shaving cream pie out of a bouquet of roses and slapped it into guru Maharaj Ji's face, then said, "I always wanted to throw a pie in God's face."
↑ "Guru Set For Honor, Gets Pie In Face" in Independent and Press-Telegram (UPI). Long Beach, Calif., Sunday, August 8, 1973, p. A-6
↑ "Guru Maharaj Ji: Ulcer" in The Washington Post. September 3, 1973, p. B7. At washingtonpost.com

Lede

DENVER -- Guru Maharaj Ji, the 15-year-old "Perfect Master" from India, has an ulcer. His doctor says the teen-age guru's body is showing the stresses of a middle-aged executive.
↑ "The 'Perfect Master' from India has an ulcer" in Stars and Stripes (AP). September 4, 1973, p. 6

↑ Carter, Malcolm N. (Associated Press Writer). "Guru Keeps Track Of Subjects With Computer" in Great Bend Tribune. Great Bend, Kansas, September 23, 1973, p 11.

Editor's Note
To a swelling number of followers, Guru Maharaj Ji is the "Perfect Master". Some even call him God. But to others, he is a pudgy, 15-year-old business titan who processes his disciples through a personnel department and keeps track of them with a computer. Here is a look at the guru and his mushrooming missionary corporation.

↑ Milner, Bart. "Casting some shadows on the movement of Divine Light" in The Times. UK, September 23, 1973
↑ And It Is Divine: Millennium Program by Shri Hans Productions, Divine Light Mission. Denver, Colorado, U.S., 1973, p. 6
↑ Rawat, Prem on The Merv Griffin Show. November 28, 1973
↑ Morgan, Ted. "Oz in the Astrodome" in The New York Times Magazine. December 9, 1973, Section 6, pp. 37-39, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 104. At NYT archive

↑ du Plessix Gray, Francine: "Blissing out in Houston" and Kelley, Ken: "Blackjack Love" in The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 No. 20. December 13, 1973, pp. 36-43.

Lede (Kelley)
Last August 7 Pat Haley, a reporter from Detroit's underground newspaper The Fifth Estate, threw a shaving cream pie in the Guru Maharaj Ji's face. 'I always wanted to throw a pie in God's face,' Haley joked afterward. A week later Haley was beaten to within an inch of his life.

↑ Winder, Gail; Horowitz, Carol. "What's Behind the 15-Year-Old Guru Maharaj Ji?" in The Realist No. 97-C. San Francisco, December 1973, pp. 1-5.
↑ Latimer, Dean. "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji and why is he saying all these terrible things about God?" in Penthouse. January 1974, pp. 65-66.
↑ Kelley, Ken. "Get Your Red-Hot Panaceas!" in The New York Times. January 19, 1974, p. 31. At NYT archive
↑ Du Plessix Gray, Francine; Kelley, Ken; Apter, Joan; et al. "Knowledge of the Guru," replies to Joan Apter and to Nicholas B. Dirks, Charles R. D. Lindley, Leela A. Wood in The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 Nos. 21 & 22. January 24, 1974
↑ Kelley, Ken. "Over the hill at 16" in Ramparts No. 12. February 1974, pp. 40-44.
↑ Goldsmith, Paul with Traum, Artie. "Bliss and Bones in the Astrodome" in Crawdaddy. February 1974, pp. 62-65
↑ Adler, Dick "TV Review: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru" in Los Angeles Times. February 23, 1974, p. B2. At L.A. Times Archives
↑ Shamberg, Michael (dir.); Prem Rawat; Rennie Davis; et al. Lord of the Universe. Top Value Television (TVTV), February 1974.
↑ O'Connor, John J. "TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers: Maharaj Ji Is Focus of P.B.S. Documentary: Astrodome Gathering Yields Splendid Show" in The New York Times. February 25, 1974, p. 53. At NYT archive
↑ Kelley, Ken. "An East Indian Teen-Ager Says He Is God" in Vogue. March 1974.
↑ The Golden Age by Divine Light Mission, Duo Productions. Australia, 1974-1979, Vol. 1-55
↑ Levine, Richard. "When The Lord of All The Universe Played Houston: Many are called but few show up" in Rolling Stone No. 156. March 14, 1974, pp. 36-50.
↑ Gortner, Marjoe. "Who Was Guru Maharaj Ji? Just think of him as a spare tire" in Oui. May 1975, pp. 90-133
↑ Scheer, Robert. "Death of the Salesman: for rennie davis (model high school student, antiwar spokesman and chief proselytizer for guru maharaj ji) the media always meant the message" in Playboy. June 1974, pp. 107-108, 112, 236, 238-240.
↑ Kelley, Ken. "I See The Light: In which a young journalist pushes a cream pie into the face of His Divine Fatness and gets his skull cracked open by two disciples" in Penthouse. July 1974, pp. 98-100, 137-138, 146, 148, 150-151.
↑ Baxter, Ernie "The multi-million dollar religion ripoff" in Argosy No. 380. August 1974, pp. 72, 77-81.
↑ Dart, John. "Maharaj Ji Buys $400,000 Home Base in Malibu Area" in Los Angeles Times. November 27, 1974, p. B2. At L.A. Times Archives

Lede

The 16-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji, the Indian-born "perfect master" who claims six million devotees worldwide, has moved his home to the Malibu foothills, it was announced Tuesday.
↑ "Maharaj Ji, Guru" in Current Biography Yearbook: 1974. H. W. Wilson Company, p. 254 ff. At Google Book Search
↑ Frazier, Deborah. "Growing Pile of Unpaid Bills Beneath Guru's Spiritual Bliss" in Sunday Journal and Star (UPI). Lincoln, Nebraska, March 23, 1975, p. 11A
↑ Riches Called Goal of Divine Light in Winnipeg Free Press (CP). March 24, 1975.

↑ "Mother Ousts Young Guru as Playboy" in Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1975, p. 2. At L.A. Times archives

Lede
The mother of Guru Maharaj Ji. the 17-year-old Indian religious leader now living in Malibu, Calif., with an American wife, renounce[d] her son today and accused him of being a playboy instead of a holy man.

Note: the next day, L.A. Times returned to the issue: MOTHER OUSTS 'PLAYBOY' GURU (p. 6A) – CALLS MAHARAJ JI A PLAYBOY: Mother Ousts Guru, 17 (p. D1)

↑ Belkind, Myron L. "Guru's mother rejects him as religion chief" in Independent/Press-Telegram (AP). Long Beach, April 2, 1975, p. 9
↑ "Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission" in the Ruston Daily Leader, April 9, 1975.
↑ "Court Halts Heiress' Money Gift To Guru" in Charleston Daily Mail (API). April 18, 1975.
↑ "Guru Maharaj Ji: Pizza, Sports Cars and Millions of Followers" in Mansfield News Journal (UPI). July 14, 1975.
↑ Rawat, Prem et al. The Sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji (Vol. 3; Part IV). Divine United Organization, Shri Sant Yogashram, Hans Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi - 110030, 1975.
↑ "Maharaj Ji Wins Fight For Mission" in The Washington Post. February 2, 1976, p. C7. At washingtonpost.com
↑ Cornell, George W. "Group Led by Teen Guru Toning Down Eastern Style" in Albuquerque Journal. March 3, 1976

↑ "Spiritual group's claims, practices are changing" in Evening Capital (AP). March 6, 1976

Lede
The asserted change comes amid extensive criticism of various novel spiritual groups including that of Maharaj Ji, from ex-members and parents, but Anctil says the opposition isn't what caused the reforms. "We're maturing," he said. "It's evolution."

↑ Mishler, Bob; Frazier, Debbie (UPI: interviewer). "Part of the mainstream" in The Golden Age No. 29. May 1976, p. 8 ff.

Lede
Recently Bob Mishler, President of Divine Light Mission, recorded an interview with Debbie Frazier of the United Press International Wire Service. The interview gives a good idea of the recent change and growth within DLM, so we've printed some excerpts from it here.

↑ Thurmond, Strom (United States Congress senator). Prem Rawat's Inspirational Message to the United States Citizen's Congress. US Congressional Record, July 20, 1976.
↑ Messer, Jeanne. "Guru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission", in The New Religious Consciousness by Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah, editors. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 1976, pp. 52-72
↑ Moberg, David O. Review of The New Religious Consciousness by Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah in The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83, No. 4. January, 1978, pp. 1074-1077. At JSTOR
↑ Élan Vital by Divine Light Mission. U.S., 1977–early 1980s, ISSN 0195-2145
↑ "Guru Maharaj Ji becomes a citizen of the U.S." in Rocky Mountain News. Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., Wednesday, October 19, 1977
↑ Como, Don (dir.); Donovan (music); Rennie Davis; Prem Rawat; et al. Aliens from Spaceship Earth. U.S., 1977. At IMDb
↑ Stoner, Carroll; Parke, Jo Anne. All Gods Children: The Cult Experience - Salvation Or Slavery?. Radnor, Pa: Chilton, 1977, ISBN 0-8019-6620-5.

↑ Foss, Daniel A. and Ralph W. Larkin. "Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji" in Sociological Analysis. Summer 1978, Vol. 39 No. 2, DOI 10.2307/3710215, pp. 157-164. At JSTOR

Abstract

This paper is the result of a two-and-a-half year participant-observation study in which the authors analyze the basis of Guru Maharaj Ji's appeal to ex-movement participants in the early 1970s. The youth movement of the 1960s had generated a reinterpretation of reality that called into question conventional reality. When the movement declined, the movement reinterpretation had no possibility for implementation. Left between a reality they rejected and one that could not be implemented, ex-movement participants experienced life as arbitrary and senseless. Guru Maharaj Ji was deified as the mirror of an incomprehensible, meaningless universe. The Divine Light Mission stripped its followers of all notions of causality while simultaneously subsuming and repudiating both conventional and movement interpretations of reality.

↑ Rawat, Prem. The Living Master: quotes from Guru Maharaj Ji. Denver: Divine Light Mission, 1978.
↑ Collier, Sophia. Soul Rush: The Odyssey of a Young Woman of the '70s. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1978, ISBN 0-688-03276-1

↑ Pilarzyk, Thomas. "The Origin, Development, and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion: An Application of Sectarianization Theory" in Review of Religious Research by Religious Research Association Archived 2008-05-19 at the Wayback Machine. Vol. 20 No. 1. Autumn 1978, pp. 23-43. At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection

Abstract

In this paper Wallis' theory of sectarianization is applied to data collected on the Divine Light Mission, a contemporary cultic movement of the American youth culture. Its development is discussed in terms of intra-organizational changes within the social context of American pluralism. The movement's short history to date largely substantiates Wallis' writings concerning the effects of cultic fragility, sectarianizing strategies and organizational constraints on movement development. The paper contributes to recent conceptual writings within the sociology of religion on youth culture movements in modern Western societies.

↑ Forster, Mark. "Firm Loyalty: Guru's Sect: Misgivings in Malibu" and "Malibu Guru Maintains Following Despite Rising Mistrust of Cults" in Los Angeles Times. January 12, 1979, p. A1, 3. At L.A. Times Archives
↑ Mishler, Bob; Tesler, Gary (interviewer). Bob Mishler Radio Interview. KOA radio station, Denver, Colorado, February 12, 1979

1 2 Brown, Chip. "Parents Versus Cult: Frustration, Kidnaping, Tears; A Question of Will: Law-Abiding Couple ... Who Became Kidnapers to Rescue Daughter from Her Guru" in The Washington Post. February 15, 1982, p. A1. At washingtonpost.com

Quotation
In addition to his ulcer, the Perfect Master who held the secret to peace and spiritual happiness 'had tremendous problems of anxiety which he combatted with alcohol,' Mishler said in a Denver radio interview in February 1979.

