Rama, Dr. Frederick Lenz was the target of fake news. What is fake news? Fake news has become a standard tool in media. Per dictionary.com, it is a noun — false news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared or distributed for the purpose of generating revenue, or promoting or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc..

Fake news misleads

From Wikipedia, “Fake news is written and published with the intent to mislead in order to damage an agency, entity, or person, and/or gain financially or politically, often using sensationalist, dishonest, or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership, online sharing, and Internet click revenue.”

Frederick Lenz was the target of fake news

My Buddhist teacher, Rama – Dr. Frederick Lenz, was subjected to fake news.  It was created with the intent to mislead and to damage him and his reputation.  It was distorted, dishonest, and manipulated in order to increase media readership It also garnered revenue and served as marketing tools for a national deprogramming and “exit counseling” network that scammed people for money..

The fake news about Rama appeared in the late 1980s and 90s when there was no social media or platform for rebuttal.   In Rama’s case, a handful of disgruntled ex-students got together (often meeting weekly in New York) to say negative things about Rama. They liased with a criminogenic, now defunct group called “The Cult Awareness Network.” Rama trolls were paid as consultants to wealthy parents who were contacted by unqualified “deprogrammers” charging up to $ 20,000 per session, to liberate a group member from the throes of what?…inspiration? The sessions violently demeaned the priest or pastor or teacher of the group in question until, if successful, the aspirant “snapped.” This was the equivalent of a mental breakdown, often scarring the deprogrammed person for life. This is the group that went after Rama. They lied. A successfully “depgrogrammed” person was encouraged to immediately go to the media. And the media was very eager to hear what they said without question.

I had a friend who tracked the movments of deprogrammers and exit counselors. Within a week of their arriving in a particular town, a virulent “cult” article would appear in the local newspaper or television news. The article woujd accuse the leader of the church or temple of sensational misdeeds, and the source was the freshly deprogrammed person. The statements made were frequently the opposite of what had actually occurred and were filled with deprogramming jargon—control, victimhood, identity lost, exploitation—that never happened.

I was working in Public Relations when the Rama smear campaign started. I soon learned that if anyone from the media contacted me about Rama, they had already written the story to garner readers for their publications. I started to ask them, when did you start working on this story? Answer — anywhere from two months to two weeks earlier. Next question from me — when will the story run? Answer — in two days. So I would, over a two day period, line up people who knew the distorters and liars, parents of current students, many successful and happy current students, and ask the journlist to interview them. A few were usually interviewed but the result was always the same. It is called the 80-20 rule in journalism. 80% is highly innacurate and negative, and 20% may give an aura of fairness but is in fact writtten to make a negative impression.

This happened repeatedly. And when it did not happen, meaning the journalists realized they were being conned by a small group of unhappy haters, they did not run a story presenting what was actually happening around Rama. They just killed the story. Good news is no news. This went on for over 10 years and continues today.

The vibration or energy from the fake news articles, several of which are still posted on the internet (primarily by the same but diminishing group of haters) is sickening. Please know, oh reader of this blog, that the weird stories about Rama are not true, and what you feel when you read them is the stomach-turning vibration of people who hate light and innocence. And perhaps themselves.

The group of people who lied about Rama to the media did not initially know each other. They were assembled as a media package by the now defunct, criminogenic organization that specialized in using reporters to stir up sensational news. They maintained a Rama-hater call list of seven to 12 people (those weekly meetings!) and a speed-dial for journalists who would buy unquestioningly into a story. I know this because I used to be in public relations.

Fake news is an old problem and now a staple in media.

Fake news is always distorted and designed to repress.  In the case of my Buddhist teacher, the real news was and is that an actual, enlightened American person signed on to truly teach.  He could fill entire auditoriums with brilliant golden light and bring 1,000 people to uproarious laughter while he filled the gaps in their being with bliss.  He loved beyond comprehension.   He was always teaching, and he taught creatively and brilliantly for as long as he could—for 18 years.  He’s gone now.  He said he was “crucified in the media.”

Fake news drains your energy

If you encounter distorted journalism about Rama and consume it, you will feel it.  It feels energy draining, abrasive, and deeply discordant. Your eyes may burn.  You may feel a bit queasy.  Why? You are feeling the states of mind of the distorters.  You are not feeling Rama. If you happen to consume the poisonous states of mind of the distorters, if you can, go take a walk on the beach or in the forest.  Go outside and breathe deeply. In fact, read American Buddhist Rebel!  This true biography shines with bright, accurate news about Rama. 

Because fake news has become widespread in the present time, more people are aware of what to watch for. In the fake news about Rama, a small group of people who sought to repress him, me, and you, sought to destroy him. They did not succeed. He taught tens of thousands of people and his teachings are more and more widely available. Light always wins. Learn about Rama and his teachings on your own. Forget the fake news!