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A Death on Diamond Mountain: A True Story of Obsession, Madness, and the Path to Enlightenment
Unavailable
A Death on Diamond Mountain: A True Story of Obsession, Madness, and the Path to Enlightenment
Unavailable
A Death on Diamond Mountain: A True Story of Obsession, Madness, and the Path to Enlightenment
Audiobook9 hours

A Death on Diamond Mountain: A True Story of Obsession, Madness, and the Path to Enlightenment

Written by Scott Carney

Narrated by Fred Stella

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

An investigative reporter explores an infamous case where an obsessive and unorthodox search for enlightenment went terribly wrong.

When thirty-eight-year-old Ian Thorson died from dehydration and dysentery on a remote Arizona mountaintop in 2012, the New York Times reported the story under the headline: "Mysterious Buddhist Retreat in the Desert Ends in a Grisly Death." Scott Carney, a journalist and anthropologist who lived in India for six years, was struck by how Thorson's death echoed other incidents that reflected the little-talked-about connection between intensive meditation and mental instability.

Using these tragedies as a springboard, Carney explores how those who go to extremes to achieve divine revelations-and undertake it in illusory ways-can tangle with madness. He also delves into the unorthodox interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism that attracted Thorson and the bizarre teachings of its chief evangelists: Thorson's wife, Lama Christie McNally, and her previous husband, Geshe Michael Roach, the supreme spiritual leader of Diamond Mountain University, where Thorson died.

Carney unravels how the cultlike practices of McNally and Roach and the questionable circumstances surrounding Thorson's death illuminate a uniquely American tendency to mix and match eastern religious traditions like LEGO pieces in a quest to reach an enlightened, perfected state, no matter the cost.

Aided by Thorson's private papers, along with cutting-edge neurological research that reveals the profound impact of intensive meditation on the brain and stories of miracles and black magic, sexualized rituals, and tantric rites from former Diamond Mountain acolytes, A Death on Diamond Mountain is a gripping work of investigative journalism that reveals how the path to enlightenment can be riddled with danger.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 17, 2015
ISBN9781501228674
Unavailable
A Death on Diamond Mountain: A True Story of Obsession, Madness, and the Path to Enlightenment
Author

Scott Carney

Scott Carney is an investigative journalist and anthropologist, as well as the author of the New York Times bestseller What Doesn’t Kill Us. He spent six years living in South Asia as a contributing editor for WIRED and writer for Mother Jones, NPR, Discover Magazine, Fast Company, Men’s Journal, and many other publications. His other books include The Red Market, The Enlightenment Trap and The Wedge. He is the founder of Foxtopus Ink, a Denver-based media company. 

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Reviews for A Death on Diamond Mountain

