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Library | Call Number | Material Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... State Library of Oregon | 299.93 Milne | In-Library Use Only (Not For Loan) | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... State Library of Oregon | 299.93 Milne | 4-Week Loan | Searching... Unknown |
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Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
An insider's astonishing story of the rise and fall of the infamous guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his cult: a riveting odyssey of sex, greed, and the lust for power. From 1973 until 1982, Milne was Bhagwan's chief bodyguard and a key figure in a ""spiritual"" movement that at its height claimed a half-million adherents--and tens of millions of dollars in its coffers. Milne casts his tale as one of an impressionable English youth whose honest search for truth brings him to India and Rajneesh, to whom he capitulates totally. The author attributes Rajneesh's ability to dominate to two factors: the guru's psychic/hypnotic powers and the almost irresistible appeal of his tantric teachings, which urged a highly promiscuous sexuality. Milne's submission to Bhagwan--a slight, imperious figure with giant brown eyes--swirls him into an eerie world where he eats, Sleeps, works, and makes love at Bhagwan's whim, a harrowing trial of the soul through confrontation with psychological and physical exhaustion, leavened only by Bhagwan's mesmerizing presence and scores of flings with female disciples. Then, Bhagwan's sudden decision to move to America, where the cult begins to unravel: Bhagwan falls under the influence of Sheela, a Himmler-like figure who proclaims ""meditation is for pansies"" and reorganizes the cult into what amounts to a slave-labor force; Bhagwan's addiction to nitrous oxide and the loss of his psychic powers; the growing notoriety and rapid militarization of the cult, re. suiting in mass druggings of members, physical and political intimidation of the local Oregon populace, and, finally, a sea of warrants issued by the Justice Department, leading to Sheela's arrest for attempted murder and Bhagwan's exile to India. A compelling, important report from the dark side of spiritual search. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hugh Milne, a young British osteopath, was an early and dedicated follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. This is the story of his trip into the Bhagwan's inner circle and out again after he became disillusioned with the movement. Truly a behind-the-scenes view, and a detailed one at that, Milne's account tells all about the cult's orgies (apparently Bhagwan earned his sobriquet, ``Guru of the Vagina''), the therapy sessions in which broken bones were a by-product, the political intrigue, and, of course, those famous Rolls-Royces. In Milne's opinion, the movement's communal spiritualism became an egotistic dictatorship once the group left India and arrived in Antelope, Oregon (or Rajneeshpuram, as it came to be called). The process by which the Rajneeshians were able to take over an American town is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the Bhagwan's story, and Milne dwells on it in satisfying detail. In all, his well-written memoir provides the most insight yet into a guru and a cult that held center stage in the American media, if only for the requisite 15 minutes. IC. 299'.93 Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree / Milne, Hugh [OCLC] 86-24832
Library Journal Review
This insider's account of life within the cult of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is curiously unsatisfying. Filled with sex, scandal, and tragedy, it reads well, but one never gets a feeling for either the people running the movement or for those who participated in it. Milne, who spent years as an aide and bodyguard to Bhagwan, never addresses the question of motivation: Why did thousands of educated Westerners throw away years of their lives, endure privation and disease, and ultimately beggar themselves in the service (worship?) of an Indian guru? Nor does he satisfactorily explain why he sacrificed a promising career in osteopathy to become a disciple of a man who, if he had anything intelligent to say, has been badly served by this book. For only the most inclusive collections. D. Stephen Rockwood, Mount Saint Mary's Coll., Emmitsburg, Md. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
