“Rape is always invited. It never happens.” Say what?

By Priya Tandon | EDITOR’S PICK |

I believe yoga is a path to liberation and Samadhi, versus just turning and twisting your body.

The gurus who show the light are out there—but finding your “true guru” can be a challenge.

In the name of yoga and spirituality, unfortunately, the concept has been commercialized, and at its worst, women and men have been sexually exploited. And this is where we should educate ourselves: where are we going for guidance, what are the teachings of the guru, how is the money being spent by a guru, who are his followers—even try researching for any kind of public records, ask questions, and if does not feel right then chances are it isn’t.

Yes, you read that headline right. My first reaction was “WTF?!” to this posted on Facebook. Missing here is the angry emoji and my blood boiling when I saw and heard this brief video from Yogi Bhajan:

I had never heard of this person before. I am not a follower of any guru or anyone for that matter, though I do like to converse around diverse topics with active thinkers in my discovery for self and quest for personal growth. Therefore, the outrageous and somewhat deliberate headline on the video glared back at me, and I wanted to know more about this so-called spiritual guru.

In the New York Times, Yogi Bhajan is the “‘Boss’ of both worlds—Spiritual and Capitalism,” as written in the obituary section.

A customs officer in India, he rose meteorically by bringing Kundalini Yoga to the West and establishing business ventures, vis a vis providing security to federal offices and Army bases in the U.S., Yogi Tea operations, numerous yoga centers, Golden Temple Foods, and so on. The accumulation of wealth runs in billions of dollars. The “Yogi” was connected to the famous and met with the Pope and the Dalai Lama.

The New Mexico state government went so far as to name a highway after him. State Highway 106, which ran in front of his home, was renamed the “Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway.” And New Mexico flew flags at half-staff for two days upon his death, declaring October 23rd as Yogi Bhajan Memorial Day.

SEE ALSO: Yogi Bhajan sexual allegations rock Kundalini Yoga world 

He was also known to introduce Sikhism, a 15th-century monotheistic religion, to the West. His version of Sikhism had some differences from the original one. His biggest accomplishment might have been the 3HO: Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization to expand upon his missionary and spiritual work. From Wikipedia, “In 1994, the 3HO Foundation joined the United Nations as a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, representing women’s issues, promoting human rights, and providing education about alternative systems of medicine.”

In short, the above is the man who also stated that “Rape is always invited.”

One may question if the person is already dead, why we are still talking about him? And how this video maybe important today.

The YouTube video came out on Feb 29th, 2020. The description says, “This is an audio recording of Yogi Bhajan from one of his lectures in Española, New Mexico. This recording was made on April 26, 1978.”

When I last checked, the 3HO foundation Facebook page had 73k followers. The 3HO foundation is robust and flourishing with new followers for his Kundalini yoga training.

My question is simple: would you join 3HO or follow the “teachings” of Yogi Bhajan, after listening to this video?

Read the full story, “Rape is always invited. It never Happens.” What the Actual F*ck? (Elephant Journal, 22 March 2020), here.