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[upbeat music playing]
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[narrator] The human mind.
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Such a clever machine.
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On the plus side,
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it's what allows you
to follow this playbook
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00:00:21,021 --> 00:00:24,607
and chart your course
to cult leader glory.
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But then there's independent thought,
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which if left unchecked
amongst your flock,
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can cause all you've built
to come crashing down.
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If what you want
is to control your followers,
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you need them
to not be thinking for themselves
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'cause they may question
why you kept that woman locked in a room,
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00:00:45,837 --> 00:00:49,174
why you're having people
do sexual favors for you.
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[narrator] Cynics might
call it brainwashing,
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00:00:52,594 --> 00:00:56,973
but a good cult leader
knows the value of a sturdy education.
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It's an indoctrination process
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that's molding you into being the person
the cult wants you to be.
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[narrator] Take a lesson
from this strapping fellow.
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Jaime Gomez,
leader of the 1980's sexiest cult,
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The Buddhafield.
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The Buddhafield was this New Age group
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filled with actors, dancers, models,
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these very artistic, beautiful people.
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[narrator] For over two decades,
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Jaime dominated his followers' hearts,
minds, and bodies,
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molding them to serve his every whim.
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If you can stand naked
in front of your master,
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you can stand naked in front of your God.
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[narrator] Follow Jaime's moves,
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and you too can open
your flock's consciousness
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to your divine presence,
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and close them off to everything else.
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Advertise your product or brand here
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[light music playing]
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[narrator] To his more than 100 acolytes
in the Buddhafield cult,
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Jaime Gomez, also known as Andreas,
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was the ultimate truth.
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It sounds gross to me now,
but I'd have given my life for him.
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He convinced us
this is the only thing worth anything.
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[Radhia] I loved him.
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And I did,
I loved him all the way to the end.
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[narrator] But before you learn about
Jaime's mastery of mental manipulation,
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let's get up to speed
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on his first pirouettes
down the guru path.
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[Radhia] He was born in Venezuela.
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He came to Hollywood to be an actor
and a dancer and all of that,
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and he was impressed with himself.
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Hollywood, apparently,
wasn't impressed with him.
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[Christopher] He failed
in being a professional dancer,
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failed at being an actor.
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Got into porn for a while, failed at that.
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By the way, how bad
do you have to be to fail at porn?
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[narrator] As they say,
"If you can't do, teach."
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He became an acting teacher eventually,
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in Florida.
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[Vera] That's how
he started gathering people.
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His acting classes
wound up being more spiritual.
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[Radhia] We were right in the heart
of West Hollywood.
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People were living the life,
a superficial life,
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not caring about anything higher
than who your next suitor's gonna be
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or what your next job is gonna be.
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He capitalized on the superficiality
of everyday American life.
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He said things that really spoke to me.
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If you think of the past,
you can become miserable.
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It felt like being a part of something
that was bigger than just myself.
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"What we're doing is good
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and we're in it to support the upliftment
of consciousness in the world."
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Jaime told us
that he came across this guru,
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and he was spontaneously enlightened...
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and then realized
he needed to become this leader
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of other people
to raise their consciousness
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and bring them to enlightenment.
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[narrator] But Jaime may have already
been dipping into the playbook
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in these early days.
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He never had a master.
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He had a bag at his chair
with a whole bunch of books,
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and he'd pull them out
and pull out these exercises.
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He definitely was looking at other people
doing the cult leader thing
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to figure out
how he was gonna pull it off.
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[narrator] Still, by the mid-'90s,
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Jaime would have total dominion
over a growing legion of followers
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whose only desire was to serve
their master's increasingly bizarre whims.
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How can you follow this chiseled charlatan
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and perfect this key chapter
of the playbook?
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Here's the first step.
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[narrator] Your path to total control
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starts by understanding
your target's desires.
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[Diane] We want to know
what the truth is in the world.
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You're not joining a cult,
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you're transforming yourself
into a happier person,
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one more like
what you envision you could be.
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[narrator] But to fully take advantage
of that promise,
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you need to lean in
to your calling without reservation.
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Most cult leaders have something
about them that seems really special
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that you are given
this very exclusive access to.
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If it were available anywhere else,
I mean, why would you join?
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[narrator] For members of the Buddhafield,
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what Jaime offered was a direct path
to the divine through meditation.
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[Will] He was very ethereal.
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He felt like he knew everything.
