Bikram Choudhury, the founder of the Bikram school of hot yoga, told a student "I need to spiritually enlighten you" as he raped her, according to one of a blizzard of lawsuits against him
The 67-year-old Indian yoga master is being sued by five different women in the California courts, alleging that he used his guru status to lure in victims and then "crush anyone who speaks against him".
Mr Choudhury's method of Bikram Yoga, practiced at 105F (41C) heat, has become wildly popular in Britain and the US and its celebrity devotees include Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga and David Beckham.
Yet court documents describe a cult-like atmosphere where the charismatic Mr Choudhury would tell young women training to be instructors they had been "touched by God" before forcing himself upon them.
He "used his status as a guru to identify and victimise the most vulnerable women from among his flock, grooming them, breaking down barriers, and ultimately assaulting them when they were at their most physically, emotionally, or financially vulnerable," according to court papers.
The lawsuits - which contains allegations of rape, sexual battery, fraud and false imprisonment - are also levelled against 25 unnamed members of Mr Choudhury's inner circle who allegedly knew of his behaviour "yet did nothing to prevent this from happening".
Mr Choudhury has previously denied the charges but neither he nor his staff responded to a request for comment.
The Calcutta native founded the Bikram Yoga system in the early 1970s and is practiced by millions across the world, generating a fortune that Mr Choudhury has turned towards Rolexes and Rolls Royces.
Among his fleet of cars is a Royal Daimler he said once belonged to the Howard Hughes, the reclusive millionaire, and includes a toilet in the back seat.
But his yoga empire is now under siege in the Los Angeles courts, where four former students and his ex-legal advisor are pursuing him.
One woman, named only as Jane Doe 2 in court documents, said she enrolled in a $13,000, nine-week instructor training course taught by Mr Choudhury, where he insisted students wear "tight, skimpy clothing" and banned them from having green clothes.
Students were allegedly taught that Bikram Yoga could "cure cancer" and "enable practitioners to live to be 100 years old" and that Mr Choudhury "is on the same level as Jesus Christ or the Buddha".
Mr Choudhury allegedly singled out Jane Doe 2 among his students, telling her: "You will be greater than Mother Teresa, but you have to follow me."
On the night of November 18, 2010, Ms Doe alleges that the guru invited her to come to his room to discuss a job offer at his headquarters.
Moments before raping her, Mr Choudhury said: "I need to spiritually enlighten you. In order to do that, we need to become one," according to court documents.
Larissa Anderson, another of the plaintiffs, claimed she "found herself drawn into a cult and made a victim of gender violence".
Ms Anderson claims that Mr Choudhury sexually assaulted her on Halloween, 2011, and "subsequently retaliated against...her business as a result of refusing his advances".
The Bikram Yoga school is tightly-controlled and has filed lawsuits against yoga studios that it believes are copying its methods.
Ms Anderson alleges that after she resisted him, Mr Choudhury refused to endorse her studio or allow it be listed as an official Bikram Yoga practice, causing damage to her business.
In June, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, Mr Choudhury's former legal advisor filed suit against him, saying he presided over "a hyper-sexualised, offensive and degrading environment for women".
She alleged he was ordered not to investigate claims that a student had been raped during one of the teacher-training courses.
During a separate investigation of alleged sexual assault by male trainers, Mr Choudhury allegedly told her "those boys didn't do nothing to that stupid girl".
Mr Choudhury released a statement in March in response to one of the first lawsuits, saying he was "disappointed by the false charges" but would not comment further.
Bikram Yoga is plagued with reports of teachers preying on young women.
In Sydney Australia a teenage girl (name withheld) accused a Darlinghurst teacher, Darren Ma of plying her with drugs and trying to have sex with her. Another girl who was also underage at the time said, "He would always be touching me innappropiately but I thought this was yoga and he was adjusting me and so I tried to ignore my feelings about it. Once he tried to get me to take some drugs as he said they would help me "open up" but I refused. I talked to another woman about it and she said that he would often try to get women and girls to take drugs to get them into a state where he could take advantage of them. Once I found out that this was happening to other women too and I just left. I just wanted to get out of there so I didn't press charges but now I wish I did because he could be doing the same thing to other young girls."
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Thai Monks Behaving Badly
BANGKOK — Thailand's Buddhism body said it is monitoring monks
nationwide for any inappropriate behavior after a video showed monks
using luxurious personal items while flying on a private jet.
The YouTube video showed one of the monks was wearing stylish aviator sunglasses, carrying a luxury brand travel bag and sporting a pair of modern-looking wireless headphones. It attracted criticism from Buddhists nationwide.
Office of National Buddhism director-general Nopparat Benjawatananun said Monday that the agency saw the video early this year and had warned the monks from a monastery in Thailand's northeast not to repeat the lavish behavior.
A country with the world's largest Buddhist population, Thailand has attempted to help Buddha's 2,600-year-old doctrine stand the test of time through a variety of means, including banning the sale of alcohol on religious holidays. The efforts, however, are sometimes tainted by the Buddhist monks themselves.
Last year, about 300 out of 61,416 Buddhist monks and novices in Thailand were reprimanded – and several were removed from the monkhood – because of misconduct ranging from alcohol consumption, having sex with women to extortion. The Office also received complaints about monks driving cars, and scams and false claims of black magic uses by monks.
Nopparat said the Buddhist monks in the video were acting "inappropriately, not composed and not adhering to Buddha's teachings of simplicity and self-restraint."
Monruedee Bantoengsuk, an administrative officer at Khantitham Temple in Sisaket province, confirmed to The Associated Press that the monks on the private plane lived at the temple but refused to give details about the trip.
"We can explain this, but not now," she said, saying that the abbot, who appeared in the video, is currently on a religious tour in France.
The images from the video contrasted with the abbot's message on the temple's homepage that read: "The true core of those who preach Buddha's teachings is to not to own any objects at all."
"When Lord Buddha was alive, there wasn't anything like this. There were no cars, smart phones or cameras, so the rules were much simpler," said Nopparat. "While the monks need to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge, current events and technology, they are restrained to choose the appropriate tools."
He said one way to prevent the monks from misbehaving is for followers not to spoil them with valuable objects or vices. "In many cases, it was the followers who gave the monks the luxury. Some bought them sports cars. This is by no means necessary."
The YouTube video showed one of the monks was wearing stylish aviator sunglasses, carrying a luxury brand travel bag and sporting a pair of modern-looking wireless headphones. It attracted criticism from Buddhists nationwide.
Office of National Buddhism director-general Nopparat Benjawatananun said Monday that the agency saw the video early this year and had warned the monks from a monastery in Thailand's northeast not to repeat the lavish behavior.
