buddhafield austin

“I questioned whether I did [all of this] of my own will,” he says now. “I went with him to go get his first silicone, and he wanted silicone not collagen,” Allen remembers. The doctor said he didn’t think he needed anymore, but Michel told him to do it. For his finest act, Michel performed what he called “the knowing.” Promising the most intimate connection to God possible, only privileged disciples were granted “the knowing.” No one wanted to leave before they’d experienced it. Michel appears inside the gardens of Buddhafield's compound in Austin. ( Log Out / 

Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Nothing is as dear to someone as his or her own life. This pandemic is very difficult for all of us, but this too shall pass, and we will recover and make sense of this and learn from this. The house was in a neighborhood of tract homes and on their acre and a half they walled themselves off and created everything they wanted to sustain their way of life. Advised never to say no to their teacher, disciples — gay and straight — would receive spiritual awakenings during “cleansings” and then convince themselves to give their bodies to Andreas. More victims came forward. What a year it has been so far. Even the Buddhafield itself seems like your standard '80s Hollywood Hills hippie commune.

They felt like “gypsy” 20-somethings. “‘This [was] such a great way to live, to see life from this way,'” Allen said, describing their justification. I would do photography in college, and I would make multiple images like this because to me, they’re more filmic, like they’re telling a story.”, Sex was forbidden in the group, and for its members, yet a picture like this existed—which at the time was one of Allen’s favorites because he put the most work into it. “I wanted to do some portraits of him dancing because it was so much of our life and I saw him do it all the time,” Allen describes. “Holy Hell” shows Allen and other ex-Buddhafielders confronting him on a Hawaiian beach. Even some who had suffered his advances didn’t quit right away. I wanted to show how everything comes back to life after dying.”, When Michel didn’t have Allen doing his bidding—which was rare—Allen would escape to the backyard to garden and beautify the grounds. Michel most certainly thought of himself as God, but would always be quick to follow up with an explanation that all of us are God. They got little sleep, yet they were expected to remain alert at all times. And for more than two decades, they loved it. The struggle was roughest for Cheiffo, whose partner left her when she quit Buddhafield. Most were facing an uphill battle if they chose to reboot their lives, so they didn’t jump ship immediately upon learning of Andreas’ wrongdoings. Barring fleeting skepticism, no insiders questioned Michel’s rules. That’s why he called his therapy sessions “cleansings” and ensured his sexual encounters had a semblance of consent. It is funny to step back and laugh at yourself and not take yourself so seriously because that’s a problem, CULT WARNINGS AFTER WATCHING “HOLY HELL” DOCUMENTARY. Now, most of the world is remaining at home, wondering what is happening, what to do next, and what the future will bring. “He saw himself as somebody who was helping people come to God,” Allen explains. We had a humongous dress rehearsal, and we never did the second day; we never performed it for the group. Another person had their chin done. “We all thought we were going to be with him until we died,” Coquet said.

He would talk about the extremes of God, and nature represents that very much. So Michel just ignored him. “I used to make these kind of montages in college in the darkroom. Relocated to Hawaii, Gomez continues to manipulate new and old followers under his new moniker Reyji (God-King). They were building careers, exploring relationships and learning how to be self-sufficient adults — things that enlightenment alone cannot accomplish. “In California, we had no seasons,” he says. I wanted to get Michel in a similar position: chest open, emanating that light.”. In “Holy Hell’s” third act, Andreas is tracked to Hawaii, where he has reconstituted a group of about 120 followers. The documentary’s subjects liken “the knowing” to an LSD trip: colors swirl, trees sway and divinity presents itself. This documentary seeks to provide not only closure for those who helped make it, but also serves as a warning for those who may be exposed to the group.

And although he looks naked, it’s not sexual, it’s just the human form, melting into a higher form of itself.”, Allen says that he wanted to portray Michel as part of everything, since that was a large part of their teachings. In truth, “everybody was fucking everybody” surreptitiously, one ex-member says in the movie. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. The overall goal was to protect themselves from the outside world, and they would have done so even in an ugly backyard, but Allen insisted upon a beautiful one. This is a typical outing they would have on Sundays where the group would drive out into secluded areas surrounded by woods or at a lake to share stories and sing and sit around Michel, who would then throw food to his disciples. Until two weeks ago. “We had flowers all year ’round. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. (He was raised Catholic and probably feared the AIDS epidemic that was sweeping the country, Coquet pointed out.) You have to. Michel would employ an ancient Hindu technique, pressing his fingers to the recipients’ eyes in such a way that intense beams of light would form. His accomplishments weren’t much, but to him they were monumental. “It somehow felt good to be elite,” Coquet said of his 25 years in the organization. “[Michel] was very funny, and we laughed and laughed and laughed a lot.”. As depicted in Holy Hell, Michel would make his followers test out plastic-surgery procedures before he himself would undergo the surgery—none of which he paid for. “Society is not going to understand it, so just don’t even try,” Coquet said of the Buddhafield groupthink. This is the story behind Holy Hell.

