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Bhagwan: The God That Failed
An insider reveals the secrets of the cult founded by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in the early seventies, candidly recounting all aspects of the movement as well as exposing many details about Bhagwan's life
322 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 15, 2023
It is an interesting book that gives us a worm's-eye view of behind-the-scenes skulduggery, chicanery, blood-curdling murders, orgies and bacchanalia , uninhibited debauchery and indulgence that were perpetrated in the name of God and spirituality. And, the man who was responsible for all these was a Jain, who in the garb of a Hindu spiritualist, purveyed the most unconscionable, sacrilegious canard about Hinduism, thoroughly misrepresenting everything by which the ancient religion had, hitherto, been known.
Rajneesh (commonly dubbed OSHO) is the 1970s's vicious Escherichia coli that infected the fundamental values that undergird not only the oriental religions, including Jainism (which was OSHO's religion), but also all other mainstream religions of the day.
Milne quite vividly shows that his quondam "guru" succeeded in his malevolence and iniquity not just on the strength of his charisma, which the author accredits him with, but principally because of the unquenchable thirst and insatiable appetite that the world in the late 1960s had developed for ignominious liars and consummate dissemblers, whom they were hoping would license their perversions. OSHO, in every way, answered their demands: a perfect fit for their debased values. There was a neat symbiosis between them.
What is, however, of immense concern is the discovery that the people who got gravitated towards Rajneesh were not some simpletons and dullards but were, by materialistic standards, quite well-informed, discerning westerners who had had education beyond the average --- some of them, in this respect, were professionals who were much respected for their academic credentials and expertise. (Quite interestingly, one of them was even a member of the British royalty).
Milne has confessed that in spite of his own cautious distrust, he found himself, quite like the constellation of likeminded westerners, quickly descending and sinking by the force of OSHO's unfathomable "attraction" to Poorna, the hotbed of all spiritual transgressions and unspeakable immorality. His penchant for sensuality is a sine qua non of the gravitation, no doubt; but, his objective narrative, at the same time, leaves us in no doubt that there was (in the language of astronomy) some irresistible Dark energy that exerted a force on him that directed towards his "guru".
Some of the "spiritual" experiences that the author had with OSHO were curiously remarkable. They convinced the author and the thousands of other naive seekers who surrendered to Rajneesh that the charlatan had, indeed, some psychic, supranatural and preternatural spiritual abilities that allowed him to have perfect control over their minds and lives. They fervently believed it without any efforts on the part of the plaster saint.
At this point of the narrative, everything is brought to a distracting standstill for the reader: the author has no answer to the apparent contradiction and illogicality --- if OSHO was, indeed, a fraud, his followers ought not to have savoured spiritual feelings that are commonly felt only in the presence of highly evolved souls; on the other hand, if they genuinely had experienced them, can we, thus, discount OSHO's position as a Guru? Because one validates the other.
As one who has had some, although quite nugatory, experience with authentic spiritualists, my surmise is that the experience of Milne and his coterie of fellow disciples had was, in the main, precipitated by their own sincerity. There is evidence for this in authentic oriental scriptures.
It could be a case of "spiritual placebo" --- when OSHO's followers truly believed that he was, indeed, a master with divine blessings, and they piously, albeit wrongly, did some spiritual practices of sorts, their sincerity and strong faith produced all the spiritual experiences for them. Of course, OSHO basked in their arrant naivety. That is my simple explanation for their phenomenal experiences with a man who was soon declared as the most dangerous spiritual hypocrite of the first water.
Milne is an honest person. He was candid. Anyone who is keen on studying what spirituality is, and how one can be misled by materialistic desires tainted with spiritual curiosity, should consider reading this book. The author's honesty will help one to understand everything about deception in "spiritual life".
Rajneesh (commonly dubbed OSHO) is the 1970s's vicious Escherichia coli that infected the fundamental values that undergird not only the oriental religions, including Jainism (which was OSHO's religion), but also all other mainstream religions of the day.
Milne quite vividly shows that his quondam "guru" succeeded in his malevolence and iniquity not just on the strength of his charisma, which the author accredits him with, but principally because of the unquenchable thirst and insatiable appetite that the world in the late 1960s had developed for ignominious liars and consummate dissemblers, whom they were hoping would license their perversions. OSHO, in every way, answered their demands: a perfect fit for their debased values. There was a neat symbiosis between them.
