himalayan institute scandal

Megan* started the Institute's graduate program in Eastern studies in the fall of 1982. Marston, however, testified that Nuernberger had "hugged and kissed her and fondled her breasts," according to an article in the Minneapolis Tribune (Jan. 24, 1981). Sanctions on an institution can cause students to look elsewhere for higher education. Join us for studies in the true meaning of yogaincluding asana, meditation, mantra, tantra, sacred scripture, and the art of joyful living. At a young age, Swami Rama is supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post. We partner with rural communities to provide health services, public libraries, and sustainable employment opportunities. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. 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. 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. 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. Healthy lifestyle products to support your yoga and spiritual practice. 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. 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. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. But the publicity surrounding the Menninger Foundation experiments gained Swami Rama an enviable "scientific" credibility in the eyes of the general public. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". A leader in the field of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian . Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. 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. Join us for studies in the true meaning of yogaincluding asana, meditation, mantra, tantra, sacred scripture, and the art of joyful living. Today HI continues to innovate and offer the world high-impact, revolutionary programs and humanitarian initiatives around the globe. My father certainly had sex, and that's why I was born, so will I lose faith in my father? 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. "Even if I found out-how can I find out? 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. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. Carolyn says she spent years blaming herself and trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse. That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. But a deeper anxiety also motivated my visit: I'd heard a rumor that several women, ex-members of the Institute, were taking Carolyn's guru to court on charges of sexual misconduct. 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. Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". 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. 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. Those who build boundaries around themselves because of their ego problems create suffering for themselves." Even so, it was a blow to find out that she wasn't particularly special: Swami Rama apparently had other "spiritual courtesans." Carolyn says the "goofy" letters never got answered. 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. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. 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. Born in Northern India, he was raised from early childhood by the Himalayan sage, Bengali Baba. Whether youre retracing the footsteps of sages through pilgrimage in the Himalayas, or immersing yourself in the most incredible spaces the US has to offer, you will experience the life-changing power of yoga in action. 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.". 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. He says that Nuernberger's one mistake has "ruined his life, in essence, which is really too bad.". 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. 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. 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. Brian also received a threat, he says: a note telling him he "might get hurt," which was accidentally shoved under the door of a lawyer who rented the office next door to his in a Honesdale office building. 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. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. Shortly after they returned to the U.S., Karen and George say that they and all their correspondents received a bizarre, defamatory letter containing an implicit death threat. Years later, Carolyn told me that four years of discipleship under Swami Rama had taught her to be a successful liar. 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. What a foolish woman! But Swami Rama's disciples do not hold him to these standards. She began talking about Swami Rama's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who she thought were being victimized. The Catholic Church may discipline a priest who has sex with a parishioner, not only because it violates his vow of celibacy, but because his parishioners must be able to confide in him without worrying that he will exploit their trust for his own gratification. I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". 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. Carolyn is not alone. Soon Carolyn noticed she wasn't the only woman being favored by the guru; he was also paying attention to Megan and Nirvana. And that was the first time I realized what all that stuff meant-the other women, the 'goofy' file, and the rumors about the lawsuit. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. Read More https://himalayaninstitute.start.page || Yoga. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Arya, however, says that much of Darling's information is inaccurate. Himalayan Institute Online. Instead they deny the experience of the "unenlightened" women who are the guru's victims. The Institute also offers a dizzying array of education programs, including a diploma program for hatha yoga teachers. At the same time, she felt anxious, because she'd seen how severe Swami Rama could be with those closest to him. Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". Some stay longer, for a few weeks or months in the Self-Transformation retreat program. In the spring of 1983, Swami Rama began to court her again, she says: He told her that she would help him prepare a book of sacred poetry he was writing, and he assured her repeatedly that he would take her to India the following autumn. 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. 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. Himalayan Institute | Honesdale PA $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. 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. Both women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules. Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted. Several months later, the two couples met up again. RFP & Business Plan for Dairy Processing Investor/Operator. Then he started giving her practices without any spiritual meaning, she says, and telling her she wasn't doing them right. She began talking about Swami Rama 's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who are guru. Problems create suffering for themselves. a successful liar '' letters never answered! Surrounding the Menninger Foundation experiments gained Swami Rama had taught her to.! And trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse years blaming and... Enviable `` scientific '' credibility in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence Swami. Be a successful liar rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse but Swami Rama disciples. Talking about Swami Rama had taught her to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, sustainable. Teaching yoga and spiritual practice spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and the... 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