SYNTHESIS about MISA ch.16: ASHRAM



In the Hindu tradition, an ashram is a group of houses intended for spiritual retreats and practices.

The duration of the retreat is usually limited, unlike a monastery, where the retreat is very long or even permanent.

For MISA, the ashram is the material basis for carrying out its activities, since many of them involve maintaining strict

secrecy and complete isolation, given the bizarre, dubious, immoral and often illegal nature of its teachings and practices.

MISA's activity cannot be conceived without ashrams. Without them, the organization could only have held banal courses.

It is no coincidence that the major media scandals related to MISA appear with the emergence of the first ashrams,

with people who left home and took refuge in those isolated locations, which did not allow contact with their families

and the outside world. And it is no coincidence that the March 2004 raids against MISA mainly targeted its ashrams.

MISA has always claimed that ashrams are "spiritual settlements", intended only to facilitate spiritual practices and

retreats for those who had no other option. In reality, access was limited and subject to strict rules, and the controlled

way of life led to the emergence of groups of more indoctrinated students, a kind of "army" under MISA's orders.

Both the service groups and the order-keeping groups that were essential in organizing activities and camps, are mainly

made up of ashram residents. Isolation from families and the outside world, as well as their material dependence,

contributed greatly to their indoctrination. Not coincidentally, the groups that picketed the courts where MISA trials

took place were also mainly made up of these ashram residents.

Another significant fact is that the establishment of these ashrams was initially very centralized. Although there were

initiatives to establish such locations in the provinces, by people with financial means, they were strangely discouraged,

although, as far as yoga courses were concerned, they began early (even from the second year of the course) to be held

in homes made available by students or instructors. This fact contradicts the main purpose of ashrams, that of supporting

spiritual practice for those without means, as well as being genuine spiritual centers.

The explanation waved by those around Bivolaru was that, according to the esoteric tradition, everything had

to start first from the Center and then expand to the periphery. In fact, the hidden motivation had two aspects:

➢ resources had to be channeled first to Bucharest and Costinești (on the Black Sea shore, the venue for the summer

yoga camps), so that MISA could create a material base (headquarters, library, printing house, camp command

headquarters, lecture and conference rooms for secret initiations, places to stay for those coming from the provinces,

but especially refuges ("small villas" - "vilutze" in Romanian), because the "Spiritual Guide" was eager to have

safe places where he could "initiate" as many of the young students as possible into the mysteries of tantric sexuality...)

➢ A functioning model (internal regulations and the practice of karma yoga) had to be established at the Center,

which would be adopted by the other locations in the rest of the country, in order to achieve the goals proposed by

establishing these ashrams.

In the early years of MISA's operation, there was an "initiative" to establish a "Tibetan school" in a kind of "campus",

together with an individual later proven to be a hoaxer, the Bulgarian Zvezdomir Marinov, a self-proclaimed "Jesus".

The first ashrams were a great attraction, especially for those from the provinces, who wanted to be as close as possible

to Gregorian Bivolaru (nicknamed "Grieg"). Many left their families, schools, and jobs, thus causing many problems

with the police, as a result of complaints from families who reported them as "missing or kidnapped". 

But despite the problems with the authorities, the establishment or operation of these ashrams was never abandoned,

precisely because they were essential, practically indispensable, for what MISA was designed to become.

Complaints began to appear from some of those living in those ashrams, who deplored many aspects, starting from

the poor accommodation conditions, insufficient food, exploitation through labor, drastic regulations, and the harshness

of the leaders of these "spiritual settlements". Some complaints about the lifestyle in the ashrams were the subject

of the human trafficking case that targeted many MISA members after the raids of March 18, 2004, a case that ended

with acquittals (a list of the complaints, as well as the MISA ashrams, is contained in the indictment of the prosecutors

from the crime fighting office. (archived)

The climax of the complaints was when a message from some students living in the ashram was published on the blog

of the former MISA lawyer Mihai Rapcea, titled

There is no spiritual evolution through fear - about the shocking drama of the yogis in the ashrams of MISA (link)

(The statements contained in this anonymous message will be analyzed and commented on in detail later in this post.)

Although the statements in this anonymous message could not be fully verified, it is worth noting that, at the time

of its publication on the internet - August 1, 2013, the message contained some things that were later confirmed,

including following the investigation launched by the French authorities on November 28, 2023.

The confirmed aspects are:

➢ Bivolaru's presence in Paris, although he denied this in a telephone interview, in which he stated that he was in Sweden:

Bivolaru, on the phone: "When this conspiracy, this satanic government will collapse, then you will see that my hypostasis 

of victim and criminal will transform overnight into a great hero. Remember these words, they are prophetic!”

reporter: But what seems to have bothered Bivolaru the most is the statement made the other day by the Romanian

Police that he is no longer in Sweden. On Saturday, he called from a public phone and contacted the editorial office:

Bivolaru: "I live in the city of Karlskrona and I have received political asylum. I am now calling you from Sweden,

I got my phone card, you will be able to check the number!”  (video 1)

reporter: Guru Bivolaru makes a public statement. He decided to break his silence after the Romanian Police 

announced on Friday that he was no longer in Sweden.

