I think in the same way a blacksmith's son might become enlightened helping his father out in the forge, Prem Rawat learned the skills of his trade from his father.  He understood, with his father's help, that it was a con - he didn't actually have to be wise, just call himself the lord of the universe, and pretend to be wise.  

He learnt how to put on the stage show and he learned how to handle his devotees from his father and it wasn't difficult, he was a natural like his father before him. 

To me the good thing about having joined a cult, the one positive is in the leaving of it.  I lost the lot, I don't have Buddhist Quote calendars, or believe the yoga teacher is wise and I do believe that Himalayan Rock Salt is worse than normal salt because it's been dyed pink.

I'm the baby in the bathwater.  

And like Lexy I feel sick at the thought of bumping into Rawat.  He is definitely yuck not yum.

I wonder if the reason sometimes a person sees through it when others don't is because they see him act in some way that triggers a memory of someone else and you know it's not something spiritual, it's Rawat being mean.  

The person who could see that Rawat was stoned from the giggling - maybe he'd heard that stoned and taking the piss giggle before.  

I know the point at which I saw through it, (27 years later) he was interacting with a small group of premies, even tho I was standing at a distance and couldn't hear what he was saying, what I was looking at, it just reminded me of someone else and I could see he was being mean to them.