Lee Lozowick
Encyclopedia
Lee Lozowick was an American spiritual teacher and author from Prescott, Arizona. He wrote several books on spiritual practice and parenting, and presented himself as a representative of the "Western Baul
" tradition.
around the same time. In 1975 he encountered the work of Adi Da Samraj, then known as Bubba Free John or Da Free John, and claimed to have become enlightened as a result. In his early phase "some people accused Lee of plagiarizing the work of Da Free John." With several of his students, he made a pilgrimage to India in 1977, where he met Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Lozowick became a disciple of Yogi Ramsuratkumar
, and attributed his earlier awakening, or what he refers to as a "shift in context", retroactively to Yogi Ramsuratkumar, although he did not feel much connection to Yogi Ramsuratkumar until the 1980s.
Lozowick came to identify with the Baul tradition of Bengal, speculating that Yogi Ramsuratkumar may have had some connection to that community as well during years of his early life that he no longer remembered or refused to disclose, although Ramsuratkumar was not a Baul by lineage. Subsequently, however, the Holm community did establish relationships with a number of Bengali Bauls, such as Sanatan Das and Purna Das. Crovetto asserts "at least two distinctive spiritual practices shared by the Hohm Community and the Bengali Bauls are kāya sādhana (bodily spiritual practice) and cār-cande sādhana (four moons spiritual practice)." The focus of spiritual practice in Lozowick's teaching is guru yoga, and he considered himself a proponent of "crazy wisdom" and an ardent admirer of Chogyam Trungpa
. Lozowick was known to discourage potential students in his public lectures with the "sexual content of much of" his talk, or by "loud obnoxiousness."
The Hohm community also incorporates elements of the work of George I. Gurdjieff into their philosophy, particularly "in the Western Bauls' speculations about the existence of soul and especially in their adoption of his chakra (energy center) system."
As of 2006, total membership in the Hohm community was "not much more than a hundred," in part due to the desire of Lozowick to keep the number of disciples down to a number where he could remain on a first name basis with all of them. Hohm community members incorporate music into their spiritual practice, and many are in blues and rock bands, principally Attila the Hunza, Liars, Gods and Beggars and Shri.
Lozowick became a frequent collaborator with Andrew Cohen
starting in the 1990s. He died of cancer on November 17, 2010, after a long illness. His lineage is carried on by his disciples, Purna Steinitz, who has his own "Trimurti Community" begun in 1998 in Bozeman, Montana, and a by a woman known only as Lalitha. They are the only two who have "received permission to teach in his lineage."
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...
" tradition.
Biography
Lozowick became a student of Silva Mind Control in 1970 and became interested in the human potential movementHuman Potential Movement
The Human Potential Movement arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people...
around the same time. In 1975 he encountered the work of Adi Da Samraj, then known as Bubba Free John or Da Free John, and claimed to have become enlightened as a result. In his early phase "some people accused Lee of plagiarizing the work of Da Free John." With several of his students, he made a pilgrimage to India in 1977, where he met Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Lozowick became a disciple of Yogi Ramsuratkumar
Yogi Ramsuratkumar
Yogi Ramsuratkumar was an Indian saint and mystic. He was also referred to as "Visiri samiyar" and spent most of his post enlightement period in Thiruvanamalai, a small town in Tamil Nadu which is famous for attracting spiritual seekers worldwide and has had a continuous lineage...
, and attributed his earlier awakening, or what he refers to as a "shift in context", retroactively to Yogi Ramsuratkumar, although he did not feel much connection to Yogi Ramsuratkumar until the 1980s.
Hohm community
Lozowick then formed a spiritual community called Hohm in New Jersey and began to gather disciples. In 1980, he moved the community to Arizona, where it comprised a "Hohm Sahaj Mandir" (temple) and the "Hohm Community". Lozowick also founded two ashrams in France and India, and Hohm Press, which has published a number of books on topics such as natural health, Eastern religion, poetry, and parenting, including eighteen by Lozowick. According to scholar Helen Crovetto, who has studied the community, "Lee said the word 'Hohm' has no translation and chose not to elaborate on its significance."Lozowick came to identify with the Baul tradition of Bengal, speculating that Yogi Ramsuratkumar may have had some connection to that community as well during years of his early life that he no longer remembered or refused to disclose, although Ramsuratkumar was not a Baul by lineage. Subsequently, however, the Holm community did establish relationships with a number of Bengali Bauls, such as Sanatan Das and Purna Das. Crovetto asserts "at least two distinctive spiritual practices shared by the Hohm Community and the Bengali Bauls are kāya sādhana (bodily spiritual practice) and cār-cande sādhana (four moons spiritual practice)." The focus of spiritual practice in Lozowick's teaching is guru yoga, and he considered himself a proponent of "crazy wisdom" and an ardent admirer of Chogyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the eleventh Trungpa tülku, a tertön, supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision.Recognized...
. Lozowick was known to discourage potential students in his public lectures with the "sexual content of much of" his talk, or by "loud obnoxiousness."
The Hohm community also incorporates elements of the work of George I. Gurdjieff into their philosophy, particularly "in the Western Bauls' speculations about the existence of soul and especially in their adoption of his chakra (energy center) system."
As of 2006, total membership in the Hohm community was "not much more than a hundred," in part due to the desire of Lozowick to keep the number of disciples down to a number where he could remain on a first name basis with all of them. Hohm community members incorporate music into their spiritual practice, and many are in blues and rock bands, principally Attila the Hunza, Liars, Gods and Beggars and Shri.
Lozowick became a frequent collaborator with Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen is an American guru, spiritual teacher, magazine editor, author, and musician who has developed what he characterizes as a unique path of spiritual transformation, called Evolutionary Enlightenment. He sees himself as working in conjunction with others to bring about a new stage of...
starting in the 1990s. He died of cancer on November 17, 2010, after a long illness. His lineage is carried on by his disciples, Purna Steinitz, who has his own "Trimurti Community" begun in 1998 in Bozeman, Montana, and a by a woman known only as Lalitha. They are the only two who have "received permission to teach in his lineage."