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{{short description|American Sikh yogi (1929–2004)}}
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{{COI|reason=attempts to remove reliably-cited evidence of allegations of abuse|date=February 2021}}
{{short description|Indian-American Sikh Yogi}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (Yogi Bhajan) | name = Yogi Bhajan
| image = Yogi_Bhajan_1985.jpg | image = Yogi_Bhajan_1985.jpg
| caption = In 1985 | caption = In 1985
| birth_name = Harbhajan Singh Puri
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|08|26}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|08|26}}
| birth_place = Kot Harkarn, ], ]
| birth_place = Kot Harkarn, ], ]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|10|6|1929|8|26}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|10|6|1929|8|26}}
| death_place = {{nowrap|], United States}}
| death_place = {{nowrap|], United States}}
| spouse = Bibi Inderjit Kaur
| spouse = Bibi Inderjit Kaur
| children = Ranbir Singh, Kulbir Singh, Kamaljit Kaur
| children = Ranbir Singh, Kulbir Singh, Kamaljit Kaur
| citizenship = {{Plainlist|
| citizenship = {{Plainlist|
* ] (1929–1976)
* India (1929–1976)
* ] (1976–2004)
* United States (1976–2004)
}}
}}
| education = Panjab University, New Delhi, India (Master of Economics, 1952), University for Humanistic Studies, Solana Beach, CA, USA (PhD, Psychology of Communication, 1980)
| education = Panjab University, New Delhi, India (Master of Economics, 1952), University for Humanistic Studies, Solana Beach, CA, USA (PhD, Psychology of Communication, 1980)
| organizations = Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), Sikh Dharma International, Kundalini Research Institute, Siri Singh Sahib Corporation
| organizations = Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), Sikh Dharma International, Kundalini Research Institute, Siri Singh Sahib Corporation
| known_for = Master of ], interfaith pioneer, Sikh missionary
| known_for = Promoting ], Sikh missionary activities, alleged serial sexual assault and abuse
| title = Yogi, Siri Singh Sahib, Bhai Sahib, Panth Rattan
| title = Yogi, Siri Singh Sahib, Bhai Sahib, Panth Rattan
| signature = Signature of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa.svg
| signature = Signature of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa.svg
}} }}


'''Harbhajan Singh Khalsa''' (born Harbhajan Singh Puri)<ref name="Sikhnet Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.sikhnet.com/yogibhajan |title=Biography |publisher=Sikhnet |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> (August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004), also known as '''Yogi Bhajan''' and '''Siri Singh Sahib''' to his followers, was an Indian-born American entrepreneur, ],<ref>{{cite book |last=Shearer |first=Alistair |title=The Story of Yoga: From Ancient India to the Modern West |title-link=The Story of Yoga |date=2020 |publisher=] |location=London |isbn=978-1-78738-192-6 |page=210}}</ref> and spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of ] to the United States. He was the spiritual director of the ] Foundation, with over 300 centers in 35 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095926837 |publisher=Oxford Reference |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref> '''Yogi Bhajan''' (born '''Harbhajan Singh Puri''')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sikhnet.com/yogibhajan |title=Biography |publisher=Sikhnet |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> (August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004), also known as '''Siri Singh Sahib''' to his followers, was an American entrepreneur, cult leader, ],<ref>{{cite book |last=Shearer |first=Alistair |title=The Story of Yoga: From Ancient India to the Modern West |title-link=The Story of Yoga |date=2020 |publisher=] |location=London |isbn=978-1-78738-192-6 |page=210}}</ref> and putative spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of ] to the United States. He was the spiritual director of the ] foundation (and ]), with over 300 centers in 35 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095926837 |publisher=Oxford Reference |access-date=28 March 2021}}</ref> He was accused of sexual abuse by several dozen of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-05 |title=Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power |url=https://gurumag.com/master-of-deceit-how-yogi-bhajan-used-kundalini-yoga-for-money-sex-and-power/ |access-date=2021-02-26 |website=The Guru Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stuart |first=Gwynedd |date=2020-07-15 |title=Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse |url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/yogi-bhajan/|access-date=2021-02-26 |website=Los Angeles Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-15 |title=A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/abuse-in-kundalini-yoga/ |access-date=2021-02-26 |website=]}}</ref>

<!--This is ESSENTIAL, do not attempt to remove without full consensus on talk page-->Harbhajan Singh has been accused posthumously of sexual abuse by hundreds of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-05 |title=Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power |url=https://gurumag.com/master-of-deceit-how-yogi-bhajan-used-kundalini-yoga-for-money-sex-and-power/ |access-date=2021-02-26 |website=The Guru Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stuart |first=Gwynedd |date=2020-07-15 |title=Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse |url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/yogi-bhajan/|access-date=2021-02-26 |website=Los Angeles Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-15 |title=A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/abuse-in-kundalini-yoga/ |access-date=2021-02-26 |website=]}}</ref>
Three members of the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation Board, objecting to the hiring of An Olive Branch, an entity not licensed to conduct investigations, resigned their positions. One of them commissioned the Thompson Report, which found serious failings in both the methods and the presentation of the Olive Branch Report.<ref name="Thompson Report"/>
<!--This is ESSENTIAL, do not attempt to remove without full consensus on talk page-->


== Biography == == Biography ==
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=== Early life === === Early life ===


Harbhajan Singh Khalsa was born on August 26, 1929 into a Sikh family in Kot Harkarn, ], in the ] (now in ]). His father, Dr. Kartar Singh Puri, served the ] as a medical doctor. His mother, a Hindu, was named Harkrishan Kaur. His father was raised in the Sikh tradition and young Harbhajan was educated in a Catholic school run by nuns. Singh learned the fundamentals of ] from his paternal grandfather, Sant Bhai Fateh Singh. Theirs was a well-to-do landlord family, owning most of their village in the foothills of the ].<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 18-24.</ref> Harbhajan Singh Khalsa was born on August 26, 1929 into a ] family in Kot Harkarn, ] in the ] (now in Pakistan). His father, Dr. Kartar Singh Puri, served the ] as a medical doctor. His mother was named Harkrishan Kaur. His father was raised in the Sikh tradition and young Harbhajan was educated in a Catholic school run by nuns. Singh learned the fundamentals of ] from his paternal grandfather, Sant Bhai Fateh Singh. Theirs was a well-to-do landlord family, owning most of their village in the foothills of the ].<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 18-24.</ref>


Khalsa's schooling was interrupted in 1947 by the violent ], when he and his family fled to ] as refugees. There, Harbhajan Singh attended Camp College – a hastily put together arrangement for thousands of refugee students – and was an active member of the Sikh Students Federation in Delhi.<ref>Shamsher Singh, "The Fruits of Inner Searching ''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: ], 1979, pp. 44-46; Harbans Lal, "Celebrating the Life of Yogi Harbhajan Singh Ji", ''The Sikh Review'', October 2007, p.&nbsp;52.</ref> Four years later, he graduated with a master's degree in economics.<ref>Shanti Kaur Khalsa, ''The History of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere'', Espanola, New Mexico: Sikh Dharma, 1995, pp. 3–4; Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, ''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 34–35</ref> Singh's schooling was interrupted in 1947 by the violent ], when he and his family fled to ] as refugees. There, Harbhajan Singh attended Camp College – a hastily put together arrangement for thousands of refugee students – and was an active member of the Sikh Students Federation in Delhi.<ref>Shamsher Singh, "The Fruits of Inner Searching ''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: ], 1979, pp. 44-46; Harbans Lal, "Celebrating the Life of Yogi Harbhajan Singh Ji", ''The Sikh Review'', October 2007, p.&nbsp;52.</ref> Four years later, he graduated with a master's degree in economics.<ref>Shanti Kaur Khalsa, ''The History of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere'', Espanola, New Mexico: Sikh Dharma, 1995, pp. 3–4; Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, ''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 34–35</ref>