↑ Downton, James V., Jr. Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission. Columbia University Press, 1979, ISBN 0-231-04198-5
↑ Kemeny, Jim. "Comment: On Foss, Daniel A. and Ralph W. Larkin. 1978. 'Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji.' Sociological Analysis 39, 2: 157-164" in Sociological Analysis. Vol. 40, No. 3, Autumn 1979, pp. 262-264. At JSTOR
↑ Nelson, G. K. "A Comment on Pilarzyk's Article 'The Origin, Development and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion' (RRR, Fall, 1978)" in Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1, Theory and Policy. Autumn 1979, pp. 108-109. At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection – At Questia
↑ Pilarzyk, Thomas. "The Cultic Resilience of the Divine Light Mission: A Reply to Nelson" in Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1, Theory and Policy. Autumn 1979, pp. 109-112. At JSTOR – At Questia
↑ Price, Maeve. "The Divine Light Mission as a social organization" in The Sociological Review (Keele) Vol. 27. 1979, pp. 279-296. At CAT.INIST
↑ Buckley, P. and Galanter, M. "Mystical Experience, spiritual knowledge, and a contemporary ecstatic religion" in British Journal of Medical Psychology. No. 52, 1979, pp. 281- 289.
↑ Davis, Ivor. "Malibu opposes plan to build heliport for Divine Light guru" in The Times. December 19, 1979, p. 12.
↑ Rawat, Prem. Light Reading. Miami Beach, Florida: Divine Light Mission, 1980.
↑ Rudin, James A. & Marcia R. Prison or Paradise?: The New Religious Cults. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980, ISBN 0-8006-0637-X, p. 63-65

↑ Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "The Limits of 'Coercive Persuasion' as an Explanation for Conversion to Authoritarian Sects" in Political Psychology by International Society of Political Psychology, Vol. 2, No. 2. Summer 1980, pp. 22-37. At JSTOR

Abstract

This paper offers a critique of the application of models of "coercive persuasion" to processes of conversion and commitment within religious movements. Although models of coercive persuasion have a definite, if limited, heuristic value in the analysis of identity transformation within relatively authoritarian groups, current applications to "cults" have involved a number of distortions which appear to be related to the pejorative use of these models as conceptual weapons to legitimate coercive measures employed to "rescue" allegedly "brainwashed" devotees. Key problem areas include: (1) overgeneralized "cult" stereotypes; (2) implicit equation of religious movements with government-operated institutions employing forcible constraint (e.g., POW camps); (3) assumptions that persons subjected to certain persuasive techniques necessarily lack "free will"; and (4) methodological problems arising from exclusive or primary reliance upon the testimony of ex-converts who have negotiated their accounts in persuasive relationships with therapists or deprogrammers.

↑ Stones, C. R. and Philbrick, J. I. "Purpose in Life in South Africa: A Comparison of American and South African Beliefs" in Psychological Reports Vol. 47. 1980, pp. 739–42.

Description ()

In South Africa, researchers investigated converts from three new religious movements: People of Jesus, Divine Light Mission and ISKCON. Twenty-five members were studied from each movement; in addition, 25 clergymen who were to enter a Catholic seminary were studied. The research showed that in the first four months after having joined the movement or seminary, meaning in life, as measured by the Crumbaugh and Maholick Purpose in Life Test (1969), significantly increased. [...] High scores with regard to the meaning in life after conversion, which was even higher than the average for well-adapted Americans, indicates that religious conversion, regardless of the kind of religious group, has positive therapeutic effect on existential crisis and may counteract the possible development of noogenic neurosis.

↑ Aagaard, Johannes (1980). "Who Is Who In Guruism?". Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements Vol. IV No. 3 . Dialogcentret. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
↑ Kriegman, Daniel. A Psycho-social Study of Religious Cults From the Perspective of Self Psychology, Appendix A: "The Guru Mahara Ji Group: An experiential description: the journey to God". Boston University, pp. 164-188 (references: pp. 218-220)

↑ Downton, James V., Jr. "An Evolutionary Theory of Spiritual Conversion and Commitment: The Case of Divine Light Mission" in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. ISSN 0021-8294, December 1980, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 381-396. At JSTOR

Abstract

Contrary to the widespread popular belief that conversion is a radical change of personality, this article offers the alternative view of conversion and commitment as being evolutionary in their development. Based on intensive interviews with the followers of Guru Maharaj Ji, the guru of Divine Light Mission, it traces the stages and steps followers took in becoming devotees. Examined sequentially, these stages and steps are viewed as a theoretical structure for the comparative analysis of other religious movements and the stages are briefly compared to the theory of conversion offered by Lofland and Stark.

↑ (in Dutch) Lammers, Jos. "Het concern van Guru Maharaj ji: Vijf jaar zakenman in dienst van de verlichting" in Haagse Post Vol. 68 No. 7. 1981-02-14, pp. 48-53.
↑ "1-Year Trial OKd for Sect's Helipad" in Los Angeles Times. May 22, 1981, p. F6. At L.A. Times Archives
↑ Dotter v. Maine Employment Sec. Commission, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 435 A.2d 1368, argued March 2, 1981 - decided October 19, 1981. Web copy at Wikisource
↑ McGuire, Meredith B. Religion: the Social Context. Belmont California : Wadsworth Publishing, fifth edition, 2002, ISBN 0-534-54126-7, Ch. 5 "The Dynamics of Religious Collectivities", section "How Religious Collectivities Develop and Change", sub-section "Organizational Transformations", p. 175. first edition of this book was 1981, ISBN 0-534-00951-4

↑ Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "Deprogramming, Brainwashing and the Medicalization of Deviant Religious Groups" in Social Problems by Society for the Study of Social Problems Vol. 29 No. 3. University of California Press, February 1982, pp. 283-297 At JSTOR

Abstract

Critics claim the brainwashing techniques cults use to win converts have pathological consequences. Deprogramming has restored numerous converts to a state accepted by parents and therapists as normal. The medicalization of the cult phenomena, and its conceptualization as a mental health problem, has expanded the jurisdiction of the medical profession into the areas of religion and social movements.

↑ Schwartz, Lita Linzer; Kaslow, Florence W. "The Cult Phenomenon: Historical, Sociological, and Familial Factors Contributing to Their Development and Appeal" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 3-30. At Haworth Press
↑ Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "Cults, Culture, and Community" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 57-79. At Haworth Press
↑ Ottenberg, Donald J. "Therapeutic Community and the Danger of the Cult Phenomenon" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4, Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 151-173. At Haworth Press

↑ (in Dutch) Schnabel, Paul. Tussen stigma en charisma: nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en geestelijke volksgezondheid ("Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health"). Van Loghum Slaterus, Deventer (Netherlands), 1982, ISBN 90-6001-746-3. On-line version in Digital library for Dutch literature (2007): Ch. II p. 32, Ch. III A.1 p. 53, Ch. IV C p. 99, 101-102, Ch. V p. 142.

Quotations
(p. 53) ... de voor Nederland relevante cijfers ... begin 1981 ...		... numbers relevant for the Netherlands ... early 1981 ...
1.	Divine Light Mission - naar schatting hoogstens nog 150 aanhangers in Nederland, waarvan in 1980 ongeveer 15 in communaal verband leven. De beweging lijkt op zijn retour.	1.	Divine Light Mission - estimated at most 150 adherents remaining for the Netherlands, of which in 1980 approximately 15 lived in a community setting. The movement appears to be over the hill.
(p. 99) De meest zuivere voorbeelden van charismatisch leiderschap zijn op dit moment wel Bhagwan en Maharaj Ji. Daaruit blijkt meteen al hoe persoonlijke kwaliteiten alleen onvoldoende zijn voor de erkenning van het charismatisch leiderschap. De intelligente, steeds wisselende en dagelijks optredende Bhagwan is niet meer een charismatisch leider dan de verwende materialistische en intellectueel weinig opmerkelijke Maharaj Ji. Als charismatisch leider hebben beiden overigens wel een eigen publiek en een eigen functie.		The purest examples of charismatic leadership are at this moment, still, Bhagwan and Maharaj Ji. This shows immediately that personal qualities alone are insufficient for the recognition of the charismatic leadership. The intelligent, ever-changing Bhagwan who gives daily performances is not more a charismatic leader than the pampered materialistic and intellectually quite unremarkable Maharaj Ji. As charismatic leaders, they, by the way, both have their own audience and their own function.
(p. 101-102) Tegelijkertijd betekent dit echter ook, dat charismatisch leiderschap als zodanig tot op grote hoogte ensceneerbaar is. Maharaj Ji is daar een voorbeeld van. In zekere zin gaat het hier om geroutiniseerd charisma (erfopvolging), maar voor de volgelingen in Amerika en Europa geldt dat toch nauwelijks: zij waren bereid in juist hem te geloven en er was rond Maharaj Ji een hele organisatie die dat geloof voedde en versterkte.		At the same time, this means however that charismatic leadership, as such, can also to a high degree be staged. Maharaj Ji is an example of this. Certainly, Maharaj Ji's leadership can be seen as routinized charisma (hereditary succession), but for the followers in America and Europe this is hardly significant: they were prepared to have faith specifically in him and Maharaj Ji was embedded in a whole organisation that fed and reinforced that faith.
(Ch. V: reference texts by Jan van der Lans quoted by Schnabel) Lans, Jan van der. "Religious Experience: An Argument for a multidisciplinary approach" in Annual Review of the Social Sciences of Religion 1, 1977, pp. 133-143. Lans, Jan van der. Volgelingen van de goeroe: Hedendaagse religieuze bewegingen in Nederland. Ambo, Baarn, 1981, ISBN 90-263-0521-4.

↑ "Whatever Happened to Guru Maharaj Ji?" in Hinduism Today by Himalayan Academy, United States, ISSN 0896-0801, October 1983. Web copy at hinduismtoday.com
↑ Derks, Frans; Jan M. van der Lans. "Subgroups in Divine Light Mission Membership: A Comment on Downton" in Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West : proceedings of the 1981 Annual Conference of the British Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Study Group by Eileen Barker (ed.) Macon, GA : Mercer University Press, 1984, ISBN 0-86554-095-0 pp. 303-308
↑ (in French) Chagnon, Roland. Trois nouvelles religions de la lumière et du son: la Science de la spiritualité, Eckankar, la Mission de la lumière divine. Montréal: Éd. Paulines and Paris: Médiaspaul, 1985, ISBN 2-89039-985-0.
↑ (in French) Champion, Françoise. "Chagnon (Roland) Trois nouvelles religions de la lumière et du son: La Science de la spiritualité, Eckankar, La Mission de la Lumière Divine" in Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions Vol. 62 No. 2. 1986, ISSN 1777-5825, p. 242. At Persee.fr
↑ Kriegman, Daniel; Solomon, L. "Cult groups and the narcissistic personality: The offer to heal defects in the self" in International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 35:2. 1985, pp. 239-261.
↑ Pasternak, Judy. "Maharaji Denied in Bid to Triple Copter Use" in Los Angeles Times. July 7, 1985, p. 1. At L.A. Times Archives

↑ Lans, Jan M. van der; Derks, Frans. "Premies Versus Sannyasins" in Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements by Dialogcentret, Vol. X No. 2. 14 June 1986.

