The Himalayan Institute: Slaying Scandal with Service & Serenity

Lisa Stefany, Fall 2010

TRIPPING ON YOGA
Picture this: a hippie tree-hugger popping an LSD capsule
while meditating after a yoga session. Not too farfetched
of an image, right? But why does this yoga-drug
association exist?
Like every great religion of the past we seek to find the
divinity within and to express this revelation in a life of
glorification and the worship of God. These ancient goals
we define in the metaphor of the present turn on, tune
in, drop out.
This is an excerpt from a speech given by psychologist
Timothy Leary in 1966. Leary was declaring the benefits of detaching oneself from conventions and
hierarchies through the use of psychedelic drugs, specifically LSD. But along with drug use and sensory
deprivation/overload, Leary was an advocate of yoga.
The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, nestled in the beautiful Pocono Mountains in
Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1971. Unfortunately, there is some mystery surrounding its
founder, Swami Rama, and possible connection with drug abuse and sexual indecency.
However, the Institute has moved on from these negative allegations in order to maintain its important
status in the historic yogic tradition. The work that the center does today no longer has an affiliation
with sexual exploitation or a Timothy Leary style of yoga.
HISTORY OF YOGA IN AMERICA
Yoga has a very interesting and complicated history in the United States; the practice has undergone
many perceptual changes, distortions, and phases since its arrival in America in the 1800s. Developed in
India 5,000 years ago, it was created to achieve self-transcendence, or enlightenment, through physical,
mental, and spiritual health. When Swami Vivekananda, an Indian yogi, presented a lecture on yoga in
Chicago in the 1800s, America was captivated. And like most things in America, yoga became
Americanized.
Transcendentalist Writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thorough led the naturalist yoga
revolution in the mid-1800s, meditating for days in caves and forests while writing poetry inspired by
the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Hindu scripture.

Ian C. Friedman
Timothy Leary was such an advocate for
psychedelic drugs that President Nixon called him
the most dangerous man in America.
Pierre Bernard, known as the first American yogi, formed the
ultra-exclusive Tantrik Order in 1905, which combined
traditional yoga with the esoteric and sexualized spiritual
practice of tantra. Bernard imbued the once-naturalist practice
with a chilling sense of occult and was even scrutinized for
seducing his pupils.
Then came the drug/yoga/beatnik connection of the 1960s
the yogi Swami Satchitananda introduced chanting and Yoga
to Woodstock and you could see [psychologist] Timothy
Leary dropping acid and appealing to [writer] Aldous Huxley
for wisdom, and Huxley steering him right to yoga, and then
Leary really actively and deliberately trying it out, says
Stefanie Syman in an interview about her book, The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. The
way [poet and Beatnik] Allen Ginsberg was singing 'Om' so irked an Indian listener that he or she wrote a
note to Ginsberg pleading him to do his mantra seriously.
Today, we see celebrities, former-hippies, middle-aged moms, college students of both genders, and the
elderly reaping the nourishing effects of yoga.
Has the historical meaning of yoga been lost on its journey to America? Fortunately, it has not.
THE FOUNDING OF THE INSTITUTE
The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy is a nonprofit
yoga retreat center that promotes the discovery and celebration of
the spirit of human heritage that unites East and West, spirituality
and science, and ancient wisdom and modern technology. Offering
retreats that can last from one night to a few weeks to a year, growing
and serving only organic vegetarian food, and merging the Eastern
tradition of yoga with modern Western science, the Institute is
certainly an unconventional asset to Honesdale, Pennsylvania. But it
does not only serve local residents; the Institute is a desired
destination for people all across the nation.
Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale to serve
as a bridge between his Eastern upbringing and Western technology
and opportunities. Rama was born in a small village called Toli in the
Himalayas in 1925. He grew up practicing yoga and studying with the
Himalayan Masters, saints, and sages. In the 1950s, he was encouraged by his teacher to bring the
Himalayan Tradition to the West. Rama reflects his teachers guidance in his book, Living with the
Himalayan Masters:
feedtheyogi.com
The police charged Pierre Bernard with morals
violations, hypnotism, and "soul charming" on
complaints by two young women.

vedicbooks.net
Swami Rama brought the
Himalayan Tradition to the
United States.
East is East and West is West is a primitive idea. Modern man has reached the moon! The
West is advanced in technology, and the East in spirituality. Why not build a bridge of
understanding? That the West has much to share with the East is beyond doubt but the East
also has something to contribute to the West. The flower of the West without the fragrance of
the East is a flower in vain.
Rama travelled to the United States and, in the 1960s, became the first yogi to be studied by Western
scientists, who were very interested in his ability to control
involuntary bodily functions. In 1971, Swami Rama established the
Institute, which now has branches throughout the nation and in
Europe and India. He has been compared to a saint by some, but
his record is tainted due to some very serious allegations.




