I live in Boulder, Colorado, a town with such an alternative spiritual bent it was referred to by Alan Ginsberg as “Kundalini Heights.”  Over the years, I’ve met many people here who were active students of a variety of teachers both locally and internationally known.  In doing research for this book, I found many, many of these teachers listed in the very comprehensive database of controversial groups maintained by the Rick Ross Institute.  It was with grim fascination that I learned of the scandals behind even those teachers who I’d thought had the greatest veneer of legitimacy. 

Ross’s database is imperfect in that it consists primarily of reprints from news articles and legal documents, a collection which rarely presents a full-sided view of a particular group.  Despite its size, the database is also is lacking information on groups that are more local and don’t inspire dramatic national news coverage.  Still, even just reading a few articles on some of the more major names reinforces the fact that no spiritual group is immune to corruption and abuse. 

The Rick A. Ross Institute