r/Austin: The subreddit for all things Austin. Those who actually left were forced to “disconnect” from the group, just like in Scientology. Buddhafielders told themselves lies about what was going on, and they fed lies to outsiders too. Mutual support within the institution fortified, yet somewhere in that process, a shift occurred. As if being worshiped weren’t enough (some members called him “my lord”), Andreas’ “Howard Hughes neurosis” — Allen’s words — was satisfied at all hours. They’d found tranquility. Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche in North America. “Now, when this thing was over, we were not in the world. Working closely with Michel lent Coquet and Allen unprecedented access to their teacher. In Austin, in the summer months of 100-degree weather, members of the group designed and built a sanctuary with an aviary and animals. He changed his name to Andreas, effectively creating a new character for himself. But the damage was done: Before leaving again, the former member wrote an email to the group outlining all of the abuse allegations.

For those who’d been around since the beginning, Andreas’ purpose went from imparting enlightenment to ensuring the group stayed afloat. My God, it’s been so hard to get back into life. They were effectively being raped, but it carried the guise of consent. The teacher, his assistant, and dozens of others jumped ship for the much sleepier Austin. The documentary Holy Hell follows the Buddhafield cult. “It was so painful to me, and everything in my being was saying, ‘Get out of this house. In joining Buddhafield, some sought to escape society’s authoritative decrees or replace drug habits with spiritual highs.

We all say “oh, this would never happen to me,” and yet all the Buddhafield survivors seem like entirely sharp, reasonable people today. He banned most members from fornicating, citing the release of energy that comes with an orgasm as an inferior high. “This is representing a spiritual-based ecstasy. “You’re just a sack of meat to this person,” one man says in the movie. Did you know there’s a real-life cult leader in Rosemary’s Baby? Always curious about the meaning of life, Allen was lured by a charismatic South American-born guru known as Michel, who seemed able to answers his questions. Supposed enlightenment waited beyond every doubt. Michel, who is also a well-read ballet dancer trained in hypnotherapy, led activities on six nights of the week. Legal recourse is not easy, so Allen hopes “Holy Hell” will draw attention to the darker side of Andreas’ actions — if he can get the movie distributed in Hawaii.

Who would have guessed that we would all be under lockdown in our villages, towns, cities, and countries? This image—like Michel himself—was heavily airbrushed. Andreas covered enough of his tracks to eliminate a potential criminal case. A steady implosion set in. About 47 min in they begin talking about building a theater in Austin around 1997. They would put on performances—complete with costumes, makeup, sets, lighting, and sound design—which they practiced all year and would perform only once, and only for themselves. I encourage anyone interested in how cults work to watch this documentary.

He had a feminine quality, which was something he embraced and wanted everyone to embrace. “Later, we had to use humor to heal this whole thing,” Allen said of their 10 years outside of the cult. Allen, Coquet and Cheiffo were in their 50s when they were forced to hit that bitter “reboot” button. His biggest role was as an extra in the Roman Polanski classic, and a handful of gay porn. Everyone lived, cooked, did yoga, meditated and attended seminars (including acting and ballet lessons) together. He wasn’t a teacher anymore — he was a master, and a fussy one at that. There were other times when it was just amazing. Two or three days per week were ballet classes, which lasted three to five hours. For those who’d been around since the beginning, Andreas’   purpose went from imparting enlightenment to ensuring the group stayed afloat. “We had costumes completely done, set designed—it was 25 feet tall. The group first formed in West Hollywood, originally calling itself the Buddhafield, then moved to Austin, Texas; and then relocated to O‘ahu 10 years ago. A cultlike faction of Sikhs apparently hired the trio to pose on their behalf because “people in that cult were too spacey to be waiters.” They donned traditional Sikh turbans to appear authentic. When we got there, the doctor looked at him and he said, ‘You’ve had a really good nose job,’ right in front of me. Holy Hell is a 2016 American documentary film by Will Allen about his experiences as a member of the Buddhafield cult for 22 years. “That’s when I began to hate him.”. “He was the highest form of God, but he had an agenda for sure.

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