Neville G. Pemchekov Warwick (1932–1993) was a modern interpreter of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and a central figure of the spiritual movement of California during the late 1960s and the 1970s. He made an ancient Japanese Buddhist practice of firewalking popular in the USA.

Life

Warwick was born in Russia and "immigrated to America in the 1960s." According to John Gordon Melton he had already a Buddhist background as a child in Russia and started a training in the Japanese tradition of

Shugendō is a highly syncretic religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn from local fol ...

in 1940 at the age of eight. He was promoted to the rank of a Dai Sendatsu (大先達), "Great Sendatsu" within this tradition. A Sendatsu "is one who advances ahead (saki ni tassuru 先に達する), and hence who precedes in understanding and/or achievement in any field, be it scholarship, art, religious practice, and so on. His precedence, therefore, makes him a leader and a guide for others." In Russia he accomplished studies as physician and a musician. After his migration from Russia he became a disciple of Lama Anagarika Govinda in India and

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Govinda made him a member of his order of the

Arya Maitreya Mandala Arya Maitreya Mandala is a tantric and Buddhist order founded 1933 by Lama Anagarika Govinda. History Lama Anagarika Govinda founded the Arya Maitreya Mandala order on 14 October 1933 and made fourteen Indian scholars members. The order's acti ...

, bestowing the name Vajrabodhi on him.

Activities

Combining the teachings and practices of his Shugendō background with the teachings of Lama Anagarika Govinda, Pemchekov Warwick founded an organization called ''Kailas Shugendō'' in the late 1960s. The ''Kailas Shugendō'' became a chapter of the order of the Arya Maitreya Mandala. "The religious practices of these individuals include daily fire rituals of several kinds, maintaining an ambulance rescue service (pulling people out of plane wrecks and fires), as well as mountain climbing – and country-western music. Unlike many "spiritual groups," the Kailas Shugendo people make no effort to proselytize. In fact, they actively discourage would-be converts. They are extremely disciplined, yet they possess an overflowing humor." As the head of the ''Kailas Shugendō'' Pemchekov Warwick was termed Ajari. For this reason and his being a physician and

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

, he was and is often referred to as "Dr. Ajari". In the ''Kailas Shugendō'' the members twice a day "observe Goma, the fire ceremony. The ritual master conducts while the members chant. Once a week Hiwatari, fire purification, is performed. Members walk the sacred fire but are not burned. At intervals, members go to the mountains for ascetic practices-shugyo (climbing the mountain while chanting mantra), going under ice-cold waterfalls, and hanging people off rocks. Music is also a part of daily life. Headquarters of the ashram are in San Francisco, California, where it offers musical and cultural presentations to the Bay Area community and performs emergency community services." Pemchekov Warwick and the ''Kailas Shugendo Mantric Sun Band'' were featured in

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

's ''Pacific High Studio Mantras'' as "Reverend Adjari and Buddhist Chorus." Pemchekov Warwick was a friend of

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

, bandleader of

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

. During a San Francisco concert of Grateful Dead in March 1971, Pemchekov Warwick and members of the Kailas Shugendō "dressed in oriental-style hiking attire, presented ritual segments, including their fire-walk." Pemchekov Warwick was a close friend of Shunryu Suzuki, Alan Watts and

Samuel L. Lewis Samuel L. Lewis also known as Murshid Samuel Lewis and Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (October 18, 1896 January 15, 1971) was an American mystic and horticultural scientist who founded what became the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a branch of the Chishti ...

, who wrote about him: "When Rev. Warwick came here with the Tibetan transmissions he missed those credentials which Americans, especially American ladies love—the right kind of turban or hair on the head or hair on the face, outlandish clothing, outlandish habits, etc. To our society these are signs of God, but only if on the 'right' persons." Lewis also introduced Pemchekov Warwick to Allen Ginsberg. The musician Arthur Russell had been a disciple of Pemchekov Warwick. He joined the ''Kailas Shugendō'' in February 1969. Ex-disciple Paul Nagy is more critical, stating " In some of his ex-disciple's minds, Warwick is the classic, crazy false teacher. I did accept him as a teacher, but withdrew from his cult once he tried to position himself as a guru". Nagy gives little more information, but had earlier stated that he had been directed to Warwick to study Tantric teachings.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pemchekov Warwick, Neville G. American Buddhists Buddhism in the United States 1932 births 1993 deaths Place of death missing Russian emigrants to the United States Religion in the San Francisco Bay Area Russian Buddhists Religious leaders from California