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He talked like he knew everything,
and I was just a sponge.
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He was saying that he was
"enveloped in God consciousness,"
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and that through meditation,
we could become like him.
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[narrator] But some people aren't going
to believe in your exclusive offer
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until they see it in action.
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When Chris Johnston
first joins the Buddhafield at age 19,
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he struggles to fit in.
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[Christopher] Everybody said,
"I've seen the light. I got lost in it."
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I felt like, "Something's wrong with me.
I'm not getting it."
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[narrator] Jaime knows just the fix.
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He invites his disciple to receive
a direct transference of energy
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from the master,
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a process he calls "Shakti."
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He was sitting on his throne and said,
"Close your eyes."
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[Christopher] Then he just jams his thumb
into your forehead as hard as he can,
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and he's touching my forehead
and I'm seeing light.
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I saw light.
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I saw light.
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And I was like, "Oh my God."
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[Christopher] "Holy shit.
This is like the real deal."
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Then I was all in.
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[narrator] Much later,
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Chris learned what divine power
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Jaime used to conjure
his miraculous light.
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He had a little tiny flashlight
that he was blinking on and off
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in front of my eyes like this.
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[Christopher] Months of hearing
about the light and Jaime's enlightenment,
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you're primed to believe it
'cause everyone else's talking about it.
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[narrator] Shakti was just the appetizer.
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The main course was called, "The Knowing."
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So who wants to ask for The Knowing today?
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[Christopher] The Knowing.
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The Knowing
was the direct experience of God,
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the Big G, and jeez,
who doesn't want that?
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The Knowing consisted
of four particular meditation techniques.
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[Vera] It's the light and the music.
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It's inner sound and the holy word,
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and a transference of energy.
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[Vera] I did receive it.
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To me, it was very potent.
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It blew me away.
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[narrator] The real power of The Knowing
was its exclusivity.
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There were people there
for years that never received it.
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If you didn't get The Knowing this time,
it's like, "Okay, I wasn't ready."
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It's like a triathlon.
"I wasn't ready, I couldn't compete."
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"Gotta get more ready."
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We kept preparing
for this experience to go deeper.
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You could only comprehend
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what it means to finally have God
be revealed to you in its purest form.
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Finally.
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[Janja] When you think
you're getting a bit of something,
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you want more of that,
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so you keep investing.
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So it's part of the game, in a sense,
that the cult leader plays.
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[narrator] Offering a rare
and elusive promise
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is a surefire method
for hooking people in.
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Ready to get them
even deeper under your sway?
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The playbook's next step
has some serious perks.
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To keep your flock in line,
you can offer them a good time,
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a meaningful time,
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but never too much free time.
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If you wanna hire a good worker,
hire a former cult member,
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because they're used to working long hours
and very hard.
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[narrator] That's because on the path
to controlling your follower's minds,
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you must also control their actions.
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[roars]
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It is a psychological truth about humans
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that the more time and effort
we put into something,
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we become more invested emotionally.
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It becomes harder to extricate ourselves.
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[narrator] When you can position
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catering to your whims as key
to your follower's spiritual growth,
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life can get pretty sweet.
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In the Buddhafield,
they called this "service."
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Service was a multitude of things.
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There was service in a general way,
and there was service for the master,
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and that was the highest you could do.
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It was like a gift
to have service for him,
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like "I'm doing
something special for God."
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Part of it
was sort of jockeying for position.
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And the closer you could be to the master,
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the more you were revered
because you were in the presence of him.
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So it started out taking his shoes off
and carrying his books,
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next thing you know,
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we're carrying his chair
and we're making new chairs.
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He didn't lift a finger.
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[narrator] Thanks to his
followers' tireless efforts,
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Jaime's life
is an endless series of pleasures.
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It starts with his early morning routine,
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including private time for meditation
or anything else he desires.
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Followed by Jaime's first
massage of the day.
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I learned how to do massage
so that I could do that service for him,
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as did many other people.
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[narrator] Late morning would be spent
strolling through his gardens,
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lovingly tended by his followers,
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who also make him an all-organic lunch.
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After several hours
giving private therapy sessions,
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he'd get some exercise...
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another massage,
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and a farm-to-table organic dinner.
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And when it came time to turn in,
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Jaime's followers took care of that too,
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reading him bedtime stories
for up to three hours straight.
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He was like an emperor.
