Osho
Osho ("Rajneesh" Chandra Mohan Jain, रजनीश चन्द्र मोहन जैन)
Born	11 December 1931 Kuchwada, India
Died	19 January 1990 Pune, India
Nationality	Indian
Movement	Jivan Jagruti Andolan; Neo-sannyas
Works	From Sex to Superconsciousness My Way, the Way of the White Clouds The Book of Secrets

"Rajneesh" Chandra Mohan Jain (Hindi: रजनीश चन्द्र मोहन जैन) (December 11, 1931 – January 19, 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, calling himself Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and taking the name Osho in 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru and philosopher. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Neo-sannyas is a new type of Sannyas introduced by the Indian mystic and philosopher Osho (then known as Acharya Rajneesh later also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language

A professor of philosophy, he travelled throughout India in the 1960s as a public speaker, raising controversy by speaking against socialism, Mahatma Gandhi and institutionalised religion. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos He advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality, a stance that earned him the sobriquet "sex guru" in the Indian and later the international press. Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings In 1970, he settled for a while in Mumbai (Bombay). Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial He began initiating disciples (known as neo-sannyasins) and took on the role of a spiritual teacher. Neo-sannyas is a new type of Sannyas introduced by the Indian mystic and philosopher Osho (then known as Acharya Rajneesh later also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh In his discourses, he reinterpreted writings of religious traditions, mystics and philosophers from around the world. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Moving to Pune (Poona) in 1974, he established an Ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners. Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. An Ashram in ancient India was a Hindu hermitage where sages lived in Peace and tranquility amidst Nature. The Ashram offered therapies derived from the Human Potential Movement to its Western audience and made news in India and abroad, chiefly because of its permissive climate and Osho's provocative lectures. The Human Potential Movement (HPM arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that

In 1981, Osho moved to the United States. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the His followers established an intentional community in Oregon, incorporated as the City of Rajneeshpuram. An intentional community is a planned Residential community designed to have a much higher degree of Teamwork than other communities Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Rajneeshpuram Oregon was an Intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s which was populated with followers In this period, Osho attracted media attention for his large and ever-expanding collection of Rolls-Royce motorcars. A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned Subject to intense hostility and coordinated pressures from many sections of the Oregon population, the Oregon commune collapsed in 1985, when Osho revealed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes, including a salmonella attack on the citizens of The Dalles. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the Food poisoning of more than 750 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States through the This page is about the Oregon town For the nearby geological formation The Dalles see Celilo Falls. Shortly after, Osho himself was arrested and charged with immigration violations. He left the United States in accordance with a plea bargain. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers After a world tour during which twenty-one countries denied him entry, Osho returned to Pune, where he died in 1990. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) His Ashram is today known as the Osho International Meditation Resort.

Osho's syncretic teachings emphasise the importance of meditation, awareness, love, celebration, creativity and humour – qualities that in his view are suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialisation. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. Creativity is a mental process involving the generation of new Ideas or Concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke Laughter and provide Amusement The term socialization is used by sociologists, social psychologists and Educationalists to refer to the process of learning one’s Culture His teachings have had a considerable impact on Western New Age thought; in his home country, India, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant philosophers and mystics of the 20th century. New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature ^[1]

Biography

Early life

Osho was born Chandra Mohan Jain (Hindi: चन्द्र मोहन जैन) in Kuchwada, a small village in the Narsinghpur District of Madhya Pradesh state in India, as the eldest of eleven children of a cloth merchant. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Narsingpur District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP) ( Hindī: मध्य प्रदेश pronounced, Translation: Middle Province) often India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[2] His parents, who were Taranpanthi Jains, sent him to live with his maternal grandparents until he was seven years old. The Taran Panth or Taran(apanthi sect of Digambar Jainism was founded by Taran Svami in Bundelkhand in 1506 Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. ^[3] By Osho's own account,^[4] this was a major influence on his development, because his grandmother gave him the utmost freedom, leaving him carefree without an imposed education or restrictions. At seven years old, his grandfather, whom he adored, died, and he went back to live with his parents. ^[2] He was profoundly affected by his grandfather's death, and again by the death of his childhood sweetheart and cousin Shashi from typhoid when he was 15, leading to an extraordinary preoccupation with death that lasted throughout much of his childhood and youth. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, bilious fever, Yellow Jack or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the Bacterium ^[5]

