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The Golden Guru: The Strange Journey of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Traces the story of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers, from Poona, India, to the "New Utopia" in Oregon to its eventual collapse following the religious leader's deportation
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 24, 2012
Every few months I get this newsprint mailing of deeply discounted books and, occasionally, I leaf through it and, even more occasionally, usually just before Xmas, indulge in a buying spree. The books are not bad, many of them scholarly hardcovers and some only $1.99. Gordon's Golden Guru came to the shelves in this way.
I did not seriously think of reading the thing, however, until meeting two women who had actually lived in the Oregon commune. They only knew of the poisonings and other scandals by hearsay after the fact, but didn't discount the stories offhand. That and Rajneesh's reputation for libertinism served to push me over the top, pull the book out and read it.
It was better than expected. James S. Gordon is a psychotherapist and had been working for the NIMH investigating psychiatric potentials of traditional healing practices in third world countries when he came upon Rajneesh's group in Poona, India. The feds wouldn't cover a study of them, so Gordon did it on his own, off and on, for almost two decades, ending in 1987, just after the dissolution of the Oregon community and three years before the guru's death.
What I particularly liked about the book was its evenhandedness. Gordon, while never a member, participated in many of the group's practices, adopting some of their methods to his own practice as a therapist, and lived in and around their communities for extended periods. He conveys some sense of why participation in this movement was attractive, even valuable. Notwithstanding, he takes the indictments, prosecutions and convictions of the movement's leaders, including the guru himself, seriously, having interviewed not only the principal defendants and their representatives but also several of the prosecutors and plaintifs. His conclusions refer to the evidence and many of them are tentative, weighted by this evidence, but with some reservation of judgment when it's warranted. Overall, the book is a well-researched and thoughtful study. I'd welcome seeing similar studies of other cults such as the Unification Church (the Moonies), the Hare Krishnas, Transcendental Meditation, the Process and so on.
I did not seriously think of reading the thing, however, until meeting two women who had actually lived in the Oregon commune. They only knew of the poisonings and other scandals by hearsay after the fact, but didn't discount the stories offhand. That and Rajneesh's reputation for libertinism served to push me over the top, pull the book out and read it.
It was better than expected. James S. Gordon is a psychotherapist and had been working for the NIMH investigating psychiatric potentials of traditional healing practices in third world countries when he came upon Rajneesh's group in Poona, India. The feds wouldn't cover a study of them, so Gordon did it on his own, off and on, for almost two decades, ending in 1987, just after the dissolution of the Oregon community and three years before the guru's death.
What I particularly liked about the book was its evenhandedness. Gordon, while never a member, participated in many of the group's practices, adopting some of their methods to his own practice as a therapist, and lived in and around their communities for extended periods. He conveys some sense of why participation in this movement was attractive, even valuable. Notwithstanding, he takes the indictments, prosecutions and convictions of the movement's leaders, including the guru himself, seriously, having interviewed not only the principal defendants and their representatives but also several of the prosecutors and plaintifs. His conclusions refer to the evidence and many of them are tentative, weighted by this evidence, but with some reservation of judgment when it's warranted. Overall, the book is a well-researched and thoughtful study. I'd welcome seeing similar studies of other cults such as the Unification Church (the Moonies), the Hare Krishnas, Transcendental Meditation, the Process and so on.
April 20, 2018
I picked this up from the library because I wanted to know more after watching the Netflix series Wild Wild Country and it was exactly the book I was looking for. Gordon is able to state complicated ideas plainly and takes the goals and ideas of Rajneesh seriously enough to figure out why people would find them compelling without brushing over the paranoia and brinksmanship that would ultimately undo the commune in Oregon. He participated in their therapy sessions both in India and in Oregon and offers his own first-hand experience of how they did help him and his patients, but he also not only doesn't shy away from the abuses of power that took place and in more than one instance actually confronts Rajneesh and his followers about them. Since he had studied other cults and new religions from the time, he is able to draw parallels between developments on the ranch and Jonestown or Waco without succumbing to melodrama or simplistic comparisons. There are a lot of books out there and I won't pretend to have read others, but if you're like me and wanted to know more after watching the show this is definitely the book I'd recommend.
November 23, 2012
The Golden Guru is a profound study of the first two (of three) phases of Osho's world, rise, fall, and rebuilding. The author manages to stay centered on the subject; the same subject where other writers fall into hero worship or renouncement. James Gordon admits when he falls under the spell and makes discernment part of the adventure. For a well-rounded portrait of a complex man and movement, this book is highly recommended.
