Well researched, produced, and recorded. As a researcher myself, I highly recommend.

Fantastic, but where is the final episode?!?

I binged this podcast - it was so interesting. I had never heard about this group before until the documentary appeared on Netflix, and I enjoyed the podcast more.

I lived in the communes in India and Rajneeshpuram - and was left with immense gratitude for the gift of it all. It was beautiful, crazy, ordinary, life-altering, and established deep friendships that have lasted a lifetime. AND.... I had a lot of lingering (and perhaps repressed) questions about it all. This podcast is thoroughly researched, thanks to documentation from interviews, news organizations, depositions, court files, and government records. Rusty spells it out in as close to an unbiased way as a person can hope to do. I always knew I was in a cult, but I'd say "It was a fun and happy cult!" In a moment when autocrats all over the world are saying 'I'm the one, the only one, to fix things" - I'm finally seeing how I gave over my trust and overrode my own heart - not when I joined with Osho - but when I sensed things were going wrong, and suppressed my knowing. Now I can say that no matter what great gifts anybody gives me, no matter how identified I am with a home, a culture or religion; if my mind and heart start whispering, agitating... that's my cue to Listen up! We all have an inner knowing, and we all can listen to it.

If you are looking for a deep dive on the Rajneeshi world, this is it! Rusty does an amazing job with this investigative and compelling piece! Bonus points for no ads! This podcast is very well produced. The transitions from one story to the next are exquisite, backed up by audio recordings which are good quality and are not difficult to hear (unlike most of the other podcasts I’ve listened to). It helps if you watched Wild Wild Country on Netflix or watch after listening to this!

Seriously this guy did a much much better job

As a granddaughter of a former sanyassin. This is AMazing!!! I just want more. And wish I could be alive at that time. What a great story teller. My Grama and grampa and mom lived in a commune In Minneapolis and traveled to the ranch several times. Super crazy stories

I am a podcast junkie, and this one is too-notch! The subject matter is fascinating, but the in-depth research and great production values make it exceptional. It’s an impressive project.

Amazing work, Rusty! I’m so excited to hear that you followed up the podcast with a book. I still have questions that are unanswered!

As a former resident of the Ranch, I feel that Rusty gets it just about right. I learned things from this podcast that I didn’t know- even though I lived there, and there’s still so much more to the story left untold. I would really love more episodes of this podcast. I can’t get enough. Rusty really does quite a thorough and entertaining job. One aspect I’m interested in, is how our experiment fit in with the history of the state, as a whole. I feel this aspect is worth exploring, as it is my understanding that Oregon was founded with the idea of it being a white separatist area, during reconstruction after the Civil War. Anyway, it was an unbelievable, inexplicable experience, intended to be an experiment to provoke God, as well as to create a Heaven on Earth. What a great idea that human beings can sing and dance and pray and meditate and love every day! Why did I feel like my feet never touched the ground? What did we do right? What is a “Buddhafield”? It was like flying. It was a remarkable experience for most of us lucky common folk, who didn’t get our hands dirty, even though we were getting shot at by the local rednecks. I wouldn’t trade that time and place for anything. It was one-of-a-kind. Of course, then there was the crushing disappointment and shock of discovering some of our leaders were criminals, and that took years to sort out. There are still things that are not sorted, like Vivek’s suicide. I also feel that reparations are owed to the Share-A-Home participants that we exploited. They didn’t deserve to have their hearts broken like that! I feel horrible for the way they were used and dumped. We also owe the city of Portland and the other nearby towns that absorbed the homeless that we abandoned. I expected better from us and I hope one day we can redeem ourselves.

Great podcast. It’s incredible how much information was left out of Netflix’s Wild, Wild Country. But the series suddenly ends without a conclusion. The host ends the last posted episode with promises to do more shows to finish the story...and then nothing. What happened?

If you found Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” interesting, this is a must-listen. Lots of additional details and context. Very well done.

I’ve listened to a few other podcasts that featured the Rajneeshpuram/Bhagwan and this is by far the most enjoyable and most in depth podcast about the Rajneesh! Finished Wild Wild Country still left with a lot of questions so this is awesome. Thank you!

Everyone should listen. Rusty is an awesome storyteller! I can picture everything! It’s just perfect, right down to the music! From something I honestly knew nothing about, to learning everything in a sequence that’s easy to understand Highly recommend this series!

Journalism as it should be. The depth. The evenhanded analysis. The sass.

Where Rusty at? You can’t leave it here, dude! Where’s the next episode? #FullyAddicted ...Please, please come back and make more episodes! What happened next, Rusty? Inquiring minds want to know! BTW, your website is awesome, too! Thank you so much for listing all of your sources. I have found it an invaluable reference. I also want to thank you for picking up where the docuseries left off. I’m getting a much better picture of the full story. Please do consider making a Season 2 and Season 3, at least.

