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TANTRIK ORDER IN AMERICA (DEFUNCT) |
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by The Encyclopedia of American Religions Excerpt from The Encyclopedia of American Religions, 3rd Edition. J. Gordon Melton, editor, Triumph Books, 1989. *1409* Tantrik Order in America (Defunct) The Tantrik Order in America was one of the first Hindu groups founded in the United States, and possibly the first created by a Western student of the Eastern teachings. It was founded in New York City by Pierre Bernard (born 1875 as Peter Coons) (1875-1955), better known to members of the order as Oom the Omnipotent. The order has superceded the Bacchante Academy whose California operation had ceased in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Associated with the order was the New York Sanskrit College. Bernard taught a form of Tantric Hinduism combined with hatha yoga. The sexual aspects of tantra were included as integral aspects of the instruction, and Bernard came under scrutiny during the early days of the order's operation as police began to suspect him of trying to seduce his pupils. He survived several early scandals, however, and in 1924 moved to an estate in Nyack, New York, on Long Island, and continued as leader of the order for the next three decades (closed only briefly during World War II when the estate was used as a center for refugees from Nazi Germany). His clientele included many wealthy people, including several members of the Vanderbilt family. Bernaad became a wealthy and influential citizen. He donated a zoo to the community and eventually became president of the bank in nearby Pearl City. As far as is known, the order died with its founder. There are reports of the existence of an offshoot, the New York Sacred Tantrics, which functioned during the 1960s. However, reports have not been confirmed and if the group existed, it had disbanded by the 1970s. Remarks: Bernard had several famous relatives. He was the cousin-by-marriage of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. In the early years of his work in New York, he was the guardian of his half sister, Ora Ray Baker, who became the wife of Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of the Sufi Order. Bernard's nephew Theos Bernard, wrote what is a classic text on yoga as his thesis at Columbia University, Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience. Sources: In Re Fifth Veda, International Journal of the Tantrik Order. New York: Tantrik Order in America, n.d. 91909); Charles Boswell, "The Great Fume and Fuss over the Omnipotent Oom", in True, (January 1965), pp. 31-33, 86-91; Paul Sann, Fads Follies and Delusions of the American People. New York: 1967. |