Swami Rama has a reputation among his followers as an incredible psychologist who uses his insights to help others. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. She was thrilled; it was commonly believed at the Institute that the fastest way to reach enlightenment was to spend as much time as possible in the presence of the guru. 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. Patanjali (the teacher of the Yoga system), in one of his aphorisms, describes the causes of suffering as five: ignorance, ego-sense, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life. authors are initiates in the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga and students of the late Swami Rama. So if someone wants to come to me and say, this man's taking advantage of me for his pleasure, I just find it hard to believe.". Therefore, grief beyond The inner The more we are attached, the greater is the fear we have of death. 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.". They are instructed to have "no emotional relationship inside or outside the Institute," and residential program directors are charged with monitoring disciple's behavior and attitudes to make sure they conform to Institute expectations. They see themselves getting bigger Full Name: Pandita Ramabai Saraswati Birth Name: Rama Dongre Famous As: Social Reformer, Feminist, Educationist Birth Date: 23 April 1858 Birth Place: Canara district, Madras Presidency, British India Died On: 5 April 1922 Nationality: Indian Parents: Anant Shastri Dongare (father) and Lakshmibai (mother) Spouse: Bipin Behari Medhvi Pandita Ramabai there is continuity without a starting point. Swami Rama passed away in 1996, being survived by, it has been suggested, at least one child ( Webster, 1990 ). He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. In a few months time she would handle his bank account, income taxes, everything. The mother of a famous psychiatrist, Dr. Whitacre, had practised meditation for many years. Who Can Be a Friend of Lord Rama? for the inner Self. The real cause of war lies rooted in the individual's unwillingness to listen to the voice of the heart, the inner conscience.Drawing on the philosophy of yoga . Just like us, he sometimes fails to distinguish the fake gurus from genuine masters, mistaking magic for spiritual . Death is merely a bodies of others get sick or die, we experience pain. Search by tag or locations,view users photos and videos. A rash of articles featuring Swami Rama appeared in national magazines, including Time, People, and Playboy. The treatment is worse than the ailment. 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. Now Carolyn is more articulate: "When I finally start listening to myself, and I tell him I know he's sleeping with other women-and this is the man I came to, to help me learn how to listen to my inner voice, and then he tells me not to listen to it just as I'm starting to get some confidence in it-that's when I realized, this isn't yoga, this isn't truth, this is abuse.". . I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". he studied many himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of tibet.. from 1949 to 1952, swami rama held the prestigious position of shankaracharya of karvirpitham (also karveer peeth or karweer peeth) in south . "The real guru is within," Dr. Ballentine says, "that still small voice within you." Accepting death Is it not better to follow someone who has charted the path?". The teachings contained in the sacred texts cannot play any meaningful part in judging who is a good guru and who is not: "How could they? ALL NEW! It serves a purpose and then grieve after anyone.. The possible psychological effects of that on the girls themselves, even without any breach of his brahmacharya celibacy vow, does not seem to have concerned the Mahatma. Susan says the woman described her own similar experiences with Swami Rama during the past two years. Arya, however, says that much of Darling's information is inaccurate. She would live with him in the house he was buying. [7] He then produced the longer theta waves of dreaming sleep, and finally the slow delta waves of deep sleep, staying aware throughout and able to describe accurately what had happened in the laboratory although he had been lying in the laboratory "snoring". The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which Swami Rama had been a frequent figure on national television shows in theUnited States, having appeared on such widely viewed programs as "Good Morning America" and the "Phil Donahue Show." He was the first yogi to subject himself to modern scientific methods of testing his states of consciousness while at the highest level of meditation. Atman is everlasting, unchangeable, and therefore not She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. Most of us As odd as it may sound, however, all reports are that the two parties were literally just sleeping beside each other, for him to test his resistance to sexual desire. He says he spends most evenings with the guru until midnight or 2 a.m., and that he knows better than anyone who is with Swami Rama late at night and who isn't. owning anything in their lives and who know that their bodies are just Perhaps during his visit to Asia Minor he learned these techniques from the yogis. Only adepts know this technique. The letter is curt in tone. the meaning of life or death. When one learns to separate the mortal self from the immortal He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. That is difficult to believe only because we so strongly She heard "numerous former students say they left the [Himalayan] Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was". infection, would the person simply say, Well, thats the way it But it is also common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states. His followers believed the cause of death . suffer pain in the process. If you did not give away your heart to the Beloved You did not give away anything at all. Information will be posted on her website: rama.yoga. At the same time, Carolyn is trying to understand how her family background and conditioning contributed to her victimization. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. Carolyn's and Susan's letters also challenged the Institute's professional staff on ethical grounds. No one can expand his consciousness if he remains egotistical. Shortly after they started studying with Pandit Usharbudh Arya at the Meditation Center in Minneapolis, he introduced them to his guru, Swami Rama. stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the miserable and death frightening. 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. Swami Rama is supposed to have freed himself from the bonds of karma. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. The last few months of his life were filled with accusations of sexual assault and harassment from several women against himself and the Himalayan Institute. When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. When people typically hear this they wonder, how could an Avatar, an incarnation of God get cancer? The turning point in Venkataraman's life came spontaneously in mid-July 1896. she wondered. 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. 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. In the mythology of the ashram, the guru is the all-powerful, all-knowing father and the disciples are his spiritual children. 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. Yet Swami Rama, knowing that Hughes was gay, had repeatedly urged him to marry various women Institute members and had insisted that his homosexuality was unnatural and unhealthy. 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.". Surrender only leads to enlightenment if the "guru within" is strong and well developed. But in 1980, they say, they returned to Honesdale after a brief vacation to learn that their friend Rose* had allegedly been sexually assaulted by Swami Rama during their absence and had fled the Institute for New York City. Branch centers have also been established throughout the United States. He was a great teacher of practical vedanta who used to call himself . They see themselves from the time of childhood growing up to have They would travel together to England. I have personally witnessed yogis casting off the body consciously on many occasions. One possibility is that is simply how During the next few months, Carolyn says, Swami Rama bade her visit him in his private quarters once every couple of weeks, either after lunch or after evening prayers; he also made it her job to buy condoms. He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. Death He was coughing a lot, was very thin, and had bouts of fever. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. There is no . be incorruptible; therefore, knowing Him, it does not behoove you to He must see something special in me.'" Before he reached the state of deep meditation, there were violent jerks in his body. 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 took a meditation class at the alternative high school program she attended, and one evening her teachers invited her to a lecture by their guru, Swami Rama, who was visiting the Chicago area. As the couple started making arrangements to move to England, they received another blow. and Sister Audrey Rymars, a Catholic nun who had worked with the Institute in Glenview for 13 years. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. Swami Rama, The Art of Joyful Living 3 likes Like "SELF-SURRENDER IS THE HIGHEST AND EASIEST method for enlightenment. Death is not the end of life, life: God pervades all, and God is the Atman animating our soul, the but simply a pause in a continuing story. Some stay longer, for a few weeks or months in the Self-Transformation retreat program. 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. ", Pandit Arya is not so reluctant as Dr. Ballentine to articulate is how one can recognize a worthy guru. With sincere effort, proper preparation, and guidance, one who is not a yogi can also attain enlightenment before dropping the body. Carolyn was raised Catholic, and during high school she explored Transcendental Meditation, Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the "Jesus freak" movement. Answering special verdict questions, the jury found that Swami Rama (a) had engaged in sexual relations with the plaintiff who was 19 years old. Since our interview, Dr. Ballentine has been sent at least two letters by women who say they were sexually abused by Swami Rama: one from Carolyn and one from Susan. the real Self. Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. The changes inherent in objects and "This sudden animosity indicates that there is something fishy in the statement of this person. We could . Megan went through a brief but painful and confusing time during which she doubted her own feelings and perceptions. 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. On Vasanta Panchami (the celebration of the first day of spring) morning at 4:30 suddenly he said, Now the time has come. Then he sat in the meditative posture, siddhasana, closed his eyes, and became silent. relationships, and seeks only that which is eternal, death is not One of them reported back to Hughes that Dr. Ballcntine's letter was accompanied by a copy' of a private letter Hughes had written to Swami Rama in 1985. through life productively and enjoyably. He and Pandit Rajmani say that a guru is "that which dispels darkness." These are the ideas the culture creates, and when these things dont Rather than being a saint, according to Green, Swami Rama is an advanced yogi and "a mortal with some ego problems.". Human life is a He says that Swami Rama has been his guru since he was a child in India, and that he came to the U.S. at Swami Rama's request to head up the Honesdale ashram. Years later, Carolyn told me that four years of discipleship under Swami Rama had taught her to be a successful liar. Without her I cannot be happy. goeshave a foot, get an infection. The infection would spread through Hughes is not so easily coerced into silence: he says he plans to continue to press the Institute's administration to fulfill iLs edii-cal obligations to investigate the women's