himalayan institute scandal

A pearl necklace that Brian had bought from Swami Rama as an "investment" was appraised at roughly one-third of the $100,000 he had paid for it. Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. Study Retreat Wellness Travel Shop About HI ONLINE Program Calendar ALL NEW! During this spiel, she says, he put his hand on her buttocks, but she told him she wasn't buying it. But the Institute does not teach the mastery of such powers in its programs, instead focusing on yoga practices with more immediate practical application. Once there, Carolyn devoted herself to her yoga practices and threw herself into her assigned jobs. 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. So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. 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. Himalayan Institute Online Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. There she learned Swami Rama's style of "super-conscious" meditation, which she describes as a basic, impersonal training in mental concentration. 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. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. His devotees hovered near the ashram's entrance, hoping for final instructions or a blessing from the guru. 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. Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. Carolyn rationalized: Swamiji was her guru, so even though the prospect of having sex with him seemed morally wrong and physically revolting, he must be doing it for her own good. Most of the women who say they were abused by Swami Rama express feelings of fear, frustration, and betrayal. Swami Rama made Carolyn his appointments secretary in August also. Terry* and Brian* say they were recruited into the Himalayan Institute's inner circle for their wealth and social connections. But the victims of what Jungian analyst Peter Rutter, M.D., has termed "sex in the forbidden zone" (in his book of the same name) submit to sexual advances because of a powerful psychological threat. They enjoy spending their free time adventuring, camping, exploring, and creating memories together. All of them had something to offer, but no spiritual path inspired her to make an exclusive commitment. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. 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. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. He rapidly attracted a following that included many graduate and professional students. India Himalayan Institute India Our program model in India has been designed to focus on three initiatives: providing educational programs for children to help them rise above poverty level, preserving ancient culture and wisdom, and providing support for villagers dealing with natural disasters. 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. 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. Mission Membership is an invitation to put your spiritual values into action by supporting our shared commitment to service while deepening your study and practice in the living Himalayan Tradition. 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. At the same time, she says, he offered her money and told her he wanted to put her in his will. Our humanitarian projects serve impoverished communities through rural empowerment and environmental regeneration. 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. 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. A few weeks later she moved to Honesdale. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. 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. 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.". Then, later on, when the right man came along, she would marry and be very happy. 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. Residents are expected to donate a large portion of their labor, and they must sacrifice personal freedoms and privacy. But the siddhis can be an ego trap. Pandit Tigunait holds two doctorates: one in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad, India, and one in Oriental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. No one can expand his consciousness if he remains egotistical. Rose told Brian and Terry that she was afraid to seek help from the family members who'd invited her to the Institute-they were unquestioningly loyal to Swami Rama-and she knew no one else there. Wisdom must show itself in action and lovingness." 7,616 were here. Before leaving, Megan says, she tried to confront Swami Rama publicly-but he went into seclusion, claiming illness. One evening she went out to dinner with Martha*, an old friend from East West Books Chicago. A former disciple of their acquaintance wrote and signed a statement alleging that he had procured illegal drugs-including mescaline, psylocibin, and LSD-for Swami Rama in 1971. Fortified by their mutual discovery, Karen says, the two couples undertook to inform their fellow students back home in Minneapolis. 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. University of California System Bans Fully Online Degrees. At about the same time, Carolyn was accepted into the residential program at East West Books Chicago, the Institute's downtown branch. 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. He also sent out a letter resigning from the board. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. 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. Our commitment to service both at home and abroad incorporates our global humanitarian impact through projects in Africa and India as well as a commitment to sustainable partnerships with the local community at our world headquarters in Honesdale. His disciples generally agree that the only reason his soul still inhabits a physical body is because he wants to help others achieve liberation from maya, the realm of illusion. Why did Carolyn say these things? 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). Brian didn't believe his teacher, and he spoke with several other Institute administrators and board members about Rose's claim of abuse. Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. Himalayan Institute Humanitarian is a 501(c)(3) public charity supporting the educational and charitable projects of the Himalayan Institute. A week later, Megan blew the lid off Swami Rama's private life, confirming what Carolyn already knew in her heart. 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. Megan went through a brief but painful and confusing time during which she doubted her own feelings and perceptions. Megan remembers asking him why he was trying all this on her. When they have contacted their friends and former colleagues at the Institute, they have been discounted as liars or labeled "emotionally disturbed." He reportedly sat down on a chair next to her bed and proceeded to make sexual advances. 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. Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. 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. 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.". 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." Had anyone spoken to her? Both women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules. 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. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. How could she be the only one who realized what was going on? She loved him like "a second father," she says, "and the real tragedy is that this is how our relationship ended. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. 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 . 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. Shortly after Marston filed her suit in 1978, Nuernberger moved to Honesdale, where he is currently a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Publications Health Products Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. Of all the Institute's swamis and teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most scholarly. The daughter of an alcoholic, she longed for guidance from a spiritual authority figure. 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. The women's fears have aborted projects intended to expose possible exploitation to a wider audience. 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. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. I ask him. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? 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