In his school years, he was a rebellious, but gifted student, and a formidable debater. ^[6] As a youth, Osho became an atheist; he took an interest in hypnosis and was briefly associated with communism, socialism and two Indian independence movements: the Indian National Army and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Atheism Hypnosis is often thought to be a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility with diminished peripheral awareness Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The term " Indian independence movement " is diffuse incorporating various national and regional campaigns agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Militant The Indian National Army ( INA) or Azad Hind Fauj ( Hindi: आज़ाद हिन्द फ़ौज was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ National Volunteers' Organisation) also known as the Sangh or ^[6][2] He began speaking in public, initially at the annual Sarva Dharma Sammelan held at Jabalpur, organised by the Taranpanthi Jain community into which he was born (he participated there from 1951 to 1968). Sarva Dharma Sammelan (Meeting of all faiths is an assembly organized in several places in India WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Jabalpur (lang-hi|जबलपुर}} is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India ^[7] He resisted his parents' pressure to get married. ^[8]

Osho later said he became spiritually enlightened on 21 March 1953, when he was 21 years old. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[9] He said he dropped all effort and hope. ^[10] After what he describes as an intense seven-day process he says he went out at night to the Bhanvartal garden in Jabalpur, where he sat under a tree:^[9]

He completed his studies at D. N. Jain College and the University of Sagar,^[12] receiving a B. A. (1955) and an M. A. (1957, with distinction) in philosophy. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language ^[13] He then taught philosophy, first at Raipur Sanskrit College, and then, from 1958, as a lecturer at Jabalpur University. The University of Jabalpur, also known as Rani Durgavati University, Hindi: रानी दुर्गावती विशवविधालय is a ^[13][14]

1960–1970

In 1960, Osho was promoted to professor at Jabalpur University. ^[14] In parallel to his university job, he travelled throughout India, giving lectures critical of socialism and Gandhi, under the name Acharya Rajneesh (Acharya means teacher or professor; Rajneesh was a nickname he had acquired in childhood). India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January An acharya ( acariya in Pali) is an important religious teacher ( Guru) who teaches by his own example (from Sanskrit 'achara' behavior ^[14][6][15] Socialism and Gandhi, he said, both glorified poverty rather than rejecting it. ^[16] To escape its poverty and backwardness, India needed capitalism, science, modern technology and birth control. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions devices or Medications followed in order to deliberately prevent ^[6] He also criticised orthodox hinduism, saying that brahminic religion was sterile, and condemning all political and religious systems as hypocritical. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. Hypocrisy (or the state of being a hypocrite) is the act of preaching a certain belief religion or way of life but not in fact holding these same virtues oneself ^[16] Such statements made him controversial, but also brought him a great deal of attention. ^[6] From 1962, he began to lead 3- to 10-day meditation camps, and the first meditation centres (Jivan Jagruti Kendras) started to emerge around his teaching, then known as the Life Awakening Movement (Jivan Jagruti Andolan). ^[17] After a speaking tour in 1966, he resigned from his teaching post. ^[14]

In a 1968 lecture series, he scandalised Hindu leaders by calling for freer acceptance of sex; when he was invited the following year – despite the misgivings of some Hindu leaders – to speak at the Second World Hindu Conference, he used the occasion to raise controversy again. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical ^[18] In his speech, he said that "any religion which considers life meaningless and full of misery, and teaches the hatred of life, is not a true religion. Religion is an art that shows how to enjoy life. "^[19] He characterised priests as being motivated by self-interest, incensing the shankaracharya of Puri, who tried in vain to have his lecture stopped. Shankaracharya, ( IAST: Śankarāchārya) is a commonly used title of heads of maţhas (monasteries in the Advaita tradition WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Puri is a city in the east Indian state of Orissa. ^[19]

In 1969, a group of Osho's friends established a foundation to support his work. At the end of June 1970, he left Jabalpur and moved to Mumbai. ^[20] On September 26, 1970, he initiated his first disciple or sannyasin at an outdoor meditation camp, one of the large gatherings where he lectured and guided group meditations. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Sanyasi" redirects here For the motion picture see Sanyasi (1975 film Sannyasa, ( Devanagari: संन्यास His concept of neo-sannyas entailed wearing the traditional orange dress of ascetic Hindu holy men, including a mala (beaded necklace) carrying a locket with his picture. Neo-sannyas is a new type of Sannyas introduced by the Indian mystic and philosopher Osho (then known as Acharya Rajneesh later also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh A Japa mala or mala (Sanskritsa माला mālā meaning Garland) is a set of Beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists ^[21] However, his sannyasins were expected to follow a celebratory, rather than ascetic lifestyle, renouncing only that which prevented them from living totally in the present. ^[22]

In December 1970, Osho moved to Woodlands Apartments in Mumbai, where he gave lectures and received visitors, among them the first Western visitors. ^[20] He now stopped travelling almost completely, and no longer lectured in open public meetings. ^[20]

1971–1980

In 1971, he adopted the title Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ^[23] Shree means Sir or Mister; the Sanskrit title Bhagwan means "blessed one", indicating a human being in whom the divine is no longer hidden, but apparent. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt -stem bhaga-vant- (nominative/vocative sa भगवान् ^[24][25]

The climate of Mumbai appeared to have proved detrimental to his health, since he had developed diabetes, asthma and numerous allergies. Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc Asthma is a chronic Condition involving the Respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict become inflamed, and are Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy. ^[23] So, in 1974, on the 21st anniversary of his enlightenment,^[26] he and his group moved from the Mumbai apartment to a property in Koregaon Park, Pune, which was purchased with the help of Catherine Venizelos (Ma Yoga Mukta), a Greek shipping heiress. Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra ^[27] Pune had been the secondary residence of many wealthy families from Mumbai because of the cooler climate (Mumbai lies in a coastal wetland, hot and damp, Pune is inland and much higher, so it is drier and cooler). Osho taught at the Pune Ashram from 1974 to 1981. Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra

The two adjoining houses and six acres of land became the nucleus of an Ashram, and those two buildings are still at the heart of the present-day Osho International Meditation Resort. An Ashram in ancient India was a Hindu hermitage where sages lived in Peace and tranquility amidst Nature. This space allowed for the regular audio recording of his discourses and, later, video recording and printing for worldwide distribution, which enabled him to reach far larger audiences internationally. The number of Western visitors increased sharply, leading to constant expansion. ^[28] The Ashram soon featured an arts-and-crafts centre that turned out clothing, jewelry, ceramics and organic cosmetics and put on performances of theatre, music and mime. ^[29]

Following the arrival of several therapists from the Human Potential Movement^[30] in the early seventies, the Ashram began to offer a growing number of therapy groups as well as meditations. The Human Potential Movement (HPM arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that ^[31] Some of the early therapy groups, such as the Encounter group, were experimental and very controversial, since they allowed a degree of physical violence as well as sexual encounters between participants. An Encounter group is a form of group Psychotherapy that emerged with the popularization of Humanistic psychology in the 1960s ^[31][32] Conflicting reports of injuries sustained in encounter group sessions^[33][34][35] and allegations of drug use amongst sannyasins began to mar the Ashram's image. ^[36] Violence in the therapy groups eventually ended in January 1979, when the Ashram issued a press release stating that violence "had fulfilled its function within the overall context of the Ashram as an evolving spiritual commune. "^[37]

The Pune Ashram was, by all accounts, an exciting and intense place to be, with an emotionally charged, madhouse-carnival atmosphere. ^[29][38] Many observers noted that Osho's lecture style changed in the late seventies, becoming intellectually less focused and featuring an increasing number of jokes intended to shock or amuse his audience. ^[39]