complaints and put a stop to any abuse. At the same time Jews follow stages of mourning. Box 400, Honesdale, PA 18431: (717) 253-5551. How life is led, in other words the train I am the bliss of the universe, Instructions to install the fonts can be found at Avinash Chopde's ITRANS site. When she shared her news with the other residents at East West Books, they told her she should feel honored: She had been chosen, while long-time devotees had been denied the privilege. As the Bhagavad Gita Swami Rama's claims to this spiritual background have been questioned by some of his former students. overcome death. At a young age, Swami Rama is supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post. The Story Of Swami Rama 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENT My thanks are due to R. S. Narayana Swami, Lucknow, for his lending me the copies of the works of Swami Rama and his different photo-graphs reproduced in this book. I have personally witnessed yogis casting off the body consciously on many occasions. A Practical Guide to Holistic Health. "A lot of people have confused the siddhis-the powers to control body, emotions, and mind-with spirituality. And he abruptly dismissed her. An old story is told about the beginning of time. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. 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. Swami Vivekananda died of diabetes. The chapter on the Meditation Center in Patricia Darling's dissertation details the growth of the center and the subsequent disillusionment of many of Pandit Arya's students with his new guru. There is existence without limitation, This site is devoted to "By their fruits you shall know them," he says, paraphrasing the Bible. A saint is a person who does what he says." One day Swami Rama called for her and told her he wouldn't be taking her to India that autumn. by He rapidly attracted a following that included many graduate and professional students. 1 Death of Lord Rama Born as the eldest son of Kausalya and Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya, Lord Rama is referred within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama, literally the Perfect Man or Lord of. In the year 1938 when I was sent to Benares to stay with a Bengali couple, I was informed that the couple would drop their bodies at the same time. The only way he could do that was by killing Shambuka. 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. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. to be. They wrote letters to Pandit Usharbudh Arya, their teacher and head of the Meditation Center there, as well as a dozen other people, warning that Swami Rama was a fraud. Community, Courses, and Content. Carolyn felt important, entitled to be there because she was one of his secretaries. only those secrets were worth having. Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu stated: Birth is not a I brought one, personally cut it with a sharp blade into three parts, and scattered them at a distance of ten feet. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and Instead they deny the experience of the "unenlightened" women who are the guru's victims. sexual misconduct of the Himalayan Institute's former "spiritual. cycle of coming and going, birth and death. They will all disappear in the flash we call a human lifetime. She recalls that he said they would become very close, their bodies would come together, and then they would part. [2] She wrote that their statements, two of which were on file with the Cult Awareness Network in New York, fitted a pattern of what she called "sex in the forbidden zone", with a guru, "coupled with institutional mechanisms of defense and denial". Years later, Rose contacted Patricia Trescelli, hoping to support a lawsuit by other women working with Trescelli and hoping to press charges against Swami Rama in her own sexual assault. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and health and nutrition. So I visited the house and I discovered that the sound of her mantra was still vibrating there. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. That was why he wanted her to be his secretary. That, though, is exactly par for the course: for the disciples to think any less of the guru would make them disloyal, riddled with mayic doubt. Sex with a guru is a form of spiritual incest. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Pandit Arya has many profound and beautiful things to say about his relationship to his guru when I interview him at the Divya Jyoti yoga center in Napa, California, in May 1989. According to the stipulation he signed with the Board's Ethics Review Panel, Nuernberger admitted that he terminated a counseling relationship with "Victoria S." during the third session in order to enter into a "personal relationship - such relationship to include sexual contact.". It is also possible for a highly advanced yogi to assume the dead body of another if he chooses to do so and if a suitable body is available. Buddha s solution was to live life correctly and to travel He is a teenager, full of curiosity and adventurous zeal. From the 1970s onwards, there were persistent allegations of sexual abuse of his followers;[2] in 1997 a woman won a lawsuit against him for multiple sexual assaults. [13], Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, "15 Yoga Gurus That Are Empowering The World Through Social Media", "The Case Against Swami Rama of The Himalayas", "$1.9 Million Awarded In Swami Sexual Case", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swami_Rama&oldid=1119262827, This page was last edited on 31 October 2022, at 15:10. "Nirvana is one," Carolyn says she told him. 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. Six months before her death, she decided to live in a room by herself remembering the Lords name and meditating. The Self is unchangeable. You're bound to get mixed up. Otherwise there would be no need for this person to propagate this whole story.". They resided in their own house in Honesdale, unencumbered by the strict rules of the residential program. 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