November 16, 2018
I read this book after watching the Netflix mini-series Wild Wild Country, which I felt, despite its 7 hour runtime, wasn't quite comprehensive enough in capturing the spatially and temporally sprawling saga of Rajneesh, and the misadventures in Rajneeshpuram. This book is the answer for all those curious. The other derives credibility from his background as a psychiatrist, as a journalist, and as someone who had been intimately, if sporadically, been involved in the Rajneesh movement. He provides background on the deep scientific basis in psychiatry of Rajneesh's group therapies, provides emphasis to both sides of the story, and describes with disarming honesty his own somewhat overwhelming experiences with the movement.
The book also answers questions I'd had that I'd felt there was no way to answer - what was happening on the fringe of the core Rajneesh group - the foreigners who came to the Poona ashram or Rajneeshpuram but didn't become sannyasins? What was the scientific basis behind the group therapies conceived by Rajneesh? And most of all, what was the man himself like, beyond the carefully curated public persona?
I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand this unique little phase in time when a small town in Oregon became the focus of national and international attention. This book is the only thing you need.
The book also answers questions I'd had that I'd felt there was no way to answer - what was happening on the fringe of the core Rajneesh group - the foreigners who came to the Poona ashram or Rajneeshpuram but didn't become sannyasins? What was the scientific basis behind the group therapies conceived by Rajneesh? And most of all, what was the man himself like, beyond the carefully curated public persona?
I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand this unique little phase in time when a small town in Oregon became the focus of national and international attention. This book is the only thing you need.
September 16, 2024
A MEDICAL SCHOOL PROFESSOR PROVIDES A CRITICAL VIEW OF BHAGWAN
At the time this book was published in 1987, Dr. James Gordon taught at Georgetown University Medical School. He wrote other books such as 'Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression,' 'Freedom from Depression: A Practical Guide for the Journey,' 'Manifesto For A New Medicine: Your Guide To Healing Partnerships And The Wise Use Of Alternative Therapies,' etc.
He wrote in the "Acknowledgements" section of this 1987 book, "This book is about Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his present and former disciples. It couldn't have been written if he and they hadn't been generous with their thoughts and feelings, their lives, and on occasion, their living space. At times Rajneesh and some of his disciples were reticent or refused to speak with me; sometimes he or they equivocated or lied. In the end, however, reticence and openness, truth and fiction were all useful to me, all elements in the complex compound of religious search and communal experience of Master and disciple, creation and destruction, that I was trying to understand." (Pg. vii)
He notes, "By 1979 it was much harder for Rajneesh's sannyasins to speak directly with him than it had been a few years before. There were thousands of them in Poona clamoring for their Master's attention... Most of the communication to Rajneesh was through the letters that sannyasins would drop off in the box outside the office. He would respond to a few of the questions publicly in morning discourses... However, most communication from Rajneesh was in the form of typed replies. It was common knowledge around the ashram that Laxmi, Arup, and Sheela supplied the responses to that laboriously worded, passionately felt questions the sannyasins asked. This lack of personal contact between Rajneesh and his disciples didn't seem to diminish their connection with him." (Pg. 58-59)
He observes, "prior to going to Poona, I had heard cautionary tales... Many people were sent to mental hospitals from the Shree Rajneesh Ashram, they said... There were many suicides. 'Many' may have been an exaggeration... I heard definitive reports from sannyasins of two suicides and rumors of several others. Critics of the ashram said that the people who became psychotic and killed themselves were carelessly permitted---or encouraged---to participate in cathartic therapy groups for which they were emotionally unprepared... The administration maintained that these people were deeply disturbed before they came to Poona... There seemed to be some truth on both sides." (Pg. 67)
Of the time when the sannyasins were trying to recruit homeless people to vote in their favor, he states, "The sannyasins were so obviously using the street people, treating them as if they were cattle to be moved, numbers to be toted up... On the other hand, the ranch was also... giving them an opportunity. It seemed to me that ... the sannyasins would have to offer them some productive role in life on the ranch. Perhaps some of them really would find a home there. And maybe they in turn would be good for the ranch." (Pg. 139)
Those looking for a generally highly critical view of Rajneesh and his ashram will enjoy this book.
At the time this book was published in 1987, Dr. James Gordon taught at Georgetown University Medical School. He wrote other books such as 'Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression,' 'Freedom from Depression: A Practical Guide for the Journey,' 'Manifesto For A New Medicine: Your Guide To Healing Partnerships And The Wise Use Of Alternative Therapies,' etc.
He wrote in the "Acknowledgements" section of this 1987 book, "This book is about Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his present and former disciples. It couldn't have been written if he and they hadn't been generous with their thoughts and feelings, their lives, and on occasion, their living space. At times Rajneesh and some of his disciples were reticent or refused to speak with me; sometimes he or they equivocated or lied. In the end, however, reticence and openness, truth and fiction were all useful to me, all elements in the complex compound of religious search and communal experience of Master and disciple, creation and destruction, that I was trying to understand." (Pg. vii)
He notes, "By 1979 it was much harder for Rajneesh's sannyasins to speak directly with him than it had been a few years before. There were thousands of them in Poona clamoring for their Master's attention... Most of the communication to Rajneesh was through the letters that sannyasins would drop off in the box outside the office. He would respond to a few of the questions publicly in morning discourses... However, most communication from Rajneesh was in the form of typed replies. It was common knowledge around the ashram that Laxmi, Arup, and Sheela supplied the responses to that laboriously worded, passionately felt questions the sannyasins asked. This lack of personal contact between Rajneesh and his disciples didn't seem to diminish their connection with him." (Pg. 58-59)
He observes, "prior to going to Poona, I had heard cautionary tales... Many people were sent to mental hospitals from the Shree Rajneesh Ashram, they said... There were many suicides. 'Many' may have been an exaggeration... I heard definitive reports from sannyasins of two suicides and rumors of several others. Critics of the ashram said that the people who became psychotic and killed themselves were carelessly permitted---or encouraged---to participate in cathartic therapy groups for which they were emotionally unprepared... The administration maintained that these people were deeply disturbed before they came to Poona... There seemed to be some truth on both sides." (Pg. 67)
Of the time when the sannyasins were trying to recruit homeless people to vote in their favor, he states, "The sannyasins were so obviously using the street people, treating them as if they were cattle to be moved, numbers to be toted up... On the other hand, the ranch was also... giving them an opportunity. It seemed to me that ... the sannyasins would have to offer them some productive role in life on the ranch. Perhaps some of them really would find a home there. And maybe they in turn would be good for the ranch." (Pg. 139)
Those looking for a generally highly critical view of Rajneesh and his ashram will enjoy this book.
March 8, 2022
2022 Book #5
3.5 stars
A well written, never boring, and sufficiently skeptical expose of the rise of the Rajneesh alternative religion and fall of the cult of Bhagwan by Harvard-trained psychiatrist James S. Gordon. The cover proclaims it "reads like a fast-paced novel" and I can confirm, I was able to read it in about a week. The quasi-insider might have been too close to his subject to be truly insightful, but he did report the facts. The question to me remains, why is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist doing freelance journalism for Penthouse Magazine; chasing a self-proclaimed mystic to Crete to ask questions about impotence and premature ejaculation? I understand Gordon has authored several books, but freelancing for Penthouse? To me its just strange. I read this book in my search to find out what it was about "Osho" that made people join and made people stay and did he start off a conman or did he get drunk on his power and become one later? Based on the numerous books I read, websites I explored, videos I watched and tangents I explored including on the Oneida community, George Gurdjieff, Wilhelm Reich and a whole bunch of pseudoscientific holistic medicine movements of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, I feel satisfied now that I know as much as I ever will, which on the flip side is I still don't really know and I guess knowing and not knowing at the same time is practically the guru's whole point anyway (Zen). I'll take my time with my spiritual growth and take my chances without surrendering to any so-called Master, knowing that I am just an accident of biology with reactions limited to what my brain chemicals allow. Further, I can only hope I don't have to go through a cycle of rebirth here on Earth and once I die, that's the end of the spiritual journey.
3.5 stars
A well written, never boring, and sufficiently skeptical expose of the rise of the Rajneesh alternative religion and fall of the cult of Bhagwan by Harvard-trained psychiatrist James S. Gordon. The cover proclaims it "reads like a fast-paced novel" and I can confirm, I was able to read it in about a week. The quasi-insider might have been too close to his subject to be truly insightful, but he did report the facts. The question to me remains, why is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist doing freelance journalism for Penthouse Magazine; chasing a self-proclaimed mystic to Crete to ask questions about impotence and premature ejaculation? I understand Gordon has authored several books, but freelancing for Penthouse? To me its just strange. I read this book in my search to find out what it was about "Osho" that made people join and made people stay and did he start off a conman or did he get drunk on his power and become one later? Based on the numerous books I read, websites I explored, videos I watched and tangents I explored including on the Oneida community, George Gurdjieff, Wilhelm Reich and a whole bunch of pseudoscientific holistic medicine movements of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, I feel satisfied now that I know as much as I ever will, which on the flip side is I still don't really know and I guess knowing and not knowing at the same time is practically the guru's whole point anyway (Zen). I'll take my time with my spiritual growth and take my chances without surrendering to any so-called Master, knowing that I am just an accident of biology with reactions limited to what my brain chemicals allow. Further, I can only hope I don't have to go through a cycle of rebirth here on Earth and once I die, that's the end of the spiritual journey.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews