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Frederick LenzSpiritual teacher, founder of the so-called "American Buddhism"
Date of Birth: 09.02.1950
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Frederick P. Lenz: American Buddhist Leader and Controversial Figure
- Spiritual Teachings
- Novels
- Software Development
- Music Career
- Controversies
- Death and Estate
Frederick P. Lenz: American Buddhist Leader and Controversial Figure
Early Life and EducationFrederick Peter Lenz was born in San Diego, California, on July 11, 1950, to Frederick Lenz Jr., a marketing executive, and Dorothy Goumaer Lenz, a homemaker and astrology student. His family moved to Stamford, Connecticut, when Lenz was three, where his father later served as mayor from 1973 to 1975. Lenz grew up and attended school in Stamford. In high school, he became involved in Korean martial arts, where he was introduced to meditation. After graduating high school, Lenz was incarcerated at a boot camp near San Diego for marijuana possession, a misdemeanor that was later expunged from court records with a dismissal. According to his own account, he then traveled to Kathmandu and met a Tibetan Buddhist monk who told him that he would help millions of people in the future and carry on a lineage teaching that had almost disappeared.
Spiritual Teachings
Lenz claimed to have first entered samadhi, or a state of spiritual absorption, at the age of three. He stated in his books, "Surfing the Himalayas" and "Snowboarding to Nirvana," that traveling to sacred sites heightened his meditation experiences. Beginning in 1972, Lenz became a disciple of the Hindu guru Sri Chinmoy, who gave him the name "Atmananda," meaning "soulful joy." He later worked as a recruiter for Chinmoy's organization.
After returning to San Diego in 1981, Lenz broke from Chinmoy and founded his own teaching center, originally called the Lakshmi Center. In late 1982, Lenz adopted the teaching name "Rama" and stated that he was not the historical Rama but rather represented the warrior qualities implied by the name. Lenz claimed to remember all of his previous incarnations, including a life as a high priest in Atlantis and four lives as teachers in India, Japan, and Tibet between the 16th and early 20th centuries. According to a former follower, Lenz proclaimed himself to be an avatar of Vishnu. In 1990, he said that he was one of 12 enlightened teachers on Earth but declined to name the others.
His students wrote that they witnessed him perform miracles or siddhi powers, including levitation, teleportation, disappearing, turning rooms into a light of molten gold, projecting light from his hands, and transforming into an elderly, bearded Asian man before their eyes. He often took his students on excursions to the Southern California deserts and to Disneyland, where they witnessed a number of these events. According to former students, Lenz also spoke of the world being full of "demons," which he described as "entities" and "negative spiritual forces" that could attack people.
Some former students said that Lenz's teachings revolved around two primary concepts: enlightenment and "energy." According to Zoe Nicholson, "Self-realization is the cornerstone of all Lenzian Ground teachings." "The principle is simple: within each and every woman and man is the Self, Nirvana, Eternity. It is covered over by layers of conditioning, lifetimes of attachments, and fear of the unknown. Through the practice of Self-realization, all these layers are peeled back, eventually uncovering the true nature of oneself: perfect pure light."
For 27 years, Lenz taught spiritual classes, workshops, and public meditations. Although students applied in a college-style fashion, he accepted students based on "his intuition and understanding of what each student needed." The foundation of spiritual study at that time was meditation. Lenz explained to his students, "You concentrate with such intensity, you build your will to such a special point, that you break through all of the limited states of mind into higher states of mind, and then, of course, you experience the pure, radiant emptiness in whatever form you are able to experience it, such as from your rational state of mind, and that in itself is ecstasy."
While maintaining that primary focus on meditation, Lenz went on to frame the practice itself within a more expansive context: "Meditate and realize that as high as you go, as deep as you perceive, you are merely touching the bare surface of infinity. Simply keep the awareness that just beyond your perception is ecstasy. Just beyond the edge of it is ecstasy—power, knowledge in unlimited amounts. And no matter how far you go, you will never experience it all. And if you totally dissolve your 'I,' there will be no end to it."
Novels
In the last few years of his life, Lenz wrote two novels that incorporated his teachings: "Surfing the Himalayas" (1995) and "Snowboarding to Nirvana" (1997). The novels were based on experiences he claimed to have had in Nepal and focus on the interactions between an American snowboarder and a Buddhist monk, "Master Fwap." "Surfing the Himalayas" was originally scheduled to be published by Warner Books with a $250,000 advance, but they eventually dropped the book, citing "marketing disagreements with the author," which came after complaints from Lenz's critics. The book was then picked up by St. Martin's Press. Lenz spent an estimated $1.5 million on promoting the books, placing full-page ads in The New York Times and Rolling Stone. He also used billboards to advertise "Surfing the Himalayas," while St. Martin's Press placed ads for the book in 1,700 movie theaters across the United States. At the publisher's request, Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson originally endorsed the book but later withdrew it amid negative reaction.
"Surfing the Himalayas" was a commercial success, reaching #11 on the bestseller list and selling more than 100,000 copies in hardcover. Singer Tina Turner revealed in 2018 that she keeps a copy of "Surfing the Himalayas" in her prayer room.
Software Development
Lenz encouraged his students to pursue computer science because of their mental aptitude, diverse career opportunities, and high earning potential. Many students became skilled programmers and founded their own software development companies, with Lenz acting as a co-developer and thought leader. These companies included AutoSys (sold to Platinum Technology in 1995), CS10000, Vantage Point (VP-Med and SmartCare), Vayu Web, and Eagle Ray Project Management Software (sold to Primavera).
Lenz was accused of encouraging his students to misrepresent their credentials, such as having friends use pseudonyms to serve as job references. Lenz stated that the accusation was false and that he never told his students to lie. According to the editor of The Consultants and Contractors' Newsletter, some of Lenz's followers lacked sufficient computer programming experience for their jobs, which the editor estimated resulted in losses of millions of dollars for companies such as Nynex and Deutsche Bank in the New York metropolitan area.
Music Career
Lenz was the producer of the rock band Zazen, which released 31 albums over 13 years. The band also produced several music videos. Lenz also co-produced an album called "Ecologie" (credited as "Rama") and the soundtrack for the film "704 Hauser."
Controversies
Some former followers and parents of followers made accusations of psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and sexual exploitation of female members of the group. Lenz consistently denied all allegations of sexual or financial exploitation in interviews, and no charges were ever laid against him in court.
Death and Estate
Lenz drowned in Conscience Bay, near his home in Old Field, New York, on April 12, 1998, in an apparent suicide. He had stated that his death was a protest against the way spiritual teachers were treated in America.
He left an estate worth approximately $23 million. His will was the subject of a dispute between the National Audubon Society and his estate, which was settled by making a donation to the National Audubon Society and creating the Frederick P. Lenz American Buddhist Foundation, which was initially directed by Lenz's accountant, Norman Marcus (the executor of his will), and Norman Oberstein, his attorney. This action fulfilled the will's provisions requiring a use of funds from Lenz's estate to create the Lenz Foundation. His estate was settled in 2002. The Frederick P. Lenz American Buddhist Foundation has been engaged in significant grant-making activity since 2003 (in excess of $7 million to date) to approximately 140 American Buddhist organizations. A gorge in the Sharon Audubon Center in northwest Connecticut was named in Lenz's honor as part of the settlement with Audubon.
