Agama Justice Yoga Scandal Information Archive

JULY 24TH, 2018 - An article is published by journalist Be Scofield that exposes sexual assault and rape at Agama Yoga by it's founder and senior teachers. 4 days later Swami flees the country indefinitely. 

 

About 

Agama Justice is an informational site with up to date news about the sexual abuse scandal at Agama Yoga in Ko Phangan, Thailand.  

OVERVIEW

On July 24th, 2018 investigative journalist Be Scofield published an in depth expose about sexual assault and rape at Agama Yoga by it's founder Swami Vivekananda Saraswati and several senior instructors. The article also chronicled the culture of enabling that allowed sexual misconduct to continue for years.  Agama leadership, Ananda Maha and Justine Baruch, ignored, downplayed and hid serious allegations of sexual assault for years former staff and students claim. Four days after the publication of the article, Swami fled Ko Phangan indefinitely, not publicizing his whereabouts. His secretary said he was not available for comment for the article, nor has he released a statement since the article was published.

Agama's leadership has been called into question since the scandal broke as they have yet to formally announce a separation from Swami. An attendee at the public meeting held in Enlightenment Hall with Maha reported that it was “a big cover up. No acknowledgements. There was no compassion for the victims.” In regards to the numerous women who have come forth with sexual abuse stories, Maha said “It had all been their own perception, because of the wounds they were already carrying” the attendee reported. 

Several staff members and yoga teachers have quit since the scandal broke. One claims that many of them quit after realizing that Agama leadership has no real interest in changing or addressing the hurt and pain that has been caused:

“Several teachers have resigned. They saw that the school has no real intentions to change and [they were going to] keep up the denial and secrecy. I’m of course one of the teachers who said we can’t stand behind a system that doesn’t stand behind its teachers and students who got hurt. We started to see all the manipulation.”

The lackluster response, continued attempts at covering up the story and manipulating staff have led some to question the groups cult dynamics. 

A Facebook group called "Boycott Agama," started by island native Gregory Self, has become a central place for information, updates and news.

  • 8/11 - Agama / Maha releases a statement attacking those who exposed the situation. They warn these efforts have the "potential to turn people away from all Yoga, forever." 
  • 8/9 - Yoga Alliance suspends Agama Yoga and lead trainer while investigation continues. 
  • 8/9 - German site "My Ko Phangan" publishes article "Abuse Scandal at Agama Yoga."
  • 8/6 - Police visit Agama and begin checking work permits. 
  • 8/6 - Agama Yoga Austria / Linz shuts down. LINK
    8/6 - Agama removes teachers names from yoga schedule. LINK / with names: LINK
  • 8/6 - Agama reopens with very few students attending classes.
  • 8/5 - Police express interest in issuing warrant for Swami's arrest. Request women come forward. 
  • 8/5 - Author & spiritual teacher Jeff Brown shares Agama story calling for a #SriToo movement. LINK
  • 8/5 Agama Yoga post statement calling the situation a "media war" against them. LINK
  • 8/4 - Agama Yoga Retreats founder condemns sexual abuse at Agama and vows to change name. LINK
  • 8/2 - Former member posts secretly recorded audio of Swami expressing patriarchal and misogynistic views. LINK
  • 8/2 Agama Yoga teacher publicly resigns and posts statement. LINK
  • 8/1 - Somananda removes upcoming Thailand tantra retreat training event page from his website. LINK
  • 7/31 - Agama cancels all yoga for the week. 
  • 7/29 - Agama Yoga removes teachers bio's from site. LINK
  • 7/29 - Agama Yoga cancels Yoga Therapy Training costing them $50,000 in lost revenue. 
  • 7/28 - Journalist Be Scofield publishes followup article after Swami flees Thailand. LINK
  • 7/27 - Maha holds public talk, attendee reports she covered up actions and blamed victims. 
  • 7/26 - Former Operations Manager goes public sharing her testimonial. LINK
  • 7/25 - Couple posts article about their painful experience at Agama Yoga. LINK
  • 7/25 - Several news articles are published in Thailand, Estonia and elsewhere. LINK
  • 7/24 - Journalist Be Scofield posts first article exposing sex abuse scandal at Agama Yoga. LINK

 

"I can't continue working there anymore...It feels like Agama Foundation is still supporting Swami and not able to see that he did anything wrong. I'm really disappointed."
 