What is, however, of immense concern is the discovery that the people who got gravitated towards Rajneesh were not some simpletons and dullards but were, by materialistic standards, quite well-informed, discerning westerners who had had education beyond the average --- some of them, in this respect, were professionals who were much respected for their academic credentials and expertise. (Quite interestingly, one of them was even a member of the British royalty).
Milne has confessed that in spite of his own cautious distrust, he found himself, quite like the constellation of likeminded westerners, quickly descending and sinking by the force of OSHO's unfathomable "attraction" to Poorna, the hotbed of all spiritual transgressions and unspeakable immorality. His penchant for sensuality is a sine qua non of the gravitation, no doubt; but, his objective narrative, at the same time, leaves us in no doubt that there was (in the language of astronomy) some irresistible Dark energy that exerted a force on him that directed towards his "guru".
Some of the "spiritual" experiences that the author had with OSHO were curiously remarkable. They convinced the author and the thousands of other naive seekers who surrendered to Rajneesh that the charlatan had, indeed, some psychic, supranatural and preternatural spiritual abilities that allowed him to have perfect control over their minds and lives. They fervently believed it without any efforts on the part of the plaster saint.
At this point of the narrative, everything is brought to a distracting standstill for the reader: the author has no answer to the apparent contradiction and illogicality --- if OSHO was, indeed, a fraud, his followers ought not to have savoured spiritual feelings that are commonly felt only in the presence of highly evolved souls; on the other hand, if they genuinely had experienced them, can we, thus, discount OSHO's position as a Guru? Because one validates the other.
As one who has had some, although quite nugatory, experience with authentic spiritualists, my surmise is that the experience of Milne and his coterie of fellow disciples had was, in the main, precipitated by their own sincerity. There is evidence for this in authentic oriental scriptures.
It could be a case of "spiritual placebo" --- when OSHO's followers truly believed that he was, indeed, a master with divine blessings, and they piously, albeit wrongly, did some spiritual practices of sorts, their sincerity and strong faith produced all the spiritual experiences for them. Of course, OSHO basked in their arrant naivety. That is my simple explanation for their phenomenal experiences with a man who was soon declared as the most dangerous spiritual hypocrite of the first water.
Milne is an honest person. He was candid. Anyone who is keen on studying what spirituality is, and how one can be misled by materialistic desires tainted with spiritual curiosity, should consider reading this book. The author's honesty will help one to understand everything about deception in "spiritual life".
May 29, 2018
A fascinating memoir about a once popular and esteemed spiritual leader by his former bodyguard and acolyte. Milne pens an entertaining of life with the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, in India and, more familiar to us Americans, in rural eastern Oregon. This is neither a whitewash nor a hit job. As with all persons who attract acolytes, the debate rages whether an innocent one becomes corrupted by adulation or if those seeds of arrogance, self-righteousness and manipulation were always there, dormant. Milne doe not speculate about this. But despite Rajneesh's deceptions, misleadings and misdirections, weird materialistic obsessions and just plain lies, Milne makes it clear he continues, even after being shunned, to love the Bhagwan, recognizing the presence of a personal, almost telepathic sensitivity in the man. What's really absorbing, though, is the parallel to our current American situation. Following are two quotes-"A false master has to have as many unquestioning people around him as possible... Rasputin, Hitler and Mussolini were all powerful, charismatic leaders who could draw people to themselves, seducing and manipulating them into giving up their own principles and finally their own integrity," and "'...no man has power except the power his followers give him. That is why he needs people around him all the time, and the more the better.'" Spooky, eh? And before you convict Milne of being a weak, brainwashed sheep who couldn't think for himself, remember this. Spiritual seekers, those who delve beneath the shallow materialism of our existence, sometimes find the undesirable, the manipulative, even the fatal. But those who never seek will be content to float on the surface.
June 12, 2024
So to all my friends, I am now going to do a little experiment.
I don’t know where to start yet, I don’t know what I will think, if it will be a waste of time, or if any of you will join me.
The experiment is this.