A country with the world's largest Buddhist population, Thailand has attempted to help Buddha's 2,600-year-old doctrine stand the test of time through a variety of means, including banning the sale of alcohol on religious holidays. The efforts, however, are sometimes tainted by the Buddhist monks themselves.
Last year, about 300 out of 61,416 Buddhist monks and novices in Thailand were reprimanded – and several were removed from the monkhood – because of misconduct ranging from alcohol consumption, having sex with women to extortion. The Office also received complaints about monks driving cars, and scams and false claims of black magic uses by monks.
Nopparat said the Buddhist monks in the video were acting "inappropriately, not composed and not adhering to Buddha's teachings of simplicity and self-restraint."
Monruedee Bantoengsuk, an administrative officer at Khantitham Temple in Sisaket province, confirmed to The Associated Press that the monks on the private plane lived at the temple but refused to give details about the trip.
"We can explain this, but not now," she said, saying that the abbot, who appeared in the video, is currently on a religious tour in France.
The images from the video contrasted with the abbot's message on the temple's homepage that read: "The true core of those who preach Buddha's teachings is to not to own any objects at all."
"When Lord Buddha was alive, there wasn't anything like this. There were no cars, smart phones or cameras, so the rules were much simpler," said Nopparat. "While the monks need to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge, current events and technology, they are restrained to choose the appropriate tools."
He said one way to prevent the monks from misbehaving is for followers not to spoil them with valuable objects or vices. "In many cases, it was the followers who gave the monks the luxury. Some bought them sports cars. This is by no means necessary."
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Korean Buddhist monks' riot injures 40
IT SOUNDS like a scene from a Bruce Lee film, or perhaps one of the wackier Monty Python episodes: rival gangs of martial arts monks beating up one another, throwing one another down the stairs and bombarding one another with potted plants, stones, petrol bombs and fire extinguishers. But this was the scene yesterday in Seoul, the South Korean capital, after 12 hours' fighting between members of the country's biggest Buddhist sect.
By the time it had died down at dawn, 40 people had been injured, some seriously, during the worst battle yet in a civil war in the Chogye Temple.
Late on Monday 2,000 monks of the Chogye sect gathered from all over the country to seize control of their administrative headquarters from 800 dissidents who occupied it three weeks ago.
Several thousand riot police looked on as the attackers turned over a lorry and used a bulldozer to clear a barricade of logs in front of the building. Shielding themselves with panels of wood, the attackers reached the first floor, but were beaten back by a rain of stones, petrol bombs, hoses and fire extinguishers. Elderly members of the temple's congregation attempting to separate and pacify the two sides came to blows with the monks, who shouted at them to go home.
The violence began last month after the sect's "executive chief", the Venerable Song Wol Ju, announced his intention to stand for re-election to the position. His opponents objected that this was against the rules: according to the sect's constitution, an incumbent abbot is not allowed to serve more than two terms, and the Venerable Song was proposing to stand for a third time. But his supporters say his first term, a six-month stint in the 1980s, did not count - after falling out with South Korea's then military rulers, he fled the country, cutting short his tenure. In any case, the rule about a third term was passed only in 1994, after he had been elected for the second time.
On 11 November, the night before the election, a dissident group, the "Committee for Purification", stormed the headquarters, ejecting the Songist forces. The election was cancelled and the chief monk said he had changed his mind about standing.
But the occupation has continued, despite an initial attempt to retake the temple a fortnight ago. "Those religious figures who are supposed to set good spiritual examples for ordinary people are only showing their vulgar humanity," wrote the Korea Times under the headline "Shame on Buddhist Monks!". "One cannot help but shake one's head in dismay on seeing the violence."
But there is a lot at stake in the leadership of the Chogye sect, founded on principles of meditation and contemplation 1,000 years ago during Korea's Koryo period.
As head of the order the chief monk commands a budget of $10m (pounds 6.2m) a year; 1,700 appointments are his to make. The local monastic chiefs he chooses manage substantial properties owned by the order
"The rival monks are proving themselves to be the stereotypical greedy monks," the Korea Times said. "As [one] saying puts it, `They are indifferent to the prayers to Buddha. They are only interested in the rice offered to Buddha'."
The dispute is bringing relief to a small corner of the economy, ravaged by the Asian currency crisis. Hotels and restaurants near the temple are enjoying a boom with the patronage of the angry monks and hundreds of "bodyguards" hired to do their dirty work.
By the time it had died down at dawn, 40 people had been injured, some seriously, during the worst battle yet in a civil war in the Chogye Temple.
Late on Monday 2,000 monks of the Chogye sect gathered from all over the country to seize control of their administrative headquarters from 800 dissidents who occupied it three weeks ago.
Several thousand riot police looked on as the attackers turned over a lorry and used a bulldozer to clear a barricade of logs in front of the building. Shielding themselves with panels of wood, the attackers reached the first floor, but were beaten back by a rain of stones, petrol bombs, hoses and fire extinguishers. Elderly members of the temple's congregation attempting to separate and pacify the two sides came to blows with the monks, who shouted at them to go home.
The violence began last month after the sect's "executive chief", the Venerable Song Wol Ju, announced his intention to stand for re-election to the position. His opponents objected that this was against the rules: according to the sect's constitution, an incumbent abbot is not allowed to serve more than two terms, and the Venerable Song was proposing to stand for a third time. But his supporters say his first term, a six-month stint in the 1980s, did not count - after falling out with South Korea's then military rulers, he fled the country, cutting short his tenure. In any case, the rule about a third term was passed only in 1994, after he had been elected for the second time.
On 11 November, the night before the election, a dissident group, the "Committee for Purification", stormed the headquarters, ejecting the Songist forces. The election was cancelled and the chief monk said he had changed his mind about standing.
But the occupation has continued, despite an initial attempt to retake the temple a fortnight ago. "Those religious figures who are supposed to set good spiritual examples for ordinary people are only showing their vulgar humanity," wrote the Korea Times under the headline "Shame on Buddhist Monks!". "One cannot help but shake one's head in dismay on seeing the violence."
But there is a lot at stake in the leadership of the Chogye sect, founded on principles of meditation and contemplation 1,000 years ago during Korea's Koryo period.
As head of the order the chief monk commands a budget of $10m (pounds 6.2m) a year; 1,700 appointments are his to make. The local monastic chiefs he chooses manage substantial properties owned by the order
"The rival monks are proving themselves to be the stereotypical greedy monks," the Korea Times said. "As [one] saying puts it, `They are indifferent to the prayers to Buddha. They are only interested in the rice offered to Buddha'."
The dispute is bringing relief to a small corner of the economy, ravaged by the Asian currency crisis. Hotels and restaurants near the temple are enjoying a boom with the patronage of the angry monks and hundreds of "bodyguards" hired to do their dirty work.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
An Open Letter to the Yoga Community One Year After Resigning My Anusara Certification
Almost one year ago I resigned my Anusara certification.
