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. The Institute's program is no longer accredited by the University of Scranton. 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. No one had thoroughly investigated, until journalist Katharine Webster decided to spend two years researching their allegations. But sexual contact between a guru and his disciples is not regulated by any professional association of religious hierarchy. At the same time as he dismissed her, Swami Rama also gave her a Sanskrit name. Later, many of the women broke out in head-to-toe swelling and rashes from what had in fact been poison ivy roots. 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. Swami Rama was the founder of the Himalayan Institute. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he had promised, but by another "gorgeous" devotee. Shortly after Marston filed her suit in 1978, Nuernberger moved to Honesdale, where he is currently a member of the Institute's teaching staff. Pandit Arya reportedly alternated between disbelieving and believing the growing number of his female students who told him that Swami Rama had sexually harassed or abused them. 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. 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. 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. His students believe he is able to read minds and manipulate physical reality with his advanced yogic powers; thus they believe he can heal sickness with the power of the "superconscious" mind. There he founded the Meditation Center. Like incest victims, women who say they have been sexually abused by their gurus are sworn to silence by their abusers. A spiritual center should pay close to $1.9 million to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted 30 times by the center's leader, a jury decided on Thursday. Publications Health Products Explore high-quality, unique, practice-enhancing products made for yogis everywhere. This was not true! Pandit Arya radiates calm as he speaks. 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. Although she told an institute official about the assaults and the institute was aware of similar complaints by other women, the complaint said, the center did nothing to stop them. Himalayan Institute Online Our new online platform for community, courses, and content. By this time Carolyn had gained 25 pounds from binging on sweets. 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." After a bit, she was inclined to dismiss his behavior as a joke or a "test.". How could she be the only one who realized what was going on? 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. Maybe it's an honor that this great yogi asked me of all his students to serve him in this way. But within the Institute, she says, everyone else seemed to accept the guru's sexually suggestive behavior and humiliation of women. 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. Carolyn,* an old friend, called me collect. 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. Many disciples come from alcoholic and dysfunctional families where they have learned how to deny emotional abuse directed against them or their siblings, in order to believe that their parents really love them and are acting in their best interests. At bottom, however, she believed her feelings didn't matter. Rose told Brian and Terry that she was afraid to seek help from the family members who'd invited her to the Institute-they were unquestioningly loyal to Swami Rama-and she knew no one else there. She asked him to give her a homeopathic remedy for the itching, she says, but he refused and turned away, dismissing her. Brian sued Swami Rama, and eventually the guru settled out of court for the full amount. 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. Surrender only leads to enlightenment if the "guru within" is strong and well developed. she remembers him demanding. Health Clinics Health Education Public Libraries School of Carpentry He is held accountable only to the higher spiritual laws, which he is uniquely able to comprehend. Despite the questions about his background, there is no denying that Swami Rama made a terrific impact on western thinking when he served as a research subject at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. My initial experience with yoga in the 1990's at the Himalayan Institute of Buffalo led me to making a radical shift in lifestyle and moving to the Institute's educational headquarters in Honesdale, P.A. The Swami Rama died in 1996 at the age of 69. Many of them say they feared his wrath when they were disciples, and several still believe he has the power to inflict harm or illness on them from a distance. -- Swami Rama, "Living With the Himalayan Masters". 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. Carolyn and others say Megan caused a scandal in the Honesdale ashram by breaking the silence surrounding Swami Rama's sexual behavior. I might doubt my own perception, I might doubt my own eyes, but I cannot doubt that strength which has given me everything.". A 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. Initially, Brian says, most of the other directors responded with concern. I like to believe that somewhere inside of him, he is the good person I believed him to be. The guru spoiled them, they say, calling them his spiritual son and daughter, and soon invited them to come live in Pennsylvania. A guru has the wisdom of experience and the ancient teachings, so he can provide guidance, Dr. Ballantine says, but students should "judge every [practice] on the basis of your own experience." 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. 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. He backed off, Megan says, while telling her that sex wasn't necessary-she could be his special student. 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.". But Trescelli says she had to discourage her. I just don't know that it makes sense to go run around trying to evaluate other people, when you haven't evaluated yourself.". 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. But one by one, Trescelli says, the women backed down and decided not to pursue legal action. The same spirit of community and service that fuels our headquarters in Honesdale, PA, can be found in these dedicated affiliate centers of practice. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. Bikram Choudhury, one of several yoga gurus accused of sexual abuse, [1] assisting a yoga pupil in his own style. "I only needed one person to corroborate my experience," Megan says now. A few weeks later she moved to Honesdale. And that did not undermine Mahatma Gandhi's work!& No, this would not be shattering, certainly not. 