The Promise of Paradise: A Woman's Intimate Story the Perils of Life With Rajneesh [Paperback]

Satya Bharti Franklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 1992

In 1972, Franklin left for what was intended to be a three-week visit to India. Instead, it was the beginning of her intimate involvement with the Bhagwan Rajneesh, one of the most infamous spiritual teachers of recent decades. In this extraordinary and passionate memoir, Franklin provides an insider s view of the manipulation, sexual exploitation, and internecine struggles, as well as the more publicized joys and ecstasies, that characterized one of the most talked-about religious experiments of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Long on detail but short on analysis, this memoir takes an ambivalent view of the author's 13-year involvement with the guru known mostly for lurid headlines regarding sex and Rolls-Royce collections. In 1971 Franklin, bored with life in the suburbs and wanting to change the world, found ecstasy in Bhagwan Rajneesh's technique of Dynamic Meditation, soon immersed herself in his discourses and eventually left her marriage and her children for India, where she wrote several books for Rajneesh. She describes life in an Indian ashram, ``Peyton Place in burgundy,'' as well as the controversial Rancho Rajneesh in Oregon, offering portraits of movement personages such as foul-mouthed Sheela, Rajneesh's power-mad personal secretary. Though she is often critical of herself and Rajneesh's movement, Franklin writes that she can't account ``for the stoned, blissed-out feelings he evoked in me and thousands of others''; author Frances Fitzgerald, in Cities on a Hill , offers far more insight into Rajneesh's techniques and the psychology of devotees. Moreover, because Franklin acknowledges creating composite characters, her use of verbatim dialogue throughout the book seems suspect. Photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Station Hill Press (February 4, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882681362
• ISBN-13: 978-0882681368
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intimately interesting, February 8, 2003

By 

Angarai Vadyar (Norman, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Promise of Paradise: A Woman's Intimate Story the Perils of Life With Rajneesh (Paperback)

"The Promise of Paradise" offers valuable insight into the workings of a "cult". I use the word "cult" with the full understanding that the established religions that exist today have all started as "cults". The day-to-day account of Satya Bharti Franklin is very lucid;the author herself had been a ghost-writer for Rajneesh.

It is sad that the writer has not really learnt any lasting lessons from Rajneesh, viz, unconditional love for yourself and others, joyful surrender to existence at every moment, the concept of no mind which is the soul of meditation, etc., etc..
But this book hopefully will motivate you to read some of Rajneesh's books, especilly the five volumes of "The Book of the Secrets".

From what I glean from Satya's book, it seems that Rajneesh himself didn't practise what he so admirably preached. Perhaps he didn't realize that his ambition to promote his ideas through a group of people unfit to fathom the true meanings of Tantra, Tao and zen had stood in his way of dismantling completely the commune he helped to build. He perhaps wished for a large number of Bodhisatvas which he obviously didn't get.

But I am deeply grateful for Rajneesh for giving me great insight into who I am really. Love and best wishes to all of you.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rajneesh enigma is revealed, March 17, 2008

By 

LEO_SUN_SIGN_777 (North California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Promise of Paradise: A Woman's Intimate Story the Perils of Life With Rajneesh (Paperback)

The book is fascinating and answered most of my questions on the Rajneesh cult phenomenon. I always wondered about the techniques that cult leaders in general and Rajneesh in particular used to control the minds of masses of people. My other big question was what type of people surrender to these leaders and why they let themselves be exploited.

The Rajneesh case was especially interesting to me, because I read a few of his books in the early 1980's, listened to his tapes, met many sanyasins (devotees) and even went to the big annual celebration in Oregon in July 1983. I was pressured many times to "take the plunge", but never even considered becoming a follower. And after reading this book, I thank goodness that my reasonable mind made the right judgment call.

I have to admit that I always thought he was better than other gurus and cult leaders, and valued the well being of his followers. But sadly, I was in for a rude awakening and really shocked to discover what was really going on in the ashrams.

The book is well written and it feels genuine, but it is way too long and repetitive. In my opinion, the book would have been more effective if it was condensed to about three quarters of its size. But the writing style is fluid and the material absorbing, so it's not a big flaw.

I hesitate to discuss more details of the story, because it will spoil the readers' enjoyment. To me the book read almost like a detective story, peeling layer after layer of my illusions about the 'enlightened' Guru and his 'truth seeking' devotees. So the only thing I'd like to add is; If you really want to understand the Rajneesh phenomenal appeal to some of the most educated people in the world, his mixed messages and his tactics of mind control and exploitations, this book is highly recommended.

4 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sounding familiar..., May 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Promise of Paradise: A Woman's Intimate Story the Perils of Life With Rajneesh (Paperback)

Dr. Rajan (see other review) sounds like the very Sannyasin he criticizes for failing to see their guru's own shortcomings or failing to learn from his, Rajneesh's, teachings. Yet here he is, Rajan, doling praise to Rajneesh, swearing love, and claiming to grasp the truth better than Franklin. Sounds like a follower. Next: a trip to the ashram?