Between then and now I’ve done a lot of processing, a lot of quiet mulling and a lot of speaking up. I’ve been inspired by new freedom. I’ve invested in some close new friendships while thrilling to say, “Sayonara!” to other former associates. I have grown myself up.
None of my experience is relevant to Yoga Journal. They have yet to find the disintegration of Anusara yoga newsworthy.
One of the best–and hardest–things for me this year has been the shattering of beloved protocols I knew both by heart, and by rote. I’ve taken steps–tentative at first and then more assured–outside the comfortable box in which I had safely–or so I thought!–dwelled for over a decade. I have decided what I think makes for good yoga and also reclaimed interests in things other than yoga. I’ve questioned pretty much everything–including whether or not to continue on in this profession.
Questioning everything is good work but it’s exhausting. Moving on: it’s not the unilaterally forward trajectory we might hope for. All this year I have looked both forward and back. Word trickles in, mostly through Facebook; John Friend is teaching again.
Oof.
It hurts.
It hurts to learn that some knowingly choose to attend his workshops. I mean, it’s not an incapacitating kind of hurt, or something I ruminate upon every moment of the day, but it is something I think about. I realize that it is beyond my control. I don’t presume to tell anyone what to do. I’m just explaining how it lands on me.
It’s like saying, “Hey, I know this person broke your heart and the hearts of so many others, and detrimentally affected your livelihoods, and made having sex with him one of the most viable ways to advance professionally in his organization. I have heard the accounts of how he predated upon women who’d been sexually abused, and engineered career-devastating blacklists against teachers who dared stand up to him. So he subjected uncomfortable workers in his office to viewing photos of himself being fellated? So he used the Anusara data base as a mechanism for inflicting unwelcome sexual advances? So he is a self-admitted, ‘Master Manipulator’? So he intended to fire employees while assuring them that their jobs were secure? So what? My desire to have a good time is more important than all that.”
It feels about equivalent to being flipped the bird.
“No matter what he’s done, he’s still a good teacher,” I read on Facebook.
To which I say, “No.”
No.
No, because good teachers do not prey upon their students and employees. Good teachers may have private lives but they do not have secret lives. Good teachers don’t lie. They don’t injure students so severely that they can’t walk or even sit, and then climb upon stage boasting: “Not a single person has ever been hurt during any of my events.” Good teachers don’t abruptly, imperiously demand 10% of community earnings because they’re overextended and short on cash.
Good teachers do not do any of these things. Therefore by my calculations John Friend cannot be good teacher.
No matter how it gets dismissed and spun, the outrage of the community was never about a little pot and a little sex. It was always about the abuse of power. I’ll never understand why we resent the Bernie Madoffs and Jeffrey Skillings of the world but don’t seem to mind abuse at the hands of famous, charismatic yogis.
“But what about forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness?” so many of us are asked. “When do you forgive, forgive, forgive? You’re only hurting yourself, yourself, yourself…”
Well, I believe in forgiveness. Much like respect, I believe it is a privilege that is earned rather than a god given entitlement. I decline indiscriminate forgiveness and am here to report that it’s not deleterious.
Where my trust has been violated, I determine when–and if–to forgive. Claiming that prerogative for myself is a way of respecting myself. Being too quick to forgive is a good way to enable people who need help, a better way to encourage repeat abuse, and the very best way to bypass emotions that–although painful–would be better felt.
Yet I find no shortage of people who tell me how to feel; no lack of readiness to police my emotions. I would be shamed if I allowed myself to be.
But I refuse.
I shall of course receive emails after posting this letter. I shall be the recipient of advice from those who would police my feelings and tell me–for my own good and with love–exactly what should be in my heart. Let the illuminating begin.
The irony is that I’m mostly not dwelling on John Friend. I’m about the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m exhausted but, emotionally, feel good. This blog post is just a tiny snippet of my reality–not its sum total.
So, yeah, sometimes I find myself revisiting the past and it bugs me but then I remember the present. Sometimes I even dare to dream a little daydream about the future.
And I smile.
Bernadette Birney
Between then and now I’ve done a lot of processing, a lot of quiet mulling and a lot of speaking up. I’ve been inspired by new freedom. I’ve invested in some close new friendships while thrilling to say, “Sayonara!” to other former associates. I have grown myself up.
None of my experience is relevant to Yoga Journal. They have yet to find the disintegration of Anusara yoga newsworthy.
One of the best–and hardest–things for me this year has been the shattering of beloved protocols I knew both by heart, and by rote. I’ve taken steps–tentative at first and then more assured–outside the comfortable box in which I had safely–or so I thought!–dwelled for over a decade. I have decided what I think makes for good yoga and also reclaimed interests in things other than yoga. I’ve questioned pretty much everything–including whether or not to continue on in this profession.
Questioning everything is good work but it’s exhausting. Moving on: it’s not the unilaterally forward trajectory we might hope for. All this year I have looked both forward and back. Word trickles in, mostly through Facebook; John Friend is teaching again.
Oof.
It hurts.
It hurts to learn that some knowingly choose to attend his workshops. I mean, it’s not an incapacitating kind of hurt, or something I ruminate upon every moment of the day, but it is something I think about. I realize that it is beyond my control. I don’t presume to tell anyone what to do. I’m just explaining how it lands on me.
It’s like saying, “Hey, I know this person broke your heart and the hearts of so many others, and detrimentally affected your livelihoods, and made having sex with him one of the most viable ways to advance professionally in his organization. I have heard the accounts of how he predated upon women who’d been sexually abused, and engineered career-devastating blacklists against teachers who dared stand up to him. So he subjected uncomfortable workers in his office to viewing photos of himself being fellated? So he used the Anusara data base as a mechanism for inflicting unwelcome sexual advances? So he is a self-admitted, ‘Master Manipulator’? So he intended to fire employees while assuring them that their jobs were secure? So what? My desire to have a good time is more important than all that.”
It feels about equivalent to being flipped the bird.
“No matter what he’s done, he’s still a good teacher,” I read on Facebook.
To which I say, “No.”
No.
No, because good teachers do not prey upon their students and employees. Good teachers may have private lives but they do not have secret lives. Good teachers don’t lie. They don’t injure students so severely that they can’t walk or even sit, and then climb upon stage boasting: “Not a single person has ever been hurt during any of my events.” Good teachers don’t abruptly, imperiously demand 10% of community earnings because they’re overextended and short on cash.
Good teachers do not do any of these things. Therefore by my calculations John Friend cannot be good teacher.
No matter how it gets dismissed and spun, the outrage of the community was never about a little pot and a little sex. It was always about the abuse of power. I’ll never understand why we resent the Bernie Madoffs and Jeffrey Skillings of the world but don’t seem to mind abuse at the hands of famous, charismatic yogis.