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[Radhia] We were constantly consumed
with activity,
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which was part of his control.
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[narrator] And then
there was the financial side.
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[Christopher] If he wanted a new car,
we would see who could donate for that.
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If he needed
some landscaping for his garden,
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well, there would be
a special collection for that.
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That was called "service money."
You're doing service for the guru.
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[narrator] And that service can even take
some more unusual forms.
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Jaime moved his group
from Hollywood to Austin, Texas,
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00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:07,036
and there,
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00:13:07,119 --> 00:13:09,622
the guru set his sights on a new ambition...
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the construction of a sacred space
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for his favorite form
of spiritual practice.
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He had been a founding dancer,
apparently, in the Oakland City Ballet.
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[Christopher] That was his art form.
He wanted his own little ballet theater.
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[narrator] So his followers
start planning construction,
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and footing the bill.
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They break ground on a lot in West Austin
and build the theater from the ground up.
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Jaime isn't shy about sharing his opinions
or ordering wholesale changes.
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'Cause when it comes
to fulfilling the master's vision,
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his followers' money is no object,
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and no service is too great.
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00:14:05,553 --> 00:14:07,096
With his theater complete,
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00:14:07,179 --> 00:14:10,432
Jaime demanded
even greater acts of theatrical devotion.
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Do the dance again and do it right.
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I wasn't really a fan of ballets,
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but he was,
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so we all learned ballet.
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It was a full-on production.
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The only one
allowed to make mistakes is me.
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We would take years. Like, years.
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Top quality in terms of lighting,
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00:14:38,669 --> 00:14:42,172
the music, the costumes, the sets.
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[narrator] Finally, the show went on,
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00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:48,262
but it was a limited engagement.
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We'd do the performance once, just once.
241
00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:52,933
And we'd only perform
242
00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:56,437
for an audience of people
that were in or affiliated with the group.
243
00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:58,522
[cheering]
244
00:15:00,274 --> 00:15:01,275
[narrator] What a shame.
245
00:15:03,652 --> 00:15:05,863
Now that you're dominating
your followers' time
246
00:15:05,946 --> 00:15:10,326
and tapping in to their bank accounts,
you're probably feeling pretty good,
247
00:15:10,951 --> 00:15:14,079
but your thought control operation's
still vulnerable.
248
00:15:15,873 --> 00:15:19,001
How do you make sure
the wrong ideas don't seep in?
249
00:15:25,215 --> 00:15:26,342
As a cult leader,
250
00:15:26,425 --> 00:15:29,970
sometimes it's not enough
just getting people to think alike.
251
00:15:30,054 --> 00:15:32,264
You need to take things even further.
252
00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:39,104
Cults crush people's individuality
through visual appearance.
253
00:15:40,481 --> 00:15:43,400
If everyone has to wear
the same kind of dress,
254
00:15:43,484 --> 00:15:46,779
if everyone has to shave their head
or wear their hair the same way,
255
00:15:46,862 --> 00:15:50,616
it truly is just another way
to turn off critical thinking
256
00:15:50,699 --> 00:15:54,954
and to make us not question anything.
257
00:15:56,455 --> 00:15:58,707
[narrator] And if any follower sticks out,
258
00:15:58,791 --> 00:16:02,753
hammer them into submission
like these masters of manipulation.
259
00:16:02,836 --> 00:16:04,546
[screaming]
260
00:16:05,965 --> 00:16:08,384
[narrator] Members of the Manson family
were so conditioned
261
00:16:08,467 --> 00:16:11,136
to following Charlie's example and orders
262
00:16:11,220 --> 00:16:15,224
that when he carved an X
in his head in prison, they did the same.
263
00:16:16,350 --> 00:16:20,896
Devotees of Charles Dederich's
drug rehab program turned cult, Synanon,
264
00:16:20,980 --> 00:16:23,440
had such a distinctively uniform look,
265
00:16:23,524 --> 00:16:27,319
George Lucas cast some group members
as extras in the first film he directed,
266
00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:29,154
THX 1138.
267
00:16:30,030 --> 00:16:33,409
While Heaven's Gate leader
Marshall Applewhite and his followers
268
00:16:33,492 --> 00:16:37,287
wore monk-like robes
before trading them for matching jumpsuits
269
00:16:37,371 --> 00:16:40,207
and sneakers
when they committed mass suicide.