In 1953, Harbhajan Singh entered the service of the Government of India. He served in the Revenue Department, where his duties took him all over India. Eventually, Harbhajan Singh was promoted to a customs inspector at ].<ref name="Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, p.36">Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, p.&nbsp;36</ref> He married Inderjit Kaur Uppal in Delhi in 1954. Together, they had three children, Ranbir Singh Bhai, Kulbir Singh and Kamaljit Kaur.<ref>''Beads of Truth'' magazine, Fall 1978, 39:6-9; ''Beads of Truth'' magazine, Spring 1981, II:7:28-33.</ref> In 1953, Singh entered the service of the Government of India. He served in the Revenue Department, where his duties took him all over India. Eventually, Harbhajan Singh was promoted to a customs inspector at ].<ref>Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, p.&nbsp;36</ref>


By Khalsa's account, his most influential teacher during his formative years was his paternal grandfather. He subsequently studied ] at a boarding school of Sant Hazara Singh.<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa, p.&nbsp;20-24</ref> In his adult life, Harbhajan Singh's government duties often facilitated his traveling to remote ]s and distant hermitages to seek out reclusive yogis and swamis. These included Sant Ranjit Singh, Acarya Narinder Dev and the facilities of Sivananda Ashram. Harbhajan Singh learned yoga therapy from ] at the Vishwayatan Ashram in New Delhi.<ref>https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com/vitae.html</ref>In his final years in India, he also learned from Baba Virsa Singh at ].<ref name="Deslippe 2021">{{cite journal |last=Deslippe |first=Philip |title=From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga |date=2012 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271568190 |journal=Sikh Formations |access-date=March 2, 2021 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.745303|s2cid=144988035 }}</ref> As a devout and much-decorated Sikh, all of Khalsa's teaching was deeply influenced by ] and his spiritual tradition.<ref>https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com/siri.html</ref> In his final years in India, he also learned from Baba Virsa Singh at Gobind Sadan Institute.<ref name="Deslippe-2012">{{cite journal |last=Deslippe |first=Philip |title=From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga |date=2012 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271568190 |journal=Sikh Formations |access-date=March 2, 2021 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.745303|s2cid=144988035 }}</ref>


=== Coming West === === Coming west ===
In 1968, Singh emigrated to ], Canada equipped with an endorsement from that country's High Commissioner to India, ], who was also a student of his.<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, p. 33.</ref> Harbhajan Singh made a considerable impact in the predominantly Anglo-Saxon metropolis. In three months, he established classes at several ]s, co-founded a yoga centre, was interviewed for national press and television, and helped set in motion the creation of eastern Canada's first Sikh temple in time for ]'s five hundredth birthday the following year.<ref>Edna Hampton, "Yoga's Challenges and Promises", '']'', November 28, 1968, p.&nbsp;W11</ref><ref>Wayne Edmonstone, "Sikhs open first temple in Toronto", '']'', August 25, 1969, p. B5</ref>


=== Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization ===
In 1968, Harbhajan Singh emigrated to ], ] equipped with an endorsement from that country's High Commissioner to India, ], who was also a student of his,<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,''The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib'', Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, p. 33.</ref> and the promise of a position as director of a new Yogic Studies Department at the ]. While that position did not materialize because of the death of his sponsor in an auto mishap,<ref>Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa, https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com</ref> Harbhajan Singh made a considerable impact in the predominantly Anglo-Saxon metropolis. In three months, he established classes at several ]s, co-founded a yoga centre, was interviewed for national press and television, and helped set in motion the creation of eastern Canada's first Sikh temple in time for ]'s five hundredth birthday the following year.<ref>Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa, https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com</ref><ref> Edna Hampton, "Yoga's Challenges and Promises"], '']'', November 28, 1968, p.&nbsp;W11</ref><ref>Wayne Edmonstone, "Sikhs open first temple in Toronto", '']'', August 25, 1969, p. B5</ref>

Soon after arriving in ], ] in December 1968, Harbhajan Singh met ] who operated the East-West Cultural Center and Osu, who would become his first student, renamed "Shakti Parwha Kaur." Tyberg invited Khalsa to speak at her center on January 6, his first lecture in the West. After that, he became a regular presenter with a growing following from within the hippie movement.<ref>Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com/</ref> <ref>Shakti Parwha Kaur "How it all began", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkvcWRKMLfg</ref>

=== Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization===
{{Main|3HO}} {{Main|3HO}}
] ]
In 1969, Singh established the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) Foundation in ], ] to further his missionary work. His brand of Sikhism appealed to the ] who formed the bulk of his early converts. The Sikh practice of not cutting one's hair or beard was already accepted by the hippie culture, as was Sikh ]ism. They liked to experience elevated states of awareness and they also deeply wanted to feel they were contributing to a world of peace and social justice. He offered them all these things with vigorous yoga, an embracing holistic vision, and an optimistic spirit of sublime destiny.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cowley |first1=Susan Cheever |first2=Martin |last2=Kasindorf |first3=Laurie |last3=Lisle |title=Sikhdom, U.S.A. |journal=] |date=April 21, 1975 |page=65}}</ref>
Interest in yoga increased worldwide at this time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |title=The Power of Yoga |magazine=] |date=April 15, 2001 |volume=157 |issue=16 |pages=54–63 |pmid=11330024 |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,999731,00.html}}</ref> To serve the changing times, Singh created the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, dedicated to setting standards for teachers and the propagation of the teachings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ikyta.org/ikyta-history|title=IKYTA History &#124; IKYTA - International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association|website=Ikyta.org|access-date=December 15, 2021}}</ref>


In 1984 he started the famous ] brand.
In 1969, Harbhajan Singh established the ] (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) Foundation in ], ] to further his missionary work. His brand of Sikhism appealed to the ] who formed the bulk of his early converts. The Sikh practice of not cutting one's hair or beard was already accepted by the hippie culture, as was Sikh ]ism. They liked to experience elevated states of awareness and they also deeply wanted to feel they were contributing to a world of peace and social justice. He offered them all these things with vigorous yoga, an embracing holistic vision, and an optimistic spirit of sublime destiny.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cowley |first1=Susan Cheever |first2=Martin |last2=Kasindorf |first3=Laurie |last3=Lisle |title=Sikhdom, U.S.A. |journal=] |date=April 21, 1975 |page=65}}</ref>

Interest in yoga increased worldwide at this time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |title=The Power of Yoga |magazine=] |date=April 15, 2001 |volume=157 |issue=16 |pages=54–63 |pmid=11330024 |url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,999731,00.html}}</ref> To serve the changing times, Harbhajan Singh created the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, dedicated to setting standards for teachers and the propagation of the teachings.<ref>IKYTA History http://www.ikyta.org/ikyta-history</ref> 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.<ref>Yogi Bhajan's Biography https://www.3ho.org/yogi-bhajan/about-yogi-bhajan/yogi-bhajans-biography</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.3ho.org/yogi-bhajan/about-yogi-bhajan/yogi-bhajans-biography|title=Yogi Bhajan's Biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102082829/https://www.3ho.org/yogi-bhajan/about-yogi-bhajan/yogi-bhajans-biography|access-date=15 December 2021|archive-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref>


=== Aquarian age timeline === === Aquarian age timeline ===
] 1971]] ] 1971]]
Singh incorporated the storyline of the dawning new age into his teachings, a case of melding Western ] with Sikh tradition. He proclaimed that "] was the Guru for the ]." It was, he declared, to be an age where people first experienced God, then believed, rather than the old way of believing and then being liberated by one's faith.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kaur |first=Sardarni |title=Guru for the Aquarian Age: The Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak |publisher=Spiritual Community |location=San Rafael, California |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-913852-01-9 |oclc=1382622 |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Piccalo |first1=Gina |title=A Yogi's Requiem |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-23-et-yogi23-story.html |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=] |date=23 October 2004}}</ref>

