Podcasts by Building Utopia: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh rose from a precocious boy in India to a spiritual guru to tens of thousands of people worldwide. He became famous for his controversial teachings and lavish lifestyle, leading some to call him a cult leader. Building Utopia paints an immersive, unflinching portrait of Rajneesh and the people who chose to devote their lives to him -- including his top lieutenants, who fled his Rajneeshpuram commune in 1985 amid a cloud of criminal allegations. Building Utopia will captivate those familiar with Rajneesh, as well as those who have not yet discovered his fascinating and troubling story.
Further podcasts by Rusty King
Podcast on the topic Dokumentation
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Episode 17: Sunset from 2022-04-09T22:09:18
The full weight of United States law enforcement finally lands on Bhagwan, Sheela, and their community.
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Episode 16: Bhagwan's Allegations from 2022-02-28T05:01
With Sheela gone, Bhagwan takes to his stage to make a series of shocking criminal allegations about his former secretary. Law enforcement pounces on the opportun...
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Episode 15: Murder Summer from 2022-02-14T05:01:36
Murder is in the air at Rajneeshpuram during the summer of 1985. We track the commune leaders’ audacious plots to assassinate public officials and commune members they felt were enemies...
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Episode 14: The Downward Spiral from 2022-01-31T05:01:38
In the summer of 1985, commune leaders begin plotting the assassination of people who oppose them. In this episode, we examine the events that led them to believe that murder was the only way to...
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Episode 13: The Enemy Within from 2022-01-17T19:39:32
NEW EPISODES! While external enemies mass against Rajneeshpuram, Sheela fixates on powerful disciples within the commune whom she believes pose an even greater threat. Her efforts to neutralize ...
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An Update on Building Utopia from 2020-05-01T00:49:44
A quick update about upcoming episodes of Building Utopia, as well as an exciting new project!
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Episode 12: God vs. The Universe from 2019-06-18T20:03:31
Bhagwan, who once called organized religion "the corpse of religiousness," becomes the head of his own religion in 1983. But the Oregon Attorney General proves that "Rajneeshism" is the greatest...
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Episode 11: Something in the Water from 2019-05-03T02:42:59
The largest bioterror attack on U.S. soil hits the sleepy town of The Dalles, Oregon, two months before a high-stakes county election. But it’s just a dress rehearsal for the bigger scheme that ...
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Minisode 4: A Child of the Commune from 2019-03-25T04:01
What was it like to be a child living at Rajneeshpuram? In this minisode we’re joined by a special guest — a person who lived at the ranch as a teenager for nearly four years — who discusses his...
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Episode 10: How to Win an Election from 2019-03-13T02:08:42
Sheela is given a new mission in 1984: win the Wasco County election, no matter what it takes. The plan she and her lieutenants put into place sets the state of Oregon into crisis mode, from the...
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Episode 9: Reign of Terror from 2019-02-11T05:01
The Rajneeshees extend themselves into the community in an effort to sway public opinion and make some money. But now their enemies have easy access to them — a vulnerability that is violently e...
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Episode 8: Making it Legal (?) from 2019-01-28T05:01
How could Sheela and Bhagwan establish their new commune in America when most of their members came from other countries? The answer rested in a sacred institution — one the sannyasins were not ...
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Minisode 3: Noah's Ark from 2019-01-21T05:01
Bhagwan develops a bizarre — and potentially lethal — way to escape his silent isolation at Rajneeshpuram.
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Episode 7: Inside the Compound from 2019-01-07T05:01
How do the Rajneeshees go about fulfilling their Master's vision of a new utopia on their ranch? We see what life was like for the hundreds of commune members who toiled from sun-up to sundown e...
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Minisode 2: A Very Rajneeshee Holiday from 2018-12-17T05:01
It’s the holiday season in Rajneeshpuram! We’ll explore the Rajneeshees’ three major holidays and see how they were celebrated during Bhagwan's first year in America. This culminates in the Firs...
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Episode 6: Between a Rock and Antelope from 2018-12-10T05:01
War is looming between the Rajneeshees and a town of just 39 people — a “ghost town,” as Sheela calls it. Bhagwan’s followers are about to go to battle with the people of Antelope.
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Episode 5: Foundations in the Desert from 2018-11-26T05:01
As Sheela and the first Rajneeshees arrive at the Big Muddy Ranch in July 1981, we explore why Oregon was about the last place they should have picked for Bhagwan's new commune. To transform the...
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Episode 4: Buying Utopia - Rajneeshpuram from 2018-11-12T05:01
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 tro...
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Minisode 1: Dynamic Detours from 2018-11-05T05:30
Our first "minisode" provides some additional color on topics covered in the first three episodes. We’ll revisit Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh as a boy and look at the life-or-death events that may hav...
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Episode 3: Trouble in Paradise from 2018-10-26T14:56:21
As Bhagwan's dreams for the future continued to blossom, outside pressures, like the Indian government, threatened to squeeze the life out of his ashram. We'll also examine the efforts to find a...
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Episode 2: Oasis in Poona from 2018-10-26T14:53:27
Today we'll take a grand tour of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s first ashram in the city of Poona, India. Within a couple years of its founding in 1974, it had expanded into one of the most popular — ...
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Episode 1: Finding the Master, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from 2018-10-26T14:34:46
We'll examine Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's early life and his first years as an enlightened master. We'll explore his initial efforts to organize his followers and how he was able to cement his mast...
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