270
00:16:42,126 --> 00:16:44,795
When it came
to getting his followers on the same page,
271
00:16:44,878 --> 00:16:46,630
Jaime started in the kitchen.
272
00:16:47,381 --> 00:16:51,760
The biggest form of conformity
was our diet.
273
00:16:53,262 --> 00:17:00,262
We weren't allowed to have dairy,
wheat, pork, beef.
274
00:17:02,229 --> 00:17:05,899
No caffeine, no alcohol, no gluten even.
275
00:17:05,983 --> 00:17:08,277
[Vera] Course no sugar or honey.
276
00:17:08,360 --> 00:17:09,987
And you would be ostracized
277
00:17:10,070 --> 00:17:12,740
if you were caught eating chocolate,
God forbid.
278
00:17:13,532 --> 00:17:18,495
And I would be appalled if someone
got parmesan cheese on their salad.
279
00:17:20,622 --> 00:17:22,082
[narrator] Jaime was even stricter
280
00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:24,626
when it came
to controlling his group's look.
281
00:17:24,710 --> 00:17:27,588
Only one standard of beauty would suffice.
282
00:17:28,630 --> 00:17:31,341
[Vera] He would try
to make people into his own image.
283
00:17:32,259 --> 00:17:34,970
The boys had to shave their chest.
284
00:17:35,054 --> 00:17:37,389
[Vera] He didn't like hair
on the boys' chest.
285
00:17:37,890 --> 00:17:40,142
If he didn't like what you wore,
286
00:17:40,225 --> 00:17:43,270
you either change it
or face public ridicule.
287
00:17:44,188 --> 00:17:45,856
If he didn't like your hair,
288
00:17:46,523 --> 00:17:48,901
"Your hair looks bad like that,
grow it longer."
289
00:17:48,984 --> 00:17:51,653
[narrator] What's wrong
with expecting perfection?
290
00:17:51,737 --> 00:17:54,656
Jaime himself set an outstanding example.
291
00:17:54,740 --> 00:17:57,868
That was part of his teaching.
"Think like me, be like me."
292
00:17:57,951 --> 00:18:00,079
[Will] He was super into himself,
293
00:18:00,162 --> 00:18:02,873
his body, his health, nutrition.
294
00:18:03,373 --> 00:18:05,501
He did everything like a robot.
295
00:18:05,584 --> 00:18:08,754
He was very ritualistic with his habits.
296
00:18:09,338 --> 00:18:11,465
[narrator] When hard work
didn't do the trick,
297
00:18:11,548 --> 00:18:13,133
there was always plan B.
298
00:18:14,968 --> 00:18:17,346
He was definitely into plastic surgery.
299
00:18:19,223 --> 00:18:21,892
[Radhia] He started having a lot of Botox,
300
00:18:21,975 --> 00:18:25,646
and a lot of silicone implants,
and things like that.
301
00:18:27,106 --> 00:18:30,442
[narrator] And naturally,
he expects his disciples to keep up,
302
00:18:30,526 --> 00:18:34,822
encouraging them to eliminate
any imperfections, no matter how small.
303
00:18:37,866 --> 00:18:40,577
[Vera] People got chin implants,
304
00:18:41,787 --> 00:18:43,247
cheek implants,
305
00:18:43,747 --> 00:18:45,415
stuff you put in your lips.
306
00:18:46,458 --> 00:18:48,458
[narrator] When it came
to the master's procedures,
307
00:18:49,211 --> 00:18:51,630
he didn't wanna take any aesthetic risks,
308
00:18:52,756 --> 00:18:57,177
so he reportedly asked select followers
to help him achieve his ideal look.
309
00:18:58,846 --> 00:19:04,143
[Radhia] He would have people
try out certain things to see
310
00:19:04,226 --> 00:19:08,272
what the procedure was,
what did it look like after you were done.
311
00:19:09,606 --> 00:19:11,191
And I did see, actually,
312
00:19:11,275 --> 00:19:14,486
a lot of beautiful people
go through these procedures.
313
00:19:15,112 --> 00:19:16,989
[narrator] What greater show of loyalty
314
00:19:17,072 --> 00:19:21,493
then when someone's willing to go
the extra mile to help you look your best?
315
00:19:25,289 --> 00:19:28,542
Of course, conformity's rewards
are more than skin deep.
316
00:19:29,459 --> 00:19:34,006
[Asha] Conformity and group behavior
are very powerful.
