New facts about Eknath Easwaran, Guru/author
bhargav...@gmail.com
books on meditation and frankly was quite impressed with them.
On the advice of a friend I did a google search on him and got the
following shocking information-that he left India to escape charges
of
biagmy. As founder of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, he was
found guilty of sexually abusing a minor.
Just goes to show what many men will do to get laid with a white
woman. Rather sad because I had grown to like his writing. The
tollowing postings came up in my search
1.Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
From: neet...@aol.com (NeetaKu)
Date: 1999/02/12
Subject: A debate
We are a group of spiritual seekers who are greatly concerned about
the
insidious activities of a Hindu Guru in California.
Eknath Easwaran, "chairman" of the Blue Mountain Center of
Meditation
is not
only a confirmed pedophile but has also captialized on the average
American's
ignorance of both Hinduism and "Indian traditions"
Easwaran left India in a hurry to escape judicially ordered child
support and
legal penalties for biagmy by the Nagpur High Court. We have
confirmed this
with a visit to the Morris College in Nagpur, India, where Easwaran
taught for
several years. Easwaran came to the United States on a Fullbright
fellowship.
Posted at the University of Minneapolis, his uncontrollable libido
quickly led
to revocation of the fellowship - a fact which can authenticated by
the
Institute of International Educaton which adminsters the fellowship.
A resourceful man, Easwaran then founded the Blue Mountain of
Meditation in
Tomales, California. Shortly thereafter he sexually abused several of
his
female disciples including his step daughter (San Jose Mercury News,
April 30,
1989).
The facts that he is a bigmist and dead beat father in India, a child
molester
in California, and one of the rare Fullbright fellows to have his
scholarship
revoked can easily be verified. Many of his colleagues including his
supervisor
at the Morris College -Dr V B Kolte, who later became president of
Nagpur
University, are still residents of Nagpur.
Since Eknath Easwaran claims to be a "yogi" in the true Hindu
tradition, it
would be educative to debate if in Hinduism's history, any Guru has
"renounced
" two wives to marry a third time. Also does a Guru who molests his
step
daughter lay claim to divinity?
In the last four years, in California itself there have been several
cases,
notably against Swami Muktananda and Swami Rama, where disciples have
been
awarded generous compensations for sexual abuse.
Most recently Superior Court judge Lawrence Stevens, in Redwood
City,
California awarded Anne Marie Berolucci 625,000 dollars as
compensatory
damages, and one million dollars in punitive damages, for
"inappropriate
sexual advances" by Swami Kriyananda of the Ananda Church of Self
Realization.
It is pertinent to note that Berolucci is 34 while Easwaran's step
daughter was
in her teens.
Since Easwaran also runs a "spiritual school" for young children,
there is an
urgent need to investigate his pedophile activities.
We hope that his post generates a rational debate on the internet on
the
activites of Gurus who claim divine right to assault all that we
value
in
American tradition, and sexually abuse unsuspecting children.
Bruce Rottner
Mark Goldstein
Mary Conant
Sunil Sethi
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2Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental
From: meerakl...@yahoo.com (meeraklein)
Date: 22 Mar 2003 12:33:57 -0800
Local: Sat, Mar 22 2003 3:33 pm
Subject: Eknath Easwaran, sex pervert turned spiritual savour
Beware of the Blue Mountian Center of Meditation in Tomales
Californa.
Its founder, Eknath Easwaran fled India to escape court ordered
restitution for biagmy and evading child support. He sexually
molested
several dozen minor girls to "create a spiritual yearing in them"
More details in the San Jose Mercury News of April 30, 1989
His close disciple and trustee of the center, Steve Rupenthal was
arrested for solicting child sex. Details can be found in the web
link
below.
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/may04_00/sex_sting.html
cindyno...@gmail.com
blessl...@gmail.com
Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999) is one of the twentieth century's great spiritual teachers and an authentic guide to timeless wisdom. He is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics.
I don't believe a word of the post I'm replying to. It doesn't actually merit the dignity of a rebuttal. Easwaran's life is a testament to the great good that one enlightened individual and gifted teacher is capable of establish in this world.