Bhuvanesh
Bhuvanesh (born Seth Tristan Jensen; January 12, 1964) is a Sierran godman and mystic who is the founder of the Bhuvanesh movement and the leader of the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace (ISBWP). The Bhuvanesh movement is an international new age religious movement which promotes transhumanism, freethought, free love, and meditation. Through Bhuvanesh's teaching, he rejects institutional religions and instead calls for a "transcendental spiritual form of humanism" that are guided by principles from the Dharmic faiths. With over 70,000 followers worldwide, Bhuvanesh is viewed by the movement as the reincarnation of various religious figures including the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad.
Bhuvanesh | |
|---|---|
 Bhuvanesh in 2022 | |
| Born |
Seth Tristan Jensen January 12, 1964 |
| Nationality | Sierran |
| Education | Sepulveda University in Philosophy |
| Known for | Spirituality, mysticism, anti-religion |
| Movement | Bhuvanesh movement |
Born in West Albuquerque, West New Mexico, Bhuvanesh was born into a Latter-day Saint family and graduated from Sepulveda University with a degree in philosophy. During his missionary trip to India, Bhuvanesh became fascinated with the religious traditions on the Indian subcontinent and became disillusioned with his own religious upbringing. In 1991, after visiting and joining various Hindu, Jain, and Sikh congregations, Bhuvanesh decided to become a sannyasi and became a traveling monk with his own unique teachings and writings. In 1995, he founded the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace and started a religious commune in Purington, Inland Empire. Described as charismatic and calculative, Bhuvanesh began promoting self-reliance and financial independence among his followers, coupling spirituality with finance and technology. He wrote a number of writings espousing a belief in transhumanism and universalism, and described the end goal of humanity in achieving technological singularity. Bhuvanesh and the ISBWP has faced controversy due to allegations of human trafficking, slavery, child abuse, sexual abuse, and harassment of critics and former members. He has been criticized by a number of anti-cult groups, and has denied being a "cult leader".
Biography
Bhuvanesh was born Seth Tristan Jensen on January 12, 1964 in West Albuquerque, West New Mexico, the son of Mary Anne (née Muir) and Felix Jensen. At the time of Bhuvanesh's birth, his mother was a college dropout who worked as a sales associate for Golden World International Market, while his father had ancestry from Denmark and was born to a family of Mormons. Bhuvanesh and his family were very devout Mormons and he was baptized into the Church when he was 8.
He attended Quigley Park High School and Sepulveda University. Initially, his parents wanted Bhuvanesh to attend James Strang University and opposed Bhuvanesh's decision to attend Sepulveda University in the Gold Coast, which was a school affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventists. Bhuvanesh promised to remain a committed Mormon by pledging to become a missionary for the LDS Church upon completion of his studies. He then earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy at Sepulveda University and was then called to serve and ordained by the LDS Church to become a missionary. He was assigned to a mission trip to Chennai with another companion and was expected to serve full-time for two years.
Teachings
Personal life
Bhuvanesh is unmarried and promotes free love and polyamory. He criticized marriage as an oppressive institution and said his experiences with marriage in the LDS Church shaped his views against it. In 2017 during an interview with The Bunker Hill Journal, Bhuvanesh stated that he fathered more than 20 children and had at least 5 intimate partners. Bhuvanesh emphasized that these relationships were purely consensual and accepted within the community. Out of privacy concerns, Bhuvanesh has not disclosed the identities of his intimate partners or children, although a number of former Bhuvanesh movement members have claimed to been his partner. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department has investigated several cases of alleged sexual abuse by Bhuvanesh and his associates, although no further action was taken and the sheriff's department has declined to answer questions on the details of each report.