Things are moving quickly now in the sex scandal involving the three oldest sons of Steven Anderson of Tempe, Arizona's favorite SPLC hate group Faithful Word Baptist Church. Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. But Trescelli says she had to discourage her. What Ballentine does not mention is that a second jury judged Nuernberger guilty of unprofessional conduct in his treatment of Nancy E. Williams, another former client, on February 17, 1981. kono oto tomare main character; best supported football clubs in europe; rolling ridge conference center The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. 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. 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. Under the guidance of his master, he traveled from monastery to monastery and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster who was living in a remote region of Tibet. After dismissing the other workers, she says he repeated the familiar litany, but this time he slipped in a new message. 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. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? According to Karen and George, no legal action resulted. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. But Swami Rama's disciples do not hold him to these standards. 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.". In 1971 Swami Rama founded the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in order to create the means to scientifically verify, document, publish, and teach the experiences of his ancient heritage. Himalayan Institute Online Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. Its mission, according to the Articles of Incorporation, was "to make known to the members and people in general the real, synthetic, and harmonious view of world religions and philosophy in terms of modern scientific achievements and undertake researches for all around ethical, social, economical, and spiritual development of humanity to attain world peace, international integration, understanding, and spiritual awakening of the human race." Swami Rama, she says, would extol his own sexual abilities but tell her she was bad at making love. himalayan institute of modern arts & learning (HIMAL) Giving back through life-changing experiences. 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. The Himalayan Institute and its varied activities and programs exemplify the spiritual heritage of mankind that unites East and West, spirituality and science, ancient wisdom and modern technology. She was feeling so disgusted with her body and afraid of the guru's humiliating comments that one night she couldn't face going to his room, she says. 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.". "I thought: 'Maybe it's the only way he can break through some stubborn barrier in my ego. Our humanitarian projects serve impoverished communities through rural empowerment and environmental regeneration. Quick Links. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. Carolyn is not alone. 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. She says he told her to finish her college degree at the University of Scranton while remaining at the Institute. Still, she felt she had no right to question the guru's actions. In order to believe in his perfection, they must rationalize behavior that others would judge to be tyrannical, cruel, or self-indulgent. The Swami Rama died in 1996 at the age of 69. she wondered. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. 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. She could not control her emotions, he could not talk to her! Similarly, gurus in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are supposed to be examples of self-mastery and right living. But ultimately he chose to believe Swami Rama. Rajmani explains the basic goals of the Institute's tradition of yoga: "The most important part of the practice is nonattachment." Friends of the two couples set up a "truth booth" outside the entrance of the Institute's first annual congress in 1976. 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. Carolyn says she knew that Swami Rama often promised his disciples he would take them to India or appoint them to important positions within the Institute-promises that rarely materialized. The core of HIs service mission relies on a community of volunteers and karma yogis, and the generosity of its members and donors to fulfill its mission. Both women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules. 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. Carolyn,* an old friend, called me collect. Had anyone spoken to her? 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? Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. 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. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. Despite the questions about his background, there is no denying that Swami Rama made a terrific impact on western thinking when he served as a research subject at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. 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." Live online programs, on-demand courses, and hundreds of yoga and meditation classes. Relationships are the first test of spirituality. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. 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. 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. 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. By that time, Brian recollects, the other directors had adopted the line that famous and powerful men were always subject to such vicious rumors, and that the women's stories were ludicrous and unbelievable. Spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Tigunait is the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. 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 Swami Rama began telling her that he had never had sex, that he was dreaming about her at night, and that he was experiencing novel physical sensations because of her. 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." Authentic Ashram Living Himalayan Institute Online. But one by one, Trescelli says, the women backed down and decided not to pursue legal action. A rash of articles featuring Swami Rama appeared in national magazines, including Time, People, and Playboy. The Institute also offers a dizzying array of education programs, including a diploma program for hatha yoga teachers. No one had thoroughly investigated, until journalist Katharine Webster decided to spend two years researching their allegations. At the same time, she says, he offered her money and told her he wanted to put her in his will. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. 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. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he had promised, but by another "gorgeous" devotee. Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. Every time he saw her, she says, he told her she was "perfect," as if she had passed some important test. I ask him. Join us in serving a tradition that has served the world selflessly for untold ages. 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. 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?" 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. 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. One evening in early June, Carolyn remembers, Swami Rama's housekeeper phoned the women's dorm and asked her to bring the manuscript she was preparing over to Swami Rama's new cabin. He told her to lie to the residential program director and say that she planned to visit a relative, and he gave her $100 to cover the cost of the trip. Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." But Carolyn says she stifled her doubts about the guru, transforming them into doubts about her own selfishness: "Because I'd rationalized that he was teaching me a lesson, I believed he must be teaching other women the same lesson, and I shouldn't begrudge his attention to other students.". Now Megan says that in a different atmosphere, she would have immediately recognized Swami Rama's behavior as sexual harassment or "sadistic manipulation." Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. A spiritual center should pay close to $1.9 million to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted 30 times by the center's leader, a jury decided on Thursday. Whilst there's no hint of it on the Himalayan Institute's website, Swami Rama faced lawsuits in the 1990s over sexual abuse with his students stemming back to the 1970s. Enrich your practice through the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, found in our online community and digital library, with new content added every week. 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. 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. He laughed, Megan says, and told her that the women didn't know what they were weeding. Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. Through her sympathy for what appeared to be his plight, and disarmed by his jokes, she says she allowed him to cajole her until she let her defenses down. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, is the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute and the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. The Himalayan Institute publishes over 60 titles on yoga, spirituality, and holistic health, including the best-selling Living with the Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama and Yoga: Mastering the Basics by Sandra Anderson and Rolf Sovik. Perfect. The lawsuit I heard rumors about in New York City never materialized. She remembers that Swami Rama received love letters from several women; one of two of them even mentioned "your child." The scandal convinced Carolyn not to reveal her own secret, she says; she was learning that the Institute administration dealt with such accusations by smearing the women's reputations. That is, an on-going pattern of power abuse within the guru/student relationship. But it is also common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states. She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. Relax, restore, and nourish yourself with a wellness retreat. 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. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. 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." Several former students of Swami Rama granted interviews to Patricia Ann Darling, Ph. I informed him that I had interviewed women who sought him out because they respected him and trusted him to be interested in the truth. During that time, neither of them would see any other, and she should never tell anyone. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? She would start with handling the appointments and then she would make his plane reservations, scheduling lecture tours. The 10-campus system closes a loophole that could have let undergraduates piece together a degree. But Mr. Schneider told the jury that evidence indicated the relationship was consensual. 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. And she was afraid to leave in her old car because a freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with ice. Live online programs, on-demand courses, and hundreds of yoga and meditation classes. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. she remembers him demanding. "This sudden animosity indicates that there is something fishy in the statement of this person. 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. 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. Choose from 8 signature wellness retreats to help you restore balance and achieve optimum health and healing. At about the same time, Carolyn was accepted into the residential program at East West Books Chicago, the Institute's downtown branch. In mid-autumn, the day came for Swami Rama's annual trip to India. Meditation. Finally, she obtained his permission. After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". Selflessly for untold ages environmental regeneration mid-autumn, the Institute 's downtown branch friends and fellow left! 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