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. "The person wanted something, and the other person did not agree to fulfill their desires," he says. Check our website! Carolyn stayed at the Institute for three more years, working at a variety of jobs. 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. Enrich your practice through the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, found in our online community and digital library, with new content added every week. 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. She never received a response. Sanctions on an institution can cause students to look elsewhere for higher education. Brian didn't believe his teacher, and he spoke with several other Institute administrators and board members about Rose's claim of abuse. 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 . Megan* started the Institute's graduate program in Eastern studies in the fall of 1982. Tall and imposing, he had the sleek look of a successful man in his late 50s, at the peak of his power. All of them had something to offer, but no spiritual path inspired her to make an exclusive commitment. 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. After dismissing the other workers, she says he repeated the familiar litany, but this time he slipped in a new message. Hadn't he taken vows of celibacy? It is a mistake to judge the external guru's worthiness by his behavior; instead, the student should look inside and determine whether that person is helping dispel the darkness of her ignorance. 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. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. In 1969, Pandit Arya met Swami Rama, who gave him "one of the highest meditation initiations," in which he experienced himself "as a being of light." 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. 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. Ayurveda She thanked me, but assured me I had no reason for concern. Together we ate superb vegetarian meals in the Institute's dining commons and chanted evening prayers. Fortified by their mutual discovery, Karen says, the two couples undertook to inform their fellow students back home in Minneapolis. Cameroon Himalayan Institute Cameroon Cameroon is in the midst of conflict. 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 and its varied activities and programs exemplify the spiritual heritage of mankind that unites East and West, spirituality and science, ancient wisdom and modern technology. You're bound to get mixed up. Community, Courses, and Content. 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. What a foolish woman! Friends of the two couples set up a "truth booth" outside the entrance of the Institute's first annual congress in 1976. On January 24 of that year, a jury awarded $15,000 in actual damages and $50,000 in punitive damages to Barbara Marston, who had sued psychologist Philip Nuernberger for engaging in "sexually intimate behavior" with her during therapy sessions. In August, Carolyn says, Swami Rama told her to meet him in New York City for the next step in her spiritual training. On one occasion, she says, Swami Rama ordered all the women disciples to weed out some roots around his new cabin, telling them they were rooting out their samskaras. We are happy to bring you a combination of Zoom, In-person, and Hybrid options. The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. "If someone is a saint, celibacy would be his normal condition," Dr. Green comments. ALL NEW! A system that encourages such vulnerable individuals to give up their own "egotistical" judgment to the arbitrary whims of one person is one of the key features of a totalist organization, or "cult.". Early the next morning, she says, he announced to her that she was going to leave; he never set up the promised program. In private sessions, ex-disciples say, Swami Rama has arranged marriages and instructed disciples to break off relationships. When I asked Pandit Arya about the allegations of sexual abuse, he admits that he was very disturbed when he first heard them. 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. She believes Swami Rama was trying to buy her collusion, as he had bought the collusion of the Institute's staff and many residents. The lawsuit I heard rumors about in New York City never materialized. "I felt two-dimensional, like a piece of paper, a cunt-he didn't care about me. 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. 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. Things are moving quickly now in the sex scandal involving the three oldest sons of Steven Anderson of Tempe, Arizona's favorite SPLC hate group Faithful Word Baptist Church. The Himalayan Institute has been and continues to be home to a service-driven community of yogis, volunteers, and faculty-in-residence. Dr. Ballentine says it is "presumptuous" to judge whether or not someone is perfected. 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. The daughter of an alcoholic, she longed for guidance from a spiritual authority figure. Numerous former students say they left the Institute because they were sexually exploited by Swami Rama or knew someone who was. 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. She began talking about Swami Rama's exploitative behavior with anyone who would listen, especially women who she thought were being victimized. "We were Brahmins in the Institute's caste system," Terry recalls. 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. One of the greatest adepts, teachers, writers, and humanitarians of the 20th century, Swami Rama (19251996) is the founder of the Himalayan Institute. One evening she went out to dinner with Martha*, an old friend from East West Books Chicago. He must also vow that he will not harm any living being. Swami Rama frequently invited them to parties in his private quarters, where they say he entertained them with funny stories and racy gossip. 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. $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. In her lawsuit, the plaintiff said the swami sexually assaulted her 30 times while she was attending the institute in the spring and summer of 1993. The 10-campus system closes a loophole that could have let undergraduates piece together a degree. Most of the Institute's programs are open to the general public. Dr. Ballentine, who says he studied psychology at the Sorbonne and completed his training in psychiatry at Louisiana State University, defends Nuernberger. Now she says that those who have allowed the abuses to continue unchecked are responsible for destroying the Institute's integrity. Swami Rama has a reputation among his followers as an incredible psychologist who uses his insights to help others.