OSHO: The Buddha for the Future

By: Maneesha James

Narrated by: Maneesha James

Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The contemporary mystic Osho lived in a time before the internet and social media, no 24-hour news coverage existed at the time of the historic events described in this book.  

But fake news has been around for as long as there have been politicians. For this reason, Osho entrusted some eyewitnesses to record the events around him and his people. Maneesha is one of them. Her three books together form what Osho described as “the historical documentation of my work”.  

She was constantly at his side, observing and making notes of his meetings with thousands of people. Witnessing it first hand, she kept a meticulous record of Osho’s communes and the evolution of his work as it unfolded, both in India and in the USA.

Osho said about her, “I have found a better recorder than Ramakrishna has ever found in Vivekananda or even Socrates has found in Plato. When we are all gone, her collections will be remembered for centuries.”

Originally published in 1988, the 2018 release of the digital book arrived in the context of increasing interest in Osho. A popular Netflix series in the same year, Wild Wild Country, exposed his former secretary’s criminal activities, which led to the destruction of Osho’s commune and his deportation from the US. The series provided a biased platform for two of the key people in this saga, enabling them to mislead the audience with distorted facts, and for the ringleader to be portrayed as a "feminist hero" taking on the US government and her former teacher.

Osho: The Buddha for the Future is spoken by the author herself; it addresses misrepresentations and distortion of facts and provides an intimate, authentic firsthand account of the work of a mystic far ahead of his time and is a remarkable record of the efforts of the most powerful government in the world to silence him.

©1988 Osho International Foundtion (P)2019 Osho International Foundation

Love and Wisdom

Maneesha, thank you so much for sharing your words and experience with us all. A Meditative Listen.

informative but repetitive...needs serious editing

this book fills in some gaps from the Wild Wild West series but is very very very repetitive!!! the author just rants about Sheila over and over and over again. if I ever here her say the name Pali Putra again I'm going to poison myself... so much of this book could be edited and left out! I feel the tone of the book is whining... the author doesn't claim radical self responsibility but rather plays the victim of Sheila and her cronies... Sheila did this and that... blah blah blah.. enough!
I wish there was more Osho content in here.
it's really just a book ranting about Sheila.
the authors voice also gets very annoying...it has a sweet quality to it when she asks Osho questions but for this books it's just too much!
I appreciate her devotion to Osho... so let's us thank her for that.

Riveting - Expertly Read by the Author

B. Foster
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Account - Narrated Expertly by the Author
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021
Maneesha,

I’ve been thinking of writing so many times, but haven't gotten around to it till now.

Back in Poona, I bought the first edition of your book, and I read it right away. I didn't read it again until now as an audiobook. I just love it. I love hearing your voice.

Probably you don’t remember but I once shared with you that I thought your voice is perfect for audiobooks (already well established as a narrator of discourse questions, of course!). You could be a professional narrator, although I doubt you would like that work when you have Osho’s to do! Your voice is deep and you have these high peaks - it’s melodious to my ears. You have a cadence that is beautifully paced. Your intonations are just right to convey meaning. Great job!

I listen whenever I drive, especially as I drive to and from work - a commute of about 45 minutes each way. So I’m especially appreciative of the length of the audiobook: I won’t run out of opportunities to sit with you for days!

At the beginning of the book you share how you came to Osho. It’s so relatable - I can imagine being you in some way, although my path was very different, and it amazes me that Osho reached all of us in our individuality.

The Ranch, as you write about it, is both a great mystery school and a political quagmire depending on whom is involved. But even with all the horrible stuff that ensued, the presence of Osho in the US affected me without ever being on the ranch. It was only at the last moments of Osho’s presence in the US that I “got it” - that he was an enlightened master - and how innocent he was under the cruelty of the American government. I wanted to be near him.

After that, it was just a matter of time before he became available to someone like me - a month after he arrived in Poona, I was there. (I was so naive, I thought I could make an appointment to talk with him!!! I looked around the ashram/commune and thought, “I know who he is - a man of wisdom - but who are all these people?” Such a different perspective from yours!)

Anyway, I’m grateful you recorded your book. It’s a delight to have you wafting through my car everyday. Please let’s have more - there are only nine hours left and I’m afraid they will fly by in no time.

Lots of love, best wishes.

Should have a different title……..

I enjoy listening to most of the parts of the book……interesting to know the details of what happened in the community…….A bit disappointed with the title of the book……was expecting more about Osho….

Excellent!

What a ride! Twenty minutes into the recording, I was laughing, shouting, cheering, and tearing up. And so it continued…

Whether you’re a lover of Osho, a skeptic, or you simply enjoy a compelling story, I’d recommend this book to everyone. It’s truly a whirlwind. The writing is delightfully beautiful, with an intelligent attitude of questioning which leaves the reader a lot of space.

Thank you Maneesha!