So I have just finished this book about Osho.
If you read this book and you put on the Netflix series documentary Wild Country, you will basically find that Osho was a swindler who made himself rich and took advantage of his cult members, and manipulated them.
They lived in poverty, they gave up jobs, some gave him their fortunes.
Here are the two interesting facts.
Many of them were highly educated.
Many people who thought highly of him and joined his cult were celebrities and royalty. Even a German prince.
Prince Charles was curious enough that he wanted to visit Osho in India.
So I thought this.
I am going to read some of Osho’s books to try understand what made all these people love him.
I looked on Audible and they have them, but I refuse to pay for that.
I just found a site called Osho World where some of his followers have put his books in mp3 up for free so you can listen to them.
This book that I am now reviewing, this man manipulated and was manipulated.
I think he blames the leadership and not necessarily Osho so much for him eventually leaving.
But the book is more about himself, his life in the cult, but he doesn’t go into detail what Osho actually taught and how his teaching manipulated all those people.
That is what I want to find out.
I don’t know where to start, but I am going to try listen to some Osho and look if it makes sense or was nonsense.
Whatever, he wasn’t practicing whatever he was probably preaching.
I don’t know where to start yet, I don’t know what I will think, if it will be a waste of time, or if any of you will join me.
The experiment is this.
So I have just finished this book about Osho.
If you read this book and you put on the Netflix series documentary Wild Country, you will basically find that Osho was a swindler who made himself rich and took advantage of his cult members, and manipulated them.
They lived in poverty, they gave up jobs, some gave him their fortunes.
Here are the two interesting facts.
Many of them were highly educated.
Many people who thought highly of him and joined his cult were celebrities and royalty. Even a German prince.
Prince Charles was curious enough that he wanted to visit Osho in India.
So I thought this.
I am going to read some of Osho’s books to try understand what made all these people love him.
I looked on Audible and they have them, but I refuse to pay for that.
I just found a site called Osho World where some of his followers have put his books in mp3 up for free so you can listen to them.
This book that I am now reviewing, this man manipulated and was manipulated.
I think he blames the leadership and not necessarily Osho so much for him eventually leaving.
But the book is more about himself, his life in the cult, but he doesn’t go into detail what Osho actually taught and how his teaching manipulated all those people.
That is what I want to find out.
I don’t know where to start, but I am going to try listen to some Osho and look if it makes sense or was nonsense.
Whatever, he wasn’t practicing whatever he was probably preaching.
August 29, 2022
This was much better than I was expecting it to be.
Of course, one backstory here is really the death of idealism and - ultimately - the greed that kills it.
The greed is something that Milne gets across well - I visited the Pune ashram *very* briefly some years ago and one of the things that shocked me was it's brazen commercial interest. It had absolutely *no* charitable activity in the city whatsoever and this is unusual for a place of this nature and size. It was quite openly a money-making enterprise and a *lot* of cash was changing hands, none of which were voluntary donations.
One thing that I think Milne should have spent more time talking about is the mass poisoning in The Dalles - to this day it remains the largest bioterror attack in U.S. history so deserved more than just a paragraph towards the end even though it took place after he left the movement.
Even if you're already familiar with Osho / Rajneesh, Milne's unique viewpoint makes this worth reading.
Of course, one backstory here is really the death of idealism and - ultimately - the greed that kills it.
The greed is something that Milne gets across well - I visited the Pune ashram *very* briefly some years ago and one of the things that shocked me was it's brazen commercial interest. It had absolutely *no* charitable activity in the city whatsoever and this is unusual for a place of this nature and size. It was quite openly a money-making enterprise and a *lot* of cash was changing hands, none of which were voluntary donations.
One thing that I think Milne should have spent more time talking about is the mass poisoning in The Dalles - to this day it remains the largest bioterror attack in U.S. history so deserved more than just a paragraph towards the end even though it took place after he left the movement.
Even if you're already familiar with Osho / Rajneesh, Milne's unique viewpoint makes this worth reading.