Abstract

It is argued that Divine Light Mission and Rajneeshism are excellent examples of early and late post-movement groups (Foss & Larkin, 1978). Rajneeshism’s stance towards the dominant culture is much more radical. Its ideology not only implies a resection of the socially accepted means to find "truth," it also disclaims the final product of those means, that is, the content of socially accepted truth. Divine Light Mission’s ideology mainly deals with the means employed to come to "knowledge." Consequently, it is hypothesized that both movements will recruit their members from different populations. Although an inspection of personal characteristics in terms of age, education, religious background, and time of seekership shows no difference, it is found that premies' pre-conversion seeking proceeded mostly along paths of individual experiences, while sannyasins had been seeking more along interpersonal paths. Additional differences concern the evaluation of pre-adolescent family life, especially personal religious experiences during childhood.

↑ DuPertuis, Lucy. "How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission" in Sociological Analysis: A Journal in the Sociology of Religion Vol. 47 No. 2 by Association for the Sociology of Religion. Chicago, summer 1986, ISSN 0038-0210, pp. 111-124. At oxfordjournals.org At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection

Abstract

This paper examines the recognition of charisma as an active, conscious social process involving the confirmation of belief through non-cognitive methods of altering perception. In the illustrative case of Sant Mat/Radhasoami/Divine Light Mission tradition the Hindu concept and ritual of darshan is examined. Devotees use meditative means to recognize charisma in the guru considered as the formless Absolute, as himself, and as a "presence" generated within the community of followers. The aim on all three levels is ecstatic merging of a separate sense of self with the Absolute,. It is conjectured that once Westerners learned this they no longer felt need of the guru. The discussion calls for further research on social components of mystical practices.

↑ "New Hindu Religious Movements in India" by Arvind Sharma, in New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change by James A. Beckford. Unesco/Sage Publications: London, 1986, ISBN 0-8039-8003-5, p. 224
↑ Galanter, Marc. Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion. Oxford University Press, May 4, 1989, ISBN 0-19-505631-0. Second edition: 1999, ISBN 0-19-512369-7 – ISBN 0-19-512370-0
↑ Favazza, Armando. "Cults: Faith, Healing, and Coercion, 2nd ed." in The American Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 159. June 2002, pp. 1074-1075
↑ Tucker, Ruth A. Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement U.S., Zondervan, 2004, ISBN 0-310-25937-1 (first edition was 1989 ISBN 0-310-40440-1), p. 320, p. 364-365

From publisher's presentation

Ruth A. Tucker's book is a comprehensive survey of all the major alternative religions in the United States, including the new groups since the 1960s
↑ Björkqvist, Kaj. "World-rejection, world-affirmation, and goal displacement: some aspects of change in three new religious movements of Hindu origin" in Encounter with India: Studies in Neohinduism edited by Nils G. Holm. Finland, Åbo Akademi, 1990, ISBN 951-649-731-4, pp. 79-99
↑ McIlwain, Doris J. F. Impatient for paradise: a rites of passage model of the role of the psychological predispositions in determining differential openness to involvement in new religious movements. PhD Doctorate, University of Sydney, 1990. At Sydney eScholarship Repository (June 2006)
↑ Melton, J. Gordon. "Guru Maharaj Ji" in Religious Leaders of America: A Biographical Guide to Founders and Leaders of Religious Bodies, Churches, and Spiritual Groups in North America. Detroit, Michigan, Gale, 1991, pp. 285-286; Second edition: Gale Group, 1999, ISBN 0-8103-8878-2; Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Gale, 2008

↑ Juergensmeyer, Mark. Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-691-01092-7, pp. 206-207. First edition was 1991, ISBN 0-691-07378-3

Publisher's description

In this book, Mark Juergensmeyer seeks to explain why the religious logic of Radhasoami, which is based on the teachings of medieval Hindu saints, is so compelling to hundreds of thousands of businessmen, intellectuals, office managers, and other urban professionals in North India. Juergensmeyer addresses the perplexing relationship between modernity and religious faith and examines it from historical, sociological, and phenomenological points of view.

↑ Mangalwadi, Vishal and Hoeksema, Kurt. The world of gurus: a critical look at the philosophies of India’s influential gurus and mystics. Cornerstone Pr Chicago, revised edition (1992), ISBN 0-940895-03-X, pp. 137-138

↑ "Elan Vital" in Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains by The Institute for the Study of American Religion (J. Gordon Melton, Project Director - James R. Lewis, Senior Research Associate). 1993. At Internet Archive: MS Word document – text format

From the introduction of the chapter on Sikh/Sant Mat Groups
[...] one Sant Mat group which had separated itself from the tradition in India enjoyed great success in the West in the 1970s as the Divine Light Mission under the then‑youthful Guru Maharaj Ji. That group[s] has recently assumed a very low profile and changed its name to Elan Vital.

↑ Barbour, John D. Versions of Deconversion: Autobiography and the Loss of Faith. University of Virginia Press, 1994, ISBN 0-8139-1546-5, p. 170 ff. Presentation and limited preview at Google Books
↑ (in French) Gest, Alain et al. N° 2468: Rapport Fait au nom de la commission d'enquête sur les sectes, Ch. I.B: "Un phénomène difficile à mesurer. France: National Assembly, Parliamentary Commission on Cults (1995), 1995-12-22, p. 14 ff.
↑ Melton, J. Gordon. "Maharaj Ji, Guru" in Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 4th edition, Gale, p. 803; 5th edition, Thomson Gale, 2000, ISBN 0-8103-8570-8; Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Gale, 2008.
↑ Winter, Mark et al. The Divine Times: Special Edition 17 July 1996. 17 July 1996

↑ Scheer, Robert. "How I Was Stood Up by the Venusians: Even a brief encounter with a cult's absurdity reveals its power to attract" in Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1997, p. 7. At L.A. Times Archives

Quotation

[...] there was one time when I got to cover God and experienced the full rapture of tens of thousands of believers cast suddenly into his presence here on Earth. That was at a weeklong encampment at the Houston Astrodome in 1973, when God appeared as a chubby and giggly 13-year-old Indian named Guru Mahara Ji. I was following the guru because he was rapidly making celebrity converts, including Rennie Davis, then well-known as a defendant in the Chicago Seven trial.

1 2 Jones, Rebecca. "Former Guru on a Different Mission" in Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, January 30, 1998 Available via HighBeam Research

Quotation

For an extensive backgrounder on [Guru Maharaj-Ji], his successes and his foibles, check out the Web site www.ex-premie.org.
1 2 Hassan, Steve et al. Elan Vital page at Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. website. Accessed 2008-08-09.

1 2 "Blinded by the Light" in Good Weekend, Sydney, Australia, August 31, 2002, pp. 38-42.

Lede
Back in 1972, John Macgregor fell under the spell of Guru Maharaji, a plump 14-year-old who promised – and for a while delivered – divine peace of mind. The former follower recalls, on the eve of Maharaji’s latest Australian visit, his 28-year journey to disillusionment.

Quotation

In 1996, Canadian lawyer and ex-premie Jim Heller was cruising the early cult newsgroups on the Internet, looking for some mention of Maharaji. Nothing. Then, slowly, other ex-premies materialised, including one who happened to have web design skills: www.ex-premie.org was born. As bits of information – recollections, documents, photos – trickled into the web site from all over the world, an entirely new picture of the Perfect Master began to emerge. As Heller argues, "Without [the Net], I’d have been just another guy with some quirky past who, if I was lucky, might get a chance to hash it all out in an airport bar with some other former comrade 20 years down the line. But the Net has spurred us all on to being cold-case detectives – scrutinising our collective past with the benefit of maturity, hindsight and relief from the information-deprivation all cults seem to thrive on."

↑ "Working the web: Cults" in The Guardian, Technology news & features section, p. 4. London, UK, February 13, 2003.

Quotation

Remember the Divine Light Mission? [...] Recovering members can be seen licking their wounds at www.ex-premie.org [...]
1 2 '"Premies" Complain to Google of "Ex-Premie.org" site' by Chilling Effects, 2003.

1 2 Geaves, Ron. "From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: an Exploration of Change and Adaptation" in Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions Vol. 7 No. 3. March 2004, pp. 45–62. Originally presented at 2002 International Conference on Minority Religions, Social Change and Freedom of Conscience (University of Utah at Salt Lake City). At Caliber (Journals of the University of California Press)

Abstract

The following article will put forward the argument that it is necessary to take into account the worldview of the insider in order to appreciate the coherence or “rationality” of actions of a religious spiritual teacher or organization. As a case study, the article examines the transformations that have occurred in the organizational forms utilized by Prem Rawat (a.k.a. Maharaji). While bringing readers up to date with Maharaji's activities since the 1980s, I argue that these developments owe more to Maharaji's self-perception of his role as a master and his wish to universalize the message historically located in the teachings of individual sant iconoclasts, than to external or internal pressures brought to bear upon the organizational forms themselves.

Quotation

In addition, [Rawat] now faces the added difficulties of the cultural suspicion of new movements in the face of over twenty-five years of anticult publicity from the Western media. Although not attracting media coverage himself, a small but vociferous minority of ex-followers, unable to accommodate change and showing signs of considerable cognitive dissonance, has cornered the market as Maharaji's opposition, determined to destroy his reputation through public denunciation on their website.³⁷
...
³⁷ For the perspective of this group of dissatisfied ex-followers see < http://www.ex-premie.org >, accessed April 2002.

1 2 Mather, George; Nichols, Larry A.; Schmidt, Alvin J. "ELAN VITAL / DIVINE LIGHT MISSION" in Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition. Zondervan, August 1, 2006, ISBN 0-310-23954-0

Quotation

[...] www.ex-premie.org (a website of Maharaji's ex-followers)
1 2 Metz, Cade. "Wikipedia ruled by 'Lord of the Universe'" in The Register. February 6, 2008
↑ Lewis, James R. Cults ¹[in America]: A Reference Handbook. ABC-Clio, Contemporary World Issues series, 1998: ISBN 1-57607-031-X – ²2005: ISBN 1-85109-618-3, pp. 84-85, 121-122, 286-287, 307-308. At Google Book Search
↑ Richardson, James T. "Divine Light Mission" in Encyclopedia of Religion and Society (William H. Swatos, Jr., ed.). Rowman Altamira, 1998, ISBN 0-7619-8956-0, p. 141. Web copy at Hartford Institute for Religion Research website
↑ Melton, J. Gordon. "Brainwashing and the Cults: The Rise and Fall of a Theory" in forthcoming The Brainwashing Controversy: An Anthology of Essential Documents edited by J. Gordon Melton and Massimo Introvigne. CESNUR, 1999. At CESNUR website
↑ Abgrall, Jean-Marie. Soul Snatchers: The Mechanics of Cults (English translation of La mécanique des sectes). New York, Algora Publishing, 2000, ISBN 1-892941-04-X p. 285
↑ Rhodes, Ron The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response. Zondervan, 2001, ISBN 0-310-23217-1, pp. 32, 170.

↑ Barrett, David V. The New Believers: Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions. Cassell, 2001–2003, ISBN 0-304-35592-5 – ISBN 1-84403-040-7, p. 65 & p. 325-329: Part Two: Alternative Religions & Other Groups, Ch. 14: Eastern Movements in the West, Elan Vital.

Presentation on dedicated website

The New Believers covers the origin, history, beliefs, practices and controversies of 60+ new religious movements, including the Family (formerly the Children of God), International Church of Christ, Osho (Rajneesh), New Kadampa Tradition, Wicca, Druidry, Chaos Magick, Scientology etc. The New Believers incorporates the fully revised, updated and much-expanded text of the author’s well-received Sects, "Cults" & Alternative Religions (1996), plus much more, with ten completely new chapters including:

Is it a cult, or a real religion?—The problem of definition
Sects appeal—Conversion, recruitment, mind control or brainwashing?
Would you let your daughter marry one?—Problems for families of members
Cults that kill—How, why, and can it happen again?
Watching the watchers—The variety of cult experts

plus a major case study, "Schism in a Sect", on the Worldwide Church of God and its many offshoots; addresses and websites of every movement in the book; and dozens of rarely seen photographs. Detailed, authoritative, challenging and often controversial, The New Believers is essential reading for anyone with a personal or professional interest in sects, “cults” and new religions and their effects on members and their families.