"Agama has been saying they will take definitive actions to stop this toxic behaviour for too long and they never did...What they do is to manipulate people who are close to them to believe they will do something. What they do is to gain time to make people tired to fight against them. What they do is to pay the local authorities to not interfere."

 

 

The Cover Up

There is a long history of Agama leadership covering up and downplaying  sexual abuse at the school. Ananda Maha and Justine Baruch have played a principal role. 

·       Maha Blames Sexual Assault Victims at Public Meeting
An attendee at the public meeting held in Enlightenment Hall with Maha after the scandal broke reported that it was “a big cover up. No acknowledgements. There was no compassion for the victims.” In regards to the numerous women who have come forth with sexual abuse stories, Maha said “It had all been their own perception, because of the wounds they were already carrying” the attendee reported. 
 

·       Agama Hands Out Letter to Thai Locals Saying There are No Problems & People are Jealous
Agama printed out and delivered a letter in Thai to local Thai people on Ko Phangan stating that there were no problems at the school and that people were jealous and wanting to destroy the school. This contradicts their public statements showing that they are trying to acknowledge this situation professionally and deal with the harms done. 
 

·       Teachers Leave During Scandal After Seeing  "Manipulation"
“Several teachers have resigned. They saw that the school has no real intentions to change and [they were going to] keep up the denial and secrecy. I’m of course one of the teachers who said we can’t stand behind a system that doesn’t stand behind its teachers and students who got hurt. We started to see all the manipulation.”
 

·       Ananda Maha & Justine Baruch History of Covering Up Abuse
Ananda Maha, the current director of Agama and former lover of Swami has “turned a blind eye to every abuse, often even sending women to him saying ‘he’s the best at what he does’" an insider says. 

Justine Baruch “has also turned a blind eye, even blaming the women for having issues. Many women have gone to her only to receive no empathy and the hardline — its your projections onto swami — you have to deal with it. I was told yesterday she also has a pile of testimonials of which nothing was ever done with.”
 

·       Thai Staff Member Who Quits During Scandal Says Agama Still Supporting Swami
"I can't continue working there anymore...It feels like Agama Foundation is still supporting Swami and not able to see that he did anything wrong. I'm really disappointed."
 

·       Former Staff Member Says Agama Never Took Action
"Women’s abuse has been happening for too long at Agama. People has been working to change it for too long. Agama has been saying they will take definitive actions to stop this toxic behaviour for too long and they never did...What they do is to manipulate people who are close to them to believe they will do something. What they do is to gain time to make people tired to fight against them. What they do is to pay the local authorities to not interfere."
 

·       Former Member Says Maha Has Resisted Change
"I can testify that Mihaiela Pentiuc aka Maha resisted change, opposed change, didn't want any change at Agama. Since 2011, Maha, Agama Director at that time also, until present days, had enough time to make some requested by many changes. She didn't."

 

Agama Schools

Of the several Agama Yoga schools around the world, three remain open. Agama Yoga in Austria / Linz has temporarily shut down. This is the school were Serkan Temel, accused in the original article teaches out of. 

Press Coverage

The Agama Yoga sex abuse scandal has been covered by international media, bloggers and independent journalists. 

Thailand

·       KO PHANGAN NEWS (7/25/18): Agama Yoga Founder Swami Vivekananda accused of sexual assault
 

·       THE THAIGER (7/27/18): Agama Yoga founder Swami Vivkenanda accused of sexual assault
 

·       KO PHANGAN NEWS (7/28/18): Agama Yoga founder flees amidst sexual assault accusations
 

·       ZONE SAMUI (8/2/18: Several women blame Koh Phangan yoga teacher for sexual assault

Estonia

·       EESTI EKSPRESS (7/25/18): Students blame Tantra Guru for Abusive Practices & Rape
 

·       OHTULEHT (7/25/18): Students Blame Tantra Guru for Rape
 

·       DELFI (7/27/18): The world-famous guru is accused of sexual harassment

Blog Posts

·       MEDIUM: Tantric Couple Shares Their Painful Experiences With Agama Yoga
 

·       ANJALI LOVE: The Dark Side of the Tantra World
 

·       MEDIUM: Agama Yoga is probably an abusive cult
 

·       SOUTHEAST ASIAN BACKPACKER: Interview: Swami Vivekananda Saraswati
 

·       ANDREW DRUMMOND: "No Rape, Drugs, Alcohol here" Chant Yoga Teachers on Thai Paradise Island

 

Accused Teachers

In addition to Swami several Agama teachers have been accused of sexual assault or rape.  See the original article for the full accounts of Swami and all of the accused Agama teachers. 

 

Somananda

Somananda is accused of raping a woman during a yoni massage at Agama. She claims that all of a sudden she experienced something different than a finger inside of her and looked up and saw him full naked with his penis inside of her.

Muktananda Mistry

Muktananda is accused of taken advantage of a student after she collapsed in yoga class. he also allegedly told a woman who was raped by Swami that he had done that to heal her and to essentially get the demons out of her. And he allegedly sent one woman several "dick pics" over the years as well. See the original article for the full account. 

Serkan Temel

Serkan is accused of forcibly having sex with an Agama employee. Despite repeatedly telling him no and trying to push him off he kept pressuring her until he was able to have sex with her. See the original article for the full account.

Ram Avnur

From the article: An Agama staff member ...was approached by Serkan and Ram Avnur, another advanced teacher, in a “very predatory like way.” She says she was “completely overwhelmed by the situation” and that she “got really scared.” See the original article for the full account. 

Swami Says he is a Sex Doctor (Excerpt)

Audio & Transcript

Swami:              ... there are probably 100 women in my life who had their first orgasm ever in their lives with me. And then they went and they could have it with other men. I have worked, like, a sex therapist since I was ... I've been a male hooker, you know. I was with women, and then they were not rigid anymore. It has happened to me at least 100 times in this life that the woman had their first orgasm with me.

Speaker 2:          I think-

Swami:              I am simply, like, if I wasn't a male hooker. I don't have a problem with-

Speaker 2:          I think some of [crosstalk 00:00:34] there's a correlation between [crosstalk 00:00:36].

Swami:              I've been humble enough with this, you know? I'm a sex worker, okay? I'm just providing some sexual services. I have met tantra teachers who pushed themselves onto women and who ... They were asked, "What the heck did you do? What the heck was that?" They simply said, "I knew better than her. She was confused and she didn't even realize what she needed, and because I realized what she needed I did it." 

Swami:              This is a parable, an issue by a saintly man of India called [Ramant Krishna 00:01:09]. Ramant Krishna said spiritual teachers are of three degrees. Exactly, he said, like the doctors. There are doctors that give you a remedy. Like, you ask them, "I have asthma." And they say, "Take this." They give it to you. Then, you never see them again. Like, they don't care if you took it, if it solved the problem. You just visited them, they gave you a ... 

Swami:              There are doctors of the second degree who when you ask them for a remedy, they give it to you, they call you back after one week, they call you back after one month, they follow up the case, and if the remedy was not good enough then they give you something additional or something. So basically, they pay more attention. 

Swami:              And then he said there are the doctors of the third kind who if they give you a remedy and you don't take it, they put you down, they put your knee on your chest, and they shove the remedy in your mouth. This is considered forbidden today in a democracy. In India, it was considered okay that the guru knows better than you, and if I think you need a beating, I'll just give you a beating for your own good. You won't like it, and you might not understand it, but I'm still going to do it. This is a complex of superiority that the gurus all over the world have that we know better than you, than you yourself know what you need.

Swami:              I'm not acting like a level three. I have given that up long time ago simply because the modern society is so democratic and so politically correct, I don't want to go there. I think it will complicate my life too much. So for my own sake, I could be a better teacher than I am, you know? I could, but I'm not. But for the rest, remember there is this, like, if I see that ... 

