Not merely a review and recommendation by Bhagawati, but also a clarion call from the author to help spread the book worldwide
Late in the afternoon on October 27, 1985, I was alone at the Rajneeshpuram press office, sorting through some files, when suddenly Roger Worthington, a journalist from the Chicago Tribune, burst in, shouting, “The Bhagwan is leaving! I must call my editor!” He told me that there were two Lear jets standing at Rajneesh Airport, and minutes later I heard one take off, followed shortly by the second, apparently with Osho on board. It was rather confusing, and I wondered where he was heading.
Late that night, I answered a phone call and was told that Osho had been arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was shocked. But I had a job to do. I went down to our communal living room with lists of journalists’ names and phone numbers and began making calls, starting with “Bhagwan has been arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina.” We thought that a significant media presence in Charlotte would have an impact and ensure his safety.
This was the beginning of rather bizarre and unthinkable events with consequences that to this day are not fully understood even by many sannyasins.
From the start there was one sannyasin who was wondering what was going on and drove to Portland immediately to start his own investigations. Not even Osho’s lawyers knew the magnitude of a deep conspiracy established and directed by the Reagan administration to undermine Osho, his teachings, and his vision of a higher state of human consciousness.
The sannyasin, Satyam Anando (aka Max Brecher), left no stone unturned to get to the bottom of an inexplicable and nefarious scheme and researched the underlying circumstances meticulously for several years, interviewing major and minor players worldwide and poring over mountains of court and historical data (mainly media reports).
Thousands of hours worked, thousands of miles travelled, thousands of dollars spent. He then painstakingly combed through the material with great care, making the connections, contrasting and comparing. As he said, “It was important to read between the lines and lies to see what was going on behind the scenes. The goal was to identify the differences between the public statements made and the actual motives and nature of the events. In other words, these are documented facts, and not a running-off-the mouth opinion.”
He made his discoveries public in India in 1991 at the first, aborted, launch of his book in the fall of 1991. A prestigious Indian publisher, Motilal Banarsidass, had signed a contract but later reneged because he didn’t want to annoy the Americans. There was lots of local press coverage, all favourable. His book was finally published at the start of 1993. It is widely acknowledged as the most reliable historical account of events in and around Rajneeshpuram.
Strangely, the popular Netflix 6-part series Wild Wild Country, on Osho and his commune, whose producers must have known about the book before they wrote the script, made no attempt to contact its author to hear his take on events. Why? Because they didn’t want to know. They opted for sensation and scandal instead of trying to discover what pushes led to what shoves. Who threw the first punches?
Anando specified, “A Passage to America is the first and, to date, only book that thoroughly examines the complicated events that resulted in Osho’s deportation and the demise of a $150 million commune city located in the middle of nowhere. It re-examines long-held beliefs in light of fresh data and unequivocally demonstrates that there were numerous plots against both Osho and his sannyasins. Not just one. Various state and federal agencies and departments with disparate goals pushed the ongoing conspiracies, which were not very well organised. The gangs that couldn’t shoot straight. Their attitude was: ‘We will investigate you until we discover something. Anything!’ This wasn’t restricted to basic legalistic stalking. There were also assassination plots.”
Since the first publication of the book, so much more evidence has come to light, and over the years Anando has incorporated the new findings. That swelled the book from its original 400 pages to 575 now. He commented, “The new edition is a completely unique beast. The stress then was on stop-the-presses scoop journalism. I have since explored the extensive academic literature on this and related topics in more depth and used more references. Some at the bottom of pages, longer excursions relegated to the End Notes. Without sacrificing rigour and accuracy, I have also opted for a more literary approach which, in my opinion, offers a stronger, tighter argument and richer, riper read.”
This is not merely a review and recommendation. It is also a clarion call to all sannyasins from the book’s author himself. He said, “Up until now I’ve been pretty much carrying this torch alone. What I want now is more active participation from those who are strongly committed to getting this information read, spread and talked about. Loudly. Please help me push it onto the agenda. First on the micro level within your networks and subsequently further afield. Please put me in touch with your media contacts. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Having read the first edition more than 30 years ago, it was thrilling to read the new edition, and I could barely put it down, as there was also so much shown that I had forgotten about. The proof of this diabolical scheme, which eventually failed to destroy the lessons and compassion Osho bestowed on humanity and which are still shared by his innumerable sannyasins worldwide, is depicted in astounding detail. I highly recommend this book!
A Passage to America
by Max Brecher
575 pages
The rebranded and republished book can be found on Max Brecher’s website at maxbrechersbookstobuy.com in PDF and other formats for the incredibly low price of $5. He can be contacted through his website.
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