Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness

None of the material is vouched. Its ambiguous. & My comments are really toward the other reviewers who find this book of value----All these commentators. Bernie Madoff ? I work in high finance. Your commentary LuckyStar is so basic and plain- that I really cannot dive into how Madoff became what he does without going into an intensive background on politics, economics, history and the shape of the IPO and financial world. You just would not care to know. Like this you want something sensational to blame and there is the end. Is the world such a simple place? Are the stars and galaxies, here just for you to make up any conclusion you like? How can I then explain the immense vault of religion- and thereby show you that a lot of your comments are so much based on emotions and adjectives, without a true portrayal of anything deeply significant- - To speak of corruption. You dont even know how to balance your 401(k). TO speak of politics. Without knowing our own American history . To speak of betrayal. You know nothing of our energy policies. There are so many truly pressing concerns. Yet I am not here to speak of Gail or the adjective prone descriptions below. What do you know of the Indian government. How its parliament is set up. You would need years to understand one nations policies, let alone ages to understand another religion and the mulit-faceted world of submerging oneself in another alien culture. I am not hear to talk of myths, of faith, of God, or personalities. From what I have read of Gail Tredwell, is a violent psychological thriller. You have never associated with the great personalities- that some are quoiting here- like Ramakrishna Paramahnsa or Ramana Maharshi. So how do you claim to know them. And for truth. Sri Krishna says it in the Gita, the holy text of the Hindu epithet - that truth will prevail. But in our whole range of life- what is truth? When you got beaten for failing to accept that you told a falsehood? That is truth? Or when you spoke up and saved a life from abuse. Faith is kindness. A form of compassion in action. You should read Yoga Works by Vivekananda. He is the greatest monk of all of India. He professed compassion, social works. Help for the poor. No one , can refute his arguments. He had meet with all types of folks- Tesla, etc. And it is in his line the renunciates of this organization that is under attack in her dialogue -- they follow. I have seen men and women who are associated with this organization, toil in the mid-day heat, burning, building countless homes for the poverty stricken. And when you ask them what is their philosophy for doing so- it is quite profound. So when has your heart made your hand move into your wallet and help some poor kids do better? We read our IPADs, wait for the next healthy trendy wave, and profess to know what is good for our world. --- So how can I sit unmoved- when there are so many people desperate for help. Dying for medicine and food. They create an echo in your heart. That our life should be used for some purpose higher than just our own fulfillment. It is hard to think of others. I truly tell you. We are a system. We create systems, but we leave out many folks. As someone who practice a very high practice in the legal field- I can tell you even in litigation class action suits- we often leave the brunt of the loss to the clients. Often corporations do well to cover up nearly everything that they are at fault for- oil exploration, dumping, political backtracking,etc.. And yet when I saw those men and women throughout the sub-continent of India- longing to help their brethern- I Can tell you I only thought of the great Vivekananda and his sincere desire to see Indian become self-sufficient- and help the masses. He said he could not eat while they suffered. This same passion is there amongst these men and women who have given much of their lives to that ideal. In reality, most of us will barely help each other. In the modern age, I can tell you from a securities fraud perspective- there are very few organizations like even the Red Cross that are able to help people gain most of the donations to better enrich what they lack - be it food, shelter, kindness, love. During the Hurricane Katrina- when our government neglected so much of the black population - when we turned a blind eye to Louisana's deepening debt and collapsing infrastructure- I can tell you it was not Soros, or Ichan- who jumped to help our darker brothers and sisters. SO my only point here is this very simply. You may read what you wish, get angry at the world, and be infuriated with myths and stories. The American mind has many myths. One is that Iran and the middle east are terrorists. But if you read history you will see Iran never liked their Shah, and the peoples blood boiled because Americans placed the puppet Shah in power to best their interest as the Shah was very western forward. This caused the Ayotalla to come in power. He easily sweeped the nation with ideaology that the Shah was pro-American, that he aimed to destroy the Muslim faith. Now he may have been corrupt and cruel- which he was- but the situation in Iran only worsened, and the plauge of western ideology in the Middle East- has contributed to this deteriorating state of the nations there. We can go around a table and blame each other. But who is going to help those starving kids. Writing sensational books while spinning stories helps who? Someone or some book publisher fill their pockets. No starving child is helped. So that is why, in response to your fiery attacks on this personality- and how you are tying into an ideology of freedom. I only tell you this. Her organization was the largest donor during Hurricane Katrina. This was one incident I am exampling. My point being- service, compassion, are the bigger pictures. You may find many people you disagree with , or treat you terribly in life - but will you blame the Universe and continue causing volcano's of emotional waves on a roller coaster inside you, or will you learn to find yourself. SO by such conclusion, this type of material will not help truth manifest. It is against the very grain. You are talking about one persona, one personality trying to express their frustrations. How can that be compared to the totality of what we are talking about? When so much good is being fostered in the world, you go on to say millions of dollars. You must not be aware of tax policy in the United States. While you propagate the weakness of human nature, how about the triumph over all odds? I am not here to champion a person, an idea, a religion, or place. All I am saying is that the world is more complex than one person rant. And even if there are bad things going in our world, it is your blind eye that makes it unaware. Shift the focus to yourself and see what you can do to make our world a better place. Leave the criticism on the side of the road. Those who do a lot of talking, aint doing a lot of walking. I did not write this to prop up any organization, I do not claim to stand behind any personality. I am my own, and I do not wish to follow anyone nor to be followed- but this I can tell you--- I champion the principles- of goodness, of hope, a better future for our children- and those who align to such goals- who promote my self- and noble values- I cannot help but stand up and defend their honour from the scours of plauge- a plauge of selfishness, of relentless desires- for the good of the world, for the good of humanity , let us not defile those who sincerly seek to better our lives, and the state of our earth. May that god who rules supreme in our lives, that resides in our hearts, who is love in manifest form help all of us seek the positive and stay out of the negative!!

