Nuggets from Occult Invasion—The Evangelists of Eastern Mysticism

How did this transformation overtake a “Christian” America? The drug movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s opened the West to the cosmic gospel of the invading Eastern gurus. Most Westerners find it difficult to think of these smiling and bowing yogis, swamis, and lamas as missionaries determined to win us with their mystic gospel. It comes as a great surprise that the largest missionary organization in the world is not Christian but Hindu—India’s Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

Yes, missionary organization. Nearly 20 years ago, in January 1979, at the VHP-sponsored second “World Congress on Hinduism” in Allahabad, India (attended by about 60,000 delegates from around the world), a speaker declared, “Our mission in the West has been crowned with fantastic success. Hinduism is becoming the dominant world religion and the end of Christianity has come near.” By law, no Christian missionary activity is allowed among Hindus in India, but Hindus aggressively evangelize in the West, and with great success. Among the primary goals listed in VHP’s constitution are the following:

“To establish an order of missionaries, both lay and initiate, [for] the purpose of propagating dynamic Hinduism representing…various faiths and denominations, including Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Lingayats, etc. and to open, manage, or assist seminaries or centers for spiritual principles and practices of Hinduism…in all parts of the world….”

Interestingly, the 1979 World Hindu Conference was chaired by the Dalai Lama, who publicly proclaims tolerance for all religions. Hinduism and Buddhism infiltrate our society, government, and even public schools as science, while Christianity is banned as a religion.

Phil Jackson is applauded for turning the Chicago Bulls’ headquarters into a sacred repository of fetishes and totems and introducing his entire team to Eastern mysticism. Newsweek referred favorably to Jackson as the man “who brought Zen principles to bear in coaching the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships.” The article lauded Jackson for accomplishing “one of the more daunting challenges in the history of religion.” It would be another story had he indoctrinated his team with Christianity.

Of all the gurus who have come to the West, none has done more to establish the credibility of Eastern mysticism than Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader in exile of Tibet’s Gelugpa, or Yellow sect, of Mahayana Buddhism. He claims to be the fourteenth reincarnation of the original Dalai Lama, a god on earth with the power to initiate others into their own godhood. Here we have again the persistent occult theme of human deification echoing the serpent’s lie in the Garden of Eden.

In August 1996, Hollywood elite such as actor Richard Gere and MGM President Mike Marcus honored the Dalai Lama at a fundraising dinner for the American Himalayan Foundation. The thousand guests contributed about 650,000 dollars. Harrison Ford introduced the self-proclaimed god. Of course, Shirley MacLaine was on hand, along with Leonard Nimoy and many other well-knowns. Late in 1996 two major films were in production about the Dalai Lama’s life.