The Greens' experiments caused a furor in the scientific community because they gave powerful support to autogenic biofeedback research, which 10 years earlier had begun demonstrating that body functions which had formerly been considered involuntary could be controlled. I ask Dr. Ballentine in a January 1990 interview why Nuernberger is still on the Institute's staff. 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. Shortly after Marston filed her suit in 1978, Nuernberger moved to Honesdale, where he is currently a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Rajmani explains the basic goals of the Institute's tradition of yoga: "The most important part of the practice is nonattachment." During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. 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. Our community is held together by dedicated students of the Himalayan Tradition, who value the principles of universal respect and collective responsibility. Himalayan Institute Online. The women's fears have aborted projects intended to expose possible exploitation to a wider audience. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. 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. But their encounters were exactly the same as before, she says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical. Ex-members say he has counseled patients in the Combined Therapy Program, although he lost is license to practice psychology in Minnesota in 1979. Allegations of such abuse have been made against modern yoga gurus such as Bikram . 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." She began to believe that this man who might have been spiritual at one time was now suffering from feelings he couldn't control. 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. A rash of articles featuring Swami Rama appeared in national magazines, including Time, People, and Playboy. Live online programs, on-demand courses, and hundreds of yoga and meditation classes. 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." We partner with rural communities to provide health services, public libraries, and sustainable employment opportunities. According to the story Terry and Brian say Rose later told them, late one night Swami Rama tapped at the door of her room and then walked in on her. Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. Those statements are on file with the cult Awareness network (formerly the citizen's Freedom Foundation) in New York. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. 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. Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." Meanwhile, the couple says, they discovered more evidence of illicit activity. The Institute used to offer an accredited masters program in Eastern Studies and Comparative Psychology through an affiliation with the University of Scranton. 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 March/April 1990 issue of Yoga Journal. Dr. Ballentine, who says he studied psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. The yogis, he says, have demonstrated these abilities in the past and continue to do so. The Institute's "scientific" approach to yoga has made it a success, attracting long-term spiritual disciples as well as large numbers of people who merely want a boost for their psychological or physical well being. Relationships are the first test of spirituality. But the University of Scranton didn't offer a degree program in Carolyn's area of study, so she saw a way to rationalize leaving the Institute while still saving face; she could still be considered a good disciple if she cold get the guru's blessing to go away to college. Brian and Terry say her family members at the Institute harassed her by mail and by telephone, with accusations that she had "a habit of inducing this sort of behavior from men.". Most of the Institute's programs are open to the general public. At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. A saint is a person who does what he says." During this spiel, she says, he put his hand on her buttocks, but she told him she wasn't buying it. Similarly, gurus in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are supposed to be examples of self-mastery and right living. Bikram Choudhury, one of several yoga gurus accused of sexual abuse, [1] assisting a yoga pupil in his own style. Carolyn says she spent years blaming herself and trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse. 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 Megan recalls that in one of her first encounters with Swami Rama, she watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident. 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. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. But ultimately he chose to believe Swami Rama. She could not control her emotions, he could not talk to her! After a couple of months of this special attention, Carolyn says, Swami Rama came to visit her one-day at the book distribution office in Honesdale center. 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. Carolyn says he called her out to Glenview for a special appointment, at which he invited her to come live and work at his new ashram in Honesdale-and told her he would waive the usual residential program fees. 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." She says he arranged for her to meet him at the Gramercy Park Hotel and instructed her not to call him Swami in public. "We were Brahmins in the Institute's caste system," Terry recalls. Here is her report. In the presence of others, we spoke only of positive or spiritual matters, in the deliberately modulated tones all the residents used. 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.". Finally I found an opportunity to broach the topic of the lawsuit with Carolyn. Dr. Ballentine says he has good reason to think that Marston "was very anxious for [Nuernberger] to go further, and he didn't. Himalayan glaciers are melting twice as fast since 2000 as they were in the 25 years before due to human-caused climate change, a 2019 paper published in the journal Science Advances found. Every time he saw her, she says, he told her she was "perfect," as if she had passed some important test. The Himalayan Institute and its varied activities and programs exemplify the spiritual heritage of mankind that unites East and West, spirituality and science, ancient wisdom and modern technology. Instead, he told the other board members that he believed Rose, and that they should investigate the incident for themselves. Similarly, a woman who had been repeatedly abused by Sri Swami Rama of The Himalayan Institute when she was 19 years old was awarded $1.9 million. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. "I only needed one person to corroborate my experience," Megan says now. The Combined Therapy program and the outpatient branches of the Institute for Holistic Medicine combine Western medicine, homeopathy, Eastern medicine, psychotherapy, nutrition, yoga, and meditation to treat people with a variety of physical and emotional problems. Pandit Rajmani says he also has concrete reasons to know that Swami Rama could not be sleeping with his disciples. She was dreamy! 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. Pandit Arya radiates calm as he speaks. During her first eight months at the Institute, Megan was able to pursue her studies, but her situation altered dramatically when Swami Rama returned to take up summer residence. Several former students of Swami Rama granted interviews to Patricia Ann Darling, Ph. Two months after Swami Rama left for India, Carolyn went to Chicago to visit her family for Christmas. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. As an enlightened being, he is thought to be beyond the judgment of ordinary mortals, their laws and morality. 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. Elmer and Alyce Green observed that Swami Rama could produce different brain waves at will, including theta and delta (sleep) waves, while remaining aware of his environment. Rose spent the next six months moving from place to place, terrified that the Institute network would track her down. Hadn't he taken vows of celibacy? A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. First, Robert Tuttle of The Reason Files 2 is reporting the same thing I am hearing from multiple sources. In his enlightened state, they believe, he could never commit any selfish acts, which would create new karmic burdens. Because that's my whole life& My relationship with [Swami Rama] is purely divine and spiritual-there cannot be impurity in it, and there is no room for such thoughts. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. 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. 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. She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. 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. "Nirvana is one," Carolyn says she told him. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. 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. 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. 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. Meanwhile Janet,* a Honesdale woman who worked as the couple's babysitter and housekeeper at the time, says she received threatening phone calls at Brian and Terry's house, asking if she was alone with the children. Swami Rama is supposed to have freed himself from the bonds of karma. Two women wrote statements, which said they had discovered that Swami Rama was attempting to "seduce" both of them contemporaneously. The Swami Rama died in 1996 at the age of 69. Dr. Ballentine, the Institute's president and director of the Combined Therapy Program, explains that human beings have the potential to do "all kinds of things, like move our bodies at will from one place to another, or be aware of what people are thinking on the other side of the earth, or inner states of consciousness that take us to the future and the past." Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. No, he says: "Even if it happened, what's the big deal?& People say that Mahatma Gandhi& slept with women. The same spirit of community and service that fuels our headquarters in Honesdale, PA, can be found in these dedicated affiliate centers of practice. In retrospect, Megan says, she believes that Swami Rama was indifferent to the problems that his behavior might cause the Institute, but was using such scandals to purge it of anyone who questioned his authority. Shortly after they returned to the U.S., Karen and George say that they and all their correspondents received a bizarre, defamatory letter containing an implicit death threat. However, after Swami Rama talked with them, they either told Brian and Terry that the guru should be allowed a "mistake" or they shunned the couple altogether. Put that letter in the 'goofy file.'" The daughter of an alcoholic, she longed for guidance from a spiritual authority figure. She recalls that she blushed as she forced out the words: "I think you have been sleeping with other women." There she learned Swami Rama's style of "super-conscious" meditation, which she describes as a basic, impersonal training in mental concentration. They would travel together to England. As the other disciples looked on with envy, Swami Rama called her aside for a final, intimate word: She should work on herself, he reportedly told her-lose some weight and learn to admire herself. We are happy to bring you a combination of Zoom, In-person, and Hybrid options. 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. She was afraid to stay in her room, which had no lock on the door, or to use the hall telephone, because all calls had to be routed through the main switchboard. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. Together we ate superb vegetarian meals in the Institute's dining commons and chanted evening prayers. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. In my interviews with current and former members of the Institute, I heard an almost unvarying litany of beliefs about Swami Rama's abilities. Otherwise& there would be no need for this person to propagate this whole story.". I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". Whilst there's no hint of it on the Himalayan Institute's website, Swami Rama faced lawsuits in the 1990s over sexual abuse with his students stemming back to the 1970s. Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? Marston's lawsuit, he says, was an act of revenge. kono oto tomare main character; best supported football clubs in europe; rolling ridge conference center That is, an on-going pattern of power abuse within the guru/student relationship. When they have contacted their friends and former colleagues at the Institute, they have been discounted as liars or labeled "emotionally disturbed." Following on the heels of Karen's and her friend's revelations, several other women and men left the Meditation Center in Minneapolis. She became outraged at the residents and the professional staff who enable and legitimized the Swami's behavior. Early the next morning, she says, he announced to her that she was going to leave; he never set up the promised program. She walked around New York City for hours, until it was time for her bus to return to Honesdale. Enrich your practice through the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, found in our online community and digital library, with new content added every week. 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. 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