# Chris Butler Chris Butler (born 1948), known to followers as Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa, is the reclusive American guru who founded the [[Science of Identity Foundation]], a Hawaii-based new religious movement that broke from the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]]. He is best known beyond Hawaii as the lifelong spiritual mentor of [[Tulsi Gabbard]], who has publicly acknowledged him as her guru. ## Path to guru The son of an anti-war activist, Butler entered the 1960s counterculture as a University of Hawaiʻi student and gathered a following under the name Sai Young before joining ISKCON, where he was given the name Siddhaswarupananda Paramahamsa and recognized as a guru. He broke ISKCON conventions by marrying and by allowing disciples to keep their heads unshaved, drawing a public rebuke from ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. After Prabhupada's death in 1977 Butler left to build his own organization, deemphasizing scriptural orthodoxy in favor of his personal authority and an eclectic teaching he marketed under the "science of identity" label. ## Methods and allegations In the 1980s Butler ran a late-night Honolulu television program and published *Who Are You? Discovering Your Real Identity* (1984). Since the 1990s he has rarely appeared in public, reportedly directing his organization and devotees from a beachfront home in Kailua. Former members describe a high-control environment in which Butler was treated as "akin to a god," beyond questioning, and in which he publicly mocked devotees as a supposed expression of spiritual mercy. Reporting also attributes to him teachings condemning homosexuality and expressing Islamophobia and science skepticism. Butler denies the cult and abuse allegations and has threatened litigation against outlets reporting ex-members' accounts. These descriptions derive from journalism and former followers; he and the foundation reject them. ## Influence on Tulsi Gabbard Butler is the through-line in [[Tulsi Gabbard]]'s biography that predates and arguably shapes her politics. Gabbard was raised in his community, her parents [[Mike Gabbard]] and Carol Gabbard are members, and she acknowledged him as her guru in a 2015 video. Investigative reporting — culminating in a June 2026 *Washington Post* account of communications between Gabbard advisers and Butler allies — has examined the extent to which Butler's worldview and network influenced her rise, while Gabbard has steadily downplayed the relationship. The degree of Butler's actual control over her decisions is contested rather than established. ## KB significance Butler is the unusual figure of a low-profile religious guru with a documented line of influence reaching, through [[Tulsi Gabbard]], into a Senate-confirmed Cabinet-level intelligence post. He anchors the [[Science of Identity Foundation]] node and is the reason the SIF story belongs in a map of contemporary right-aligned power rather than only in a religion file. ## Related - [[Science of Identity Foundation]] — the organization he founded and leads - [[Tulsi Gabbard]] — his highest-profile disciple - [[Mike Gabbard]] — devotee; Tulsi's father - [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] — movement he broke from