Episode 4: Buying Utopia - Rajneeshpuram

11/12/18 • 41 min

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We visit the launching pad for Bhagwan’s American experiment: a castle in Montclair, New Jersey. Bhagwan's followers scramble to prepare for his arrival, and then he manages to get into some trouble while waiting for his next move. Later, we travel America with Sheela as she searches for the perfect place for Bhagwan’s new commune. She’ll wind up about as far from New Jersey as you can get, in a dusty desert town, negotiating the biggest deal of her life.

Previous Episode

Minisode 1: Dynamic Detours

Our first "minisode" provides some additional color on topics covered in the first three episodes. We’ll revisit Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh as a boy and look at the life-or-death events that may have turned him into the brash guru. Then we’ll sidle up to some of his earliest Western followers to see why they fell under Bhagwan's spell. We’ll end the episode at his ashram in Poona and learn about the not-quite-legal methods that some desperate sannyasins used to earn enough money to stay close to their Master.

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Episode 5: Foundations in the Desert

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As Sheela and the first Rajneeshees arrive at the Big Muddy Ranch in July 1981, we explore why Oregon was about the last place they should have picked for Bhagwan's new commune. To transform the huge tract of agricultural land into a commune fit for an enlightened Master and thousands of his disciples, they'll need to concoct stories to tell their neighbors and government officials. But the truth becomes clear when Bhagwan arrives amidst a fleet of Rolls Royces.