↑ Kent, Stephen A. From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era. Syracuse University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8156-2923-0 ISBN 0-8156-2948-6. At Syracuse University Press

Publisher's summary

This book takes a provocative look at the early 1970s—an often overlooked yet colorful period when the Vietnam War and student protests were on the wane as new religious groups grew in size and visibility. Description Certainly, religious strains were evident through postwar popular culture from the 1950s Beat generation into the 1960s drug counterculture, but the explosion of nontraditional religions during the early 1970s was unprecedented. This phenomenon took place in the United States (and at the edges of American-influenced Canadian society) among young people who had been committed to bringing about what they called "the revolution" but were converting to a wide variety of Eastern and Western mystical and spiritual movements. Stephen Kent maintains that the failure of political activism led former radicals to become involved with groups such as the Hare Krishnas, Scientology, Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, the Jesus movement, and the Children of God. Drawing on scholarly literature, alternative press reportage, and personal narratives, Kent shows how numerous activists turned from psychedelia and political activism to guru worship and spiritual quest as a response to the failures of social protest—and as a new means of achieving societal change.

↑ Words of Peace (US site)
↑ eu/en site
↑ Rawat, Prem. Clarity. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2003, ISBN 0-9740627-1-5
↑ "Maharaj Ji" in The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography. U.S., 2003, ISBN 0-618-25210-X, p. 994
↑ Jackson, Sally. "Court lets 'cult' gag journalist" in The Australian. March 11, 2004, p. 21.
↑ O’Regan, Mick (host); Macgregor, John; et al. "Suppression Orders & the Media" in The Media Report on ABC Radio National. Australia, 18 March 2004. Transcript at ABC website

↑ Thomas, Hedley. "Peace at a price" in The Courier-Mail. Australia, April 24, 2004, p. 35.

Lede
Thousands of devotees mill about the tent sites pitched for an international love-in with the Maharaji. But, as Hedley Thomas tells, there are unhappy campers trying to bring the affluent peace guru down a peg or two

↑ Words of Peace by Prem Rawat receives TV Award in Brazil by The Prem Rawat Foundation
↑ Rawat, Prem; Wolf, Burt (interviewer). Inner Journey: A Spirited Conversation About Self-discovery. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2005, ASIN B000EDUGI4, OCLC 85767576. Video excerpts at tprf.org
↑ Rawat, Prem. Maharaji at Thamamssat University. May 17, 2005. At Wikisource
↑ "US names June 16 after Indian." in Times of India June 30, 2005
↑ "About Us". Raj Vidya Kender. 2006. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
↑ Geaves, Ron. "Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji)" in Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Vol. 2. UK, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4196-2696-8, pp. 44-62. "Online version at the "Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Association" website" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-06-14.
↑ Geaves, Ron. "From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of Forty Years as a "Master" (1966-2006)" in Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America by Eugene V. Gallagher and W. Michael Ashcraft (eds.) US, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-275-98712-4, Vol. IV: Asian Traditions, pp. 63-84
↑ "Prem Rawat's "Words of Peace" Receives Brazilian TV Award". The Prem Rawat Foundation. 2006-12-20. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

↑ Cagan, Andrea. Peace is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat. Mighty River Press, U.S., January 2007, ISBN 0-9788694-9-4, OCLC 123014238. Preview at publisher's website

Quotation (from author's note)

[...] when I discovered that Maharaji rarely stayed in one place for more than a few days at a stretch, the concept of personal interviews with him to gather information seemed impractical and next to impossible. So, in preparation for this book, I decided to interview those who knew him well, and I met with everyone from his cook to his photographer, from his friends to his lifelong students. I taped conversations, I watched DVDs, and I read his talks that have been meticulously saved for posterity. Finally, after reviewing thousands of pages of interviews and media clippings, watching many of his taped addresses, and speaking to a multitude of people who knew him during different phases of his life, a picture began to emerge.

↑ Mendick, Robert. "Cult leader gives cash to Lord Mayor appeal" in Evening Standard. London, 2007-05-31, p. 4. At HighBeam Research

↑ Rawat, Prem et al. Prem Rawat at Guildhall, London. 2007-06-01. Transcript (excerpt) at tprf.org

Publisher's presentation
Prem Rawat was the keynote speaker at a gala event called "Giving From The Heart", hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, England at Guildhall in honor of The Prem Rawat Foundation's contribution to Voluntary Service Overseas' efforts in Mozambique. The event was attended by government and civic leaders, diplomats, and members of the international media.

↑ Rossiter, Joe. "Patrick Halley: Outgoing reporter lived colorful life" in Detroit Free Press. November 25, 2007
↑ Mendick, Robert. "Guru followers asked to target Gandhi party" in Evening Standard (November 30, 2007) and Gulf Times (2 December 2007). At HighBeam Research (Evening Standard) – At Gulf Times website

↑ Rawat, Prem; Robles, Marta (interviewer). Journey Within: a conversation between journalist Marta Robles and Prem Rawat, Barcelona, Spain. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2007. Video excerpts at tprf.org

Publisher's presentation
An hour-long conversation between Prem Rawat and journalist Marta Robles. Ms. Robles has been one of the most popular anchors and show hosts on Spanish radio and television for more than 15 years. Prem Rawat has traveled the world for more than four decades, inspiring people to find peace within.

↑ Bromley, David G. Teaching New Religious Movements (Aar Teaching Religious Studies Series, American Academy of Religion). 2007, ISBN 0-19-517729-0

External links

Prem Rawat on IMDb
Works by or about Prem Rawar and related organizations in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[AP165-13-1] 1 2 Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains by U.S. Department of the Army, published 2001 by The Minerva Group, ISBN 0-89875-607-3 - reprint of Army Pamphlet 165-13, published in 1978 by Kirchner Associates in Honolulu, p. II-5 ff.

Quotation

Following his death, Shri Hans Ji appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji as the next Perfect Master and therefore he assumed the head of the Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father.

[2] "Guru Maharaj Ji was twelve years old when he gave the following discourse at the 1970 Hans Jayanti. Here he proclaimed that he was going to establish peace on the earth. The effect of this satsang was so profound that it has become known as the 'Peace Bomb'. Hundreds of thousands of people wept to hear him, but their tears were all of love." in And It Is Divine. Divine Light Mission, 1972.

[3] "The Peace Bomb" in The Golden Age. Divine Light Mission, Australia, November 1978, No. 49, pp. 15-21

[SatguruHasCome1973-4] 1 2 Mahatma Ashokanand and Jaques Sandoz (directors). Satguru Has Come. Shri Hans Films, 1972

[Kranenborg1982-5] 1 2 (in Dutch) Kranenborg, Reender. Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen ("Eastern faith movements in the West"). 1982, ISBN 90-210-4965-1

Quotation

(p. 64) In 1969 stuurt Maharaj ji de eerste discipel naar het Westen. In het daaropvolgende jaar houdt hij een toespraak in Delhi voor een gehoor van duizenden mensen. Deze toespraak staat bekend als de 'vredesbom' en is het begin van de grote zending naar het Westen. In 1969 Maharaj ji sends the first disciple to the West. In the next year he holds a speech for an audience of thousands of people in Delhi. This speech is known as the 'peace bomb' and is the start of the great mission to the West.

[HindustanTimes1970-11-09-6] Hindustan Times. India, 9 November 1970

Quotation

Roads in the Capital spilled over with 1,000,000 processionists, men, women and children marched from Indra Prasha Estate to the India Gate lawn. [...] People had come from all over the country and belonged to several religions. A few Europeans dressed in white were also in the procession.

[NavbharatTimes1970-11-10-7] (in Hindi) Navbharat Times. India, 10 November 1970

Quotation (translated)

A three-day event in commemoration of Sri Hans Ji Maharaj, the largest procession in Delhi history of 18 miles of processionists culminating in a public event at India Gate, where Sant Ji Maharaj addressed the large gathering.

[8] Guinness Book of World Records. Sterling Publishing, 1970

[9] "Hallelujah! The mini Guru, aged 13, cometh" in Evening Standard. London, UK, June 17, 1971

[10] "Worshippers greet the boy guru 'straight from Heaven'" in Daily Mirror, London, UK, June 18, 1971, p. 12

[11] Neal, Peter (director). Glastonbury Fayre (1972 documentary, commercial release)

[Creem1974-12] 1 2 Elman, Richard. "Godhead Hi-Jinx: Staring the Guru Maharaj Ji" in Creem. March 1974, p. 37-39

Quotation

The Maharaj Ji made his first Western appearance in 1971 at England's Glastonbury pop festival. He cruised up to the stage in a white Rolls Royce and harangued the crowd about peace and the one true path to salvation until a merciful stagehand cut off the power on his microphone.

[StreetLife1976-13] 1 2 Brown, Mick. "Perfect Master and unholy squabbles: The Guru comes of age" in Street Life magazine. UK, April 17–30, 1976, pp. 18-19

Quotation

GURU MAHARAJ Ji made his first public appearance in England in 1971 at the Glastonbury Festival - a final spasm in the death-throes of what was the love and - peace movement. Glastonbury is a place of legends, Arthurian, Christian, and mystical, and the Gurus appearance was imbued with appropriate cosmic significance. It was said that the position of the planets on an alignment with Glastonbury at the time of the Festival would herald the dawn of a new, Golden Age and the coming of a Great Man. Two rainbows appearing in the sky would signal his arrival. The thirteen-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji astonished festival organisers and the assembled multitudes by turning up unannounced in a White Rolls Royce, taking over the stage, and delivering an impromptu five-minute satsang (literally, 'truth talk') before the power on the microphone was cut. The next day, so the legend has it, two rainbows appeared in a clear blue sky.

[14] "Lost weekends" in The Guardian. June 18, 2004

Quotation

They have been lectured on the transience of possessions by a guru, who may have undermined his argument somewhat by being chauffeur-driven to the stage in a Rolls Royce.

[Newsweek1971-08-02-15] "Boy Guru" in Newsweek. August 2, 1971, p. 72

[16] Allen, Henry. "Pretty Far-Out Little Dude" in The Washington Post. September 14, 1971, p. B1. At thewashingtonpost.com

[17] Rawat, Prem. "Colorado Satsang: The following discourse was given by Guru Maharaj Ji on the 17th of September, 1971, at Boulder, Colorado" in Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?. 1973.

[DivineTimes-18] Divine Times by Divine Light Mission, U.S., 1970s

[TheDivineTimes-19] The Divine Times by Divine Light Mission, UK, from early 1970s

[TheTimes1972-10-23-20] 1 2 "Pilgrims jet to see Divine Light" in The Times. London, October 23, 1972, p. 12

[21] Rawat, Prem. Reflections on an Indian Sunrise. Divine Light Mission, 1972.

[Melton1986-22] 1 2 3 4 Melton, J. Gordon. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. New York/London: Garland, 1986 (revised edition), ISBN 0-8240-9036-5, pp. 141-145.

