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Location: London, England | Hi Ravi,
I was pretty upset also-I thought the reason BNS was popular was because he didn't stoop to the depths that Pattabhi Jois has done. it's all built on bul, his and the people that go to se him both contribute to the pile. The girl I was talking to went up to him and had it out with him, another gril came with her, and there was a third girl involved-this is multiple molestation here, and you know what? He claimed it was a misunderstanding. End of story. And you want to know something else-she's going back for another dose this year. It's like being a victim of rape, but actually looking foward to the next time-it's so unbelievably sick, but some poeple will do anything to get close to a guru figure. I'll never figure people out. i was quite intersted in this girl, but after she told me that, I couldn't get away fast enough-appalling.
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| BNS Iyengar is a character and a half.
He is absolutely no relation to the Iyengars at all and Iyengar is not even his real name!
He used to practise (briefly) with Pattabhi Jois before re-inventing himself as a guru and fleecing Westerners of their cash teaching them second rate Ashtanga Vinyasa.
Jonathon |
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Location: London, England | Hi Jonnie,
Never heard that one-tell us more-I only speak to his acolytes, who just don't get that what he is doing is unforgiveable-I had exactly the same experience with Jois fans-for the last twenty years, although it looks like age has made him less of a pervert. This promises to be a lively debate-I wish I could say that I had direct experience of their groping, but am glad to say that I was put off in advance. However, it's not just hearsay-it's women friends who have spent time with both men-and this kind of stuff doesn't get passsed as gossip-it's a very serious accusation, but one that has not been addressed properly in the yoga world, I'm afraid to say.
Nick |
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| purnayoga - 2007-01-08 12:07 PM
Moreover Ellen you ARE in. And now that you are, is it all you'd hoped? A juicier question for sure.
Much juicier. Thank you, Purna |
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| zoebird - 2007-01-09 9:53 AM
first, is it totally wrong of my to not give two craps about rodney yee's or jennifer aniston's or the guy next door's private life? i mean, i only modestly care about GJ's, on account of the fact that i like him and want him to be happy.
Wanna read my diary?  I like you too ZB, and I want you to be happy to! (And october rabbit too)
but i don't have my interests so far up in his business as to even say "oh yeah, this person is right/wrong and you're behaving right/wrongly." honestly, what rodney does is up to rodney--and maybe it's right and maybe it's wrong. And i can take and leave from him as a teacher too. Although, accusations do give me pause.
second, i have to agree with nick here about not contributing to the wealth of people who abuse others.
So, does that mean it IS important to hear a little bit about this guy's private life? I think it's very important to understand the private lives of the people you're going to for spiritual instruction. Maybe not totally peering into their past, but some idea of how they conduct themselves in the present is important I think. |
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| GreenJello - 2007-01-10 10:14 PM
I think it's very important to understand the private lives of the people you're going to for spiritual instruction. Maybe not totally peering into their past, but some idea of how they conduct themselves in the present is important I think.
....Sai Baba for example....
Jonathon |
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| ....or the Maharishi Yogi |
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| Not following those references jonnie, could you be more specific? One that sticks in my mind is Milarepa, who started his career by killing a number of people in his village via black magic, but paid for his karma, became one of the greatest Tibetan Buddhists ever.
Edited by GreenJello 2007-01-09 3:14 PM
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| GJ:
i think it's a bit different. It's one thing to question whether or not someone wrongly or rightly got divorced and remarried and to whom and whether or not they're "moral" people. it's another to ask whether or not they behave professionally in a classroom setting.
nick's describing the behavoir of the individual in a professional setting--a violation of ethics. discussing rodney yee's divorce and remarriage and whether or not that makes him a "good teacher" is not about his professionalism when he is teaching.
if he is behaving professionally while teaching, then i can usually let private life stuff go. I cannot let unprofessional, abusive activity 'go'--at least, i won't stick around for 'that' teaching. |
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| GreenJello - 2007-01-10 10:55 PM
Not following those references jonnie, could you be more specific?
