I was first introduced to SwAmi RAma's articles through SwAmi JnAneshwara BhArati's website. I then subsequently purchased some of his books and have viewed a good many of his videotaped lectures. I have benefited considerably from his writings and lectures over a period of about nine months prior to my developing this website. During that time all I knew about any controversy regarding SwAmi RAma was that there was a major inheritance conflict following his death, regarding the successor to his Ashram in India. I put this down to the pettiness of those who instigated this conflict following his death, and did not pay it any more attention. Then on March 14, 2011, I was surprised to find some websites that documented alleged misconduct over a period of many years, and of a more serious nature that held SwAmi RAma personally responsible. Following this, I gave the matter some thought because I felt allegations of this nature necessitated a re-evaluation of my opinion of him as a spiritual teacher. I refer to these allegations obliquely to avoid content that is intended for mature readers only. I present my analysis below, and my reasons for still referring to his teachings on this website.
The article that first drew my attention to this matter is by Katharine Webster in the December 1990 Yoga Journal Magazine, in which she documents allegations by several women students of SwAmi RAma regarding his personal misconduct over a considerable period of time that was not in keeping with the role of a teacher or SwAmi. (A SwAmi is a title conferred in India on a spiritually advanced person who is a complete master of his emotions, mind and senses, and such a person is supposed to uphold a very high level of moral conduct.) I also saw a few videos on Youtube that described this in more detail and referred to a Court case and ruling that was against SwAmi RAma. Finally, I also saw a website by a person claiming to be SwAmi RAma's son in the US.
My first reaction to this entire matter is that I wish peace and resolution for all aggrieved parties, whoever they may be. However, I do not think the matter can be ignored. It has to be addressed because a spiritual leader is judged by his or her life, even more so than say a lay teacher or other public figure who is accused of misusing power and authority. There are also several useful lessons that sAdhakAs and potential teachers of the spiritual path can learn from this incident.
Luckily for me, I have no vested interest in either pillorying SwAmi RAma, or in defending him. As in many such harassment cases, it often boils down to a matter of 'he said, she said'. While truth in the dual-conditioned world is always a relative thing, we still have to acknowledge facts in the external world and make sense of external reality. This becomes particularly difficult when we try to establish even this relative truth from anything other than direct personal experience, in particular through hearsay. And since I have no interest in digging up further details, or in trying to establish the relative truth of either camp, I will go with whatever information is publicly available.
In my opinion, the information presented on these websites is sufficient to at least conclude that several people appear to have been mentally distressed from interactions with SwAmi RAma. Even if nothing else can be established because one is not inclined to dig deeper, this is a serious charge against a spiritual teacher. Whether there is truth in it or not, I do not know, but it merits consideration. The fact that it is not restricted to one individual, and to one chance occurrence, is another factor. The fact that the US Court ruled against SwAmi RAma is also something one has to consider, although anyone who knows anything about the US legal system (or any other legal system for that matter), will be aware that a court ruling by no means constitutes a just decision in the matter, especially in those cases involving jury trial. However, I think it is significant that a young girl, presumably of Indian heritage, chose to pursue this case in open court at considerable personal risk. While I do not claim to have discovered the limits of human depravity, it bears consideration when a person takes on considerable personal risk in embarking on a legal battle with an unknown outcome. Even so, I cannot say with certainty whether SwAmi RAma was guilty of the charges filed against him, or not, although the evidence against him is considerable and cannot be ignored. While not ignoring the pain and suffering of all involved in this matter, I will try to address only those aspects that relate to the spiritual path. Mainly these are:
By what characteristics should a sAdhaka recognize a genuine spiritual teacher?
What steps should a potential teacher of the spiritual path take to safeguard against such circumstances?
What value does a spiritual teacher's message have, if indeed such allegations are true, and what implication does that have for sAdhakas who believed his teachings?
I address the characteristics by which a sAdhaka should recognize a genuine spiritual teacher in a separate article. The gist of that article that is relevant to this matter is that every spiritual teacher is accountable to the principles that he or she advocates. In Yoga, this means that the teacher is bound by the yamas and niyamas: in particular, ahimsA (non-violence) and brahmacarya (celibacy). The lesson to be learned from incidents such as these, regardless of what the truth really is in this particular case, is that the sAdhaka should practice constant razor sharp discrimination in all matters, including that of observing the spiritual teacher. These days it is practically impossible for most sAdhakas to be instructed in the Guru-shishya parampara (guru-disciple tradition), although this was possible in the past. All sAdhakas need to realize this. There is no point in harking back to the good old times because we are in Kali Yuga. The world is aged and moral decay has set in. The high standards set by Adi ShankarAcArya are not being upheld even by some members of the monastic order of SwAmis, and this naturally makes it necessary for sAdhakas to scrupulously exercise their discrimination in these matters. I think it is extremely foolish of sAdhakas to follow those spiritual paths that demand slavish worship of the Guru. Only a Guru who is the true embodiment of Brahman is worthy of reverence. If there are indeed any such Gurus living, they are not going around opening centers and institutes. I read a book by a yogi of the Siddha tradition that advocates this kind of slavish worship to the extent of considering the bath water of the Guru as holy water worth sipping! Apart from hygienic considerations, this is clearly not a useful path to getting in touch with one's true nature. Guru worship has no place in Kali Yuga, because the so-called gurus are not upholding the standards: the ones who are accessible are not living embodiments of Brahman. Neither are today's shishyas worthy of a true Guru's attention. We need a different system for this day and age.