SCANDAL OR SLANDER?
Unfortunately, Swami Rama may not have been so different from drug advocate Timothy Leary and
sexually offensive Pierre Bernard. A 1990 Yoga Journal Magazine article, "The Case against Swami Rama
of the Himalayas, documents reports of 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. The article defines his behavior as
spiritual incest and cites reports linking Swami Rama with illegal drugs, including mescaline, psylocibin,
and LSD. However, no legal action was immediately taken to confirm or deny these claims.
But the courts did eventually get involved.
According to a 1997 Philadelphia Inquirer article,
$1.9 Million Awarded in Sex Scandal, a 23-year-
old woman (not named) reported to the jury that
Rama had forced her to have sex with him up to 30
times since her arrival at the Institute in 1993. The
jury found Rama, who had died a year earlier,
guilty and awarded the woman with $1.9 million.
According to the article, more than 10 women since
1979 had come forth and accused Rama of sexual
abuse, but were apparently ignored by the
institute.

Scientists at the Menninger Foundation in
Kansas studied Ramas ability to move objects
with his mind, regulate his own brain activity
on an EEG, alter temperatures in his body, and
stop blood flow in his heart.
sonofaswami.com


sonofswami.com
Swami Ramas followers regarded him as a
Christ-like figure.
Even years after his death, details and truths regarding Ramas sexual advances are still ambiguous. One
of the lawyers in the 1997 case says, "He would fixate on a woman and make her a sort of valet, and
then he would tell her it was necessary to perform these acts to further her spiritual development,"
while others claim that Rama was an enormously fascinating personHe was saintlyYou felt like
sometimes you were walking with Christ.
Whether or not these accusations regarding drug and sex abuse hold any truth, the Institute has moved
on from the negative press of the 90s. The only headlines it makes now are the ones declaring the
positive impact it has on society and the transformation it has made from just another yoga retreat
center.
NOT JUST ANOTHER RETREAT CENTER

The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy is
not just another retreat center; it is not just another
opportunity for a getaway.
The main distinction between the Institute and other
retreat centers is its devotion to the ascetic and denial of
unnecessary materialism. Andrea Peterson, author of The
Wall Street Journal article, The Yogi Wears Prada, writes
about the rise in high-end yoga vacation resorts and their
inconsistency with true yoga practices:

Yoga, a 5,000-year-old Indian tradition, has long emphasized the denial of bodily pleasures in
the pursuit of inner peace. But, now, many modern devotees of the practice are more interested
in tight abs than in reaching nirvana. These new acolytes want more creature comforts at their
retreats, including coffee and alcohol -- two traditional yoga no-nos.
The Himalayan Institute, in stark contrast to these luxury resorts, instills a strong work ethic in its
residents. Residents are required to perform about
four hours of light chores a day, such as making beds,
washing dishes, cleaning rooms, chopping vegetables,
and weeding gardens. The Institute uses this work
exchange practice to cultivate selflessness and good
will.
In addition to these light chores, residents participate
in daily programs that begin at 6 a.m. and include
meditation, yoga classes, programs and seminars,
spiritual excursions, study of spiritual texts, and
yogadork.com
Residents of the Himalayan Institute dont mind doing
chores because of the social environment it provides.
Himalayan Institute
Dont be fooled by the 400-acre campus and
impressive architecture of the Institute this is not
just another luxury resort.
instruction on alternative medicine.
Another significant difference between the Himalayan Institute and other retreat centers is the solution
it presents to the harsh economy and unsettled job market. According to a New York Times article,
Hard Times Are Jamming the Ashrams, resident Steven Odnoha was attracted to the Institute shortly
after he lost his job at Intel. He drove three days from Rio Rancho, New Mexico to join the Institutes
yearlong meditation program. The Institute can provide a rejuvenating break from either a monotonous
routine or a frustrating situation. Todd Wolfenberg, the director of marketing at the Institute, reported
a definite increase in applications from recent college graduates and people with professional careers. I
suspect that is due to the fact that they havent been able to find a job after college or are leaving a
job, he says.
THE HIMALAYAN TRADITION: SERVING HUMANITY
The Institutes mission is consistent with Swami Ramas mission, to bring the Himalayan Tradition to the
West. This mission was inspired by his teachers words, which he documented in Living with the
Himalayan Masters: You have a mission to complete and a message to deliver. That message is ours,
and you are my instrument.
The Himalayan Tradition was established 1,200 years ago by the Indian philosopher Adi Shankara; it has
many principles and beliefs, but one of its major values is love for others.
Serving humanity through selflessness is an expression of love which one should follow through mind,
action, and speech. These are Swami Ramas words to describe the Himalayan Traditions enthusiasm
for helping others. The Himalayan Institute follows
through with this enthusiasm by initiating and
promoting charities and humanitarian projects for
underprivileged areas around the world.
In 2007, the Institute teamed up with the Honesdale
Rotary Club to open a Himalayan Institute Community
Center in Cameroon, Africa; a year later, the Institute
funded the new Kumbo Public Library.
After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, thousands
of Tibetans fled to India, where there are now 37
refugee settlements that hold over 100,000 Tibetans. On
July 28, 2008, Professor Samdhong Rinoche, the Prime
Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and close
associate of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, visited the
Institute to speak about the need for spiritual values in a world dominated by politics and economics.
According to the Wayne Independent article, Tibetan Prime Minister Visits Institute, Rinoche quoted
Gandhi in his speech: Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans greed.

