Rajneeshpuram news summary 1981-1986 (source document)

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1981

Jan 10 Feature on Shannon Ryan (Ma Amrita Pritam) in Los Angeles Times. "After the Jonestown massacre, U.S. consular officials in India were ordered to visit the Rajneesh retreat and retreats of several other gurus with significant Western followings to measure the potential for a similar disaster. A consular official in Bombay concluded: 'I don't think we have any Jim Jones here, but if one of those guys suddenly turned sour, his followers would do just about anything he asked. That's the unsettling thing.'"
Jan 12 - 18 Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Patel Silverman) visits Chidvilas Meditation Center in Montclair, New Jersey, where Ma Amrita Pritam and Swami Samir are resident. It has been in operation about a year. In the 1970's Sheela had lived in Montclair with her husband, American Mark Silverman, and taken some courses at Montclair State College.
Apr 30 Sannyasins buy 30-room Rhine-style Kip's Castle, built by Dutch industrialist 1902-1905, which straddles New Jersey's Montclair and Verona townships, for $370,000. Depending on accounts, castle has 7.2 acres or 15. According to The Oregonian series, "For Love and Money", the castle was purchased on Tuesday, April 21.

1982

author
Max Brecher