Who is Pamela Dyson and why is she important?
Pamela Dyson was an early student of Yogi Bhajan, mentioned frequently in his biography, Messenger from the Guru's House. Having a gift for writing, Yogi Bhajan put her to work writing a translation of Sikh spiritual verses entitled "Peace Lagoon" (1971) and a book on the life story of Guru Nanak, "Guru for the Aquarian Age" (1972). In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Yogi Bhajan's mission in the US and his fiftieth birthday, Pamela - renamed "Sardarni Premka Kaur Khalsa" - worked with Sat Kirpal Kaur Khalsa, PhD as co-editor of a commemorative volume, "The Man Called The Siri Singh Sahib" (1979) which for years would serve as the defining narrative for Yogi Bhajan and his mission.
With the passage of years, Yogi Bhajan also awarded Sardarni Premka Kaur other important responsibilities. She was made editor-in-chief of Beads of Truth, the public relations and general information magazine of the 3HO Foundation. Sardarni Premka Kaur was also made Secretary-General of the Khalsa Council, the executive council of Sikh Dharma in the West, the highest office next to the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan himself.
By her own admission, Sardarni Premka Kaur had a romantic liaison with Siri Brahm Singh, a married member of the Los Angeles 3HO community and left the community to marry him in 1985. They moved to Hawaii and she became pregnant and had a child. At some point - this is not clear in her narrative - Siri Brahm Singh left Premka. Not long after this, she became the chief plaintiff in a legal case sponsored by certain person determined to defame Yogi Bhajan. As a young mother with no source of income, it is said that she was offered a large sum of money to participate in the lawsuit, an offer she could not refuse. The case however never went to trial.
In 1997, Premka moved to the 3HO community in Espanola, New Mexico saying she hoped to effect a reconciliation with Yogi Bhajan and the community. After a few months, she left again.
Yogi Bhajan passed in 2004. Some years later, his former student began work on a defamatory narrative, published on January 8 2020, which she titled "Premka: My Life with Yogi Bhajan."
With the passage of years, Yogi Bhajan also awarded Sardarni Premka Kaur other important responsibilities. She was made editor-in-chief of Beads of Truth, the public relations and general information magazine of the 3HO Foundation. Sardarni Premka Kaur was also made Secretary-General of the Khalsa Council, the executive council of Sikh Dharma in the West, the highest office next to the Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan himself.
By her own admission, Sardarni Premka Kaur had a romantic liaison with Siri Brahm Singh, a married member of the Los Angeles 3HO community and left the community to marry him in 1985. They moved to Hawaii and she became pregnant and had a child. At some point - this is not clear in her narrative - Siri Brahm Singh left Premka. Not long after this, she became the chief plaintiff in a legal case sponsored by certain person determined to defame Yogi Bhajan. As a young mother with no source of income, it is said that she was offered a large sum of money to participate in the lawsuit, an offer she could not refuse. The case however never went to trial.
In 1997, Premka moved to the 3HO community in Espanola, New Mexico saying she hoped to effect a reconciliation with Yogi Bhajan and the community. After a few months, she left again.
Yogi Bhajan passed in 2004. Some years later, his former student began work on a defamatory narrative, published on January 8 2020, which she titled "Premka: My Life with Yogi Bhajan."
What did Ms. Dyson allege?
In her legal deposition and her book, Pamela Dyson claimed that Yogi Bhajan repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted her. She alleged a pregnancy and an abortion in 1970. Ms. Dyson also contended that Yogi Bhajan had sexual relations with other members of his staff. A co-plaintiff in the 1987 case, Kate Felt made similar allegations.
What are other, more recent allegations?
On Facebook, there have been a few other claims of sexual assault. In February, a response team was assembled by the corporations entrusted with carrying forward the legacy of Yogi Bhajan's teachings. On March 4, the team announced that a third party, an organization known as An Olive Branch (an-olive-branch.org) would conduct an investigation into any allegations, with a report due in June 2020. On March 20, the team announced that anyone requiring counseling would be provided confidential counseling by qualified service providers at an independent organization, Concern Health (concernhealth.com).