Honesdale Rotary Club
A member of the Honesdale Rotary Club helps
unload boxes of books for the new Kumbo
Public Library, funded by the Institute.
The Prime Minister also met with leaders of the
Institute to work out a plan to help the destitute
Tibetan refugees. A year later, the Institute formed a
partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration
(the Government-in-Exile) to bring hope and relief to
these refugee settlements. The project began with
the Energy Farming program, which is bringing
sustainable agriculture and green energy techniques
to the refugee settlements to resurrect their
depleted soil and crop yields.
The Institute regularly offers its charity
opportunities to both residents and non-residents.
From October 31 to November 16, 2010, the Institute hosted the Eco-Service Excursion to Africa in
which volunteers promoted preventative healthcare, sustainable agriculture, and education in
Cameroon.
SLAYING SCANDAL WITH SERVICE AND SERENITY
The Himalayan Institute has dug itself out of the hole it fell in due to its tainted reputation in the 90s.
Now, it is so much more than a yoga retreat center it is an opportunity to start over, an opportunity to
help the unfortunate, an opportunity to be enriched by the deep-rooted and noble Himalayan Tradition,
and an opportunity to learn about oneself. With each humanitarian project and yoga seminar, the
Institute takes a step farther away from the scandal surrounding its founder and a step closer to
alleviating poverty for millions around the world and easing mental anguish for thousands from its
humble site in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Sources:
Andrea Peterson. "The Yogi Wears Prada." The Wall Street Journal [New York City] 2 Sept. 2006, Sports
sec.: P4. Print.
Dilanian, Ken. "$1.9 Million Awarded in Sex Scandal." The Philadelphia Inquirer 6 Sept. 1997, City &
Region sec.: B01. Print.
Eckel, Sara. "Hard Times Are Jamming the Ashrams." The New York Times 16 July 2009, Fashion & Style
sec.: E1. Print.
Hecht, Ashley. "Tibetan Prime Minister Visits Institute." Wayne Independent [Honesdale] 1 Aug. 2008.
Print.
Rama, Swami. Living with the Himalayan Masters: Spiritual Experiences of Swami Rama. Comp. Swami
Ajaya. Honesdale: Himalayan Institute, 1978. Print.

Himalayan Institute
Himalayan Institute members help plant pongamia
seedlings in the 110 degree heat of the Bylakuppe
Tibetan refugee settlement in India.

Syman, Stefanie. "Stefanie Syman Answers Your Questions on The Story of Yoga in America Past,
Present and Future." Interview. Web log post. Yoga Dork: a Blog. YogaDork, 22 July 2010. Web.
15 Oct. 2010.
Syman, Stefanie. The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2010. Print.
Webster, Katharine. "The Case against Swami Rama of the Himalayas." Yoga Journal Dec. 1990. The Ross
Institute Internet Archives for the Study of Destructive Cults, Controversial Groups and
Movements. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.