Albert Rudolph

Albert Rudolph (January 24, 1928 – February 21, 1973), known as Rudi or Swami Rudrananda, was a spiritual teacher and an antiquities entrepreneur in New York City.

Life and career

Early years

Albert Rudolph was born January 24, 1928, to impoverished Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father abandoned the family when he was young.

According to his autobiography, Rudolph's first spiritual experience occurred at age 6 in a park. Two Tibetan Buddhist lamas appeared out of the air and stood before him. They told him they represented the heads of the "Red Hat" and "Yellow Hat" sects, and they were going to place within him the energy and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism. Several clay jars appeared, which they said they would put inside his solar plexus. The lamas said these jars would stay in him and begin to open at age 31. He would then begin the process of assimilating their contents, and would continue to do so for the rest of his life.

Rudolph began his first job at age 12 in a handbag factory, due to a labor shortage during World War II. To supplement his income, he searched through neighborhood rubbish bins to find items to sell. His next job was at a textile company when he was 16 years old, where he worked for the next two years.

In early 1959, Rudi declared himself a spiritual teacher and began teaching students individually in his store. Rudi's method was to sit opposite a student and gaze intently into their eyes for perhaps five to ten minutes, said to allow him to transmit shaktipat energy. of the Dashanami Sampradaya, established by Shankara in the 8th century.

In 1964, Franklin Jones, who later became the controversial guru Adi Da, became a student. For two years, Rudi's influence on Jones was pervasive. Jones eventually traveled to India to meet Swami Muktananda, who encouraged Jones to abandon his studies with Rudi and study with himself directly, which Jones did. Later, Jones severed all contact with Rudi, though they spoke again years later.

By 1967, Rudi's business had expanded. He traveled to Asia at least two or three times per year.

In 1971, after what he felt was abusive behaviour from his guru (such as taking Rudi's students, criticizing his teaching methods, asking him to sever his inner connection to Nityananda) Rudi dissolved his affiliation with Muktananda.

Later years

In September 1972, Rudi traveled to India with four of his students. While in India, they visited Swami Chidananda at the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh.

Teachings

Rudi taught an eclectic blend of techniques he called "Kundalini yoga" (though with no formal relation to the Indian tradition by that name). He wrote it was "a yoga which is used to collect energy within yourself and bring through your own chemistry the energy that is in the universe. A human being is only able to do that by internalizing energy and bringing it through their system. A person has all the mysteries of the universe inside."

Rudi developed several spiritual exercises with physical components, which he describes in detail in his book Spiritual Cannibalism. They include exercises for releasing negative energy, cultivating gratitude, sitting with deceased persons, and "double breathing" for "drawing in cosmic energy".