Rating: 3.2857142857142856 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Death on Diamond Mountain was a fun, fascinating and fast-paced read that is well-written and very engaging. I will let all of the other reviewers (and you, if you care) debate about the actual facts presented--however, regardless of the actual facts, this book does capture something important about Americans who get obsessed with "exotic" religious and philosophical practices and how their desire for meaning can lead them into dangerous situations with problematic leaders and untenable patterns of thought. It's like a Buddhist "Devil in the White City", with a bit more journalistic language, way more Buddhism, and far less Chicago.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fascinating exploration of the lengths individuals will go to fulfill their spiritual hunger. Although it is about a breakaway Tibetan Buddhist sect, it is a universal story about what happens when individuals hand over their moral authority to another individual and when they are willing to uncritically believe. Carney does a great job of interweaving the story of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the bloody history of Arizona and the rise of blood diamonds into the story of one troubled man looking for enlightenment.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I confess I was pulled in to requesting this book because the title sounded intriguing, but had I realized that it was a lengthy tome about the death of a young man sucked into Buddhism by his "search for spirituality" I would not have requested the book. The book appears to me to be the author's attempt to salve his conscience for the part he feels he played in the death of a young woman under his care as he led an abroad program of American students in India. A ten-day silent meditation retreat studying the "karmic cycle of death and rebirth and to cultivate an attitude of compassion for all living things" ended with the suicide of one of his 21-year old charges. Clearly the author has something of an understanding of the tenets of Buddhism as well as an empathy towards them. I personally don't understand it as his book talks of among other things, demons, blood sacrifice, and never seems to show how Buddhism has added one bit of good to the world as a whole. But that's my bias; I do recognize the spiritual warfare that he speaks of, but attribute it to the master liar, Satan, and people's determination to run away from God. One thing I did find odd especially in this book, however, was Carney's regular insistence that this small group out in Arizona had some major following. I'm 62 years old, spent three months in India myself as a young person, and never have run into these masses of people who've bought into Eastern religions. Maybe it's because I live in the Midwest. But I have seen many people who've given their lives to the betterment of their fellow man, fighting ebola in Africa, AIDS in Africa and the US, hunger worldwide, human trafficking, and most of them follow the one spiritual teacher that can be counted on - Jesus Christ, Son of God, who saves from sin. I'll bet on Him in an instant.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a fascinating exploration of the shadowy and mysterious world of Gurus who set themselves up as teachers of Tibetan Buddhists Tantra in the U.S. Well researched, and well written, Carney provides enough background detail and Buddhist information for the lay reader to understand and enough detail that the Buddhist practitioner does not feel spoken down to. I enjoyed reading it and would like to see more information about correlations between intensive meditation and mental illness and personality changes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review is for an advance copy.An interesting delve into the fine lines between extreme spiritual quests and madness. The author is up front about his attempt to understand the suicide of a young woman at a meditation retreat he attended. By telling the story of Ian Thorson's death at a retreat, author Scott Carney seeks to gain insights into the parallel story of the young woman's suicide. The book touched on some of the history of Tibetan Buddhism. There was quite a bit of information about controversial interpretations of Buddhist texts. And enough intrigue, sex and lies to keep the story interesting and moving forward. The author essentially asks, was Diamond Mountain "university" an idealist's religious institution, or a cult-like organization devoted to propping up the founder's ego? Was this path to enlightenment in and of itself ultimately the cause of Thorson's death? Or were there underlying mental health issues? I think Carney does a fine job of shining some light into these dark corners.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At the center of A Death on Diamond Mountain is a love triangle involving three American devotees of an idiosyncratic offshoot of Tibetan Buddhism: spiritual seeker Ian Thorson, his guru Geshe Michael Roach, and Christie McNally, the woman both men revered as an "angel", a "lama", and even as an earthly emanation of Vajrayogini, a highly sexualized, "diamond-like" goddess. As the title implies, this unstable configuration led to the tragic, preventable death of one of the principals. Reporter and anthropologist Scott Carney provides interesting insights into Roach's Americanized brand of Buddhism, which promises worldly success to those who follow the dharma. But because the three main characters were not available to tell their sides of the story, Carney's perspective is necessarily limited. There are also a number of digressions that interrupt the narrative's flow. Nonetheless, this is a well-researched look at religious obsession.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Again, an Early Reader selection takes me outside of my usual reading material to offer something interesting and different which I would have never found on my own! Great story of how an intelligent young man can flirt with harmless mysticism, like so many do, but get pulled into what is really a cult. My only criticism is that I would have loved to have some photos... after all, this happened in 2012. I have to admit I skimmed a lot of the history of Buddhism, not interested.