When I was 5 years old my mother left England for India, a few weeks later she came back wearing red clothes, and a wooden beaded necklace mala with a picture of an Indian man in a locket. That was the start of the journey that led me to end up as a permanent resident of Rajneeshpuram in central Oregon from age 13 to Or the kids who went there because this was the life their parents had created for them. I was one of those kids, and that was my home.
Wild Wild Country review – Netflix’s take on the cult that threatened American life
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Attempts to enforce sexual participation at the Pune ashram did not always stop at psychological pressure. Sometimes it allegedly extended to use of violence. But what end does Rajneesh have in mind for his disciples when he incites them to sexual promiscuity? According to some commentators on the subject, the real end Rajneesh seeks for his disciples in this area is most likely the loss of their ability to form stable love relationships; such relationships might jeopardise his psychological hegemony over their lives. Ex-disciples of Rajneesh allege that the tendency of his cult is definitely to enforce sexual participation. Allegedly, attempts to enforce sexual participation at the Pune ashram did not always stop at psychological pressure, but sometimes extended to the use of violence.
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Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, right, speaks with his disciples in Rajneeshpuram, Oregon. On the surface, the Netflix docuseries Wild Wild Country appears to be the latest addition to the utopian-commune-turned-cult cannon. Over six one-hour segments, the directors — brothers Chapman and Maclain Way — tell the story of how the followers of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh relocated from an ashram in Pune to a ranch in rural Oregon, where they built their version of utopia, despite opposition from the nearby residents of Antelope population: While at first it appears that the focus will be on the sannyasins those who have given up material possessions in favor of a more spiritual life , their efforts to build and sustain Rajneeshpuram their technologically advanced and environmentally friendly version of heaven on earth and their devotion to Bhagwan their leader, later known as Osho , it quickly becomes apparent that is not the main plot of Wild Wild Country. Related Cult or Commune? During her reign as the de facto leader of the group — when Bhagwan was in a three-and-a-half-year period of silence — Sheela acted both as his spokesperson as well as the manager of day-to-day operations on the ranch. Though unsuccessful, both women were convicted of attempted murder and served jail sentences. Through a mix of archival footage from existing documentaries and media coverage from the s, paired with recent original interviews with current and former members, the Way brothers created an instantly popular, extremely bingeable series that shines a light on a fascinating yet overlooked chapter in recent American history. Sunny Massad aka Ma Prem Sunshine , one of the former sannyasins interviewed in Wild Wild Country, decided to participate because Maclain Way called her and told her that he wanted to do something different than anything that had been done on the group before. It presents a dramatic story of social conflict that just about anybody can relate to.
In fact, Satya—born Jill in suburban New York—argues there are several gaping holes in the six-part series which charts the rise and fall of the briefly incorporated city Rajneeshpuram, and its standoff with neighboring Antelope, Oregon: population Its directors, brothers Chapman and Maclain Way, did a fine job demonstrating the issues of religious freedom dragged up by the establishment of the commune, and the concerns of Antelope's conservative residents who feared their new neighbors' belief in free love, rejection of the nuclear family, and the speed with which they built their city. The documentary showed how Bhagwan was a contradictory figure. He regarded meditation and free love as the paths to spiritual enlightenment; but he believed in consumerism—evidenced by the Rolls-Royce he drove around the commune and diamond-encrusted Rolex watch he wore while giving sermons. He accused Mahatma Gandhi of worshipping poverty. He railed against cults, religion and other iconoclastic ideas despite heading his own controversial religious group. But where in Wild Wild Country was the mention of the sterilizations? Or the life-consuming work hours? And where was Franklin's side of the story? The books she ghostwrote in the mid-Seventies were based on his talks and published in many languages.
