Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. When I asked Pandit Arya about the allegations of sexual abuse, he admits that he was very disturbed when he first heard them. The guru spoiled them, they say, calling them his spiritual son and daughter, and soon invited them to come live in Pennsylvania. I ask him. We partner with rural communities to provide health services, public libraries, and sustainable employment opportunities. Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. 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. $1.9 Million Awarded In Swami Sexual Case, https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/us/1.9-million-awarded-in-swami-sexual-case.html. 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. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. Pandit Rajmani says he did not feel any responsibility, as spiritual counselor to the women who had approached him for help, to investigate their complaints or question his guru. Community, Courses, and Content. The Institute used to offer an accredited masters program in Eastern Studies and Comparative Psychology through an affiliation with the University of Scranton. himalayan institute of modern arts & learning (HIMAL) Giving back through life-changing experiences. When he told her to visit him at night again, Carolyn says she did not have enough self-confidence to say no, but she hoped that this time he would treat her differently, with more sensitivity and respect. Megan went through a brief but painful and confusing time during which she doubted her own feelings and perceptions. From her childhood Carolyn had been steeped in Catholic faith and educated in scientific skepticism; now it seemed the Institute could help her harmonize these two seemingly contradictory ways of perceiving the world. ALL NEW! RFP & Business Plan for Dairy Processing Investor/Operator. Our endeavors are distinguished by their living connection to an ancient wisdom tradition of the Himalayan Masters, expressed through a unique offering of online and in-person mission programs. She specializes in Myotherapy, Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Swedish Relaxation, Sports Therapy, and Hot Stone Massage. Cameroon Himalayan Institute Cameroon Cameroon is in the midst of conflict. Two of the guru's most devoted disciples left the Institute three years ago because they had learned while in India as part of an Institute tour group that parts of Swami Rama's official biography were fabricated. In his enlightened state, they believe, he could never commit any selfish acts, which would create new karmic burdens. Publications Health Products Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. But during the next three weeks, she says, she saw the Swami mistreating his disciples, especially the women, on a daily basis-yelling at them, ridiculing them, ordering them around, and occasionally kicking a woman in the buttocks when she was on her hands and knees weeding. We are happy to bring you a combination of Zoom, In-person, and Hybrid options. 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. Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. Many of Swami Rama's followers are still young and nave, unskilled in comprehending and interpreting their own "inner experience"-and they entrust their spiritual yearnings to his care. Unfortunately, there is some mystery surrounding its founder, Swami Rama, and possible connection with drug abuse and sexual indecency. The core of HIs service mission relies on a community of volunteers and karma yogis, and the generosity of its members and donors to fulfill its mission. After she had lived in Honesdale for a year, Swami Rama started promising to make her his appointments secretary. Companies Himalayan Institute Tell us how to improve this page 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. But to accept a tuition-free second year, or even to leave the Institute quietly, Megan says, would have meant giving tacit approval to the continuing exploitation. Early the next morning, she says, he announced to her that she was going to leave; he never set up the promised program. She would live with him in the house he was buying. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. Carolyn says she experienced their sexual encounters as brief and rough, and that she performed her sexual duties mechanically: "I numbed myself in order to survive.". Enrich your practice through the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, found in our online community and digital library, with new content added every week. Yoga seminars, retreats, and professional certifications taught by our world-class faculty, designed to bring you the best of an authentic yoga tradition. The Swami Rama died in 1996 at the age of 69. He voluntarily sopped his heart from pumping blood for 17 seconds, and he reportedly demonstrated his telekinetic powers, moving a knitting needle with mental force. Hadn't he taken vows of celibacy? He says that Nuernberger's one mistake has "ruined his life, in essence, which is really too bad.". Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Carolyn walked up to the cabin, she says, where after a brief minute spent leafing through her work, the guru asked her in a low voice for a meeting later that night. He also has the integrity to admit that if they were true, it would be very terrible, and a violation of the teaching that says one should treat all women as daughters. ", Pandit Arya is not so reluctant as Dr. Ballentine to articulate is how one can recognize a worthy guru. He laughed, Megan says, and told her that the women didn't know what they were weeding. "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. Treat yourself to a massage, meditate in the peaceful meditation shrine, or relax in one of the many attractive community spaces available on campus. No one can expand his consciousness if he remains egotistical. She began talking about Swami Rama's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who she thought were being victimized. The yogis, he says, have demonstrated these abilities in the past and continue to do so. He promised her he'd set up a complete, personalized yoga program for her there-a prescribed diet, special yoga postures and meditation practices-as well as a game plan for her higher education and future career. A system that rewards a particular behavior or person and then arbitrarily ignores or punishes that same behavior or person can quickly lead even healthy individuals to develop profound anxiety and uncertainty-the antithesis of self-confidence. When the couple confided their resulting marital troubles to Karen and George, Karen confirmed her friend's experience by revealing that she, too, had had a supposedly exclusive and spiritual sexual relationship with Swami Rama before her marriage. His actions are rarely questioned by his followers, because his every deed is thought to flow from his union with godhead. Swami Rama, she says, would extol his own sexual abilities but tell her she was bad at making love. But the followers of such "enlightened" men are usually reluctant to find fault with them, since to do so could invalidate the students' own years of study and devotion. Our community is held together by dedicated students of the Himalayan Tradition, who value the principles of universal respect and collective responsibility. 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. Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. Following on the wave of favorable publicity, Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute in Illinois in 1971. Marston's lawsuit, he says, was an act of revenge. They wrote letters to Pandit Usharbudh Arya, their teacher and head of the Meditation Center there, as well as a dozen other people, warning that Swami Rama was a fraud. She says he told her to finish her college degree at the University of Scranton while remaining at the Institute. The 10-campus system closes a loophole that could have let undergraduates piece together a degree. She sounded unhappy, so I made plans to visit her at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where she had been a resident for more than four years. Who We Are; What We Do; Where We Work. 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. 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. Surrender only leads to enlightenment if the "guru within" is strong and well developed. Humanitarian, Swami Rama, Teacher. Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? He rapidly attracted a following that included many graduate and professional students. Most of the former members of the Institute who agreed to be interviewed for this article were also afraid to have their identities revealed; they appear under pseudonyms, marked with an asterisk. But sexual contact between a guru and his disciples is not regulated by any professional association of religious hierarchy. "I thought: 'Maybe it's the only way he can break through some stubborn barrier in my ego. She was dreamy! Maybe it's an honor that this great yogi asked me of all his students to serve him in this way. Explore our integrative health services & therapeutic treatments to help restore your natural state of well-being. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. Carolyn was raised Catholic, and during high school she explored Transcendental Meditation, Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the "Jesus freak" movement. Why did Carolyn say these things? But the purified ego is a means in discriminating real Self from not-self-real Self from mere self. 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 I found an opportunity to broach the topic of the lawsuit with Carolyn. Study Retreat Wellness Travel Shop About HI ONLINE Program Calendar ALL NEW! During the next few months, Carolyn says, Swami Rama bade her visit him in his private quarters once every couple of weeks, either after lunch or after evening prayers; he also made it her job to buy condoms. 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. She couldn't make sense out of his behavior, because she found it impossible to believe that it was really about sex-and she repeatedly told him so. 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." Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. Following on the heels of Karen's and her friend's revelations, several other women and men left the Meditation Center in Minneapolis. On one occasion, she says, Swami Rama ordered all the women disciples to weed out some roots around his new cabin, telling them they were rooting out their samskaras. He must also vow that he will not harm any living being. But for a man of Pandit Arya's background and beliefs, the relationship with one's guru is more momentous than any merely temporal bond. Sexual abuse by yoga gurus is the exploitation of the position of trust occupied by a master of any branch of yoga for personal sexual pleasure. Once there, Carolyn devoted herself to her yoga practices and threw herself into her assigned jobs. Later, many of the women broke out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots. Live online programs, on-demand courses, and hundreds of yoga and meditation classes. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. Now Megan says that in a different atmosphere, she would have immediately recognized Swami Rama's behavior as sexual harassment or "sadistic manipulation." Dr. Ballentine, who says he studied psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. Wisdom must show itself in action and lovingness." Although she told an institute official about the assaults and the institute was aware of similar complaints by other women, the complaint said, the center did nothing to stop them. Brian sued Swami Rama, and eventually the guru settled out of court for the full amount. 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. The women's fears have aborted projects intended to expose possible exploitation to a wider audience. In the spring of 1983, Swami Rama began to court her again, she says: He told her that she would help him prepare a book of sacred poetry he was writing, and he assured her repeatedly that he would take her to India the following autumn. Ex-members say he also bends the rules and bestows privileges on his favorites, who may in turn enforce rules, which they do not follow. On the contrary, they sought opportunities to serve the guru's every whim, or even to be abused by him: Megan remembers one woman saying she wished the guru would kick her. He told her to lie to the residential program director and say that she planned to visit a relative, and he gave her $100 to cover the cost of the trip. Pandit Arya radiates calm as he speaks. There's no need for finding out, if I know it is completely wrong.". Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. God knows whether it was true or not, and even if it was true, this is a normal phenomenon. A leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian . Carolyn felt important, entitled to be there because she was one of his secretaries. In the presence of others, we spoke only of positive or spiritual matters, in the deliberately modulated tones all the residents used. The Himalayan Institute has been and continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Host to HI Mission Programs, seminars as well as private events, we offer five fully equipped practice spaces and comfortable, modern guest amenities. They know, usually without being told, that if they break the taboo of silence they will be blamed for destroying their spiritual families and the "higher" good those families purportedly do in the world. At the same time, she felt anxious, because she'd seen how severe Swami Rama could be with those closest to him. That is, an on-going pattern of power abuse within the guru/student relationship. Its mission, according to the Articles of Incorporation, was "to make known to the members and people in general the real, synthetic, and harmonious view of world religions and philosophy in terms of modern scientific achievements and undertake researches for all around ethical, social, economical, and spiritual development of humanity to attain world peace, international integration, understanding, and spiritual awakening of the human race." Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. My initial experience with yoga in the 1990's at the Himalayan Institute of Buffalo led me to making a radical shift in lifestyle and moving to the Institute's educational headquarters in Honesdale, P.A. 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. The victim's confusion and loss of trust are compounded when her community refuses to acknowledge her suffering. Because I do not want to find out. 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. 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.". One evening in early June, Carolyn remembers, Swami Rama's housekeeper phoned the women's dorm and asked her to bring the manuscript she was preparing over to Swami Rama's new cabin. Some stay longer, for a few weeks or months in the Self-Transformation retreat program. 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. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. 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 She asked him to give her a homeopathic remedy for the itching, she says, but he refused and turned away, dismissing her. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. He warns against relying too heavily on the inner voice: "When we look for the guru within, we only end up finding our own samskaras-vagaries of the unconscious mind are mistaken for directions from the superconscious. But something, which is truth, cannot be falsified by having one hundred witnesses. In recent years, the harm caused to women by "sex in the forbidden zone" has been recognized in their codes of ethics by most universities and professional associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association. When they have contacted their friends and former colleagues at the Institute, they have been discounted as liars or labeled "emotionally disturbed." They are crazy. Become more involved with the projects of the ashram-seminars, residents, the patient program-in time she would be in charge of the whole thing. Those who build boundaries around themselves because of their ego problems create suffering for themselves." Many of those beliefs are based on Hindu and Buddhist teachings about the nature of the guru. Heels of Karen 's and her friend 's revelations, several other women and men left the Center. Were their friends and fellow students left the Meditation Center in Minneapolis about me, and Hot Massage! 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