Ex-members say that Swami Rama also uses his psychological insights to manipulate people. 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.". Long-term residents must get administration approval for any overnight absences; permission may be denied if their destination is judged inappropriate. Well organized, fine atmosphere, and a strong community. He must also vow that he will not harm any living being. This was not true! 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. He reportedly sat down on a chair next to her bed and proceeded to make sexual advances. Explore our integrative health services & therapeutic treatments to help restore your natural state of well-being. 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. Discover our new online platform for community, courses, and content. The guru spoiled them, they say, calling them his spiritual son and daughter, and soon invited them to come live in Pennsylvania. Of all the Institute's swamis and teachers, Pandit Arya is by far the most scholarly. 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. Ag Innovation Center Business Plan. She asked him to give her a homeopathic remedy for the itching, she says, but he refused and turned away, dismissing her. Following on the heels of Karen's and her friend's revelations, several other women and men left the Meditation Center in Minneapolis. Since its inception in 1971, the Himalayan Institute has been at the leading edge of personal and social transformation. 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. Spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Tigunait is the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. Dr. Ballentine, who says he studied psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. Ex-members say he also bends the rules and bestows privileges on his favorites, who may in turn enforce rules, which they do not follow. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. Had anyone spoken to her? His actions are rarely questioned by his followers, because his every deed is thought to flow from his union with godhead. 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. Anyway, he said that our relationship would be exclusive, I'd be like a spiritual courtesan. She thanked me, but assured me I had no reason for concern. 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. 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. Megan recalls that in one of her first encounters with Swami Rama, she watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident. According to Karen and George, no legal action resulted. Two months after Swami Rama left for India, Carolyn went to Chicago to visit her family for Christmas. 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. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. She says he told her to finish her college degree at the University of Scranton while remaining at the Institute. 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. Swami Rama made Carolyn his appointments secretary in August also. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. Expert wellness consultations direct to your home. Carolyn was raised Catholic, and during high school she explored Transcendental Meditation, Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the "Jesus freak" movement. After a couple of months of this special attention, Carolyn says, Swami Rama came to visit her one-day at the book distribution office in Honesdale center. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Pandit Rajmani cannot entertain the notion that the women's stories could be true. 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. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. Relationships are the first test of spirituality. A Swami, or monk, is supposed to be "one who is master of oneself: senses, body, mind." Ayurveda Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. 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. "I thought: 'Maybe it's the only way he can break through some stubborn barrier in my ego. Several former students of Swami Rama granted interviews to Patricia Ann Darling, Ph. ", Pandit Arya is not so reluctant as Dr. Ballentine to articulate is how one can recognize a worthy guru. 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. She became outraged at the residents and the professional staff who enable and legitimized the Swami's behavior. Sexual contract between gurus and their American disciples is not a new or rare phenomenon. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. Allegations of such abuse have been made against modern yoga gurus such as Bikram . 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. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Carolyn,* an old friend, called me collect. Our Honesdale campus continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. where I lived for almost 8 years studying and teaching yoga and holistic health. So far, none of their attempts to communicate their experiences has been met by official Institute willingness to investigate their charges. Himalayan Meditation Institute is dedicated to providing authentic and transformative training in the art and science of meditation. Despite this, our rural empowerment programs continue to thrive and grow as we work towards our goal of fighting poverty, illiteracy, and inequality through education, health care, and job creation. Back; Cameroon; India; Mexico; Tibetan Settlements; Get Involved. Donate Help Our Cause US$20.00 A report has been made to law enforcement, and I'm guessing . He also sent out a letter resigning from the board. He would call her to his office for a private audience, and as she hung anxiously on his words he would paint a flattering picture of her future with the Institute. But after they started saying all these things, I never trusted them anymore. Under New York State law, according to Trescelli, a woman who does not get a medical exam or report the incident to police within a limited period of time has little chance of obtaining a conviction. Although the jury entered a judgment against Nuernberger, it also found that the clinic was not liable for his actions, so Williams failed to recover damages. Carolyn says the "goofy" letters never got answered. The original creator of the neti pot, the Himalayan Institute has been offering traditional and modern products for health and spirituality since 1971. 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 . 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. Himalayan Institute | Honesdale PA But the Institute does not teach the mastery of such powers in its programs, instead focusing on yoga practices with more immediate practical application. Brian says he felt betrayed, but the knowledge that Swami Rama had financially exploited him made it easier for the couple to cut their ties to the Institute. Over the past 15 or 20 years, numerous spiritual teachers have admitted to, or been charged with, having sexually exploitative relationships with their female students. Outside of work, Sawana has been married to her wonderful husband since 2008 and together they have 3 beautiful sons. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. Meanwhile, Carolyn says, Swami Rama began singling her out for special attention. She remembers that Swami Rama received love letters from several women; one of two of them even mentioned "your child." 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. Terry* and Brian* say they were recruited into the Himalayan Institute's inner circle for their wealth and social connections. himalayan institute of modern arts & learning (HIMAL) Giving back through life-changing experiences. 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. 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. 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. One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. And I feared that Carolyn-young beautiful, idealistic, and worshipful of Swami Rama, the Institute's founder and spiritual leader-could be vulnerable to such exploitation. God knows whether it was true or not, and even if it was true, this is a normal phenomenon. Since 1972, Himalayan Institute Excursions have offered purpose-driven journeys to discover the fulfillment your soul is seeking. In my interviews with current and former members of the Institute, I heard an almost unvarying litany of beliefs about Swami Rama's abilities. A rash of articles featuring Swami Rama appeared in national magazines, including Time, People, and Playboy. That was why he wanted her to be his secretary. But after two unsatisfying years, she left college and returned to the Chicago area. 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. During my weekend visit, Carolyn and I took long walks on the Institute's wooded grounds while talking about her compulsive eating patterns and her disastrous relationships with men suggested as possible husbands by Swami Rama. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. 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. He must see something special in me.'" 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. Community, Courses, and Content. Live online programs, on-demand courses, and hundreds of yoga and meditation classes. 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. Gurus were supposed to have conquered their desires, but in the spiritual literature they were often portrayed as contradictory, tricking their disciples into enlightenment. As an enlightened being, he is thought to be beyond the judgment of ordinary mortals, their laws and morality. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. The yogis, he says, have demonstrated these abilities in the past and continue to do so. ALL NEW! 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. We partner with rural communities to provide health services, public libraries, and sustainable employment opportunities. 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. 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. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. 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 . What a foolish woman! A system that rewards a particular behavior or person and then arbitrarily ignores or punishes that same behavior or person can quickly lead even healthy individuals to develop profound anxiety and uncertainty-the antithesis of self-confidence. Years later, Carolyn told me that four years of discipleship under Swami Rama had taught her to be a successful liar. Lecturing and teaching worldwide for more than a quarter of a century, he is the author of fourteen books, including his autobiography Touched by Fire: The Ongoing Journey of a Spiritual Seeker, the best-selling At the Eleventh Hour: The Biography of Swami Rama of the Himalayas and a regular contributor to Yoga International. Swami Rama called a meeting to defend himself. Meanwhile Janet,* a Honesdale woman who worked as the couple's babysitter and housekeeper at the time, says she received threatening phone calls at Brian and Terry's house, asking if she was alone with the children. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. 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. Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center. 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. 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. But ultimately he chose to believe Swami Rama. Join us for studies in the true meaning of yogaincluding asana, meditation, mantra, tantra, sacred scripture, and the art of joyful living. Most of the women who say they were abused by Swami Rama express feelings of fear, frustration, and betrayal. 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. Himalayan glaciers are melting twice as fast since 2000 as they were in the 25 years before due to human-caused climate change, a 2019 paper published in the journal Science Advances found. Swami Rama, she says, would extol his own sexual abilities but tell her she was bad at making love. Treat yourself to a massage, meditate in the peaceful meditation shrine, or relax in one of the many attractive community spaces available on campus. Swami Rama is supposed to have freed himself from the bonds of karma. 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. Himalayan Institute of Technology Ranking and Awards. she remembers him demanding. 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. Megan remembers asking him why he was trying all this on her. 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 the guru's instruction leads to a deeper peace, freedom from conflict, a deepening of meditation, harmony in relationships - all of these. They introduced her to the guru, and she remembers he made a fuss over her, slapping her cheek lightly and calling her a good girl. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. Or, in the words of Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., president of the Himalayan Institute and Swami Rama's designated successor, "to take the wisdom of the ancients and couch it in terms that are intelligible to modern man.". According to Marston's attorney, Philip W. Getts, his client never recovered the $50,000 in punitive damages Nuernberger owed her, because Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not allow the court to garnish wages. His disciples believe he knows them better than they know themselves, and that if they want to achieve their spiritual goals they should do exactly as he says. She would start with handling the appointments and then she would make his plane reservations, scheduling lecture tours. A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, we are dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. 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. 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. Teaching since 1971, the Himalayan Institute offers a wide variety of wellness supplies. But something, which is truth, cannot be falsified by having one hundred witnesses. 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. In a few months time she would handle his bank account, income taxes, everything. Our members consist of a vibrant residential community of practitioners, karma yogis (service-driven seekers), and faculty-in-residence as well as a global community of seekers, committed to living their spiritual values. 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