All this book of false information is doing is helping some freeloaders do slanderous propaganda against Amma and her mission by using this book as their source of facts. Very sad state of affairs indeed. In my 24 years of close association with the Amma organizations I have had only the best and life fulfilling experiences, just like many many thousands of people. This book of lies by Gail is just a cover up for her own failures and shortcomings.

I wish this book were not true, I used to be one of Amma's biggest fans, even though I had a nagging suspicion that their public and private images were quite different. But from being part of 2 other guru groups, I know that the back story is never the one that the public knows about. This is not to say that gurus are complete charlatans, but that they are rarely the saints they want the world to know. And of course, eventually the truth gets out. Surely what this says is the whole "perfect" guru concept needs to be replaced with a more realistic and less authoritarian one. Spiritually we are still in the dark ages.

This book is one of the most important book a spiritually oriented person can, and should, read. It reveals with candor and courage the light and the dark possible in a human life...even, and perhaps more so, in those who live a life dedicated to the divine. It does a great service in breaking one of the most common and devastating spiritual false pictures- that spiritual attainment eliminates the darkness in people. Amma is quite definitely a spiritually awakened person and like all people she carries darkness in her...the test of a spiritual life is not of eliminating darkness but of living with it in an honest way, and it is the deceit that creates the horrors described. I have found no judgment in Mrs. Tredwell's words. She most definitely has love for her teacher, despite all that has happened to her, which is both inspiring and educational for anyone who follows a teacher or a system. Read correctly this book is one of forgiveness, clarity and hope in face of the devastating odds and difficulties of the Human spiritual life. Well done Mrs. Tredwell, and thank you for your courage, humility and honesty.

The first half of the book was a compelling well written account of a naive woman's desire to merge with a source of love and strength. The first chapter read like an exciting screenplay, but the second half of the book was most likely compiled by a tabloid researcher. I was moved by Tredwell’s determination to be accepted into an ancient, remote culture and the demoralizing realization that she would always be an outsider. Anyone whose youth included travel to exotic foreign lands can relate to her romanticized idealism and frustration at not finding utopia.
Spiritual aspirants are often driven by competing motives for running to or running from something or someone. Seeking a religious experience takes on enormous importance and the belief that the experience can be repeated or manipulated can become an obsession. Spiritual groups like political causes and multi-level marketing programs attract passionate, driven and vulnerable personalities. Some members merge their identity with the greater good; others become insular and angry when their desired experience is threatened.
I suspect Gail’s desperation began with a one way ticket to India and the yearning to find a spiritual home, her story is one of disillusionment, obsession and control. It seems that several writers contributed to the book which explains the erratic narrative and reliance on revisionist history. The author, publisher and reader would have been better served if Holly Hell had been published as fiction. Creating a work of fiction gives writers a solid frame work for weaving implausible situations and characters into a creditable story. Tredwell looses her credibility and her reader because of her desire for titillation and expose. The National Enquirer is available in any grocery store, if you’re looking for a quick fix of hype, gossip and tedium.

Dont buy for 2 reasons
1. Its not the truth. Check ammascandal.wordpress.com
2. There is a better way to find the truth - see Amma's speeches, videos or even go visit her and decide for yourself instead of relying on some opinions.

Pure Gossip.... The story is planned written, but easy to understand it is pure gossip........lost my money...Stop these kind of useless gossips.....

I have gone through this book. What I can say nothing is convincing and whatever she says is utter crap

My name is Collette,

and I read this book in one day, that's how gripping -- even shocking -- this book is.

I appreciate Ms. Tredwell's poetic descriptions of India, as well as her courageous revelations of the painful truth regarding her guru.

I have done much research on gurus -- and apparently they are only human like the rest of us! Some may have attained higher states of consciousness, but that alone does not seem to prevent the vast majority of gurus (especially those who have come to our country here in the U.S.) from exploiting their power in the name of wealth, sex, coercion, and control of their faithful followers.

All this is described in this book. Gayatri (Gail Tredwell) put up with abuse for twenty years -- even physical violence from the so-called "Hugging Saint." Gradually she realized the truth, and stopped making excuses for the abuse.

What struck me most of all was learning from this book that the Upanishads (early Hindu scriptures) discouraged blind faith and obedience in devotees -- rather, it stated that devotees should have a spirit of inquiry with respect to gurus. Over time, this wise counsel gradually became corrupted into a doctrine of blind faith and obedience -- much to the detriment of devotees like Gayatri, and countless others.

It is exceedingly dangerous to blindly follow a supposed "perfected master" who is most likely not what he or she appears to be -- this standard is almost impossible for any guru to live up to in the face of constant temptations, and devotees quite often end up getting shortchanged physically, mentally, emotionally, financially -- and spiritually as well.

Gayatri barely survived the ordeal. This book (and other such guru exposes) should be a lesson for us all: While God may be glimpsed and even revered in others, this should serve only to inspire us in our own inner quest. Ultimately, God can only be found within one's own Self. And -- to stay on the safe and sane side of things -- this is where our spiritual focus should remain.

Holy Hell is beautifully written and informative. I'm not particularly interested in Amma but I've always loved reading about religion, India and Hinduism. And in case this is an issue for you, the descriptions of the sexual assaults are not graphic, which I was thankful for. This book should be a cautionary tale for anyone who gets too involved in ANY religion. Remember to keep your head out of the clouds and your feet on the ground, especially if you're ever expected to abandon or renounce your family. Another great book about a religious journey is Bruchko, for those who might be interested. A side note: I hope Gail writes a cookbook since she's learned Indian cuisine firsthand and not in culinary school. It would be very useful for us westerners who'd like to cook traditional Indian dishes.