Frederick Lenz

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Frederick Philip Lenz, III, Ph.D., also known as "Rama" and "Atmananda" (February 9, 1950 - April 12, 1998), evolved a unique body of teachings from a blend of Hinduism, Zen Buddhism, Vedanta and Mysticism which he called American Buddhism. Students claim that he was a fully enlightened teacher, (enlightenment meaning life without mental modifications), and his workshops were highly attended by spiritual seekers for a glimpse of the golden light that he exuded and the purported ecstatic experience of meditating with him. He was a successful author, software designer, business man, lecturer, musician/ composer/ producer, martial artist, snowboarder, scuba diver and spiritual teacher. The body and focus of his life's work, including all teaching and projects, was centered around conveying the enlightenment trainings to those who were interested. He based his teachings on ancient practices within a modern framework (see Booklist in Education and Author sections below).

As with other enlightened teachers of notoriety through history, he did not accept the status quo of religious traditions, but encouraged the overthrow of conditioned mind through inquiry into the self, and through the individual's continual decision to align to the Dharma (universal truth). He was reported to be a tough and demanding teacher by students, and has been most compared to Marpa - Milarepa's teacher - for his intensive program of self effort, and Padma Sambhava - the originator of Tibetan Buddhism - for his ability to transmit ecstatic oneness and to transmute consciousness toward higher awareness. He did not have rules for his students, other than to meditate, to live with etiquette (having honor and reverence for life and others)[1], and to translate the enlightenment empowerments into a successful life , whereby one would have the means to live a life of solitude, joy, oneness and abundance, and to contribute through standard tuition to a common Dharmic purpose.

Lenz did not establish an ashram or monastic situation, but used a successful career as a report card for "right" living. He based his teachings on the premise that a student who was committed to the rigorous enlightenment trainings would be continually progressing into more clarity and brilliant states of mind, thus, would be evolving their spirituality, life and career. The core of his teaching, as is the core of all enlightenment training, is that "Samsara is Nirvana" - that the seeming opposites, heaven and hell, good and bad, man and woman, light and dark, can be reconciled through meditation - the middle path that shoots beyond the opposites to the source of everything. Because there is tremendous power around enlightenment energy, there are volatile reactions to one who does not play by the rules of the human condition. People came to see Lenz for numerous reasons; to go beyond suffering and confusion, to be saved, to gain power, to feel good, to date him, to become enlightened. Most came with expectations and agendas, as is the training of the human condition, only to have their desires and expectations dashed by Lenz. His signature style was not to kowtow to the expectations of society, students, detractors, potential amorous partners or religious traditionalists. For this reason, he was a dynamic figure that created a stir, both positive and negative, around those who became acquainted with him.

Lenz remains a controversial figure. Although many of his former students continue to describe him as a gifted spiritual teacher, more than two dozen news articles have appeared in national publications in which a small minority of his former students allege that Lenz was an abusive cult leader. In the end, beyond the opinions for or against Lenz, his body of work stands in alignment with the ancient teachings of enlightenment and mysticism as established in Tibetan Buddhism (see The Book of Great Liberation, Evans-Wentz), Hinduism (see The Supreme Yoga, Venkatesananda),and Buddhism (see The Dhammapada, Byron Translation)

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Childhood and adolescence

Frederick Lenz, known to his students as Rama, was born February 9th, 1950, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He was an only child. When he was three years old, he and his family moved to Stamford, Connecticut. He spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years there, attending schools in the Stamford area. [2]

Lenz's father, Frederick Lenz Jr., worked as a marketing executive and later went on to become the Mayor of Stamford from 1973-1975. His mother, Dorothy Lenz, was a housewife and an advanced student of astrology [3] who was addicted to alcohol. Lenz' mother and father were divorced when he was five years old. His father remarried six years later. His mother Dorothy died when Lenz was fourteen.[4] Lenz spent his childhood living alternately with his grandparents, aunt and uncle and father. His father reportedly beat him at least once.[5]

When describing his childhood, Lenz alludes to his future as a spiritual teacher of hundreds of thousands of Americans and Europeans, explaining, "When I was very young, three, four, five, I used to go into samadhi, a very high state of meditation... I would be outside in the backyard of my parents' home, and I'd look up at the sky and go away, dissolve, go beyond this world" [6]

Lenz often spoke of getting so disgusted with his life in his late teens that he became pointedly committed to going beyond illusion forever. He states in his video "How to be a Straight A Student", that in his teens his form of rebellion, as is the case with most teenagers, was self destructive. He eventually realized there was an intelligent way to rebel against the boredom and grayness of the human condition - that was with hard work, enthusiasm, curiosity and continually progressing into newness. After high school Lenz spent "a short period of incarceration in a work camp near San Diego on a drug conviction," according to The Hartford Courant [7]. Psychology Today reports that "Lenz was busted for selling marijuana and sentenced to a year at a work camp. (The arrest was later expunged, allowing Lenz to claim he had no criminal record.)" [8]

Dr. Lenz became interested in buddhism at the age of 12. After high school he traveled extensively where he learned the beginnings of meditation and self-discovery. He later wrote a best seller based off of his travels [9]

[edit] Education

Lenz attended schools in the Stamford area. He graduated from Rippowam High School in 1967. Lenz later attended the University of Connecticut, where he majored in English and minored in Philosophy. He was inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated Magna Cum Laude.[10]

After college, Lenz won a highly competitive State of New York Graduate Council Fellowship enabling him to continue his studies. He earned a Masters of Arts (M.A.) and a Doctor of Philosophy from State University of New York at Stony Brook. His doctoral dissertation committee had three members: Pulitzer Prize winning poet Lewis Simpson, Ph.D., Paul Dolan and Gerald Nelson. Dr. Lenz's dissertation, The Evolution of Matter and Spirit in the Poetry of Theodore Roethke [11], was on the poet Theodore Roethke.[12]