I advocate a SvAdhyAya system based on individual self-study. Contact with teachers and guides should be limited to reading their writings, and occasional non-residential visits at most. I find most of today's organized spirituality an abomination that is rivaled only by organized religion. At least there are some cultural and social benefits to organized religion, while the kind of organized spirituality I am referring to degenerates into cult hero-worship. In the context of spiritual growth, such cult hero-worship is downright useless. On the rare occasions when I have attended meetings with spiritual teachers in group settings, I have been struck by the absolute lack of questioning of the spiritual teacher by the students. The students do not show the moral courage stemming from true spiritual growth to know any better, and the teachers encourage this fawning adulation. Many teachers do not even allow questions, but merely hold forth and pontificate, while the adoring devotees drink in every word without exercising discrimination. If the sAdhaka enjoys this kind of interaction, then clearly there is considerable room for personal spiritual growth and need for sharpening discrimination. If that does not happen, the consequences will be predictable. This sickening cult-hero worship is in sharp contrast to the intellectual discourse that characterizes the Upanishadic literature. I am not saying one needs to be disrespectful of the teacher, but currently sAdhakas are most often too unquestioningly respectful of so-called Gurus and SwAmis. The sAdhaka must have the inner strength to walk away from any teacher and seek the Truth for himself. If not, you are never going to make any serious spiritual progress because the teacher or guru will always be your crutch. Moving inward along the spiritual path in a direction closer to one's true nature means letting go of all crutches, including the Guru.
The sAdhaka must realize that there are many levels of spiritual growth, and not everyone who claims to be a SwAmi or other title is necessarily that. In order to recognize these levels of spiritual growth, sAdhakas themselves need to be growing actively through their practice and meditation. Every action in the life of a potential Guru or teacher must be examined closely, and much can be learned from that. One can easily ascertain if a Guru or SwAmi has truly transcended the three guNas, and whether they have attained nirbIja samAdhi, or not, through this examination.
The sincere sAdhaka should closely observe a prospective teacher during a discourse or meeting and come to their own judgement. Anyone can watch the videos of SwAmi RAma and come to their own judgement. Does the teacher appear calm and possessed of mental equipoise at all times, or does the teacher get upset and angry? Getting angry with students is not the characteristic of a realized sage who is beyond the three guNas. Every seasoned teacher, even one who is not a spiritual teacher, knows that even if the students' progress is not up to their expectation, it is not useful to belittle their attempts. Does the spiritual teacher try to reorient his or her efforts and approach to teaching, rather than belittling the students? This is worth noting. One can also observe how boastful or vain the teacher is in narrating their exploits. Humility is the mark of a genuine spiritual leader. These observations can give useful signs regarding the teacher's true level of spiritual attainment, regardless of what others say or what the teacher claims. One should also read the writings of a teacher very closely and check these for consistency.
The sAdhaka needs to cultivate this kind of discrimination, and learning by watching others helps. Having grown up in India and having visited the elder KAnchi ShankarAcArya and other holy men, I learnt from the elders in my family to develop a good intuition regarding the sAttvic qualities that characterize a true spiritual teacher. The truly holy men in India are not to be found with large gatherings (even SwAmi RAma says in one of his videos that you should not judge a teacher by his publicity campaign). They are not actively engaged in social service, because they are even beyond that. Having transcended the guNas, they are constantly engaged in meditation and are often in maun vrat (vow of silence). They do not want to dissipate their Consciousness through discourses. Their transmission is through their presence, and through their disciples. They will often not grant audience to anyone and everyone, and are very circumspect of meeting women, especially if unaccompanied by the husband or father. There are very good reasons for these traditions. These are the necessary safeguards that so-called Gurus and SwAmis do not practice in the US, and they then bear the consequences of their karma. That in itself should tell us that the s0-called Gurus and SwAmis are not beyond karma.
The Guru or SwAmi should place great importance on their own daily sAdhanA, and should vigilantly be strengthening their own personal practice on a daily basis. Enlightenment is not a one-time accomplishment, and breaches do occur as Patanjali notes in his Yoga SUtras. Constant lifelong practice is needed to attain perpetual enlightenment or liberation (called kaivalyam in the Yoga SUtra). If the SwAmi or Guru has attained kaivalyam, then they will have no business even trying to do good because they have even transcended sattva guNa. Clearly all the SwAmis and Gurus who are actively doing something have not permanently transcended the three guNas. By this I am not saying that one cannot learn something useful from them, but one should temper one's expectations accordingly. While I am not excusing the excesses of any spiritual teacher, should they have indeed occurred, I am trying to give a deeper understanding to the sincere sAdhaka as to how lack of discrimination on the part of the sAdhaka can itself lead to undesirable situations. From the personalities depicted in Katharine Webster's article, it seems to me that those who claim to have been exploited by SwAmi RAma, would equally easily have been exploited by a schoolteacher, psychiatrist, stock trader or snake-oil salesman. This does not absolve SwAmi RAma of his karma, if indeed he behaved as alleged in these articles, but it can be useful to sAdhakas as they conduct their interactions with spiritual teachers. The reason why I strongly encourage all sAdhakas to develop a keen sense of discrimination is that it helps not only in spiritual life, but in the external world also.
To be fair to SwAmi RAma, to my knowledge he never claimed that he was a fully liberated master who had transcended the three guNas. In fact, in his writings and lectures he sometimes exhibits humility regarding his own yogic and spiritual accomplishments. It is possible that sometimes students project expectations on to a teacher and then are disappointed when these are not met. From reading the articles and viewing the videos that decry SwAmi RAma, one thing that is clear to me is that SwAmi RAma has been quite misunderstood in America. Everyone got very excited because he performed a few yogic feats that were the subject of scientific study, and he got a lot of publicity. The focus of the negative articles has been on these feats being his only accomplishment, and a subsequent denigration of his status to that of an ordinary old man with unfulfilled desires. What I find truly valuable about SwAmi RAma's contribution to sAdhanA is not that he performed some yogic feats because he had some siddhi, and that in turn spurred the field of biofeedback. His real contribution is his exposition of advanced yogic practice, meditational technique, and commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.
One may argue that many spiritual teachers set out to do good and are then victimized by unscrupulous individuals. I do not doubt that many spiritual teachers set out to do good. But another clear indicator of the teacher's level of spiritual attainment is their attitude towards their students. A truly realized master will not spend time browbeating mediocre sAdhakas, or waste energy in an environment where the message is not being received. A truly realized master knows which students are worth instructing, and which are not. He or she knows when the disciple has arrived, and will instruct that select set who will carry on the teaching.
Gentleness, love, compassion, and desirelessness are the hallmarks of true spiritual teachers. If one is fortunate to grow up in an environment with such people, then one will realize that the absence of these is a true giveaway of the lack of spiritual growth. In fact, so many of my extended family members from the previous two generations were such exemplars of patience and selflessness that they could easily have passed off as spiritual teachers today. Yet they were deeply aware of their need for spiritual growth, and chose to follow rather than lead. Advancing along the path is undoubtedly valuable, but cultivating these traits is clearly equally important.
Having said all this about discriminating the true spiritual teacher, and their characteristics, I have a few concluding words about the teachings of SwAmi RAma. Regardless of his level of spiritual attainment and personal conduct, there is no doubt the he was a very advanced yogi. And he has written eloquently, and penetratingly about yoga and sAdhanA. Some of his articles give unparalleled insight into meditation and its practice. The message that he brings is Eternal, and he himself was aware that he was only a messenger. I have benefited much from his writings, and some of his works such as his psychological analysis of the Bhagavad GIta are unmatched in their analysis and depth. Therefore, whatever be the truth about his personal life, the Message he brings in his teachings is more important than the messenger. For that reason, I think it is appropriate to list him as a contemporary spiritual teacher whose writings are of great value and depth.
Just as everything else in the dual-conditioned world, there is nothing uniquely true about any one opinion on this matter. Those who defend SwAmi RAma, or any other spiritual teacher for that matter, in the face of strong evidence are essentially elevating him to the level of a God who is beyond reproach, and that is not necessary. It is not necessary to throw away the part of his message that is Eternal either. The attributes that lead us back to our true nature (often called divine) and those that dissipate our Consciousness (often called demoniac) coexist in all human beings: us as well as spiritual teachers. Through sAdhanA a genuine spiritual teacher is able to alter the balance of these attributes so that the divine attributes dominate the demoniacal ones. But depending on the level of sAdhanA and external circumstances it is not inconceivable that any spiritual teacher can slip, and this has the potential of happening as long as the person has a human body. There seems to be a human need to deify spiritual teachers because we so want to believe that at least one of us is truly divine. Our attraction to the Divine is not misplaced, but it needs to be tempered by discriminating the Message from the messenger.