Report on the "Rama" Computer Cult

1. HISTORY

Frederick Lenz, or, as he styles himself, "Zen Master Rama", launched his own group when he commenced giving self improvement seminars based on Eastern religions about 1980 in San Diego. Earlier he had been associated with a human potential group led by Sri Chinmoy in New York.

Initially the group was small. They all lived together, and had, as one former member describes it, "a lot of love and family, a very happy period". Initially Lenz called himself Atmananda. His organization was incorporated as Lakshmi and his teachings were based on Hinduism. His following grew steadily. In 1983 he began to call himself "Zen Master Rama" and began to emphasize Zen more.

During the next ten years Lenz' methods evolved. What had started as a small and relaxed group of people studying Eastern religions turned into a large, impersonal and extremely effective mechanism for extracting large sums of money from the followers, all led by a man who appeared to become increasingly obsessed with power. Changes between 1980 and 1990 were characterized by the following:

• Very heavy recruiting resulting in hundreds of new members.
• Increasing commercialization.
• Regular use of drugs, principally LSD, by Lenz, something known only to his inner circle of followers.
• Increasing sexual exploitation of women followers by Lenz.
• Very heavy increase in emphasis on the occult.
• The increasing use of ambiguity and contradictions such as, "If you think you understand what I'm saying, you've lost because you don't have humility".
• Lenz's transformation from a humble fellow seeker into "Rama", a more "God-like" being.
• Increasing use of "divide and conquer" tactics within the group, including the heavy use of group criticism and self criticism in group settings.

His following continued to grow and he conducted publicly advertised seminars in various cities in the United States until about January 1988 when there was considerable adverse publicity originating with members who had left the movement. As a result he left California, moved most of the members of his group to New York and lay low. There was another spurt of publicity in late 1989 when Brenda Kerber, one of those who had followed him to New York, disappeared. Since that publicity has died down he has again given semi-public seminars and commenced recruiting. The seminars now are not open to the public, instead being aimed at a smaller group specifically invited as potential recruits. A more complete history is contained in the appendices.