Yes. Both have hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of Western followers who revere them as living saints (or gods) while maintaining dubious personal lives and business practises. |
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Location: London, England | And Sai Baba has been accused of about fifty counts of indecency against under-age boys
Nick |
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Location: Upstate NY | Om Namah Sivaya
Jonnie,
In regards to Sai Baba I was told the story that during one of his daily prayers of which thousands of people flock to twice each day that in mid prayer he stopped, got up ( which had everybody looking around to see what was wrong) and walked into the crowd and came upon this young boy 8 - 10 years old...... went to his knees and cupped the boys cheeks while staring into his eyes and started to cry and exclaimed " Swami Vivekanada it is you...I have been waiting so long.....and now you are here" The boy has lived within the Ashram walls ever since.
When I read you post about him it kinda freaked me out for a second as i started to remember that story........... have you ever heard anything about this before? The story was relayed to me from a friend who had heard it from someone who had been at prayers and witnessed the event.
I had thought that one day I wanted to visit his Ashram......... maybe I must first learn more about Sai Baba first.
Makes also wonder if it is the power and status that more often than not morally corrupts good people or if these people were morally corrupt from the start.
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| What I've heard comes from my teacher who I believe had direct interactions with Baba as a young man living in India. Miracles. Heard the cat can do absolute miracles.
Maybe it was Vivekananda.
A group of monks told some family their young boy was the Dalai Lama and that dood has been the Dalai Lama for a while eh.
Be carefull gents.
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Location: London, England | I researched sai Baba quite alo t a while ago on the net-there's loads of stuff which isn't complimentary to him-he's a ridiculous character-will resort to cheap illusions like producing cheap jewellery out of thin air, and his stupid followers proclaim him a god. Please don't listen to his followers-some of them are parents who offered up their male offspring as a sacrafice to this odious piece of s**t. The sooner I see this person's name disappear from this website-people are always quoting him, and the sooner he disappears from the face of this earth, the happier I'll be be. The same goes for any other teacher who makes a fool out of their followers-Sai Baba has just taken it several steps further. I can't write any more-my hands are closing around an imaginary throat-sorry-paedophile's are one of my pet hates-love the innocence of children, hate the evil of adults 
Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi Ravi,
I'm sorry to say that story sounds exactly like the stories from some of the other boys he abused-he would do this so that the parents were basically groomed to allow their child to be abused. I hope oft the child's sake it isn't true in this case-but I fear it is true-well, the boy obviously isn't enlightend is he-we would have heard more about him by now. Instead, I would think that sai has done his best to ruin the young man's life.
Nick |
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| Sai Baba....what a creep.
I learned about this fella about 20 years ago.
A little group in Northern Virginia got together at a home and would listen to some dude who'd been there and seen the 'master/con artist', and had some dust from the palms of his ashy hands....
It seemed really creepy to me then, and now that I hear about this creep Baba again, it creeps me out even more.
but really, what this thread needs is someone to defend the creepiness of Sai Baba and then we'll know for sure that we're in the wack-job community. |
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| Whenever discussing a revered public figure in a negative context, strong emotions are likely to be displayed from their followers and it is never my intention to offend anyone. Many of Sai’s followers who I have met in India, the Middle East and Europe have been very sincere in their devotion to him.
My comments regarding Sai Baba are also not directed to Saint Sai Baba of Shirdi who I hold in very high regard and whose statues adorn both my home and office, but to his alleged reincarnation Sathya Sai Baba.
I have visited India many times for both work and Yogic study, and have visited Sai Baba’s ashram. I have seen old footage of his miracles on video including the regurgitation of orbs and the materialization of vibhuti. Personally, I did not find it very impressive and any close quarter magician such David Blaine could demonstrate these ‘miracles’ far more skillfully. I believe it’s more a case of slight of hand than act of God. When members of the Indian Skeptic Society mastered these miracles (in a short period of time) and challenged Sai, he stopped demonstrating them, stating that the world was now moving away from the age of miracles.
