Dont be attached to these images. In order to believe in his perfection, they must rationalize behavior that others would judge to be tyrannical, cruel, or self-indulgent. 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. [In the Katha Upanishad] Yama taught Nachiketa that it is necessary to understand death to understand life, and likewise life must be understood in order to understand death. 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. As the Bhagavad Gita "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. Self, the faculty of discrimination dawns. One of these was in Minneapolis. 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. Until she'd read a copy of Susan's letter, she told her, she'd thought she was alone. swami rama (1925-1996) was born in himalayas. 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. Swami Vivekananda battled several health problems during the short course of his life. our bodies getting older and slowing down, it scares us. Chicago, II. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. [2][R 1][R 2] However, in 1987 two of his closest followers left his Himalayan Institute when they learnt that part of his official biography had been "fabricated"; further, Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network has stated that his academic background could not be verified. When Carolyn had to work, I attended classes in Hatha yoga or read. 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. As Tigunait noted above, Mahatma Gandhi was indeed sleeping with teenage girls (including his cousins granddaughter) toward the end of his life. Died: August 16, 1886 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. 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. He is a seeker, with certain strengths and weaknesses. He says he was only directly confronted once-the rest has been hearsay. Swami Rama has a reputation among his followers as an incredible psychologist who uses his insights to help others. 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 . Here is her report. Had Nirvana said anything? He goes on to tell me another story about a woman who claimed that Swami Rama "had come in his subtle body through the air conditioner to her bedroom, and that that's how this intimacy had transpired." She remembers that Swami Rama received love letters from several women; one of two of them even mentioned "your child." "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. After one dies, he or. 60614. Swami Rama talks about the 4 nos of breathing, no jerks, no noise, no jerkiness, no pause. In December of 1990, Yoga Journal published an expos detailing allegations of misbehavior, including sexual abuse, against Rama. the train of knowledge. at the time of the sexual abuse; (b) had abused his position . Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. Brian didn't believe his teacher, and he spoke with several other Institute administrators and board members about Rose's claim of abuse. In the autumn of 1997, Pennsylvania jurors awarded $1.875 million in damages to a former female resident of the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA. 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. transition in our journey. on the pleasures of the world keeps the mind too distracted to search "A lot of people have confused the siddhis-the powers to control body, emotions, and mind-with spirituality. From 1949 to 1952, he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India. She thanked me, but assured me I had no reason for concern. Death reminds "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. She said no: She had been on a work crew Swami Rama had ordered to week poison ivy roots for his new garden, and she was covered with oozing blisters. You think that is you. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. Swami Rama Tirtha was a mystic saint of India who travelled to the US, preceded by Swami Vivekananda, during the last century. Susan says the woman described her own similar experiences with Swami Rama during the past two years. 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. Are you feeling a little confused and emotionally upset, and maybe some of the things that happened you might have misinterpreted, or you might have even fantasized them, you know, have trouble separating fantasy from reality?" One who has surrendered himself is always protected by the divine power. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, Bliss Absolute, I am That, I am That, I am without form, without limit, Beyond space, beyond time, I am in everything, everything is in me. if there is an inner being, it comes by way of the body. At the time of parting, the mantra which is stored in the unconscious mind becomes ones guide. 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. Six months before her death, she decided to live in a room by herself remembering the Lords name and meditating. Born in northern India, he was raised from early childhood by the Himalayan sage, Bengali Baba. overcome death. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. Women need to be informed that this could happen to them-be it with Swami Rama or any man in a position of power-so they will be able to see it coming and avoid it. Everyone said you had to surrender to the guru, so she would simply have to follow through with whatever he ordered her to do. His contributions to literature include profound commentaries on such spiritual works as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads; practical guidelines on the application of the ancient wisdom of the East to the fields of psychology and health; a poetic rendition of the . Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". 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. 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 bodies. A less intense twenty-three-day mourning period The When we see Gurus were supposed to have conquered their desires, but in the spiritual literature they were often portrayed as contradictory, tricking their disciples into enlightenment. 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 nareotics, sexual immorality, fraudulent financial dealings, and "affliction with [a] psychopathic personality." 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. A few weeks later she moved to Honesdale. Similarly, we are not The sound tic came from the cracking of the skull as he left his body through the brahmarandhra. under the guidance of his master bengali baba, he traveled visited many sages and ashrams. She did not allow even her eldest son, Dr. A.N.Tandon, to remain in the room. the Atman who dwells within is the central theme of the Upanishads. If, however, a person learns to let A mere two years later, however, he apparently simply abandoned that position, leaving without notice to meditate in the mountains instead. Carolyn remembers being amazed: Could Swami Rama possibly be talking about sex? Indian religious leader and mystic 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. Shortly after they started studying with Pandit Usharbudh Arya at the Meditation Center in Minneapolis, he introduced them to his guru, Swami Rama. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. 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. And the secondary trauma of having every single one of her former friends turn their backs on her, she says, has scarred her and left her with a legacy of emotional distrust and feelings of betrayal. [3] This was one of the first convictions of a yoga guru for unlawful sexual activity with a devotee. Death is not the end of life, And people must stop covering up for the perpetrators by ignoring or denying that it is happening. His legacy did not end with his death in 1886; his most prominent disciple Swami Vivekananda carried on his teachings and philosophy to the world through Ramakrishna Mission. not anger or any other emotion. 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. But something, which is truth, cannot be falsified by having one hundred witnesses. Peter Rutter's Sex in the Forbidden Zone is available through YJs Book & Tape Source on page 78. 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. We are all afraid of the word "death" and do not want to face the truth that we all have to die. people seek objects and relationships in the world in a way to deny Let's. Carolyn's and Susan's letters also challenged the Institute's professional staff on ethical grounds. 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. Swami Rama of the Himalayas: His Life and Mission. The Institute's program is no longer accredited by the University of Scranton. That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. At bottom, however, she believed her feelings didn't matter. No one creates us. Honesdale, Pa.: Himalayan Institute, 1978. In 1994, one of his victims filed a lawsuit charging that he had initiated abuse at his Pennsylvania. . As the couple started making arrangements to move to England, they received another blow. He would take her to the Orient-Japan and India. to the worldly plane. During those days I was very anxious to know this mystery, termed parakaya pravesha. During her last days she was completely detached and merged in her sadhana. Surrender only leads to enlightenment if the "guru within" is strong and well developed. This is not to diminish Well-known Indian teacher of yoga, meditation, and holistic health. Marston's lawsuit, he says, was an act of revenge. 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. 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. The mantra serves as a guide through this period of transition. As the disease advanced the great Yogi instead of curing himself through his yogic powers, gave up his body in Samadhi. Side Note: As I don't know hindi, please add links to the videos that are available with english subtitles (almost every video of swamiji is present with english CC except few). Nachiketa is an example and death is not a random, unfortunate reality. message early in life that happiness is earned by acquiring things and She recalls that he said they would become very close, their bodies would come together, and then they would part. Dr. Ballentine, who says he stuthed psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. 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. An old story is told about the beginning of time. 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. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and health and nutrition. relationship make their loss certain. 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. They will all disappear in the flash we call a human lifetime. The only way he could do that was by killing Shambuka. Still, she felt she had no right to question the guru's actions. Show more Show more Comments are turned off. Carolyn felt important, entitled to be there because she was one of his secretaries. This life is concealed behind the two openings of birth and death. Swami Rama, Founder of Promoting Society, Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), was born in 1925 at Village-Toli, Malla Badalpur, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand (erstwhile Uttar Pradesh) to a learned Brahmin family.Orphaned at a young age, he was raised from early childhood by a great yogi and saint of Bengal who lived in the foothills of the Himalayas. He cannot disbelieve his guru. In the year 1938 when I was sent to Benares to stay with a Bengali couple, I was informed that the couple would drop their bodies at the same time. Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. Dr. Ballentine sent copies of his letter to the same Institute members who had received Hughes's letter. That is why in some cultures and Of course, Gandhis very human displays of (non-righteous) temper alone would have been enough to demonstrate to him or anyone else that he was not yet perfected in ahimsa. Therefore, he had to be punished. "Nirvana is one," Carolyn says she told him. prevails, the mortal becomes immortal. That is the key. He was the inspiration for Kripalu yoga and the Kripalu Yoga Center, both of which were founded by the swami's disciple, Amrit Desai. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". We kept it under observation for three days. As the scientific interest in yoga declined through the 1980s, Swami Rama lead the Himalayan Institute until his death in 1996. relationships, and seeks only that which is eternal, death is not Before the universe could be totally engaged, the Creator . Instructions to install the fonts can be found at Avinash Chopde's ITRANS site. He said, "Be ready to die, fighting for the great cause, but in a non- violent way. There is birth, there is 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. His best-known work, Living with the Himalayan Masters, reveals the many facets of this singular adept and demonstrates his embodiment of the living tradition of the East. When people typically hear this they wonder, how could an Avatar, an incarnation of God get cancer? Both these branches of yogic science are exclusively known to a fortunate few in the Himalayas and Tibet. Swami Vivekananda attained Maha-Samadhi on July 4, 1902, at the age of 39. They see themselves from the time of childhood growing up to have Of all the Institute's swamis and teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most scholarly. Mine is Insight on How to Meditate.. From the 1970s onwards, there were persistent allegations of sexual abuse of his followers;[2] in 1997 a woman won a lawsuit against him for multiple sexual assaults. They are crazy. Who Can Be a Friend of Lord Rama? During sleep we are not conscious of our bodies, Carolyn moved back to Chicago, found a job, returned to school, and soon met a non-institute man she wanted to marry. Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the sights along the way, so that when it comes time to leave the train at For him who is wholly Mantra is a syllable or word or set of words. Otherwise there would be no need for this person to propagate this whole story.". He was coughing a lot, was very thin, and had bouts of fever. distractions, dancing girls and video games, and opportunities for Sadhana Mandir Trust Katharine Webster, who recently completed her master of journalism Senior at the University of California, Berkeley, is an occasional student of yoga who has had many teachers, but no guru. I ask Dr. Ballentine in a January 1990 interview why Nuernberger is still on the Institute's staff. Reality is neither good nor evil. He reportedly sat down on a chair next to her bed and proceeded to make sexual advances. 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. pain in that philosophy is profound. A Practical Guide to Holistic Health. There, he showed the ability to consciously control various aspects of his autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. 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." 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. The next day, she says, Swami Rama called her to his office and asked her if anyone had said anything to her. ." there is continuity without a starting point. People get attached even to the idea of things. Many of them say they feared his wrath when they were disciples, and several still believe he has the power to inflict harm or illness on them from a distance. Har Har Mahadev! I ask him. "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.". Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. 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. Thank you. Attachment means we believe He bragged about his sumptuous homes in India and Japan and about his shopping sprees for designer clothes, she says. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. He must see something special in me.'" Swami Rama, The Art of Joyful Living 3 likes Like "SELF-SURRENDER IS THE HIGHEST AND EASIEST method for enlightenment. Just like us, he sometimes fails to distinguish the fake gurus from genuine masters, mistaking magic for spiritual . Under scientific controls, he demonstrated such feats as manipulating his heartbeat at will to 300 beats per minute (effectively stopping the flow of blood) for seventeen seconds. The Self is unchangeable. the desires and attachments that are the cause of suffering. She says he instructed her in how to give him pleasure and admonished her to always tell him that she had received pleasure, even thought she never did. They feel as if 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. 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