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was another book with a really interesting take on what happens when a human being takes their belief system to the extreme. In this nonfiction read, Carney weaves the history of Buddhism and meditation through the tragic tale of a group who went so far beyond it ended in the preventable death of a young man. This book is well-balanced; Carney has done his research, and manages to explore the beauty of Buddhism and all the positivity it can offer, while contrasting that with the consequences of pushing anything past its limits.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ian Thorson, a Stanford graduate, became involved in the throes of Tibetan Buddhism, and, in his quest for Nirvana, became alienated from his family and more devoted to his heart lama (teacher) Michel Roach. Fearing for the health and sanity of Ian, his parent hired professional "deprogrammers" to attempt to convince their son of his errant ways.I found reading this book extremely scary, not only because of what happened specifically to Ian, but for the overall danger of what can happen to any individual who gives himself over to an ideology or a leader and loses himself in the process. Such situations happen time and again in all cultures and religions throughout the world. People must learn not to lose themselves or their individuality in the throes of what others force them to do. Individuals should be wary of confinement, either physical or psychological, and use whatever power necessary to avoid being drawn into such situations.I like how the story was told, both from Ian's perspective and from that of Ian's family. I would like to see individuals communicate honestly with one another to bring out the best in each other without destroying others in the process.This was a very intriguing, but totally sad, read. Take the lessons of this book to heart, readers.I found this book to be a fascinating account of one man's being drawn into the world of Tibetan Buddhism, but I'm now still left with the question as to where reality stops and psychosis begins. As the author states, "Anthropologists have long known that magic has real-world effects even if the underlying causes could be purely psychological". Scott Carney's book of investigative journalism asks, but does not answer, the question: how much of Tibetan Buddhism as practiced in the west is genuine, and how much has a whiff of "underlying charlatanism"?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enlightment with a side order of madness.As a meditator of many years I am well aware of the transformative nature of this discipline. While not using a spiritual component in my practice I am still, on occasion, awestruck when I finally hit that oh-so-elusive Flow/Bliss state. If used as a vehicle for spiritual enlightenment I can well see why the Eastern tradition follows a strict protocol of ongoing instruction, intense practice and a giant dose of humility - this is powerful stuff and not to be taken lightly. Contrast this deeply contemplative philosophy with the Western mindset of Action, Achievement, and Multitasking and it is easy to see that the two might not play well together. This clash and the resulting collision of a bad blending is the story behind A Death on Diamond Mountain. By all accounts Michael Roach was the picture of All-American promise and potential; that is until a series of family tragedies shook him to his core. Not finding the solace he needed in Western religions he instead turned to the Eastern way - Tibetan Buddhism to be exact. Here were the answers he was looking for and he threw himself into the discipline with a drive that earned him the highly revered title of 'geshe'; the first American to have achieved this honor. Roach was an enterprising sort and any problems he felt stood in the way of his chosen mode of practice were quickly dealt with even if the 'fix' didn't quite fit traditional Buddhist standards. A prime example of this is how he combined his Buddhist practice with trading in the New York diamond trade. His earnings were directed to the impoverished monastry he was affliliated with so any qualms that may have existed were overlooked. It was difficult to argue with success; followers were flocking to Roach's Three Jewels Center in New York. Still there was an 'ends justifying the means' way about him. This began to come to a head when Roach decided that the one thing missing in his quest for enlightment was solitude so he set about finding a retreat center. His vision was made manifest in the Arizona desert with a collection of yurts he called Diamond Mountain University. And it was with this wished for solitude that things began to unravel. Roach began displaying the obsessive and controlling behavior of a cult leader while the meditation practice had more in common with brainwashing than a search for the Divine. Tensions rose, power struggles ensued until finally and fatally one of Roach's followers died due to overexposure.In all the time I have practiced meditation (decades actually) the most dire warning I ever received was a suggestion to be careful on one's choice of instructors. It did not occur to me that this altered mind state could tip into madness; making this book very eye-opening for me. Author Scott Carney unravels what happened on Diamond Mountains and the events that led to that result with sharp clarity. I believe this is due to he himself having experience with meditation going awry and this brings a special depth to his writing. Pointing out the horror that can unfold when someone who is either unaware or unbalanced twisting meditation to dark purposes gives one pause - the warning is clear. Anyone interested in meditation, whether of a spiritual nature or not, would do well to read this book. Others readers who could find much to like would be those interested in cult psychology and/or true crime fans. Excellent.