... is an issue of the magazine formerly edited by Peggy Mason and taken over by Faye Bailey. The Magazine has been renamed "The Quarterly" and still tends to be an encyclopaedia of psychism, Spirituality, with a healthy injection of Faye Bailey's iridology, food balancing, diet and maintenance of a healthy body. Faye is a very highly qualified person in her fields of excellence. Many good and wonderful people subscribe to this magazine. There has been advice that this magazine will cease circulation in 2001.
Faye Bailey was appointed editor on the instructions of Peggy Mason, shortly before Peggy Mason dropped her body and passed over into the light. Peggy Mason and Her husband Ron Laing jointly published their books on Sai Baba many years ago.
"The Findings" includes the following accusations by more than one person:
A single person, mostly David Bailey or Premanand, each makes further accusations or opinions, rather rumours because they are not substantiated:
The first three allegations formulated by multiple persons will be addressed and studied later in these pages.
Most of these minor accusations will not need further comment because of their lack of substance, but a few notes will be made on most of them, showing their emptiness.
1) Sai Baba does not perform real healing
Sai Baba has helped people get out of wheelchairs, healed cancer, taken on multiple heart attacks (there is ample documentation of this) healed broken bones but the greatest healing is the unseen healing. Attitudes change, peoples' hearts have been transformed and many who have lived loveless lives now give and receive unconditional love.
2) Misuse of donations
Money mismanagement is impossible. Owing to endemic corruption in India, it is very difficult to obtain accreditation as a trust, as the audit requirement is very time-costly to prove out of financial regularity and compliance. However, there are in fact 16 Trust Accounts maintained at Prasanthi Nilayam, and quarterly audits are conducted. Swami in fact signs the cheques on several of the accounts, and attends meetings weekly with the Central Trust. Swami in fact does look at invoices, and does query accounts. Swami asks very difficult questions. This is not known to the accusers. Donations can be made at the Accommodation Office, at the Branch of the State Bank of India INSIDE the ashram, direct to Trust Account. Or one may go outside to the State Bank of India in Main Rd Puttaparthi and queue up with the villagers, if one wishes. Receipts are posted to donors from the Central Trust. I was present when a devotee donated all his left over cash to the Trust and thereafter, he departed. Upon returning, he opened some mail, one was a receipt for his donation; out fell a packet of vibhuti.
3) To have an aura does not mean one is God
Everybody has an aura. What is the point of accusing anyone of a known fact? Swami never mentioned his aura. What do auras have to do with divinity? Who says an aura is a sign of divinity? Can everyone see auras? No. It takes training and skill. Auras simply reflect the state of the mind at the time of the aura being revealed. Dr Frank Baranowski, a scientist who has done a lifetime of studying auras, has documented his perception of the length, breadth and colours of Sai Baba's aura. This has been documented in many books about Sai Baba.
4) Theft of a kidney at Hospital
One family sued the Hospital. The Supreme Court found the Hospital was not negligent and not guilty. This matter has been settled in the highest court in that State. The High Court of Andhra Pradesh heard the case and ruled in favour of the Hospital. The authors of The Findings rail against the democracy and Law Courts of India. India is its own jurisdiction since independence from the British since 1947. Do the authors wish to take this independence and jurisprudential right away from India?
5) Water Project is a failure and claims of supply to villages are fraudulent
The Water Project was re-initiated in 1998 with the Andhra Pradesh government, and there are bilateral agreements to complete the project with joint funding and make water available to more villages.
Certainly, one may seek villages that did not get the truly divine present of water, and are angry against Baba, the doer, after hundreds of years accepting governments that do nothing. What is the problem, cracked pipes, pumps not operating due to faulty workmanship, due to substandard contractor work, or thousands of years of no pipes, no water? There is a definite lack of entity in laying fault with the water project directly at the feet of Sathya Sai Baba. Further investigation of this matter can be found here.