By the latter half of the 1970s it had become clear that the property in Pune was too small to contain the rapid growth of the Ashram and Osho asked that somewhere larger be found. ^[39] Sannyasins from around India started looking for property that could be purchased and used for a larger Ashram and alternatives were found, including in the province of Kutch, Gujarat and in the Himalayas. Kachchh (also spelled as Kutch) is a District of Gujarat state in western India. Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. ^[39][40] Nothing came of many of the ideas, although a castle at Saswad, in the hills above Pune, was purchased and work started on a community there. Pune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters ^[40]

However, plans for a large utopian commune in India were never implemented, as mounting tensions between the Ashram and the conservative Hindu government led by Morarji Desai resulted in an impasse. Morarji Ranchhodji Desai ( मोरारजी देसाई) (29 February 1896 &ndash 10 ^[40] Land use approval was denied and, more importantly, the government stopped issuing visas to foreign visitors who indicated the Ashram as their main destination in India. ^[41]

In addition, Desai's government cancelled the tax-exempt status of the Ashram, resulting in a claim of current and back taxes estimated at $5 million. ^[42] Conflicts with various Indian religious leaders added to the situation – by 1980, the Ashram had become so controversial that Indira Gandhi, despite a previous association between Osho and the National Congress Party dating back to his early speeches made in the sixties, was unwilling to intercede for it after her return to power. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī) ( Née: Nehru (19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984 was the Prime Minister of the The Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) (राष्ट्रवादी कॉँग्रेस पक्ष is an Indian political party based primarily out ^[42] During one of Osho's discourses in May 1980, an attempt on his life was made by a young Hindu fundamentalist. Fundamentalism refers to a "deep and totalistic commitment" to a belief in and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often Religious in nature a reaction ^[39][43]

1981–1985

By 1981, Osho's Ashram hosted 30,000 visitors per year. ^[44] On 10 April 1981, having discoursed daily for nearly 15 years, Osho entered a three-and-a-half-year period of self-imposed public silence,^[40] and satsangs (silent sitting and music, with some readings from spiritual works such as Khalil Gibran's The Prophet) took the place of his discourses. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Satsang ( Sanskrit sat = true sanga = company describes in Indian philosophy (1 the company of the "highest truth" (2 the company of a Guru, and (3 Kahlil Gibran (born Gibrān Khalīl Gibrān bin Mikhā'īl bin Sa'ad; Arabic ar جبران خليل جبران بن ميخائيل بن سعد (born January The Prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays written in English in 1923 by the Lebanese - American artist philosopher and writer Khalil Gibran Then, in mid-1981, Osho went to the United States in search of better medical care (apart from his other health issues, he now suffered from a persistent and very painful back problem). "Back" redirects here For other uses please see Back (disambiguation. ^[45] The move to America seems to have been a unilateral decision on the part of Osho's secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, who wished to ensure the availability of medical facilities in the event of any further deterioration in Osho's health. Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Silverman later Sheela Birnstiel was the personal secretary of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh later known as Osho, from 1981 to 1985 and the ^[45][46] Others attributed the move to the various conflicts that had marred the period preceding his departure from Pune. ^[47] There is evidence that Osho had not initially intended to reside permanently in the United States. ^[48]

After a brief spell in Montclair, New Jersey,^[49] Sheela bought (for US$6 million) a 64,000-acre (260 km²) ranch in Wasco County, Oregon, previously known as "The Big Muddy Ranch", and immediately began setting up the so-called Rancho Rajneesh commune. Montclair (mɒnʔ kɫeɚ or maŋ kleɚ is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Wasco County is a county located in the US state of Oregon. The County is named for a local tribe of Native Americans Within a year of arriving Osho's followers had become embroiled in a series of legal battles with their neighbours, the principal conflict relating to land use. ^[50] This conflict escalated to bitter hostility, and over the following years, the commune was subject to consistent and coordinated pressures from various coalitions of Oregon residents. ^[50][51] In May of 1982, the residents of Rancho Rajneesh (having grown larger in number than the local inhabitants) voted to incorporate the city of Rajneeshpuram. Rajneeshpuram Oregon was an Intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s which was populated with followers ^[50]

Osho greeted by sannyasins on one of his daily "drive-bys" in Rajneeshpuram, 1982.