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    WARNING: Many reviews say that this book is well researched. It is NOT. There are egregious errors in the sections covering the introduction of Buddhism into the West. For instance, the author dates the "Great Awakening" (presumably the 2nd Great Awakening (ca. 1790-1840)) after the US Civil War (1861-1865). He seems to be completely ignorant of when events in 19th century US history took place. (Since there is a book in his bibliography that would have gone over this material carefully, he obviously wasn't doing a good job of research). He also ignores areas of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism in the US that might have shed light on his subject.Since I know little about the history of Buddhism in Tibet, I can't speak to those sections, but I certainly took every historical thing he said with a big grain of salt.The actual incidents surrounding Ian Thorson's life and death, which must have been covered in the original article, seem well substantiated.A second problem, from my point-of-view, is that Scott Carney believes in spiritual phenomenon and seems comfortable with the idea that intense spiritual experience could lead to death. My materialist outlook did not find anything particularly interesting about that idea. In addition, I fail to see how acts like the ones portrayed in this book could be tolerated in a religion that prides itself on being the middle way and treating all beings with compassion. But then, I suppose, over time any idea can be corrupted.There is some good stuff towards the end on meditation and mental illness, but mostly this is just another gurus gone wrong tale with a tragic ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A tragic lesson about unchecked mental pursuits and foolish idolization by all characters involved. Expected to read a more narrowly-focused story on the life and death of Ian, and instead got to learn about this "Buddhist" cult in the cult-excessive state of Arizona. I enjoyed the structure of this book and the layers of Buddhist history, the birth of this particular cult, and its evolution of leaders and followers. Would read a follow-up by Carney just about Christine McNally. Enjoyed Carney's take as a Westerner that tried to adopt an Eastern religion himself. Although he doesn't write this himself, his own sad introductory story of Western cultural appropriation disguised as reverence set the tone perfectly. With all of the fascination with Eastern religions, this was only my second introduction to things like lung condition and other maladies from improper (and often quite excessive) breathwork from typically overzealous Westerners. This book made me reflect on where the boundary is between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, however well-meaning one's intentions might be.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great read. Engrossing, well-researched and well-written. I appreciated the author's exploration of the story in the broader context of western obsessions with eastern religion, and how it can go awry. Sadly illuminating.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I came to this book to learn more about the disappearance and ultimate death of Scott Carney, as well as the workings of a largely dysfunctional spiritual retreat, but I stayed because of Carney's unexpected wealth of incidental information on conflict diamonds, ancient Tibetan text preservation projects, and various neuroscience/psychological conditions associated with intense forms of yoga, mantras, meditation, and lengthy periods of silence. A recommended read for any introspective Western Buddhist wannabe feeling a need to explore their inner psyche using ancient Tibetan rituals.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carney does an excellent job retelling this story which was relegated to a short article in the NY Times but otherwise minimal national attention. Carney brings some of his own background in Eastern religions and weaves together a long narrative that includes a significant but much appreciated background on the various characters as well as Buddhism itself. The attention to detail is impressive and it soon becomes obvious that Carney spent many hours putting this story together. There are some slight missteps in the editing as well as often repeating the same descriptive statements in multiple chapters but as a whole does give the reader a much more informed and nuanced overview of what happened at Diamond Mountain.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    While I liked this book, something along the reading path always kept me from loving it. And I was surprised that shortly before completing "A Death on Diamond Mountain," I set it aside and returned to it when I had time, rather that being desperately unable to put it down (as I certainly would have hoped).The title is misleading. This is not really a book about the death of the protagonist, Ian Thorson. In fact, that seems to be mostly a postscript. We don't really come to understand why Thorson died as he did because the only person who might have been able to explain - his wife - already wrote a lengthy article on the subject in Rolling Stone. She did not even speak with author Scott Carney.And so "A Death on Diamond Mountain" turns into a lot of information about everything BUT Thorson's death.The reader comes to understand a great deal about the author himself, about Thorson as a young man, about Tibetan Buddhism and about an odd figure named Geshe Michael Roach, who was both a profound and unhealthy influence on Thorson (and also would not speak with the author). And these are all very, very interesting. But they do not, ultimately, provide enough insight into Thorson's unusual death."A Death on Diamond Mountain" is well-written, but I would advise readers not to go into the book hoping for answers, because they will leave disappointed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    While the basis of the book is about a young man's religious obsessions and subsequent death, it also gives the reader a glimpse into the making of what is referred to as a fringe religion (or as most would say, a religious cult). Carney also introduces the reader to Michael Roach, the man who created the religious offshoot that captured Ian Thorson's attention and loyalty. Very interesting, intriguing read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book was well-researched and provided a lot of background information which was important to understanding what ultimately happened in the cave with Ian Thorson and Christie McNally. The material was dense since it was a lot of new information (at least for me) and I had to read it in chunks so that I could process what I read.The book provided a lot of information on the histoy of Tibetan Buddhsm both how it was interpreted by Geshe Michael Roach, and how more traditional scholars and practitioners view the religion. It also gave a history of how the religion was brought to the West, and how difficult it was for a westerner to understand. Over time Geshe Michael Roche strayed from the original teachings to fit his own lifestyle, sense of self-importance and means as many other leaders of religions sects have done in the past. The author mentioned the Jon Krakauer book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith and there were some parallels between the two religious leaders in both books and how they recruited groups of followers to their ideals and beliefs. Scott Carney mentioned the difficulty of researching the book because one of the vows of the Budhist canon is against idle talk and they cannot talk negatively about the community of Budhists. I appreciated the footnotes that were included to provide more background information. The glossary at the end of the book was also helpful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Scott Carney, an investigative journalist ,who spent 6 years in India has written a very detailed book on the life and death of Ian Thorson. Thorson became heavily involved in a Buddhist cult headed by Michael Roach. Carney spent time with Thorson's family and was able to read his notes , the papers he saved over the years. The family tried many times to help their son break from the cult. I feel Carney was able to write a very honest description of the life and the downward spiral of Thorson. This is a very sad book but a very good book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A Death on Diamond Mountain is the true story of a charismatic leader of a Buddhist movement and a gullible follower seeking peace on earth and beyond. Author Scott Carney, an investigative journalist and anthropologist, gives an interesting description of Tibetan Buddhism and the Americans who were drawn to the Dalai Lama’s methods of reaching Nirvana, the state of enlightenment. The charismatic leader is Michael Roach who became interested in Buddhism while in the US and in his travels to India and Tibet. He was a good public speaker and was able to lecture to people about concepts of the religion that were difficult to explain or measure. This required that he stray from the actual teachings of the lamas, developing his own interpretation of Buddhism. The leaders, including the Dali Lama, did not appreciate his work and the success he had at gathering followers. But, money talks and Roach showed that he was good at money management and became a great help in bookkeeping for leaders in Buddhist temples. This gave him an opportunity to bridge a gap between commerce and religion, facilitating income through work in the international diamond trade. He was a great trader and salesman becoming wealthy and influential among Buddhist leaders even though he was connected to people profiting from “blood diamonds.”Ian Thorson was the gullible seeker of inner peace who saw Buddhism as the path to his personal search for inner peace. He worked hard at techniques of the religion, meditating for long hours. Family members worried about the physical effects of Ian’s dedication to Buddhism realizing his interest in the path to enlightenment was becoming an unhealthy obsession. In spite of all of his efforts and adherence to Roach’s teachings, Ian could never quite reach the inner peace he sought. The story contrasts the motivation to seek Nirvana by a man who does not take the religion seriously enough and one who takes it too seriously.Mr. Carney gives a well-documented account of the lives of the two men and the people they knew. The reader never gets to know well the personalities of Roach and Ian and never gets a description of the appeal of Buddhism to strong and weak followers. Carney admits the definitions of Buddhist terms, in spite of careful research, are elusive. The appeal appears to be the lifelong relationship with a personal Buddhist lama, and an acceptance of faith that both are on the right track to enlightenment. The lack of insight into the two men reinforces the notion that Roach’s work resulted in the creation and maintenance a profitable cult centered in the Arizona desert centered on the appropriately named “Diamond Mountain.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A tragic account of the depths of obsession that can consume souls seeking peace and truth. Scott Carney unravels the unbelievable circumstances leading up to an easily preventable death in Arizona. This is an intriguing true story involving searching, meditation, trust, faith, love and finally death.How this could happen in America is a burning question, which is only understood by following Carney’s journalistic account of actual attempts to achieve enlightenment in various spiritual traditions of the world. Carney’s detailed descriptions of the tragic situations endured and accepted by many seekers are startling. The horrifying circumstances are only comprehensible when revealed through his meticulous presentation of the dogged pursuits of certain key individuals toward their ultimate Nirvana. The author presents the facts frankly and without comment, demonstrating through actual events how easily manipulative people can take advantage of those who believe in them and their cause.Misguided, intelligent, faithful, delusional, willing, obsessed and disturbed; these are all characteristics of the actual people followed in Carney’s book. While meditation is enjoying a resurgence in American culture, this is a cautionary tale about the dangers of an intensive meditation practice gone extreme. It is a fascinating look at the complex and yet simple manipulation of earnest souls wishing to be led to spiritual peace, with jubilation, submission, deprivation, and cruelty along the path.A Death on Diamond Mountain is a shocking read, building in horror as you realize the extremes to which some people submit themselves to reach the intangible goal of supreme enlightenment. Read it and you may never be able to think about meditation and the search for Nirvana in the same way again.