317
00:19:35,924 --> 00:19:38,010
When everyone
is going along with the group,
318
00:19:38,093 --> 00:19:40,637
it's very hard to be the one to speak out.
319
00:19:40,721 --> 00:19:42,848
You lose your sense of self,
320
00:19:42,931 --> 00:19:45,642
you lose your self-esteem,
self-confidence,
321
00:19:45,726 --> 00:19:47,895
and you take on this new identity,
322
00:19:47,978 --> 00:19:50,272
which is the cult and the cult leader.
323
00:19:52,274 --> 00:19:54,526
[narrator] By reshaping your people
into your own image,
324
00:19:54,610 --> 00:19:58,822
you've made great strides
towards reforming their entire existence.
325
00:20:00,782 --> 00:20:03,702
But there's still a force
that can break your hold.
326
00:20:05,662 --> 00:20:07,748
How do you keep this threat at bay?
327
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,258
There's only room
for one star in your followers' galaxy.
328
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,802
If you wanna last in this game,
329
00:20:20,886 --> 00:20:22,012
make sure it's you.
330
00:20:22,971 --> 00:20:26,433
It's important in a cult
to completely break down
331
00:20:26,516 --> 00:20:30,062
someone's sense of identity
and reconstruct it from the ground up,
332
00:20:30,145 --> 00:20:35,275
and that means destroying
any previously held bonds that they have
333
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:36,860
with anyone outside the cult.
334
00:20:37,569 --> 00:20:39,029
[narrator] As all the greats know,
335
00:20:39,112 --> 00:20:41,531
if you're looking
to burn emotional bridges,
336
00:20:41,615 --> 00:20:43,992
a little isolation goes a long way.
337
00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:49,081
When Peoples Temple members
arrived in Guyana,
338
00:20:49,164 --> 00:20:51,875
Jim Jones cut them off
from the outside world
339
00:20:51,959 --> 00:20:53,460
by confiscating passports
340
00:20:53,543 --> 00:20:57,256
and restricting communication
with friends and family back home.
341
00:20:59,299 --> 00:21:03,553
Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon
allegedly coaxed new recruits
342
00:21:03,637 --> 00:21:06,098
into attending
remote indoctrination camps.
343
00:21:06,181 --> 00:21:08,058
Many claim they were later forced to call
344
00:21:08,141 --> 00:21:10,852
family members
and renounce their former lives.
345
00:21:12,729 --> 00:21:15,857
While members of Warren Jeff's
Mormon Fundamentalist Sect
346
00:21:15,941 --> 00:21:19,236
had to shun any relatives
who chose to leave the group
347
00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:21,655
and swear to never speak to them again.
348
00:21:24,992 --> 00:21:26,451
Jaime made sure his followers
349
00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,746
had good reason to separate themselves
from the outside world,
350
00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:31,623
including from loved ones.
351
00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:35,335
We would refer to ourselves
as "holy company."
352
00:21:37,462 --> 00:21:41,174
It was either holy company
or the world of the dead. Choose.
353
00:21:41,258 --> 00:21:43,927
[Will] He not only encouraged us
to separate from our families,
354
00:21:44,011 --> 00:21:47,264
but he actively helped us separate.
355
00:21:47,347 --> 00:21:50,559
Most of us weren't allowed
to tell parents anything or friends
356
00:21:50,642 --> 00:21:52,853
because he said they wouldn't understand.
357
00:21:55,897 --> 00:21:59,443
[narrator] But if that's not enough
to convince people to break ties,
358
00:21:59,526 --> 00:22:01,194
there's always this technique.
359
00:22:03,947 --> 00:22:06,158
[Christopher] He would often
publicly shame people.
360
00:22:06,241 --> 00:22:08,618
"Maybe you're not serious
about enlightenment."
361
00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:11,913
"Maybe you're not serious
about being a devotee."
362
00:22:12,789 --> 00:22:14,666
[narrator] To succeed with this tactic,
363
00:22:14,750 --> 00:22:16,418
you need to be merciless.
364
00:22:16,501 --> 00:22:18,295
That means no exceptions.
365
00:22:19,755 --> 00:22:22,841
He wouldn't let me
be at my father's deathbed.
366
00:22:23,633 --> 00:22:28,430
He said that I would
create karma if I went to see him
367
00:22:28,513 --> 00:22:30,474
because I was so attached to him.
