Professor Studies Group Seeking Enlightenment in Arizona Desert

Would you ever sell all of your wordly possessions and embark to the Arizona desert for a three-year spiritual retreat?

Purchase College Assistant Professor of Sociology Matthew Immergut is studying a group of people who have decided to do just that.

Immergut, who studies the sociology of religion, explained that on Dec. 31, 2010, the group, under the leadership of Geshe Michael Roach, embarked on a three-year, three-month, three-day retreat in the long-held tradition of Tibetan Buddhist monks.

Roach is a controversial figure whose partner retreats with Lama Christie McNally — who he believes is an incarnation of a diety — and has come under criticism from Buddhist leaders, including the Dali Lama. 

Immergut said that the controversy surrounding Roach fulfills one of the aspects of his role as a compelling religious leader.

"Roach tends to be a bit edgy and charismatic. He's recreating Buddhism in a Western context," Immergut said. "Women are participating in practices traditionally reserved for men. Lay people didn't meditate [in traditional Buddhist societies,] but Americans are now taking part in practices traditionally reserved for monastics."

Roach is one of the first Americans to be awarded a Geshe degree, which is the Eastern equivalent of a religious doctorate.

After completing his degree, Roach followed the advice of his teachers and entered the business world. He created a profitable diamond company that grossed $100 million before he gave it away and ventured on to Bowie, AZ, to start Diamond Mountain University. 

The retreats are held at Diamond Mountain, and Immergut was able to meet the participants before they embarked. 

"The reasons people choose to do this varies. The common theme isn't surprising," said Immergut. "There's some sort of dischord or dissatisfaction amid apparent success in life. These are people who have 'made it' in life, but it didn't turn out to be what they expected."

While some of the participants went into the retreat alone, some are partnering with a spouse or friend. Nearly all of the participants have backgrounds in practicing yoga and meditation, and for the duration of the retreat, they will remain silent. 

According to the Diamond Mountain "Retreat4Peace" website, the group's daily schedule will typically include six hours of meditation in individual huts or cabins, some of which cost $275,000 to build.

Immergut said Roach has been successful in drawing people in to his modified version of Tibetan Buddhism in an American religious landscape that has been coined a "spiritual marketplace."

"Roach has been a skillful entrepreneur," he said. "He's 'selling' a product to people who are dissatisfied. The promise is a profound transformation. In a sense it's a death and rebirth. They're hoping to be reborn into the world as kinder, gentler people who can serve in this world."

Immergut is hoping to use some of his filmed pre-retreat interviews with the participants in a documentary after he's able to talk with them again upon returning from their experience. He notes that in times of crisis, which could be identified at present as economic, social and political, leaders like Roach are likely to gain a following. 

"Charisma isn't a personality trait, it's a product of social circumstances," he said. "Is now a ripe time for a charismatic leader to emerge? Will there be a new fervent of religious activity? I'm not sure. But when in human society is there really a long stretch of stability and peacefulness?"