His disciples believe he knows them better than they know themselves, and that if they want to achieve their spiritual goals they should do exactly as he says. Himalayan Institute, RR 1. She would start with handling the appointments and then she would make his plane reservations, scheduling lecture tours. Grand Central, we could do so effortlessly and joyfully. Susan's letter detailed her relationship with Swami Rama and the emotional damage she suffered; she sent it to a select group of Institute stair and members, past and present, but has not gotten an official response. Carolyn has received no reply from the Institute. When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. Upanishad] Yama taught Nachiketa that it is necessary to understand They are crazy. The Swami Rama had been a frequent figure on national television shows in theUnited States, having appeared on such widely viewed programs as "Good Morning America" and the "Phil Donahue Show." He was the first yogi to subject himself to modern scientific methods of testing his states of consciousness while at the highest level of meditation. Chicago, II. and death is not a random, unfortunate reality. The man, she says, informed her of Swami Rama's long history of alleged sexual misconduct. If you did not love the supreme Reality You did not do anything at all. The time of her parting seemed imminent. To judge by their price tags, these and other Institute programs must bring in a considerable income. transition in our journey. Some were afraid of Institute retaliation; most were afraid of hurting their families, who in some cases do not know about the abuses the women suffered; still others were worried that their professional reputations would be harmed. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. Reality is neither good nor evil. Several months later, the two couples met up again. Death is not the end of life, The sound tic came from the cracking of the skull as he left his body through the brahmarandhra. [3] This was one of the first convictions of a yoga guru for unlawful sexual activity with a devotee. By 1977, that organization had moved to an ashram in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, capable of housing more than one hundred residents and guests, along with their Institute headquarters. Someone informed me of this and I could not believe it. Up to that point I had felt like he was a guru, that he cared about me at least, but no, he was just using me.". He explains that Nuernberger was just a graduate student, inexperienced and lacking in professional judgment, when the incident with Marston occurred: "At a time when he was learning to be a therapist and thought that someone is asking for you to reach out, you reach out and you touch them and you let them see your feelings, and I think that was very bad." The Meditation Center became affiliated with the Himalayan Institute, and eventually Pandit Arya achieved his dream of having his own ashram in India, when Swami Rama made him president of his Rishikesh ashram. In many ways, the Institute's austere structure is designed to appeal to the personality that yearns for what psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton calls a "totalist" environment, where virtually every aspect of one's life is subject to external control. When we see "There are 35 to 40 girls here who have compromised themselves at the Dera. our bodies, and when our bodies are sick or they age, or we watch the Meanwhile, Swami Rama had appointed her as registrar of the graduate program, replacing a long-time woman disciple who was being kicked out of the Institute for no apparent reason. There is existence without limitation, a journey to learn and grow, and then the journey ends. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. Went to his room in the Ramakrishna Math, the monastery he built in honor of his Guru to meditate and breathe his last. eternal glory. Dr. Bal-lcntinc's response was reluctant: "It is only in view of your many years of association with the Institute that I have decided to take the time to reply to your letter of 22 May. End of story. attachments, along with ignorance, are the source of the fear of death. Swami Rama (Svm Rma; 1925 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. We think we are The She was my initiate. Read the full newspaper online, on your smartphone and tablet Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. Rama Jyoti Vernon passed away suddenly on Monday, November 23, 2020. I informed him that I had interviewed women who sought him out because they respected him and trusted him to be interested in the truth. The Amitabha Foundation, is a Tibetan Buddhist organization of the Drikung Kagyu school f, VIVEKANANDA His followers believed the cause of death . Carolyn felt important, entitled to be there because she was one of his secretaries. if there is an inner being, it comes by way of the body. swami rama (1925-1996) was born in himalayas. 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.". Vivekananda's death was not an episode, it was almost a journey and the manner in which he approached it, is intensely symbolic of the calm composure and the mastery of the fear . Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. Prime Minister Modi must pay his homage to this great yoga guru on June 21. She took a meditation class at the alternative high school program she attended, and one evening her teachers invited her to a lecture by their guru, Swami Rama, who was visiting the Chicago area. A week later, Megan blew the lid off Swami Rama's private life, confirming what Carolyn already knew in her heart. On 4 July 1902, Swami Vivekananda died while in a state of meditation after living his day like any other and teaching his followers and discussing the teachings with Vedic Scholars. He reportedly smokes cigarettes, watches television for hours every day, and gossips, but his disciples rationalize this non-abstinent behavior: "Oh, Swamiji just smokes to bring himself down to the earth plane," or, "The TV is on incessantly just to give the student one more distraction to challenge his ability to maintain yogic balance," or, "all the stories Swamiji tells about other people are just to give the disciple the opportunity to develop objectivity and not get caught up in the meaningless gossip.". Also please provide links to the respective video. And people must stop covering up for the perpetrators by ignoring or denying that it is happening. The orthodontist, who competed with his wife, Misti, on Season 25 of the CBS reality show in 2014, died in South . Sri Ramakrishna was, Steiner, Rudolf Patricia Trescelli, and attorney with Parker, Chapin, Flattau, and Klimpel, agreed to consult with the women concerning possible legal action on a pro bono basis. It says, Swami Rama, whose legal name is Brij Keshore Kumar, was born in 1925 in Uttar Pradesh, according to his official biography, parts of which appeared in the Mareh/April 1990 issue of Yoga Journal. [In the Katha Swami Rama was the author of many books. Later, many of the women broke out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots. And that was the first time I realized what all that stuff meant-the other women, the 'goofy' file, and the rumors about the lawsuit. Because that's my whole life Even if I found out - how can I find out? Even sage Vlmki who wrote Rmyaa was formerly a hunter, but he became a transcendental author of the Lord's pastimes, by the mercy of great devotees. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. (February 22, 2023). 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. Branch centers have also been established throughout the United States. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. A chief disciple of the Bengali yoga guru Swami Sri . Perhaps during his visit to Asia Minor he learned these techniques from the yogis. To say I am angry is to identify with the for the inner Self. Everything in human life, he said, is for spiritual Brian, who was a member of the Institute board of directors and a major financial contributor, says he confronted Swami Rama shortly after Rose contacted him and told him what had happened-but the guru said Rose had seduced him. finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final That day Rose returned to New York City, and within 48 hours she had quit her job and gone to stay with a friend in Texas. Edited by Swami Ajaya [Allan Weinstein]. go of what is passing, whether that means letting go of objects or Nachiketa is an example [8], Swami Rama authored dozens of books, published in India and America,[10] which describe the path he took to become a yogi. The accumulated testimony of their personal experiences through the years exhibits a pattern typical of "sex in the forbidden zone," coupled with institutional mechanisms of defense and denial. 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. Swami Rama Foundation (site). "Until you get your priorities straight and your head clear, I would request that you refrain from attempting to represent the Institute or its teachings in any way.". It turns out (Webster, 1990), "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. Gurus were supposed to have conquered their desires, but in the spiritual literature they were often portrayed as contradictory, tricking their disciples into enlightenment. [9] The result was a sharp increase of interest in his teachings. "I only needed one person to corroborate my experience," Megan says now. When Swami Rama returned from India two months later, Carolyn resumed working as his appointments secretary during the day, and, she says, as his sexual servant on some nights. The daughter of an alcoholic, she longed for guidance from a spiritual authority figure. Trained to meditate and educated in the scriptures from early childhood, he was able to translate and interpret any of the 20,000 verses from the Vedas by the age of 13, according to a biographical pamphlet put out by the Meditation Center. are attached to them. to the worldly plane. For a truly "liberated" one, there is no body consciousness. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. Several of his works have been translated into different languages throughout the world. [2] He further claimed to have gained degree-level qualifications from an Indian school of homeopathic medicine, the University of Hamburg, Utrecht University, and finally the University of Oxford. I have no scruple of change, nor fear of death, truths state that life is suffering, the suffering has a cause, there is As the scientific interest in yoga declined through the 1980s, Swami Rama lead the Himalayan Institute until his death in 1996. thoughts, and bodies incorrectly. person is that which is passing, death looms large and horrible. The changes inherent in objects and A former disciple of their acquaintance wrote and signed a statement alleging that he had procured illegal drugs-including mescaline, psylocibin, and LSD-for Swami Rama in 1971. Therefore, he had to be punished. thoughts that we identify with, and this brings pain. Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. They would travel together to England. So I visited the house and I discovered that the sound of her mantra was still vibrating there. Koestler also covers Gandhis disappointing treatment of his children, in the same book. Those who do so," she says, "are responsible for the continuing abuse. Jesus demonstrated his knowledge of these methods when he brought Lazarus back to life. We alone are the cause of our life and death. How life is led, in other words the train "I will not tolerate anyone propagating malicious stories about the Institute or its founder on the Institute's own property," Dr. Ballcntine's letter says. At a young age, Swami Rama is supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post. In India. At the time, she was a nineteen-year-old virgin, just out of high school. They resided in their own house in Honesdale, unencumbered by the strict rules of the residential program. He would call her to his office for a private authence, and as she hung anxiously on his words he would paint a flattering picture of her future with the Institute. Swami. Carolyn is not alone. he was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat. Of all the Institute's swamis and teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most scholarly. Carolyn says she feigned shock and tried to mask her distress as Martha told about a woman at the Glenview center who was confused and distraught about her alleged sexual relationship with Swami Rama. white house with flowers and a perfect life. Swamis, he explains, are renunciates who take vows of abstinence which include giving up sex, wine, and red meat, as well as other stimulants to the physical senses. Over the past 15 or 20 years, numerous spiritual teachers have admitted to, or been charged with, having sexually exploitative relationships with their female students. Swami Rama of the Himalayas: His Life and Mission. death they feardeath of their attachments to their bodies, thoughts, cycle of coming and going, birth and death. During my weekend visit, Carolyn and I took long walks on the Institute's wooded grounds while talking about her compulsive eating patterns and her disastrous relationships with men suggested as possible husbands by Swami Rama. getting something from relationships. But whoever lets go of attachments to this worldly life The scattered parts of the ant moved together and united in a seconds time. When the mantra is remembered consciously, it automatically is stored in the unconscious mind. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Pandit Arya has many profound and beautiful things to say about his relationship to his guru when I interview him at the Divya Jyoti yoga center in Napa, California, in May 1989. His early American followers had been spiritual seekers of the counterculture who found their guru at his ashram on the banks of the sacred Ganges in Rishikesh, India. We are dependent on It is sad for him, and for those who cared and were so deeply hurt by him, that his behavior has been allowed to continue with such devastating results to people just looking for help." Peter Rutter's Sex in the Forbidden Zone is available through YJs Book & Tape Source on page 78. springs grief, from craving springs fear; for him who is wholly free In an early co-authored book, Yoga and Psychotherapy (1976), he presented Hatha Yoga with reference to western psychology. Yet the women never seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says. Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (hihtindia.org) Thats not ration-al. "Nirvana is one," Carolyn says she told him. Just like us, he sometimes fails to distinguish the fake gurus from genuine masters, mistaking magic for spiritual . that loss is appropriate but that grief should not be prolonged. Only that which is perishable is subject to death, the Unfortunately, his health kept deteriorating and he died in 1920 at the age of 32. ." Dr. Ballentine sent copies of his letter to the same Institute members who had received Hughes's letter. Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. Before he reached the state of deep meditation, there were violent jerks in his body. One who has surrendered himself is always protected by the divine power. So if someone wants to come to me and say, this man's taking advantage of me for his pleasure, I just find it hard to believe.". our bodies. The Story Of Swami Rama 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENT My thanks are due to R. S. Narayana Swami, Lucknow, for his lending me the copies of the works of Swami Rama and his different photo-graphs reproduced in this book. Such a relationship, instead of giving the woman the healing or validation she seeks, reinforces her feeling that the only thing of value she has to offer a man with worldly power is her body. There will be a virtual memorial in the near future. The institute later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and has a 422-acre campus in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. The Self is unchangeable. Brian says he did not realize at the time that a conviction for fraud could have lost the Institute its federal tax-exempt status as an educational institution. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-05-16 16:48:43 Bookplateleaf 0008 Boxid IA129801 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City Honesdale, Pa. Donor . those things, people, feelings, and bodies. He told her he was writing a book of poetry for her, and he offered to find her a husband. ", 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. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Hughes is not so easily coerced into silence: he says he plans to continue to press the Institute's administration to fulfill iLs edii-cal obligations to investigate the women's complaints and put a stop to any abuse. subject to death. Perfect. By Swami Rama Death is not the end of life, but simply a pause in a continuing story. One night he saw his guru in a dream standing near his bed, he begged him "Dear Guru! 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. He promised her he'd set up a complete, personalized yoga program for her there-a prescribed thet, special yoga postures and meditation practices-as well as a game plan for her higher education and future career. [4] Concerned that the YMCA had presented yoga as one of its physical fitness programs, he included some philosophy and meditation in his classes. How could she be the only one who realized what was going on? 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. Reality you did not do anything at all courses, and has a 422-acre campus the. 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