Abuse in Yogi Bhajan's 3HO Kundalini Yoga World
NEWS from Sep 2021 till Dec 2023
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> Dec 2023
December 2023
IHRP
End of Program Update
The Independent Healing and Reparations program informed the participants that the restrictions to speak about claim amounts have been lifted.
After 1,5 years all claims submitted and deadlines to accept offers have now passed.
Here is the
of their message.
Many IHRP participants responded to this communication ...
One of them shared their reply 'because it is important that people outside of this program are aware of how BAD and HARMFUL this program was. It was NOT a success.
Below is my response to IHRP if you want to understand why':
I know you want to put on a winning face, but your claiming that this was a successful program — when over and over we told you how terribly run and retraumatizing it was; when you haven't made any steps toward the non-monetary reparations which for many if not most of us were the most important part of this program to bring healing and closure and to protect future generations from ongoing abuse; and when the amounts doled out were far below what was deserved or expected, did not meet even therapy needs for a few years for most people, and went against the promises made of no caps on funding before we agreed to participate in the program while not even accepting the extra funding offered by connected businesses — is dishonest, abusive, and retraumatizing once again. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Dec 4, 2023
Update of the article from October 2023.
Fight against sects.
In France, a master in kundalini yoga is in a difficult position.
October 2023
Oct 19, 2023
Fight against sects.
In France, a master in kundalini yoga is in a difficult position.
This article in a major French newspaper reports that Jean-Louis Astoul aka Karta Singh, student of Yogi Bhajan - head of the Amritnam Sarovar School in France - was taken into custody.
He is the target of serious accusations from former students related to power abuse and dangerous practices.
The well-researched article says that according to the Grenoble public prosecutors office, he is under investigation for 'potential sectarian abberation' and at least three sexual assaults allegedly committed on employees and students of his ashram.
They mention that he was a student of Yogi Bhajan and give a short overview of the revelations of abuse by Bhajan that started with the book Premka of Pamela Dyson.
Oct 27, 2023
3HO Europe's reaction on the article in Le Monde - no mentioning of the abuse of Yogi Bhajan!
Click on the extract below to link to their full response.
Le Figaro - Oct 19, 2023
Dérives sectaires: un maître yogi accusé d’agressions sexuelles sur des employées et élèves - Link
FranceBlue - Oct 20, 2023
Isère: un maître de yoga mis en examen pour agressions sexuelles et travail dissimulé - Link
PlaceGrenet - Oct 20, 2023
Saint-Michel-les-Portes: un maître de yoga, soupçonné d’agressions sexuelles et de dérives sectaires, en garde àvue - Link
September 2023
Who sits on the board of the SSSC?
On Aug 1 after the elections,
the results were as shown in the News section of August below.
Today, the info is different and confusing:
The page 'Our Board Members'
is not consistent with the info on the '2023 SSSC elections' page.
Creating confusion is well-known cult technique.
July 2023
The Siri Singh Sahib Corporation
electing a new board in July 2023.
Link to candidate interviews
5 Pro-Bhajanists - 5 for Hope & Change - 3 Independents.
Results published Aug 1, 2023 - LINK
Summary
814 voters out of 954 eligible voters brought out 5496 votes. The 3 independent candidates did the best job: places 1,2 & 4. Then the deniers and the least votes for those in favor of reparation and healing. None of this last group will go directly into the board.
The Liability of the Board to the liability of the sexual assault cases.
Extract from The Bad Buddhist Podcast
episode March 25, 2022 with Lawyer Carol Merchasin
The Bad Buddhist Podcast: minute 22 - 25.
On June 11, 2023,
petition launched by
100 second-generation adults
They request a trauma-informed,
just and heartfelt approach of the nearly
600 claims introduced in the
Independent Healing and Reparation Program.
Let's Support them !
On June 16, 2023,
the starting date
of the 2023 summer solstice event,
the president of the SSSC,
(the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation overseeing all yogic, Sikh Dharma and profit organizations,)
Sahaj Singh Khalsa,
born and raised in 3HO,
resigned from the board
and as a Sikh Dharma Minister.
Listen to GuruNischan's Uncomfortable Conversation Podcast
reflecting on the petition and on Sahaj Singh's resignation.
June 2023
And ...
Vice made 10 min version of their April 2022 docu True Believers: Empire of Yoga
April 2023
Harvard Divinity School Conference
"Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities"
April 26-29, 2023.
An Interesting Association to connect to for those involved in Spiritual Activities
Association for Spiritual Integrity
Transforming the paradigm of spiritual leadership.
Febraury 2023
One of Bhajan's accomplices in fraudulent affairs, ex-Toner bandit and ex-prisoner Harijiwan, won a Grammy award with White Sun in the "new age, ambient or chant" category for the second time.
"Glitter in Eyes, Ears and Minds"
Esoteric Atlanta Brice Watson interviews
Gursant Singh: Whistleblower & Survivor of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga Cult
A Report by
Cult Expert Dr. Alexandra Stein
on 3HO Childhood Experiences
written to support claims of
second-generation adults in the IHRP process,
confirms 3HO was/is a cult.
The report was released in October 2022,
but was kept out of public view while the claim period for the IHRP was still open, but is available now.
(IHRP - Independent Healing and Reparations Program - more info see News August 2022)
It may take a few seconds before the report
- here to the right -
is loaded on your screen.
January 2023
On Dec 15, 2022 Suzanne Jordan, survivor of Yogi Bhajan's abuse and moderator of the private Facebook group 'Beyond the Cage' terminated her affiliation to the CRC as a representative of the advisory team the Voices of the Exploited. The CRC is the Compassionate Reconciliation Process that was set up by the SSSC.