[WhoisGMJ1973-23] 1 2 Cameron, Charles (Ed.); Rennie Davis (Introduction). Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?. Bantam Books, Inc., 1973

[24] "Guru's 'Bank' Seized" in Los Angeles Times (Reuters). Los Angeles, November 9, 1972, p. A15. At L.A. Times Archives

[TheTimes1972-11-19-25] "India investigates guru's finances" in The Times (AP). London, November 19, 1972, p. 8

[TIME1972-26] "Junior Guru" in TIME. November 27, 1972. Available at TIME website

[27] Daniel, Leon. "15-Year-Old Hottest Star of Guru Circuit" in Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, December 10, 1972, p. C8. At L.A. Times Archives

Abstract

The hottest star on the international guru circuit these days is 15-year-old Maharaj Ji, a chubby cherub who transmits something his transported devotees call perfect knowledge.

[AndItIsDivine-28] And It Is Divine by Shri Hans Productions, Divine Light Mission. U.S., mid-1970s

[29] Blue Aquarius (Bhole Ji's band). Blue Aquarius. Stax: Gospel Truth Series, GTS-2725

[30] "Guru's Pupil Slates Talk" in Syracuse Post-Standard. February 3, 1973, p. 3

[DUO1973-31] "World Set Up to Provide for Mankind: Divine Satsang Filmed" in Divine Times Vol. II No. 6 by Shri Hans Productions (DLM). Denver, Colorado, April 1, 1973

Introduction

By the Divine Times press date of April 1, [1973] the DUO film should have reached distribution to ashrams and premie houses around the nation. In this 16-minute presentation from Shri Hans Films, Guru Maharaj Ji addresses His premies, and announces the formation of Divine United Organization. Filmed earlier this year in India, the movie primarily shows Guru Maharaj Ji sitting at His desk, as He reads the DUO Proclamation: then, turning His eyes to the camera, He gives His satsang directly to the premies viewing the film. At the Beginning of the film, the new DUO flag is shown. A brief segment at the end of the film shows our Lord at play on the ashram roof with the flag in the background. Below are the Proclamation and a transcription of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji's satsang in the film.

[32] Divine Light News by Divine Light Mission. Australia, August–September 1973

[NYT1973-08-08-33] "Guru Gets Testimonial And Some Pie in Face" in The New York Times. August 8, 1973, p. 43. At NYT website

[LAT1973-08-08-34] "15-Year Old Guru Slapped in Face by Shaving Cream Pie" in Los Angeles Times (UPI). August 8, 1973, p. 2. At L.A. Times Archives

Lede

A bearded young man pulled a shaving cream pie out of a bouquet of roses and slapped it into guru Maharaj Ji's face, then said, "I always wanted to throw a pie in God's face."

[I-PT1973-08-08-35] "Guru Set For Honor, Gets Pie In Face" in Independent and Press-Telegram (UPI). Long Beach, Calif., Sunday, August 8, 1973, p. A-6

[WP1973-09-03-36] "Guru Maharaj Ji: Ulcer" in The Washington Post. September 3, 1973, p. B7. At washingtonpost.com

Lede

DENVER -- Guru Maharaj Ji, the 15-year-old "Perfect Master" from India, has an ulcer. His doctor says the teen-age guru's body is showing the stresses of a middle-aged executive.

[SAS1973-09-04-37] "The 'Perfect Master' from India has an ulcer" in Stars and Stripes (AP). September 4, 1973, p. 6

[GBT1973-09-23-38] Carter, Malcolm N. (Associated Press Writer). "Guru Keeps Track Of Subjects With Computer" in Great Bend Tribune. Great Bend, Kansas, September 23, 1973, p 11.

Editor's Note

To a swelling number of followers, Guru Maharaj Ji is the "Perfect Master". Some even call him God. But to others, he is a pudgy, 15-year-old business titan who processes his disciples through a personnel department and keeps track of them with a computer. Here is a look at the guru and his mushrooming missionary corporation.

[39] Milner, Bart. "Casting some shadows on the movement of Divine Light" in The Times. UK, September 23, 1973

[40] And It Is Divine: Millennium Program by Shri Hans Productions, Divine Light Mission. Denver, Colorado, U.S., 1973, p. 6

[41] Rawat, Prem on The Merv Griffin Show. November 28, 1973

[NYTM1973-12-09-42] Morgan, Ted. "Oz in the Astrodome" in The New York Times Magazine. December 9, 1973, Section 6, pp. 37-39, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 104. At NYT archive

[NYRB1973-12-13-43] u Plessix Gray, Francine: "Blissing out in Houston" and Kelley, Ken: "Blackjack Love" in The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 No. 20. December 13, 1973, pp. 36-43.

Lede (Kelley)

Last August 7 Pat Haley, a reporter from Detroit's underground newspaper The Fifth Estate, threw a shaving cream pie in the Guru Maharaj Ji's face. 'I always wanted to throw a pie in God's face,' Haley joked afterward. A week later Haley was beaten to within an inch of his life.

[Realist1973-12-44] Winder, Gail; Horowitz, Carol. "What's Behind the 15-Year-Old Guru Maharaj Ji?" in The Realist No. 97-C. San Francisco, December 1973, pp. 1-5.

[Latimer1974-45] Latimer, Dean. "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji and why is he saying all these terrible things about God?" in Penthouse. January 1974, pp. 65-66.

[NYT1974-01-19-46] Kelley, Ken. "Get Your Red-Hot Panaceas!" in The New York Times. January 19, 1974, p. 31. At NYT archive

[NYRB1974-01-24-47] Du Plessix Gray, Francine; Kelley, Ken; Apter, Joan; et al. "Knowledge of the Guru," replies to Joan Apter and to Nicholas B. Dirks, Charles R. D. Lindley, Leela A. Wood in The New York Review of Books Vol. 20 Nos. 21 & 22. January 24, 1974

[Ramparts1974-02-48] Kelley, Ken. "Over the hill at 16" in Ramparts No. 12. February 1974, pp. 40-44.

[Crawdaddy1974-49] Goldsmith, Paul with Traum, Artie. "Bliss and Bones in the Astrodome" in Crawdaddy. February 1974, pp. 62-65

[50] Adler, Dick "TV Review: Videotape Explorers on Trail of a Guru" in Los Angeles Times. February 23, 1974, p. B2. At L.A. Times Archives

[LOTU1974-51] Shamberg, Michael (dir.); Prem Rawat; Rennie Davis; et al. Lord of the Universe. Top Value Television (TVTV), February 1974.

[NYT1974-02-25-52] O'Connor, John J. "TV: Meditating on Young Guru and His Followers: Maharaj Ji Is Focus of P.B.S. Documentary: Astrodome Gathering Yields Splendid Show" in The New York Times. February 25, 1974, p. 53. At NYT archive

[Vogue1974-03-53] Kelley, Ken. "An East Indian Teen-Ager Says He Is God" in Vogue. March 1974.

[TheGoldenAge-54] The Golden Age by Divine Light Mission, Duo Productions. Australia, 1974-1979, Vol. 1-55

[RS1974-03-14-55] Levine, Richard. "When The Lord of All The Universe Played Houston: Many are called but few show up" in Rolling Stone No. 156. March 14, 1974, pp. 36-50.

[Gortner1974-56] Gortner, Marjoe. "Who Was Guru Maharaj Ji? Just think of him as a spare tire" in Oui. May 1975, pp. 90-133

[Scheer1974-57] Scheer, Robert. "Death of the Salesman: for rennie davis (model high school student, antiwar spokesman and chief proselytizer for guru maharaj ji) the media always meant the message" in Playboy. June 1974, pp. 107-108, 112, 236, 238-240.

[Penthouse1974-07-58] Kelley, Ken. "I See The Light: In which a young journalist pushes a cream pie into the face of His Divine Fatness and gets his skull cracked open by two disciples" in Penthouse. July 1974, pp. 98-100, 137-138, 146, 148, 150-151.

[Argosy1974-08-59] Baxter, Ernie "The multi-million dollar religion ripoff" in Argosy No. 380. August 1974, pp. 72, 77-81.

[LAT1974-11-27-60] Dart, John. "Maharaj Ji Buys $400,000 Home Base in Malibu Area" in Los Angeles Times. November 27, 1974, p. B2. At L.A. Times Archives

Lede

The 16-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji, the Indian-born "perfect master" who claims six million devotees worldwide, has moved his home to the Malibu foothills, it was announced Tuesday.

[Yearbook1974-61] "Maharaj Ji, Guru" in Current Biography Yearbook: 1974. H. W. Wilson Company, p. 254 ff. At Google Book Search

[SJ&S1975-03-23-62] Frazier, Deborah. "Growing Pile of Unpaid Bills Beneath Guru's Spiritual Bliss" in Sunday Journal and Star (UPI). Lincoln, Nebraska, March 23, 1975, p. 11A

[WFP1975-03-24-63] Riches Called Goal of Divine Light in Winnipeg Free Press (CP). March 24, 1975.

[LAT1975-04-01-64] "Mother Ousts Young Guru as Playboy" in Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1975, p. 2. At L.A. Times archives

Lede

The mother of Guru Maharaj Ji. the 17-year-old Indian religious leader now living in Malibu, Calif., with an American wife, renounce[d] her son today and accused him of being a playboy instead of a holy man.

Note: the next day, L.A. Times returned to the issue: MOTHER OUSTS 'PLAYBOY' GURU (p. 6A) – CALLS MAHARAJ JI A PLAYBOY: Mother Ousts Guru, 17 (p. D1)

[Belkind1975-04-02-65] Belkind, Myron L. "Guru's mother rejects him as religion chief" in Independent/Press-Telegram (AP). Long Beach, April 2, 1975, p. 9

[66] "Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission" in the Ruston Daily Leader, April 9, 1975.

[CDM1975-04-18-67] "Court Halts Heiress' Money Gift To Guru" in Charleston Daily Mail (API). April 18, 1975.

[NJ1975-07-14-68] "Guru Maharaj Ji: Pizza, Sports Cars and Millions of Followers" in Mansfield News Journal (UPI). July 14, 1975.

[Sayings1975-69] Rawat, Prem et al. The Sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji (Vol. 3; Part IV). Divine United Organization, Shri Sant Yogashram, Hans Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi - 110030, 1975.

[70] "Maharaj Ji Wins Fight For Mission" in The Washington Post. February 2, 1976, p. C7. At washingtonpost.com

[71] Cornell, George W. "Group Led by Teen Guru Toning Down Eastern Style" in Albuquerque Journal. March 3, 1976

[72] "Spiritual group's claims, practices are changing" in Evening Capital (AP). March 6, 1976

Lede

The asserted change comes amid extensive criticism of various novel spiritual groups including that of Maharaj Ji, from ex-members and parents, but Anctil says the opposition isn't what caused the reforms. "We're maturing," he said. "It's evolution."

[TGA1976-05-73] Mishler, Bob; Frazier, Debbie (UPI: interviewer). "Part of the mainstream" in The Golden Age No. 29. May 1976, p. 8 ff.

Lede

Recently Bob Mishler, President of Divine Light Mission, recorded an interview with Debbie Frazier of the United Press International Wire Service. The interview gives a good idea of the recent change and growth within DLM, so we've printed some excerpts from it here.

[74] Thurmond, Strom (United States Congress senator). Prem Rawat's Inspirational Message to the United States Citizen's Congress. US Congressional Record, July 20, 1976.

[Messer1976-75] Messer, Jeanne. "Guru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission", in The New Religious Consciousness by Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah, editors. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 1976, pp. 52-72

[76] Moberg, David O. Review of The New Religious Consciousness by Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah in The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83, No. 4. January, 1978, pp. 1074-1077. At JSTOR

[77] Élan Vital by Divine Light Mission. U.S., 1977–early 1980s, ISSN 0195-2145

[78] "Guru Maharaj Ji becomes a citizen of the U.S." in Rocky Mountain News. Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., Wednesday, October 19, 1977

[79] Como, Don (dir.); Donovan (music); Rennie Davis; Prem Rawat; et al. Aliens from Spaceship Earth. U.S., 1977. At IMDb

[Stoner&Parke1977-80] Stoner, Carroll; Parke, Jo Anne. All Gods Children: The Cult Experience - Salvation Or Slavery?. Radnor, Pa: Chilton, 1977, ISBN 0-8019-6620-5.