Concern for an "Aquarian Age lynching"
On February 28 and March 7, Guru Terath Singh Khalsa who served as Chancellor for Sikh Dharma, the top legal man of Yogi Bhajan's staff, for over thirty years, warned against an "Aquarian Age lynching" on social media. As a New Mexico State Prosecutor for 25 years, Guru Terath Singh was involved in thousands of investigations regarding whether the State should take action against the licenses of all kinds of professionals – doctors, dentists, psychologists, as well as CPAs, real estate agents, etc. - over allegations of professional misconduct. He was also one of the first lawyers in the United States to represent multiple victims of priest sex abuse and was involved in a Federal Court lawsuit against the Catholic Church in Catholic New Mexico in the 1990s. This was years before the Boston Globe exposed the widespread complicity of the Church in the sexual abuse of many, many children.
In 1987, Guru Terath Singh was front and centre in the case Premka brought against Yogi Bhajan. In his words, "Premka’s case was easy. She alleged in the lawsuit that the (kundalini) yoga that YB taught subjected her to a 'thought reform (brainwashing) program.' She claimed that while many creative publications went out under her name ('Peace Lagoon,' 'Beads of Truth,' etc.), she 'exercised no independent thought,' that 'she was not the creator of the thoughts,' that in most cases 'she had no independent knowledge of the facts, ideas or feelings she related when she wrote,' that she was nothing more than a 'robot' and a 'scribe,' and that 'she performed no in depth analysis.' She hired 'experts' who would testify about the brainwashing effects of doing kundalini yoga that deprived her and others of the ability to exercise independent judgment. Many of these 'experts' were associated with deprogramming kidnappings that occurred in the 1970s and 80s."
Guru Terath's advice today: "It is time to step back, take a breath and before making one of the most important decisions of your life, wait until you receive the results of what is hoped to be a professional, competent and unbiased investigation of the claims. Anything less is a disservice to you, your family, your students and each other."
You may link to the full text of Guru Terath Singh's two statements here and here.
In 1987, Guru Terath Singh was front and centre in the case Premka brought against Yogi Bhajan. In his words, "Premka’s case was easy. She alleged in the lawsuit that the (kundalini) yoga that YB taught subjected her to a 'thought reform (brainwashing) program.' She claimed that while many creative publications went out under her name ('Peace Lagoon,' 'Beads of Truth,' etc.), she 'exercised no independent thought,' that 'she was not the creator of the thoughts,' that in most cases 'she had no independent knowledge of the facts, ideas or feelings she related when she wrote,' that she was nothing more than a 'robot' and a 'scribe,' and that 'she performed no in depth analysis.' She hired 'experts' who would testify about the brainwashing effects of doing kundalini yoga that deprived her and others of the ability to exercise independent judgment. Many of these 'experts' were associated with deprogramming kidnappings that occurred in the 1970s and 80s."
Guru Terath's advice today: "It is time to step back, take a breath and before making one of the most important decisions of your life, wait until you receive the results of what is hoped to be a professional, competent and unbiased investigation of the claims. Anything less is a disservice to you, your family, your students and each other."
You may link to the full text of Guru Terath Singh's two statements here and here.
"The Futile Flow of Fate"
On February 23, 2020 a Los Angeles-based yoga teacher named Hari Jiwan Singh released a video response to Pamela's allegations. It is a must-see for anyone interested in this case as it describes her betrayal of her teacher. It is especially priceless for the clips of Yogi Bhajan speaking about her, and the relationship between a spiritual teacher and a student. The professionally-produced video (52:46) may be accessed below.
My view
My belief is that much of the current controversy is the result of the colossal failure on the part of 3HO and KRI to publish a solid narrative of the founding Master. Everybody needs a story - and if you do not have one, somebody is going to make one up for you that is not going to serve your interests and your legacy. It is going to serve theirs, guaranteed.