At age of 19, Lenz began formal meditation studies. Over a period of 11 years he studied in a spiritual community with strict meditative practices. It was during this period that Lenz wrote Lifetimes, True Accounts of Reincarnation (1979) and Total Relaxation: The Complete Program for Overcoming Worry, Stress, Tension and Fatigue (1980) based on his own research. Lenz taught meditation and yoga around the United States and the world representing his spiritual teachers. He also appeared on national television and radio programs to promote his books. [13]

Lenz promoted on-going education to his students in career and all facets of interest including the arts, music, literature and sports. He believed that people should keep their minds strong and their skillsets current and progressing for continued success. He often gave reading assignments so that students would continue expanding their persepctives on life, truth and spirituality. For example, he assigned numerous works by Shakespeare, and often took students on field trips to see Shakespeare plays. He also gave a several month workshop series in 1996 - 1997 on Shakespeare that included Hamlet, Richard III and Romeo and Juliet. Dostoevsky was another favorite, The Brothers Karamazov and Crime And Punishment.

Lenz was a voracious reader and offered a recommended reading list that was intrinsic and core to his teachings, that included:

  • The Way of Life by Lao Tzu translated by Witter Bynner
  • The I Ching translated by Wilhelm/Baynes
  • Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa translated by Evans-Wentz
  • The Bhagavad Gita translated by Isherwood
  • Walden by Henry David Thoreau
  • How To Know God: Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
  • Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination, translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
  • The Supreme Yoga translated by Swami Venkatesananda
  • The Upanishads, translated by Swami Prabhavanada and Frederick Manchester
  • Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power, The Power of Silence, and The Art of Dreaming, by Carlos Castenada
  • The Art of War by Sun Tzu
  • One Robe One Bowl - The Zen poetry of Ryokan
  • The Great Path of Awakening
  • The Dhammapada, translated by Thomas Byron
  • The Ramayana and The Mahabharata translated by William Buck
  • The Tibetan Book of the Dead translated by Evans-Wentz
  • Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, both by Evans-Wentz
  • The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - English Translation Vedanta Society
  • Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda
  • The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub
  • Journey to Ladakh, by Andrew Harvey
  • The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and other works by/on Ken Kesey, particularly The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

[edit] Evolution as a spiritual teacher

Frederick Lenz was introduced to meditation in 1968. He meditated on his own for several years with the guidance of many teachers. He first went into a conscious samadhi, a state of spiritual oneness and ecstasy, at the age of 19. [14] His travels brought him many illuminating experiences in meditation and awareness, as outlined in his autobiographical books,Surfing the Himalayas, and Snowboarding to Nirvana [15] [16][17] [18] Throughout his university tenure (1970 - 1978), he was industrious as a student, a meditator and a worker, and was inventive with generating income to get himself through school (e.g. creating candles and dulcimers) [19] ("Zen" - How to Be a Successful Student & Career Success) In Lenz' book, Snowboarding to Nirvana , his mentors Master Fwap and The Oracle tell Lenz that he must become wealthy and famous because, "Only then will some of the people in your culture bother to listen to what you have to say about enlightenment." In his 1982 taped lecture "Welcome To Lakshmi," Lenz said, "The way that you can give of yourself at the Centre, well, there are a few ways. Naturally, the most important is economically. Money is necessary in this world to run a spiritual organization. The more money we have, the more people we help. It's a very simple equation."

Beginning in 1972 or earlier, Lenz was a follower and meditation teacher for Hindu guru Sri Chinmoy, even living in Chinmoy's ashram in Queens, New York.[20] In 1979 Dr. Lenz broke with Chinmoy, allegedly telling the other students "Chinmoy has fallen." He took between 50-100 former students of Chinmoy and moved to California, where he formed the Lakshmi group. Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of beauty and prosperity, appropriate as Lenz has said to students: "It's necessary for you to have a strong base...the economic independence to live a life of beauty and meditative seclusion. The strength and freedom to live a life of oneness".[21] "A great deal of the teaching that I do is about money."[22]. In his estimation, money is a direct indicator of the student's level of success in the application of the teachings and usage of the energy received from empowerments. [23]

Lenz got a great deal of joy from meditating and teaching meditation to others. One of his teachers gave him the spiritual name of Atmananda, which he translated as "Bliss-of-the-Soul." Atman in the Hindu tradition is the all-pervading soul of the universe. "Ananda" is a Sanskrit word meaning Bliss that is often appended to yogis names. In this case it would mean "Bliss of the Soul". ("Anda" is a Sanskrit word referring to the egg-shaped totality of the universe.[24] So Atmananda might also be translated "soul of the universe.") The name Atmananda is sometimes taken by Hindu Yogis, and was notably used by American-based Hindu guru Swami Atmananda (1883-1959).