Harbhajan Singh incorporated the storyline of the dawning new age into his teachings, a case of melding Western ] with Sikh tradition. He proclaimed that "] was the Guru for the ]." It was, he declared, to be an age where people first experienced God, then believed, rather than the old way of believing and then being liberated by one's faith.<ref name="Kaur 1973">{{cite book |last=Kaur |first=Sardarni |title=Guru for the Aquarian Age: The Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak |publisher=Spiritual Community |location=San Rafael, California |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-913852-01-9 |oclc=1382622 |page=6}}</ref><ref name="Piccalo 2004">{{cite news |last1=Piccalo |first1=Gina |title=A Yogi's Requiem |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-23-et-yogi23-story.html |access-date=4 March 2021 |work=] |date=23 October 2004}}</ref> His timeline for the arrival of the Aquarian age varied over the years, but in 1992, he fixed it at 2012 and gave his students a set of morning meditations to practice until that date to prepare themselves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aquariantimes.com |title=Aquarian Times Featuring Prosperity Paths |publisher=Aquariantimes.com |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>


=== Inter-faith work === === Inter-faith work ===
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] at the Vatican, 1984]] ] at the Vatican, 1984]]


In the summer of 1970, Harbhajan Singh participated in an informal "Holy Man Jam" at the ] with ]—another Eastern yogi who has been accused of sexual abuse of his students, ] of The Farm in Tennessee, Zen Buddhist Bill Quan-roshi, and other local spiritual leaders. A few weeks later, he organized a gathering of spiritual teachers to engage and inspire the 200,000 attendees of the ] on the stage between the performances of the bands.<ref>{{cite book |first=Lisa |last=Law |title=Flashing on the Sixties |location=San Francisco |publisher=Chronicle Books |pages=102–107}}</ref> In the summer of 1970, Singh participated in an informal "Holy Man Jam" at the ] with ] (another Eastern yogi who has been accused of sexual abuse of his students), ] of The Farm in Tennessee, Zen Buddhist ], and other local spiritual leaders. A few weeks later, he organized a gathering of spiritual teachers to engage and inspire the 200,000 attendees of the ] on the stage between the performances of the bands.<ref>{{cite book |first=Lisa |last=Law |title=Flashing on the Sixties |location=San Francisco |publisher=Chronicle Books |pages=102–107}}</ref>

All through the 1970s and 80s, in his role the Siri Singh Sahib of Sikh Dharma,<ref>https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com/siri.html</ref> Harbhajan Singh actively engaged in and chaired numerous inter-religious councils and forums, including the Inter-Religious Council of Southern California, the World Conference for the Unity of Man, and the ].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Gurubanda |last1=Singh Khalsa |first2=Shakti Parwha |last2=Kaur Khalsa |chapter=Messenger of the New Age |title=The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib |publisher=Sikh Dharma |location=Los Angeles |year=1979 |pages=368–374}}</ref> In 1999, he gave a presentation at the ] in Cape Town, South Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conferencerecording.com/newevents/pwr99.htm |title=Parliament of the World's Religions |publisher=Conferencerecording.com |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>


=== Political influence in U.S. === === Political influence in U.S. ===
When U.S. ] called drugs America's "Number one domestic problem", Singh launched a pilot program with two longtime heroin addicts in Washington, D.C., in 1972. The program attempted to treat heroin addiction through the practice of yoga and the consumption of ] juice.<ref>William L. Claiborne, "Heroin Treatment: Garlic Juice, Yoga", '']'', March 22, 1972</ref>


=== Death ===
As early as 1970, Khalsa was known to call on members of Congress in their Washington offices.<ref>Sardarni Premka Kaur, "Mission Possible", ''Beads of Truth'' magazine, Issue 16, December 1972, p. 35 (Senator Mark Hatfield and Congressman Mark Corman); Shakti Parwha Kaur, "High Times", ''Beads of Truth'' magazine, Issue 17, March 1973, p. 36 (Congressman Jonathan Bingham).</ref> He also befriended successive governors of the state of New Mexico. Harbhajan Singh was known as a Democrat. Since 1980, he was both friend and adviser to ].<ref>Bill Richardson, "Yogi Bhajan Day", ''Aquarian Times'', 4:4, Winter 2004, pp. 94-95</ref>

=== Healing arts ===

When U.S. President Nixon called drugs America's "Number one domestic problem", Harbhajan Singh Khalsa launched a pilot program with two longtime heroin addicts in Washington, D.C. in 1972.<ref>William L. Claiborne, "Heroin Treatment: Garlic Juice, Yoga", '']'', March 22, 1972</ref> The next year, a full-blown drug treatment center known as "3HO SuperHealth" was launched in Tucson, Arizona. The program used Kundalini Yoga, diet and massage therapy to treat the addicts and taught hundreds of techniques of yogic exercise and meditation. Many have been catalogued by their traditionally known effects in calming and healing the mind and body. Some of those techniques have been scientifically studied and applied in clinical practice with favorable results.<ref>Shannahoff-Khalsa, David, Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth, ], New York, London, 2006</ref>

==Obituaries and memorials==
] with Harbhajan Singh Khalsa's widow, "Bibiji"]] ] with Harbhajan Singh Khalsa's widow, "Bibiji"]]


Harbhajan Singh died of complications of heart failure at his home in ], ], on October 6, 2004, aged 75. He was survived by his wife, sons, daughter and five grandchildren.<ref name="nytimesobit">{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |title=Yogi Bhajan, 75, Worlds Spiritual and Capitalistic |newspaper=] |date=October 9, 2004 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DB123BF93AA35753C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |access-date=September 18, 2008}}</ref> Harbhajan Singh died of complications of heart failure at his home in ], ], on October 6, 2004, aged 75. He was survived by his wife, sons, daughter and five grandchildren.<ref name="Martin-2004">{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |title=Yogi Bhajan, 75, Worlds Spiritual and Capitalistic |newspaper=] |date=October 9, 2004 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DB123BF93AA35753C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |access-date=September 18, 2008}}</ref> Obituaries appeared in '']'',<ref>{{cite news |title=A Yogi's Requiem |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-23-et-yogi23-story.html |date=October 23, 2004 |work=]}}</ref> the '']'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Rajghatta |first=Chidinand |date=October 10, 2004 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/880032.cms |title=The Capitalist Yogi |work=]}}</ref> '']'',<ref name="Martin-2004" /> and '']''.<ref>Phil Catalfo, "", '']'', Jan/Feb 2005, p. 144 (republished 2007).</ref> Khalsa's passing was noted by the ], which closed its offices to commemorate his death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041008/punjab1.htm

His passing was widely noted in the press, with obituaries appearing in '']'',<ref>{{cite news |title=A Yogi's Requiem |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2004/oct/23/entertainment/et-yogi23 |date=October 23, 2004 |work=]}}</ref> the '']'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Rajghatta |first=Chidinand |date=October 10, 2004 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/880032.cms |title=The Capitalist Yogi |work=]}}</ref> '']'',<ref name="nytimesobit" /> and '']''.<ref>Phil Catalfo, "", '']'', Jan/Feb 2005, p. 144 (republished 2007).</ref> A number of these articles remarked on the entrepreneurial spirit Khalsa had encouraged in his followers, resulting in a legacy of successful business enterprises. In addition, Khalsa's passing was noted by the ], which closed its offices to commemorate his death.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041008/punjab1.htm
|title=SGPC condoles Yogi's death |work=] |date=October 7, 2004}}</ref> |title=SGPC condoles Yogi's death |work=] |date=October 7, 2004}}</ref>