6) Sai Baba does not solve personal problems
Most personal problems come from failure to manage the mind. All can and will be helped by Sai Baba. That is his duty and his task for incarnation. ON the 23rd of November 1997 Sai Baba told, in a discourse "I have no devotees. You may describe yourselves as Sathya Sai devotee. I am myself a devotee. Whose devotee? A devotee of those who claim to be my devotees. My duty is to fulfill their desires. I belong to you and you belong to me. Understand and strengthen this relationship. This is my sole desire."
Persons can hold onto their problems and continue to experience their problems; or they can hand them over to the devotee of devotees, who can and will take care of everything. Can anyone name any other person, human, leader or hero, guru or spiritual leader, who has done the same for millions of devotees?
7) EHV program not designed by Swami
Sathya Sai Baba has never claimed he designed this EHV program. Every EHV course starts explaining that Sai Baba defined the Human Values and other people have devised and refined a method to teach them that is effective. What has this to do with the Divinity of Sai Baba? In fact, the Sathya Sai Institute does not even mention the NAME of Sathya Sai in connection with Education in Human Values.
8) Sai schools are expensive
On the COnvocation day discourse of 1994, Sai Baba spoke about the cost of maintaining a student in the University:
Our University spends Rs.60,000/ per head per annum on Arts Students, and Rs.90,000/ per head on Science Students, but we do not charge any fees. Free education is offered. So much money is spent on imparting education to you. What benefit do we get out of this? The only benefit is to make your lives exemplary to the world at large. We want you to carry on your secular life with spiritual outlook. Enjoy the world keeping in view the spirituality as the goal. (Convocation Discourse, 22 Nov 1994)
Investigation reveals that private schools in India have fees and charges amounting to 30,000 Rupees per year. The 20,000 Rupees mentioned in The Findings would be moderate, but it actually does not cost anything to attend a Sathya Sai School. Accommodation and book charges are moderate, and parents deposit weekly pocket money for their children. All students have to wash their own clothes or pay the dhobi. Meals are free, Swami frequently provides rice and other foods and distributes the food HE provides equally among all the colleges. Swami QUESTIONS the boys about meals and supervises diet (this has been amply documented for years). Statements about children in the village having to pay Rupees 20,000 have not been substantiated by parents or others who have come forward and taken legal depositions to the truth of this matter. Use of discrimination and independent investigation is recommended to verify or dismiss allegation, gossip and interpretation of facts in these minute matters or any other matter.
9) Sai students are good because they are strictly selected for admittance.
Sai Baba personally approves all admissions to the colleges. No one else. Academic capacity or standard is not the criteria for admission. Apply to Sathya Sai Baba for explanation of admission criteria. Parents are directed to ask Sai Baba in addition to completing enrollment forms, for permission to enrol children in class and Head Teachers are advised of admissions by Sathya Sai Baba only. Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is a deemed University and has had that accreditation since 1982. Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the government appointed Chancellor of this deemed University. University admission standards conform to All-India Admission standards and are advertised in Sananthana Sarathi and in Andhra and All-India newspapers.
10) Students get no employment after studies.
The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) receives at least 5 solicitation phone calls weekly from prospective employers seeking graduate students for placement and employment. The SSSIHL policy is not to make referrals or recommendations. All graduates are guided into employment by Swami, and many stay on for MONTHS and sit in the old student's area waiting until Swami gives both direction and permission to depart.
11) Vibhuthi growing on Sai pictures is a natural phenomenon.
If this is the case, why does it matter? Why does The Findings bring this up? What is their scientific proof? Science uses the experimental method of enquiry where all parts of an experiment can be duplicated by any person and the same results obtained. Hence, independent verification can be made. This is called 'Scientific Method'. Where is the evidence and verification in this matter? Have the Baileys managed to 'naturally' produce vibhuti in their home? Where are the photographs, the reproducible demonstrations in accord with scientific method?
12) Four students went to kill Sai Baba but instead policemen willfully killed them.
Please follow this link to read responses to the MAIN ALLEGATIONS