Bivolaru on the phone: I found out from people who called me that some tendentious and completely false statements

were made such as that I had left Sweden, or that this is not true. No authority has looked for me, neither 

the Romanian Police nor the Swedish Police here, where I live, and it is a blatant lie that happened.

reporter: Gregorian Bivolaru wants to give an exclusive reply to the police statement that he was no longer in Sweden. 

He called from a public phone and claimed that he was in a city in southern Sweden. (video 2)

➢ the fact that Bivolaru brings women to Paris to have sexual relations with them

➢ in the film from Bivolaru's apartment in Paris, shown on MisaTV after the French police raids, ready-made packages

with various objects (perfumes) could be observed, probably to be given as gifts to the women students attending his home. 

(photo 1, photo 2)

➢ over 200,000 euros were found in Bivolaru's apartment during the French police raid

➢ the erotic video chats on which MISA students are active were revealed following a journalistic investigation

in the Czech Republic

➢ video and even audio surveillance, imposed by Bivolaru himself, with the help of those in the school management (audio)

MISA immediately came up with a typical response to this message. I quote:

article: Important announcement from MISA leaders (link):

The MISA leadership hereby announces that it has already taken note of the existence of a slanderous letter,

full of abject, anonymous insinuations, which was posted on its personal website by former student Mihai Rapcea.

We ask ourselves rhetorically: why did these human beings, who are said to be a group and who wrote this letter,

not have and did not demonstrate the common sense and minimal honesty to communicate, as was natural

and necessary, their names?! What exactly determines them to hide in a cowardly way, just like rats under

the thick curtain of anonymity? If what they claim (as only they claim) is true, what exactly determines them to show

cowardice? If all this exists, why did they not previously transmit, as was natural, their wishes to the MISA leadership?

The abject attitude is on the part of MISA, which demands full transparency from those making accusations

(the identity of those making accusations and evidence from them), while requiring participants in some activities

to take the oath that that they will not reveal anything they see or find out there, the oaths being taken BEFORE

they participate in the said activities! As for ”the cowardly, anonymous rat attitude” of those making accusations

against MISA, we recall the “godly” way in which some people, who exposed MISA, were abusively sued by MISA,

which used the false testimony of some of its instructors and students, made with their hand on the Bible and the cross,

just to intimidate those who exposed them and who, in the end, won their case in court! And about "transmitting requests

to the MISA leadership", the embarrassing theater that MISA is playing is obvious, because everything that happens

in the ashrams is precisely the result of the leadership's action, in full knowledge of the facts!

continuation of the MISA announcement:

We would like to announce that after September 20, 2013, this scandalous anonymous letter full of aberrant,

slanderous, tendentious accusations and containing countless vile insinuations that are baseless, will be debated

within the spiritual settlements of the MISA Yoga School, and we announce that each member of the MISA

settlements will come in front of the camera and will make a personal, sincere testimony in which they will freely

and unhinderedly express their impressions regarding this anonymous letter. We are already wondering: will

Mr. Rapcea admit to posting on his website the hundreds of testimonies of the members of the spiritual community

from the MISA settlements? We are inclined to believe even now that Mr. Lawyer Rapcea will not be very willing

to do this, because the said testimonies will refute the abject slanders that the said anonymous letter contains.

Please note that this is a firm promise we are making and it will be implemented after September 20, 2013.

For compliance, from the MISA management.”

This passage fully demonstrates both the wickedness of the MISA leadership and their infinite stupidity, who reveal

their vile intentions and actions without even realizing it:

➢ after claiming that “the anonymous message is full of aberrant, slanderous, tendentious accusations and contains

vile insinuations without foundation”, as if this message had already been analyzed and debated, those from MISA

announce that the message is yet to be debated “within the premises of the MISA Yoga School”!

Any person with a minimum of intelligence wonders: if the debate on the message is yet to come, why has MISA

already issued the conclusions? Or if the conclusions have been issued, what is the point of further debate?

Although it is clear that, at first glance, the behavior of the MISA leadership seems illogical, here comes

the moment of enlightenment:

➢ the "true" debate was actually already carried out from the very beginning by the MISA leadership and was

"confirmed", obviously, by the "affirmative response to consecration from God", and the "debate" that follows

actually represents the "personal, sincere testimonies, in which impressions will be expressed freely and unhindered",

impressions that are already known, because it is said that these "will refute slander”, so they are ”freely”!

