himalayan institute scandal
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. Relax, restore, and nourish yourself with a wellness retreat. Carolyn is not alone. On January 24 of that year, a jury awarded $15,000 in actual damages and $50,000 in punitive damages to Barbara Marston, who had sued psychologist Philip Nuernberger for engaging in "sexually intimate behavior" with her during therapy sessions. He would call her to his office for a private audience, and as she hung anxiously on his words he would paint a flattering picture of her future with the Institute. His American followers hear the spiritual teachings from his mouth, with his interpretation, and they rarely have the exposure to a variety of gurus, which would teach them to be skeptical of their own guru. 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. 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. Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." 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. Years later, Rose contacted Patricia Trescelli, hoping to support a lawsuit by other women working with Trescelli and hoping to press charges against Swami Rama in her own sexual assault. 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." Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. A Swami, or monk, is supposed to be "one who is master of oneself: senses, body, mind." Two women wrote statements, which said they had discovered that Swami Rama was attempting to "seduce" both of them contemporaneously. She never received a response. She would start with handling the appointments and then she would make his plane reservations, scheduling lecture tours. 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.". 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. 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. 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. Within a sect the guru's authority is often absolute: he rules from the pinnacle of the institutional hierarchy. Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. And she was afraid to leave in her old car because a freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with ice. 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. 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. Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. "If the guru's instruction leads to a deeper peace, freedom from conflict, a deepening of meditation, harmony in relationships - all of these. ALL NEW! "We were Brahmins in the Institute's caste system," Terry recalls. Community, Courses, and Content. That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. But after they started saying all these things, I never trusted them anymore. Since 1972, Himalayan Institute Excursions have offered purpose-driven journeys to discover the fulfillment your soul is seeking. Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. She could not control her emotions, he could not talk to her! At that, she says, he raged at her until she was sobbing, unable to speak a word in her own defense: No! Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. Williams, however, did not sue Nuernberger himself; she sued the clinic where he worked, alleging that the clinic "knew or should have known" that Nuernberger was engaging in harmful sexual activity while treating her. Meditation. Community, Courses, and Content. "The person wanted something, and the other person did not agree to fulfill their desires," he says. They are crazy. Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. What a foolish woman! The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. You're bound to get mixed up. They resided in their own house in Honesdale, unencumbered by the strict rules of the residential program. 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. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. Yet the women never seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says. Himalayan Institute Online. 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. Cons Not one that I can see. In a few months time she would handle his bank account, income taxes, everything. 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. He says it is a relationship that goes beyond religions, the purest relationship possible, "the relationship of water flowing from a hill and filling a hollow at the bottom-the hollow has nothing to give in return, but only to accept that grace in gratitude. 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. 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. 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. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. The same spirit of community and service that fuels our headquarters in Honesdale, PA, can be found in these dedicated affiliate centers of practice. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. Two other women left the Institute shortly afterwards. 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. The chapter on the Meditation Center in Patricia Darling's dissertation details the growth of the center and the subsequent disillusionment of many of Pandit Arya's students with his new guru. 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. And he abruptly dismissed her. Dr. Ballentine says he has good reason to think that Marston "was very anxious for [Nuernberger] to go further, and he didn't. When I asked Pandit Arya about the allegations of sexual abuse, he admits that he was very disturbed when he first heard them. 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. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. 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. Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". 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. If somehow Pandit Rajmani were forced to acknowledge that the women were telling the truth, would this shatter his faith in the guru? 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.". Health Clinics Health Education Public Libraries School of Carpentry Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. Yoga seminars, retreats, and professional certifications taught by our world-class faculty, designed to bring you the best of an authentic yoga tradition. As an enlightened being, he is thought to be beyond the judgment of ordinary mortals, their laws and morality. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. At the same time, she felt anxious, because she'd seen how severe Swami Rama could be with those closest to him. Both women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules. 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. Study Online 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. Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Meanwhile, Carolyn says, Swami Rama began singling her out for special attention. At some point, we ran into Swami Rama in a hallway. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, is the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute and the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. HIT ranked under Top Commerce Colleges in All India by The Week 2022. 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. But one by one, Trescelli says, the women backed down and decided not to pursue legal action. 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.". Our various programms address all aspects of a meditator's life because all of life has an effect on meditation. 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. Gurus were supposed to have conquered their desires, but in the spiritual literature they were often portrayed as contradictory, tricking their disciples into enlightenment. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. In order to believe in his perfection, they must rationalize behavior that others would judge to be tyrannical, cruel, or self-indulgent. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? In such a situation, she says, the whole system becomes sick and no one can see the light: "There's no truth allowed; it's a no-talk rule.". Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. 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. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". Those statements are on file with the cult Awareness network (formerly the citizen's Freedom Foundation) in New York. This was not true! 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. Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. He would take her to the Orient-Japan and India. Discover our new online platform for community, courses, and content. During this spiel, she says, he put his hand on her buttocks, but she told him she wasn't buying it. 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. 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. February 27, 2023. As Rutter explains in his book, a sexual relationship between a man in a position of power-doctor, psychologist, mentor, or priest-and a woman who is dependent on him-as patient, student, client, or troubled soul-almost always involves an element of coercion and a betrayal of trust. Is it not better to follow someone who has charted the path?". In May, Swami Rama visited the area again. Had Nirvana said anything? And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he had promised, but by another "gorgeous" devotee. Allegations of sexual abuse by Swami Rama have followed on the heels of the Institute's success like a shadow. 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. 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. In his enlightened state, they believe, he could never commit any selfish acts, which would create new karmic burdens. In the presence of others, we spoke only of positive or spiritual matters, in the deliberately modulated tones all the residents used. One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. Dr. Elmer Green says that he and his wife have heard from a number of women who said they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama. 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. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. 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. Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted. Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. The Himalayan Institute community reaches across the entire globe. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. Finally I found an opportunity to broach the topic of the lawsuit with Carolyn. So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. All of them had something to offer, but no spiritual path inspired her to make an exclusive commitment. 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. There he founded the Meditation Center. She remembers that Swami Rama received love letters from several women; one of two of them even mentioned "your child." 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. 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. 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. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. 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. We inspire, educate, and. No one can expand his consciousness if he remains egotistical. Others would judge to be `` one who is master of oneself senses... 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