The ] honored him by renaming State Highway 106 as the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/may/12yogi.htm |title=Highway named after Yogi Bhajan |work=Rediff.com |date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=May 26, 2020}}</ref> The New Mexico Government took the unprecedented measure of flying its flags at half-mast for two days (Oct 7–8) in honour of Yogi Bhajan after his death on Oct 6, and declared Oct 23 "Yogi Bhajan Memorial Day".<ref>Hindustan Times, October 25, 2004.</ref> The ] honored him by renaming State Highway 106 as the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/may/12yogi.htm |title=Highway named after Yogi Bhajan |work=Rediff.com |date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=May 26, 2020}}</ref> The New Mexico Government took the unprecedented measure of flying its flags at half-mast for two days (Oct 7–8) in honour of Yogi Bhajan after his death on Oct 6, and declared Oct 23 "Yogi Bhajan Memorial Day".<ref>Hindustan Times, October 25, 2004.</ref>


== Allegations of sexual abuse ==
On January 25, 2005, ] introduced "A concurrent resolution honoring the life and contribution of Yogi Bhajan, a leader of the Sikhs, and expressing condolences to the Sikh community on his passing" in the ] The Senate Resolution was co-sponsored by Senator ] and Senator ] An identical Resolution was introduced in the ] by Representative ].<ref>https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/34/text</ref> The Joint Resolution passed the Senate by unanimous consent and the House by a recorded vote of 405 to 0, on April 5 and 6.<ref>http://fateh.sikhnet.com/s/CongressHonor</ref> Its passage was marked on May 5 with a special reception at the U.S. Capitol attended by more than 100 honoured guests. These included Senator ] of New Mexico, Representative ] of New Mexico, Representative ] of Texas, Representative ] of South Carolina, and Representative ] of Michigan. The Indian Government was represented by Deputy Chief of Missions of the Embassy of India Ambassador Raminder Singh Jassal and Minister Counselor of the Embassy of India Krishan Varma. World Bank Representative Gurcharan Singh, former U.S. Secretary of Interior ] of Arizona and former First Lady of New Mexico Clara Apadoca were also in attendance together with Khalsa's widow, family and friends. The Joint Resolution was lauded in the Sikh and Indian communities where it was noted that Khalsa had joined the exclusive ranks of ], ] and ] in being so honoured.<ref>https://www.sikhawareness.com/topic/6880-yogi-bhajan/</ref> <ref>http://fateh.sikhnet.com/s/CongressCelebratesSSS</ref> <ref>https://www.rediff.com/news/2005/may/12yogi.htm</ref> Christian apologist ] published a dissenting article on thebereancall.org<ref>https://www.thebereancall.org/content/congress-honors-yogi</ref>
In 2019, Yogi Bhajan's former secretary Pamela Saharah Dyson published the book ''Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage: My Life with Yogi Bhajan'', reporting that she and other women had sexual relationships with Harbhajan Singh.<ref>{{cite book | last=Dyson | first=Pamela | title=Premka : White Bird in a golden cage : my life with Yogi Bhajan | publisher=Eyes Wide Publishing | publication-place=Maui, Hawaii | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-578-62188-3 | oclc=1142816131 }}</ref>


In March 2020, anti-cult activist Be Scofield published an article in her magazine ''The Guru'' reporting sexual abuse and rape of female followers and assistants including Dyson by Harbhajan Singh, based on "over a dozen original interviews".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scofield |first=Be |title=Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power |date=March 5, 2020 |url=https://gurumag.com/master-of-deceit-how-yogi-bhajan-used-kundalini-yoga-for-money-sex-and-power/ |access-date=June 9, 2020 |website=The Guru}}</ref>
== Reception ==


Later that month (March 2020), the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation commissioned An Olive Branch (AOB) to look into the allegations. The AOB report, published in August, found that it was "more likely than not" that Yogi Bhajan raped three women, injured eight women during sex, engaged in nonconsensual touching of nine people, showed pornography to minors, used sexually offensive language, directed women to shave their pubic hair, and directed women to have sex with other women, that his followers' claims that he was celibate were inaccurate, and that he "employed a variety of methods to control his students including compartmentalization, quid pro quo, promises, threats, slander, phone calls, guarding, and/or telling women they were his wife."<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020-08-10 An Olive Branch Report to 3HO re YB Abuses.pdf|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h6W_UyinOeIThWJ3s0FS7o8egLKLWUYU/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2021-02-28 |website=Google Docs}}</ref>
=== Media coverage ===


The report acknowledged "the convictions of Yogi Bhajan's Supporters as accurate representations of their beliefs" rather than deliberate falsehoods. Soon after, other media published stories based on the report that considered the allegations to be true.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Stacie |last=Stukin |title=Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse |journal=Los Angeles Magazine |date=July 15, 2020 |url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/yogi-bhajan/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan 'more likely than not' raped his followers |journal=Asia Samachar |date=August 15, 2020 |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2020/08/15/33085/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan's fall from grace. The 'sexual abuse' is just the just beginning |journal=Asia Samachar |date=August 20, 2020 |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2020/08/20/yogi-bhajans-fall-from-grace-the-sexual-abuse-is-just-the-just-beginning/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Legacy of Yogi Bhajan swirls in controversy years after his death |journal=Santa Fe New Mexican |date=November 14, 2020 |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/legacy-of-yogi-bhajan-swirls-in-controversy-years-after-his-death/article_c2abc18a-fe91-11ea-80d7-735e51ee0008.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan |journal=Yoga Journal |date=August 15, 2020 |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/abuse-in-kundalini-yoga/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan, yoga guru and founder of 3HO, 'more likely than not' sexually abused followers, says report |journal=Religion News Service |date=August 18, 2020 |url=https://religionnews.com/2020/08/18/yogi-bhajan-yoga-guru-and-founder-of-3ho-more-likely-than-not-sexually-abused-followers-says-report/}}</ref> The 2023 book ''Under the Yoga Mat'' by former member GuruNischan includes testimonials of traumatizing experiences shared by former members.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Els |editor1-last=Coenen |editor2=GuruNischan |title=Under the Yoga Mat: The Dark History of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga |year=2023 |publisher=Izzard Ink |isbn=978-9464752144}}</ref>
Harbhajan Singh received significant coverage in the North American media, particularly in the early 1970s. His message of no drugs, family values and healthy living was widely popular, and many of the media stories were positive, serving not only to educate the public, but also to publicize the work of the 3HO Foundation. Some focused on the lifestyle, others on the inspiration behind the organization.<ref>{{cite news |first=Edna |last=Hampton |title=Yoga's Challenges and Promises |work=] |date=November 28, 1968}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Marty |last=Altschul |title=Tense Housewives, Businessmen Try Relaxing Hindu Way---Yoga Lessons |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 22, 1969 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Bret|last=Gray |title=Yogi Bhajan: Time Running Out For Purification |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=May 31, 1970}}</ref> Others focused on Singh's holistic approach to drug addiction.<ref>{{cite news |first=Craig |last=Miyamoto |title=Relaxing with breath exercises: YMCA yoga teacher feels it is the answer to drugs |work=The Post Advocate (Alhambra) |date=January 27, 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=William L. |last=Claiborne |title=Heroin Treatment: Garlic Juice, Yoga |work=] |date=March 22, 1972}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Graham |title=Is Yoga and answer for addicts? |work=The Detroit News |date=April 3, 1972}}</ref> Some writers reported on Singh's officiating at ]s where many couples were betrothed at once, and everyone wore white.<ref>{{cite news |first=Muriel |last=Marshall |title=Yogi performs rites uniting 15 couples near Hotchkiss |work=Delta County Independent (Colorado) |date=June 21, 1971}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Douglas |last=Glynn |title=A mass yoga wedding without any frills |work=The Globe and Mail (Toronto) |date=March 27, 1972}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Stanton |title=At triple ceremony, Yogi tells newlyweds union goes 'to infinity' |work=Palo Alto Times |date=March 1, 1973}}</ref> Others reported on the issue of Sikhs up against the US Army dress code.<ref>{{cite news |title=Army Judge Acquits Sikh Wearing Turban on Duty |work=The New York Times |date=January 8, 1974}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Richard|last=Dalrymple |title=Religious Dress Custom Is A Problem For Sikhs – And Others |work=Los Angeles Herald-Examiner |date=June 1, 1974}}</ref> While ''Newsweek'', ''USA Today'' and ''Maclean's Magazine'' in Canada published favorable articles about Harbhajan Singh in 1977, James Wilde of '']'' wrote a critical article that year, titled "Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism". Wilde alleged that Gurucharan Singh Tohra, former President of the ] (SGPC), had stated that Harbhajan Singh is not the leader of Sikhism in the Western World as he claimed, and that Tohra had denied the SGPC had ever given Singh the title of Siri Singh Sahib. <ref name=time>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,915413,00.html |title=Religion: Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism |first=James |last=Wilde |magazine=] |date=September 5, 1997 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>