In fact, the Yogi Bhajan story was commissioned in 1983 and delivered to KRI for publication in 1995. But years passed. Yogi Bhajan himself passed in 2004. Still, KRI - the educational and publishing arm of Yogi Bhajan's teachings - would not publish the work he had titled "Messenger from the Guru's House."
The good news is that it is now available and downloadable at no cost here (link). The not so good news is that without any KRI support for the biography Yogi Bhajan commissioned, Pam Dyson's slanderous work now is likely to be the better known of the two accounts.
I do not believe Pam Dyson's story. In 1987, Yogi Bhajan had plenty of people who wanted to bring him down. Sikh separatists and ex-3HOers were the most prominent. That someone with money would have paid to have Pam tell a raw story of sexual abuse while she was financially vulnerable seems a reasonable assumption. In the end, Pam the embittered student, returned in 2020 for her final vengeance just as the #MeToo movement was in full swing.
It is ironic that Pam Dyson should label Yogi Bhajan as a sexual monster, given his clear-eyed insights into the predatory model of Western society, his famous talk "How America Kills Its Women," the Grace of God Movement founded in 1971 to oppose the degradation of women in America, the annual Women's Training Camp (1975+), and his empowering and respectful words for and about women (link).
Everyone I know who has known Yogi Bhajan is aghast at Premka's published allegations and the storm of controversy, even contempt, following in its wake. This is not the vaguest semblance of the great teacher we knew, and I am talking about cooks and security guards and housekeepers and drivers who basically kept a 24-hour watch on his activities.
I am preparing my report for the people at An Olive Branch for their investigation. They are looking for positive reports too, so if you ever spent even a little time with Yogi Bhajan, I humbly request you send in your report as well. Tell them about the Yogi Bhajan you knew and how unbelievable you find the toxic allegations circulating on Facebook. You can email them at [email protected]. Do not delay. They would like your input by the end of April.
In fact, the Yogi Bhajan story was commissioned in 1983 and delivered to KRI for publication in 1995. But years passed. Yogi Bhajan himself passed in 2004. Still, KRI - the educational and publishing arm of Yogi Bhajan's teachings - would not publish the work he had titled "Messenger from the Guru's House."
The good news is that it is now available and downloadable at no cost here (link). The not so good news is that without any KRI support for the biography Yogi Bhajan commissioned, Pam Dyson's slanderous work now is likely to be the better known of the two accounts.
I do not believe Pam Dyson's story. In 1987, Yogi Bhajan had plenty of people who wanted to bring him down. Sikh separatists and ex-3HOers were the most prominent. That someone with money would have paid to have Pam tell a raw story of sexual abuse while she was financially vulnerable seems a reasonable assumption. In the end, Pam the embittered student, returned in 2020 for her final vengeance just as the #MeToo movement was in full swing.
It is ironic that Pam Dyson should label Yogi Bhajan as a sexual monster, given his clear-eyed insights into the predatory model of Western society, his famous talk "How America Kills Its Women," the Grace of God Movement founded in 1971 to oppose the degradation of women in America, the annual Women's Training Camp (1975+), and his empowering and respectful words for and about women (link).
Everyone I know who has known Yogi Bhajan is aghast at Premka's published allegations and the storm of controversy, even contempt, following in its wake. This is not the vaguest semblance of the great teacher we knew, and I am talking about cooks and security guards and housekeepers and drivers who basically kept a 24-hour watch on his activities.
I am preparing my report for the people at An Olive Branch for their investigation. They are looking for positive reports too, so if you ever spent even a little time with Yogi Bhajan, I humbly request you send in your report as well. Tell them about the Yogi Bhajan you knew and how unbelievable you find the toxic allegations circulating on Facebook. You can email them at [email protected]. Do not delay. They would like your input by the end of April.