Ancient Teachings of the Masters

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ancient Teachings of the Masters" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Ancient Teaching of the Masters (ATOM) was an American religious group founded by Darwin Gross in 1983.

Darwin Gross was an American Army veteran, vibraphone musician, and religious leader. For ten years, he was idolised as the spiritual and corporate head of the “ECKANKAR” religion founded in 1965 by Paul Twitchell. Gross became “the 972nd Living ECK Master” in 1971 when Twitchell’s widow Gail handed him a blue carnation at an ECKANKAR corporate meeting. In 1981, Gross stepped down as spiritual head of ECKANKAR and appointed a follower, Harold Klemp, as “the 972nd Living ECK Master.” In 1983, Gross founded “Ancient Teaching of the Masters” (ATOM) subsequent to his expulsion from ECKANKAR by Klemp.