Swami:              Right now for example, what's happened. Even before you, there were two women who were here. Both of them, I advised them, seek yourself a partner. I like both of them. I could have done it with both of them. I'm not. But normally I would have volunteered. I would have said, " What you're saying and your cervix is hurting. When you are penetrated deep you have cervical pain. I can solve that in five meetings, probably from the first," you know? I can ... So, like I can open your [inaudible 00:03:46] like a flower and so on. And I know that I can do it. And it's so difficult to restrain when you know I could make this woman happy in one week, you know? This woman could blossom. 

Swami:              And, like, why wouldn't I do it if I can? Just because some British guy is having some norms. I don't give a fuck on their norms, you know? I know I can do it. So, it does happen in the world of tantra, that when people are open and so on, these things are flowing. We don't have too much thing.

Swami:              I as a guru ... I've had a big scandal with one woman. Even then, most of the times, I'm recommending advanced pupils of mine from the school, and I'm saying, "Why don't you go and see Keith or somebody," you know? And so on. Because they are fitting with you. So I am kind of matchmaking with people so that I personally would be beyond this. Not because I really care about my image and my reputation because I've spoiled my reputation for 20 years, you know?

Speaker 2:          You could still spoil it more, I think.

Swami:              Less and less. That's what I'm hoping. Less and less, but that's not because I believe less and less in what I have to do. That's simply because I am more busy, I am more old, and it's time for the new generation to step in and take over responsibilities. 

Swami:              So for me, what I did was a healing and a spiritual help. That's how it looked from inside me. And now I'm passing it on to the next generation, so I'm not a sexual man yet, you know. If I don't have 10 women every month, 10 new women every month, I feel unfulfilled. I can be very detached from it, you know? It's like it's very easy for me to let go. 

Swami:              I'm coming from a crazy place. I'm coming like I think I'm the salt of the earth. And that's why I think I'm doing something good, you know?

Speaker 2:          It's ... I like the way that you phrase it because it's reassuring. It's good ... I think ... It's like, if you can talk about your insanity, then you can't not so insane ...

 

 

Swami Quotes 

A selection of quotes from Swami Vivekananda Saraswati.

  • "I have known in my life, women who have been raped. I wouldn't say all of them had a strong muladhara [root chakra] but the majority of them did...Sometimes women that have a strong muladhara emit a certain unconscious sensuality and you take it for granted that men are supposed to control themselves?"
     
  • "Men very often lose their masculinity and we have a lot a sissys and a lot of homos and wimps. And women lose their femininity and we have women who represent themselves as tractor drivers rather than women...A woman has the right to not shave her legs if she wants but it gets mens dicks less hard."
     

·       "I've been humble enough with this, you know? I'm a sex worker, okay? I'm just providing some sexual services. I have met tantra teachers who pushed themselves onto women and who ... They were asked, "What the heck did you do? What the heck was that?" They simply said, "I knew better than her. She was confused and she didn't even realize what she needed, and because I realized what she needed I did it." 

This is a parable, an issue by a saintly man of India called [Rama Krishna 00:01:09]. Ramant Krishna said spiritual teachers are of three degrees. Exactly, he said, like the doctors. There are doctors that give you a remedy. Like, you ask them, "I have asthma." And they say, "Take this." They give it to you. Then, you never see them again. Like, they don't care if you took it, if it solved the problem. You just visited them, they gave you a ... 

There are doctors of the second degree who when you ask them for a remedy, they give it to you, they call you back after one week, they call you back after one month, they follow up the case, and if the remedy was not good enough then they give you something additional or something. So basically, they pay more attention. 

And then he said there are the doctors of the third kind who if they give you a remedy and you don't take it, they put you down, they put your knee on your chest, and they shove the remedy in your mouth. This is considered forbidden today in a democracy. In India, it was considered okay that the guru knows better than you, and if I think you need a beating, I'll just give you a beating for your own good. You won't like it, and you might not understand it, but I'm still going to do it. This is a complex of superiority that the gurus all over the world have that we know better than you, than you yourself know what you need.

I'm not acting like a level three. I have given that up long time ago simply because the modern society is so democratic and so politically correct, I don't want to go there. I think it will complicate my life too much. So for my own sake, I could be a better teacher than I am, you know? I could, but I'm not. But for the rest, remember there is this, like, if I see that ..." 

 

 

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