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Rajneeshpuram, a controversial religious community, transplanted from India to Oregon in 1981, attracted international attention when several of its leaders were arrested in 1985. The spiritual leader, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was deported from the United States and others subsequently served prison terms for arson, poisonings, attempted murder, and other crimes. Rajneesh's followers, called 'sannyasin', are distinguished from other religious groups by their denial of the legitimacy of any moral code for regulating conduct, their rejection of personal constraint by existing human institutions, and the absence of any stable shared system of beliefs. This book is a narrative account of the progressive regimentation of the commune and the escalating hostilities between it and the surrounding communities that led to eventual dismantlement. This is a comprehensive treatment of the Oregon Rajneesh incident from a sociological perspective, this study offers insights into the importance of shared values for regulating group processes and for negotiating relationships with other groups.
Rajneeshpuram, a controversial religious community, transplanted from India to Oregon in 1981, attracted international attention when several of its leaders were arrested in 1985. The spiritual leader, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was deported from the United States and others subsequently served prison terms for arson, poisonings, attempted murder, and other crimes. Rajneesh's followers, called 'sannyasin', are distinguished from other religious groups by their denial of the legitimacy of any moral code for regulating conduct, their rejection of personal constraint by existing human institutions, and the absence of any stable shared system of beliefs. This book is a narrative account of the progressive regimentation of the commune and the escalating hostilities between it and the surrounding communities that led to eventual dismantlement. This is a comprehensive treatment of the Oregon Rajneesh incident from a sociological perspective, this study offers insights into the importance of shared values for regulating group processes and for negotiating relationships with other groups.
Preface; Prologue; 1. The Oregon colony at peak development; 2. Manufacturing and marketing a new religion in India; 3. Organizational forms for exporting the Rajneesh movement; 4. Transplanting the Poona colony to Eastern Oregon; 5. Political and institutional overextension; 6. Desperation defenses of Rajneeshpuram; 7. Aftermath and what it might all mean?; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
This book is a narrative account of the progressive regimentation of the Rajneeshpuram commune and the hostilities presented in Oregon.
"The strength of this book is in itis non-judgmental analysis of
conflicting social groups." Religious Studies Review
"This book is a superior analysis of a minority religious group.
Based primarily on archival and secondary sources, the author
traces the antecendents, development and collapse of Bagwan Shree
Rajneesh's Oregon colony/commune from the viewpoints of its members
(sannyasin) and opponents. There is also a discussion of the
groups' doctrines and practices." Journal of Church and State
"This is the most detailed study to date of the history,
institutions, and marketing stratagies of the Rajneesh Movement."
Sociological Analysis
"The book presents a wealth of information and conjecture abou the
Rajneesh movement worldwide, beginning around 1970, as well as
about the four-yea communal experiment in Oregon. The study's
limitations...should not discourage readers who want to know more
about one of North America's largest and most publicized, if
short-lived, experiments in utopian community." Utopian Studies
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