== Reception ==
The ''Time'' article was followed by emphatic rebuttals from Tohra. There was also a demonstration held outside ''Time''{{'}}s London office and a detailed demand for a retraction published under the title "Time Will Tell" in the 3HO publication ''Beads of Truth'', Issue 36, Fall 1977.<ref>Guru Terath Singh Khalsa, "Time Will Tell," Beads of Truth, Issue 36, Fall 1977, pp. 39-41</ref><ref>https://www.messengerfromthegurushouse.com/siri.html</ref>
=== Media coverage ===
In 1977, '']'' published a critical article, titled "Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism". The article alleged that Gurucharan Singh Tohra, former President of the ] (SGPC), had stated that Harbhajan Singh is not the leader of Sikhism in the Western World as he claimed, and that Tohra had denied the SGPC had ever given Singh the title of Siri Singh Sahib.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,915413,00.html |title=Religion: Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism |first=James |last=Wilde |magazine=] |date=September 5, 1997 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>


Harbhajan Singh is featured in books discussing the successes of Sikhs who migrated from India to the West, including Surjit Kaur's ''Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Surjit |last=Kaur |title=Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars |location=New Delhi |publisher=Lotus Collection |year=2003}}</ref> and Gurmukh Singh's ''The Global Indian: The Sikhs''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Gurmukh |last=Singh |title=The Global Indian: The Sikhs |location=New Delhi |publisher=Rupi and Co. |year=2003}}</ref>
Harbhajan Singh is mentioned in reference works including the ''New Age Encyclopedia''.<ref>{{cite book |title=New Age Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/newageencycloped00jgor |url-access=registration |editor-first=J. Gordon |editor-last=Melton |location=Detroit |publisher=Gale Research |year=1990}}</ref> Western scholarly appraisal of his work may be found in Hew McLeod's ''Who is a Sikh?''<ref>{{cite book |last=McLeod |first=Hew |title=Who Is a Sikh? |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1989}}</ref> and ''Sikhism'',<ref>{{cite book |last=McLeod |first=Hew |title=Sikhism |url=https://archive.org/details/sikhism00mcle|url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Penguin Books |year=1997 }}</ref> and Verne A. Dusenbery's article "Punjabi Sikhs and Gora Sikhs: Conflicting Assertions of Sikh Identity in North America".<ref>{{cite book |first=Verne A.|last=Dusenbery |chapter=Punjabi Sikhs and Gora Sikhs: Conflicting Assertions of Sikh Identity in North America |title=Sikh History and Religion in the Twentieth Century |editor1-first=Joseph T.|editor1-last=O'Connell |editor2-first=Milton |editor2-last=Israel |editor3-first=Willard G. |editor3-last=Oxtoby |editor4-first=W. H. |editor4-last=McLeod |editor5-first=J. S. |editor5-last=Grewal |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Centre for South Asian Studies |year=1998}}</ref>


=== Scholars' views ===
The ] interviewed Singh at the 300th anniversary celebration of the Baisakhi holiday at Anandpur Sahib, India in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|last=Singh |first=Gurumustuk |url=http://www.mrsikhnet.com/index.php/2006/04/27/bbc-interview-with-yogi-bhajan-in-anandpur-sahib-1999/ |title=BBC Interview with Yogi Bhajan in Anandpur Sahib 1999 |publisher=MrSikhNet |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref> Harbhajan Singh is featured in books discussing the successes of Sikhs who migrated from India to the West, including Surjit Kaur's ''Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Surjit |last=Kaur |title=Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars |location=New Delhi |publisher=Lotus Collection |year=2003}}</ref> and Gurmukh Singh's ''The Global Indian: The Sikhs''.<ref>{{cite book |first=Gurmukh |last=Singh |title=The Global Indian: The Sikhs |location=New Delhi |publisher=Rupi and Co. |year=2003}}</ref>
Scholars including Verne A. Dusenbery and ] have concurred that Harbhajan Singh's introduction of Sikh teachings into the West helped identify Sikhism as a world religion while at the same time creating a compelling counter-narrative to that which identified Sikhs solely as a race with a shared history in India.<ref>Verne A. Dusenbery (1999). "'Nation' or 'World Religion'?: Master Narratives of Sikh Identity" in Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change. Pashaura Singh and N. Gerald Barrier, editors. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers. pp. 127-139; Pashaura Singh (2013). "Re-imagining Sikhi ('Sikhness') in the Twenty-first Century: Toward a Paradigm Shift in Sikh Studies" in Re-imagining South Asian Religions. Pashaura Singh and Michael Hawley, editors. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill NV. p. 43; Opinderjit Kaur Takhar (2005). Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 172-77.</ref>


Philip Deslippe, a historian of American religion, wrote a 2012 article "From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga", using 3HO source archive material and news articles to reveal how Harbhajan Singh recreated his own story after his first trip back to India:<ref name="Deslippe-2012"/>
=== Sikh scholars' views on Singh's mission ===


{{blockquote|I set out to answer the question "where did Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan (KYATBYB) come from?" and not much else. I tried to support my findings with as much evidence as possible, and for that evidence to be as clear, specific, verifiable, and close to the source, such as interviews with first hand witnesses (Pamela being one of them), quotes from Yogi Bhajan, contemporary newspaper accounts, and exercises taken from manuals. I concluded that in the early years of 3HO, Yogi Bhajan was using the physical yoga of Swami ] and the persona and mantra of Baba Virsa Singh, and that the figure of Sant Hazara Singh only became prominent after the first trip to India in 1970-1971 when Yogi Bhajan had a falling out with Virsa Singh.|source=Philip Deslippe<ref name="Deslippe-2012"/>}}
], a Sikh scholar recognized by the ] as the National Professor of Sikhism, praised Singh highly for his work in spreading Sikhism in the West. In his words, "Glory be to the Guru who performs His work in the Western Hemisphere through this instrument. Blessed be those who have learned from him the teachings of the Guru, to accept and follow those teachings in unswerving faith and in humble recognition of the good that Harbhajan Singh has done in furtherance of the Guru's mission."<ref name=Testimonial>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Bhai Sahib Sardar Kapur |chapter=Testimonial Letters |title=The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib |editor1-first=Sardarni Premka Kaur |editor1-last=Khalsa |editor2-first=Sat Kirpal Kaur |editor2-last=Khalsa |location=Los Angeles |publisher=Sikh Dharma |year=1979 |page=397}}</ref>


=== Popular culture ===
The historian Fauja Singh praised Singh's marriage of yoga and religion, saying "he has helped to retrieve from its distorted image of the medieval period and has restored it to its original and meaningful usage and purpose, that is to say, the desire to attain union with God through its agency."<ref name=Testimonial/>
In October 2024, ] premiered the series ], which talks about the mental and sexual abuse of Yogi Bhajan.


