Yoga Posturas » Kripalu Yoga » Gurudev, Kripalu, abuse—article
Gurudev, Kripalu, abuse—article
Question:
I was at Kripalu Center in Berkshire, MA last August – almost a year after Gurudev left in disgrace. The community was finally getting over the shock and disappointment of his hypocracy. As you noted, they are very upfront about what happened, in both thier publications and in person. The people who remained there after Gurudev left (only a handful left with him) are honest and trustworthy, and Kripalu is still a wonderful place. Since I have a basic distrust of personality cults I enjoy Kripalu much more now that he is gone. — JD in Sacto ++ Don’t leave home without it! ++
Response:
SNIP I will say that I was impressed that I initially learned of the abuse from Kripalu itself, who sent out information affirming the truth of the allegations, to those who had visited their center.
I’ve also visited Kripalu – once – for the seven day R&R program. I was a bit bemused at just how serious the disciples were compared to the people visiting . . . but when I received the letter from Kripalu about the allegations, I was also very impressed by the obvious sincerity and honesty of the people who run Kripalu, and the fact that instead of engaging in a cover up, that they have chosen to publicly confirm and deal with the problems in an open way. My only caveat is that he was able to get away with it for so long. In other words, the environment created at Kripalu was conducive to "hiding" misbehavior by the guru. Hopefully, any future leader of Kripalu will be subject to much more rigorous scrutiny. Arun Malik
Response:
: I’ve also visited Kripalu – once – for the seven day R&R program. I : was a bit bemused at just how serious the disciples were compared to : the people visiting . . . but when I received the letter from Kripalu : about the allegations, I was also very impressed by the obvious : sincerity and honesty of the people who run Kripalu, and the fact that : instead of engaging in a cover up, that they have chosen to publicly : confirm and deal with the problems in an open way. That is my feeling, too. But once he admitted to the allegations, let us not forget that he left the ashram in fear for his life and his pictures had been smashed. His career is now over. It is as if a guru *must* be perfect.It is as if he makes a mistake and later shows remorse, he is *still* not acceptable. I could never live up to those stnadards. : My only caveat is that he was able to get away with it for so long. : In other words, the environment created at Kripalu was conducive to : "hiding" misbehavior by the guru. Hopefully, any future leader of : Kripalu will be subject to much more rigorous scrutiny. Hopefully people will not put all faith and trust in any other human being. Hopefully people will be guided by their conscience. In this way, false gurus can gain no power. Ari — World Wide Support Network for those Abused By Spiritual Authorities White Lotus Dharma Center works actively to expose corruption in our spiritual communities. We are therefore a target for internet harassment & libel from various cult followers. Rather than rely on flames and libel for information about us, check out our web site: http://www.speakeasy.org/~ari
Response:
While in a waiting room today, I started reading an informative article on the sexual abuse by Yogi Amrit Desai, also called Gurudev, of Kripalu Yoga Center, which is based in the Berkshires of Massachusetts but has outposts and disciples all over the world. The article was in the Dec. 1995 of _Boston_ magazine. I mention it because I have seen almost nothing in the media about this issue, even though it has been public knowledge for well over a year. Perhaps I’ve just missed other articles. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish the article, but I hope to track down another copy. Just thought I’d mention the article, for anyone who might be interested. I have visited Kripalu on a number of occasions, though never came close to being a disciple, and only saw Gurudev once in a public meeting. However, I was very aware of the hypocrisy of attitudes around sexuality there, so was not overly astounded by the revelations of Gurudev’s abuse. I will say that I was impressed that I initially learned of the abuse from Kripalu itself, who sent out information affirming the truth of the allegations, to those who had visited their center. I felt this was a highly responsible step, though I was very unimpressed by Gurudev’s own letter which basically said, paraphrasing, "I’m sorry *if* my actions hurt anyone.Pray for me, I need your prayers." He never spelled out what his actions were(even vaguely) or acknowledged that they *did* hurt people. However, it has sounded to me like Kripalu has done a much-better-than-average job of acknowledging the abuse, making amends, taking responsibility, acknowledging the feelings of the community, and working to evolve to a better place. Unusual for a religious community, it seems. OK, my two cents on this. Your e-mail reply to this message WILL be *automatically* ANONYMIZED.
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