[FossLarkin1978-81] Foss, Daniel A. and Ralph W. Larkin. "Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji" in Sociological Analysis. Summer 1978, Vol. 39 No. 2, DOI 10.2307/3710215, pp. 157-164. At JSTOR

Abstract

This paper is the result of a two-and-a-half year participant-observation study in which the authors analyze the basis of Guru Maharaj Ji's appeal to ex-movement participants in the early 1970s. The youth movement of the 1960s had generated a reinterpretation of reality that called into question conventional reality. When the movement declined, the movement reinterpretation had no possibility for implementation. Left between a reality they rejected and one that could not be implemented, ex-movement participants experienced life as arbitrary and senseless. Guru Maharaj Ji was deified as the mirror of an incomprehensible, meaningless universe. The Divine Light Mission stripped its followers of all notions of causality while simultaneously subsuming and repudiating both conventional and movement interpretations of reality.

[82] Rawat, Prem. The Living Master: quotes from Guru Maharaj Ji. Denver: Divine Light Mission, 1978.

[Collier1978-83] Collier, Sophia. Soul Rush: The Odyssey of a Young Woman of the '70s. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1978, ISBN 0-688-03276-1

[Pilarzyk1978-84] Pilarzyk, Thomas. "The Origin, Development, and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion: An Application of Sectarianization Theory" in Review of Religious Research by Religious Research Association Archived 2008-05-19 at the Wayback Machine. Vol. 20 No. 1. Autumn 1978, pp. 23-43. At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection

Abstract

In this paper Wallis' theory of sectarianization is applied to data collected on the Divine Light Mission, a contemporary cultic movement of the American youth culture. Its development is discussed in terms of intra-organizational changes within the social context of American pluralism. The movement's short history to date largely substantiates Wallis' writings concerning the effects of cultic fragility, sectarianizing strategies and organizational constraints on movement development. The paper contributes to recent conceptual writings within the sociology of religion on youth culture movements in modern Western societies.

[LAT1979-01-12-85] Forster, Mark. "Firm Loyalty: Guru's Sect: Misgivings in Malibu" and "Malibu Guru Maintains Following Despite Rising Mistrust of Cults" in Los Angeles Times. January 12, 1979, p. A1, 3. At L.A. Times Archives

[86] Mishler, Bob; Tesler, Gary (interviewer). Bob Mishler Radio Interview. KOA radio station, Denver, Colorado, February 12, 1979

[Brown1982-87] 1 2 Brown, Chip. "Parents Versus Cult: Frustration, Kidnaping, Tears; A Question of Will: Law-Abiding Couple ... Who Became Kidnapers to Rescue Daughter from Her Guru" in The Washington Post. February 15, 1982, p. A1. At washingtonpost.com

Quotation

In addition to his ulcer, the Perfect Master who held the secret to peace and spiritual happiness 'had tremendous problems of anxiety which he combatted with alcohol,' Mishler said in a Denver radio interview in February 1979.

[Downton1979-88] Downton, James V., Jr. Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission. Columbia University Press, 1979, ISBN 0-231-04198-5

[Kenemy1979-89] Kemeny, Jim. "Comment: On Foss, Daniel A. and Ralph W. Larkin. 1978. 'Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji.' Sociological Analysis 39, 2: 157-164" in Sociological Analysis. Vol. 40, No. 3, Autumn 1979, pp. 262-264. At JSTOR

[Nelson1979-90] Nelson, G. K. "A Comment on Pilarzyk's Article 'The Origin, Development and Decline of a Youth Culture Religion' (RRR, Fall, 1978)" in Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1, Theory and Policy. Autumn 1979, pp. 108-109. At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection – At Questia

[Pilarzyk1979-91] Pilarzyk, Thomas. "The Cultic Resilience of the Divine Light Mission: A Reply to Nelson" in Review of Religious Research Vol. 21 No. 1, Theory and Policy. Autumn 1979, pp. 109-112. At JSTOR – At Questia

[92] Price, Maeve. "The Divine Light Mission as a social organization" in The Sociological Review (Keele) Vol. 27. 1979, pp. 279-296. At CAT.INIST

[Buckley&Galanter1979-93] Buckley, P. and Galanter, M. "Mystical Experience, spiritual knowledge, and a contemporary ecstatic religion" in British Journal of Medical Psychology. No. 52, 1979, pp. 281- 289.

[Times1979-12-19-94] Davis, Ivor. "Malibu opposes plan to build heliport for Divine Light guru" in The Times. December 19, 1979, p. 12.

[95] Rawat, Prem. Light Reading. Miami Beach, Florida: Divine Light Mission, 1980.

[R&R1980-96] Rudin, James A. & Marcia R. Prison or Paradise?: The New Religious Cults. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980, ISBN 0-8006-0637-X, p. 63-65

[97] Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "The Limits of 'Coercive Persuasion' as an Explanation for Conversion to Authoritarian Sects" in Political Psychology by International Society of Political Psychology, Vol. 2, No. 2. Summer 1980, pp. 22-37. At JSTOR

Abstract

This paper offers a critique of the application of models of "coercive persuasion" to processes of conversion and commitment within religious movements. Although models of coercive persuasion have a definite, if limited, heuristic value in the analysis of identity transformation within relatively authoritarian groups, current applications to "cults" have involved a number of distortions which appear to be related to the pejorative use of these models as conceptual weapons to legitimate coercive measures employed to "rescue" allegedly "brainwashed" devotees. Key problem areas include: (1) overgeneralized "cult" stereotypes; (2) implicit equation of religious movements with government-operated institutions employing forcible constraint (e.g., POW camps); (3) assumptions that persons subjected to certain persuasive techniques necessarily lack "free will"; and (4) methodological problems arising from exclusive or primary reliance upon the testimony of ex-converts who have negotiated their accounts in persuasive relationships with therapists or deprogrammers.

[StonesPhilbrick1980-98] Stones, C. R. and Philbrick, J. I. "Purpose in Life in South Africa: A Comparison of American and South African Beliefs" in Psychological Reports Vol. 47. 1980, pp. 739–42.

Description ()

In South Africa, researchers investigated converts from three new religious movements: People of Jesus, Divine Light Mission and ISKCON. Twenty-five members were studied from each movement; in addition, 25 clergymen who were to enter a Catholic seminary were studied. The research showed that in the first four months after having joined the movement or seminary, meaning in life, as measured by the Crumbaugh and Maholick Purpose in Life Test (1969), significantly increased. [...] High scores with regard to the meaning in life after conversion, which was even higher than the average for well-adapted Americans, indicates that religious conversion, regardless of the kind of religious group, has positive therapeutic effect on existential crisis and may counteract the possible development of noogenic neurosis.

[99] Aagaard, Johannes (1980). "Who Is Who In Guruism?". Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements Vol. IV No. 3 . Dialogcentret. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

[Kriegman1980-100] Kriegman, Daniel. A Psycho-social Study of Religious Cults From the Perspective of Self Psychology, Appendix A: "The Guru Mahara Ji Group: An experiential description: the journey to God". Boston University, pp. 164-188 (references: pp. 218-220)

[Downton1980-101] Downton, James V., Jr. "An Evolutionary Theory of Spiritual Conversion and Commitment: The Case of Divine Light Mission" in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. ISSN 0021-8294, December 1980, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 381-396. At JSTOR

Abstract

Contrary to the widespread popular belief that conversion is a radical change of personality, this article offers the alternative view of conversion and commitment as being evolutionary in their development. Based on intensive interviews with the followers of Guru Maharaj Ji, the guru of Divine Light Mission, it traces the stages and steps followers took in becoming devotees. Examined sequentially, these stages and steps are viewed as a theoretical structure for the comparative analysis of other religious movements and the stages are briefly compared to the theory of conversion offered by Lofland and Stark.

[Lammers1981-102] (in Dutch) Lammers, Jos. "Het concern van Guru Maharaj ji: Vijf jaar zakenman in dienst van de verlichting" in Haagse Post Vol. 68 No. 7. 1981-02-14, pp. 48-53.

[LAT1981-02-14-103] "1-Year Trial OKd for Sect's Helipad" in Los Angeles Times. May 22, 1981, p. F6. At L.A. Times Archives

[104] Dotter v. Maine Employment Sec. Commission, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 435 A.2d 1368, argued March 2, 1981 - decided October 19, 1981. Web copy at Wikisource

[McGuire2002-105] McGuire, Meredith B. Religion: the Social Context. Belmont California : Wadsworth Publishing, fifth edition, 2002, ISBN 0-534-54126-7, Ch. 5 "The Dynamics of Religious Collectivities", section "How Religious Collectivities Develop and Change", sub-section "Organizational Transformations", p. 175. first edition of this book was 1981, ISBN 0-534-00951-4

[SP1982-106] Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "Deprogramming, Brainwashing and the Medicalization of Deviant Religious Groups" in Social Problems by Society for the Study of Social Problems Vol. 29 No. 3. University of California Press, February 1982, pp. 283-297 At JSTOR

Abstract

Critics claim the brainwashing techniques cults use to win converts have pathological consequences. Deprogramming has restored numerous converts to a state accepted by parents and therapists as normal. The medicalization of the cult phenomena, and its conceptualization as a mental health problem, has expanded the jurisdiction of the medical profession into the areas of religion and social movements.

[Schwarz&Kaslow1982-107] Schwartz, Lita Linzer; Kaslow, Florence W. "The Cult Phenomenon: Historical, Sociological, and Familial Factors Contributing to Their Development and Appeal" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 3-30. At Haworth Press

[Robbins&Anthony1982-108] Robbins, Thomas; Anthony, Dick. "Cults, Culture, and Community" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4 Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 57-79. At Haworth Press

[Ottenberg1982-109] Ottenberg, Donald J. "Therapeutic Community and the Danger of the Cult Phenomenon" in Marriage & Family Review Volume 4, Issue 3-4. Haworth Press, ISSN 0149-4929, 1982-06-07, pp. 151-173. At Haworth Press

[Schnabel1982-110] (in Dutch) Schnabel, Paul. Tussen stigma en charisma: nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en geestelijke volksgezondheid ("Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health"). Van Loghum Slaterus, Deventer (Netherlands), 1982, ISBN 90-6001-746-3. On-line version in Digital library for Dutch literature (2007): Ch. II p. 32, Ch. III A.1 p. 53, Ch. IV C p. 99, 101-102, Ch. V p. 142.

Quotations

(p. 53) ... de voor Nederland relevante cijfers ... begin 1981 ... ... numbers relevant for the Netherlands ... early 1981 ...

1. Divine Light Mission - naar schatting hoogstens nog 150 aanhangers in Nederland, waarvan in 1980 ongeveer 15 in communaal verband leven. De beweging lijkt op zijn retour. 1. Divine Light Mission - estimated at most 150 adherents remaining for the Netherlands, of which in 1980 approximately 15 lived in a community setting. The movement appears to be over the hill.

