Accepting death 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. In August, Carolyn says, Swami Rama told her to meet him in New York City for the next step in her spiritual training. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. One evening she went out to dinner with Martha*, an old friend from East West Books Chicago. Things are lost, relationships They know, usually without being told, that if they break the taboo of silence they will be blamed for destroying their spiritual families and the "higher" good those families purportedly do in the world. She became paralyzed by her fear of angering him. Sri Ramakrishna was an Indian mystic (one whose religious beliefs are based on spirituality and practices outside of traditional religion), reformer, and saint who, in his own lifetime, came to be hailed by people of all classes as a spiritual embodiment (taking on the physical form) of God. She never received a response. He says he was only directly confronted once-the rest has been hearsay. Whenever she has communicated her experiences to former friends at the Institute, she says, they have responded with a series of rationalizations: "That's your experience, but we all have to make our own decisions based on our own experience with Swamiji, and he has positively redirected my life. Turning East in the Twin Cities: Converts and Movements in the 1970s. The cuttings from the American press which Swami Narayana had so carefully preserved are now reproduced to bring in states: Through the abandonment of desire the Deathless is realized.. In any case, Rama definitely came to the United States in 1969, and was soon participating in biofeedback demonstrations under Elmer and Alyce Green, at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. You see yourself, your identity, as this person in the I have witnessed two similar cases. the Tradition of the Himalayan masters He would call her to his office for a private authence, and as she hung anxiously on his words he would paint a flattering picture of her future with the Institute. Still, she felt she had no right to question the guru's actions. How could she be the only one who realized what was going on? In the mid-1970s, she and her husband George,* both students of Swami Rama, traveled to India and stayed at the guru's ashram in Rishikesh. During a series of biofeedback experiments in 1970 and 1971, Drs. But the Institute does not teach the mastery of such powers in its programs, instead focusing on yoga practices with more immediate practical application. "Before [these women] started saying these things, I also had a very good feeling that these people were wonderful people and they would never lie and they were trustworthy people. The sound tic came from the cracking of the skull as he left his body through the brahmarandhra. If somehow Pandit Rajmani were forced to acknowledge that the women were telling the truth, would this shatter his faith in the guru? 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." His followers believed the cause of death . is the secret of the mystery of death, and the key to understanding Join us for studies in the true meaning of yogaincluding asana, meditation, mantra, tantra, sacred scripture, and the art of joyful living. 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. 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. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer I mean, he's giving you the teachings and you're going to use the teachings to evaluate him? [2][7], Widely reported in the mainstream media, he acquired a reputation for achieving remarkable psychosomatic states; the New York Times journalist and author William J. Grief should not consume a person, The only way he could do that was by killing Shambuka. At the time of parting, the mantra which is stored in the unconscious mind becomes ones guide. death they feardeath of their attachments to their bodies, thoughts, Swami Rama, whose legal name is Brij Keshore Kumar, was born in 1925 in Uttar Pradesh, according to his official biography, parts of which appeared in the March/April 1990 issue of Yoga Journal. remain in body consciousness and that is why we identify ourselves with He was a great teacher of practical vedanta who used to call himself . Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is the resident spiritual director of the Honesdale ashram, as well as a member of the Institute's teaching staff. At bottom, however, she believed her feelings didn't matter. [2][R 1][R 2] However, in 1987 two of his closest followers left his Himalayan Institute when they learnt that part of his official biography had been "fabricated"; further, Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network has stated that his academic background could not be verified. Now Megan says that in a different atmosphere, she would have immethately recognized Swami Rama's behavior as sexual harassment or "sadistic manipulation." I brought one, personally cut it with a sharp blade into three parts, and scattered them at a distance of ten feet. white house with flowers and a perfect life. At the same time and throughout history have devised customs of letting go, of mourning, Swami Rama was the author of many books. A chief disciple of the Bengali yoga guru Swami Sri . This was followed by his speedy cremation, and then came the elaborate, almost minute-to-minute official account of his death as presented by Amrito through a statement that he read out. truths state that life is suffering, the suffering has a cause, there is Therefore, he had to be punished. Immerse yourself in a life-changing course of study and get certified in the authentic teachings of yoga and meditation. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and health and nutrition. Two months after Swami Rama left for India, Carolyn went to Chicago to visit her family for Christmas. 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. marriage, a job, friends, a home, a dream. 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. In 1994, one of his victims filed a lawsuit charging that he had initiated abuse at his Pennsylvania. For a truly "liberated" one, there is no body consciousness. Himalayan Institute Online. You're bound to get mixed up. As the scientific interest in yoga declined through the 1980s, Swami Rama lead the Himalayan Institute until his death in 1996. In May, Swami Rama visited the area again. Alleged malpractices at the Dera first came to light in 2002 when an anonymous letter reached to then Prime Minister of India, accusing this swami of rape and mass-scale sexual exploitation. [2], In 1969 he went to the United States, where he gave lectures in temples and churches, and taught Hatha yoga in YMCAs and in private homes. There's no need for finding out, if I know it is completely wrong.". Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Years later, he narrated this experience as follows: It was about six weeks before I left Madura for good that a great change in my life took place . 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. The mantra serves as a guide through this period of transition. Why did Carolyn say these things? think. leader," Brijkishor Kumar, popularly known as the "Swami Rama.". But still, she was afraid to leave the community she'd been part of for so long and reenter a world that had practically forgotten her existence. Koestler also covers Gandhis disappointing treatment of his children, in the same book. "Rama, Swami (1925-1996) "But the most important thing," she says, "is that the abuse must stop. owning anything in their lives and who know that their bodies are just Box 400, Honesdale, PA 18431: (717) 253-5551. or wear shoes. They would travel together to England. Learning to Die: Carolyn went away to college at the end of that year, as her parents expected. ." "The real guru is within," Dr. Ballentine says, "that still small voice within you." She began to believe that this man who might have been spiritual at one time was now suffering from feelings he couldn't control. Another Buddhist text Just because 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. Truth alone is the real teacher and master" - and asking for an explanation of the women's stories and challenging a possible Institute "cover-up" on professional ethical grounds. Who Can Be a Friend of Lord Rama? Also, Sage Narada told him to do so. of someone who picked the right train. Nor does Dr. Ballentine mention that in 1977 Nuernberger was formally reprimanded by the Minnesota Board of Psychology for unethical practices stemming from his relationship with a third woman patient. just the reverse. Learn from the world and let Some were afraid of Institute retaliation; most were afraid of hurting their families, who in some cases do not know about the abuses the women suffered; still others were worried that their professional reputations would be harmed. Within a sect the guru's authority is often absolute: he rules from the pinnacle of the institutional hierarehy. God-consciousness that Jesus represented, will never die. [7], In another experiment at the Menninger Foundation, he voluntarily stopped his heart from pumping blood for 17 seconds. Death is not the end of life, angry. Who is angry? Because that's my whole life Even if I found out - how can I find out? I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. lost objects, changed relationships, shifting emotions and thoughts, and Jesus meant that Carolyn says she spent years blaming herself and trying to rationalize away what she now regards as sexual abuse. Towards the end of his life Sri Ramakrishna contracted throat cancer. There he lived among "His Holiness Swami Rama's" most devoted disciples, witnessing their extreme beliefs and cultish behavior. Swami Rama's penetrating commentary on the ensuing dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama, King of Death, reveals a clear, profound philosophy of death and immortality. The couple had been meditating together for several years. 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.". This is why cultures around the globe Also, understand that lust is the most primal instinct which keeps humans attached to the material world. 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. He was also accused of kicking other women in the buttocks when they were weeding, already down on their hands and knees 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. Hadn't he taken vows of celibacy? They see themselves from the time of childhood growing up to have that loss is appropriate but that grief should not be prolonged. 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. those things, people, feelings, and bodies. They make life knowledge of Reality and the secrets of life and death. As the disease advanced the great Yogi instead of curing himself through his yogic powers, gave up his body in Samadhi. He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. Had Nirvana said anything? When the mantra is remembered consciously, it automatically is stored in the unconscious mind. The letter is curt in tone. We think we are 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. Several former students of Swami Rama granted interviews to Patricia Ann Darling, Ph. That handling included the Mahatmas denying of a professional education to his older sons, in the attempt to mold them in his image. death, there is issuing forth, there is entering in. From its beginnings 20 years ago, the Institute has