Fascinated by Eastern philosophy and meditation techniques
popularized in the late '60s, Fred returned to the east coast
where he studied the art of quieting the mind with Chinmoy.
He also studied English at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.
While still an undergraduate, he married and divorced a Chinmoy
disciple named Pam, built dulcimers in a wood shop in his basement,
joined the university debating team, and began hosting free public
lectures on meditation.
Chinmoy, who often asked disciples to start "divine enterprises,"
asked this well-spoken, Phi Beta Kappa graduate to start a laundromat.
When Fred chose instead to enroll in a Ph.D. program in English at
the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Chinmoy kicked him
out of the Centre for roughly one year in an apparent attempt to teach
him obedience and humility.
By the time I met Fred several years later, Chinmoy had dubbed him
"Atmananda" or "Bliss-of-the-Soul," whereas the State University
of New York at Stony Brook, after accepting his dissertation
("The Evolution of Matter and Spirit In The Poetry Of Theodore
Roethke"), had bestowed upon him the title "Frederick Lenz, Ph.D."
* * *
Fundamental to my research on Rama were my discussions with
former disciples, some of whom I tracked down, and some of whom
I happened to meet at movie theatres, airports, and gatherings
of Amnesty International.
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