During the first years of Lenz' teaching, he offered thousands of free public meditations, introducing numerous people to the art of meditation. Some became students. He was noted for inventive marketing. [25] In ancient spiritual texts about enlightenment, teachers that have meditated with pure intent and have gone beyond conditioning, reference themselves as conquerers of the self so that unenlightened persons can recognize spiritual evolution. Without pointing it out, it is subtle and can go unnoticed by those who are less aware. Many teachers must speak of their enlightenment so that it can be recognized. As Milarepa states, "Since I have mastered the Void of space, all manifestations in the Cosmos have merged and are identified with me". [26] In this manner, Lenz spoke with openness about his experiences overcoming illusion, and used his pictures to express an enlightened state, so that those seeking enlightenment would intuit or "see" the possibilities of their own enlightenment. A few years after forming the Lakshmi Center, Lenz distributed posters of himself which some former students have compared to the "messiah poster" from The Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy[27][28]. Tommy was played by Roger Daltrey, who later used the same photograph as the cover to his 1973 solo album Daltrey. During this period and for most of his life thereafter Lenz wore his hair in the same style as Daltrey/Tommy. As neutral observers point out, people all over the earth with curly hair who wore it long also looked like Roger Daltrey. [29] Lenz supporters cite this as a trivial matter unfairly raised to demonize Lenz. In fact, direct witnesses who were with Lenz in 1980, claimed from the beginning that he started to wear his hair curly and natural when after a swim in the ocean, his hair dried in a curly state, and the women he was with commented on how beautiful his natural curl was, and that he ought to stop combing it straight.

By 1983 Lenz had stopped calling himself "Atmananda" and began calling himself "Rama" which he interchanged with "Zen Master Rama" during a 1985 Zen seminar and tape series. The original Rama, from the Ramayana story, became an enlightened warrior through a series of lessons and experiences in heightened awareness. Lenz was inspired by this and found the name appropriate to his path. Rama is the tenth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Reports vary on whether Lenz believed himself to actually be Rama/Vishnu or merely borrowed the name. Lenz has claimed to be one of only twelve truly enlightened people on Earth.[30] The enlightened twelve also included his dog Vayu.[31] Lenz believed in reincarnation and suggested that through deeper awareness, one could remember past lives. He claimed to remember several of his previous reincarnations, including his life as a high priest at the Temple of Light in Atlantis, and a teacher/leader in ancient Egypt, India, Japan and Tibet.[32] He often told his students that he was the reincarnation of Saint Thomas More, who coined the term "Utopia" in his 1515 novel of the same name.[33]

Former students of Lenz report watching him perform miracles including levitation, teleportation, projecting light from his hands and transforming into a bearded old Asian man before their eyes.[34] The greatest miracle purported by long-time students was his ability to transform consciousness, guiding people through the illusions of the human condition into the truth and perfection of their own enlightenment. [35] Students and non-students alike claim to be filled with a sense of joy, and the ability to perceive deeper truth and awareness when in Lenz' presence. The common claim after public or student lectures was the phenomenon of golden light that exuded from Lenz and into the room. In ancient spiritual texts, such as "Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination", the golden light of enlightenment is referenced as proof of a person's spiritual awareness: "His presence was like the glory of the morning sunlight when the curtains of mist roll away from before the face of the sun." [36] Lenz also claimed to have the ability to heal people by touching them, control the weather, uplift people by sending them light, and pass through alternate dimensions.[37] Many students and non-students have corraborated these claims, stating they have seen weather shift, been touched with ecstatic light in meditation and dreams, and have personally been healed by Lenz. [38]. [American Buddha] Disgruntled students, many of whom were deprogrammed, said that Lenz sometimes claimed to be the incarnation of Shiva the Destroyer, the Hindu god of death.[39] He told his followers that he "wielded the power to create and demolish the universes," and that "those criticizing him would invariably get hit by a car or contract cancer."[40] These claims were made as hearsay, and his students, through all states of mind, including anger, hate, happiness or frustration, enjoyed the benefit of his compassion and love. In his public writings (particularly Snowboarding) Lenz described his ability to perform seeming miracles as "Siddha powers." Lenz explained, "I don't perform miracles to show off my powers, but to expand your view of reality."[41] What he was most noted for by those who meditated with him, was the silence and bliss that he extended to others, a common trait of teachers that go into samadhi. "There are certain characteristics of God-vision. One sees light, feels joy, and experiences the upsurge of a great current in one's heart, like the bursting of a rocket."[42]

Lenz also began to speak of negative force entities and other ideas which disgruntled followers say he borrowed from the work of best-selling author, teacher and alleged cult leader Carlos Castaneda.[43] Lenz supporters trace these ideas not to Castaneda, but Tibetan Buddhism's Ritual of Chod.[44]

According to former student Mark Laxer, Lenz agreed with the basic idea of The Force from the Star Wars films, and described former students and others who disagreed with him as having "fallen to the Dark Side."[45] According to Laxer, Lenz told him that "Star Wars creator George Lucas was wrong to have Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) prematurely leave a mystical apprenticeship, wrong to have evil unmasked by good, and wrong to portray Yoda as being gay."[46]

At the height of Lenz's teachings in 1988 he was estimated to have between 400 and 1,000 followers.[47] In 1998, he offered monthly tuition options between $500 and $5,000 per person to attend his business seminars. [48] In every aspect of Lenz' teachings, however, Lenz gives students the guidance to achieve on-going career success through mindful awareness, encouraging them toward continuing education and offering them strategic business and technology guidance. [49] Lenz supporters counter charges that Lenz was interested primarily in money with three main arguments: (1) Lenz regularly held free or low-cost classes for beginners, (2) in the 1980s he dismissed an estimated 400 students from his classes, explaining that he didn't think they were a match for his teachings, thus voluntarily giving up a large percentage of his income (perhaps as much as 50%). Through the years, he continually encouraged people to leave, losing large streams of income in order to maintain an organic community of people committed to their own enlightenment (3) all of the students who practiced the yoga of career with Lenz became financially grounded, giving them the ability to sustain a life of beauty, elegance and refinement. Paying tuition was not an issue when wealth abounded through focused, intelligent application of the teachings. Lenz' teaching priority was to promote independence, awareness, humor and strength. [50]

[edit] Basic teachings

The core teaching of Lenz surrounded the practice of meditation. Lenz taught a form of chakra meditation intended to help students gain greater happiness, achieve success in life, and attain Enlightenment. Lenz recommended the use of music to assist in meditation, especially meditation to the band Zazen (after it was founded) and Tangerine Dream (earlier in his teaching career). He felt that ideally students could meditate without music, but in the modern age the Earth is so thick with human aura that any protection a meditation student could get was needed--the music, especially Zazen, was designed to provide that protection. Lenz recommended meditating to music twice a day, in the morning and the evening, and provided different music for each session.

Beyond the core practice of meditation, Lenz was noted for placing a great deal of emphasis on career and on martial arts or other athletic endeavors. A strong believer in reincarnation, he felt that many students of Buddhism in America had had past lives in countries where it was traditional for communities to financially support monasteries--therefore they had little past life experience in earning money directly and tended to shun money as not spiritual. This, he felt, was a dangerous attitude to take in contemporary America, where no one is likely to pay anyone to meditate, and he strongly urged his students to build very strong lives that included financial success. He also felt that being financially successful allowed students to build a bit of a buffer around them to protect them from the more abrasive energies of the world, and hence meditate better. Similarly, he recommended martial arts because it makes the body strong and, again, helps protect students from the world's more unpleasant energies.

Lenz also placed significant focus on the Enlightenment of women. He felt many spiritual faiths have traditionally discriminated against women, in many cases even denying the possibility of Enlightenment for women, and he sought to reverse that through a strong focus on promoting women's Enlightenment. He felt it was especially important for women to have strong careers, because without strong careers women traditionally have become dependent on men financially, and this can hold a woman back from Enlightenment. Lenz felt that in many ways, women are powerful and well suited to the study of Enlightenment, but their power tends to frighten men and cause men to want to hold women back. However, Lenz also had many very strong male students--indeed, one way in which he worked to empower women was to insist that they meet exactly the same high standards he demanded of their very strong male peers.

In general, Lenz taught his students to look closely at energy patterns in their lives. He advocated being aware of where energy was lost and gained, and taking appropriate action to continually uplift and progress one's life. His core teaching was for each student to come to truth through silence and meditation, discarding the conditioning branded into humans from birth to death, so as to go beyond the illusion of personality, the illusion of the human condition, and to reach, continually and one-pointedly, for the ultimate truth that is within each person.

[edit] Adversity with cult watchdog groups, deprogrammers and former students

As Lenz met with growing success as a teacher in the 1980's, he also found that he encountered growing criticism. There were probably about five areas where the criticism was mostly focused: allegations about sexual improprieties with female students, allegations of excessive tuition charged to participate in his program, allegations that students were asked to cut off contact with their families, allegations of fraudulent resumes used by students seeking employment, and allegations that Lenz was somehow responsible for personal tragedies involving his students. Whether these allegations had any basis in fact was a subject of considerable debate; however, the allegations appeared in articles in the mainstream media in the 1980's and later. One central defense offered by Lenz and his students against these allegations was that Lenz had a large number of students leading completely independent lives--any large group of people is going to encounter a wide range of human experience. Lenz' supporters felt that it was unfair to blame every personal problem encountered by a student of Lenz at Lenz' feet, and also that some of the allegations were completely untrue. Lenz' supporters also felt that most of the negative publicity originated with a small group of parents of Lenz' students (LenzWatch) and a small number of former students. Lenz' supporters pointed out that these critics represented a very small fraction (less than one percent) of the population of parents and students--persons who may have had private motivations for their actions--and were not representative of Lenz' teachings as a whole.

Some incidents that occurred during the 1980's appeared to fuel some of the negative publicity.

In 1983 or so Lenz began calling himself a Zen Master. Critics point out that in the Zen Buddhist tradition the title of "Zen Master" is usually only given after death, and in any case one may never give the title to oneself. Students of Lenz would observe that Lenz did not adhere to any particular structure associated with any particular religion, but instead taught independently of any given structure. The title "Zen Master" was simply a role that Lenz was playing for a certain phase in his teaching career, and not a claim to be a "Zen Master" within any established Buddhist tradition.

Donald Cole, 23, committed suicide in 1984 because he was disappointed at his progress in the program. He left a note that read, 'Bye, Rama, see you next time.' [51] It was noted by many who knew Donald that he was a depressive for many years before meeting Lenz.

A sizable minority of Lenz' former students allege that he told his students (especially his male students) that they should abstain from sex, while at the same time he used his position as a spiritual teacher to privately coerce female students to have sex with him, then told them to keep quiet about it.[52] Allegations that Lenz was a sexual predator are often the subject of Lenz news articles. Allegations in the news articles referenced very few women, quoting the same few over and over. By 1986 Lenz said he "needed to sleep with two or three women at a time; an individual, he maintained, had too little "energy" to stimulate him."[53] According to Newsweek, "a 36-year-old graduate student from Los Angeles named Anny Eastwood" claims that Lenz "allegedly waved a loaded pistol and forced her to have sex with him." [54] Ms. Eastwood's claim was never proven, and was seen by many as a vindictive ploy based on her expectation to have a relationship with Lenz that never panned out. Many women who had the opportunity to spend personal time with Lenz acknowledged a deep gentleness and caring, and having been treated with the utmost respect.

Mark Laxer, a close student of Lenz from 1978-1985, published a book in 1993 about his time with Dr. Lenz called Take Me For A Ride; Coming Of Age In A Destructive Cult.[55] It was documented by many in a signed petition that Laxer was emotionally attached and severely frayed when Lenz did not live up to his expectations.

Those supportive of Lenz describe him as an educator who held seminars in the same way a college professor would. It was general knowledge by anyone who attended a seminar, that Lenz promoted total independence, strength, integrity of being, and continually encouraged people to leave and go out in the world to practice the teachings on their own. Another attribute of Lenz that proved his non-cult attitude was that he lived and acted from the love and truth that he promoted, continally creating beauty and inspiration, as experienced through his best selling books, music cd's, and enlightenment trainings (in the tradition of Padma Sambhava, the enlightened founder of Tibetan Yoga). A minority of his former students disagree, alleging that Lenz ran his organizations in the manner of a destructive cult. These disgruntled students became heavily involved with and aligned to self-described cult watchdog groups, in particular the CAN (Cult Awareness Network) and self-described deprogrammers, in particular Joe Szimhart, who allegedly kidnapped and imprisoned Lenz' student Karen Lever.[56] Lenz and his supporters describe the cult watchdog groups as "hate groups" and deprogrammers as "kidnappers." This argument is most strongly supported by the fact that the original CAN was sued into financial bankruptcy by a member of the Life Tabernacle Church [57][58], and Joe Szimhart was arrested for "kidnapping or aiding or abetting the kidnapping" of LaVerne Collins, a member of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Szimhart was acquitted by jury of all charges in Idaho 1993.[59][60]

Lenz advocates stress that his work has attracted many supporters, particularly several American Roshi (a Japanese word which literally means "old teacher" but in practice means "Zen master"), including Gerry Shishin Wick and Dennis Genpo Merzel, who stated: "Dr. Frederick P. Lenz is one pioneer who introduced American modes of practices while focusing on the fundamental practice of zazen."

An anti-cult method, often used to defame teachers and organizations, surfaced as being the driving force of a handful of Lenz detractors. Working with the cult watchdog organizations, they were systematically guided to peddle stories of hearsay from one publication to the next, starting with small free press newspapers. Though it took some time to be taken seriously, once some momentum was reached, the previous publications were used to pitch a "more layered story" to medium and then to large publications, with the advantage that "cult hype" sells. Their claims were never corraborated, nor was Lenz himself ever sued or brought to trial. Many from this disgruntled group had been taken through a deprogramming in which brain-washing and psychological torture were used to bring about a "snapping", so as to create a new view of Lenz as the "evil one". Deprogrammers were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by parents of these adult children, to recondition their children (sometimes in their 30s) back to their parents' way of life and views. The other side of Lenz' story was not given by his students because his advise was to continue on their path to enlightenment without distraction, becoming more aware, living in a framework of progressive energy, love and humor. Most have continued quietly with a Buddhist ethic of intelligence and selfless service.

Another known technique of anti-cult groups is to twist truths regarding the greatest strength and talent of the targeted teacher. In this fashion, they can discredit the teacher, with hearsay, rumors and enuendo, that create a sense of doubt in the minds of innocent people. The same technique has been used through time immemorial, and has been used to attempt to bring down true teachers, including enlightened ones. In the case of Lenz, one of his strongest points was the enlightenment of women. He taught both men and women students how to go beyond the conditioning setup on this planet that would define what it means to be a woman or a man. From this platform of new vision, both genders of students found untapped power and strength. The women became extremely successful, confident, joyful, and independent, from a career and life-style standpoint, while the men became more attuned to their sensitive aspects, which empowered them with deeper and more integrated compassion. They too enjoyed great success with careers and lifestyles. Another of Lenz' strong points that the anti-cult groups tried to target was Lenz' work ethic, which he proved throughout his life was one of intensive focus and hard work. He taught his students a tremendous amount about how to translate the energy of meditation and on-going empowerments to career. If the student paid close attention, they were able to apply the lessons and develop a steady, progressive career path oriented to the practice of Mindfulness. This tied into Lenz' final and strongest point, which was his priority to live and spread the Dharma. If students spent focused time at work, reaching continually greater states of clarity, an attribute highly valued in corporate life, and did it with an intent toward "living Dharma" by contributing to Lenz' Dharmic intent, this ethic had the benefit of resulting in a beautiful lifestyle. In today's world, it is expected that a good athlete will pay the best coaches for their advise and guidance. By asking for tuition, Lenz maintained a clean orgnization that was not dependent on rich donors with expectations of attention. It was an equal opportunity situation for all who were interested in enlightenment, and the tuition ensured that the spiritual health of each individual was progressive. The only truth to be found in who Rama was, is in his own words, not the hearsay of a handful of detractors. Rama the teacher was never deterred by the hearsay, and continued to display deep compassion for those who lived in hatred and confusion.

[edit] Evaluation of Lenz by his doctoral supervisors

There were three members of Lenz' doctoral dissertation committee at Stony Brook: Lewis Simpson, Paul Dolan and Gerald Nelson.

  • Louis Simpson, poet and winner of the Pulitzer prize winning writer, wrote a poem "about a student, a brilliant lecturer, who creates his own system rather than working within an existing one," called "Herons and Water Lilies" (available in the 1990 collection In The Room We Share), reputedly based on Lenz.[61]
  • Paul Dolan reported that Lenz' performance on the Ph.D. oral exams was "slightly above average."[62]
  • Lenz called Gerald Nelson one of the three most influential people in his life. Nelson reacted to news stories alleging that Lenz was a cult leader by saying: "This is the sort of thing you would expect from an intelligent, sensitive, abused child from a well-to-do family. Fred quite obviously needs help, but is probably too far-gone to realize or admit it."[63] Nelson also said, "He was always coming to me with these book ideas and asking me, 'Do you think it will sell?' My honest opinion was that he was a hustler. But I thought he was goofy and harmless."[64]

[edit] Author

Lenz was an accomplished author, publishing six books of his own. Additionally, he published two books compiling stories written by his students of their experiences with him as a spiritual teacher.