Osho resided at Rajneeshpuram, living in a purpose-built trailer complex with an indoor swimming pool and other amenities. Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories rather than on site and then taken to the place where they will be occupied Over the coming years, he achieved notoriety for the large number of Rolls-Royce luxury cars^[52] that his followers bought for his use, eventually numbering 93 vehicles. A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned ^[53][54]

As part of his withdrawal from public life, Osho had given Ma Anand Sheela limited power of attorney in 1981, and removed the limits in 1982. A power of attorney (POA or letter of attorney in Common law systems or Mandate in civil law systems is an authorization to ^[55] In 1983, Sheela announced that he would henceforth speak only with her. ^[56] He would later claim that she kept him in ignorance. ^[55] Many sannyasins expressed doubts about whether Sheela truly represented Osho. ^[57] An increasing number of dissidents left Rajneeshpuram, citing disagreements with Sheela's autocratic leadership style. ^[57]

The following years saw an increased emphasis on Osho's apocalyptic vision that the conventional world would destroy itself by nuclear war or other disasters sometime in the 1990s. ^[58] Osho had said as early as 1964 that "the third and last war is now on the way", and had commented in the intervening years on the need to create a "new humanity" to avoid global suicide. ^[59] By the early 1980s, this had become the basis for a new exclusivism, with a 1983 article in the Rajneesh Foundation Newsletter announcing that "Rajneeshism is creating a Noah's Ark of consciousness . . . I say to you that except this there is no other way". ^[59] These warnings contributed to an increased sense of urgency in getting the Oregon commune established. ^[59]

In 1984, Osho also predicted the death of two-thirds of humanity from AIDS. ^[59][60] As a precaution, sannyasins were required to wear rubber gloves and condoms while making love and to refrain from kissing. A condom is a device most commonly used during Sexual intercourse. ^[61][62] This was widely seen as an extreme overreaction; AIDS was not considered a heterosexual disease at the time, and the use of condoms was not yet widely recommended for AIDS prevention. Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation ^[60]

Osho ended his period of public silence in October 1984, announcing that it was time for him to "speak his own truths. "^[63] In July 1985, he resumed his daily public discourses in the commune's purpose-built, two-acre meditation hall. According to statements he made to the press, he did so against Sheela's wishes. ^[64]

On 16 September 1985, Sheela and her entire management team having suddenly left the commune for Europe a few days prior, Osho held a press conference in which he labelled Sheela and her associates a "gang of fascists. "^[65] He accused them of having committed a number of serious crimes, most of these dating back to 1984, and invited the authorities to investigate. ^[65] The alleged crimes, which he stated had been committed without his knowledge or consent, included the attempted murder of his personal physician, poisonings of public officials, wiretapping and bugging within the commune and within his own home, and a bioterror attack on the citizens of The Dalles, Oregon, using salmonella. Wiretap redirects here For the radio program see WireTap (radio program Telephone tapping (or wire tapping / wiretapping in A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug, is usually a combination of a Miniature Radio transmitter with a Microphone. The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the Food poisoning of more than 750 individuals in The Dalles, Oregon, United States through the This page is about the Oregon town For the nearby geological formation The Dalles see Celilo Falls. Salmonella is a Genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes Typhoid fever, Paratyphoid fever ^[65] The subsequent investigation by the U. S. authorities confirmed these accusations and resulted in the conviction of Sheela and several of her lieutenants. ^[66] There was no sufficient evidence to link Osho himself to these crimes. ^[67][66][68]

