[In support of a petition and letter-writing campaign to prevent Thakar Singh from getting a US visa, the information below was being circulated. That concern (visa application) is now somewhat redundant and obsolete, as Sant Thakar is now deceased. As well, the info might well be flawed:]

Thakar Singh has purchased property in the United States (Umpqua, Oregon) through his organization Know Thyself as Soul Foundation to set up a radical "Lighthouse School" for children. Thakar Singh proposes to literally take newborn children and apply blindfolds and coverings to their eyes on a 22-hour-a-day / 7-day-a-week basis for the first 5 years of life. His intention is to improve the spiritual condition of the children by forcing their attention inward by denying them outward visual stimulus. By turning the children inward Thakar Singh hopes to accelerate their spiritual development. Thakar Singh proposes additional educational training for students beyond 5 years of age that consists of long hours of sensory deprivation (meditation while sitting in darkness) for long spans of time (4 to 8+ hours a day – the more the better).

I believe that this radical educational program is likely to cause serious harm and suffering to American children and should not be permitted. I believe that the practice of long term blindfolding of very young children during the critical first formative years of their young lives may constitute criminal child endangerment and be prosecutable under law. 

I do not believe Thakar Singh should be permitted to organize in the United States and set up a school following such a program. I would ask that you consider:

1) signing an online petition requesting the US Consulate General in New Delhi deny Thakar Singh's visitor visa at the following web address: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/603912562

2) writing a short letter to the US Consulate General in India requesting the denial of Thakar Singh's visitor visa

US Consulate General – New Delhi
U.S. Embassy – New Delhi
Shanti Path
Chanakyapuri 110021
India

Evidence to support the claim that Thakar Singh advocates long term blindfolding of small children as a component of his Lighthouse school educational program.

I. Web Based Evidence

On-line video clips of Thakar Singh advocating infant/child blindfolding and pictures of blindfolded children at Lighthouse Schools in India may be found at the following web address:

http://vclass.mtsac.edu:930/phil/gurufile.htm

II. Published Text Evidence

Additional evidence that I have to support the claim that Thakar Singh has repeatedly called for the long term blindfolding of new born and very small children is mostly in the form of published materials and tapes obtained from his national organization (Know Thyself as Soul Foundation/Kirpal Light Satsang) of public talks made by Thakar Singh calling for child blindfolding as part of his educational program at his Lighthouse schools. I will try to provide pertinent excerpts of his talks and circular letters bearing on the subject in this and following communications. I will try to provide the excerpts in expanded form so the statements can be fairly seen in their full context. Unfortunately some of the context surrounding the material directly related to child blindfolding is somewhat difficult to understand as the words are used by Thakar Singh in a technical way to describe spiritual objects and concepts.

The following are direct verbatim recording of Thakar Singh's words:

regarding Guidance for Expectant Mothers taken from the official publication of his American national organization Kirpal Light Satsang Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 1, starting page 4. This publication was distributed to all American initiates by mail and was considered official guidance by the officers of the organization.

"Guidance for Expectant Mothers"

"I do not tell you to resign from your jobs, but we are not to raise our children to serve the negative power.

"We are to raise our children in God. I have just distributed a circular letter to expectant mothers explaining when the child is born only the mother should be available to the child. The child is to see the sun, moon, stars, sky – not the things of this world. If the child is to see anything of the world it should be only nature – trees, plant, plants, flowers, fruit – nothing man made. Except for one or two hours each day, the child's eyes should be covered with a soft cloth. The mother should put her finger on the forehead of the child, keep Simran. and keep meditating. If children are brought to me I will initiate them internally – not with a mantra or plugging the ears – the soul will be brought up here (third eye). The mother may plug the right ear of the child so it enjoys the inner Sound. At the same time, when the mother keeps Simran the child's soul will enjoy over there and will grow inside. After six months or a year you will see the child will not want to open its eyes, and will only want to enjoy all the wonderful inner blessings of God.

"Total Perfection At The Age Of Five Years!

"This process should be carried on until the child is five years old, when generally children begin school to learn something of this world. Until that time children will be fully connected with God. All knowledge and wisdom required will be automatically available. We will not need schools but at central places there will be people who will teach the three R's, the scriptures and other religious theories. This will be the local school, no higher education will be needed. What you call higher education is just the opposite – it puts you deep into materialism – this is negative education. The child will grow as God, will be one with God with no effort, no struggle – 'Be ye perfect even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.'

"He will be complete at the age of five years, he may meditate or not meditate further. The child's first five years are controlled by the mother with the help of the community. The mother does not have to be the caretaker who has to always be there; any spiritual well-connected woman or man can also take care of the child. Since they all will be radiating God without negativity in them, they will be able to serve and help the child with the inner connection. The inner connection will be most important to the life of the child. Progress is not possible after the age of five or six, for children have accumulated everything from the negative power."

Unfortunately the above quotation is not an isolated pronouncement made offhand without consideration but was offered repeatedly and publicly at talks by Thakar Singh and published world wide through Thakar Singh's international organizations as official policy. This pronouncement was published at considerable expense and sent to every member of his American organization as an official communication.

A humane society must work to protect its weakest and most vulnerable members. Please consider signing the on-line petition or writing a letter to advocate the denial of a visitor visa to Thakar Singh to organize a Lighthouse school in Umpqua, Oregon.