The Findings
- Allegations being made about Sai Baba by ex-devotee David Bailey

Dear Craig:

I'm writing to you because of an urgent need and because I assume you reside in England.

I'm a long time devotee of Baba and I have recently opened a large Canter.

The urgency is that I have received a devastating document that is travelling fast around the world and could be very harmful to certain people. This document is written by David and Faye Bailey. Do you know who they are? It seems that they are very well known and live in England. They've written books about Baba in the past. The document is called Sai Baba Allegations. Have you heard about this? I received it a couple of days ago and it seems to be moving very rapidly around the world. Please, if you know anything about this let me know. The document I have is about 10 pages long, but I understand that there's even more. If you want I can send it to you. I intend to get to the bottom of this because it is already causing harm to some devotees. I've already written to the president of the Sai Organisation in our country.

I would be very grateful if you could answer this communication.

OM SAI RAM

L F

CRAIG'S REPLY

I have been aware of this for a while. David Bailey telephoned me to tell me all about the accusations. There is no doubt that he is a sincere man who was once a very dedicated devotee of Baba.

However, I also spoke to a devotee who had an interview with Baba before all this controversy started. She told me that in a private interview Swami said that this would happen and that she would soon be able to come for a private interview whenever she wants because the ashram would be empty. Swami laughed as he spoke of it. Then later the crowds would return in bigger numbers than ever.

Why does he not counter these allegations? Swami says it is because he wants people to realise that God lies within them and that he does this so that we do not get too attached to the form.

I think that in the end we have to trust our own inner experience. When I saw Sai Baba at darshan I believe that I was looking at a divine being. But that divine being is really me. How we look at him determines what we see. We are dealing with another level of reality. If we believe we are looking at a child molester then that is what we see and reality will change accordingly.

I feel that what we should do is this: Realise the God within us. If swami is a fraud then we must do this. If he is who he says he is, then we must do this.

Either way it is the same. Seek the God within. This is Swami's message and the only way to know the ultimate truth. In time we will know the truth.

Sai Ram

Craig

FROM THE DEVOTEE:

I am so extremely grateful to you. Of course you knew that your letter would be of great help, but I don't think you could possibly know to what extent. Each one of us is going to have to make his own inner reconciliation, as you are doing. I've always been aware that so many are looking out instead of looking in and curiously enough that was always the "problem" I have been encountering with the Sai Baba Centers, (we recently became a Centre) that they are not aware of it. The exuberant idolatry at a God without instead of a God within. That is not the way it is in a group that I've been teaching for 18 years, and although we are all Baba devotees, as was my teacher H C, we have always emphasised the inner God.

Curiously, Craig, the first time I went to Prasanthi Nilayam, while I was sitting in my first Darshan ever (1979?),

I asked myself, "What am I doing here? Who is this person? Whom do I come to see?" - My answer was: "You come to see yourself".....

I have a lot of adjustments to make because I lead a rather large group and some are already aware of the situation.

I must relate to you a dream I had last night (I hadn't received your letter yet, the E-mail comes to our office and they bring it to me in a diskette which I received this morning) "I was in a large swimming pool, which opened on to the ocean. In the dream I couldn't swim, (even though I do swim) and I told the people that I wanted them to see how I, who could not swim, could jump in the deep pool and God would swim for me. And so I did. It was wonderful! I wasn't doing a thing and yet I felt my body swimming to the deepest part of the pool and the ocean. There were many people who were astounded and it surprised me how indifferent so many others were.

The important thing is that we will go on swimming. I am just worried about the some will not.

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