On 23 October 1985, a federal grand jury issued a thirty-five-count indictment charging Osho and several other disciples, including Sheela, with conspiracy to evade immigration laws. ^[69] The indictment was returned in camera, but word was leaked to Osho's lawyer. In Camera was a musical project of Andrew Gray, who later formed The Wolfgang Press. ^[69] Negotiations to allow Osho to surrender to authorities in Portland if a warrant were issued failed. ^[69][70] Tension peaked amid rumours of a National Guard takeover, a planned violent arrest of Osho and fears of shooting. ^[71] On 28 October 1985, Osho, his personal physician and a small number of sannyasins accompanying them were arrested without a warrant aboard a rented Learjet at a North Carolina airstrip; the group were en route to Bermuda ($58,000 in cash and 35 watches and bracelets worth $1 million were also found on the aircraft). Learjet is a manufacturer of Business jets for civilian and military use North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. ^[72][73][71] Osho had by all accounts been neither informed of the impending arrest nor of the reasons for the journey. ^[70]

Osho's imprisonment and transfer across the country took the form of a public spectacle – he was displayed in chains, held first in North Carolina, then Oklahoma, and finally in Portland. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers ^[74] Officials took the full ten days legally available to them to transfer him from North Carolina to Portland for arraignment. Arraignment is a Common law term for the formal reading of a criminal Complaint, in the presence of the Defendant, to inform him/her of the charges ^[74] After initially pleading not guilty to all charges and being released on bail, Osho, on the advice of his lawyers, entered an "Alford plea" – through which a suspect does not admit guilt, but does concede there is enough evidence to convict him – to two counts of making false statements to a federal official. In the law of the United States, an Alford plea is a Plea in criminal court in which the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence ^[66][75] Under the deal his lawyers made with the United States Attorney's office, he was given a 10-year suspended sentence and placed on five years' probation; in addition, he agreed to pay $400,000 in fines and prosecution costs, to leave the United States and not to return for at least five years without the permission of the United States Attorney General. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement ^[66][73][76]

1986–1990

Osho then began a somewhat enforced world tour, speaking in Nepal, Crete and Uruguay, among others. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America ^[77][78] Being refused entry visas by twenty-one different countries, he returned to India in July 1986, and in January 1987, to his old Ashram in Pune, India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra ^[79]

He resumed discoursing there, although with interruptions due to intermittent ill health. ^[80] Publishing efforts and therapy courses quickly resumed as well, though now in less controversial style, and the Ashram experienced a renewed period of expansion. ^[80] It now presented itself as a "Multiversity", a place where therapy was to function as a bridge to meditation. ^[80] Osho devised a number of new meditation techniques, among them the "Mystic Rose" method, and, after a gap of more than ten years, began to lead meditations personally again. ^[80]

Among his followers, the previous preference for communal living styles receded, most of them preferring to live ordinary and independent lives in society. ^[81] The former red or orange dress code for sannyasins, which had been optional for some time, was finally abandoned in 1987. ^[81]

In November 1987, Osho expressed his belief that his deteriorating health was the result of some form of poison administered to him by the U. S. authorities during the twelve days he was held without bail in various U. S. prisons. ^[82] His doctors hypothesised that he had been poisoned by radiation and thallium, and that he must have slept on his right side on a deliberately irradiated mattress, since his symptoms were concentrated on the right side of his body. Radiation, as in Physics, is Energy in the form of waves or moving Subatomic particles emitted by an atom or other body as it changes from a higher energy Thallium (ˈθæliəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Tl and Atomic number 81 ^[82] This allegation, as disseminated by Osho's one-time attorney, Philip J. Toelkes (Swami Prem Niren), was dismissed outright by U. S. attorney Charles H. Hunter, who stated: "It's a total and complete fiction and you have to consider the source . Charles H Hunter ( May 16, 1876 - January 23, 1906) was an American composer of Ragtime music . . the man has no credibility. " Indeed, Toelkes conceded that there was no evidence to support the claim. ^[83] A less sinister explanation is that Osho, who had been a diabetic for many years, may have suffered from a series of systemic breakdowns in the final stages of his chronic disease, perhaps exacerbated by the stress he had experienced. ^[82]

From early 1988, his discourses focused exclusively on Zen. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. ^[80] In late December 1988, he said he no longer wished to be referred to as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and in February 1989 took the name Osho. ^[80] His health continued to weaken, and he delivered his last public discourse in April 1989. ^[82] In the remaining months of that year, he only sat in silence with his followers. ^[82]