October 30, 2020
You are reading an author who had psychological issues and who tried committing suicide
This is what his girlfriend wrote about the author:
If he really thought in his first years as a sannyasin that Osho was not all he should have been, why continue to be his disciple for so many more years? Perhaps he never actually did understand, in all those years with him, who Osho really was—which is sad. Alternatively, he did, and now has to live with knowing whom he has betrayed, which must be hard to live with. In fact later he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he tried to commit suicide by disemboweling himself.
This is what his girlfriend wrote about the author:
If he really thought in his first years as a sannyasin that Osho was not all he should have been, why continue to be his disciple for so many more years? Perhaps he never actually did understand, in all those years with him, who Osho really was—which is sad. Alternatively, he did, and now has to live with knowing whom he has betrayed, which must be hard to live with. In fact later he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he tried to commit suicide by disemboweling himself.
May 10, 2018
The book is written by Osho bodyguard Hugh Milne.
The book describes Milne personal experience with Osho in Mumbai/Pune and finally in America.
The book also gives an account of personal life of Osho and how he used to operate.
I found the book quite interesting since I have read a lot of Osho books already and have stayed in his Pune Ashram .
In short...it's a good read.
The book describes Milne personal experience with Osho in Mumbai/Pune and finally in America.
The book also gives an account of personal life of Osho and how he used to operate.
I found the book quite interesting since I have read a lot of Osho books already and have stayed in his Pune Ashram .
In short...it's a good read.
December 3, 2014
Milne became a follower of Bhagwan in his early twenties and talks about the early, almost idyllic days in Poona India. Then, as the number of followers grows, the mellow, happy and very pro-sex guru and his inner circle start taking the group into a very different direction. The end of both comes near the final days of The Big Muddy, a massive city in the works built in Oregon from the millions donated to Bhagwan. Milne leaves the group before the final tense collapse but keeps tabs on the major players as they flee the country pursued by law enforcement of all stripes. A very interesting clear-eyed look inside a major cult which answers a lot of the "what the hell were you thinking?" questions that inevitably come to mind. Remember, Jesus saves, Bhagwan spends.
August 3, 2018
This was very interesting to read after reading countless of books by Osho as well as his autobiography and having watched Netflix documentary series about his time in USA. Osho was a master orator, especially in his earlier days and he understood spirituality very well on rational level. What he lacked was kindness, compassion and enlightenment - just to name a few.
July 1, 2009
A fair and heartbreaking history of Osho and his followers
December 21, 2022
Obviously dated material, but Hugh Milne's recollections offer a fascinating perspective on the guru and his movement. A definite must-read for anyone who wants to understand Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh/"Osho" and what he and his inner circle did to cause their own movement to implode.
May 29, 2020
This is a fabulous book. I read this book aged 18 and it fuelled my interest in religious cults (and their dodgy dealings) which continues today, 33 years later.
April 24, 2007
The last book I read about Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was written by someone who grew up with his mother following the guru. Milne was actually one of Bhagwan's inner circle for quite some time. The story is as intriguing as ever, with pictures of some of the practices that you just do not see everywhere.
Read
January 24, 2016I can't imagine believing Rajneesh was holy or sacred. I visited his ashram in Pune in the 1970s. The book captures the silly stuff that was going on there, but from the point of view of Hugh Milne, a relatively high ranking member of the ashram community. After about 3/4 of the book, I felt I had had enough of the egoistic behavior.
April 30, 2024
I had watched Wild Wild Country several years ago, so I thought it would be interesting to get a different perspective on the Bhagwan saga. After reading this book, I had to re-watch the documentary....which is much better than Milne's remembering.
September 12, 2020
Scandalous, titillating a very juicy read.
What a great insight into the murky world of Osho International. I'm imagining this is the book that the documentary Wild Wild Country is largely based but it also illustrates Osho's rise in India - which I found utterly fascinating.
What a great insight into the murky world of Osho International. I'm imagining this is the book that the documentary Wild Wild Country is largely based but it also illustrates Osho's rise in India - which I found utterly fascinating.
January 18, 2009
An insider's view of Osho's world
Read
October 28, 2015a good book about the fraud.
Read
February 24, 2018By Hugh Milne, Bhagwan's former bodyguard, "...the 'inside' story as told by a man who was one of Bhagwan's most devoted followers, one of his innermost circle, and the head of his personal bodyguard."
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews