Bonus Sample: The '80s Zen Master Con Man

Conspirituality

Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Spirituality, Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Everything about Zen Master Rama was fake—except for the piles of money he made. His black belt in paranormal martial arts, three past lives as a Buddhist teacher, 31 meditation albums he claimed to compose in other dimensions, multiple computer software companies, and a bestseller based on being a “world-class snowboarder” were all smoke and mirrors. He had no training or talent in any of these areas. He was an expert con man, however. The man wore Versace suits and Rolex watches, bought mansions, and owned a collection of pricey cars. His headshots were by the top Hollywood photographer of the day; he made many TV appearances. His students believed he could fill rooms with golden light, skate on light-beams, and protect them from the demons he claimed wanted to steal their enlightened energy. He instructed them to be celibate but then manipulated and coerced the prettiest into joining him for tantric sex rituals he claimed would accelerate their enlightenment. It didn’t end well for anyone—including him. In the latest installment of the Roots of Conspirituality series, Julian tells the tale of Frederick Lenz, a quintessential 80's synthesizer of phoney Buddhism, New Age delusions, cultic abuse, and wealth as a signifier of spiritual progress. Show Notes The Code Cult of the CPU Guru Mentor to Some, Cult Leader to Others The Guru’s Latest Incarnation Atrocity Guide The Enlightenment Fraud of Zen Master Rama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The police report said that Frederick Lenz had drowned in about 20 feet of water and was found by divers some 60 feet from the shore.
0:10.6	The small body of water he was in is named Conscience Bay, which may strike you as ironic as this story unfolds.
0:17.9	Lens was 48 years old.
0:19.2	He had reportedly suffered from depression following an eye
0:22.1	surgery and the death of his favorite dog, Vayu, which means wind in Sanskrit. He wasn't alone. Fred's
0:28.8	ill-fated late-night swim was part of a suicide pact with a young woman named Brin Lacey. They had
0:34.2	washed fistfuls of Valium down with alcohol and fed the two remaining dogs,
0:38.2	phenobarbital.
0:39.5	The pact apparently didn't include jumping off the picturesque pier that led from the mansion
0:43.6	house down to Conscience Bay.
0:45.7	It's not clear exactly what happened, but Lacey, mysteriously covered in bruises,
0:50.5	and the two remaining Scotty dogs, stiff but still alive, were found through the open
0:55.2	front door inside the house by police who noticed exterior lights were on around the estate
1:00.3	in the daytime some 48 hours later. Lacey's spiritual teacher, Frederick Lenz, who went publicly
1:06.9	by the name Zen master Rama, had been in the water that whole time.
1:11.6	The broken railing on the pier told the police where to begin their search.
1:15.3	When he was fished out, Rama was found to be wearing a dark Versace's suit and a $30,000
1:20.0	watch oddly accessorized with that dead dog Vayu's collar around his neck,
1:26.0	with an out-of-date rabies vaccination tag dangling from it.
1:30.5	Welcome to Conspiruality. I am Julian Walker. This is the latest installment of my Roots of
1:36.6	Conspiruality series, which focuses especially on the colorful and yet often dark history of cults
1:42.0	and gurus, new religious movements, and their self-styled
	...

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