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Celestia De Lamour

• New Age (Old Silliness)

An odd story of a cult leader's secretly built island in Florida's Biscayne National Park. Not that her followers think of Suma Ching Hai as such. Nor would I if I gave her lots of money or worked in one of her restaurants for minimal pay. Her former neighbors say she's a nice woman, always ready to bury you in designer sweaters if you feel a bit chilly.

But they have learned enough to say she's even more colorful than the name on Miami-Dade property records -- Celestia De Lamour -- might suggest.

Federal and county sources who have done background checks on her say De Lamour is better known internationally as Ching Hai, or ''Supreme Master'' of a sect with a string of meditation centers and vegetarian restaurants that sell everything from spiritual tapes to jewelry and ''celestial clothing'' the guru is said to design herself. ...

Sect leader's island is awash in mystery

Richard Evans Lee
March 16, 2004 •
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I have actually experienced this woman in first hand encounters. She has absurdely strong psychic powers. I am a skeptic and always thought such things were just tricks...but this woman has actual paranormal powers. And, if you practice her meditation you will eventually feel an unbelievable bliss which is so unusual. Actually, she teaches kindalini yoga...a form called surat shabad yoga. This kundalini is actually some kind of latent human ability to put yourself into a state of utterly blissful joy. The only problem I've got with her is that she tends to take credit for what people are actually doing to themselves. Kundalini experiences can and do happen to folks without any help from outsiders...no masters necessary. The problem is that this can often cloud your judgment. Edgar Cacey had spontaneous kunkalini and saw white light etc...he seemed to handle it with more humility than ching hai (aka Hue Dang Trinh). Kundalini aslo gives you lots of physical and mental energy and it puts your imagination into overdrive. This can de-stabilize a person if they can't recognize immagination from reality. David Icke is a good example. I think ching hai is a good person, but i also think she's doing a bit of tripping in her head. She is surrounded by obsequious worshipers who support her self-immage as a supreme savior of the human race. She's isolated from any and all criticism--not good. I wish people wouldn't write about her with such obvious pre-intentions of slandering her. Criticism is good, but it should be based on disspassionate, neutral rationality. She dosen't force people to worship her, she dosen't claim to be the only person with her level of ability, and she haseen't done anything but break a zoneing law...such minor infractions are mere techinicalities to me. I speed when i can get away with it...and i don't always check the zoneing laws when i dig up a garden...Gee, Am I an evil, evil person?

Posted by: whatever | September 28, 2004 1:19 PM

yep thanks for writing up your comment I also met Suma Ching Hai a few years ago in England, and we became kind of buddies for a while til she disappeared behind her curtain she is a wonderful person, albeit an eccentric with a very unique path in her life, and yes, very unconventional and a little crazy I have been sometimes puzzled by the organisation that surrounds her, I never understand to what extent individuals can be separated from the 'economic ' organisations that surround them I was not clear about a few things, some people felt odd, and despite my interest and understanding of her mystical experience, I practice yoga and meditation, I could not share some of her attitude to business anyway I do think she is an extraordinary individual, altogether positive and giving, and hope that she will reconcile her spiritual activities with duties of good citizenship, that incloudes paying import and export taxes when they are due and getting construction permit to build her next island

Posted by: pdm | November 26, 2004 1:22 AM

I have seen her videos and CDs and Hue Dang Trinh is a fake sham New Age nothing girl. Vietnamese imposter. She was in Israel at a show, and a questioner there asked her about the Holocaust victims, if they were in pain, and the entire tragedy, and the stupid lady just smiles and say no, the Holocaust was not a problem for them, they were happy to go to the next level. Jesus h. Christ! And people actually think this lady is worth something? She is a stupid moron, fooling millions of people with her cult. She is not a master of anything, other than being a master of pulling the wool over people's eyes. Sad. She means well, don't they all.

Posted by: david hume | April 26, 2005 9:24 AM

Hi, My dad has been a member of the Ching Hai Cult for over ten years and it has destroyed my family. Ever since he joined it, he has become more hot tempered and unwilling to listen to anybody but that crazy bitch. He's wasted our money and flown over to see her in USA and Taiwan and we live in Australia. She thinks that she is God, in doing so, she is able to exploit the vulberablility of people such as my father and convince them to buy her several thousands of videos and magazines as well as her photos and donate money into builidng her 'meditation centres.' It sounds to me that she needs to be take care of, she should be locked up in an institution and be able to witness first hand what life with her in it feels like. Its hell.

Posted by: Annonymouse | June 19, 2005 7:30 AM

My Experience, I was actually living in Taiwan at Suma Ching Hai' Center. I worked and traveled with her for 3 years. She does have spiritual level. She has listened to my thoughts, even when we were half way around the world...and called me the next day with exactly what I was requesting. She has sent me energy, though her eyes that lifted me into bliss. And many, many other metaphysical experiences I had with Her. She is very giving and I have seen her go to great lengths to help people...myself included Yet, at the same time she did have at times have a serious temper...others would say it was to help the ones she was mad at burn off their Karma. I actually witness this happen. A monk was very sick...I am a doctor...and tried to help, but no success. Over a week he got progressively worse and finally was taken to a hospital. There he continued to get worse to the point that people were speaking in terms of him dieing. Suma sent one of Her top nuns, Tong Li, to the hospital. Tong Li, as Sumas representative seriously scolded him. The next day he was better. I saw her change from more of Buddhist nun in her outer character into more of a modern, fashion aware, loves to sing to and play with her disciples personality. She can truly be a fun person to be with...which I do not think is good or bad. It is just a choice she made. My impression is, is that She is a Spiritual Master...and at the same time a woman. I think some times she would be lonely for her more simple days and the company of people who treated her as just a person. I heard her ask many times for people to be this way with her...but very few could, myself included. She had scolded me so many times - for reasons I did not understand, that I was usually afraid of upsetting her. She tried in so many ways to get me past this...but I was stuck. The pressure on Her from her followers was it seemed non-stop. People would ask her for everything from clearing up their facial acne...to having a baby...to sneak in to see Her...to most likely anything you can imagine. I left more because of the environment of the Center. There was the normal power struggles that large groups of less enlightened people have. The food was very difficult for me to digest (most everything fried in rancid oil). I lived in a two man tent and had to go to the bathroom and take showers with swarms of mosquitoes, etc. And even though I witness some of the other monks making obvious spiritual progress...after three years, in many ways I was worse. I was more angry and just tired of everything. But honestly, the most enjoyable times of my life where in those three years, and it was always with Her. V.S.

Posted by: SEEKING TRUTH | March 12, 2006 1:15 PM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Celestia De Lamour. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

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