368
00:22:31,058 --> 00:22:33,560
My relatives called,
"You're gonna regret this."
369
00:22:33,643 --> 00:22:35,812
I go, "No, I won't.
I know what I'm doing."
370
00:22:35,896 --> 00:22:37,647
I mean, I was that sure.
371
00:22:39,733 --> 00:22:42,986
[narrator] It's not just existing family
Jaime's worried about.
372
00:22:43,070 --> 00:22:44,363
[crying]
373
00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:48,200
None of us that were there for a while
have any children.
374
00:22:51,828 --> 00:22:55,207
[Vera] He said,
"This is not what you're here to do."
375
00:22:55,832 --> 00:22:59,878
"You're here to find out who you are.
That's why you came."
376
00:22:59,961 --> 00:23:03,465
He didn't want children there
'cause it would take attention from him.
377
00:23:05,217 --> 00:23:08,595
[Radhia] Everything was a distraction
to your enlightenment.
378
00:23:09,805 --> 00:23:11,014
That was his excuse.
379
00:23:13,558 --> 00:23:16,603
[narrator] After cutting people off
from their most treasured connections,
380
00:23:16,686 --> 00:23:21,400
obstacles to your total control
will fall one by one.
381
00:23:23,485 --> 00:23:24,486
But beware,
382
00:23:24,986 --> 00:23:27,864
a new problem
may be brewing under your nose
383
00:23:29,157 --> 00:23:32,577
that will require you to unleash
one of the playbook's greatest hits.
384
00:23:39,376 --> 00:23:42,504
Followers can be such needy creatures.
385
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:45,507
Once cut off from the world,
386
00:23:45,590 --> 00:23:48,301
they could start
seeking comfort in each other,
387
00:23:48,385 --> 00:23:49,719
and that can be bad news.
388
00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:53,515
Although a cult provides community,
389
00:23:53,598 --> 00:23:55,392
even within that community,
390
00:23:55,475 --> 00:23:58,395
it's very important
to keep people divided.
391
00:23:59,312 --> 00:24:01,189
The allegiance must be to the cult leader
392
00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:04,901
and not to other members
or groups that form within the group.
393
00:24:06,319 --> 00:24:08,079
[narrator] Jaime had his own
trademark method
394
00:24:08,155 --> 00:24:10,449
for keeping his people off balance.
395
00:24:10,532 --> 00:24:12,617
He'd been perfecting it for years.
396
00:24:13,994 --> 00:24:17,414
[Radhia] Back in Florida,
he made his living out of hypnotherapy.
397
00:24:18,248 --> 00:24:21,293
[narrator] That's when he was known
as Michel Rostand,
398
00:24:21,376 --> 00:24:23,462
one of his first aliases.
399
00:24:24,129 --> 00:24:26,214
[Christopher] Jaime played
everybody's therapist.
400
00:24:26,715 --> 00:24:30,302
He started seeing me
in private therapy sessions
401
00:24:30,385 --> 00:24:32,679
we called "cleansing,"
short for "karma cleansing."
402
00:24:35,390 --> 00:24:39,102
The cleansing sessions
were very much the one-on-one bond.
403
00:24:39,186 --> 00:24:42,564
[Will] It was special for people.
He could tell them anything he wanted.
404
00:24:43,690 --> 00:24:46,985
He controlled most everything
from behind that door.
405
00:24:49,362 --> 00:24:51,531
[narrator] Like everything
with Jaime Gomez,
406
00:24:51,615 --> 00:24:53,783
cleansing came with great ceremony.
407
00:24:55,285 --> 00:24:58,830
[Radhia] You'd be sitting in a chair
and he'd be sitting in his chair,
408
00:24:58,914 --> 00:25:00,749
which is his custom-made chair.
409
00:25:03,043 --> 00:25:04,586
The lights are low.
410
00:25:05,170 --> 00:25:07,130
They're on, but they're very low.
411
00:25:08,256 --> 00:25:11,218
[narrator] Jaime would begin
with relaxation exercises.
412
00:25:13,011 --> 00:25:15,931
[Radhia] "Go down
the long flight of stairs."
413
00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:21,978
"Ten, nine," etcetera, etcetera.
414
00:25:23,855 --> 00:25:25,899
[narrator] Once followers drop
their guard,
415
00:25:25,982 --> 00:25:28,276
Jaime begins probing with questions...
416
00:25:30,278 --> 00:25:31,821
and records the answers.