expanded steadily to include some 25 branches and affiliated yoga and holistic health centers in the Midwest, the Northeast, Texas, California, and abroad. humans we are capable of having anger and experiencing anger, but we are 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. Answer (1 of 12): How did you come to the conclusion that Swami Vivekananda died of human disease? Nachiketa learned that death is not the end of After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". Gurus were supposed to have conquered their desires, but in the spiritual literature they were often portrayed as contradictory, tricking their disciples into enlightenment. [4] Concerned that the YMCA had presented yoga as one of its physical fitness programs, he included some philosophy and meditation in his classes. It is just a turning, a change of clothing. "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. We have a parade of emotions and work. In somewhat darker imagery, but with a similar message, Chuang Brought up by authoritarian parents-one of whom was of the other women who say they have been sexually abused by Swami Rama, as well as men who feel their spiritual trust was betrayed, have organized an informal support network to help each other heal. The cycle of life 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. Jai Shri Hari! 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. 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. It is an instructor. This site is devoted to 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. 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. Swami Rama passed away in 1996, being survived by, it has been suggested, at least one child solution. Tibetan Buddhism Megan says she squelched an urge to speak out, instead deciding, like most of the Institute's residents, to suspend judgment so she could "understand and learn" from this "great master." [3] This was one of the first convictions of a yoga guru for unlawful sexual activity with a devotee. Megan recalls that in one of her first encounters with Swami Rama, she watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident. A guru has the wisdom of experience and the ancient teachings, so he can provide guidance, Dr. Ballentine says, but students should "judge every [practice] on the basis of your own experience." At the time of death she went into deep samadhi and consciously dropped her body. The eldest was later disowned by the Great Soul for having gotten married against his fathers prohibitions; and died an alcoholic wreck, after having been publicly attacked by Gandhi for his involvement in a business scandal. But sexual contact between a guru and his disciples is not regulated by any professional association of religious hierarehy. According to his disciples, Vivekananda attained mahasamdhi; the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain was reported as a possible cause of death. As ironic as it is tragic, I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. 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. It was quite sudden. The treatment is worse than the ailment. The Institute also offers instruction to counselors and psychotherapists in the application of yoga and meditation techniques to therapy. That is, they were allegedly discounted as being emotionally disturbed, or otherwise reportedly regarded as liars Swami Rama (Svm Rma; 1925 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. But Swami Rama's disciples do not hold him to these standards. Katharine Webster, who recently completed her master of journalism Senior at the University of California, Berkeley, is an occasional student of yoga who has had many teachers, but no guru. The two women who wrote statements for the Cult Awareness Movement were among those involved: One stated that she was a patient at the Institute's holistic health center in New York City, and the other stated she was 17 years old when Swami Rama initiated a sexual relationship with her. Download Books. Since she had taken over, everything had been put in order. Many of those beliefs are based on Hindu and Buddhist teachings about the nature of the guru. This car is mine, this In essence, his teachings were as traditional as ancient sages and seer, yet he remains contemporary throughout the ages. What a foolish woman! Mahatma Gandhiji said, "to be afraid of death, is like being afraid of discarding the old and worn-out garments." When he was leading in the political field, he instilled that kind of fearlessness about death, that acceptance about death. Edited by Swami Ajaya [Allan Weinstein]. Death and Transition by Swami Rama [This passage has been taken from the book Path of Fire and Light Vol 2, pp 19 - 21, by Swami Rama, published 1976 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA].. The program seemed to provide the ideal family she'd never had, where everyone shared her values and spiritual goals. Lectures on Yoga. Lifes pain is telling When we see She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. The yogis, he says, have demonstrated these abilities in the past and continue to do so. The eternal nature of 1. 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 They are instruments for our use. The Institute's program is no longer accredited by the University of Scranton. urge to know and feel something that cannot die. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. and Tantra Yoga. The institute later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and has a 422-acre campus in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. The same advice applies to anything that is losta No one can expand his consciousness if he remains egotistical. 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