Suzanne's letter to her CRC colleagues and to the team of Just Outcomes*, explains the different reasons why she felt she can no longer invest in a process that is not effective in delivering what it was initially and supposedly set-up for, but appears to serve other needs that are counterproductive to what she believes should happen.
*Catherine, Aaron & Matthew whom Suzanne mentions in her greeting, are the owners of Just Outcomes, the Canadian firm hired by SSSC to guide the Compassionate Reconciliation Process that is aimed to be based on the principles of Restorative Justice.
Els Coenen, caretaker of this website, also withdrew from my participation in one of the nine advisory teams of the CRC process, the Guerilla Peacemakers for reasons very similar to those expressed by Suzanne.
December 2022
November 2022
An inspiring testimony of someone who stepped out of Tibetan Buddhism 3 years ago after she found out about abuse by her spiritual teacher ...
How letting go of dogma and choosing for reality and truth brings freedom.
Life is the path we are stuck with ...
And that's just wonderful.
August 2022
Juridical Support for people
who registered to the IHRP reparations program
(Click on this link and scroll down the page to find the 3HO case)
Independent Healing and Reparation Program
If you have been harmed by Yogi Bhajan or any leader in the community, or at any of the schools in India you can file a claim for financial reparations.
This program was triggered by 2nd Gens working with JLC (see above)
and was launched by the SSSC in May 2022
Registration period was from June 9 till Aug 19, 2022.
VERY INFORMATIVE
WEBINAR (recording)
Commonly Asked Questions in
Sexual Abuse/Misconduct Claims
answered by Kim Dougherty
In the Episode 47 (aug 10, 2022) GuruNischan explains how some
2nd Gens started to work with
in September 2020.
July 2022
April - May 2022
VICE documentary
"True Believers" - episode
the Dark Empire
of Yogi Bhajan
Apr 12, 2022
to read the transcipt.
April 7, 2022
SSSC launched a statement on the EPS website:
Acknowledgment, Apology, and
Reparations Program Announcement
3HO published it on their site.
An extract:
...
We recognize that one of our greatest organizational shortcomings was that we did not listen to or acknowledge those who experienced harm from our leadership, in our schools, or in our communities over the years. Too often, their voices were met with silence or disbelief. We see the courage it took for individuals to come forward to shed light on these difficult issues, and we thank every person who was willing to share their experiences. You have brought awareness to these important issues and the call for change, and we want you to know that we have heard you. We acknowledge the pain and suffering you have shared with us, and we are committed to a compassionate and supportive response.
While we cannot claim to know the full extent of each person’s pain, we deeply regret all suffering in our community, including the abuse, neglect and other serious harms that have been shared by women, members of the next generation, and others. To every person who suffered any wrong by any individual associated with our community over the last fifty years our community has existed, we offer our sincere and unequivocal apology. We accept responsibility for our role as an organization in any situation where a person was hurt. We also recognize that words of apology are only a beginning – these sentiments must be accompanied by action.
VICE info:
VICE shows are generally not available in countries where the channel does not air on TV.
The channel is currently available in the US, CA, France, Australia, New Zealand, Benelux and Israel.
(in the Dutch speaking part of Benelux it is not available anymore since August 2020)
Are the statements from SSSC and 3HO here to the left,
driven by the HEART? or by FEAR?
read the letter they send out below related to
the VICE documentary ?
February 2022
Feb 28, 2022
Support this initiative
presented by
Satshabad Khalsa
on the
Beyond the Cage FB group
to get people
in the SSSC leadership team who really care
about
healing the wounds
of the past.
Here is the link to connect
URL: http://zoom.us/j/96989088782
Meeting ID: 969 8908 8782
Passcode: 98765123
For people outside US:
use postal code
91210 (Beverly Hills)
to enter the petition.
January 2022
PressHerald - Jan 9, 2022 - LINK
While the Compassionate Reconciliation process is progressing at an extremely slow pace, the leaders of the organizations have still not recognized the damage done. In their newsletters and on their websites (3HO, KRI, IKYTA) they do everything they can to keep the elephant in the room out of sight.
Some days ago Nam Kaur launched an email you can read in full-length via link below. Her call: In March 2022 we will finally have the opportunity to elect enough pro-Yogi Bhajan Board members to have the majority on the Board for the first time in years.
READ more about the battle for executive chair control in a blog post on 3HO Cult Info - LINK
November 2021
September 2021
Posted on Sep 24, 2021 in the Beyond the Cage Facebook group by Suzanne Jordan.
She gave permission to publish it here.
'Another complexity in the wake of YB's destruction is those who are squarely landed in both a victim & perpetrator role.
In the case of YB staff, learning on the Zoom call last Sunday that at least one 1st Gen woman had sex with YB in front of a second Gen woman (both in bed with him) to normalize the abuse has brought up a lot of anger for many.
1st Gen women shaving the 2nd Gen and teaching them how YB liked sex.
How do we hold for both?
Sure, the cult-indoctrination was the coercive dynamic at play, but then I think of what I consider to be a real moral lapse happening, the grooming of 2nd Gen women.
Should that "also-victim" be held accountable?
Additionally, this is why some staff members are silent.
Their participation is prosecutable. They could go to prison. We won't ever hear from them.
Does this all fall under the sway of their victimization?
When is accountability appropriate?
Many 2nd Gen (on and off the call) were outraged that some 1st Gen call themselves "victims",
because they were repeatedly abused by them.'
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Survivor stories included on this site,
draw only a fraction of what really happened.
Many more stories are out there, told and untold.
Truth telling is a prerequisite for justice and reconciliation.
