Bill Patterson

Premie of MaharajiBill Patterson was one of the early premies who went to India looking for a spiritual Master. He was in the Stanford University Stanford-in-Austria overseas study program and decided to leave and travel to India by train and Afghanistan. He met Charles Cameron and was advised to go to see Guru Maharaj Ji. His importance in Divine Light Mission cannot be overstated if for no other reason than he was the individual who introduced Bob Mishler to the "Knowledge", Divine Light Mission and Guru Maharaj Ji. In August 2026 his brother, John Patterson, who was also heavily involved in Divine Liight Mission activities, began to reveal the tuth about his brother's life.

Bill and I were raised in Ft. Collins, CO, He was one year younger than me. Later, Bill and I moved to Durango, CO with our mom (a divorce) where we attended high school. Bill was a standout student - class President, straight A's, state champion skier. After high school he attended Stanford University where his life changed forever.

One day one of his professors announced to the class that he was leaving. He told them that he was going to India to meet the Perfect Master. He literally gathered his materials, turned, and walked out of the classroom - never to return. This shocked Bill.

After a few months, Stanford decided to send a few hand picked students and their professor to Austria to study. They rented a magnificent chalet. Bill was one of the students chosen. Coincidently I was also in Austria at that time and I arranged to meet Bill. On the day we met, Bill was sitting quietly in the top floor room, starring out the window. I greeted him and we began to talk. He told me that he was leaving the program the next day, never to return. He was going to meet the Perfect Master in India. His professor was shocked, as I (as was our parents).

The next day he was gone.

He traveled by train and foot through Europe and Afghanistan. At the border of India, he chanced to meet Charles Cameron, who gave him the address of the Maharaji in the foothills of India. After arriving in Dehradun, Bill found the address, and he knocked on the door. Prem opened the door, looked at Bill, and said, "What took you so long?" This began his relationship to Prem, who was still a child. Bill became a Mahatma, and he was close to Prem. Bill returned home, spending time in Kalamazoo and other cities. Eventually I received Knowledge, as did my sister Jane and my mother at 1560 Race street in Denver.

After a few years, I moved to Miami Beach, while Bill was there. I lived at the ashram in the Broad Ripple Hotel. I became vice President of the Divine United Organization (DUO), and Dennis Marciniak was president. My main function was to collect monies gathered from various festivals and fundraisers (I alone had the key to the walk-in vault) and to deposit the money into the bank account without raising suspicion when walking into the bank with multiple large bags of cash)). This money paid for various residences and jets for Prem. I was close friends with Prem's attorney, Virgil Ciulo. I knew the inside story of everything that was happening behind the scene.

Prem and Bill eventually moved to Malibu. Slowly, Bill started to change. The long nights, the parties, the cocaine, the alcohol, the numerous fancy cars (aka the Jensen Interceptor), Prem's infidelity, all took its toll. He never recovered. He realized it was all false.

My sister Jane also eventually ended up living on the streets of Denver. I was her only friend, but my efforts failed to save her. She died with complete loneliness 2 years ago. She never recovered from the Prem years. Bill lived as a recluse in a cabin west of Boulder for years. We have no idea where he is now, or if he is still alive. We might never know. For both of them, the Prem experience destroyed their lives … Forever. Two beautiful lives that started with such promise …

I am the only one that survived, and thrived!! Why? I will never know.

Virgil Ciulo or Ciullo was referred to as just Virgil in the few times he appeared in text on this site mostly because he'd seen a UFO something that tittilated Prem Rawat.

Some of Patterson's contributions to the success of DLM and Guru Maharaj Ji's career were recorded in DLM official documents.

Rawat in a philosophical mood discusses chakras, his dogs, cats and Bill. He used 'chakra' as a cycle of time or reincarnation not as a psychic point in your subtle body

Prem Rawat Inspirational Speaker Talks About Chakras
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 27th August, 1978
There is the experience that you have experienced in Knowledge. There is that experience you've experienced in service, in And we have to make that step really happen in our lives, so we get out of that chakra. To me, I would be less bothered -- I am less bothered -- about anybody becoming a mule. a horse, an insect, or going through the 840 million thousand -- whatever it is -- forms of life. That's nothing. Oh, I've seen a dog smile. I have! Nellie, at the Malibu residence, smiles. I'm not bothered about that. That's probably really neat for her You look at some of the dogs -- they travel better than most of the people in this world! Look at Gin-Gin. You look at Nisa. Traveled in a private airplane all the way: a little cat. I mean, we have the group of Nisa (that's a beagle). Galvin (that's a Siamese cat), and Dudley (a pug dog). This cat (Galvin) has been there for a very long time. And he thinks he's a dog, this cat. It plays with the dogs. Dudley licks Galvin and Galvin licks Dudley. They both go around eating out of the same place. No fight. Nothing. And they have a dandy time. What have they got to bother about? I know of people … I mean, you look at Nisa. She's always in a great mood, jumping around everywhere, doing what she wants to do. Then you look at Bill Patterson who walks into my office sometimes. I mean, he's got more to bother about than Nisa does. And if you call that hell or if you call that a stage of suffering, it's not too bad. It's better than the human life. It really is!
The Divine Times January/February 1978

Rawat mentioned Bill Patterson a few times usually stressing how stressed he was (who wouldn't be with weight of Rawat on his shoulders) In dortmund on 76 he told a story:

You know, Bill Patterson, when he graduated, he told me, that his father showed up with a bill. He had all his bills stacked up, all what he had paid for in his whole life, his college fees and everything; he had it all stacked up and he handed it over. He wanted his money back. I mean, if he would have told this to Bill when he was nine years old, "Listen, after you're 18 years old, 19, 20 years old, I'm going to show up with a bill," he would have said, "Keep your money; I'm splitting right now."

Patterson's satsangs and letters were often printed in DLM official publications to give guidance to the run of the mill premies.