417
00:25:33,490 --> 00:25:36,993
Jaime identifies
all his disciples' weak spots,
418
00:25:37,077 --> 00:25:40,038
from past traumas
to present day insecurities.
419
00:25:40,664 --> 00:25:45,293
Whatever was bothering you,
you always took everything to him.
420
00:25:47,003 --> 00:25:49,297
[narrator] As the members clear
their minds,
421
00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:51,174
Jaime gathers intelligence,
422
00:25:52,092 --> 00:25:54,678
plus up to $100 per session per person.
423
00:25:56,304 --> 00:25:59,266
But the true reward
is in holding all the cards.
424
00:26:00,559 --> 00:26:03,687
Everybody was afraid
to be honest with each other
425
00:26:03,770 --> 00:26:07,023
because you knew that
that person would go back to him.
426
00:26:07,107 --> 00:26:08,107
You knew it.
427
00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,904
Everybody was ratting each other out
for the guru's approval.
428
00:26:13,822 --> 00:26:15,156
[narrator] That's a lot of drama,
429
00:26:15,907 --> 00:26:18,034
but it's all for a greater purpose.
430
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:22,998
People have to be divided
in order to be controlled.
431
00:26:23,707 --> 00:26:25,375
[narrator] By following this chapter,
432
00:26:25,458 --> 00:26:30,463
your disciples should now be unmoored,
isolated, and entirely under your thumb.
433
00:26:32,173 --> 00:26:33,717
But if you're not careful,
434
00:26:35,885 --> 00:26:38,388
even the best systems
can still break down.
435
00:26:39,598 --> 00:26:44,644
How do you fortify your
mind control program before it's too late?
436
00:26:49,316 --> 00:26:50,734
[slow tempo music playing]
437
00:26:51,276 --> 00:26:53,945
[narrator] As you go deeper
into your cult leader career,
438
00:26:54,029 --> 00:26:55,905
some things do get easier.
439
00:26:58,783 --> 00:27:02,621
Once you've reached a point
where your followers' minds
440
00:27:02,704 --> 00:27:04,205
are basically mush,
441
00:27:04,914 --> 00:27:07,834
then they're prime grounds
442
00:27:07,917 --> 00:27:10,712
for feeding them
whatever you want to tell them.
443
00:27:10,795 --> 00:27:14,215
[narrator] But to maintain your power,
you can't let your guard down.
444
00:27:15,008 --> 00:27:18,219
It just takes one person
to plant an idea that spreads.
445
00:27:19,429 --> 00:27:23,933
Once people talk to each other,
that's when the truth starts to come out.
446
00:27:26,353 --> 00:27:28,104
[narrator] To snuff out this problem,
447
00:27:28,188 --> 00:27:31,232
Jaime made sure
all information flowed through him.
448
00:27:33,568 --> 00:27:37,364
Jaime was really good at triangulating
449
00:27:37,447 --> 00:27:41,743
and giving certain pieces of information
to some people and not to others.
450
00:27:43,912 --> 00:27:45,705
He was good at keeping things hidden.
451
00:27:46,915 --> 00:27:50,543
[Will] Nobody knew what was going on
behind his closed door.
452
00:27:50,627 --> 00:27:54,130
He even put in two doors
for his privacy and his protection.
453
00:27:55,757 --> 00:27:59,886
And nobody asked because we never assumed
anything bad was going on.
454
00:28:02,430 --> 00:28:04,933
[narrator] But then one day in 2006,
455
00:28:05,016 --> 00:28:08,269
a shocking email
arrives in every member's inbox.
456
00:28:10,063 --> 00:28:13,441
It's from one of Buddhafield's
former high-ranking members
457
00:28:13,525 --> 00:28:15,777
who recently left without explanation.
458
00:28:17,237 --> 00:28:21,741
It contains a long list
of damning accusations against the guru,
459
00:28:22,951 --> 00:28:24,869
claiming he lied about his past
460
00:28:25,370 --> 00:28:27,414
and his metaphysical training.
461
00:28:28,331 --> 00:28:30,333
It accuses him of tax evasion
462
00:28:30,417 --> 00:28:32,627
and extreme emotional manipulation,
463
00:28:33,503 --> 00:28:36,172
and being a serial sexual predator.
464
00:28:37,757 --> 00:28:42,846
The group thought he was celibate
because that's how he portrayed himself.
