Discover our new online platform for community, courses, and content. A short time later, Swami Rama let her go as his secretary-because, she says he told her, she didn't really want the job. 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. Early the next morning, she says, he announced to her that she was going to leave; he never set up the promised program. Himalayan Institute | Honesdale PA The Institute also offers a dizzying array of education programs, including a diploma program for hatha yoga teachers. ", 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. In retrospect, Megan says, she believes that Swami Rama was indifferent to the problems that his behavior might cause the Institute, but was using such scandals to purge it of anyone who questioned his authority. He is held accountable only to the higher spiritual laws, which he is uniquely able to comprehend. Himalayan Institute locations 3.6 Honesdale, PA Show all locations What's being discussed at Himalayan Institute? That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. They resided in their own house in Honesdale, unencumbered by the strict rules of the residential program. She loved him like "a second father," she says, "and the real tragedy is that this is how our relationship ended. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. 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." In many ways, the Institute's austere structure is designed to appeal to the personality that yearns for what psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton calls a "totalist" environment, where virtually every aspect of one's life is subject to external control. Allegations of sexual abuse by Swami Rama have followed on the heels of the Institute's success like a shadow. Here is her report. Megan remembers asking him why he was trying all this on her. 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. The women's fears have aborted projects intended to expose possible exploitation to a wider audience. 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. RFP & Business Plan for Dairy Processing Investor/Operator. 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. Outside of work, Sawana has been married to her wonderful husband since 2008 and together they have 3 beautiful sons. Treat yourself to a massage, meditate in the peaceful meditation shrine, or relax in one of the many attractive community spaces available on campus. Join us in serving a tradition that has served the world selflessly for untold ages. There she learned Swami Rama's style of "super-conscious" meditation, which she describes as a basic, impersonal training in mental concentration. Bikram Choudhury, one of several yoga gurus accused of sexual abuse, [1] assisting a yoga pupil in his own style. She began talking about Swami Rama's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who she thought were being victimized. A few weeks later she moved to Honesdale. When Carolyn had to work, I attended classes in Hatha yoga or read. 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. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. 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. 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. 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. Himalayan Institute Online. 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. Finally, she obtained his permission. "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. Everyone said you had to surrender to the guru, so she would simply have to follow through with whatever he ordered her to do. The Institute's "scientific" approach to yoga has made it a success, attracting long-term spiritual disciples as well as large numbers of people who merely want a boost for their psychological or physical well being. Himalayan Institute of Technology Ranking and Awards. 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. 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. "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. 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. Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. In the United States, far from the strong cultural morality of the guru's country of origin, it is not regulated at all. Burnett is a postdoctoral fellow in Houston's department of education leadership and . 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. But something, which is truth, cannot be falsified by having one hundred witnesses. The jury called the abuse "spiritual incest . 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. 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. At the Himalayan Yoga Institute we believe in providing you with a broad yogic education to empower you to make the best possible choices for your students and create a modern yoga class that respects yoga's traditions and foundation while taking into account the unique personal needs of your students. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. When she asked him what she should do with the love letters, she says, Swami Rama would laugh and say, "Oh, these goofy women! Only recently has she acknowledged her anger at Swami Rama. 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. A saint is a person who does what he says." 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." 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. University of California System Bans Fully Online Degrees. In a few months time she would handle his bank account, income taxes, everything. 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. Terry, who is now a practicing psychotherapist, says she believes Swami Rama's behavior is compulsive-he can't help it." Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. The Himalayan Institute community reaches across the entire globe. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. But their encounters were exactly the same as before, she says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. 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. Then he started giving her practices without any spiritual meaning, she says, and telling her she wasn't doing them right. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". For a time, she says, she considered getting a pistol to carry to work. In the mid-1970s, she and her husband George,* both students of Swami Rama, traveled to India and stayed at the guru's ashram in Rishikesh. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. Halfway through their meal, Carolyn remembers, Martha hesitantly said, "I know this will sound like a weird question, but has Swamiji ever asked you to have sex with him?" Since the early 1970s, women have been claiming sexual abuse at the hands of this prominent spiritual teacher. Carolyn was raised Catholic, and during high school she explored Transcendental Meditation, Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the "Jesus freak" movement. 