(p. 99) De meest zuivere voorbeelden van charismatisch leiderschap zijn op dit moment wel Bhagwan en Maharaj Ji. Daaruit blijkt meteen al hoe persoonlijke kwaliteiten alleen onvoldoende zijn voor de erkenning van het charismatisch leiderschap. De intelligente, steeds wisselende en dagelijks optredende Bhagwan is niet meer een charismatisch leider dan de verwende materialistische en intellectueel weinig opmerkelijke Maharaj Ji. Als charismatisch leider hebben beiden overigens wel een eigen publiek en een eigen functie. The purest examples of charismatic leadership are at this moment, still, Bhagwan and Maharaj Ji. This shows immediately that personal qualities alone are insufficient for the recognition of the charismatic leadership. The intelligent, ever-changing Bhagwan who gives daily performances is not more a charismatic leader than the pampered materialistic and intellectually quite unremarkable Maharaj Ji. As charismatic leaders, they, by the way, both have their own audience and their own function.

(p. 101-102) Tegelijkertijd betekent dit echter ook, dat charismatisch leiderschap als zodanig tot op grote hoogte ensceneerbaar is. Maharaj Ji is daar een voorbeeld van. In zekere zin gaat het hier om geroutiniseerd charisma (erfopvolging), maar voor de volgelingen in Amerika en Europa geldt dat toch nauwelijks: zij waren bereid in juist hem te geloven en er was rond Maharaj Ji een hele organisatie die dat geloof voedde en versterkte. At the same time, this means however that charismatic leadership, as such, can also to a high degree be staged. Maharaj Ji is an example of this. Certainly, Maharaj Ji's leadership can be seen as routinized charisma (hereditary succession), but for the followers in America and Europe this is hardly significant: they were prepared to have faith specifically in him and Maharaj Ji was embedded in a whole organisation that fed and reinforced that faith.

(Ch. V: reference texts by Jan van der Lans quoted by Schnabel)
Lans, Jan van der. "Religious Experience: An Argument for a multidisciplinary approach" in Annual Review of the Social Sciences of Religion 1, 1977, pp. 133-143.

Lans, Jan van der. Volgelingen van de goeroe: Hedendaagse religieuze bewegingen in Nederland. Ambo, Baarn, 1981, ISBN 90-263-0521-4.

[mwCtU] Lans, Jan van der. "Religious Experience: An Argument for a multidisciplinary approach" in Annual Review of the Social Sciences of Religion 1, 1977, pp. 133-143.

[mwCtc] Lans, Jan van der. Volgelingen van de goeroe: Hedendaagse religieuze bewegingen in Nederland. Ambo, Baarn, 1981, ISBN 90-263-0521-4.

[HinduismToday1983-111] "Whatever Happened to Guru Maharaj Ji?" in Hinduism Today by Himalayan Academy, United States, ISSN 0896-0801, October 1983. Web copy at hinduismtoday.com

[Derks&Lans1984-112] Derks, Frans; Jan M. van der Lans. "Subgroups in Divine Light Mission Membership: A Comment on Downton" in Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West : proceedings of the 1981 Annual Conference of the British Sociological Association, Sociology of Religion Study Group by Eileen Barker (ed.) Macon, GA : Mercer University Press, 1984, ISBN 0-86554-095-0 pp. 303-308

[Chagnon1985-113] (in French) Chagnon, Roland. Trois nouvelles religions de la lumière et du son: la Science de la spiritualité, Eckankar, la Mission de la lumière divine. Montréal: Éd. Paulines and Paris: Médiaspaul, 1985, ISBN 2-89039-985-0.

[114] (in French) Champion, Françoise. "Chagnon (Roland) Trois nouvelles religions de la lumière et du son: La Science de la spiritualité, Eckankar, La Mission de la Lumière Divine" in Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions Vol. 62 No. 2. 1986, ISSN 1777-5825, p. 242. At Persee.fr

[K&S1985-115] Kriegman, Daniel; Solomon, L. "Cult groups and the narcissistic personality: The offer to heal defects in the self" in International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 35:2. 1985, pp. 239-261.

[LAT1985-07-07-116] Pasternak, Judy. "Maharaji Denied in Bid to Triple Copter Use" in Los Angeles Times. July 7, 1985, p. 1. At L.A. Times Archives

[Lans&Derks1986-117] Lans, Jan M. van der; Derks, Frans. "Premies Versus Sannyasins" in Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements by Dialogcentret, Vol. X No. 2. 14 June 1986.

Abstract

It is argued that Divine Light Mission and Rajneeshism are excellent examples of early and late post-movement groups (Foss & Larkin, 1978). Rajneeshism’s stance towards the dominant culture is much more radical. Its ideology not only implies a resection of the socially accepted means to find "truth," it also disclaims the final product of those means, that is, the content of socially accepted truth. Divine Light Mission’s ideology mainly deals with the means employed to come to "knowledge." Consequently, it is hypothesized that both movements will recruit their members from different populations. Although an inspection of personal characteristics in terms of age, education, religious background, and time of seekership shows no difference, it is found that premies' pre-conversion seeking proceeded mostly along paths of individual experiences, while sannyasins had been seeking more along interpersonal paths. Additional differences concern the evaluation of pre-adolescent family life, especially personal religious experiences during childhood.

[DuPertuis1986-118] DuPertuis, Lucy. "How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission" in Sociological Analysis: A Journal in the Sociology of Religion Vol. 47 No. 2 by Association for the Sociology of Religion. Chicago, summer 1986, ISSN 0038-0210, pp. 111-124. At oxfordjournals.org At JSTOR – At EBSCOhost Connection

Abstract

This paper examines the recognition of charisma as an active, conscious social process involving the confirmation of belief through non-cognitive methods of altering perception. In the illustrative case of Sant Mat/Radhasoami/Divine Light Mission tradition the Hindu concept and ritual of darshan is examined. Devotees use meditative means to recognize charisma in the guru considered as the formless Absolute, as himself, and as a "presence" generated within the community of followers. The aim on all three levels is ecstatic merging of a separate sense of self with the Absolute,. It is conjectured that once Westerners learned this they no longer felt need of the guru. The discussion calls for further research on social components of mystical practices.

[119] "New Hindu Religious Movements in India" by Arvind Sharma, in New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change by James A. Beckford. Unesco/Sage Publications: London, 1986, ISBN 0-8039-8003-5, p. 224

[120] Galanter, Marc. Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion. Oxford University Press, May 4, 1989, ISBN 0-19-505631-0. Second edition: 1999, ISBN 0-19-512369-7 – ISBN 0-19-512370-0

[121] Favazza, Armando. "Cults: Faith, Healing, and Coercion, 2nd ed." in The American Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 159. June 2002, pp. 1074-1075

[Tucker2004-122] Tucker, Ruth A. Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement U.S., Zondervan, 2004, ISBN 0-310-25937-1 (first edition was 1989 ISBN 0-310-40440-1), p. 320, p. 364-365

From publisher's presentation

Ruth A. Tucker's book is a comprehensive survey of all the major alternative religions in the United States, including the new groups since the 1960s

[Björkqvist1990-123] Björkqvist, Kaj. "World-rejection, world-affirmation, and goal displacement: some aspects of change in three new religious movements of Hindu origin" in Encounter with India: Studies in Neohinduism edited by Nils G. Holm. Finland, Åbo Akademi, 1990, ISBN 951-649-731-4, pp. 79-99

[124] McIlwain, Doris J. F. Impatient for paradise: a rites of passage model of the role of the psychological predispositions in determining differential openness to involvement in new religious movements. PhD Doctorate, University of Sydney, 1990. At Sydney eScholarship Repository (June 2006)

[125] Melton, J. Gordon. "Guru Maharaj Ji" in Religious Leaders of America: A Biographical Guide to Founders and Leaders of Religious Bodies, Churches, and Spiritual Groups in North America. Detroit, Michigan, Gale, 1991, pp. 285-286; Second edition: Gale Group, 1999, ISBN 0-8103-8878-2; Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Gale, 2008

[Juergensmeyer1996-126] Juergensmeyer, Mark. Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-691-01092-7, pp. 206-207. First edition was 1991, ISBN 0-691-07378-3

Publisher's description

In this book, Mark Juergensmeyer seeks to explain why the religious logic of Radhasoami, which is based on the teachings of medieval Hindu saints, is so compelling to hundreds of thousands of businessmen, intellectuals, office managers, and other urban professionals in North India. Juergensmeyer addresses the perplexing relationship between modernity and religious faith and examines it from historical, sociological, and phenomenological points of view.

[127] Mangalwadi, Vishal and Hoeksema, Kurt. The world of gurus: a critical look at the philosophies of India’s influential gurus and mystics. Cornerstone Pr Chicago, revised edition (1992), ISBN 0-940895-03-X, pp. 137-138

[RR&P1993-128] "Elan Vital" in Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains by The Institute for the Study of American Religion (J. Gordon Melton, Project Director - James R. Lewis, Senior Research Associate). 1993. At Internet Archive: MS Word document – text format

From the introduction of the chapter on Sikh/Sant Mat Groups

[...] one Sant Mat group which had separated itself from the tradition in India enjoyed great success in the West in the 1970s as the Divine Light Mission under the then‑youthful Guru Maharaj Ji. That group[s] has recently assumed a very low profile and changed its name to Elan Vital.

[Barbour1994-129] Barbour, John D. Versions of Deconversion: Autobiography and the Loss of Faith. University of Virginia Press, 1994, ISBN 0-8139-1546-5, p. 170 ff. Presentation and limited preview at Google Books

[AN2468-130] (in French) Gest, Alain et al. N° 2468: Rapport Fait au nom de la commission d'enquête sur les sectes, Ch. I.B: "Un phénomène difficile à mesurer. France: National Assembly, Parliamentary Commission on Cults (1995), 1995-12-22, p. 14 ff.

[131] Melton, J. Gordon. "Maharaj Ji, Guru" in Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 4th edition, Gale, p. 803; 5th edition, Thomson Gale, 2000, ISBN 0-8103-8570-8; Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Gale, 2008.

[132] Winter, Mark et al. The Divine Times: Special Edition 17 July 1996. 17 July 1996

[LAT1997-04-01-133] Scheer, Robert. "How I Was Stood Up by the Venusians: Even a brief encounter with a cult's absurdity reveals its power to attract" in Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1997, p. 7. At L.A. Times Archives

Quotation

[...] there was one time when I got to cover God and experienced the full rapture of tens of thousands of believers cast suddenly into his presence here on Earth. That was at a weeklong encampment at the Houston Astrodome in 1973, when God appeared as a chubby and giggly 13-year-old Indian named Guru Mahara Ji. I was following the guru because he was rapidly making celebrity converts, including Rennie Davis, then well-known as a defendant in the Chicago Seven trial.

[RMN1998-01-30-134] 1 2 Jones, Rebecca. "Former Guru on a Different Mission" in Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, January 30, 1998 Available via HighBeam Research

Quotation

For an extensive backgrounder on [Guru Maharaj-Ji], his successes and his foibles, check out the Web site www.ex-premie.org.

[FoMRC-135] 1 2 Hassan, Steve et al. Elan Vital page at Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. website. Accessed 2008-08-09.

[GoodWeekend2002-136] 1 2 "Blinded by the Light" in Good Weekend, Sydney, Australia, August 31, 2002, pp. 38-42.

Lede

Back in 1972, John Macgregor fell under the spell of Guru Maharaji, a plump 14-year-old who promised – and for a while delivered – divine peace of mind. The former follower recalls, on the eve of Maharaji’s latest Australian visit, his 28-year journey to disillusionment.

Quotation

In 1996, Canadian lawyer and ex-premie Jim Heller was cruising the early cult newsgroups on the Internet, looking for some mention of Maharaji. Nothing. Then, slowly, other ex-premies materialised, including one who happened to have web design skills: www.ex-premie.org was born. As bits of information – recollections, documents, photos – trickled into the web site from all over the world, an entirely new picture of the Perfect Master began to emerge. As Heller argues, "Without [the Net], I’d have been just another guy with some quirky past who, if I was lucky, might get a chance to hash it all out in an airport bar with some other former comrade 20 years down the line. But the Net has spurred us all on to being cold-case detectives – scrutinising our collective past with the benefit of maturity, hindsight and relief from the information-deprivation all cults seem to thrive on."