Regarding the challenge addressed by MISA to lawyer Rapcea, he returned with a post in which he described

the "debate" that took place at MISA: article: The third letter (link)

And regarding the "firm promise" from MISA, a one-hour report was made, which strongly smells of cheap

directing and which was posted on MisaTV, stopping at episode no. 1, although the numbering suggests that

there should have been more than that (weren't the hundreds of promised testimonies collected, from each member?):

video: With the books on the table – Ep.1 – The truth about the life of yogis in settlements (link)

The conclusion of the debates is the "prophesized" one: everything is beautiful (even too beautiful!), the MISA

ashrams are Heaven on Earth, and the blogs of critics of MISA are hell...

In fact, the conclusion was predictable, since, less than a week after the message appeared (absolutely insufficient

time for an internal investigation, but only for the hasty composition of a propaganda response to counter

the respective accusatory message), a "reply" appeared containing an account of a MISA employee liar, even one

of the three lying witnesses in the trial lost by MISA (link) in connection with an article on this blog:

article: A truly AUTHENTIC testimony of a yogi who lived in a spiritual settlement (ashram) in Romania (link)

Later, only five days after the deadline promised by MISA for the start of the debate, a "punctual analysis"

of the anonymous message posted by Rapcea on behalf of the dissatisfied ashram residents appeared:

article: The opinion of a group of satisfied yogis living in spiritual settlements (link)

The title suggests that it is not about the opinion of ALL those living in ashrams, but only of the satisfied ones, 

on whose behalf a single female student signs.

The "opinion" begins with the conclusion, as all opinions at MISA begin! First the conclusion is issued,

then the opinions faithfully follow the conclusion issued based on the opinions... 😁

⬧ I quote from "The Opinion of the Group of Satisfied Yogis" (which is actually a single student):

We are dealing with an attempt to destabilize our Yoga School, the intention behind this letter and those that will

probably follow is the abolition of all spiritual institutions, the abolition of MISA, the arrest and imprisonment

of Grieg (Gregorian Bivolaru). It is a longer-term action, which we believe has been planned down to the smallest

detail, and now it has started! As if you could outlaw God! That is why it is good for each of us to supplement

our attention, vigilance and discernment and not to listen to the malicious rumors that will seek to divide us

in the months to come.

The conclusion is a paranoid conspiracy theory, that through that anonymous letter, the aim is to dismantle

the ashrams and MISA, as well as to arrest Bivolaru, although in Romania there was already a criminal case

pending against Bivolaru and MISA for human trafficking, with a seizure of MISA's buildings!

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

We must clarify, from the beginning, mainly for those who are not familiar with the subject of this dispute,

that spiritual settlements are homes made available to yoga practitioners for a certain period of time, longer

or shorter, so that they can deepen their spiritual practice, if they are interested in this subject. This is their purpose

and this is what they are limited to. Spiritual settlements are not service homes. It is known that, upon arrival at

a spiritual settlement, everyone is informed of the conditions that can be offered to them, as well as the regulations

of the settlement. By signing it, everyone therefore undertakes to respect it.

If the MISA leadership is so transparent and well-intentioned and wants to invite only people with spiritual aspirations

to the ashrams and avoid profiteers, WHY HAVE THEY NEVER MADE THE ASHRAM REGULATIONS PUBLIC?

And to clarify firmly and clearly, before the applications for registration in the ashrams appear, IF IT IS TRUE that

APPLICANTS MUST SWEAR NOT TO DISCLOSE TO ANYONE ANYTHING OF WHAT THEY SEE 

OR FIND OUT THERE, even though they don't know what they will be participating in!

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

Since every inhabitant of a spiritual settlement can come and go freely wherever they want, why did "they" accept

so much so-called misery for so long? Did they want to leave and did someone stop them by force? Who and when?

A possible reason for staying in the ashrams, despite so many inconveniences, is that the residents had no other solution.

But there may be another reason, the one for which all students, not just the ashram residents, do not leave the school:

the fear, deeply instilled in their minds by the school management, of permanently losing the chance of spiritual liberation

and falling into hell! Or maybe because of the vows!

Should the management have clarified firmly and clearly, before the requests for enrollment in the ashrams appeared,

IF IT IS TRUE that APPLICANTS HAVE TO SWEAR TO STAY IN THE ASHRAM FOR A CERTAIN 

MINIMUM PERIOD of TIME (15 YEARS)?

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

It would be more correct to say: Grieg was with us all and each one of us, he worked harder than all of us put together,

enduring all kinds of deprivations and hardships, fully assuming them, giving to each according to their merits and

without expecting anything in return from us, not even thanks.

Yes, he "worked" more than those on the construction site, over 10 hours a day (see victim's statement below), 

"talking about yoga" (only with women!), living - just like "Les Miserables" in the misery of Paris, with only

two hundred thousand euros in cash on him... "Without expecting anything from us in return". 

And then how does he make a living?

victim Bec statement, BBC podacst ”The Bad Guru”, 4. The Guru - min7:sec46 (podcast link):

And he's fuc...ing in the other room for, I don't know, 10 hours, 14 hours, 20 hours. And then, I don't know,

he's giving lectures, recording things. You can hear him speaking. You can hear people come and go.

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

He never promised anyone exceptional spiritual achievement if they lived in a spiritual settlement, although

many of us have had and continue to have many exceptional achievements.

What are you talking about? During a conference, Bivolaru lured students to come to ashrams for. I quote, 

"an optimal spiritual atmosphere, in which you will be able to transform yourself spiritually"!

conference Morals and Bad Habits – Bivolaru, message about free courses, August 2015:

Dear male participants,  dear female participants, considering that some of you always request free yoga classes,

motivating in one way or another the impossibility of paying your monthly course fee, we suggest you consider that

there is a possibility of benefiting from completely free yoga course fees, if you accept the invitation to come to the

ashram-like spiritual settlements that exist in Bucharest. Please note that in this way you will also benefit from free

accommodation and free meals during your integration into spiritual settlements such as ashrams, and at the same

time you will have an appropriate setting, as well as an optimal spiritual ambience in which you will be able to

transform yourself from a spiritual point of view, together with your colleagues, who are already integrated into

spiritual settlements like ashrams in Bucharest. Also, if you know,  have met or heard about aspirational human beings

who do not have jobs or who do not have the opportunity to pay their yoga class fees, advise them to immediately

choose the alternative of coming to live in spiritual settlements like ashrams, which exist in Bucharest. 

During this invitation, it will be possible to put an end, so to speak, to the problems that some of you have with

paying for yoga classes, respectively the fee, which must be paid monthly. So please note that, starting in September,

you are invited, you are invited to integrate into the spiritual settlements like ashrams, in Bucharest.  (audio)

"Uh, if you don't have money, but you have aspiration, come to the ashram because you have free accommodation

and food, and even bring those you know who have such problems!" 

There is no mention of any conditions: no regulations, no karma yoga, no vows, just aspiration!

By "free" it is understood that nothing is demanded! If "work in exchange for food or accommodation" is demanded,

this means that these cost money, only you don't give money, but work! After a few years, Bivolaru returned with

a new message:

Bivolaru - conference 2020:

Please note that we have not sent any message calling on students of this school to engage in volunteer work or

Karma yoga, except for the ashrams administered by this esoteric integral yoga school. If you want to engage in

volunteer work or Karma yoga, we really invite you to come in large numbers to our ashrams, where you will have

- as is known - free accommodation, free meals and even access to courses for free.

So the invitation is not for those who cannot pay their course fees to come to karma yoga, but for "those who want

to engage in volunteering", for the sake of volunteering, meaning people who have a home and a job, who lack

nothing and, precisely because they have everything and want to help those who do not, come for the sake of

karma yoga and will be accommodated at the ashram, where it is natural for them to have food, accommodation

and courses provided, because they work all this time! It is not implied from this that those who live in ashrams

because they do not have money for courses, "need" to also do karma yoga. These are, as Bivolaru said, "free"!

Or... not? Precisely because Bivolaru made a parallel between volunteering and karma yoga (link), these were

confused and thus ambiguity was created:

"uh, come to the ashram because it's free, but... it's not really like that, you have to do something in EXCHANGE."

The problem is that, if it's an EXCHANGE, then it's not free, it's like a "work for a salary" exchange, so employment

documents were needed! Only when it's a "course for nothing", only then is it free and only then is there no problem!

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

At first there were no rules, not even a spiritual program. Everyone was free to practice yoga or not, to come and go

as they pleased, to organize their own program. Over time, “profiteers” and then “destroyers” appeared.

Unfortunately, such people also have problems with common sense and are usually the ones who cause material damage

and then disappear. We even requested the introduction of a regulation at that time, because it was difficult to cooperate

with such people, but Grieg refused then and for a long time after that. Later, it became imperative to introduce

a regulation, in order to protect those who had a sincere aspiration. The regulation included rules of good behavior,

of common sense in the end, and it was supplemented with new rules as new situations arose that we were faced with.

For a person lacking common sense and "the 7 years at home" (and I have had many such "guests" who left behind

damage that is difficult to recover), such a regulation may seem draconian and the rules absurd, but the absurdity and

insensitivity of certain people generated the emergence of the rules and not the other way around!

"Uh, the lovely Grieg didn't want to introduce rules, but they became indispensable and inevitable, because of the

profiteers and destroyers who were causing damage"... But the oaths to keep silence before participating in activities

or initiations, for what kind of damage were this king of rules introduced? Because the monopoly of information

was disappearing and some people stopped coming to classes or camps? Or did the authorities and the press find out

about the debauchery, perversions and abuses at MISA, with damage to their image? But the body searches, including

with scanners, at the entrance to the premises where initiations were given, despite the oaths, seem draconian only

to the insensitive or to any sane person? Are oaths like "I'll die in 7 years if I divulge anything" draconian or is it 

just an ”opinion”?

 

⬧ The "outraged" anonymous: "In the ashram they swear on the Bible!"

"The opinion of the satisfied yogis group": It is possible. Thieves also have the habit of lying, and not only thieves!

There are also many unconscious or unscrupulous profiteers!

First of all, the "satisfied yogis" admit that they swear in the ashram. As for the perverted oath on the Bible,

it is certain that it is practiced, because it was proven in court, when witnesses from MISA, students and instructors

of the organization, gave false testimony after the oath on the Bible and the cross taken before the judges,

in a trial related to this blog.

⬧ The "outraged" anonymous: Some of the ashram residents are asked to pay for expenses (during the summer!),

they have to pay for their yoga classes and get their own clothes, food (because their food ration is not enough),

and medicine if they are sick. Where will they get all this from if they do not work outside the ashram, because

there is no time for that?

"The opinion of the satisfied yogis group": We ask again: Then why does he stay in the settlement, if it's so bad?

The fact that the accuser manifests this contradictory attitude does not mean that he is automatically lying in

what he claims. The one who gives the "reply" did not fight the accusation, did not even deny it, but avoided

the answer, which practically amounts to an admission! In his previously presented message, Bivolaru

did not say

anything about maintenance expenses, but only about free of charge, especially regarding the courses!

⬧ "The opinion of the satisfied yogis group":

Speaking of secret service informants: several years ago, an agent (who had attended our classes for several months,

incognito, as a simple student) came to a classroom, introduced himself and said:

"I am X..., I had the mission to monitor your yoga classes, we were convinced that there was nothing illegal or that

would affect national security, my mission is over and I want to tell you that you have microphones installed in the

air vents of the room. You can remove them!" And Grieg replied: "There is no need, because we have nothing to hide!"

"We have nothing to hide", but MISA students have to swear oaths of secrecy, even before they know what

they're swearing to! By the way, isn't secrecy from the authorities a threat to national security?

"We've convinced ourselves that there's nothing illegal"... Did that agent receive a tax receipt for the course fee, 

the books or the plants that are being sold? Blatant lies! The person who wrote the article implies that Bivolaru left

the microphones where the secret agent planted them, but, at the entrance to the rooms where initiations are offered,

his servants search the yoga students for microphones in their private parts!

⬧The "outraged" anonymous: More recently, in some ashrams, surveillance cameras have been installed (discreetly!),

and even in classrooms, that record everyone who is there.

"The opinion of the satisfied yogis group": He would probably wish that those who slander and discredit this

yoga school and seek to destabilize it from within and even abolish it, not to be disturbed by any other opinion

and to be allowed to undermine it… There are surveillance cameras on the streets, at almost all intersections,

and in various institutions… Are those good and ours bad?

First, it is worth noting that the existence of surveillance cameras ("ours") is admitted!

Then, it is insinuated that the surveillance cameras are intended to catch "destabilizers"... But what about the others,

the "sincere aspirants"? They are caught on camera too! I understand, they have nothing to hide...

"By installing surveillance cameras, everyone is automatically turned into a suspect, so their cameras are bad!",

this is what Bivolaru says in his conspiracy theory-based conferences. But the same thing happens with "our cameras",

but these are good, because they were set up "in a spiritually integrated way", on the advice of the "divine guide"...

The cameras of the journalists who secretly filmed the group nudity scenes at the Bivolaru's anniversary show in 2002 (video)

were certainly bad, but the cameras that filmed the MISA female student for the secret test at the Miss contest (details),

as well as those that filmed the naked women who gave statements of praise after coming out of sex with Bivolaru,

those were good, of course...

⬧ The "outraged" anonymous: ...In the face of the abuses of the ashram leaders, who are directly supported

by Bivolaru and use his authority against us.…

"The opinion of the satisfied yogis group": So here's where it had to go: the "scapegoat" was found - Gregorian Bivolaru!

Although he has been out of the country for 8 years, he is considered the main culprit..

Well, he's the big culprit, since he controls and organizes everything, through the system he created and through

the people he placed in charge, to whom he sends instructions, such as audio-video recording everyone!

 

⬧ The "outraged" anonymous: Grieg (Bivolaru), you are the first to do us injustice when you treat your students

differently. You bury the women who do you sexual favors in money and expensive gifts, you take them around Paris

and spoil them with good food, but for those who work in ashrams like slaves to keep a yoga school alive – and

YOUR LIFE of LUXURY and DELIGHT, there is no money for food, accommodation, health, electricity, or vacations..

"The opinion of the satisfied yogis group": Who else could be found guilty by “them” if not Grieg?

Grieg is an inconvenient figure for those with criminal intentions. For those who still want to know the truth,

we can tell them that Grieg never lived in luxury or debauchery. He was always austere and lived modestly,

because he likes moderation and modesty. Impressed by his exemplary power of dedication, at one point,

several years ago, I said to him: “Grieg, I am no longer surprised that you can do everything you do. 

But I am surprised that, being able to do all this, you behave like an ordinary man!” He replied, modestly:

“It is because of great humiliation!”

Yeah, that's what modesty means, boasting that you have great humility...

⬧Finally, when she has nothing to answer to the terrible accusations that everyone knows are true, the "brilliant"

author of the reply to the anonymous letter has only one reply: "The intention to compromise and defame our yoga school,

those who are in charge of it, as well as Grieg, is evident through these statements full of venom and cunningly invented

to create an image as horrifying as possible, so that it is no longer worth commenting!"

If it's not worth commenting on, then why all the fuss? Anyway, the author failed to counter the anonymous letter

at all, in many moments the reply being quite weak, leaving the impression that the author herself is not convinced

by her own plea, and moreover, it leaves the impression that she knows that the things being contested are real.

Not coincidentally, the reply is pale precisely in those moments of the anonymous letter referring to real and

indisputable situations, which even MISA had to hardly admit: porn video chats and pole dancing in striptease bars,

women who queue at Bivolaru's for sexual encounters and receive gifts, unlike the others who are ignored, the money

that goes to the school's VIPs, in contrast to the precarious situation of the ashram residents, found in those

who are part of the service groups in yoga camps, the "modesty and humility" of Bivolaru who threw money

at some female students, in full view of the world, the debauchery in MISA's "settlements", etc.

The only thing admitted is that in ashrams people steal, but this fact is recognized in a broader context: 

"there are thefts everywhere", "there is no forest without droughts" or "it's the same with others, even worse"!

But if at MISA it is "like everywhere", then where are the impressive results from the "spiritual school"?

What is the difference between MISA students and those who are not on a spiritual path?

It is clear that this issue of the MISA ashrams is a thorny one, because at some point a so-called "objective report

from the MISA spiritual settlements" appeared in the press. The report is considered "objective" by MISA because

it is eminently laudatory of the ashrams. Absolutely nothing of what is stated in the anonymous letter no longer exists,

everything is good and beautiful, even absolute. The impression of staging is overwhelming:

A website published an objective report about the MISA spiritual establishments (link)

As if this pitiful circus weren't enough, on the same day an interview given to the same newspaper by the then

president of MISA also appeared: The President of MISA gave an interview to a journalist (link):

I will quote just a few edifying sentences from the report:

A house like a wagon, with many rooms and long corridors, with a rural air, but in the heart of Bucharest.

15 people without blood ties, but only of heart, of different professions, coming from all over the country,

live here as in a dormitory for non-family members, eat together, take turns cleaning the common spaces

and in return give a few hours a day and some money for utilities.

How "15 people"? Where are the hundreds of residents in the ashrams? I quote from MISA's official "response" 

o the aforementioned anonymous person:

This scandalous anonymous letter [...] will be debated within the MISA Yoga School establishments, and we

announce that each member of the MISA establishments will come before the camera and give a personal, sincere

testimony [...] We are already wondering: will Mr. Lawyer Rapcea allow the posting on his website of the hundreds

of testimonies of the members of the spiritual community in the MISA establishments? (source)

They took 15 people, obviously selected, then the image thus created was extended to the remaining hundreds of

people and... here is the "objective report"! How do I know that the 15 are selected and in fact the ashram itself

is selected in advance? From the following ostentatiously omitted sentence, but which reveals the staging:

The next day, the house fell even quieter. Most people had already left for job.

"Most of them have jobs", so it's not true what is said that the residents of ashrams are miserable, that they have

nothing to eat... They have their jobs, in fact they also have a place to live, but they came to the ashram only for

practice and accelerated spiritual evolution! But then who are the service groups and orders in the camps made up of?

People who have jobs, have homes and, when they also benefit from a vacation after a year of work, instead of relaxing,

they come to yoga camps to stress themselves out even more, living in a pile in ashrams, eating and sleeping on the run

and taking turns on duty, day and night, until they are ready to fall down, as I have seen them so many times, with my

own eyes, in yoga camps?

I quote from the "objective report": We all sat down at the table. Yogis are ovo-lacto-vegetarians. So the table was filled

with salads, vegetable pizza, soy salami. One of the yogis consecrated the table, that is, she said a kind of prayer.

And then, the evening exploded into jokes and laughter.

The laughter is not from those in the ashram, it is from those who don't believe anything written in the report!

If there is such happiness, why doesn't everyone move to ashrams? To hell with personal housing, with the daily

stresses and scandals! Come to the Heaven of the MISA ashrams!

Rapcea fumed and posted a response, but this time it is not an open letter from an anonymous ashram resident,

but his own opinion, that he could not take it anymore:

article: The truth speaks through the mouths of children (link), I quote:

"I had various questions like: what if it's not that good, what if it's all a lie, and so on. And I came to the following

conclusion: even if it's all a lie, it's the best lie I've ever been told, it's the most coherent. The most... of all.

And I came to the conclusion: even if it's false, I still feel best here," explains the psychology student.

The "operation" entitled "a day with a journalist in the ashram": sending the note to Grieg, through all sorts of

anonymous hands, with mouths locked by the secrecy of vows on life and their spiritual evolution; sending messages

through ultra-protected proxy servers to the Master's secret location, his "YES" answer, with punctual advice on

how to direct the play. Then the meeting of the ashram leaders, in the middle of the night, where the relocation

of people was decided, in the model ashram that the journalist was supposed to visit: which residents to transplant

around her: X, because he is funny and tells jokes; Y, because he was a victim and won at the ECHR; Z, because

he was cured of some disease through yoga - and so on. They moved to other locations the sad, the strange,

the poor-with-no-teeth-weak-dead ones and others who could have raised questions. They surrounded the journalist

in question only with emblematic people for the story, as it was meant to be said - from Above.

I can almost see the preparation meeting of those in question, in which the note from Grieg was read directly

to them, with directives. How they were assigned tasks, how to behave, what to say to each other and especially,

what topics to avoid discussing in the presence of the journalist. And there were, thank God, so many new things

to present, from the daily life of the ashram dweller at MISA: notifications saying "burn one pot, buy three";

the notifications in the refrigerator, on the food bags, so that the ashram colleague does not "accidentally" eat your food;

notifications with warnings at the place to light candles for the offerings of light (do not set fire to the ashram!);

the appointment book for the "love room"; ashram notifications, notifications of approval of departures from the ashram,

notifications of approval for the payment of karma yoga by those who have a job, notifications of drawing lots

for services during the camps, notifications for taking out/putting in/double-portion for food, tables with penalties

(doubling of service hours) for those who have arrears at karma yoga on the eve of the camps, from the printing

house, oaths to keep various secrets. Tables of attendance at various mandatory activities (protest rallies,

support meditations). And so on and so forth! So, no kidding, I think that in the first phase they had to raid the notifications!!!

The interview questions were probably also determined in advance and went through the same approval procedure

"from Above". With answers. Hence the air of artificiality, of cheap staging that has nothing to do with real journalism.

Because no difficult, indiscreet questions, specific to investigative journalism, were asked, such as: 

where is Gregorian Bivolaru currently? Why or from whom is he hiding? What happens to the ashram residents

who get old or sick (how, yogis don't get sick!?). Is there any form of social protection (retirement pension,

health insurance) for the ashram residents who have spent more than half their lives working in MISA ashrams?

How well can they integrate socially, when they are kicked out of the ashram or choose to leave? 

What's the deal with vows and secrets? How much money did MISA collect from donations from those who work

abroad in a karma yoga regime (men in construction, and women in the sex business) and where did that money go?!

Is MISA a golden illusion or a way out of the illusion?

This last fragment would have been the perfect conclusion to this synthesis. But things don't stop there!

With the raids by the French police on November 28, 2023, a new chapter opened in the ashram issue, which seemed

to be permanently buried after the final ruling in the human trafficking trial in Romania. Asked by French journalists

about the ashram issue, MISA/ATMAN began to give evasive answers, a sign that an investigation had finally hit 

a very sensitive spot. On April 4, the "Response offered by the MISA Press Office to the French daily Le Monde" 

appeared on the official MISA page (link). I have selected only those fragments regarding the ashrams and the number 

of residents:

LeMonde: How many MISA/ATMAN ashrams are there in the world?

MISA: First of all, we would like to point out that these spiritual settlements are improperly called "ashrams",

they are more like spiritual communities. (source)

Now they don't even want to admit that they call them by their traditional name - "ashrams", which is strange

for an European, who thinks that yoga is something that is practiced in a salon or studio. The people from MISA

do this so as not to give the impression that they are a sect. But the memory of the internet has retained the truth

for posterity:

An ashram is a place for living a simple life an being able to practice meditation more. Even the yoga practice is

a form of meditation. An ashram aims at facilitating a better health condition and a spiritual life for the practitioner.

As a matter of fact, any home may be called an ashram. Within MISA, ashrams are a form of living in common,

similar to student dormitories. Each dormitory follows certain rules for the life in common to work. The MISA

ashrams abide by the following rules... (source)

MISA is a loose network of training centers, yoga schools and ashrams. In addition, there were about 40 ashrams 

in Romania, where some 750 people were living and practising yoga. After the 2004 events, the number dramatically

decreased due to the social panic instilled by the media. By mid-May 2013, there were 63 ashrams in Bucharest

and 28 in other cities where more than one thousand practitioners had chosen to live. The MISA ashrams abide 

by the following rules... (source)

So when MISA's friends and protectors refer to their homes as "ashrams," it's okay. But when the press asks for

information about MISA's ashrams, "Uh, that's a improperly name..."

MISA students also call them ashrams:

"Now, when a trial is taking place in which Gregorian Bivolaru and other MISA members or instructors are accused

of human trafficking, the press has launched a furious campaign to expose the "exploitation" of ashramists

(yoga practitioners who live together in houses they call "ashrams") by the MISA leadership.