“But what about forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness?” so many of us are asked. “When do you forgive, forgive, forgive? You’re only hurting yourself, yourself, yourself…”
Well, I believe in forgiveness. Much like respect, I believe it is a privilege that is earned rather than a god given entitlement. I decline indiscriminate forgiveness and am here to report that it’s not deleterious.
Where my trust has been violated, I determine when–and if–to forgive. Claiming that prerogative for myself is a way of respecting myself. Being too quick to forgive is a good way to enable people who need help, a better way to encourage repeat abuse, and the very best way to bypass emotions that–although painful–would be better felt.
Yet I find no shortage of people who tell me how to feel; no lack of readiness to police my emotions. I would be shamed if I allowed myself to be.
But I refuse.
I shall of course receive emails after posting this letter. I shall be the recipient of advice from those who would police my feelings and tell me–for my own good and with love–exactly what should be in my heart. Let the illuminating begin.
The irony is that I’m mostly not dwelling on John Friend. I’m about the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m exhausted but, emotionally, feel good. This blog post is just a tiny snippet of my reality–not its sum total.
So, yeah, sometimes I find myself revisiting the past and it bugs me but then I remember the present. Sometimes I even dare to dream a little daydream about the future.
And I smile.
Bernadette Birney
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
TIME: 'Burmese bin Laden' — The face of Buddhist terror
A Buddhist monk Wirathu calling himself Burmese bin Laden was recently labeled on the cover of Time magazine as the Face of Buddhist Terror. He is the Buddhist monk accused of stoking religious hatred across Burma, said NBC News contributor MacGregor.
Briefly describing what’s in its printed version entitled “The Face of Buddhist Terror,” TIME says “His face as still and serene as a statue's, the Buddhist monk who has taken the title ‘the Burmese bin Laden’ begins his sermon. Hundreds of worshippers sit before him, palms pressed together, sweat trickling silently down their sticky backs. On cue, the crowd chants with the man in burgundy robes, the mantras drifting through the sultry air of a temple in Mandalay, Burma's second biggest city after Rangoon. It seems a peaceful scene, but Wirathu's message crackles with hate: Now is not the time for calm.”
Sparked widespread protests across the country, Burmese government banned the TIME magazine portraying Ashin Wirathu as the Burmese bin Laden. Circa said Wirathu leads the radical Buddhist group 969 which says that the country's Muslim minority threatens national security and racial purity. Violence against Muslims has resulted in 250 deaths and displaced 150,000 people in the past year.
NBC News contributor Fiona MacGregor said Wirathu had been accused of inciting violence against Myanmar's Muslim minority with fiery sermons claiming the growth of Islam is putting Buddhism and Burmese culture at risk. About 200 people have been killed by violence since religious riots erupted in June 2012 and tens of thousands fled after homes owned were burned by mobs. “I believe Islam is a threat not just for Buddhism, but for the people and the country and the religion,” NBC said citing the monk. Wirathu laughed at the TIME report branding him the Buddhist bin Laden. As cited by NBC he said "People used to write things like that about me on Facebook, call me that, and the 'bald Bin Laden,' all sorts of names," he said. "I ended up calling myself that as a joke ... and it got reported from there."
Members of Burma’s Buddhist majority, including some of its much-respected monks, are increasingly persecuting the country’s long-suffering Muslim minority and adopting an ideology that encourages religious violence, said Washington Post.
Talking about the same monk, the New York Times said that after a ritual prayer atoning for past sins, Ashin Wirathu sat before an overflowing crowd of thousands of devotees and launched into a rant against what he called the enemy — the country’s Muslim minority. “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog,” Ashin Wirathu said, referring to Muslims. “I call them troublemakers, because they are troublemakers,” Ashin Wirathu told a reporter after his two-hour sermon. “I am proud to be called a radical Buddhist.”
The world has grown accustomed to a gentle image of Buddhism defined by the self-effacing words of the Dalai Lama, the global popularity of Buddhist-inspired meditation and postcard-perfect scenes from Southeast Asia and beyond of crimson-robed, barefoot monks receiving alms from villagers at dawn. But over the past year, images of rampaging Burmese Buddhists carrying swords and the vituperative sermons of monks like Ashin Wirathu have underlined the rise of extreme Buddhism in Myanmar — and revealed a darker side of the country’s greater freedoms after decades of military rule.
It was Wirathu who led a rally of monks in Mandalay to defend President Thein Sein's controversial plan to send the Rohingya to a third country said the Guardian. One month later, more violence broke out in Rakhine state. Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been criticized for not taking a greater stand against the violence that has racked Burma in recent months. Some have pointed to the seemingly planned nature of many of the attacks; UN special envoy Vijay Nambiar said the violence had a "brutal efficiency" and cited "incendiary propaganda" as stirring up trouble.
Briefly describing what’s in its printed version entitled “The Face of Buddhist Terror,” TIME says “His face as still and serene as a statue's, the Buddhist monk who has taken the title ‘the Burmese bin Laden’ begins his sermon. Hundreds of worshippers sit before him, palms pressed together, sweat trickling silently down their sticky backs. On cue, the crowd chants with the man in burgundy robes, the mantras drifting through the sultry air of a temple in Mandalay, Burma's second biggest city after Rangoon. It seems a peaceful scene, but Wirathu's message crackles with hate: Now is not the time for calm.”
Sparked widespread protests across the country, Burmese government banned the TIME magazine portraying Ashin Wirathu as the Burmese bin Laden. Circa said Wirathu leads the radical Buddhist group 969 which says that the country's Muslim minority threatens national security and racial purity. Violence against Muslims has resulted in 250 deaths and displaced 150,000 people in the past year.
NBC News contributor Fiona MacGregor said Wirathu had been accused of inciting violence against Myanmar's Muslim minority with fiery sermons claiming the growth of Islam is putting Buddhism and Burmese culture at risk. About 200 people have been killed by violence since religious riots erupted in June 2012 and tens of thousands fled after homes owned were burned by mobs. “I believe Islam is a threat not just for Buddhism, but for the people and the country and the religion,” NBC said citing the monk. Wirathu laughed at the TIME report branding him the Buddhist bin Laden. As cited by NBC he said "People used to write things like that about me on Facebook, call me that, and the 'bald Bin Laden,' all sorts of names," he said. "I ended up calling myself that as a joke ... and it got reported from there."
Members of Burma’s Buddhist majority, including some of its much-respected monks, are increasingly persecuting the country’s long-suffering Muslim minority and adopting an ideology that encourages religious violence, said Washington Post.