[Guardian2003-137] "Working the web: Cults" in The Guardian, Technology news & features section, p. 4. London, UK, February 13, 2003.

Quotation

Remember the Divine Light Mission? [...] Recovering members can be seen licking their wounds at www.ex-premie.org [...]

[ChillingEffects2003-138] 1 2 '"Premies" Complain to Google of "Ex-Premie.org" site' by Chilling Effects, 2003.

[Geaves2004-139] 1 2 Geaves, Ron. "From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: an Exploration of Change and Adaptation" in Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions Vol. 7 No. 3. March 2004, pp. 45–62. Originally presented at 2002 International Conference on Minority Religions, Social Change and Freedom of Conscience (University of Utah at Salt Lake City). At Caliber (Journals of the University of California Press)

Abstract

The following article will put forward the argument that it is necessary to take into account the worldview of the insider in order to appreciate the coherence or “rationality” of actions of a religious spiritual teacher or organization. As a case study, the article examines the transformations that have occurred in the organizational forms utilized by Prem Rawat (a.k.a. Maharaji). While bringing readers up to date with Maharaji's activities since the 1980s, I argue that these developments owe more to Maharaji's self-perception of his role as a master and his wish to universalize the message historically located in the teachings of individual sant iconoclasts, than to external or internal pressures brought to bear upon the organizational forms themselves.

Quotation

In addition, [Rawat] now faces the added difficulties of the cultural suspicion of new movements in the face of over twenty-five years of anticult publicity from the Western media. Although not attracting media coverage himself, a small but vociferous minority of ex-followers, unable to accommodate change and showing signs of considerable cognitive dissonance, has cornered the market as Maharaji's opposition, determined to destroy his reputation through public denunciation on their website.³⁷
...
³⁷ For the perspective of this group of dissatisfied ex-followers see < http://www.ex-premie.org >, accessed April 2002.

[Mather2006-140] 1 2 Mather, George; Nichols, Larry A.; Schmidt, Alvin J. "ELAN VITAL / DIVINE LIGHT MISSION" in Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition. Zondervan, August 1, 2006, ISBN 0-310-23954-0

Quotation

[...] www.ex-premie.org (a website of Maharaji's ex-followers)

[Metz2008-141] 1 2 Metz, Cade. "Wikipedia ruled by 'Lord of the Universe'" in The Register. February 6, 2008

[Lewis2005-142] Lewis, James R. Cults ¹[in America]: A Reference Handbook. ABC-Clio, Contemporary World Issues series, 1998: ISBN 1-57607-031-X – ²2005: ISBN 1-85109-618-3, pp. 84-85, 121-122, 286-287, 307-308. At Google Book Search

[143] Richardson, James T. "Divine Light Mission" in Encyclopedia of Religion and Society (William H. Swatos, Jr., ed.). Rowman Altamira, 1998, ISBN 0-7619-8956-0, p. 141. Web copy at Hartford Institute for Religion Research website

[Melton1999-144] Melton, J. Gordon. "Brainwashing and the Cults: The Rise and Fall of a Theory" in forthcoming The Brainwashing Controversy: An Anthology of Essential Documents edited by J. Gordon Melton and Massimo Introvigne. CESNUR, 1999. At CESNUR website

[145] Abgrall, Jean-Marie. Soul Snatchers: The Mechanics of Cults (English translation of La mécanique des sectes). New York, Algora Publishing, 2000, ISBN 1-892941-04-X p. 285

[Rhodes2001-146] Rhodes, Ron The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response. Zondervan, 2001, ISBN 0-310-23217-1, pp. 32, 170.

[Barrett2001-147] Barrett, David V. The New Believers: Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions. Cassell, 2001–2003, ISBN 0-304-35592-5 – ISBN 1-84403-040-7, p. 65 & p. 325-329: Part Two: Alternative Religions & Other Groups, Ch. 14: Eastern Movements in the West, Elan Vital.

Presentation on dedicated website

The New Believers covers the origin, history, beliefs, practices and controversies of 60+ new religious movements, including the Family (formerly the Children of God), International Church of Christ, Osho (Rajneesh), New Kadampa Tradition, Wicca, Druidry, Chaos Magick, Scientology etc. The New Believers incorporates the fully revised, updated and much-expanded text of the author’s well-received Sects, "Cults" & Alternative Religions (1996), plus much more, with ten completely new chapters including:
Is it a cult, or a real religion?—The problem of definition

Sects appeal—Conversion, recruitment, mind control or brainwashing?

Would you let your daughter marry one?—Problems for families of members

Cults that kill—How, why, and can it happen again?

Watching the watchers—The variety of cult experts
plus a major case study, "Schism in a Sect", on the Worldwide Church of God and its many offshoots; addresses and websites of every movement in the book; and dozens of rarely seen photographs. Detailed, authoritative, challenging and often controversial, The New Believers is essential reading for anyone with a personal or professional interest in sects, “cults” and new religions and their effects on members and their families.

[mwDFM] Is it a cult, or a real religion?—The problem of definition

[mwDFQ] Sects appeal—Conversion, recruitment, mind control or brainwashing?

[mwDFU] Would you let your daughter marry one?—Problems for families of members

[mwDFY] Cults that kill—How, why, and can it happen again?

[mwDFc] Watching the watchers—The variety of cult experts

[148] Kent, Stephen A. From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era. Syracuse University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8156-2923-0 ISBN 0-8156-2948-6. At Syracuse University Press

Publisher's summary

This book takes a provocative look at the early 1970s—an often overlooked yet colorful period when the Vietnam War and student protests were on the wane as new religious groups grew in size and visibility. Description Certainly, religious strains were evident through postwar popular culture from the 1950s Beat generation into the 1960s drug counterculture, but the explosion of nontraditional religions during the early 1970s was unprecedented. This phenomenon took place in the United States (and at the edges of American-influenced Canadian society) among young people who had been committed to bringing about what they called "the revolution" but were converting to a wide variety of Eastern and Western mystical and spiritual movements. Stephen Kent maintains that the failure of political activism led former radicals to become involved with groups such as the Hare Krishnas, Scientology, Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, the Jesus movement, and the Children of God. Drawing on scholarly literature, alternative press reportage, and personal narratives, Kent shows how numerous activists turned from psychedelia and political activism to guru worship and spiritual quest as a response to the failures of social protest—and as a new means of achieving societal change.

[149] Words of Peace (US site)

[150] u/en site

[Rawat2003-151] Rawat, Prem. Clarity. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2003, ISBN 0-9740627-1-5

[HM2003-152] "Maharaj Ji" in The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography. U.S., 2003, ISBN 0-618-25210-X, p. 994

[Australian2004-03-11-153] Jackson, Sally. "Court lets 'cult' gag journalist" in The Australian. March 11, 2004, p. 21.

[TMR2004-03-18-154] O’Regan, Mick (host); Macgregor, John; et al. "Suppression Orders & the Media" in The Media Report on ABC Radio National. Australia, 18 March 2004. Transcript at ABC website

[TCM2004-04-24-155] Thomas, Hedley. "Peace at a price" in The Courier-Mail. Australia, April 24, 2004, p. 35.

Lede

Thousands of devotees mill about the tent sites pitched for an international love-in with the Maharaji. But, as Hedley Thomas tells, there are unhappy campers trying to bring the affluent peace guru down a peg or two

[156] Words of Peace by Prem Rawat receives TV Award in Brazil by The Prem Rawat Foundation

[157] Rawat, Prem; Wolf, Burt (interviewer). Inner Journey: A Spirited Conversation About Self-discovery. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2005, ASIN B000EDUGI4, OCLC 85767576. Video excerpts at tprf.org

[158] Rawat, Prem. Maharaji at Thamamssat University. May 17, 2005. At Wikisource

[INDIATIMES2005-159] "US names June 16 after Indian." in Times of India June 30, 2005

[160] "About Us". Raj Vidya Kender. 2006. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

[Geaves2006-161] Geaves, Ron. "Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji)" in Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Vol. 2. UK, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4196-2696-8, pp. 44-62. "Online version at the "Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies Association" website" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-06-14.

[Greenwood2006-162] Geaves, Ron. "From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of Forty Years as a "Master" (1966-2006)" in Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America by Eugene V. Gallagher and W. Michael Ashcraft (eds.) US, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-275-98712-4, Vol. IV: Asian Traditions, pp. 63-84

[163] "Prem Rawat's "Words of Peace" Receives Brazilian TV Award". The Prem Rawat Foundation. 2006-12-20. Retrieved 2008-07-07.

[Cagan2007-164] Cagan, Andrea. Peace is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat. Mighty River Press, U.S., January 2007, ISBN 0-9788694-9-4, OCLC 123014238. Preview at publisher's website

Quotation (from author's note)

[...] when I discovered that Maharaji rarely stayed in one place for more than a few days at a stretch, the concept of personal interviews with him to gather information seemed impractical and next to impossible. So, in preparation for this book, I decided to interview those who knew him well, and I met with everyone from his cook to his photographer, from his friends to his lifelong students. I taped conversations, I watched DVDs, and I read his talks that have been meticulously saved for posterity. Finally, after reviewing thousands of pages of interviews and media clippings, watching many of his taped addresses, and speaking to a multitude of people who knew him during different phases of his life, a picture began to emerge.

[ES2007-05-31-165] Mendick, Robert. "Cult leader gives cash to Lord Mayor appeal" in Evening Standard. London, 2007-05-31, p. 4. At HighBeam Research

[166] Rawat, Prem et al. Prem Rawat at Guildhall, London. 2007-06-01. Transcript (excerpt) at tprf.org

Publisher's presentation

Prem Rawat was the keynote speaker at a gala event called "Giving From The Heart", hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, England at Guildhall in honor of The Prem Rawat Foundation's contribution to Voluntary Service Overseas' efforts in Mozambique. The event was attended by government and civic leaders, diplomats, and members of the international media.

[DFP2007-11-25-167] Rossiter, Joe. "Patrick Halley: Outgoing reporter lived colorful life" in Detroit Free Press. November 25, 2007

[Mendick2007-168] Mendick, Robert. "Guru followers asked to target Gandhi party" in Evening Standard (November 30, 2007) and Gulf Times (2 December 2007). At HighBeam Research (Evening Standard) – At Gulf Times website

[169] Rawat, Prem; Robles, Marta (interviewer). Journey Within: a conversation between journalist Marta Robles and Prem Rawat, Barcelona, Spain. The Prem Rawat Foundation, 2007. Video excerpts at tprf.org

Publisher's presentation

An hour-long conversation between Prem Rawat and journalist Marta Robles. Ms. Robles has been one of the most popular anchors and show hosts on Spanish radio and television for more than 15 years. Prem Rawat has traveled the world for more than four decades, inspiring people to find peace within.

[Bromley2007-170] Bromley, David G. Teaching New Religious Movements (Aar Teaching Religious Studies Series, American Academy of Religion). 2007, ISBN 0-19-517729-0

Prem Rawat (related topics)
Teachings	Teachings of Prem Rawat Techniques of Knowledge
Books	Who is Guru Maharaj Ji? Sacred Journeys Soul Rush Bibliography
Films	Lord of the Universe (1974 documentary)
Related	Hans Ji Maharaj (father) Satpal Maharaj (brother) Elan Vital (organization)
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