[edit] Musician / Composer

Lenz was the musical producer for rock band, Zazen. The band gained success among electronic and new-age music audiences, being set on par to Tangerine Dream by critics.[65] During the life of the band, Zazen produced 21 albums (many of which were re-release/re-produced) in 13 years.[66] The group has also released several music videos. [67] Although some of Zazen's albums were simply intended to be fun, new-age music, a number of their albums, such as Enlightenment, Canyons of Light, Cayman Blue, Samurai, and Samadhi, were specifically intended to be meditated to. In addition to blocking out some of the more abrasive energies of the world and making it easier to meditate, much of Lenz' teachings were on a non-verbal, esoteric, level and the music was intended to be one way of accessing those teachings.

Zazen is a central concept of Zen Buddhism. It might be defined as "quieting the ego-mind to reveal the Buddha Nature/divine self within."

[edit] Computer software entrepreneur

Much of Lenz' teachings, especially in his later years, focused around the computer industry. The large majority of his students worked in the software field during Lenz' later teaching years. There appear to have been multiple reasons for this. One was that Lenz felt that computer software was a way of keeping the mind sharp--it became, for Lenz and his students, a form of meditation that students could focus on during their working lives. Another factor was that, for much of Lenz' teaching career, incomes for computer programmers continued to rise, making it easier for students to earn an income sufficiently high to live a clean, silent, elegant lifestyle as well as contribute to the spreading of Dharma through tuition paid to Lenz. The most important factor was that if a student was translating the high energy empowerments from attending seminars correctly, as opposed to "sitting on the energy", possibly using it destructively, and if the student was listening to the lessons of truth and clarity that came from their own inner journey as guided by Lenz, then their careers would show a strong intent and commitment to their own enlightenment, and they would be successful, which was the case with all who stuck with his program.

Lenz ran various companies devoted to teaching basic software and business skills, and in addition recommended that his students pursue either an outside certificate in computer science from a school such as Computer Learning Center or a college/university degree in computer science. He generally recommended that his students follow three steps in their computer careers: First, the students were to learn a programming language such as C++, SQL, Visual Basic, Power Builder, or Java. Then the students would seek full time employment for about a year in the hi tech industry. Lenz viewed full time employment as a sometimes necessary first step but did not encourage long term full time employment on the part of his students. Next, the students would focus on consulting for another couple of years, with a strong emphasis on getting a series of contracts with ever-increasing hourly rates. Finally, the students would be encouraged to develop a software product, perhaps with a focus on artificial intelligence, and found their own companies. Lenz expected that his students would become millionaires through this program--he himself expected to become a billionaire through substantial shares in the profits of his students' companies.

Although not everyone became a multimillionaire and Lenz was continually pushing his students to do better, Lenz' students enjoyed considerable success with this program. Many of his students--and all who stayed with the program for any length of time--did obtain good computer jobs and consulting contracts and in so doing greatly increased their incomes. Essentially those who put the continuing empowerments that Lenz gave made extraordinary progress with their careers although the program was not without its challenges. Some of the students did go on to when it came to developing software products, the next stage in the program. Some of Lenz' students did become multimillionaires, notably William Arntz, one of the producers of What the Bleep Do We Know. One effort in artificial intelligence, namely Information Harvesting, attracted enough attention in the industry that it became a generic name for a time, along with data mining, for software that gleans non-obvious patterns from databases. Another machine learning product sought to forecast stock prices, sports scores, and retail sales through a time series forecasting algorithm. Although not everyone became a multimillionaire, everyone who put in the intense effort that Lenz demanded (as a way to ensure correct, positive application of the enlightenment trainings and empowerments), found that they experienced an upward spiral in their careers (the natural side-effect of a clear mind and strong spirit).

Lenz appeared to successfully foresee the rise of the computer industry. In 1994 he formed four large software companies with his students in order to help everyone advance in both their spiritual and business lives. In doing so he was following a tradition, also described in The Diamond Cutter, that a Buddhist monk should be a sage on the inside but a successful American businessperson on the outside. His more advanced students worked on cutting edge projects in entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. The hard work was interspersed with parties such as raves at the Rainbow Room and luxury trips to the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. In general, Lenz was at the forefront of technology, but in 1994, he did caution his students to avoid spending too much time on the Internet--he apparently felt that the diversity of unpredictable energies on the Internet could disrupt a student's energy patterns. In 1995-1996, Lenz had most of his students go into software sales, feeling that learning the art of selling would help them advance as Buddhists and businesspeople. A recruiting firm that provided both job placements and recruiting jobs was also founded around this time. Also in 1996, Lenz did take the plunge into the Internet, founding VayuWeb, an early web browser named after Lenz' much beloved and deceased Scottish Terrier (Scottie) dog. Virtual Greenwich, a Web tour of Greenwich, Connecticut that was quite advanced for this time, was also founded in 1996. By 1997, he did recommend that his students found Internet companies, feeling that the necessary startup capital to found an Internet company was considerably less than for a regular startup. In 1998, one of Dr. Lenz' female students founded, and bared her breasts on, Funwomen.com. [68], a softcore website with photos of many beautiful topless and nude women students of Lenz. Although these later Internet efforts didn't necessarily experience the explosive success that some new Internet companies of the time, such as Amazon.com, Netscape, and Google, sustained, they nevertheless allowed the students to develop fun and high paying careers.

Lenz died in 1998 when the hi tech boom was nearing its peak and therefore he was not alive to witness the later hi tech bust of the early 2000s: it is therefore unclear how he would have responded to changing economic conditions. Many of his students have continued to work in software but some moved on to other careers when the hi tech world stagnated.

