Rishi Taavi Kassila Replies

“Rishi Taavi Kassila" has responded to serious allegations made about  his sexual misconduct on the internet (mostly in Finnish)  and repeated on our blog Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up, but Kassila is not admitting anything.

Rishi Tavi Kassila's comment comes at the end of our blog post  Amma Monk Threatens Woman He Infected With Herpes.

 Although the poster's name is listed on blogger.com as 'Unknown' we believe that Taavi Kassila is the source because the writer:

1. states that his name is "Rishi" and "Taavi Kassila" 
2.  uses the Amma form of address "Dear One!"
3. expresses a concern about Amma's public reputation
4. repeats several spurious distancing claims found in the Ammma Finland, Amma Amritapuri, Kerala, India emergency public statement about Taavi Kassila
5. Taavi Kassila needs to respond this critics
6. Taavi Kassila also contacted the author of "The Story of Love's Apostle (Tarina rakkauden apostolista)" about the same time that “Rishi Kassila” wrote on our Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up

  Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up readers would like a full explanation from Taavi Kassila in response to the very public accusations against him. If Taavi Kassila really wants to protect Amma's reputation then he should take full responsibility for his actions, confess and make amends to his victims. Taavi Kassila could also explain why he preaches celibacy and uses his Amma role to trap naive women.

We do not accept that Taavi Kassila is a nobody in the Amma Amritanandamayi organization. Taavi Kassila is an instructor, organizer, promoter, honorary chairman and PR manager in the Amma organization. If this has changed then Taavi Kassila and the Amma group should make a clear statement about when this happened and why they quietly deleted all evidence of Taavi Kassila from their Amma site. 

We request the supposed humanitarian Amma to show if she does protect her "children" against Taavi Kassila and similar predators. If Amma is not concerned then this blog will focus on her behavior and problems in the heart of her Amritpuri ashram.

The “Rishi Taavi Kassila” inadequate comment is reprinted here:

29 March 2012

Dear One! I have been made aware of the blog that has been started at http://amma-taavi-kassila-sex-cover-up.blogspot.in/  

I am deeply pained that the name of Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, and her ashram, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, have been dragged into this situation, which they are not at all responsible.

I would like to make certain things clear:

1. It should be clearly understood that I am not a monk at Amma’s ashram, initiated or otherwise. Out of an interest in trying to lead a spiritual life, I have chosen to live there just like thousands of other people around the world.

2. It is true that Amma has given me the name “Rishi”, but this is only because I asked her for a “spiritual name”. Amma has given such names to thousands upon thousands of people throughout the world. All you have to do is ask. The names are given as a reminder of a goal to be lived up to by the named, not as an indicator of some spiritual achievement.

It is true that I have spoken about the benefits of celibacy in the media, but at the same time I said that a relationship was possible for me, since I have never taken any vow of celibacy, formal or otherwise.

If I have hurt anyone, I apologize. It is unfair to blame Amma or her ashram, which is doing so much for the poor and suffering throughout the world, for my personal life. To do so is like blaming the doctor for the patient’s disease.

If someone is of the opinion that I have done something wrong, please, blame me, not Amma. I take full responsibility for my action, but not for actions I did not do. Kindly remove the blog or modify it so that Amma’s name is not mentioned at all.

Sincerely,
Taavi Kassila

Amma Monk Threatens Woman He Infected With Herpes

Not content to just lie, cheat and infect his former girlfriend with a lifelong curse of genital herpes, Taavi Kassila continues to make her life hell simply for asking for an apology.

For former film director, Taavi Kassila, maintaining illusions is everything. By fraud and deception, Kassila falsely promotes himself as a yoga teacher, a celibate monk and resident of Amritpuri - Amma Amritanandamayi's Ashram in Kerala, India. Kassila's black market economy, fueled by book promotions, media appearances, yoga courses and MLM schemes depends on the truth not getting out.

