Nithyananda Sangha and Synanon

If you are interested in organizations that are similar to Nithyananda Sangha, consult my collegue, Gina Maekawa's, page. Her well constructed and detailed documentation of the Synanon organization in Santa Monica, California offers a unique insight into the self-proclaimed religious practices that took place on our very doorstep. Though the Synanon organization started in California and the Nithyananda Sangha started in India, these organizaitons both have similar cult-like reputations. Charles E. Dederich, the founder of Synanon saved many individuals from the grips of addiction, showing them a new way to live their lives. Similarly, Swamiji Paramahamsa Nithyananda helps those who come to him by bringing a new, more pure form of Hinduism into their lives and awakening their third eye. Both spiritual leaders have created communities of followers who take their word as the absolute truth though both men approached the development of a religious organization very differently. The comparisons between these two organizations are many and their points of contrast are very interesting, I will leave it up to you, the interested reader, to delve more deeply into both organizations.