Carolyn moved back to Chicago, found a job, returned to school, and soon met a non-institute man she wanted to marry. She walked around New York City for hours, until it was time for her bus to return to Honesdale. These volumes give out numerous examples of the ways in which Gurudeva Swami Rama guided the sincere disciples. She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. Brian says he did not realize at the time that a conviction for fraud could have lost the Institute its federal tax-exempt status as an educational institution. Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. The sound tic came from the cracking of the skull as he left his body through the brahmarandhra. 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. Reprinted from Sacred Journey, an HIHT publication. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. She would live with him in the house he was buying. Shri Swami Rama clearly understood that Health, Education and Livelihood skills form a triangular primacy and that holistic development . But it is also common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states. Since our interview, Dr. Ballentine has been sent at least two letters by women who say they were sexually abused by Swami Rama: one from Carolyn and one from Susan. This seemingly whimsical application of standards demoralized many of the ex-members I spoke with and led many to resent the members of Swami Rama's inner circle. [CDATA[ 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. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. How could she be the only one who realized what was going on? The Institute also offers a dizzying array of education programs, including a diploma program for hatha yoga teachers. 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." "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. No, this would not be shattering, certainly not. In such a situation, she says, the whole system becomes sick and no one can see the light: "There's no truth, When confronted with allegations of sexual abuse by Swami Rama, Pandit Rajmani resident spiritual director at the Himalayan Institute, replies "Believing such stories means disbelieving in myself. "If the guru's instruction leads to a deeper peace, freedom from conflict, a deepening of meditation, harmony in relationships - all of these. Analysis. So if someone wants to come to me and say, this man's taking advantage of me for his pleasure, I just find it hard to believe.". During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. 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. 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. Ramakrishna, originally called Gadadhar Chatterji or Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya, (born February 18, 1836, Hooghly [now Hugli], Bengal state, Indiadied August 16, 1886, Calcutta [now Kolkata]), Hindu religious leader, founder of the school of religious thought that became the Ramakrishna Order. 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 other was at Kanpur. Even today his thoughts are used as a priceless mantra by his followers. The narrator says again that every person who Ravana sent into battle didn't return. Ramakrishna, now alone, prayed for a vision of Kali-Ma (Kali the Mother), whom he worshipped as the supreme manifestation of God. 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. Everyone knows about Lord Rama's wife i.e. I transfer these 14 years of life to you so that you can complete your work.. She became outraged at the residents and the professional staff who enable and legitimized the Swami's behavior. Meanwhile, the couple says, they discovered more evidence of illicit activity. At some point, we ran into Swami Rama in a hallway. But their encounters were exactly the same as before, she says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical. Dr. Ballentine says it is "presumptuous" to judge whether or not someone is perfected. In three months, Carolyn says, she gained 20 pounds. 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.". I have personally witnessed yogis casting off the body consciously on many occasions. Most of the women who say they were abused by Swami Rama express feelings of fear, frustration, and betrayal. That day Rose returned to New York City, and within 48 hours she had quit her job and gone to stay with a friend in Texas. Once there, Carolyn devoted herself to her yoga practices and threw herself into her assigned jobs. However, the date of retrieval is often important. I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". [13], Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, "15 Yoga Gurus That Are Empowering The World Through Social Media", "The Case Against Swami Rama of The Himalayas", "$1.9 Million Awarded In Swami Sexual Case", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swami_Rama&oldid=1147688250, This page was last edited on 1 April 2023, at 15:01. Born in northern India, he was raised from early childhood by the Himalayan sage, Bengali Baba. But ultimately he chose to believe Swami Rama. Then, later on, when the right man came along, she would marry and be very happy. One of my friends, Vinaya Maharaj, sent a messenger to my camp informing me that he was going to drop his body and I should come to witness it. After a sleepless night, she said she snuck out at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. and drove to Brian and Terry's empty house in Honesdale. Swami Rama ( Svm Rma; 1925 - 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. 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. A week later, Megan blew the lid off Swami Rama's private life, confirming what Carolyn already knew in her heart. Swami Rama of the Himalayas: His Life and Mission. The yogis, he says, have demonstrated these abilities in the past and continue to do so. It stresses the divinity of human nature and oneness of mankind. But my Gurudeva has left his body. 