Precisely to bring clarification in this regard, MISA Senzational TV presented in the show "With Books on the Table"

a series of interviews taken with several yogis who live in an ashram of our school." (source)

Regarding the number of residents in the ashrams, here are MISA's lies to the French press that "harass" them:

"In Romania there are more than 10 so-called "ashrams", to which are added several homes belonging to students,

which they have made available to people who, for a shorter or longer period of time, wish to carry out an intensive

spiritual practice. MISA did not set out to keep an exact record of all these small spiritual settlements, especially since

they are small individual homes, not large residences like Indian ashrams, with several hundred people." (source)

... But previously I showed the exact numbers provided in the past by MISA to the organizations that defend them:

MISA is a loose network of training centers, yoga schools and ashrams. By mid-May 2013, there were 63 ashrams

in Bucharest and 28 in other cities where more than one thousand practitioners had chosen to live. (source)

The bullshit about "small individual homes belonging to students who made them available to colleagues for intensive

spiritual practice" was later used to cover up the hosting of women invited by Bivolaru for sexual initiation in France.

(quote)

The response provided by the MISA Press Office to the French daily Le Monde - April 4, 2024:

LeMonde: How many MISA/ATMAN ashrams are there in the world?

MISA: We have no information about spiritual settlements outside of Romania.(source)

LeMonde: How many members and how many ashrams are there in France?

MISA: As far as we know, the yoga school in France does not have any ashrams. Being a separate school

from MISA, we have no information on the number of students. (source)

If the yoga school in France does not own any ashrams, then whose homes are the ones where 

ONLY Romanians are hosted? How did the Romanian students find out about the “spiritual retreats”

in France, if MISA “does not know” about them? I quote:

The Police Raids Against MISA in France, November 28, 2023. 2. MISA Students Tell Their Stories 

(Susan Palmer - Februrary, 3 2024):

One location raided was a yoga studio administered by Sorin Turc, a violinist who played with the Monaco orchestra. 

Three large houses that were used as yoga-meditation retreats where around 90 Romanian yogis were staying

on vacation were raided, as well as small 2-room apartment where Gregorian Bivolaru was temporarily residing.

The Nice raids were conducted that same morning. There, the police targeted three buildings in the same yard in

Nice’s suburbs, where twelve Romanian yogis who were working on a construction contract were staying.. (source)

One man from the Nice raids told me his story. He was around 6’6” tall and very strong. He explained how he often

traveled to France to work on contracts with his team of construction workers, all members of the MISA yoga school

in Bucharest: (source)

It is worth noting that the Canadian author broadcasts reports from the raids that targeted the homes of Romanian

yogis in France on February 3, 2024. (original article), and in MISA's response to LeMonde it says, I quote:

In February, the newspaper Le Monde sent the MISA Press Office a series of questions for an article that would

present readers with details about the case in France involving yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru and other yoga

practitioners. The article was published in the online edition for subscribers on March 6, 2024. (source)

So MISA had the information already published by Susan Palmer who, in turn, knew it from MISA students,

but MISA tells LeMonde that "we don't have any information about spiritual settlements outside of Romania"...

Irrecoverable pathological liars - MYTHOMANS or, better said, MISOMANS!

Other data about ashrams in France appear "in abundance", full of photographs from inside the "settlements",

in interviews given to Willy Fautré.

Spectacular simultaneous SWAT raids on Romanian yoga centers in France: Fact checking (article):

On 28 November 2023, just after 6 a.m., a SWAT team simultaneously descended on eight separate houses and 

apartments in and around Paris but also in Nice. These searched places were used by practitioners of yoga connected

with MISA yoga school in Romania for spiritual retreats. [...] We contacted Ms C.C., a MISA practitioner for 20 years.

She was at the yoga center of Villiers-sur-Marne at the time of the raid. In 2005-2006, she was a journalist

at the national daily Romania Liberă. Here is her testimony about the SWAT operation:

C.C.: I have been a lot of times in France for such retreats since 2010 and I like it very much.

C.C. is Crina Calek, former MISA spokesperson (see her at min9:sec32 of this video), and she serenely declares that

she has been participating in retreats in France since 2010, and the current MISA spokespersons declare to the French

press that they do not know about the ashrams outside the country! Moreover, in the translated version posted on 

the official MISA page, there are photos from inside these ashrams (link), which do not appear in Fautre's original article!

The liars are exposing themselves again!

Continuing the interview:

W.F.: The head of the Central Office for the repression of violence against people (OCRVP) in charge of the investigation,

was quoted by some French newspapers as saying that the yoga practitioners were “housed in difficult conditions, with

significant promiscuity, no privacy.” Can you tell me more about your living conditions in Villiers-sur-Marne?

C.C.: If the living conditions were so bad as he was saying, there would not be so many practitioners and I would have

never come back so many times to Villiers-sur-Marne.

We thank Ms. Crina for unknowingly exposing the liars she represented for so long and for whom she shamelessly lied

so many times! We also thank Mr. Willy for unwittingly contributing to the unmasking of the misomaniacs!

The Movement for Integration as a Sect in Ashrams!