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. 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. She became outraged at the residents and the professional staff who enable and legitimized the Swami's behavior. 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. She recalls that he said they would become very close, their bodies would come together, and then they would part. Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. Quick Links. She loved him like "a second father," she says, "and the real tragedy is that this is how our relationship ended. she wondered. Although she told an institute official about the assaults and the institute was aware of similar complaints by other women, the complaint said, the center did nothing to stop them. He bragged about his sumptuous homes in India and Japan and about his shopping sprees for designer clothes, she says. A few weeks later she moved to Honesdale. Study Online But the siddhis can be an ego trap. That was why he wanted her to be his secretary. 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? Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". Meditation. We inspire, educate, and. 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. I ask Dr. Ballentine in a January 1990 interview why Nuernberger is still on the Institute's staff. In three months, Carolyn says, she gained 20 pounds. In a few months time she would handle his bank account, income taxes, everything. "A lot of people have confused the siddhis-the powers to control body, emotions, and mind-with spirituality. At bottom, however, she believed her feelings didn't matter. * "Nirvana was up at his cabin, walking his dog at 5:30 in the morning, and Megan was with him day and night." Carolyn says he called her out to Glenview for a special appointment, at which he invited her to come live and work at his new ashram in Honesdale-and told her he would waive the usual residential program fees. Go to Top. 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. Carolyn is not alone. 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. One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. Swami Rama, she says, would extol his own sexual abilities but tell her she was bad at making love. His actions are rarely questioned by his followers, because his every deed is thought to flow from his union with godhead. But Swami Rama's disciples do not hold him to these standards. Community, Courses, and Content. Long-term residents must get administration approval for any overnight absences; permission may be denied if their destination is judged inappropriate. But sexual contact between a guru and his disciples is not regulated by any professional association of religious hierarchy. He warns against relying too heavily on the inner voice: "When we look for the guru within, we only end up finding our own samskaras-vagaries of the unconscious mind are mistaken for directions from the superconscious. Authentic Ashram Living The Institute used to offer an accredited masters program in Eastern Studies and Comparative Psychology through an affiliation with the University of Scranton. 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. Had anyone spoken to her? HIT ranked under Top Commerce Colleges in All India by The Week 2022. Our various programms address all aspects of a meditator's life because all of life has an effect on meditation. University of California System Bans Fully Online Degrees. 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." Treat yourself to a massage, meditate in the peaceful meditation shrine, or relax in one of the many attractive community spaces available on campus. Given a mantra but little guidance, Carolyn dutifully performed her assigned practices, hoping that Swami Rama's "scientific" approach to yoga would eventually yield results. He would take her to the Orient-Japan and India. In May, Swami Rama visited the area again. 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. 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. 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. Host to HI Mission Programs, seminars as well as private events, we offer five fully equipped practice spaces and comfortable, modern guest amenities. According to ex-members, Swami Rama often acts in ways his disciples find humiliating, but they tell each other he is humbling their stubborn egos to help them reach enlightenment faster. 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. 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. You're bound to get mixed up. Spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Tigunait is the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Continue reading Be the first to find this review helpful Helpful Share Report 5.0 Former Employee, more than 3 years Came for a job left with life-long friends 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. 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." 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. "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. Humanitarian, Swami Rama, Teacher. Himalayan Institute | Honesdale PA Here is her report. Residents are expected to donate a large portion of their labor, and they must sacrifice personal freedoms and privacy. In the United States, far from the strong cultural morality of the guru's country of origin, it is not regulated at all. Such a relationship, instead of giving the woman the healing or validation she seeks, reinforces her feeling that the only thing of value she has to offer a man with worldly power is her body. Carolyn remembers being amazed: Could Swami Rama possibly be talking about sex? Sanctions on an institution can cause students to look elsewhere for higher education. After teaching, studying, and traveling throughout India and Europe, he came to the University of Minnesota in the 1960s, where he taught Sanskrit and Indian religions. 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. 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.". No, he says: "Even if it happened, what's the big deal?& People say that Mahatma Gandhi& slept with women. When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. Following on the wave of favorable publicity, Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute in Illinois in 1971. She became paralyzed by her fear of angering him. 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. The annual congress, held each June, offers a smorgasbord of lectures and "new age" workshops. Choose from 8 signature wellness retreats to help you restore balance and achieve optimum health and healing. Relationships are the first test of spirituality. The guru spoiled them, they say, calling them his spiritual son and daughter, and soon invited them to come live in Pennsylvania. Swami Rama frequently invited them to parties in his private quarters, where they say he entertained them with funny stories and racy gossip. He says that Nuernberger's one mistake has "ruined his life, in essence, which is really too bad.". 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. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? At that, she says, he raged at her until she was sobbing, unable to speak a word in her own defense: No! Because I do not want to find out. The program seemed to provide the ideal family she'd never had, where everyone shared her values and spiritual goals. 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. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. 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. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Perfect. 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. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. He told her he was writing a book of poetry for her, and he offered to find her a husband. But the followers of such "enlightened" men are usually reluctant to find fault with them, since to do so could invalidate the students' own years of study and devotion. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. Ultimately, the woman had revealed the liaison to her husband. But something, which is truth, cannot be falsified by having one hundred witnesses. After dismissing the other workers, she says he repeated the familiar litany, but this time he slipped in a new message. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. He is held accountable only to the higher spiritual laws, which he is uniquely able to comprehend. She renewed her acquaintance with her former meditation teachers and started taking classes in Glenview, Illinois, at the Institute's original headquarters. Carolyn had sought a consultation with Pandit Rajmani, who told her that Megan was either lying because she was "on an ego trip," or fantasizing a sexual encounter that had never taken place. ALL NEW! Who? So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. Ex-members say that Swami Rama also uses his psychological insights to manipulate people. 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. Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. 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. But all of them, whether they appear here under a pseudonym or as a background source, understand that if this article provokes a libel suit they can be called to testify in court. Himalayan Institute Online. 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. 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. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Yoga seminars, retreats, and professional certifications taught by our world-class faculty, designed to bring you the best of an authentic yoga tradition. 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