The 'Supreme Master' cult have come to prominence in the UK vegan scene in recent years. The bleach blonde 'enlightened' cult leader 'Supreme Master Ching Hai' has an estimated 20,000 followers world wide mostly in Taiwan and other parts of South East Asia but increasingly in Europe and the US. They are prominent in the UK at animal rights and vegan events and have opened two restaurants in London (Peking Palace and Loving Hut). They have a tv channel on Sky tv (in the UK) which mostly features programmes with the repetitive messages on the virtues of the 'Supreme Master' and her magical mediation method, promoting veganism/health and the environment.

Harmless enough? Yes, but the cult has taken a sinister turn recently, promoting through their programmes the idea of 'breatharianism'. The untrue idea that a person can live without food or water.

 http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3757080/jericho_sunfire_a_breatharian_personal_fitness_guru_p1_4/ 1 of 4

The one hour programme on the 'Supreme Master TV' begins with a strange disclaimer 'Please do not attempt to cease eating without proper expert guidance'. Trained to cease eating? The claim is then made 'People who do not need food to survive have always existed in human history' and that 'Being food free helps us discover our innerself.'... 'People who follow a food free lifestyle can draw the energy from nature to nourish themselves.'

The claims are astonishing but perhaps ring truer drilled into the viewer, as they are repeated again and again as this strange film unfolds.

The main focus of the film is a fitness instructor Jericho Sunfire who demonstrates incredible feats of strength. It's difficult to not be impressed by his physique and ability until he begins to explain sinister claims, proclaiming 'breatharianism' to be 'the individuals natural state...People who follow a food free lifestyle can draw the energy from nature to nourish themselves.'

'When you go through the anguish, the torment of letting go...of your organs shrinking...people think they are hungry but they are not. Its just your body getting back to its natural size...You're not so much feeding yourself. You're feeding a need.' He claims 'organs changing their purpose for different things.....Sometimes I feel juiced up....Can you imagine the reduction in trash/packaging...You've got a lifetime worth of food for free.'

The 'Supreme Master' herself appears on film to claim, 'They come from all walks of life, from all cultures' perhaps to take the attention away from this being an India only phenomena, from where most myths about breatharians come from, and to where many such as Sai Baba have been exposed as using magic tricks to convince followers to donate money.

The film ends with an endorsement of Jericho Sunfire, 'May heaven bless you for all your endeavors to help human kind'.

Exactly what kind of help it is, telling people it is beneficial to their health to give up food and water? Breatharianism is a fraud. Many famous 'breathariansits' have been caught out buying/eating food. Those few who have offered to undergo scientific tests have failed claiming as other fakes like Uri Geller do that 'the conditions are not right today'.

Long periods without food and water will surprise surprise.....kill you. But there will be many more who will damage their bodies beyond repair. They are also encouraging those with eating disorders or leaning that way to justify their desire not to eat.

What the Supreme Master's objective is with these regular broadcasts about not eating is unclear but with hundreds of restaurants/meditations centres worldwide, and more opening each week playing this propaganda over and over to vulnerable people who are attracted to these cults, it is likely some will carry this advice through.

Jericho Sunfire is being given a platform to speak at the Bristol Eco Veggie Fayre in May.
The Supreme Master cult are being given platforms at many AR and vegan events around the UK.

Three deaths linked to 'living on air' cult
 http://www.rickross.com/reference/breat/breat08.html

Woman 'starved herself to death'
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/453661.stm

Wikipedia Page on Supreme Master Cult
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Hai

Jericho Sunfire Youtube channel
 http://www.youtube.com/user/mrjerichosunfire

Previous article on Indymedia about the Cult restaurant Loving Hut
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/03/448226.html