== References ==
In his 1994 book, The ''Heritage of the Sikhs'', ] mentioned "the extraordinary dissemination of the Sikh faith through the work of Yogi Harbhajan Singh in the United States of America. This true import of this must extend into and be unravelled by future history."<ref>Harbans Singh (1994). ''The Heritage of the Sikhs'', New Delhi. India: Manohar Publishers. p. 341.</ref>
{{incomplete citations|date=July 2024}}
{{reflist|30em}}


== Further reading ==
Scholars including Verne A. Dusenbery and ] have concurred that Harbhajan Singh's introduction of Sikh teachings into the West helped identify Sikhism as a world religion while at the same time creating a compelling counter-narrative to that which identified Sikhs solely as a race with a shared history in India.<ref>Verne A. Dusenbery (1999). "'Nation' or 'World Religion'?: Master Narratives of Sikh Identity" in Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change. Pashaura Singh and N. Gerald Barrier, editors. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers. pp. 127-139; Pashaura Singh (2013). "Re-imagining Sikhi ('Sikhness') in the Twenty-first Century: Toward a Paradigm Shift in Sikh Studies" in Re-imagining South Asian Religions. Pashaura Singh and Michael Hawley, editors. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill NV. p. 43; Opinderjit Kaur Takhar (2005). Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 172-77.</ref>
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=James R. |year=2014 |title=Cults: A Reference and Guide |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-54512-5 |pages=159–60|ref=none}}
{{refend}}


== External links ==
The historian of Sikhism Trilochan Singh offered a contrasting perspective in his critical work entitled "Sikhism and Tantric Yoga." "I am extremely worried about the manner in which Yogi Bhajan teaches Sikhism to American young men and women whose sincerity, nobility of purpose, and rare passion for oriental wisdom and genuine mystical experiences is unquestionably unique. I do not care what fantastic interpretations of Kundalini Yoga he gives, the like of which I have never read in any Tantra text, nor known from any living Tantric scholar. I am not prepared to take seriously his newly invented Guru Yoga in which his pious and uncritical followers must concentrate on a particular picture of Yogi Bhajan, which practice is called mental beaming."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gurmukhyoga.com/forum/index.php?mode=page&id=1 |title=Sikhism and Tantric Yoga |publisher=The Gurumukh Yoga Forum |access-date=May 26, 2020}}</ref>

Philip Deslippe, a historian of American religion, wrote a 2012 article "From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga", using 3HO source archive material and news articles to reveal how Harbhajan Singh recreated his own story after his first trip back to India:<ref name="Deslippe 2021"/>

{{quote|I set out to answer the question "where did Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan (KYATBYB) come from?" and not much else. I tried to support my findings with as much evidence as possible, and for that evidence to be as clear, specific, verifiable, and close to the source, such as interviews with first hand witnesses (Pamela being one of them), quotes from Yogi Bhajan, contemporary newspaper accounts, and exercises taken from manuals. I concluded that in the early years of 3HO, Yogi Bhajan was using the physical yoga of Swami Dhirendra Bramachari and the persona and mantra of Baba Virsa Singh, and that the figure of Sant Hazara Singh only became prominent after the first trip to India in 1970-1971 when Yogi Bhajan had a falling out with Virsa Singh.|source=Philip Deslippe.<ref name="Deslippe 2021">{{cite journal |last=Deslippe |first=Philip |title=From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga |date=2012 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271568190 |journal=Sikh Formations |access-date=March 2, 2021 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.745303|s2cid=144988035 }}</ref>}}

==Alleged sexual abuse of women ==
<!--This is ESSENTIAL, do not attempt to remove without full consensus on talk page-->
In 2019, Yogi Bhajan's former secretary Pamela Saharah Dyson published the book ''Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage: My Life with Yogi Bhajan'', reporting that she and other women had sexual relationships with Harbhajan Singh.<ref name="Dyson 2019">{{cite book | last=Dyson | first=Pamela | title=Premka : White Bird in a golden cage : my life with Yogi Bhajan | publisher=Eyes Wide Publishing | publication-place=Maui, Hawaii | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-578-62188-3 | oclc=1142816131 }}</ref>
In March 2020, anti-cult activist Be Scofield published an article in her magazine ''The Guru'' reporting sexual abuse and rape of female followers and assistants including Dyson by Harbhajan Singh, based on "over a dozen original interviews".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scofield |first=Be |title=Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power |date=March 5, 2020 |url=https://gurumag.com/master-of-deceit-how-yogi-bhajan-used-kundalini-yoga-for-money-sex-and-power/ |access-date=June 9, 2020 |website=The Guru}}</ref> That same month, the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation commissioned An Olive Branch (AOB) to look into the allegations. The AOB report, published in August, found that it was "more likely than not" that Yogi Bhajan raped three women, injured eight women during sex, engaged in nonconsensual touching of nine people, showed pornography to minors, used sexually offensive language, directed women to shave their pubic hair, directed women to have sex with other women, that his followers' claims that he was celibate were inaccurate, and that he "employed a variety of methods to control his students including compartmentalization, quid pro quo, promises, threats, slander, phone calls, guarding, and/or telling women they were his wife."<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020-08-10 An Olive Branch Report to 3HO re YB Abuses.pdf|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h6W_UyinOeIThWJ3s0FS7o8egLKLWUYU/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2021-02-28 |website=Google Docs}}</ref> The report acknowledged "the convictions of Yogi Bhajan's Supporters as accurate representations of their beliefs" rather than deliberate falsehoods. Soon after, other media published stories based on the report that considered the allegations to be true.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Stacie |last=Stukin |title=Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse |journal=Los Angeles Magazine |date=July 15, 2020 |url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/yogi-bhajan/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan 'more likely than not' raped his followers |journal=Asia Samachar |date=August 15, 2020 |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2020/08/15/33085/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan's fall from grace. The 'sexual abuse' is just the just beginning |journal=Asia Samachar |date=August 20, 2020 |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2020/08/20/yogi-bhajans-fall-from-grace-the-sexual-abuse-is-just-the-just-beginning/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Legacy of Yogi Bhajan swirls in controversy years after his death |journal=Santa Fe New Mexican |date=November 14, 2020 |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/legacy-of-yogi-bhajan-swirls-in-controversy-years-after-his-death/article_c2abc18a-fe91-11ea-80d7-735e51ee0008.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan |journal=Yoga Journal |date=August 15, 2020 |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/abuse-in-kundalini-yoga/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yogi Bhajan, yoga guru and founder of 3HO, 'more likely than not' sexually abused followers, says report |journal=Religion News Service |date=August 18, 2020 |url=https://religionnews.com/2020/08/18/yogi-bhajan-yoga-guru-and-founder-of-3ho-more-likely-than-not-sexually-abused-followers-says-report/}}</ref>
<!--This is ESSENTIAL, do not attempt to remove without full consensus on talk page-->

<!--This is ESSENTIAL, do not attempt to remove without full consensus on talk page-->
Upset by the commissioning of the report by An Olive Branch, three members of the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation Board resigned in June.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNJtuasyaZo&t=6878s |title=Video |website=www.youtube.com |access-date=2021-02-27}}</ref> One of them, Guru Amrit Singh Khalsa, commissioned Barbara W. Thompson, a private investigator and former attorney, to write an assessment of the AOB Report. The result, "The Thompson Report", released on December 31, 2020, did not address the substance of the AOB investigation's findings, but asserted that the AOB authors were insufficiently qualified, and that the methodology of their report was deficient. It stated that the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation deviated from normal practice by instructing AOB both to conduct a survey and to evaluate and determine the final implications of their own report; and it criticized the report's definition of "investigation".<ref name="Thompson Report">{{cite web |url=https://fairinvestigation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Thompson-Report.pdf |title=The Thompson Report |website=fairinvestigation.com |access-date=2021-02-27}}</ref>
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==Publications==