Rishi Taavi Kassila feels threatened because of the existence of one blog which he cannot make go away. The blog 'The Story of Love's Apostle' (Tarina rakkauden apostolista) presents several eye-witness accounts which contradict Kassila's self-styled image as a holy man, celibate, monk and yoga philosopher. Instead we get a picture of Kassila as a love cheat and sex addict who compulsively chases teenage girls and buys prostitutes.

'The Story of Love's Apostle' was created to warn women about Taavi Kassila's sexual deceptions. More women came forward with their own creepy stories of meeting Kassila. The blog would have never been published if Kassila had apologized to his former girlfriend, but he refused.

'The Story of Love's Apostle' was published on June 27th, 2011. Debates raged on Finnish discussion forums because Kassila is a minor celebrity. Voices in support of Kassila attacked the blog writer's sexual values and ethics. The criticisms showed insider knowledge, which only Kassila could know, it seemed that the writers were Taavi Kassila himself. While Kassila could command a team of Amma devotees to illegally plaster city streets with Amma posters it seemed unlikely that they would defend him in a forum.

Kassila and Amma organizer, lawyer Kirsten Pettersson, tried to threaten forum hosts to ban the Kassila discussions. The censorship threats failed. One antisocial writer, suspected to be Kassila posing as a woman, was so troublesome that several threads on one forum were closed and both "Kassila's supporter" and the blog writer were simultaneously banned (from Finnish jooga.meditaatio.fi forum. See threads  Onko Taavi Kassila eettinen joogaopettaja? and  Suomen Amma-keskuksen lausunto Taavi Kassilaan liittyen)

Kassila had managed to suppress that discussion. Things seemed to quieten down. Kassila took this as an opportunity to continue secretly harassing the writer of 'The Story of Love's Apostle'.

Kassila was showing his real nature, nothing holy about it. He could have apologized or written his own account of what had happened, but instead he chooses to be abusive and deceptive. Posing again as different women, Kassila wrote threatening and insulting emails which have been traced back to Kassila. One email threatened that the police would take the blog writer away. Kassila may face legal charges for harassment and actual bodily harm for knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease.

Some email addresses which Kassila used: lunana@luukku.com, taivas321@gmail.com, aurinkom8@gmail.com

Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up

Update 2014. Kassila on palkannut lakifirman Los Angelesista ahdistelemaan ihmistä, joka kirjoittaa englanniksi kansainvälistä blogia. Hätä on kova maineen perään:
Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up: Amma Hires Expensive Attorney To Suppress Our Free Speech

July 2011. Amma Amritanandamayi's spin doctors try to distance Amma from a sex scandal involving Rishi Taavi Kassila, an Amma organizer who lives and tours with Amma.

Rishi Taavi Kassila, top promoter, tour organizer, meditation instructor and ashram resident of the Amma Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Hugging Saint cult has been accused of sex addiction, abuse and dishonesty. Embarrassing testimony, posted by authenticated witnesses,  challenged Kassila to defend himself in court. Publicly, the Amma cult responded with a single online statement denying their connection to the accused, Taavi Kassila. Secretly, Amma's helpers were scrubbing their internet servers, erasing all evidence of Taavi Kassila's long history of public service within the Amma cult.

Until the Amma cover-up, Taavi Kassila  was the honorary president of Amma Center, a registered organization, which like all Amma groups recruits and takes money. Taavi Kassila's position allowed him access to thousands of vulnerable young women as he toured the world with Amma. Kassila publicly preached celibacy but privately hired prostitutes, seduced teenage girls and infected women with herpes - prosecutable crimes.

Amma counseled Taavi Kassila to employ a lawyer. Lawyer Kirsten Pettersson, an Amma organizer, provided Kassila with free legal services. Pettersson tried to suppress internet discussion by threatening forum hosts, a bluff which backfired when her emails were made public.

Amma Amritanandamayi Taavi Kassila Sex Scandal Cover-up publishes evidence of a determined cover-up to hide  the stench of a sordid tale of seedy sexual abuse emanating from the very heart of the Ammapuri Ashram in  Parayakadavu, Alappad Panchayat, Kollam District, Kerala.