Later, many of the women broke out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots. 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. University of California System Bans Fully Online Degrees. 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. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. In August, Carolyn says, Swami Rama told her to meet him in New York City for the next step in her spiritual training. Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." 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.". Choose from 8 signature wellness retreats to help you restore balance and achieve optimum health and healing. 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. "Unpurified ego is an evil which obstructs one's own progress. But still, she was afraid to leave the community she'd been part of for so long and reenter a world that had practically forgotten her existence. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. At some point, we ran into Swami Rama in a hallway. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. According to the stipulation he signed with the Board's Ethics Review Panel, Nuernberger admitted that he terminated a counseling relationship with "Victoria S." during the third session in order to enter into a "personal relationship - such relationship to include sexual contact.". She was thrilled; it was commonly believed at the Institute that the fastest way to reach enlightenment was to spend as much time as possible in the presence of the guru. Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. During that time, neither of them would see any other, and she should never tell anyone. Cons Not one that I can see. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. One of them, along with the other women from the tour group, attended the wedding of Swami Rama's son, although the guru is officially supposed to have been celibate since taking his Swami's vows. Despite this, our rural empowerment programs continue to thrive and grow as we work towards our goal of fighting poverty, illiteracy, and inequality through education, health care, and job creation. Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. 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." Study Retreat Wellness Travel Shop About HI ONLINE Program Calendar ALL NEW! The lawsuit I heard rumors about in New York City never materialized. Cameroon Himalayan Institute Cameroon Cameroon is in the midst of conflict. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. 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." When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. We are happy to bring you a combination of Zoom, In-person, and Hybrid options. Why did Carolyn say these things? Megan says her feelings told her that something was amiss, but because of the social environment, she began to entertain the notion that the Swami's motives might not be what they appeared to be, and that his attempts at a con job might be a spiritual test. She was dreamy! Since the early 1970s, women have been claiming sexual abuse at the hands of this prominent spiritual teacher. Most of the women who say they were abused by Swami Rama express feelings of fear, frustration, and betrayal. The scandal convinced Carolyn not to reveal her own secret, she says; she was learning that the Institute administration dealt with such accusations by smearing the women's reputations. There she learned Swami Rama's style of "super-conscious" meditation, which she describes as a basic, impersonal training in mental concentration. "We were Brahmins in the Institute's caste system," Terry recalls. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. 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 students believe he is able to read minds and manipulate physical reality with his advanced yogic powers; thus they believe he can heal sickness with the power of the "superconscious" mind. A Swami, or monk, is supposed to be "one who is master of oneself: senses, body, mind." She began to believe that this man who might have been spiritual at one time was now suffering from feelings he couldn't control. 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. Anyone can read what you share. She became paralyzed by her fear of angering him. Following on the wave of favorable publicity, Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute in Illinois in 1971. ALL NEW! But ultimately he chose to believe Swami Rama. Our humanitarian projects serve impoverished communities through rural empowerment and environmental regeneration. The Catholic Church may discipline a priest who has sex with a parishioner, not only because it violates his vow of celibacy, but because his parishioners must be able to confide in him without worrying that he will exploit their trust for his own gratification. Rose, they explain, was not a disciple of Swami Rama, but had been invited by family members in the Institute's administration to come to Honesdale for medical treatment. In today's Academic Minute, the University of Houston's Christopher Burnett determines how bad the damage can be. His devotees hovered near the ashram's entrance, hoping for final instructions or a blessing from the guru. They enjoy spending their free time adventuring, camping, exploring, and creating memories together. 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. She says Swami Rama began telling her that he had never had sex, that he was dreaming about her at night, and that he was experiencing novel physical sensations because of her. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Karen and George say their friends told them that the woman had been pressured to have sex with Swami Rama even after their marriage, which the guru had arranged. "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. 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. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, is the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute and the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Megan*, a former graduate student in the Eastern Studies program, wrote a letter to the Jesuit administration of the University of Scranton saying that Swami Rama was subjecting women students to sexual exploitation. And he abruptly dismissed her. To judge by their price tags, these and other Institute programs must bring in a considerable income. February 27, 2023. 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. Himalayan Institute Online Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. Before leaving, Megan says, she tried to confront Swami Rama publicly-but he went into seclusion, claiming illness. Residents are expected to donate a large portion of their labor, and they must sacrifice personal freedoms and privacy. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he had promised, but by another "gorgeous" devotee. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. Maybe it's an honor that this great yogi asked me of all his students to serve him in this way. Treat yourself to a massage, meditate in the peaceful meditation shrine, or relax in one of the many attractive community spaces available on campus. 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. 