* Yogi Bhajan, ''The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan'', Santa Cruz, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 1977.
* ——— and Furmaan Khalsa: Poems to Live By, Columbus, Ohio, Furman Khalsa Publishing Company, 1987.
* ——— ''The Master's Touch'', Santa Cruz, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 1997.
* ——— with Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, ''The Mind: Its Projections and Multiple Facets'', Espanola, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 1997.
* ——— ''The Aquarian Teacher - KRI International Kundalini Yoga Certification Text and Manual'', Santa Cruz, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 2003.
* ——— ''The Game of Love, A Book of Consciousness: The Poems and Art of Yogi Bhajan'', Espanola, New Mexico, Sikh Dharma International, 2007.
* ——— ''Man to Man: A Journal of Discovery for the Conscious Man'', Santa Cruz, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 2008.
* ——— ''I am a Woman: Book and Yoga Manual'', Santa Cruz, New Mexico, Kundalini Research Institute, 2009.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}} {{Wikiquote}}
* *
*


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Latest revision as of 13:20, 18 November 2024

American Sikh yogi (1929–2004)
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Yogi Bhajan
In 1985
BornHarbhajan Singh Puri
(1929-08-26)August 26, 1929
Kot Harkarn, Punjab, British India
DiedOctober 6, 2004(2004-10-06) (aged 75)
Española, New Mexico, United States
Citizenship
  • India (1929–1976)
  • United States (1976–2004)
EducationPanjab University, New Delhi, India (Master of Economics, 1952), University for Humanistic Studies, Solana Beach, CA, USA (PhD, Psychology of Communication, 1980)
OrganizationsHealthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), Sikh Dharma International, Kundalini Research Institute, Siri Singh Sahib Corporation
Known forPromoting Kundalini yoga, Sikh missionary activities, alleged serial sexual assault and abuse
TitleYogi, Siri Singh Sahib, Bhai Sahib, Panth Rattan
SpouseBibi Inderjit Kaur
ChildrenRanbir Singh, Kulbir Singh, Kamaljit Kaur
Signature

Yogi Bhajan (born Harbhajan Singh Puri) (August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004), also known as Siri Singh Sahib to his followers, was an American entrepreneur, cult leader, yoga guru, and putative spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of Kundalini yoga to the United States. He was the spiritual director of the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) foundation (and business ventures), with over 300 centers in 35 countries. He was accused of sexual abuse by several dozen of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.

Biography

Early life

Harbhajan Singh Khalsa was born on August 26, 1929 into a Sikh family in Kot Harkarn, Gujranwala district in the province of Punjab (now in Pakistan). His father, Dr. Kartar Singh Puri, served the British Raj as a medical doctor. His mother was named Harkrishan Kaur. His father was raised in the Sikh tradition and young Harbhajan was educated in a Catholic school run by nuns. Singh learned the fundamentals of Sikhism from his paternal grandfather, Sant Bhai Fateh Singh. Theirs was a well-to-do landlord family, owning most of their village in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Singh's schooling was interrupted in 1947 by the violent partition of India, when he and his family fled to New Delhi as refugees. There, Harbhajan Singh attended Camp College – a hastily put together arrangement for thousands of refugee students – and was an active member of the Sikh Students Federation in Delhi. Four years later, he graduated with a master's degree in economics.

In 1953, Singh entered the service of the Government of India. He served in the Revenue Department, where his duties took him all over India. Eventually, Harbhajan Singh was promoted to a customs inspector at Delhi airport.

In his final years in India, he also learned from Baba Virsa Singh at Gobind Sadan Institute.

Coming west

In 1968, Singh emigrated to Toronto, Canada equipped with an endorsement from that country's High Commissioner to India, James George, who was also a student of his. Harbhajan Singh made a considerable impact in the predominantly Anglo-Saxon metropolis. In three months, he established classes at several YMCAs, co-founded a yoga centre, was interviewed for national press and television, and helped set in motion the creation of eastern Canada's first Sikh temple in time for Guru Nanak's five hundredth birthday the following year.

Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization

Main article: 3HO
1970 gathering at Santa Clara Canyon, New Mexico

In 1969, Singh established the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) Foundation in Los Angeles, California to further his missionary work. His brand of Sikhism appealed to the hippies who formed the bulk of his early converts. The Sikh practice of not cutting one's hair or beard was already accepted by the hippie culture, as was Sikh vegetarianism. They liked to experience elevated states of awareness and they also deeply wanted to feel they were contributing to a world of peace and social justice. He offered them all these things with vigorous yoga, an embracing holistic vision, and an optimistic spirit of sublime destiny. Interest in yoga increased worldwide at this time. To serve the changing times, Singh created the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, dedicated to setting standards for teachers and the propagation of the teachings.

In 1984 he started the famous Yogi Tea brand.

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.

Aquarian age timeline

With Sant Fateh Singh 1971

Singh incorporated the storyline of the dawning new age into his teachings, a case of melding Western astrology with Sikh tradition. He proclaimed that "Guru Nanak was the Guru for the Aquarian Age." It was, he declared, to be an age where people first experienced God, then believed, rather than the old way of believing and then being liberated by one's faith.

Inter-faith work

With A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Sushil Kumar (Jain monk), San Francisco 1975
Meeting Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, 1984

In the summer of 1970, Singh participated in an informal "Holy Man Jam" at the University of Colorado at Boulder with Swami Satchidananda (another Eastern yogi who has been accused of sexual abuse of his students), Stephen Gaskin of The Farm in Tennessee, Zen Buddhist Jakusho Kwong, and other local spiritual leaders. A few weeks later, he organized a gathering of spiritual teachers to engage and inspire the 200,000 attendees of the Atlanta International Pop Festival on the stage between the performances of the bands.

Political influence in U.S.

When U.S. President Nixon called drugs America's "Number one domestic problem", Singh launched a pilot program with two longtime heroin addicts in Washington, D.C., in 1972. The program attempted to treat heroin addiction through the practice of yoga and the consumption of garlic juice.

Death

Congressman Tom Udall with Harbhajan Singh Khalsa's widow, "Bibiji"

Harbhajan Singh died of complications of heart failure at his home in Española, New Mexico, on October 6, 2004, aged 75. He was survived by his wife, sons, daughter and five grandchildren. Obituaries appeared in The Los Angeles Times, the Times of India, The New York Times, and Yoga Journal. Khalsa's passing was noted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which closed its offices to commemorate his death.

The State of New Mexico honored him by renaming State Highway 106 as the Yogi Bhajan Memorial Highway. The New Mexico Government took the unprecedented measure of flying its flags at half-mast for two days (Oct 7–8) in honour of Yogi Bhajan after his death on Oct 6, and declared Oct 23 "Yogi Bhajan Memorial Day".

Allegations of sexual abuse

In 2019, Yogi Bhajan's former secretary Pamela Saharah Dyson published the book Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage: My Life with Yogi Bhajan, reporting that she and other women had sexual relationships with Harbhajan Singh.

In March 2020, anti-cult activist Be Scofield published an article in her magazine The Guru reporting sexual abuse and rape of female followers and assistants including Dyson by Harbhajan Singh, based on "over a dozen original interviews".

Later that month (March 2020), the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation commissioned An Olive Branch (AOB) to look into the allegations. The AOB report, published in August, found that it was "more likely than not" that Yogi Bhajan raped three women, injured eight women during sex, engaged in nonconsensual touching of nine people, showed pornography to minors, used sexually offensive language, directed women to shave their pubic hair, and directed women to have sex with other women, that his followers' claims that he was celibate were inaccurate, and that he "employed a variety of methods to control his students including compartmentalization, quid pro quo, promises, threats, slander, phone calls, guarding, and/or telling women they were his wife."