Unfortunately I have never met anyone who has experienced Sai’s miracles first hand, though I have met many people who love him and who’s ‘friend of a friend’ or ‘teacher’s teacher’ had witnessed them. I have however met and studied with people whom I greatly trust and respect who are very familiar with Sai’s sexual history with young boys.
Sexual abuse to minors is disgusting in any culture. The West is beginning to publicly discuss this and television shows like Dr. Phil and Oprah encourage victims to speak out. In the East, these issues are still generally swept under the carpet to prevent any lose of face to either party. The film ‘Monsoon Wedding’ features an interesting example of this.
I recommend Dan Brown’s excellent book, ‘the Spiritual Tourist’ and Tahir Shah’s, the ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ to anyone interested in exploring the Sai Baba controversy further.
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| Nick - 2007-01-09 11:46 PM
I can't write any more-my hands are closing around an imaginary throat-sorry-paedophile's are one of my pet hates-love the innocence of children, hate the evil of adults
Nick
Thank you, Nick  You are such a fierce protector. I admire that completely! |
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| Ravi - 2007-01-08 1:57 PM
Om Namah Sivaya,
I think this the typical Western attitude of putting our teachers on a pedestal. Rodney Yee is nothing more than a Asana teacher
Yep. Ok, I don't know about all of that spiritual stuff in yoga, but mostly I come here to get help with asanas.
For example, I gladly follow Gordon's and Nick's advice and I (gladly) know NOTHING about their private lives (other than Nick is no threat to take my rather, uh, rubenesque wife away from me! )
As far as what Yee did: that is between him and his ex-wife; people leave their spouses for a variety of reasons; IMHO only rarely is one person 100% at fault.
And frankly, if my wife thought that she'd be happier with someone else, I'd step aside.
And for myself: how happy I am is mostly dependent on what I do. If I am unhappy in my marrige, it probably says more about ME than about HER; if I attempt to leave for "greener pastures" I take myself along. Chances are, if I am unhappy here, I'll be unhappy there also, so I may as well work on being happy where I am!
But I now know why Mish cautioned me about my relationship with my teacher.
http://www.yoga.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=22019&posts=203#M68992
Edited by ollie 2007-01-10 3:44 PM
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| I imagine it has something to do with the whole idea that you can reach some sort of enlightenment through yogasana?
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| SCThornley - 2007-01-10 2:33 PM
I imagine it has something to do with the whole idea that you can reach some sort of enlightenment through yogasana?
"Can" doesn't mean "will".  |
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Location: Upstate NY | ollie - 2007-01-10 3:43 PM
SCThornley - 2007-01-10 2:33 PM
I imagine it has something to do with the whole idea that you can reach some sort of enlightenment through yogasana?
"Can" doesn't mean "will".
Its all in pure intention my friend  |
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| ollie - 2007-01-10 3:27 PM
And frankly, if my wife thought that she'd be happier with someone else, I'd step aside.
Sounds like true love, in a really odd sort of way.
And for myself: how happy I am is mostly dependent on what I do. If I am unhappy in my marrige, it probably says more about ME than about HER; if I attempt to leave for "greener pastures" I take myself along. Chances are, if I am unhappy here, I'll be unhappy there also, so I may as well work on being happy where I am!
True, but I'm sure there are marriages where the problems were largely onesided. If your SO cheats, or drinks to excess, or beats you, it doesn't mean that you were asking for it. |
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| GreenJello - 2007-01-10 3:46 PM
True, but I'm sure there are marriages where the problems were largely onesided. If your SO cheats, or drinks to excess, or beats you, it doesn't mean that you were asking for it.
Sure, there are always exceptions, extremes and the like.
But in *my* case: my wife doesn't beat me and rarely drinks.
Yes, she cheats, but mostly on her asanas.
Edited by ollie 2007-01-10 5:25 PM
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| I was reading along, wondering how the conversation spun from divorce to child molestation. Huh? I was catching the self rightous fever and was about to suggest we all get a big pile of rocks, print up a big list of yoga teachers, and stone away. Then I heard a voice of reason. Yay, Ollie, you make me proud to be a geek. |
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Rodney Yee Married
