Episode 4: Buying Utopia
In Episode 4: Buying Utopia, 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.
Episode Notes & Sources
Audio of Bhagwan discussing Chinmaya’s death comes from Tao: The Golden Gate Volume 1 Part 2.
Chidvilas Rajneesh Meditation Center / Rajneesh Foundation International board minutes.
Flight manifest for Bhagwan’s June 1, 1981 flight from Bombay to New York.
Many details of the ranch purchase are adapted from The Oregonian’s fantastic 1985 investigative series about the Rajneeshees, particularly this article.
Swami Prem Jayananda
Sheela’s Second Marriage, as covered in the Rajneesh Times
Sheela’s Second Marriage, as covered by the Rajneesh Times
Music
Piano Concerto in G-major, 2nd Movement by Maurice Ravel
Powerwalkin’ by Future Joust
All other music by Rusty King