Swami Rama

Swami Rama
File:SwamiRama.jpg
Personal
Religion	Hinduism
Senior posting
Guru	Bengali Baba
Honors	Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham

Swāmī Rāma (1925 – 1996) was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar, 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 (also Karveer Peeth or Karweer Peeth) 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.

Organization and achievements

File:SwamiRamaSitting.jpg

"H. H. Sri Swami Rama"

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.

Children

Swami Rama is reportedly survived by one daughter and two sons. Two of these children have been acknowledged in "At the Eleventh Hour," a biography of Swami Rama written by the current spiritual leader of the Himalayan Institute of the USA, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (see also Tigunait's 2001 interview with Yoga Chicago). These children are his son, Mohit Kumar (or Mohit Dhasmana), and daughter, Devyani Mungali, by Swami Rama's former wife in India, Lilu Kumar, whom he married after leaving the post of Shankaracharya. Lilu and Mohit Kumar have been involved in several lawsuits in India (notably Original Suit No. 865 of 1997 filed in The Court of the Civil Judge, Senior Division, Dehradun), challenging the current leaders of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, founded by Swami Rama.

Robert Walter, an American registered securities broker, claims to be the younger son of Swami Rama. He and his mother, Shirley Walter, plan to publish a double memoir of their relationships with Swami Rama and their involvement with the Himalayan Institute, "Son of a Swami: A Life of Lies." Shirley Walter was a founding director of the Himalayan Institute USA, according to the original incorporation papers filed with the Illinois Secretary of State. Her yoga center became Swami Rama's first base of operations in the United States (also described in "At the Eleventh Hour" by Tigunait).

Another woman, Miranda Marbaniang of Shillong, claims she is Swami Rama's oldest daughter. Swami Rama's followers have not acknowledged either Robert Walter or Miranda Marbaniang as the guru's children, as he was supposed to have taken vows of celibacy.

Sexual misconduct controversy

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)
• 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

External links

• Swami rama articles
• The Truth About Swami Rama
• Himalayan International Institute
• Himalayan Institute Hospital founded in India by Swami Rama
• Swami Rama Center at the Himalayan Institute Hospital in India
• Interview with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
• Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International
• Swami Veda Bharati, disciple of Swami Rama
• Hansada Yoga Ashram
• Himalayan Yoga Tradition in Australia