Community, Courses, and Content. Humanitarian, Swami Rama, Teacher. So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. She would live with him in the house he was buying. Ex-members say he has counseled patients in the Combined Therapy Program, although he lost is license to practice psychology in Minnesota in 1979. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. According to Marston's attorney, Philip W. Getts, his client never recovered the $50,000 in punitive damages Nuernberger owed her, because Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not allow the court to garnish wages. Everyone said you had to surrender to the guru, so she would simply have to follow through with whatever he ordered her to do. He cannot disbelieve his guru. A Swami, or monk, is supposed to be "one who is master of oneself: senses, body, mind." Rajmani explains the basic goals of the Institute's tradition of yoga: "The most important part of the practice is nonattachment." The next day, she says, Swami Rama called her to his office and asked her if anyone had said anything to her. Nor does Dr. Ballentine mention that in 1977 Nuernberger was formally reprimanded by the Minnesota Board of Psychology for unethical practices stemming from his relationship with a third woman patient. Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Read More But she says his attitude toward her underwent a dramatic change; he began to make her a target for his anger, issuing contradictory orders and then screaming at her for her incompetence in front of the other secretaries and disciples and gossiping about her behind her back. Meditation. But as she spent more time around Swami Rama and his inner circle, Megan says, the guru subjected her to a barrage of sexual harassment. He said, "We must build a center of life which will be an important bridge between East . She loved him like "a second father," she says, "and the real tragedy is that this is how our relationship ended. ", Shortly after Pandit Rajmani introduced her to Swami Rama, Megan says, the guru called her into his private quarters and told her that they'd been together in a past life, that he'd waited to meet her again in this lifetime, and that now they were reunited. Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. "Anyone who lives a public life can go through such remarks;& you have heard about all that blackmailing" of famous, rich athletes, he explains to me in the spring of 1989 at the Honesdale ashram. Both came from prominent Midwestern families; each had an alcoholic parent, and they now believe they were seeking not only spiritual growth, but also a strong parental figure. His response: "Listen, there are certain things which are based on witnesses-those are facts. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. Ayurveda But all of them, whether they appear here under a pseudonym or as a background source, understand that if this article provokes a libel suit they can be called to testify in court. A world leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit international organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. Check our website! Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. Things are moving quickly now in the sex scandal involving the three oldest sons of Steven Anderson of Tempe, Arizona's favorite SPLC hate group Faithful Word Baptist Church. RFP & Business Plan for Dairy Processing Investor/Operator. Residents are expected to donate a large portion of their labor, and they must sacrifice personal freedoms and privacy. Through her sympathy for what appeared to be his plight, and disarmed by his jokes, she says she allowed him to cajole her until she let her defenses down. Back; 2022 Clean Water and Public Health Fund; Make a Donation; Blog; Search for: Log in . Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. After dismissing the other workers, she says he repeated the familiar litany, but this time he slipped in a new message. Ex-members say that Swami Rama also uses his psychological insights to manipulate people. Despite the questions about his background, there is no denying that Swami Rama made a terrific impact on western thinking when he served as a research subject at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. Our members consist of a vibrant residential community of practitioners, karma yogis (service-driven seekers), and faculty-in-residence as well as a global community of seekers, committed to living their spiritual values. Our various programms address all aspects of a meditator's life because all of life has an effect on meditation. Many of those beliefs are based on Hindu and Buddhist teachings about the nature of the guru. "I only needed one person to corroborate my experience," Megan says now. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. The daughter of an alcoholic, she longed for guidance from a spiritual authority figure. ", Pandit Arya is not so reluctant as Dr. Ballentine to articulate is how one can recognize a worthy guru. Although the jury entered a judgment against Nuernberger, it also found that the clinic was not liable for his actions, so Williams failed to recover damages. In order to believe in his perfection, they must rationalize behavior that others would judge to be tyrannical, cruel, or self-indulgent. Finally, she obtained his permission. Our humanitarian projects serve impoverished communities through rural empowerment and environmental regeneration. They resided in their own house in Honesdale, unencumbered by the strict rules of the residential program. Only recently has she acknowledged her anger at Swami Rama. 7,616 were here. A world leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit international organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. It is a mistake to judge the external guru's worthiness by his behavior; instead, the student should look inside and determine whether that person is helping dispel the darkness of her ignorance. Swami Rama was the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Outside of work, Sawana has been married to her wonderful husband since 2008 and together they have 3 beautiful sons. She renewed her acquaintance with her former meditation teachers and started taking classes in Glenview, Illinois, at the Institute's original headquarters. Yoga seminars, retreats, and professional certifications taught by our world-class faculty, designed to bring you the best of an authentic yoga tradition. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. He also sent out a letter resigning from the board. A system that encourages such vulnerable individuals to give up their own "egotistical" judgment to the arbitrary whims of one person is one of the key features of a totalist organization, or "cult.". Mission Membership is an invitation to put your spiritual values into action by supporting our shared commitment to service while deepening your study and practice in the living Himalayan Tradition. A producer for "60 Minutes" was reportedly unable to complete her documentary on Swami Rama when the women involved backed out and refused to appear on camera. "A lot of people have confused the siddhis-the powers to control body, emotions, and mind-with spirituality. This was not true! Megan recalls that in one of her first encounters with Swami Rama, she watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident. Cons Not one that I can see. Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. His disciples generally agree that the only reason his soul still inhabits a physical body is because he wants to help others achieve liberation from maya, the realm of illusion. The two couples referred to this statement in a petition to the FBI: they asked the FBI to investigate the threat letter and argued that Swami Rama could be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as an undesirable alien on four grounds: possession of narcotics, sexual immorality, fraudulent financial dealings, and "affliction with [a] psychopathic personality." Pandit Tigunait holds two doctorates: one in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad, India, and one in Oriental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Go to Top. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. By this time Carolyn had gained 25 pounds from binging on sweets. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. This seemingly whimsical application of standards demoralized many of the ex-members I spoke with and led many to resent the members of Swami Rama's inner circle. Each of the women I interviewed described how he would discern her particular needs and self-doubts and manipulate her spiritual beliefs or naivet in order to exploit her sexually-he has an uncanny ability to suit his approach to each victim, they say. He is held accountable only to the higher spiritual laws, which he is uniquely able to comprehend. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. A spiritual center should pay close to $1.9 million to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted 30 times by the center's leader, a jury decided on Thursday. If somehow Pandit Rajmani were forced to acknowledge that the women were telling the truth, would this shatter his faith in the guru? At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. The FBI has confirmed the existence of a file documenting the agency's investigation, but at the time of publication the file had not yet been released under the Freedom of Information Act. Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. He is also head of the Institute's Holistic Studies (formerly Eastern Studies) program and has written a number of scholarly books on yoga philosophy. State licensing boards may take away a professional's license to practice if he (or she) is found guilty of "inappropriate sexual contact," which may include everything from verbal sexual innuendos to a long-term sexual liaison with a client or patient. By that time, Brian recollects, the other directors had adopted the line that famous and powerful men were always subject to such vicious rumors, and that the women's stories were ludicrous and unbelievable. Fortified by their mutual discovery, Karen says, the two couples undertook to inform their fellow students back home in Minneapolis. Brian also received a threat, he says: a note telling him he "might get hurt," which was accidentally shoved under the door of a lawyer who rented the office next door to his in a Honesdale office building. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. Teaching since 1971, the Himalayan Institute offers a wide variety of wellness supplies. The Swami, she says, bragged to a crowd of disciples that the woman would do whatever he told her, then put his dog's collar and leash around her neck and walked her back and forth, while the others laughed. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. At the same time, she felt anxious, because she'd seen how severe Swami Rama could be with those closest to him. He laughed, Megan says, and told her that the women didn't know what they were weeding. Meanwhile, Carolyn says, Swami Rama began singling her out for special attention. I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". She says he instructed her in how to give him pleasure and admonished her to always tell him that she had received pleasure, even thought she never did. But in 1980, they say, they returned to Honesdale after a brief vacation to learn that their friend Rose* had allegedly been sexually assaulted by Swami Rama during their absence and had fled the Institute for New York City. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. The two women who wrote statements for the Cult Awareness Movement were among those involved: One stated that she was a patient at the Institute's holistic health center in New York City, and the other stated she was 17 years old when Swami Rama initiated a sexual relationship with her. Pandit Rajmani says he also has concrete reasons to know that Swami Rama could not be sleeping with his disciples. A guru has the wisdom of experience and the ancient teachings, so he can provide guidance, Dr. Ballantine says, but students should "judge every [practice] on the basis of your own experience." But Carolyn says she stifled her doubts about the guru, transforming them into doubts about her own selfishness: "Because I'd rationalized that he was teaching me a lesson, I believed he must be teaching other women the same lesson, and I shouldn't begrudge his attention to other students.". In the mythology of the ashram, the guru is the all-powerful, all-knowing father and the disciples are his spiritual children. When the manipulation started to involve her meditation and spiritual practices, she says, she decided to confide in one man who had been at the Institute for a long time and who was planning to leave. Before leaving, Megan says, she tried to confront Swami Rama publicly-but he went into seclusion, claiming illness. When she shared her news with the other residents at East West Books, they told her she should feel honored: She had been chosen, while long-time devotees had been denied the privilege. India Himalayan Institute India Our program model in India has been designed to focus on three initiatives: providing educational programs for children to help them rise above poverty level, preserving ancient culture and wisdom, and providing support for villagers dealing with natural disasters. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. He rapidly attracted a following that included many graduate and professional students. In May, Swami Rama visited the area again. She opted to forego pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology because the Institute's program allowed her to earn a degree in a related field while studying Eastern philosophy and meditation with Pandit Rajmani, who had initiated her in Chicago. Rose said that she struggled, but the guru physically overpowered her, throwing himself on top of her on the bed and forcing her to perform oral sex. Continue reading Be the first to find this review helpful Helpful Share Report 5.0 Former Employee, more than 3 years Came for a job left with life-long friends Obedience to the guru's commands is implicitly expected of all long-term residents; former students describe him walking through the main dining room and ordering one person to move to the New York branch, another to change jobs. Karen, the woman whose claims were ridiculed at the meeting where Swami Rama and the other directors responded to Brian's charges, was one of the first ex-members to confront top Institute administrators. Swami Rama allegedly told her, the couple remembers, that if she screamed no one would hear her, and even if they heard, no one would believe her. A leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit international organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. Join us for studies in the true meaning of yogaincluding asana, meditation, mantra, tantra, sacred scripture, and the art of joyful living. A short time later, Swami Rama let her go as his secretary-because, she says he told her, she didn't really want the job. At that, she says, he raged at her until she was sobbing, unable to speak a word in her own defense: No! Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted. Once there, Carolyn devoted herself to her yoga practices and threw herself into her assigned jobs. Minneapolis was the site of another Institute-related scandal in 1981. She would start with handling the appointments and then she would make his plane reservations, scheduling lecture tours. One spring evening a couple of weeks later, she says, Swami Rama called her aside to ask why she'd been avoiding him, and she tried to tell him she'd discovered his lies. Many people, including the victims themselves, have trouble understanding how damaging such sexual contact can be, because the women are adults and no one is holding a gun to their heads. Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." Put that letter in the 'goofy file.'" After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". Given a mantra but little guidance, Carolyn dutifully performed her assigned practices, hoping that Swami Rama's "scientific" approach to yoga would eventually yield results. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. By 1977, the Institute was able to purchase the Honesdale ashram, a former Catholic seminary in the rural Pocono Mountains, which now houses more than 100 residents and guests. "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. But a deeper anxiety also motivated my visit: I'd heard a rumor that several women, ex-members of the Institute, were taking Carolyn's guru to court on charges of sexual misconduct. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. Himalayan Institute Buffalo Yoga | Meditation | Wellness Yoga classes and seminars for March - April are now open for registration. And I feared that Carolyn-young beautiful, idealistic, and worshipful of Swami Rama, the Institute's founder and spiritual leader-could be vulnerable to such exploitation. The lawsuit I heard rumors about in New York City never materialized. One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. She recalls that he would repeat a series of affirmations and commands in a hypnotic monotone: She had done very well organizing the book distribution operation, Carolyn says he would tell her. 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