Amazon.com (ISBN 0312280718, Paperback)

Osho, better known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, became infamous for his posh lifestyle and outrageous teachings. A prolific author of some respectable and even insightful books, he refused to pen an autobiography for his myriad disciples. Nonetheless, two of these, Sarito Carol Neiman and Ma Yoga Bhakti, have pieced together an autobiography of sorts from the many of volumes of his writings and published talks. We find in Osho a vibrant mind, a sharp wit, and a feigned unpretentiousness that is both disarming and seductive. Following his story, we learn Osho was raised on a loose tether by his businessman grandfather and atheist grandmother, rebelliously questioning religious authority by the age of 5. By the age of 7, he was uncontrollable, and at 21, he had a prolonged enlightenment experience. A Ph.D. in philosophy brought him to the role of professor, but he outgrew it with his talks on meditation that gradually became more radical, until he was known in India as the sex guru. Ousted from India, he sought to create the perfect and most free community, choosing a remote corner of the U.S. Controversy erupted, and the man who called himself Zorba the Buddha became persona non grata the world over. To read about this unorthodox teacher in his own words is certainly entertaining, and although not without internal contradictions, the book is valuable for its relentless challenge to the sacred tenets of established religious thought. Like the best Zen master, Osho forces us to reconsider our conventions. --Brian Bruya