Does anyone know the name of the song that plays in the first episode that roughly starts around 7:30.

Really well done podcast that is very binge-able. Well researched and presented in a captivating manner. I wish there were more.

For anyone who saw Wild Wild Country and wanted to learn more - this is an incredible resource. To say the Netflix doc leaves a ton of important background material out is a vast understatement. I had no idea the underlying story was so complex - to the point where I almost feel the documentary was misleading with regards to some of the material that was glossed over or disregarded entirely. Beyond that, for podcast aficionados - the quality and depth of Building a Utopia is second to none. Definitely hoping to see more content over time!

Very well researched & produced. Definitely recommend.

So captivating! The host and all involved do a great job of intelligently telling this story. Bonus: great background music laced in now and then!

I was looking for podcasts that cover cults when I saw "Building Utopia" being recommended on reddit. I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often given Netflix's "Wild, Wild Country" documentary. This is Rusty King's first podcast but it feels like the work of a much more experienced host. He even composes his own music for the show! The story well-researched and he presents it in a comprehensive and compelling way. He weaves together so many different aspects about the group to give us the bigger picture. While the stories of Sheela and other high-ranking members are already attention-getters, I especially appreciate Rusty talking about rank-and-file members and what their daily lives were like. To understand groups like the Rajneeshees and how they could get as far as they did, it's worth knowing why would anyone join such a group in the first place and why would they stay for years on end. I also recommend checking out the "Building Utopia" website as it's where Rusty cites his all of his sources and provides extra material like photos and interesting tidbits that he cut for time. I hope Rusty does more podcasts like this one!

This is a super well produced and underrated podcast! The narrator is extremely knowledgeable and he sets up all the episodes in an informative and engaging format. So glad I found this!

Such an interesting story, well-produced and the host is super engaging. Just great!

Love Rusty’s style. The storytelling is captivating and the music is great.

In a time of free love, Rusty paints a comprehensive picture of the evolution of the man and his unique spiritual movement. With his eye for detail, Rusty sets the stage for each of the colorful characters in this melodrama and brings compelling evidence for the true motivations behind their oftentimes ruthlessly effective tactics. In a modern era of fear of the “other,” Rusty also analyzes the response of the local townsfolk in Oregon who found their way of life upended and their fragile sense of community shaken by the introduction of the maroon-clothed, enlightenment-seeking pilgrims. Truly impactful!

This podcast is SO comprehensive all while being very entertaining. Rusty is such a great story teller!

I watched the Netflix series Wild Wild Country and, like everyone else with a pulse, I was fascinated. This podcast takes you further down the rabbit hole and the storytelling is so well done. The description of every scene puts you right in the middle of story as if you’re experiencing it yourself. Not to mention, the storyteller has a way of hypnotizing you making you feel as if it is your best friend reading you a compelling novel. It’s approachable, well researched and you won’t regret subscribing immediately!

I watched the Netflix documentary but am learning so much more of the story with Rusty’s detailed reporting. Love this podcast!!

I’m loving this. I listen to a lot of podcasts and it takes a lot to get me to try a new one, but I’m so glad I dove into “Building Utopia.” I love a good cult so I was immediately intrigued by the topic and this didn’t disappoint. Not only is the subject matter fascinating, but the research is meticulous, and the delivery is totally engrossing. Rusty King does a great job keeping you on the edge of your seat. Every episode flys by! Even if you’ve seen “Wild, Wild Country”, there’s so much more to learn here. Can’t wait for more!

I listen to a lot of different kinds of podcasts so I kinda feel like I’ve got some knowledge to draw upon. I also watched the Netflix series, Wild Wild Country, which is also about the Bhagwan and ended up reading more about cults in general. This podcast is a refreshing take on the story. Rusty is a great storyteller and through his words, I feel like I’m walking on the grounds of the Ashram. The story moves along at a steady pace and even though I know the main events, I was still engaged, moved, educated and left pondering the how this group came to be. Binged the available episodes and awaiting more.

You wanted to know more?!?! Rusty gives you more...so much more. This podcast is so well produced and researched. A must listen!

Absolutely fascinating!! Thanks Rusty!!

This podcast series is a very through and well researched journey down the rabbit hole of the Bhagwan and the Rajneeshes. Rusty King’s voice is soothing and engaging. Can’t wait to listen to more!

If you loved Wild Wild Country like I did, but still had lingering questions, search no further! This pod has super in-depth research and great storytelling. I was instantly hooked!

Great podcast, and I can't wait to hear more. Well-researched, thougtful, and addictive. Couldn't ask for more!

Rusty delves deep inside this world, showing the charisma, audacity, and ridiculousness of Bhagwan.

Omg this is addicting!!!! Can’t wait for the next one to come out!! Rusty King does a great job of painting this crazy, exciting, and sometimes debaucherous story.