Talking about the same monk, the New York Times said that after a ritual prayer atoning for past sins, Ashin Wirathu sat before an overflowing crowd of thousands of devotees and launched into a rant against what he called the enemy — the country’s Muslim minority. “You can be full of kindness and love, but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog,” Ashin Wirathu said, referring to Muslims. “I call them troublemakers, because they are troublemakers,” Ashin Wirathu told a reporter after his two-hour sermon. “I am proud to be called a radical Buddhist.”
The world has grown accustomed to a gentle image of Buddhism defined by the self-effacing words of the Dalai Lama, the global popularity of Buddhist-inspired meditation and postcard-perfect scenes from Southeast Asia and beyond of crimson-robed, barefoot monks receiving alms from villagers at dawn. But over the past year, images of rampaging Burmese Buddhists carrying swords and the vituperative sermons of monks like Ashin Wirathu have underlined the rise of extreme Buddhism in Myanmar — and revealed a darker side of the country’s greater freedoms after decades of military rule.
It was Wirathu who led a rally of monks in Mandalay to defend President Thein Sein's controversial plan to send the Rohingya to a third country said the Guardian. One month later, more violence broke out in Rakhine state. Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been criticized for not taking a greater stand against the violence that has racked Burma in recent months. Some have pointed to the seemingly planned nature of many of the attacks; UN special envoy Vijay Nambiar said the violence had a "brutal efficiency" and cited "incendiary propaganda" as stirring up trouble.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The Ratu Bagus Cult
Ratu Bagus runs a cult that operates in Bali and is based around a practice of shaking similar to that which was popularized by Osho. The idea is that the Spirit shakes the body which frees blocked energy and heals sickness of the body, mind and emotions. It's certainly a good workout and similar to Bikram Yoga many feel great after a shake but whether this is due to the endorphin rush or the "shaking of the Spirit" is arguable.
Ratu Bagus also shares with Bikram numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. From women who are asked, bullied and intimidated to "shake" with the founder himself in the bedroom, nude of course and in bed, to allegations of child abuse which are particularly disturbing.
To date there have been 11 allegations of sexual misconduct and many witnesses have come forth with claims of sexual harassment and abuse.
Ratu Bagus also shares with Bikram numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. From women who are asked, bullied and intimidated to "shake" with the founder himself in the bedroom, nude of course and in bed, to allegations of child abuse which are particularly disturbing.
To date there have been 11 allegations of sexual misconduct and many witnesses have come forth with claims of sexual harassment and abuse.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Two Women Claim Yoga Guru Bikram Choudhury Raped Them
Millionaire yoga guru Bikram Choudhury raped two students, and his acolytes recruit women for him knowing what's in store for them, two Jane Does say in separate lawsuits.
Jane Doe No. 2 sued Choudhury and Bikram Yoga College of India in Superior Court on Monday, alleging sexual battery, false imprisonment, discrimination, harassment and seven other counts. Jane Doe No. 1 filed a similar complaint Tuesday against the same defendants in the same court.
The two lawsuits follow one from another former student, Sarah Baughn, who claimed in March this year that Choudhury made sexual advances while she was training to be a teacher in 2005. That complaint alleged sexual harassment, but not rape.
In her complaint, Jane Doe No. 2 claims that Choudhury raped her in November 2010 after her boyfriend gave her a gift to be trained as a teacher at Choudhury's Bikram Yoga studio in San Diego. Doe No. 2 says in the complaint that defendant Does 1-25, "other persons in defendant Bikram Choudhury's inner circle, were aware of defendant Bikram Choudhury's pattern and practice of causing, inducing or persuading young women to enroll in teacher training classes to become yoga instructors only so he can sexually assault and/or rape them." She claims the Doe defendants knew this was in the cards, but "did nothing to prevent this from happening to plaintiff or to protect her."
Her 36-page complaint claims there is a disturbing cult-like environment in the studios, where studio owners and instructors enroll attractive, vulnerable young women for Choudhury to sexually assault or rape.
Choudhury's Bikram Yoga franchise is a form of Hatha Yoga practiced in studios heated to 105 degrees. Doe No. 2 claims the brutal nine-week teacher training program cost $13,000. During the program, students must abstain from sex, are taught that Bikram Yoga can cure cancer and other diseases, and instructed that Choudhury is akin to a God, she says in the complaint.
During teacher training, "every moment of a student's day is controlled by the schedule set by defendant Bikram Choudhury," the complaint states. "The day usually starts at 7:00 a.m., and ends between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Students are required to attend each and every class and spend eight plus hours a day being instructed. When they can eat, what they can drink during class (water only, and even that is heavily frowned upon by defendant), what they wear (must not wear color green and must wear tight, skimpy clothing), the expressions on their face, the words that come out of their mouths and the position of their bodies are all controlled by defendant Choudhury and other instructors."
Doe No. 2 claims the grueling schedule was designed to "break down her body, will and spirit," and brainwash her with Choudhury's "vision and teachings."
She describes Choudhury as a combustible tyrant who orders students during classes to remain mute, and treat him "with unquestioning obedience."
"Students are also often required to attend evening lectures, where defendant Choudhury rants on subjects including his negative views on certain races; negative views on homosexuality; the moral lassitude of Americans; his guru; his views on sex, marriage, and relationships; and whatever else he should care to talk about," the complaint states.
Some students are pushed so hard they faint, vomit, urinate on themselves, or suffer heat strokes and seizures, Doe says in the complaint. "Other students have reported that it is common for students to collapse and be unable to rise, or to be overcome with weeping in a room full of hundreds of people due to the sheer physical exhaustion," the complaint states.
Doe claims that before she entered into teacher training, she was a "happy carefree person."
Though she was initially flattered by the "special attention" and compliments she received from Choudhury in class, she says that changed when he made advances and professed his love for her. She says she rebuffed Choudhury and reminded him that she had a boyfriend and that he was married. But his advances continued until he sexually assaulted her on Nov. 18, 2010 in his room at the studio, she says in the complaint.
Doe claims that on the night of the attack, Choundhury told her he wanted to discuss a job offer in his room. "Defendant Bikram Choudhury said he saw himself in plaintiff (he had said that to her before) and that, 'I need to spiritually enlighten you. In order to do that, we need to become one.' Then, without warning or consent, defendant Bikram Choudhury forcefully pulled plaintiff towards him and had one hand around her and the other was unbuttoning her jeans. He hooked his hand at the top of her pants and tried to pull them down with force," the complaint states.
Though in a "weakened state" from her training, Doe says she pushed Choudhury away, but he threatened her, grabbed her by the wrist and forced her into his bedroom. "Defendant Bikram Choudhury pulled her pants down and forced her onto the bed. Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 could not stop crying and kept begging him over and over to stop. He forced his unprotected penis in her vagina. Within moments it was over. The only thing defendant Bikram Choudhury said was, 'How many times did you come?'
Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 was in pain, in shock and could not speak. Defendant Bikram Choudhury then ordered plaintiff to watch him until he fell asleep," according to the complaint.
Doe adds: "The next day during lecture, defendant Bikram Choudhury made offensive sexual comments to the whole class. It was demoralizing and humiliating. He told the plaintiff and rest of the class that when he first moved to the U.S. women raped him all the time and taught him how to have sex. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said he would have sex marathons. Then he started talking about women's bodies and how he liked 'pussy' without hair on it. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said, 'I can't stand fat unattractive women.' As he spoke, his voice was becoming more and more intense and his language more vulgar.'"
Doe claims the defendant studio did nothing to protect her from Choudhury. She claims that a male instructor her to finish the program, telling her: "'We all know how Bikram is, that's just part of it.'"
She claims: "During graduation, defendant Bikram Choudhury insisted that plaintiff stay by his side the whole time. By this point her spirit was drained and she was operating out of total fear. Defendant Bikram Choudhury made her sit next to him at the dinner table even though his wife Rajashtee (Raj) was there. It was humiliating. At one point during the dinner, as if knowing what had happened, Raj told defendant Bikram Choudhury to 'let her go.'"
Doe claims that when she told Choudhury she planned to leave the studio, he told her, among other things, "'If you fuck with me, I'll fuck with you.' …
"Plaintiff Jane Doe No. 2's life unraveled after she returned home. Her long term relationship fell apart, she went into a severe depression, attempted suicide, started drinking, doing drugs, engaged in uncharacteristically impulsive behavior, quit her job and cut off communication from almost everyone in her life," the complaint states.
She says she "lived in constant fear" that Choudhury would come to her home and attack her. Doe claims that some people enter the United States illegally to "volunteer" in the program.
"Once in the United States, these 'volunteers' are required to serve defendant Bikram Choudhury for zero or little pay. Their duties include grooming him, massaging him, making his tea, bring him food and being forced to submit to sexual assaults and rapes against their will," according to the complaint.
oe seeks punitive damages, lost wages, and costs. Jane Doe No. 1's complaint is substantially the same. She claims that Choudhury raped her twice.
Both women are represented by Mary Shea Hagebols with Shea Law Offices, of Oakland.
Jane Doe No. 2 sued Choudhury and Bikram Yoga College of India in Superior Court on Monday, alleging sexual battery, false imprisonment, discrimination, harassment and seven other counts. Jane Doe No. 1 filed a similar complaint Tuesday against the same defendants in the same court.
The two lawsuits follow one from another former student, Sarah Baughn, who claimed in March this year that Choudhury made sexual advances while she was training to be a teacher in 2005. That complaint alleged sexual harassment, but not rape.
In her complaint, Jane Doe No. 2 claims that Choudhury raped her in November 2010 after her boyfriend gave her a gift to be trained as a teacher at Choudhury's Bikram Yoga studio in San Diego. Doe No. 2 says in the complaint that defendant Does 1-25, "other persons in defendant Bikram Choudhury's inner circle, were aware of defendant Bikram Choudhury's pattern and practice of causing, inducing or persuading young women to enroll in teacher training classes to become yoga instructors only so he can sexually assault and/or rape them." She claims the Doe defendants knew this was in the cards, but "did nothing to prevent this from happening to plaintiff or to protect her."
Her 36-page complaint claims there is a disturbing cult-like environment in the studios, where studio owners and instructors enroll attractive, vulnerable young women for Choudhury to sexually assault or rape.
Choudhury's Bikram Yoga franchise is a form of Hatha Yoga practiced in studios heated to 105 degrees. Doe No. 2 claims the brutal nine-week teacher training program cost $13,000. During the program, students must abstain from sex, are taught that Bikram Yoga can cure cancer and other diseases, and instructed that Choudhury is akin to a God, she says in the complaint.
During teacher training, "every moment of a student's day is controlled by the schedule set by defendant Bikram Choudhury," the complaint states. "The day usually starts at 7:00 a.m., and ends between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Students are required to attend each and every class and spend eight plus hours a day being instructed. When they can eat, what they can drink during class (water only, and even that is heavily frowned upon by defendant), what they wear (must not wear color green and must wear tight, skimpy clothing), the expressions on their face, the words that come out of their mouths and the position of their bodies are all controlled by defendant Choudhury and other instructors."
Doe No. 2 claims the grueling schedule was designed to "break down her body, will and spirit," and brainwash her with Choudhury's "vision and teachings."
She describes Choudhury as a combustible tyrant who orders students during classes to remain mute, and treat him "with unquestioning obedience."
"Students are also often required to attend evening lectures, where defendant Choudhury rants on subjects including his negative views on certain races; negative views on homosexuality; the moral lassitude of Americans; his guru; his views on sex, marriage, and relationships; and whatever else he should care to talk about," the complaint states.
Some students are pushed so hard they faint, vomit, urinate on themselves, or suffer heat strokes and seizures, Doe says in the complaint. "Other students have reported that it is common for students to collapse and be unable to rise, or to be overcome with weeping in a room full of hundreds of people due to the sheer physical exhaustion," the complaint states.
Doe claims that before she entered into teacher training, she was a "happy carefree person."
Though she was initially flattered by the "special attention" and compliments she received from Choudhury in class, she says that changed when he made advances and professed his love for her. She says she rebuffed Choudhury and reminded him that she had a boyfriend and that he was married. But his advances continued until he sexually assaulted her on Nov. 18, 2010 in his room at the studio, she says in the complaint.
Doe claims that on the night of the attack, Choundhury told her he wanted to discuss a job offer in his room. "Defendant Bikram Choudhury said he saw himself in plaintiff (he had said that to her before) and that, 'I need to spiritually enlighten you. In order to do that, we need to become one.' Then, without warning or consent, defendant Bikram Choudhury forcefully pulled plaintiff towards him and had one hand around her and the other was unbuttoning her jeans. He hooked his hand at the top of her pants and tried to pull them down with force," the complaint states.
Though in a "weakened state" from her training, Doe says she pushed Choudhury away, but he threatened her, grabbed her by the wrist and forced her into his bedroom. "Defendant Bikram Choudhury pulled her pants down and forced her onto the bed. Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 could not stop crying and kept begging him over and over to stop. He forced his unprotected penis in her vagina. Within moments it was over. The only thing defendant Bikram Choudhury said was, 'How many times did you come?'
Plaintiff Jane Doe No.2 was in pain, in shock and could not speak. Defendant Bikram Choudhury then ordered plaintiff to watch him until he fell asleep," according to the complaint.
Doe adds: "The next day during lecture, defendant Bikram Choudhury made offensive sexual comments to the whole class. It was demoralizing and humiliating. He told the plaintiff and rest of the class that when he first moved to the U.S. women raped him all the time and taught him how to have sex. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said he would have sex marathons. Then he started talking about women's bodies and how he liked 'pussy' without hair on it. Defendant Bikram Choudhury said, 'I can't stand fat unattractive women.' As he spoke, his voice was becoming more and more intense and his language more vulgar.'"