[edit] Legacy

It was well known that Lenz had been ill for many years, with conditions worsening over time. This did not stop him from continuing to teach his students. Teachers noted for compassion, throughout history, often become ill when taking on the karmas of their students. Lenz was no exception, sticking with students who went through periods of confusion, frustration or anger, as long as their intent, heart and mind were sincerely focused on their enlightenment. Lenz died on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1998. He drowned at his estate on Conscience Bay in Old Field, New York after taking a massive drug overdose: reports differ on whether Dr. Lenz took Phenobarbital[69] or 80-150 Valium tablets.[70] With him at the time of death was 33-year old model and devoted follower Brinn Lacey, who police found covered with bruises. Lacey contends that Lenz' death was part of a suicide pact.[71] Three terriers owned by Lenz were also found at the scene, drugged with phenobarbital.[72][73] According to Psychology Today, police found the body of Lenz wearing a suit and tie and a dog collar around his neck.[74]

Lenz left an $18 million dollar fortune.[75], including several Learjets, mansions and luxury cars.[76] His will has been a matter of dispute between the National Audubon Society [77] and Lenz's former accountant and executor Norman Marcus, who created the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism two months after Lenz died, thus arguably fulfilling the provisions of the will necessary for him to retain control of the Lenz fortune.[78] According the New York Times the will has also been contested by Diana Jean Reynolds, who claims to be Lenz' widow, and Deborah Lenz, who also claims to be Lenz' widow, by common law marriage.[79] The claims were not substantiated, it was common knowledge that Lenz lived alone during the majority of his teaching years (1980's to 1998), and no awards were given.

Lenz' estate was settled in 2002. The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism] shows substantial grant making activity from 2003 onwards, as well as a substantial donation to the National Audubon Society.[80] As part of the settlement with Audubon, a gorge was named for Lenz at the Sharon Audubon Center in Northwest Connecticut. Neither of the two women alleging to be wives of Lenz received anything in the settlement. The IRS Forms 990, available for free from Guidestar, show a substantial infusion of cash to the foundation beginning in 2002. The foundation is run by Marcus, Norman Oberstein, and Frederick P. Lenz Jr (the father of Lenz), although only Norman Marcus and Norman Oberstein have decision making authority. An advisory board consisting of former students of Lenz Elizabeth Cecil (who runs RamaLila), Dana Schwartz, Joaquin Lievano (a founder of the band Zazen), Walter Goodwin, and Lisa Lewinson, as well as two leading Zen practitioners, has advisory but not decision making rights. The Foundation, and not Audubon, appears to have rights to most of Lenz' intellectual property. In addition to making this intellectual property (in the form of CDs, books, and videos) available for purchase, the Foundation makes grants to worthy non profits deemed to be promoting activities consistent with American Buddhism as taught by Lenz.

[edit] Quotations

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  • "I come into the world to be of service to beings who seek knowledge, empowerment, enlightenment; who seek to grow, evolve, develop; who want to have more fun with their lives and experience the profundity of being; who want to become more conscious in their short time in an incarnate form. I am a teacher" (Zen Tapes, Dedication).
  • "The most beautiful day hasn't dawned, the most beautiful lifetime has not been experienced. The most beautiful meditation has not been had, even by the enlightened. I guess that's the good news - it doesn't end. It's just - there's no separation between the quiescent perfect state and anything else, inside your mind. Everything's inside your mind. Enlightenment isn't out there; it's just inside your mind" (Tantric Buddhism, p. iii).
  • "People on the pathway to enlightenment become very successful in whatever they approach, because they have learned to discipline the mind." [52]
  • "If you are able to stop feeling sorry for yourself, and to contribute to the betterment of this world and of those around us, you will experience a high that is beyond my ability to express." [53]
  • "If you meditate deeply several times a day you will transform and change. You will find that you don't have to inspire yourself to do what is right because you have become what is right." [54]
  • "The pathway to enlightenment leads to states of ecstasy, knowledge, and a pretty ironic sense of humor." [55]
  • "There is a lot of opposition. You will experience it. But the joys that come from the study, more than compensate for the opposition, in my opinion. It's a personal choice." [56]
  • "We live in a world that is dominated by war, hate, violence and suspicion. Those are the things that come naturally in this world. So you have to will something else." [57]
  • "Your life can be horrible or it can be incredibly beautiful. It can be boring or exciting. It's seldom in between. Your active use of will determines what will happen to you in this and other lives." [58]
  • "If you learn to lead your life strategically and strongly, you can overcome the opposition. But running away, you never overcome anything. The pathway to enlightenment is for the warrior, the samurai." [59]
  • "It's not going to be easy. It's the earth. What creates power in your life is when you perfect your mind, your career, and your associations with others." [60]
  • "The real dance is within; it is within your mind. Everything is inside your mind. God is inside your mind." [61]
  • The immortal silence is there always waiting for you and that spirit is deathless and courageous. Remember, many have trod the path that you are walking on and they succeeded. They were no better than you, no wiser." [62]
  • "The purpose of all of this is not to walk around with new vocabulary words, but to cause you to speculate on the marvel of your own being." [63]
  • "Life is wonder, endless, ceaseless wonder. If your energy level is low, then everything is gray, two-dimensional, boring, frustrating, and unhappy." [64]
  • "Everything depends on your state of awareness. If your state of awareness is low, then all the material success in the world won't help." [65]
  • "Anybody or anything can become enlightened because enlightenment is the very nature of existence itself." [66]
  • "Enlightenment is cumulative. You become a little more enlightened each day as you practice yoga and Buddhism." [67]
  • "Enlightenment is the most exciting study there is. It is the only thing I know of in life that makes you feel consistently better, whether it's success or failure, whether they love you or hate you." [68]
  • "The spirit longs for the world of light from which it came. That longing causes something to happen. It causes the being to grow into light." [69]

[edit] Trivia

  • Rama began to exude golden light in 1980, based on numerous accounts of students and non-students. This became more intensified through his life. The Last Incarnation
  • He was noted for bringing people into a high, ecstatic state of mind simply by meditating.
  • Closer students observed that Lenz worked tirelessly and endlessly for the welfare of others - including all who crossed his path. The Last Incarnation [70] American Buddha
  • Lenz met Pamella Wardell at a meeting of students of Sri Chinmoy. They were married on the 15th of May, 1971, and divorced less than a year later.
  • Rama was known for outrageous humor, the likes of Robin Williams, always keeping his students in side-splitting laughter. American Buddha The Last Incarnation [71]
  • Lenz was 6'3". Both supporters and detractors often describe him as strikingly tall and good-looking.
  • Lenz was compassionate about the twisted sexual mores and hang-ups of modern victorian American society.
  • Lenz' teachings were focused on spiritual awareness and developing a high, strong consciousness. He never spoke in public about the physical characteristics of humans. The only thing he referenced in terms of the size of individual's aspects were Heart, Ego, Mind and Aura.
  • Lenz spent thousands of hours meditating and teaching meditation while supporting himself through crafting dulcimers, studying for a doctorate degree, and writing two books, all before he became enlightened at the age of 30.
  • In highschool Lenz' nickname was "Crazy Fred." His doctoral supervisor Gerald Nelson called him "Goofy Fred."
  • Lenz appeared for an hour on CNN with Larry King in 1988.
  • Over the course of his teaching career, more than 100,000 people attended Rama's seminars. [81]
  • Lenz was an athlete interested in snow boarding, scuba diving and martial arts. He earned a black belt in Karate while still in high school and later went on to study Judo as well. He was an avid runner throughout his life.
  • Lenz has made charitable contributions to National Public Radio in Connecticut, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the National Museum of Women and the Arts, Shotokan Karate, B'nai B'rith, the Cousteau Society, The Audubon Society and The Sierra Club.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.fredericklenzfoundation.org/
  2. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p. 299
  3. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p. 299
  4. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n6_v31/ai_21253189/pg_2
  5. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n6_v31/ai_21253189/pg_3
  6. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p. 299
  7. ^ "Guru Mixes Money, Mystique; Ex-followers Say Students Exploited; Mysticism, Capitalism Combined by Computer Guru Seeking Talent; Former Followers Fault Computer Guru," by Gerald Renner, October 18, 1992
  8. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_n6_v31/ai_21253189/pg_3
  9. ^ American Buddha, p. vi-vii
  10. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p 299
  11. ^ http://imeditate.com/docs/RamaDissertation.pdf
  12. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p 299
  13. ^ Insights: Talks on the Nature of Existence, p. 58 and 300
  14. ^ http://www.fredericklenzfoundation.org
  15. ^ The Books, Album, Interview
  16. ^ Lenz as Author
  17. ^ Book Reviews
  18. ^ [1]
  19. ^ http://www.fredericklenzfoundation.org
  20. ^ http://www.ex-cult.org/Groups/Rama/rama-appendix-1.html
  21. ^ On the Road With Rama
  22. ^ [2]
  23. ^ [3] ("Zen", "On the Road", "Tantric Buddhism")
  24. ^ [4]
  25. ^ [5] ("Zen" Last Chapt - Dr. Lenz Biography, pg. 343)
  26. ^ ("The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa" pg. 670)
  27. ^ [http://www.zenmasterrama.com/images/ZMR1.jpg
  28. ^ [6]
  29. ^ (See Newsweek Sept. 2006 issues)
  30. ^ [7]
  31. ^ [8]
  32. ^ [9]
  33. ^ [10]
  34. ^ [11]
  35. ^ [12]
  36. ^ [13]
  37. ^ [14]
  38. ^ ‘‘The Last Incarnation’’
  39. ^ [15]
  40. ^ [16]
  41. ^ [17]
  42. ^ ("The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna", pg. 218)
  43. ^ [18]
  44. ^ [19]
  45. ^ [20]
  46. ^ [21]
  47. ^ [22]
  48. ^ [23]
  49. ^ [24](books: "Zen", "Tantric Buddhism", "On the Road with Rama", "Enlightenment Cycle", "American Buddha")
  50. ^ ("American Buddha")
  51. ^ (Source: "Who Is This Rama? The master of Zen and the Art of Publicity is now having some very serious problems," Newsweek February 1, 1988)
  52. ^ [25]
  53. ^ [26]
  54. ^ (Source: "Who Is This Rama? The master of Zen and the Art of Publicity is now having some very serious problems," Newsweek February 1, 1988)
  55. ^ [27]
  56. ^ [28]
  57. ^ [29]
  58. ^ [30]
  59. ^ [31]
  60. ^ [32]
  61. ^ [33]
  62. ^ [34]
  63. ^ [35]
  64. ^ [36]
  65. ^ [37]
  66. ^ [38]
  67. ^ [39]
  68. ^ [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212025124/http://www.funwomen.com/
  69. ^ [40]
  70. ^ [41]
  71. ^ [42]
  72. ^ [43]
  73. ^ [44]
  74. ^ [45]
  75. ^ [46]
  76. ^ [47]
  77. ^ [48]
  78. ^ [49]
  79. ^ [50]
  80. ^ [51]
  81. ^ (The Enlightenment Cycle, p. i)

[edit] External links supportive of Lenz

[edit] External links related to Lenz

[edit] External links critical of Lenz

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