On January 19, 1990 Osho died, aged 58, with heart failure being the publicly reported cause. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply His ashes were placed in his newly built bedroom in one of the main buildings (LaoTsu House) at the Pune Ashram. Laozi ( also Lao Tse, Lao-Tzu, Laotze, Lao Zi, Laocius, and other variations was a philosopher of ancient The epitaph reads, "OSHO. An epitaph (in Greek, &mdash literally " on the gravestone " is a short text honoring a deceased person strictly speaking that inscribed on Never Born, Never Died. Only Visited this Planet Earth between Dec 11 1931 – Jan 19 1990. "

Legacy

The Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune, India, at 200,000 visitors annually, is one of the largest resorts of its kind in the world today.

The events around Rajneeshpuram during the eighties had brought Osho and his movement into disrepute. ^[84] But since Osho's death, there has been a sea change in public opinion in India. ^[85] As early as 1991, an influential Indian newspaper counted Osho, among figures such as Gautama Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, among the ten people who had most changed India's destiny; in Osho's case, by "liberating the minds of future generations from the shackles of religiosity and conformism". Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January ^[86] Since then, his teachings have progressively become part of the cultural mainstream of India^[85] and Nepal,^[87][88] perhaps in part because of his status as a figure who had a large Western following. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. ^[89]

Over 650 books^[90] are credited to Osho, expressing his views on all facets of human existence. ^[51] Virtually all of them are renderings of his taped discourses. ^[51] His books are available in 55 different languages^[91] and have entered best-seller lists in such varied countries as Italy and South Korea. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː ^[84][86]

Osho is one of only two authors whose entire works have been placed in the Library of India's National Parliament in New Delhi (the other is Mahatma Gandhi). The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is the federal and supreme Legislative body of India. New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. ^[85] Excerpts and quotes from his works appear regularly in the Times of India and many other Indian newspapers. The Times of India ( TOI) is a leading English-language Broadsheet Daily newspaper in India. Prominent admirers include the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. The Prime Minister of India is head of the Council of Ministers, appointed by the President to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive Manmohan Singh,^[92] and the noted Indian novelist and journalist, Khushwant Singh. Manmohan Singh (ਮਨਮੋਹਨ ਸਿੰਘ (born 26 September 1932 is the 17th Khushwant Singh (ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ xʊʃʋən̪t̪ sɪ́ŋg born 2 February, 1915 in Hadali, Punjab, which now lies in ^[92] The Osho disciple Vinod Khanna, who worked as Osho's gardener in Rajneeshpuram,^[93] served as India's Minister of State for External Affairs from 2003 to 2004. Vinod Khanna (विनोद खन्ना born 6 October, 1946) is an Indian Actor, Film producer and Politician The External Affairs Minister or the Indian Foreign Minister is a position of office at cabinet level within the Government of India. ^[94] In the West, figures such as the American poet and Rumi translator Coleman Barks,^[95] the American novelist Tom Robbins^[96] and the German philosopher, author and TV host Peter Sloterdijk^[97] have championed Osho. Coleman Barks (born 1937 is an American Poet. Although he neither speaks nor reads Persian, he is nonetheless renowned as a Translator of Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American Author. Peter Sloterdijk (born June 26, 1947 in Karlsruhe) is a German Philosopher.

Osho's Ashram in Pune has become the Osho International Meditation Resort,^[98] one of India's main tourist attractions. Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra ^[99][100] According to press reports, it attracts some 200,000 visitors from all over the world each year. ^[92][101] Politicians, media personalities and the Dalai Lama have visited the Meditation Resort. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile ^[99] HIV/AIDS is still a concern for the Osho movement, and AIDS tests are mandatory for those wishing to enter the resort. ^[102]

Teachings

A true iconoclast, Osho spent a lifetime challenging systems, institutions, and governments that he considered to be atrophied, corrupt, neurotic, or anti-life. ^[103] His teachings were not static but changed in emphasis over time, forming an enormous body of work. ^[103] He revelled in paradox and inconsistency, making it difficult to present more than a flavour of his work. ^[103]

