WWC, #3: What About the Bhagwan?

You might have made a mental note that my first two posts about the Rajneesh commune in Oregon didn't even bother to discuss the man behind it all, the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. This is because the whole time they were in Oregon he was undertaking a vow of silence. A brilliant move, really. Without words to fixate on, the followers were able to project all their ideals and dreams and fantasies into the Bhagwan, securing his status as a great and beautiful holy man without the competing impressions formed by anything he might have actually said or done. Is this weird? Only in its starkness and intensity. After all, what is love? Love is when we project our ideals into our beloved. We all do it. That's why unrequited love is the purest and strongest. During the Bhagwan's time of silence he sometimes would make appearances wherein the followers would shower him with love and affection, which really meant they were showering themselves, and for that, I guess they should thank him.

All of this is not to say the the Bhagwan's teachings were garbage. I rather like many of the things he taught. It's just the teachings are immaterial to his status as a guru.