Doe claims the defendant studio did nothing to protect her from Choudhury. She claims that a male instructor her to finish the program, telling her: "'We all know how Bikram is, that's just part of it.'"
She claims: "During graduation, defendant Bikram Choudhury insisted that plaintiff stay by his side the whole time. By this point her spirit was drained and she was operating out of total fear. Defendant Bikram Choudhury made her sit next to him at the dinner table even though his wife Rajashtee (Raj) was there. It was humiliating. At one point during the dinner, as if knowing what had happened, Raj told defendant Bikram Choudhury to 'let her go.'"
Doe claims that when she told Choudhury she planned to leave the studio, he told her, among other things, "'If you fuck with me, I'll fuck with you.' …
"Plaintiff Jane Doe No. 2's life unraveled after she returned home. Her long term relationship fell apart, she went into a severe depression, attempted suicide, started drinking, doing drugs, engaged in uncharacteristically impulsive behavior, quit her job and cut off communication from almost everyone in her life," the complaint states.
She says she "lived in constant fear" that Choudhury would come to her home and attack her. Doe claims that some people enter the United States illegally to "volunteer" in the program.
"Once in the United States, these 'volunteers' are required to serve defendant Bikram Choudhury for zero or little pay. Their duties include grooming him, massaging him, making his tea, bring him food and being forced to submit to sexual assaults and rapes against their will," according to the complaint.
oe seeks punitive damages, lost wages, and costs. Jane Doe No. 1's complaint is substantially the same. She claims that Choudhury raped her twice.
Both women are represented by Mary Shea Hagebols with Shea Law Offices, of Oakland.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
THE VULGAR MAGICIAN: Celebrity Chinese Spiritual Advisor Faces Investigation For Fraud
Wang Lin, a spiritual advisor to the Chinese elite, is in hot water after two documentaries on China's state-run CCTV aired Sunday, alleging that he was a "vulgar magician" and that his health techniques were phony. Now Wang will face an investigation for fraud and allegedly illegal health techniques, according to reports in Chinese media.
Wang's fall from grace is all the more shocking due to the high profiles of his clients. Pictures published online show Wang with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and a number of former members of China's ruling standing committee.
Wang billed himself as an expert in qigong, a spiritual practice that has its roots in martial arts and Chinese medicine. While qigong itself may be relatively harmless and even growing in popularity in the United States, in China it remains controversial due to its link to the suppressed Falun Gong spiritual movement.
Moreover, Wang's practice of qigong appears to have been unusual. A number of videos circulating online show Wang performing what might better be described as magic tricks. For example, a video of him performing a trick that shows "snakes" being created in circulating on Youtube.
Wang has not responded well to media attention. "I am telling you, you will die miserably, and your family will follow," he reportedly told a journalist from the Beijing News after an expos? on him came out this weekend alleging that he had been sentenced to 7 years in prison in 1979 for swindling customers.
Wang may have a lot to lose from the investigation. Various media reports suggest he has bought a Rolls Royce, three Hummers, and a luxury villa with the money he made from qigong (see pictures of that villa here). He also once boasted of 70 green-card offers from U.S. intelligence agencies, the South China Morning Post reports.
Wang's fall from grace is all the more shocking due to the high profiles of his clients. Pictures published online show Wang with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, former Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and a number of former members of China's ruling standing committee.
Wang billed himself as an expert in qigong, a spiritual practice that has its roots in martial arts and Chinese medicine. While qigong itself may be relatively harmless and even growing in popularity in the United States, in China it remains controversial due to its link to the suppressed Falun Gong spiritual movement.
Moreover, Wang's practice of qigong appears to have been unusual. A number of videos circulating online show Wang performing what might better be described as magic tricks. For example, a video of him performing a trick that shows "snakes" being created in circulating on Youtube.
Wang has not responded well to media attention. "I am telling you, you will die miserably, and your family will follow," he reportedly told a journalist from the Beijing News after an expos? on him came out this weekend alleging that he had been sentenced to 7 years in prison in 1979 for swindling customers.
Wang may have a lot to lose from the investigation. Various media reports suggest he has bought a Rolls Royce, three Hummers, and a luxury villa with the money he made from qigong (see pictures of that villa here). He also once boasted of 70 green-card offers from U.S. intelligence agencies, the South China Morning Post reports.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Andrew Cohen - An Apology - Too Little Too Late?
I’m fifty-seven years old and currently find myself facing the biggest challenge of my life. I’ve been a teacher of spiritual enlightenment for twenty-seven years. Enlightenment has always been and always will be about transcending the ego. Over the last several years, some of my closest students have tried to make it apparent to me that in spite of the depth of my awakening, my ego is still alive and well.
I’ve understood this simple truth—that we all have egos no matter how enlightened we may be—and even taught it to thousands of people all over the world throughout my career. But when I was being asked to face my own ego by those who were nearest and dearest to me, I resisted. And I often made their lives difficult as a result.
I’m aware that many of my students over the years have also been affected by my lack of awareness of this part of myself. And for those of you who are reading this, I apologize. As time passes I intend to reach out and engage in a process of dialogue with those of you who would like to.
In light of all this, for the sake of my own integrity as a spiritual teacher and as a human being, I’ve decided that I need to take some time off so I can make the effort to develop in many of the ways that I’ve asked other people to. Starting this fall, once I’ve fulfilled some prior commitments, I’m going to embark upon a sabbatical for an extended period of time. During this hiatus, I will be stepping down from the leadership of my organization, I won’t be publishing anything here on my blog, and will not be doing any public teaching. My intention is to become a better teacher, and more importantly, a better man.
One of the most beautiful fruits of my work over the years has been the international network of people who have studied, collaborated, and trained with me for so long. They are all examples of Evolutionary Enlightenment in their own right, and I couldn’t imagine a greater community of people to carry forward this movement. I’m looking forward to working with them in a very different way in the future.
After years of abuse within the Andrew Cohen cult he has finally apologised for his abusive actions. Is it too little too late? Read the comments from his supporters and detractors on his site and make up your own mind.
http://andrewcohen.org/blog/apology
I’ve understood this simple truth—that we all have egos no matter how enlightened we may be—and even taught it to thousands of people all over the world throughout my career. But when I was being asked to face my own ego by those who were nearest and dearest to me, I resisted. And I often made their lives difficult as a result.
I’m aware that many of my students over the years have also been affected by my lack of awareness of this part of myself. And for those of you who are reading this, I apologize. As time passes I intend to reach out and engage in a process of dialogue with those of you who would like to.
In light of all this, for the sake of my own integrity as a spiritual teacher and as a human being, I’ve decided that I need to take some time off so I can make the effort to develop in many of the ways that I’ve asked other people to. Starting this fall, once I’ve fulfilled some prior commitments, I’m going to embark upon a sabbatical for an extended period of time. During this hiatus, I will be stepping down from the leadership of my organization, I won’t be publishing anything here on my blog, and will not be doing any public teaching. My intention is to become a better teacher, and more importantly, a better man.
One of the most beautiful fruits of my work over the years has been the international network of people who have studied, collaborated, and trained with me for so long. They are all examples of Evolutionary Enlightenment in their own right, and I couldn’t imagine a greater community of people to carry forward this movement. I’m looking forward to working with them in a very different way in the future.
After years of abuse within the Andrew Cohen cult he has finally apologised for his abusive actions. Is it too little too late? Read the comments from his supporters and detractors on his site and make up your own mind.
http://andrewcohen.org/blog/apology
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Bikram Founder Back In the Hot Seat
The first piece of news I happened upon this morning was about the founder of “hot yoga,” Bikram Choudhury.
According to ABC news, Choudhury is being sued by a former student for “sex-based discrimination and sexual harassment.”
Choudhury is known by yoga enthusiasts, regardless of their yogic style preferences, for saying outrageously arrogant things, especially regarding his self-proclaimed magnetic sexuality.
“In an interview with ABC’s David Wright last fall, Choudhury said, ‘Women in the world love me, because I take care of women…But yogi is supposed to be yogi. They cannot involve with women.””
In an article for Yoga Journal, Choudhury calls all other yoga instructors of non-Bikram styles “clowns.” He goes on to say that “No one knows what the hell they are doing. There is no such thing as Kundalini Yoga. No such thing as Power Yoga. No such thing as Ashtanga Yoga.” He then claims that he alone teaches true Hatha Yoga and is the sole follower of Patanjali.
Just Google his name. The internet is filled with a plethora of examples of his douchebaggery. This guy couldn’t be more absurd, and while I have absolutely no idea if there’s anything real or criminal behind this recent lawsuit, it also doesn’t come as a shock—which I think says a lot.
Regardless of Choudhury’s controversial nature, people love when heroes are taken off their pedestals by the media. John Friend’s scandal rocked the yoga community because it made yogis own up to the reality that there can be—gasp!—human flaws that exist in yoga’s top authorities.
At the same time, Choudhury’s potential upcoming legal battle is even more ideal for us to grab onto and enjoy (watching) the ride, because he’s a rather unlikable character anyway, but while he might be personally difficult to stomach, his professional success is easily measured.
The above-mentioned Yoga Journal article begins by noting that Choudhury “makes no secret of his stable of Rolls Royces, his mansion and swimming pool, and his vaunted friendships with Hollywood stars.”
In short, he doesn’t try to hide the fact that he has no plans to not fully enjoy his monetary and name-branded success.
I guess some yogis could see this as admirable. (I’m looking at the Bikram yogis in the audience with questioning eyes, because I honestly can’t see many other takers.) Possibly it’s admirable to own up to luxurious enjoyment instead of being dishonest and pretending to be humble and practical only on the surface.
Still, to most serious practitioners, this goes against our yogic teachings. I don’t pretend here that I want to get heavily into this moral and ethical argument or discussion, but it is unavoidable when you merely mention the name “Bikram Choudhury” to a room of in-the-know yogis.
I think the bottom line is that, as I’ve mentioned before in my Pistorious article and now here in this one, the media promotes fallen hero stories for a reason: people like them, and this fallen (self-proclaimed) hero is not only no exception, he’s the golden (yoga media) ticket.
Why? Because the guy’s a douchebag. Sorry (Bikram lovers), but he is.
So there you have it. The latest breaking yoga news. Talk amongst yourselves, and think about keeping in mind that when you call yourself things like the “most respected living yoga guru in the world,” society is going to love to see that pillar topple.
According to ABC news, Choudhury is being sued by a former student for “sex-based discrimination and sexual harassment.”
Choudhury is known by yoga enthusiasts, regardless of their yogic style preferences, for saying outrageously arrogant things, especially regarding his self-proclaimed magnetic sexuality.
“In an interview with ABC’s David Wright last fall, Choudhury said, ‘Women in the world love me, because I take care of women…But yogi is supposed to be yogi. They cannot involve with women.””
In an article for Yoga Journal, Choudhury calls all other yoga instructors of non-Bikram styles “clowns.” He goes on to say that “No one knows what the hell they are doing. There is no such thing as Kundalini Yoga. No such thing as Power Yoga. No such thing as Ashtanga Yoga.” He then claims that he alone teaches true Hatha Yoga and is the sole follower of Patanjali.
Just Google his name. The internet is filled with a plethora of examples of his douchebaggery. This guy couldn’t be more absurd, and while I have absolutely no idea if there’s anything real or criminal behind this recent lawsuit, it also doesn’t come as a shock—which I think says a lot.
Regardless of Choudhury’s controversial nature, people love when heroes are taken off their pedestals by the media. John Friend’s scandal rocked the yoga community because it made yogis own up to the reality that there can be—gasp!—human flaws that exist in yoga’s top authorities.
At the same time, Choudhury’s potential upcoming legal battle is even more ideal for us to grab onto and enjoy (watching) the ride, because he’s a rather unlikable character anyway, but while he might be personally difficult to stomach, his professional success is easily measured.
The above-mentioned Yoga Journal article begins by noting that Choudhury “makes no secret of his stable of Rolls Royces, his mansion and swimming pool, and his vaunted friendships with Hollywood stars.”
In short, he doesn’t try to hide the fact that he has no plans to not fully enjoy his monetary and name-branded success.
I guess some yogis could see this as admirable. (I’m looking at the Bikram yogis in the audience with questioning eyes, because I honestly can’t see many other takers.) Possibly it’s admirable to own up to luxurious enjoyment instead of being dishonest and pretending to be humble and practical only on the surface.
Still, to most serious practitioners, this goes against our yogic teachings. I don’t pretend here that I want to get heavily into this moral and ethical argument or discussion, but it is unavoidable when you merely mention the name “Bikram Choudhury” to a room of in-the-know yogis.
I think the bottom line is that, as I’ve mentioned before in my Pistorious article and now here in this one, the media promotes fallen hero stories for a reason: people like them, and this fallen (self-proclaimed) hero is not only no exception, he’s the golden (yoga media) ticket.
Why? Because the guy’s a douchebag. Sorry (Bikram lovers), but he is.
So there you have it. The latest breaking yoga news. Talk amongst yourselves, and think about keeping in mind that when you call yourself things like the “most respected living yoga guru in the world,” society is going to love to see that pillar topple.
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