Life Space, which is based in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture, originally started out as a self-enlightenment group, but in May this year, the group changed its purpose to organize seminars based on the teachings of an "Indian educational philosopher," Sathya Sai Baba, who is revered as a spiritual leader in some circles.

At a news conference Thursday, Life Space leader Koji Takahashi, 62, described himself as a superhuman being who does not need to eat, wash or sleep. His teachings blend elements of Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism with claims of telepathic powers and supernatural healing skills.

"I am a guru," he said. "I need not bathe because I cannot get dirty."

Life Space, another cult probed by Yonemoto, started out in 1983 as a body offering ''self-enlightenment seminars.''
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The author concludes that Takahashi had no intention of becoming ''a guru'' at the outset; then, he was just a rather competent businessman.

Life Space was one of many concerns that entered the seminar business in the 1980s, and Takahashi lured clients from his competitors by charging less, until seminars were hard hit by Japan's economic stagnation in the early 1990s.
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Yonemoto writes: ''Takahashi often told his staff members: 'I have no hankering to be called a guru.' I would not say that was a lie. ... But, as the participants in his self-enlightenment seminars became dependent on him, Takahashi responded by running their lives for them. And when they grew more serious about seeking a source of perfection in their lives, Takahashi responded by behaving more like a guru.''