Re: Krishna group in Hawaii new
Posted by: I Believed ()
Date: October 24, 2007 09:41AM
AN EX STUDENT OF CHRIS BUTLER SCHOOL GIVE A POWERFULL TESTIMONIAL OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN BUTLER SCHOOL.
Were you separated from your family for years?
I was at the school for almost two years beginning when I was six. I was not allowed to see or speak to my father in this time. My contact with my mother who stayed with Siddha was very limited. She was going along with the need to focus more on service indoctrination. I know that she regrets thinking that way now. I have trouble forgiving her completely still but she is also my mother. We are not particularly close because of this Krishna bs in our lives. I do agree with Rama's sentiments when he says that people shouldn't have kids if they don't want to look after them or accept them as little people.
What work did you do there?
We were made to cook food for all the adults, gather flowers, the girls made garlands for the gatherings, clean up the place. What we were told basically. Some of the bigger kids were made to clean up after the adults, scrub toilets, do their laundry and all that.
The company did not exist when I was there but I am genuinely concerned about the plans to move Vege Chips to PI. There is also the concern that a lot of the Wai Lana merchandice is made in PI. There is a need for more research into this to gather compelling evidence but there is a lot of talk around the Gold Coast (PI is not that far away from Oz) about this and that being made by their friends in PI. Friends of course read other devotees.
What were the living conditions?
Very basic. Huts. Sleeping on mats on the floor with a blanket. Rice and milk diet. No indoor plumbing like those camp toilets. No hot showers. Washed out of a bucket. Cold. Wet. Neglected.
Were you allowed to question or have doubts?
Of course not. The bhramacharins hit you if you mouthed off or stepped out of line. I was too young to think really but I saw the other boys getting into trouble for stuff like that and not doing what they were told when they were told. The bastards there were really cold and cruel.
What were you not allowed to do?
We had no toys, no books except the krishna books we were given. We were not allowed to contact our parents had to wait for them to contact us and it was not encouraged. If you were hungry after what they gave you or didn't give you that was just too bad. It was segregated with a seperate girls school. We had no contact with anyone other than devotees whatsoever. If you got sick it was a big deal to take you to a doctor, you practically had to be dying. I remember being sick but I never saw a doctor or was given any medicine or chicken soup (lol) or even a nice word.
Were you treated kindly by teachers and peers?
Teachers lol these were bhramacharins that had no idea about kids just crapping on all day about krishna this and srila prabhupad that. They did whatever they liked and when they wanted to feel like good devotees they told themselves they were doing service to do something with us.
Did you know of any physical or sexual abuse at the PI school?
Physical abuse yes. Sexual abuse not to me but I have reasons to believe yes. I know of sexual abuse in Australia.
Were there any kids with special needs or disabilities?
How are they educated or treated?
Were you raised to give them up for adoption?
No. Siddha tells people that these children are not special and should not be called special because that gives other kids the idea that they want to be special too. He tells people to give kids like this away. Even adults that have disabilities are treated like shit unless they are a big time disciple (and they would never get sick right because krishna loves them too much) My mum told me once when I saw a kid that had something that I would now say was probably cerebal palsy in a wheelchair that they were like that because of bad karma in a past life and because their parents were demons and that it was their bad karma too that they had to raise a kid like that.
Have you or your parents ever met Chris Butler personally?
I have seen him a few times. Not like I went up and sat on his lap like santa though. I doubt he would know me from any of the rest. My parents have yes but they were mainly influenced by Tusta.
Are you an adult now? Did you get skills to support yourself now?
Yes. I don't want to give my exact age but late twenties seems to be popular among the disgruntled. I ended up going to a real public school and I really appreciated it after PI. Not that I was a genius or anything but I really liked school. It was the most normal part of my life as I saw it. I have a job now and my own place and all that stuff. Pay my own bills. I am lucky compared to some for sure. If not for my mum burning out I have plenty of examples as to how I could have ended up a lot worse off.
