Skip to content

Don’t punish yourself to make the world a better place

Why do Westerners go to extremes in following Eastern spiritual paths?

Published:
Scottcarneycropped3.jpg
Scottcarneycropped3.jpg

Credit: Gotham Books. All rights reserved.

When Emily O’Conner leapt to her death from the roof of a dormitory in the Indian town of Bodh Gaya, she believed she was a Bodhisattva—an enlightened being who didn’t need her body anymore. She was part of a group of American exchange students who travelled to India in search of spiritual experiences in the mid-2000s.