Editing Buddhafield (religious movement) (section)

== About ==
The leader of Buddhafield is a man previously known as Michel, Andreas, The Teacher, or Reyji, born Jaime Gomez.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Matthew |date=2016-05-27 |title=Life Inside This Cult Was Beautiful, Until It Wasn't |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/holy-hell-cult-documentary_n_5744c96ae4b055bb11708e51 |access-date=2019-06-18 |work=[[HuffPost]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Wang2016">{{Cite magazine |last=Wang |first=Evelyn |date=2016-05-27 |title=This Is What It's Like to Spend Almost Half Your Life in a Cult |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a45261/holy-hell-buddhafield-documentary-will-allen-interview/ |access-date=2019-06-18 |magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He was once known to wear nothing but [[swim briefs]] and eyeliner.<ref name="O'Neill2016">{{Cite news |last=O'Neill |first=Ann |date=2016-09-08 |title=The search for a Speedo-wearing guru |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/us/holy-hell-buddhafield-searching-for-michel/index.html |access-date=2019-06-18 |work=[[CNN News]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He is featured in the documentary film [[Holy Hell (2016 film)|''Holy Hell'']] directed by Will Allen. He is also featured on the [[Netflix]] series ''[[How to Become a Cult Leader]]'' (season 1 episode 3 entitled "Reform Their Minds").

=== Beliefs ===
Buddhafield largely espouses [[New Age]] ideas. Jaime Gomez thinks of himself as God, and encourages his followers to think of themselves as God as well.<ref name="Valentini2016">{{Cite magazine |last=Valentini |first=Valentina |date=2016-01-19 |title=Inside Sundance's Holy Hell, With Exclusive Photographs of Cult Life at Buddhafield |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2016/01/holy-hell-buddhafield-photographs |access-date=2019-06-18 |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Buddhafield uses the Sanskrit word [[shakti]] (meaning "power") for Gomez's alleged power transference to his followers using his finger.<ref name="HolyHell" /> Gomez also cites the [[Bhagavad Gita]] as a source.<ref name="HolyHell" /> Gomez demanded his followers remain [[Celibacy|celibate]] despite himself allegedly having sexual intercourse with various followers. Drugs and alcohol were also banned from use while in the group.<ref name="Yuan2016">{{Cite news |last=Yuan |first=Jada |date=2016-09-02 |title=The Totally Insane Story of Holy Hell Director Will Allen's Escape From a Cult |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/holy-hell-director-will-allen-cult-escape-story.html |access-date=2019-06-18 |work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Buddhafield followers change names while in the group.<ref name="HolyHell" /> ''Holy Hell'' director Will Allen explained that "A lot of the principles of the East vs. West that we were doing—surrendering to the guru, dropping your ego, taking your shoes off before you walk into a room and leave the world behind—we didn't think of it as giving our power, we thought of it as empowering."<ref name="Wang2016" /> Three to five hour ballet practices two to three days each week were often a part of the group's activities, with members even missing their jobs for practice.<ref name="HolyHell" /><ref name="Yuan2016" /><ref name="Valentini2016" /> The resulting performance was never shown to anyone outside of Buddhafield.<ref name="HolyHell" />

=== Post-Waco changes ===
Gomez voiced his anxieties to his then-follower Will Allen after the [[Waco siege]].<ref name="HolyHell">''Holy Hell'', directed by Will Allen (2016).</ref> Allen pinpoints this as the moment when Gomez's paranoia began.<ref name="HolyHell" /> Gomez left his followers for six months to find a new location for the group.<ref name="HolyHell" /> Gomez also began to undergo increasing amounts of plastic surgery around this time, as well as recommending his female followers undergo similar procedures.<ref name="HolyHell" /><ref name="Yuan2016" /> Gomez also attempted to get followers to report on each others' perceived transgressions.<ref name="Wang2016" /> He kept one follower from seeing her father before he died, and encouraged another to get an abortion, claiming religious reasons.<ref name="Yuan2016" />