Posted by: I Believed ()
Date: October 24, 2007 09:41AM
AN EX STUDENT OF CHRIS BUTLER SCHOOL GIVE A POWERFULL TESTIMONIAL OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN BUTLER SCHOOL.
Were you separated from your family for years?
I was at the school for almost two years beginning when I was six. I was not allowed to see or speak to my father in this time. My contact with my mother who stayed with Siddha was very limited. She was going along with the need to focus more on service indoctrination. I know that she regrets thinking that way now. I have trouble forgiving her completely still but she is also my mother. We are not particularly close because of this Krishna bs in our lives. I do agree with Rama's sentiments when he says that people shouldn't have kids if they don't want to look after them or accept them as little people.
What work did you do there?
We were made to cook food for all the adults, gather flowers, the girls made garlands for the gatherings, clean up the place. What we were told basically. Some of the bigger kids were made to clean up after the adults, scrub toilets, do their laundry and all that.
The company did not exist when I was there but I am genuinely concerned about the plans to move Vege Chips to PI. There is also the concern that a lot of the Wai Lana merchandice is made in PI. There is a need for more research into this to gather compelling evidence but there is a lot of talk around the Gold Coast (PI is not that far away from Oz) about this and that being made by their friends in PI. Friends of course read other devotees.
What were the living conditions?
Very basic. Huts. Sleeping on mats on the floor with a blanket. Rice and milk diet. No indoor plumbing like those camp toilets. No hot showers. Washed out of a bucket. Cold. Wet. Neglected.
Were you allowed to question or have doubts?
Of course not. The bhramacharins hit you if you mouthed off or stepped out of line. I was too young to think really but I saw the other boys getting into trouble for stuff like that and not doing what they were told when they were told. The bastards there were really cold and cruel.
What were you not allowed to do?
We had no toys, no books except the krishna books we were given. We were not allowed to contact our parents had to wait for them to contact us and it was not encouraged. If you were hungry after what they gave you or didn't give you that was just too bad. It was segregated with a seperate girls school. We had no contact with anyone other than devotees whatsoever. If you got sick it was a big deal to take you to a doctor, you practically had to be dying. I remember being sick but I never saw a doctor or was given any medicine or chicken soup (lol) or even a nice word.
Were you treated kindly by teachers and peers?
Teachers lol these were bhramacharins that had no idea about kids just crapping on all day about krishna this and srila prabhupad that. They did whatever they liked and when they wanted to feel like good devotees they told themselves they were doing service to do something with us.
Did you know of any physical or sexual abuse at the PI school?
Physical abuse yes. Sexual abuse not to me but I have reasons to believe yes. I know of sexual abuse in Australia.
Were there any kids with special needs or disabilities?
How are they educated or treated?
Were you raised to give them up for adoption?
No. Siddha tells people that these children are not special and should not be called special because that gives other kids the idea that they want to be special too. He tells people to give kids like this away. Even adults that have disabilities are treated like shit unless they are a big time disciple (and they would never get sick right because krishna loves them too much) My mum told me once when I saw a kid that had something that I would now say was probably cerebal palsy in a wheelchair that they were like that because of bad karma in a past life and because their parents were demons and that it was their bad karma too that they had to raise a kid like that.
Have you or your parents ever met Chris Butler personally?
I have seen him a few times. Not like I went up and sat on his lap like santa though. I doubt he would know me from any of the rest. My parents have yes but they were mainly influenced by Tusta.
Are you an adult now? Did you get skills to support yourself now?
Yes. I don't want to give my exact age but late twenties seems to be popular among the disgruntled. I ended up going to a real public school and I really appreciated it after PI. Not that I was a genius or anything but I really liked school. It was the most normal part of my life as I saw it. I have a job now and my own place and all that stuff. Pay my own bills. I am lucky compared to some for sure. If not for my mum burning out I have plenty of examples as to how I could have ended up a lot worse off.