Swami Rama (1925 – 1996) was born Brij Kishore
Dhasmana, to a Northern Indian
Brahmin
family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas.
He became
the lineage holder of the Sankya Yoga tradition
of the Himalayan
Masters. From an early age he was raised in
the Himalayas by his master
Bengali
Baba, and, under the guidance of his Master, traveled from
temple to temple and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and
sages, including his grandmaster who was living in a remote region
of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 held the prestigious position of
Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India.
After returning to his
master in 1952 and many years of further practice in the Himalayan
caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West
where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching,
specifically in the United
States
and Europe.
He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself
to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he allowed
himself to be examined by scientists at the
Menninger Clinic who studied his ability to
voluntarily control bodily processes (such as heartbeat, blood
pressure, body temperature, etc.) that are normally considered to
be non-voluntary (
autonomic).
First Ashram
After
leaving the post of Shankaracharya and going back to the master, he
afterwards travelled to Nepal
in the
Himalayas barefoot with nothing but a kamandalu and tiger
mat. It was here he first created his first ashram.
It is at
the outskirt of Kathmandu
on the way to Dulikhel on the mountain of Janagal
that his ashram is situated. He later granted it to Swami
Vishuddha Dev.The ashram is known as Hansada Yoga Ashram.Now it is
the head quarter of Characterlogy movement. However other programs
are also conducted here. Sri Akshunnanath Mahaprabhu better known
as
Lord Sri Akshunna and simply
called upon as Lord/Prabhu was here for 9 days in 2007 to give the
secret tantrik teaching of Kundalini for 7 whole and 2 half
days.
His Organization and Achievements
"H.
He was the
founder of the Himalayan
Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy which has its
headquarters in Honesdale
, PA
and branches in the USA, Europe and India
.
Swami Rama also founded other teaching and service organizations,
some of which are linked below. One of his significant achievements
is the establishment of a large medical facility in the
north-eastern part of India (Dehradun) to serve millions of poor
people in the nearby mountains. Until about 15 years ago the rural
poor in this region did not have access to health, water,
sanitation and education. Dedicated disciples of Swami Rama have
contributed to make his dream of a region free of poverty come
true. Stories of his leadership style and the way he got these
goals achieved are documented in several books about Swami Rama. He
demonstrated development impact that attracted attention from all
over the world .
Swami Rama concept of 'wellness' and not 'medical repair' of the
human being is gaining ground in many countries in North America
and Europe. He demonstrated the impact of holistic health
aprpoaches on the Dehradun campus. On the campus in Dehradun, Swami
Rama also established a Medical University with his most senior
disciple
Swami Veda Bharati
(holding a PhD from The Netherlands) being the Chancellor, Vijay
Dhasmana as the Vice-Chancellor, and one of his most development
orientated disciples - Ms. B. Maithili (Director of the Rural
Development Institute) - as the Registrar.
Swami Rama authored several books during his life, in which he
describes the path he took toward becoming a yogi and lays out the
philosophy and benefits behind practises such as meditation. One of
the common themes expressed in such books as
Enlightenment
Without God and
Living with the Himalayan Masters is
the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a
structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for a yogi to
use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing
that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.
Swami Rama as a Father
Swami Rama is reportedly survived by a daughter and a son. Various
lawsuits engaged since 1996 are an effort by Dhasmana to protect
his alleged father's legacy from self declared spiritual heirs who
have, in his opinion, tarnished Swami Rama's name and work.
Robert Walter, an American securities broker-dealer, also claims to
be the son of Swami Rama, and is planning to publish his recounting
of Swami Rama's life in a book. According to Walter, this memoir
depicts his version of relationships Swami Rama had with members of
his family and his disciples, as well as various spiritual
organizations. He also claims that claim that his mother was the
primary architect of the Himalayan Institute in the US. The
Himalayan Institute has disavowed this claim. .
However, there has been no quantifiable evidence that Walter is a
biological progeny of Swami Rama, nor is there any demonstrable
connection between this individual and Swami Rama's spiritual
legacy.
Sexual Misconduct Controversy
Swami Rama has been the object of a controversy concerning cases of
sexual misconduct , and was convicted after his death:
On September 4, 1997 in the United District Court for the Middle
District of Pennsylvania a jury returned an award against the
defendant Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and
Philosophy of the U.S.A. (“Himalayan Institute”) in the amount of
$275,000 in compensatory damages and $1.6 million in punitive
damages for the sexual misconduct of the Himalayan Institute's
former “spiritual leader,” Brijkishor Kumar, popularly known as the
“Swami Rama.” Answering special verdict questions, the jury found
that Swami Rama (a) had engaged in sexual relations with the
plaintiff who was 19 years old at the time of the sexual abuse; (b)
had abused his position as the plaintiff's guru to secure her
consent to the sexual relations; ( c) had breached the standard of
care and fiduciary duties inherent in the relationship between him
and the plaintiff; (d) had intentionally inflicted emotional
distress on the plaintiff; (e) had acted maliciously and with
conscious disregard for the welfare of the plaintiff; (f) and was
acting within the scope of his agency relationship with the
Himalayan Institute when engaging in sexual relations with Patel.
In addition to holding the Himalayan Institute liable for
compensatory and punitive damages on a respondent superior theory,
the jury also imposed direct liability on the Institute, finding
that (a) it had been negligent in allowing Swami Rama to be a
sexual predator for a number of years; (b) the actions and
inactions of Himalayan Institute constituted the intentional
infliction of emotional distress; and (c) the Himalayan Institute
had acted maliciously and with conscious disregard for the welfare
of the plaintiff.
Swami Rama, in relation to accusations made against him while
alive, said "Do not defend me" as part of the discipline of Asian
yogis to live up to the ideal of non-violence.
Selected bibliography
Books by Swami Rama
- Enlightenment Without God (Mandukya Upanishad) (ISBN
0893890847)
- Living with the Himalayan Masters (ISBN
0893891568)
- The Science of Breath: A Practical Guide (ISBN
089389057X)
- Meditation and its Practice (ISBN 0893891533)
- Freedom from the Bondage of Karma (ISBN
0893890316)
- Living with the Himalayan Masters (ISBN
0893891568)
- Spiritual Journey (ISBN)
Biography
- At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama, by
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893892122)
- Walking With a Himalayan Master: An American's Odyssey, by
Justin O'Brien (ISBN 0936663197)
Other Works
- Science Year: The World Book Science Annual - 1974":
describing scientific research done on Swami Rama
- Nature Science Annual, pages 103-110, Article of Gerald
Jones describing scientific research done on Swami Rama
References
- Tigunait, Rajmani (2004). At the Eleventh Hour: The
biography of Swami Rama. Himalayan Institute Press; Honesdale
PA.
- Rama,Swami: Living with the himalayan masters and
hansada yoga ashram.
- www.hihtindia.org
- www.bindu.org and www.swamiveda.org
- www.sonofaswami.com
- The Case against Swami Rama of the
Himalayas
- Woman wins $1.8M for lecherous swami
- United States District Court for the Middle District of
Pennsylvania Jasmine Patel v Himalayan International (see
http://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/opinions/vanaskie/94v1118.pdf)
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