The report acknowledged "the convictions of Yogi Bhajan's Supporters as accurate representations of their beliefs" rather than deliberate falsehoods. Soon after, other media published stories based on the report that considered the allegations to be true. The 2023 book Under the Yoga Mat by former member GuruNischan includes testimonials of traumatizing experiences shared by former members.

Reception

Media coverage

In 1977, Time published a critical article, titled "Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism". The article alleged that Gurucharan Singh Tohra, former President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), had stated that Harbhajan Singh is not the leader of Sikhism in the Western World as he claimed, and that Tohra had denied the SGPC had ever given Singh the title of Siri Singh Sahib.

Harbhajan Singh is featured in books discussing the successes of Sikhs who migrated from India to the West, including Surjit Kaur's Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars. and Gurmukh Singh's The Global Indian: The Sikhs.

Scholars' views

Scholars including Verne A. Dusenbery and Pashaura Singh have concurred that Harbhajan Singh's introduction of Sikh teachings into the West helped identify Sikhism as a world religion while at the same time creating a compelling counter-narrative to that which identified Sikhs solely as a race with a shared history in India.

Philip Deslippe, a historian of American religion, wrote a 2012 article "From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga", using 3HO source archive material and news articles to reveal how Harbhajan Singh recreated his own story after his first trip back to India:

I set out to answer the question "where did Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan (KYATBYB) come from?" and not much else. I tried to support my findings with as much evidence as possible, and for that evidence to be as clear, specific, verifiable, and close to the source, such as interviews with first hand witnesses (Pamela being one of them), quotes from Yogi Bhajan, contemporary newspaper accounts, and exercises taken from manuals. I concluded that in the early years of 3HO, Yogi Bhajan was using the physical yoga of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari and the persona and mantra of Baba Virsa Singh, and that the figure of Sant Hazara Singh only became prominent after the first trip to India in 1970-1971 when Yogi Bhajan had a falling out with Virsa Singh.

— Philip Deslippe

Popular culture

In October 2024, HBO premiered the series Breath of Fire, which talks about the mental and sexual abuse of Yogi Bhajan.

References

This article needs more complete citations for verification. Please help add missing citation information so that sources are clearly identifiable. (July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
  1. "Biography". Sikhnet. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  2. Shearer, Alistair (2020). The Story of Yoga: From Ancient India to the Modern West. London: Hurst Publishers. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-78738-192-6.
  3. "Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization". Oxford Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  4. "Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power". The Guru Magazine. March 5, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  5. Stuart, Gwynedd (July 15, 2020). "Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  6. "A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan". Yoga Journal. August 15, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib, Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 18-24.
  8. Shamsher Singh, "The Fruits of Inner Searching The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib, Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 44-46; Harbans Lal, "Celebrating the Life of Yogi Harbhajan Singh Ji", The Sikh Review, October 2007, p. 52.
  9. Shanti Kaur Khalsa, The History of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere, Espanola, New Mexico: Sikh Dharma, 1995, pp. 3–4; Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib, Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, pp. 34–35
  10. Gurcharn Singh Khalsa, p. 36
  11. ^ Deslippe, Philip (2012). "From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric: The Construction of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga". Sikh Formations. doi:10.1080/17448727.2012.745303. S2CID 144988035. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  12. Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa,The Man Called Siri Singh Sahib, Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa and Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsam (editors), Los Angeles: Sikh Dharma, 1979, p. 33.
  13. Edna Hampton, "Yoga's Challenges and Promises", The Globe and Mail, November 28, 1968, p. W11
  14. Wayne Edmonstone, "Sikhs open first temple in Toronto", Toronto Star, August 25, 1969, p. B5
  15. Cowley, Susan Cheever; Kasindorf, Martin; Lisle, Laurie (April 21, 1975). "Sikhdom, U.S.A.". Newsweek: 65.
  16. Corliss, Richard (April 15, 2001). "The Power of Yoga". Time. Vol. 157, no. 16. pp. 54–63. PMID 11330024.
  17. "IKYTA History | IKYTA - International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association". Ikyta.org. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  18. "Yogi Bhajan's Biography". Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  19. Kaur, Sardarni (1973). Guru for the Aquarian Age: The Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak. San Rafael, California: Spiritual Community. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-913852-01-9. OCLC 1382622.
  20. Piccalo, Gina (October 23, 2004). "A Yogi's Requiem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  21. Law, Lisa. Flashing on the Sixties. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. pp. 102–107.
  22. William L. Claiborne, "Heroin Treatment: Garlic Juice, Yoga", The Washington Post, March 22, 1972
  23. ^ Martin, Douglas (October 9, 2004). "Yogi Bhajan, 75, Worlds Spiritual and Capitalistic". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  24. "A Yogi's Requiem". The Los Angeles Times. October 23, 2004.
  25. Rajghatta, Chidinand (October 10, 2004). "The Capitalist Yogi". Times of India.
  26. Phil Catalfo, "Luminaries: Yogi Bhajan", Yoga Journal, Jan/Feb 2005, p. 144 (republished 2007).
  27. "SGPC condoles Yogi's death". The Tribune. October 7, 2004.
  28. "Highway named after Yogi Bhajan". Rediff.com. May 12, 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  29. Hindustan Times, October 25, 2004.
  30. Dyson, Pamela (2019). Premka : White Bird in a golden cage : my life with Yogi Bhajan. Maui, Hawaii: Eyes Wide Publishing. ISBN 978-0-578-62188-3. OCLC 1142816131.
  31. Scofield, Be (March 5, 2020). "Master of Deceit: How Yogi Bhajan Used Kundalini Yoga for Money, Sex and Power". The Guru. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  32. "2020-08-10 An Olive Branch Report to 3HO re YB Abuses.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  33. Stukin, Stacie (July 15, 2020). "Yogi Bhajan Turned an L.A. Yoga Studio into a Juggernaut, and Left Two Generations of Followers Reeling from Alleged Abuse". Los Angeles Magazine.
  34. "Yogi Bhajan 'more likely than not' raped his followers". Asia Samachar. August 15, 2020.
  35. "Yogi Bhajan's fall from grace. The 'sexual abuse' is just the just beginning". Asia Samachar. August 20, 2020.
  36. "Legacy of Yogi Bhajan swirls in controversy years after his death". Santa Fe New Mexican. November 14, 2020.
  37. "A New Report Details Decades of Abuse at the Hands of Yogi Bhajan". Yoga Journal. August 15, 2020.
  38. "Yogi Bhajan, yoga guru and founder of 3HO, 'more likely than not' sexually abused followers, says report". Religion News Service. August 18, 2020.
  39. Coenen, Els; GuruNischan, eds. (2023). Under the Yoga Mat: The Dark History of Yogi Bhajan's Kundalini Yoga. Izzard Ink. ISBN 978-9464752144.
  40. Wilde, James (September 5, 1997). "Religion: Yogi Bhajan's Synthetic Sikhism". Time. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  41. Kaur, Surjit (2003). Among the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars. New Delhi: Lotus Collection.
  42. Singh, Gurmukh (2003). The Global Indian: The Sikhs. New Delhi: Rupi and Co.
  43. Verne A. Dusenbery (1999). "'Nation' or 'World Religion'?: Master Narratives of Sikh Identity" in Sikh Identity: Continuity and Change. Pashaura Singh and N. Gerald Barrier, editors. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers. pp. 127-139; Pashaura Singh (2013). "Re-imagining Sikhi ('Sikhness') in the Twenty-first Century: Toward a Paradigm Shift in Sikh Studies" in Re-imagining South Asian Religions. Pashaura Singh and Michael Hawley, editors. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill NV. p. 43; Opinderjit Kaur Takhar (2005). Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 172-77.

Further reading

  • Lewis, James R. (2014). Cults: A Reference and Guide. Taylor & Francis. pp. 159–60. ISBN 978-1-317-54512-5.

External links

Modern yoga gurus
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