There are a lot of reasons why I believe things have not changed for the 3HO children at boarding school at Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India. There’s one reason why I believe it’s worse: Mandatory Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training in order to graduate. I’ll talk more on that later. Those 3HO kids over there, …
Continue reading “Miri Piri Academy… Meet your new boss. Same as the old boss.”
Um, what?
How insulting is this: Hey. Assholes. RIGHT NOW there are 3HO Sikh Dharma children who are thousands of miles apart from their parents–children who have been separated because Yogi Bhajan told their parents to do it. Told their parents that their “children don’t love them”. Told their parents that “distance therapy” is a thing. And …
Separating children from parents is wrong. Very wrong.
What’s happening now–Children being torn from their parents at the US border–might feel all-too personal. It can trigger a lot of unhappy memories. I have a clear memory of how I felt in my body and in my mind when I was really young and separated from my parents. I remember not feeling, and just …
Continue reading “Separating children from parents is wrong. Very wrong.”
Amritsar c. 1983
Yogi Bhajan, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Nanak Dev Singh, a 3HO child who looks to be no older than ten years, another 3HO child probably a teen, and a 3HO woman. I can’t even begin to make sense of this scene. Can you? Do you have first-hand knowledge of it? Do you know?
There’s no deadline for grief
…Meaning, it might take a while. After years of keeping this blog, I have had the opportunity to speak with a number of ex-classmates, talk to people, and have real conversations about growing up in 3HO Sikh Dharma. When I do take time out of ordinary life to reconnect or have a conversation, what usually …
Walking away from the bad.
We need to tell ourselves that it’s okay to walk away. We are not going to fail. We are not going to collapse. We are going to be okay. When someone is treating you badly, manipulating you, making you feel less-than, they rely on a prevailing and toxic narrative that there will be dire consequences …
Can someone regret something even if they’ve never apologized for their role?
Last week, Dr. Dre issued a public apology to the women he beat up back in the N.W.A. times. While it reeks of PR, it’s still a step in the right direction. Perhaps now he can put his money where his mouth is and donate to causes that prevent domestic violence, and to those that …
Continue reading “Can someone regret something even if they’ve never apologized for their role?”
“No one imagines themselves as so fragile to ever let something as sinister as a cult take control of their minds. I didn’t think anyone would ever tell me how to think and when to think it. We all believe we’re above such things and only stupid people could fall for that. “ — Carmen …
And so, here ends a senseless chapter
Nanak Dev Singh, the notorious tormentor of the 3HO children at G.N.F.C. boarding school, has died. Cause of death was apparently a massive heart attack. My initial reaction to news of his death was “I hope it was neither quick, nor painless“. But vindication does not come in the act of dying. Nevertheless, there are …
So now they have a treatment for Sexual Abuse?
Found this article “Reclaiming Your Innocence” Wondering… Would this be the same treatment recommended for the 3HO children who experienced sexual and physical abuse while at 3HO led boarding schools in India? Would this be the same treatment for 3HO children who experienced sexual and physical abuse at Khalsa Children’s Camp? Would this be the …
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What I got from watching The Source Family
I just watched The Source Family, a recent film that depicts the brief life of the cult of the same name, led by James Baker, aka Father Yod, aka YaHoWha. The film labels itself a documentary, but is less so than it is a compilation of old footage and interviews with past members who, to …
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The inventing (and re-inventing) of Kundalini Yoga
For anyone unaware (is there anyone?), Kundalini Yoga and 3HO Sikh Dharma are inextricably linked. There is no historical, ideological, or anthropological connection–what-so-ever–between the religion of Sikhism and Kundalini, aka Tantra. Yet this link has nevertheless found its way into the common vernacular among many people in the west with little epistemological discourse. I’m not …
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Upcoming ICSA Events to take advantage of
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you are curious about 3HO and Yogi Bhajan. Also, chances are you were born and raised in this group. And if you were born and raised in this group, there’s a 90% chance you were sent away to boarding school in India. And a 100% chance you have …
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As If I Needed A Reason…
A child separated from his or her parents experiences profound emotional trauma and damage to his or her true sense of security. This is the fundamental reason not to send children to boarding school. But in addition to that, there are other reasons NOT to send a child to boarding school in India through the …
Giving Back
Chapter 1 As Sikh children, we were told to give back. In fact giving back to one’s community, or Dasvandh, was one hallmark among my many memories as a Sikh child. My parents gave ten percent of their income in tithings. It’s part of Sikh tradition to give a tithing, even if very small, at …
Ram Das Puri
Satellite Google Maps view of the 3HO sponsored summer solstice and Peace Prayer Day events in Northern New Mexico. Yogi Bhajan’s real name was Harbhajan Singh Puri. He named the solstice site Ram Das Puri back in the late 70’s. I guess he named it after himself and no one noticed or cared? Isn’t Puri …
The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword
Firearms training, and exposure to firearms were normal growing up in 3HO Sikh Dharma. My parents owned two or three handguns and a rifle. Even as a young child I knew where they were stored – inside their bedroom closet, loaded, and inside a padded, brown leather holster. Yogi Bhajan had a 24-7 cadre of …
Trauma at boarding school and before
For a large portion of my life I managed to satirize my experiences in boarding school in India. In social situations with my “Indiakid” peers, I can keep up with the laughing and mockery and the absurd story-telling… which is usually how most social situations wound up. But then a silence will fill the room …
Steven Hassan on Huffington Post
Have you been reading any of the articles about the current schizm in Sikh Dharma? If so, what’s your response as a 2nd generation adult? Here is the op-ed piece by cult recovery expert, Steven Hassan. From there, is a link to a piece in the Santa Fe Reporter. The Eugene Register Guard also has …
Remembering US Independence Day in India
The GNFC school year was the reverse of what it is in the States. We got two and a half months off during the winter months, and spent March through November in India. Our July Fourths were not spent cooking out, or going swimming, watching fireworks, lighting sparklers, or feasting on fruit cobblers. Our parents …