Episode 127: The Buddhafield Cult

A charismatic leader with a zen philosophy and a fitness model physique. A crowd of eager young disciples looking for a direct path to God. On the outside, this group had all the features of a shangri-la society but on the inside, it became mandatory to worship the leader and submit to his every whim. Was this the blue print for a perfect society or really just an abusive cult?  This week’s episode is the Buddhafield [Cult].

SOURCES

Holy Hell, film: https://amzn.to/3mF0kCz

Cult Phenomenon: A new documentary exposes Austin’s little-known past with a secret cult, Austin Monthly: https://www.austinmonthly.com/cult-phenomenon/

One World Theater official website: https://oneworldtheatre.org/contact/

The search for a Speedo-wearing guru, CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/us/holy-hell-buddhafield-searching-for-michel/index.html

CHAT ROOM SEPT. 2, 2016

The Totally Insane Story of Holy Hell Director Will Allen’s Escape From a Cult, Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/holy-hell-director-will-allen-cult-escape-story.html

Jamie Simone Gomez, IMDB Profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327054/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Rick Alan Ross, Cult Expert on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Alan_Ross

This Is What It's Like to Spend Almost Half Your Life in a Cult, Esquire Magazine: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a45261/holy-hell-buddhafield-documentary-will-allen-interview/

Life Inside This Cult Was Beautiful, Until It Wasn’t, Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/holy-hell-cult-documentary_n_5744c96ae4b055bb11708e51

Shakti: The Power of the Feminine, Center for Global Education, Asia Society: https://asiasociety.org/education/shakti-power-feminine