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. On the occasion of his death anniversary, read a few things related to Swami Vivekananda . When she questioned him, Megan says, he became angry and dismissed the women's suffering, saying that a little poison ivy could be good for them. The Ramakrishna Math and Mission is the main organisation founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897. 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. Not only could he die at will, but he also could bring the dead back to life. Carolyn is not alone. We kept it under observation for three days. Two years ago. Swami Vivekananda died of diabetes. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramakrishna, IndiaNetzone - Biography of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York - Biography of Sri Ramakrishna, World Religious and Spirituality Project - Ramakrishna, Cultural India - Reformers - Biography of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He wept for hours at a time and felt a burning sensation throughout his body while imploring the Divine Mother to reveal herself. Gold, http://www.hihtindia.org/SRC%20NEW/src_home.htm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHwDV9UeyfE. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. The Great Raman Maharshi died of cancer. 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. Everything happens for a reason, and we can't judge him." 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. Carolyn says she recognizes the positive work of the Himalayan Institute and has no desire to destroy the Institute's beneficial programs. 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. Rama, Swami. Megan says she squelched an urge to speak out, instead deciding, like most of the Institute's residents, to suspend judgment so she could "understand and learn" from this "great master." To the last day of his life he was doing the rounds of his hospital. Before he reached the state of deep meditation, there were violent jerks in his body. According to her anonymous correspondent, "the Himalayan Institute and Swami Rama are one and the same," and Susan's action could destroy "the unselfish work of many people.". Years later, Carolyn told me that four years of discipleship under Swami Rama had taught her to be a successful liar. ", Shortly after Pandit Rajmani introduced her to Swami Rama, Megan says, the guru called her into his private quarters and told her that they'd been together in a past life, that he'd waited to meet her again in this lifetime, and that now they were reunited. Or, in the words of Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., president of the Himalayan Institute and Swami Rama's designated successor, "to take the wisdom of the ancients and couch it in terms that are intelligible to modern man.". Fourteen years passed and he was still in the body and I took a sigh of relief. I met a yogi at Paidung in Sikkim in the year I947. Sri Ram who came to know about the death of Lakshman decided that it was time to end His. They then informed Sarkar who arrived late next morning. We were to fly out on 17th December 1980. It is sad to lose what we care about in life. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". Swami Rama created his first ashram near Kathmandu in Nepal, apparently in the late 1950s. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? 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. (April 12, 2023). "We were Brahmins in the Institute's caste system," Terry recalls. She could not control her emotions, he could not talk to her! This was not true! Fortified by their mutual discovery, Karen says, the two couples undertook to inform their fellow students back home in Minneapolis. 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. She says she confessed her secret relationship with Swami Rama for the first time, telling her counselor that she was still confused about it. It was years more before she felt she had the right to be angry at her spiritual family, the staff and residents of the Institute who, she says, denied the signs of abuse all around them. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. My work is now complete. And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" At an early age he was ordained as a monk by a great sage of the Himalayas and later journeyed to numerous monasteries and caves, studying with many spiritual masters. The Bigg Boss 10 fame Swami Om passed away due to a paralytic attack. 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. Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. 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. Growing up in Calcutta in Bengal, https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rama-swami-1925-1996, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A. 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. Born: February 18, 1833 Broad described him as "the star of autonomic control". But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. After six months she fell sick and became bedridden. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. 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. So, back to Swami Rama. In daily lectures by the Institute's teachers and in conversation with Swami Rama's disciples, she frequently heard that Swami Rama had a "greater purpose that we couldn't understand," and that he was "beyond morality and judgment. In his short lifetime, he spread Indian culture and spirituality all over the world. 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. When Carolyn had to work, I attended classes in Hatha yoga or read. Carolyn says the "goofy" letters never got answered. His best known work is Living With Himalayan Masters; the cultural historian Alistair Shearer calls it "an influential autobiography". Sex with a guru is a form of spiritual incest. As the scientific interest in yoga declined through the 1980s, Swami Rama lead the Himalayan Institute until his death in 1996. Finally I found an opportunity to broach the topic of the lawsuit with Carolyn. Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. If somehow Pandit Rajmani were forced to acknowledge that the women were telling the truth, would this shatter his faith in the guru? //. 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