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. Spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Tigunait is the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. 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. 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. Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. But the purified ego is a means in discriminating real Self from not-self-real Self from mere self. 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. Maybe it's an honor that this great yogi asked me of all his students to serve him in this way. But it is also common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states. 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. Later, many of the women broke out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots. Who? 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. No, he says: "Even if it happened, what's the big deal?& People say that Mahatma Gandhi& slept with women. In his enlightened state, they believe, he could never commit any selfish acts, which would create new karmic burdens. She says he arranged for her to meet him at the Gramercy Park Hotel and instructed her not to call him Swami in public. Most of the women who say they were abused by Swami Rama express feelings of fear, frustration, and betrayal. HIT ranked under Top Commerce Colleges in All India by The Week 2022. 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.". Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. Humanitarian, Swami Rama, Teacher. Every time he saw her, she says, he told her she was "perfect," as if she had passed some important test. Pandit Rajmani says he also has concrete reasons to know that Swami Rama could not be sleeping with his disciples. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. Swami Rama was the founder of the Himalayan Institute. In August, Carolyn says, Swami Rama told her to meet him in New York City for the next step in her spiritual training. When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. In today's Academic Minute, the University of Houston's Christopher Burnett determines how bad the damage can be. In some states, a patient has the right to sue her doctor or psychotherapist for malpractice even if she originally consented to sex, because people under psychological or medical treatment are considered too vulnerable and dependent to give free and full consent. "Believing such stories means disbelieving in myself. 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. 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. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? Trained to meditate and educated in the scriptures from early childhood, he was able to translate and interpret any of the 20,000 verses from the Vedas by the age of 13, according to a biographical pamphlet put out by the Meditation Center. HIT ranked 39 th under Best Hotel Management Colleges in All India by The Week 2022.; HIT ranked 23rd under Top Private Hotel Management Colleges in All India and 11 th in North Zone by The Week 2022.; HIT is ranked as one of the most preferred Hotel Management Colleges . Authentic Ashram Living And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" The Combined Therapy program and the outpatient branches of the Institute for Holistic Medicine combine Western medicine, homeopathy, Eastern medicine, psychotherapy, nutrition, yoga, and meditation to treat people with a variety of physical and emotional problems. Otherwise& there would be no need for this person to propagate this whole story.". Swamis, he explains, are renunciates who take vows of abstinence which include giving up sex, wine, and red meat, as well as other stimulants to the physical senses. The teachings contained in the sacred texts cannot play any meaningful part in judging who is a good guru and who is not: "How could they? 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. But Trescelli says she had to discourage her. Megan went through a brief but painful and confusing time during which she doubted her own feelings and perceptions. 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. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. 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. And she would help him write books. 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.". 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. Read More But one by one, Trescelli says, the women backed down and decided not to pursue legal action. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and diet and nutrition. At some point, we ran into Swami Rama in a hallway. 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. She opted to forego pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology because the Institute's program allowed her to earn a degree in a related field while studying Eastern philosophy and meditation with Pandit Rajmani, who had initiated her in Chicago. If a hundred people come and say that the day is night and I know that it's not, the voting system doesn't do it here, you know? 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." 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 to accept a tuition-free second year, or even to leave the Institute quietly, Megan says, would have meant giving tacit approval to the continuing exploitation. Our various programms address all aspects of a meditator's life because all of life has an effect on meditation. 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. During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. 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. 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. 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. Minneapolis was the site of another Institute-related scandal in 1981. Elmer and Alyce Green observed that Swami Rama could produce different brain waves at will, including theta and delta (sleep) waves, while remaining aware of his environment. Swami Rama's claims to this spiritual background have been questioned by some of his former students. No one had thoroughly investigated, until journalist Katharine Webster decided to spend two years researching their allegations. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the couple says, they discovered more evidence of illicit activity. By this time Carolyn had gained 25 pounds from binging on sweets. She recalls that he said they would become very close, their bodies would come together, and then they would part. 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. 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