Swami Rama

Open main menu  Search EditWatch this pageRead in another language Swami Rama Page issues Śrī Swāmī Rāma (1925–1996) was an Indian yógī. Several Indian yogis have influenced Westerners including Swami Vivekananda, Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Paramhansa Yogananda and many more. Swami Rama was one of the first yogis, however, to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he was examined by scientists at the Menninger Clinic who studied his ability to voluntarily control bodily processes (such as heartbeat, blood pressure, and body temperature) that are normally considered to be non-voluntary (autonomic). Swami Rama Religion Hinduism Personal Born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar 1925 Northern India Died 1996 Guru Bengali Baba Honors Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham Quotation "Be happy and fearless. Remember that you are a child of Divinity. Loss and gain cannot even touch your shadow." Early life and education Edit Swāmī Rāma was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar,[1] to a northern Indian Brahmin family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas. 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 he held the position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham (also Karveer Peeth or Karweer Peeth) in South India. After returning to his master in 1952 and practising further for many years 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.[2][page needed] First ashrams Edit 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 where he created his first ashram. It is at the outskirts of Kathmandu on the way to Dhulikhel on the mountain of Janagal. He later granted it to Swami Vishuddha Dev. The ashram is known as Hansada Yoga Ashram. Now it is the headquarters of the characterology movement. However, other programs are also conducted there.[3] Then in 1966, the original Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science & Philosophy was established by Swami Rama himself in Kanpur, India. 2016 was the 50th anniversary of the institute.[4] Organization and achievements Edit He was the founder of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, which has its headquarters in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and branches in the United States, Europe, and India. Swāmī Rāma 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 northern part of India (Dehradun) to serve millions of poor people in the nearby mountains.[5] Until about 1987 the rural poor in this region did not have access to health care, water, sanitation, and education. Dedicated disciples of Swāmī Rāma have contributed to make his dream of a region free of poverty come true. Stories of his leadership style and the way he achieved his goals are documented in several books about Swāmī Rāma.[citation needed] Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices 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 yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.[6] Ruling in sex abuse case Edit On September 4, 1997, almost a year after Swami Rama's death, when Swami Rama didn't have an opportunity to defend himself in court, a federal civil Jury awarded nearly $1.9 million to a 23-year-old woman after concluding that Rama had forced her to have sex with him up to 30 times while she lived at the Himalayan Institute in 1993. In his closing statements after a three-week trial, Irwin Schneider, the Himalayan Institute's attorney, argued that even if the sex took place it was consensual. [7] Selected bibliography Edit 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 Yoga & Psychotherapy (ISBN 9780893890360) Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita (ISBN 0893890901) Sukhamani Sahib: Fountain of Eternal Joy (ISBN 089389110X ) Book of Wisdom: ISHOPANISHAD (ISBN 0893890030) Wisdom of the ancient sages: Mundaka Upanishad (ISBN 0893891207) The art of Joyful Living (ISBN 089389236X) The Royal path: Practical lessons on Yoga (ISBN 0893891525) Path of Fire and Light volume 2 (ISBN 0893891126) A Practical Guide to Holistic Health (ISBN 0893891746) Japji: Meditation in Sikhism (ISBN 089389107X) Spirituality Transformation within & without (ISBN 0893891509) Life Here and Hereafter (Kathopanishad) (ISBN 0893890022) Choosing a Path (ISBN 0893890774 ) Love and family Life (ISBN 0893891339) Valmiki Ramayana Retold in verse vols I and II Love Whispers (ISBN 0893891789) Celestial Song / GoBind Geet (ISBN 0893891037) Path of Fire and Light volume 1 (ISBN 0893890979) Sacred Journey (ISBN 8176210900) Sadhana: The Essence of Spiritual Life (ISBN 8176210943) OM: The Eternal witness (ISBN 9788188157433) Exercises for Joints & Glands (ISBN 0893890839) Conscious Living (ISBN 8188157031) References Edit ^ Webster, Katharine (December 1990). "The Case Against Swami Rama of The Himalayas". Yoga Journal. ^ 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. ^ ahymsin.org ^ Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust ^ http://www.swamiramasociety.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BFB21.pdf ^ $1.9 Million Awarded In Sex Scandal An Ex-follower Of Sri Swami Rama Said He Forced Himself On Her. Further reading Edit Biographies Walking with a Himalayan Master: An American's Odyssey, by Justin O'Brien (ISBN 0936663197) At the feet of a Himalayan Master: Remembering Swami Rama vol 1 by Dr Prakash Keshaviah (ISBN 9788188157624) At the feet of a Himalayan Master: Remembering Swami Rama vol 2 by Dr Prakash (ISBN 9788188157662) A Multi Splendoured Sage: His holiness Dr Swami Rama of the Himalayas by K S Duggal Swami Rama of the Himalayas: His Life & Mission by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait (ISBN 0893891495) Swami by Doug Boyd (ISBN 0893891428) 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 Probe the Unknown-Incredible but True Stories from this Baffling World 1973 Britannica Yearbook of Science and the Future External links Edit Swami Rama Articles Himalayan Institute's Official Website Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, founded in India by Swami Rama Interview with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD Literature from the Himalayan Tradition (Swami Rama's) -- An Annotated Bibliography Swami Rama Society-Yogi Last edited 25 days ago by an anonymous user RELATED ARTICLES Brahmananda Saraswati Indian gurudeva and monk Swami Veda Bharati Indian writer Keshavananda Brahmachari  Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. 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