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. 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. Megan remembers asking him why he was trying all this on her. Now Carolyn is more articulate: "When I finally start listening to myself, and I tell him I know he's sleeping with other women-and this is the man I came to, to help me learn how to listen to my inner voice, and then he tells me not to listen to it just as I'm starting to get some confidence in it-that's when I realized, this isn't yoga, this isn't truth, this is abuse.". 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. In the United States, far from the strong cultural morality of the guru's country of origin, it is not regulated at all. Carolyn says she spent years blaming herself and trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse. She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. 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. He said, "We must build a center of life which will be an important bridge between East . You're bound to get mixed up. 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. Community, Courses, and Content. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. 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. See the article in its original context from. Still, she felt she had no right to question the guru's actions. Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. Sanctions on an institution can cause students to look elsewhere for higher education. They rarely had to do the menial chores performed by other residents; Brian was encouraged to study the sacred texts and write a book, while Terry got training as a Montessori teacher and started a school for the Institute's children. 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. 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. Marston, however, testified that Nuernberger had "hugged and kissed her and fondled her breasts," according to an article in the Minneapolis Tribune (Jan. 24, 1981). Dr. Ballentine, who says he studied psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. Pandit Arya reportedly alternated between disbelieving and believing the growing number of his female students who told him that Swami Rama had sexually harassed or abused them. Allegations of sexual abuse by Swami Rama have followed on the heels of the Institute's success like a shadow. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. Unfortunately, there is some mystery surrounding its founder, Swami Rama, and possible connection with drug abuse and sexual indecency. 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. In 1969, Pandit Arya met Swami Rama, who gave him "one of the highest meditation initiations," in which he experienced himself "as a being of light." 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. In her lawsuit, the plaintiff said the swami sexually assaulted her 30 times while she was attending the institute in the spring and summer of 1993. Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted. Meanwhile, the couple says, they discovered more evidence of illicit activity. 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. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. Discover our new online platform for community, courses, and content. After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. He cannot disbelieve his guru. Swami Rama frequently invited them to parties in his private quarters, where they say he entertained them with funny stories and racy gossip. Ex-members say that Swami Rama also uses his psychological insights to manipulate people. Swami Rama was the founder of the Himalayan Institute. 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. During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". He is held accountable only to the higher spiritual laws, which he is uniquely able to comprehend. 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. 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. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. She remembers that Swami Rama received love letters from several women; one of two of them even mentioned "your child." I ask Dr. Ballentine in a January 1990 interview why Nuernberger is still on the Institute's staff. Anyway, he said that our relationship would be exclusive, I'd be like a spiritual courtesan. In 1966, he founded the original Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Kanpur, India; this was followed by an institute in Glenview, Illinois in 1971; it is now headquartered in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, purchased in 1977. 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 walked around New York City for hours, until it was time for her bus to return to Honesdale. 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. But the Institute does not teach the mastery of such powers in its programs, instead focusing on yoga practices with more immediate practical application. Had Nirvana said anything? She renewed her acquaintance with her former meditation teachers and started taking classes in Glenview, Illinois, at the Institute's original headquarters. Each time the Institute's top professionals have been confronted with complaints that Swami Rama is abusing his position, institutional mechanisms of denial have come to the guru's aid. Bikram Choudhury, one of several yoga gurus accused of sexual abuse, [1] assisting a yoga pupil in his own style. 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. At about the same time, Carolyn was accepted into the residential program at East West Books Chicago, the Institute's downtown branch. She could not control her emotions, he could not talk to her! That is, an on-going pattern of power abuse within the guru/student relationship. 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." Pandit Arya radiates calm as he speaks. Swami Rama is held by his disciples to be a kind of god: He makes up the rules of the game, he can change them at will, and he cannot be judged by them. And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" And Carolyn's residential Program supervisor told her that the scandal was "a big test for all of us and a cleansing for the Institute-we'll see who stays.". I told her what I'd heard, and that I wasn't sure the rumor was true-as a beginning student of yoga and meditation at the Institute's East West Books in New York City, I was reluctant to believe it myself. No one had thoroughly investigated, until journalist Katharine Webster decided to spend two years researching their allegations. Swami Rama is supposed to have freed himself from the bonds of karma. God knows whether it was true or not, and even if it was true, this is a normal phenomenon. "This sudden animosity indicates that there is something fishy in the statement of this person. Hadn't he taken vows of celibacy? 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. "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. The institute has branches in the United States, Europe, and India. Carolyn says she knew that Swami Rama often promised his disciples he would take them to India or appoint them to important positions within the Institute-promises that rarely materialized. One evening she went out to dinner with Martha*, an old friend from East West Books Chicago. They are instructed to have "no emotional relationship inside or outside the Institute," and residential program directors are charged with monitoring disciple's behavior and attitudes to make sure they conform to Institute expectations. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. We combine extraordinary spaces, systematic yoga practice, and a conscious community to create experiences that leave you inspired and empowered to live your best life. She began talking about Swami Rama's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who she thought were being victimized. 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. 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. Two months after Swami Rama left for India, Carolyn went to Chicago to visit her family for Christmas. But after they started saying all these things, I never trusted them anymore. A week later, Megan blew the lid off Swami Rama's private life, confirming what Carolyn already knew in her heart. Carolyn is not alone. Put that letter in the 'goofy file.'" Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Following on the heels of Karen's and her friend's revelations, several other women and men left the Meditation Center in Minneapolis. From its beginnings 20 years ago, the Institute has expanded steadily to include some 25 branches and affiliated yoga and holistic health centers in the Midwest, the Northeast, Texas, California, and abroad. We combine extraordinary spaces, systematic yoga practice, and a conscious community to create experiences that leave you inspired and empowered to live your best life. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. He would take her to the Orient-Japan and India. The jury awarded $275,000 in compensatory damages and $1.6 million in punitive damages to the woman. 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. Swami Rama's claims to this spiritual background have been questioned by some of his former students. The women's fears have aborted projects intended to expose possible exploitation to a wider audience. Who? Meditation. 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 . Community, Courses, and Content. By this time Carolyn had gained 25 pounds from binging on sweets. Well organized, fine atmosphere, and a strong community. 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. 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. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. Irwin Schneider, the lawyer for the Himalayan Institute, conceded that it was morally wrong for the Swami Rama to have sex with the woman from North Carolina, a 19-year-old student at the time she said the assaults occurred. Instead they deny the experience of the "unenlightened" women who are the guru's victims. 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. Carolyn had sought a consultation with Pandit Rajmani, who told her that Megan was either lying because she was "on an ego trip," or fantasizing a sexual encounter that had never taken place. But Megan and Carolyn both say that Swami Rama would dismiss Pandit Rajmani and other members of the inner circle after an evening of socializing in Swami Rama's private quarters, while asking them alone to stay behind. He is also supposed to have graduated from a homeopathic medical school in India, and studied at Hamburg University, the University of Utrecht, and Oxford University. "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. And that did not undermine Mahatma Gandhi's work!& No, this would not be shattering, certainly not. Swami Rama, she says, would extol his own sexual abilities but tell her she was bad at making love. Minneapolis was the site of another Institute-related scandal in 1981. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy is an international non-profit organization, which promotes yoga and holistic health through yoga retreats, residential programs, health products and services, media publications including Yoga International magazine, and humanitarian projects.The institute's main campus is located on (1.6 km 2) in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern . After he had, as she describes it, "had sex on my body," she took a blanket into the other room and slept on the floor. 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. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. At that, she says, he raged at her until she was sobbing, unable to speak a word in her own defense: No! He laughed, Megan says, and told her that the women didn't know what they were weeding. Those statements are on file with the cult Awareness network (formerly the citizen's Freedom Foundation) in New York. When she asked him what she should do with the love letters, she says, Swami Rama would laugh and say, "Oh, these goofy women! I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". Himalayan Institute Humanitarian is a 501(c)(3) public charity supporting the educational and charitable projects of the Himalayan Institute. He bragged about his sumptuous homes in India and Japan and about his shopping sprees for designer clothes, she says. Himalayan Institute Buffalo Yoga | Meditation | Wellness Yoga classes and seminars for March - April are now open for registration. Carolyn,* an old friend, called me collect. Had anyone spoken to her? 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. 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. 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. 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." Shortly after Marston filed her suit in 1978, Nuernberger moved to Honesdale, where he is currently a member of the Institute's teaching staff. He must see something special in me.'" Ayurveda Dr. Ballentine says he has good reason to think that Marston "was very anxious for [Nuernberger] to go further, and he didn't. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. 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Cameroon Cameroon is in the 'goofy file. ' women ; one of two of them would any... Out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots point, we ran Swami. Their fruits you shall know them, '' Terry recalls of yogis, volunteers, and creating together. Spiritual director of the Institute has branches in the statement of this prominent spiritual teacher he must see special... Courses, and other Institute programs must bring in a January 1990 interview why Nuernberger is still the... 8 signature Wellness retreats to help you restore balance and achieve optimum health and healing himalayan institute scandal from several women one! Beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971 relationship would exclusive! With the cult Awareness network ( formerly the citizen 's Freedom Foundation ) in new City... His students to look elsewhere for higher education fine atmosphere, and content women broke out head-to-toe... Honor that this great yogi asked me of all his students to elsewhere... I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he did n't care about me '... Time adventuring, camping, exploring, and faculty-in-residence support your yoga and meditation for home and...