465
00:28:42,929 --> 00:28:47,100
[narrator] The letter's accusations
send the Buddhafield into a tailspin.
466
00:28:48,518 --> 00:28:52,021
Secrets that have been hidden for years
begin to be shared.
467
00:28:55,108 --> 00:28:57,944
I was involved
in a sexual relationship with him.
468
00:28:59,779 --> 00:29:04,075
For 20-some odd years this was going on
and we didn't know about this.
469
00:29:05,535 --> 00:29:09,247
When I suggested I didn't
want to have sex with him anymore,
470
00:29:09,330 --> 00:29:12,208
his answer was,
"Maybe you don't need to be here anymore."
471
00:29:12,292 --> 00:29:13,960
"Maybe you've outgrown this."
472
00:29:14,043 --> 00:29:16,272
[Christopher] Like being threatened
with excommunication.
473
00:29:16,296 --> 00:29:20,300
I didn't wanna pay that price,
'cause what would I do, where would I go?
474
00:29:20,383 --> 00:29:21,426
This is my path.
475
00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:24,888
[narrator] Others would soon
come forward as well.
476
00:29:25,889 --> 00:29:29,768
He'd planned sex with me
years before he had it. He told me later.
477
00:29:30,477 --> 00:29:32,228
[Will] It was not a healthy relationship,
478
00:29:32,312 --> 00:29:37,066
it was him pleasing himself
and that was my service.
479
00:29:38,151 --> 00:29:40,403
I was told to promise I'd never tell.
480
00:29:42,030 --> 00:29:44,073
[narrator] Days after the bombshell email,
481
00:29:44,574 --> 00:29:47,911
Jaime summons his followers
and denies any wrongdoing.
482
00:29:49,412 --> 00:29:51,915
But now that the floodgates have opened,
483
00:29:52,415 --> 00:29:54,459
Jaime's hold begins to break.
484
00:29:56,586 --> 00:29:58,838
Once we realized the depth of it,
485
00:29:58,922 --> 00:30:03,259
it allowed us to talk about things
we weren't talking about before.
486
00:30:04,928 --> 00:30:06,513
[Radhia] That was my line in the sand.
487
00:30:07,096 --> 00:30:10,183
It was about manipulating
everybody around him,
488
00:30:10,683 --> 00:30:12,185
and I said, "I'm done."
489
00:30:12,268 --> 00:30:13,269
"I'm done."
490
00:30:17,941 --> 00:30:19,484
[narrator] After more than 20 years
491
00:30:19,567 --> 00:30:23,613
of using the playbook to control minds
and fulfill his every desire,
492
00:30:24,239 --> 00:30:26,825
Jaime's information firewall crumbled,
493
00:30:27,325 --> 00:30:31,371
allowing followers to realize
he was playing them all along.
494
00:30:31,996 --> 00:30:34,249
[Radhia] Nobody ever became enlightened.
495
00:30:34,332 --> 00:30:37,126
Nobody ever graduated except for him.
496
00:30:39,087 --> 00:30:41,965
We had about 120 members,
497
00:30:42,590 --> 00:30:44,676
and within a six-month period,
498
00:30:44,759 --> 00:30:46,761
the group just kind of fell apart.
499
00:30:48,263 --> 00:30:51,266
[narrator] If you're worried
your disciples will just move on
500
00:30:51,349 --> 00:30:52,559
and forget you,
501
00:30:52,642 --> 00:30:53,642
fear not.
502
00:30:54,060 --> 00:30:55,937
They leave scars on you.
503
00:30:56,437 --> 00:31:01,234
How do I trust myself
after believing him 100%?
504
00:31:06,573 --> 00:31:09,033
[narrator] A successful
mind control campaign
505
00:31:09,117 --> 00:31:11,494
can earn you a long run as a cult leader.
506
00:31:12,495 --> 00:31:16,249
But if you ultimately want
to notch more than just moral victories,
507
00:31:17,125 --> 00:31:21,254
you need to promise something greater
than even your own divine wisdom
508
00:31:21,337 --> 00:31:23,798
and show that you can deliver the goods.
509
00:31:24,674 --> 00:31:26,968
I know the perfect teacher.
510
00:31:27,051 --> 00:31:32,307
We are now so programmed
to so easily accept death,
511
00:31:32,390 --> 00:31:34,642
but there are alternatives.
512
00:31:35,305 --> 00:32:35,930
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