You and I, us ordinary folk, are less inclined to break the law because we know that the consequences might be unpleasant.  So imagine what it must be like being a minor deity like Surya Ma - not subject to human laws (although I think that it about to change!).

When I was her business manager in 2002 I was put in charge of fundraising and without any experience in that subject managed to get pledges at one event of $86,000.  The declared objectives were to help raise money to pay for the mortgage on the charity’s property and also to raise money for the monks in Nepal.

One morning shortly after this event was successfully executed I was having a breakfast meeting with Surya Ma (actually she was called Devra Ji then but after the charity was struck off it was thought best to change her ‘stage’ name to Surya Ma!) when she announced that God had told her that she personally must be given 33% of all the donations coming in to the charity.

It seems God had told her that she was not meant to be ordinary or poor in this lifetime and that she was to live in some opulence and be surrounded by nice things, have a cook, personal servants and a designer wardrobe!  All of which she already had!

As you can imagine I nearly choked on my cornflakes but you have to understand that this revelation from on high had come shortly after another that to me personally was even more shocking. 

It seems that after I had worked for five months without pay on setting up a ‘for profit’ corporation (Millennia Mind Inc.) that I, Tanmayo and Surya Ma were to own and run together Surya Ma dropped the bomb shell that God had told her that shares were a thing of the past and that my and Tanmayo’s shareholding’s were now reverting to her as God’s custodian!

As I said earlier being a minor deity has certain perks!

So most of the funds I helped to raise raised did go to Surya Ma and I believe the monks got $200.00 and for those of you that do not know the charity, The Circle of Divine Unity, was struck off by the Montana state government!  Click to see certificate of revocation!

But that was not the end of it Surya Ma, being God’s custodian on earth, allegedly transferred the charity’s only asset a property worth then $1.7 million dollars into her personal trust fund and then gave 50% of that to one of her sons!  I believe this to be fraud on a grand scale, even for Surya Ma.

So we come back to the present.  If you look on the web today you will see a permanent website of Surya Ma's extolling us all to give generously to help the monks in Nepal but wait, if you look at the mailer that is sent out about this subject what do you see at the bottom?

“To donate to the Rinpoche and his monks:
Make your check payable to Devra Patton West Foundation.
Mail to P.O. Box 715, Lakeside, MT 59922
Or call us at 406 844-2150 to process your credit card or wire 
transfer.”   To read the whole letter click on this link.

I see some things have not changed Ms West is still insisting that all donations are made in favor of herself!   Ms West used to throw a hissy fit every time someone tried to make donation checks out to the charity.  "How dare you!"  Go away and come back when you have dealt with your trust issues! 

Of course if it was all legitimate why not make the donations out to a proper 'at arms length' charity?  But as I have said before the 'headline' fundraisers be they the children's summer school, the monks, the mortgage on the charity's property, these were all banners to raise money.  Money that mostly went into West's pocket - with God's full approval you understand!

Is this 'foundation' the same place that the charity's property went into?  That is a legitimate question.  And I wonder what the current percentage is that God has told Surya Ma she can take from all the incoming donations?  Another legitimate question. 

Copyright 2007. John Watson. All rights reserved.