The person behind Oriental Method is a Hungarian born, Hindu priest, who grew up in India and Greece. So as most stories, our story is also pretty wild.
Here is a bit of personal info in Adam’s own words:
The whole story starts with my parents divorce, back in 1978. They separated and since I was born in communist Hungary, my mom had to go back to work. (In the communist era no family was allowed to live off aid and pension. At least one person had to work per family.) So as my elder siblings were already in KG and primary school, I was entrusted into my Great-grandmother’s care.
Probably this was one of the best things that have ever happened to me.
My Uncle, by that time was a practicing yogi already, and he was also staying with us in the same place. He was ousted from his apartment by the communist city council as he was a central figure in organizing speakers and teachers from India and the Western sphere, who thought us about different Vedic sciences and philosophies.
He visited India that very same year we ended up living together, in 1978, so he was surcharged with all the wonderful experiences he had in Indian.
Due to his patient and magnetic personality and his efforts in teaching me on my level, I ended up becoming a practicing Hindu, by the time I was one and a half years old. I did yoga, I learned and chanted mantras and I had my little altar set up by him. Since that time nothing much changed in my life in this regard, during the past 40 yrs. (I still do yoga, learn and chant mantras, and have my altar.)
Then yet again due to my Uncle’s doings, we had the extreme good fortune to move to India in 1992. I say we, as my dear cousin, my uncle’s son, also moved to India at that time and he was greatly instrumental in my journey of getting-used-to-it-all, as he was already a veteran of the place, as he had stayed there earlier as well.
My parents allowed me to go to India for a year, which turned into 10 years, real quick, the best 10 years of my life apart from my wonderful children.
I lived in a traditional monastery setting called Gurukula. The sanskrit term Gurukula means “the family of the Guru”.
We lived in the tranquil environment of bamboo huts, Japanese and Balinese style gardens, and without the commodities of electricity and running water. We woke up at 2.30 am, and apart from academic and spiritual classes we had daily altar and temple services, cleaning and cooking duties, as well as all sorts of spiritual practices.
But above all we had the wonderful opportunity to live with a true Master, Srila Bhaktividya Purna Swami.
Also we had the opportunity to attend classes and seminars of travelling monks and teachers. So the same year I arrived in India, in 1992 I had the chance of studying traditional hatha yoga with Sriman Adisekhara Prabhu and Mongol and Tibetan healing practices and martial arts with Alexander Aguet. Both of these wonderful individuals are globally renowned experts in their field. (Several years later I also had the chance of studying Traditional Shiatsu from Alexander Aguet.)
At the end of 1994 I was invited into the traditional training program for priests, and after receiving initiations into our Vaisnava lineage in 1994 and 1995, I had the chance to learn Vedic arts and sciences in authentic surroundings, from authentic masters.
Starting from 1995 the learning of Vedic Astrology and Vastu Shastra became a daily activity with Sriman Devarishi Mahasaya, a truly wonderful personality, who’s expertise in the above mentioned fields are beyond the scope of my understanding even after being involved in these subjects almost a quarter century. Due to the interwoven nature of Vedic sciences, this was the training that also laid down the foundations of my Ayurvedic studies.
Also by the mid 90’s I have received all three attunements into the practice of Reiki from Sripad Bhanu Swami (Bruce Enomoto), being the first non-Japanese person in my lineage.
Than again, due to some extreme good fortune from 1996 to 2000 I had the chance to partake in the installations of 7 newly built Vedic temples, in India, in Hungary and in Mauritius. (During the year of 2004, I had the chance to participate in two more temple installations one in India, and one in Fiji.)
If we talk of priestly activities, the installation of temples is one of the most complex set of rituals, and usually it is an extremely rare opportunity. Generations of Vedic priest learn these rituals without ever having the opportunity to actually partake in an actual temple opening.
Apart from those temple installations I also had the chance to do Vedic sacrifices in South Africa (1996) and in the UK (2000).
And that is how Orinetal Method took flight. I had the wonderful opportunity to learn wonderful things, from wonderful people. I was attending a wonderful school, with wonderful classmates and fellow students, that gave us wonderful opportunities such as travelling to South Africa, and having the wonderful opportunity to treat wonderful people.
That is how Oriental Method was born.
Om Tat Sat
Adam Baktai aka Fat Yogi