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. 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 . Many of those beliefs are based on Hindu and Buddhist teachings about the nature of the guru. He is also supposed to have graduated from a homeopathic medical school in India, and studied at Hamburg University, the University of Utrecht, and Oxford University. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. Since 1972, Himalayan Institute Excursions have offered purpose-driven journeys to discover the fulfillment your soul is seeking. But Trescelli says she had to discourage her. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. As the couple started making arrangements to move to England, they received another blow. 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. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. We partner with rural communities to provide health services, public libraries, and sustainable employment opportunities. ALL NEW! They would travel together to England. Several months later, the two couples met up again. And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" The Institute also offers a dizzying array of education programs, including a diploma program for hatha yoga teachers. 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. Some stay longer, for a few weeks or months in the Self-Transformation retreat program. 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? Following on the wave of favorable publicity, Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute in Illinois in 1971. In private sessions, ex-disciples say, Swami Rama has arranged marriages and instructed disciples to break off relationships. 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. He said, "We must build a center of life which will be an important bridge between East . 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. 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. Swami Rama is supposed to have freed himself from the bonds of karma. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. According to Karen and George, no legal action resulted. Ag Innovation Center Business Plan. 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. 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. Together we ate superb vegetarian meals in the Institute's dining commons and chanted evening prayers. Back; 2022 Clean Water and Public Health Fund; Make a Donation; Blog; Search for: Log in . Is it not better to follow someone who has charted the path?". At that, she says, he raged at her until she was sobbing, unable to speak a word in her own defense: No! she remembers him demanding. 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. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and diet and nutrition. But she says his attitude toward her underwent a dramatic change; he began to make her a target for his anger, issuing contradictory orders and then screaming at her for her incompetence in front of the other secretaries and disciples and gossiping about her behind her back. 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. $1.9 Million Awarded In Swami Sexual Case, https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/us/1.9-million-awarded-in-swami-sexual-case.html. 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. To judge by their price tags, these and other Institute programs must bring in a considerable income. The man, she says, informed her of Swami Rama's long history of alleged sexual misconduct. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. Yet the women never seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. Allegations of such abuse have been made against modern yoga gurus such as Bikram . 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. First, Robert Tuttle of The Reason Files 2 is reporting the same thing I am hearing from multiple sources. 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. 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. Nestled in the rolling hills of the Poconos, our stunning 400-acre campus is a gathering place for seekers from around the globe. Carolyn remembers being amazed: Could Swami Rama possibly be talking about sex? Obedience to the guru's commands is implicitly expected of all long-term residents; former students describe him walking through the main dining room and ordering one person to move to the New York branch, another to change jobs. 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. When he was finished, Rose told them, Swami Rama left her room, saying he's be back the next day. The Swami, she says, bragged to a crowd of disciples that the woman would do whatever he told her, then put his dog's collar and leash around her neck and walked her back and forth, while the others laughed. 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. 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. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. 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. In the United States, far from the strong cultural morality of the guru's country of origin, it is not regulated at all. Or maybe he needs to have sex just to release energy so he can meditate better. What a foolish woman! 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 she said the assaults occurred. In his enlightened state, they believe, he could never commit any selfish acts, which would create new karmic burdens. He promised her he'd set up a complete, personalized yoga program for her there-a prescribed diet, special yoga postures and meditation practices-as well as a game plan for her higher education and future career. The annual congress, held each June, offers a smorgasbord of lectures and "new age" workshops. Today HI continues to innovate and offer the world high-impact, revolutionary programs and humanitarian initiatives around the globe. Himalayan Institute Online. 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. Finally I found an opportunity to broach the topic of the lawsuit with Carolyn. But sexual contact between a guru and his disciples is not regulated by any professional association of religious hierarchy. Meanwhile, the couple says, they discovered more evidence of illicit activity. Everyone said you had to surrender to the guru, so she would simply have to follow through with whatever he ordered her to do. Born in Northern India, he was raised from early childhood by the Himalayan sage, Bengali Baba. When the couple confided their resulting marital troubles to Karen and George, Karen confirmed her friend's experience by revealing that she, too, had had a supposedly exclusive and spiritual sexual relationship with Swami Rama before her marriage. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. 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. Himalayan Institute of Technology Ranking and Awards. 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.". 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. Rose, they explain, was not a disciple of Swami Rama, but had been invited by family members in the Institute's administration to come to Honesdale for medical treatment. Cons Not one that I can see. Long-term residents must get administration approval for any overnight absences; permission may be denied if their destination is judged inappropriate. 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. Swami Rama frequently invited them to parties in his private quarters, where they say he entertained them with funny stories and racy gossip. Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Study Retreat Wellness Travel Shop About HI ONLINE Program Calendar ALL NEW! He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. Why did Carolyn say these things? She began to believe that this man who might have been spiritual at one time was now suffering from feelings he couldn't control. 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