Osho's teachings were not presented in a dry, academic setting, but were interspersed with jokes, and delivered with an oratory that many found spellbinding. ^[104][105] He was a gifted speaker – many have said hypnotic – and extremely well read. ^[106] Conversant with the whole range of traditional Eastern religious thought – Buddhism, Hassidism, Sufism, Jainism, Tantrism, Taoism, to name but a few – he also drew on a great number of Western influences in his teaching. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions ^[107]

On the ego: man as a machine

Osho's view of man as a machine, condemned to the helpless acting out of unconscious, neurotic patterns, reflects the thought of Gurdjieff and Freud. George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (Գեորգի Գյուրջիև Γιώργος Γεωργιάδης Георгий Иванович Гюрджиев (or Gurdjiev) January Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded ^[106][108] His vision of the "new man" who transcends the constraints of convention is reminiscent of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist ^[109] His views on sexual liberation bear comparison to the thought of D. H. Lawrence. The sexual revolution refers to the well-documented changes in social thought and codes of behaviour related to sexuality throughout the Western world that continues to evolve David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930 was an English writer of the 20th century whose prolific and diverse output included Novels short ^[110] And while his contemporary Jiddu Krishnamurti does not seem to have been too fond of Osho's mission, there are clear similarities between their respective teachings. Jiddu Krishnamurti ( Telugu: జిడ్డు కృష్ణ మూర్తి or J ^[106]

Ultimately, Osho's message was a positive one. ^[111] He taught that we are all potential Buddhas, with the capacity for enlightenment. ^[111] According to him, every human being is capable of experiencing unconditional love and of responding rather than reacting to life. Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. ^[111] He said: "You are truth. You are love. You are bliss. You are freedom. "^[112] He suggested that it is possible to experience innate divinity and to be conscious of "who we really are", even though our egos usually prevent us from enjoying this experience. ^[111] "When the ego is gone, the whole individuality arises in its crystal purity. Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the " Psychic apparatus " defined in Sigmund Freud 's structural model of "^[113] The problem, he said, is how to bypass the ego so that our innate being can flower; how to move from the periphery to the centre. ^[111]

Osho views the mind first and foremost as a mechanism for survival, replicating behavioural strategies that have proved successful in the past. ^[111] But by repeating the past, he says, we lose the ability to live authentically in the present. ^[111] We continually repress what we genuinely feel, closing ourselves off from experiencing the joy that arises naturally when we move into the present. ^[111][114] "The mind has no inherent capacity for joy. . . . It only thinks about joy. "^[115] The result, he states, is that we unconsciously poison ourselves with various neuroses, jealousies, fears, etc. , rather than living in joyous, authentic awareness. ^[114] By repressing sexual feelings, for example, we hope to pretend they do not exist. An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual ^[114] But repression only leads to the re-emergence of these feelings in another guise to haunt our lives. Psychological repression, or simply repression, is the psychological act of excluding desires and Impulses (wishes Fantasies or feelings ^[114] The result is a society that is obsessed with sex. ^[114] Instead of repressing, he argues, we should accept ourselves unconditionally. ^[114] "We have been repressing anger, greed, sex . . . And that's why every human being is stinking. . . . Let it become manure, . . . and you will have great flowers blossoming in you. "^[116] This solution could not be intellectually understood, as the mind would only assimilate it as one more piece of baggage: instead, what was needed was meditation. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness ^[114]

On meditation

According to Osho, meditation is not just a practice, but a state of awareness that can be maintained in every moment. ^[114] He used Western psychotherapy as a means of preparing for meditation – a way to become aware of one's mental and emotional hang-ups – and also introduced his own, "Active Meditation" techniques, characterised by alternating stages of physical activity and silence. Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living Active Meditation is the generic term for a number of meditation techniques created by Osho. ^[117] In all, he suggested over a hundred meditation techniques. ^[117]

The most famous of these remains his first, known today as OSHO Dynamic Meditation. OSHO Dynamic Meditation is an Active Meditation technique developed by Osho. ^[117] This method has been described as a kind of microcosm of Osho's outlook. ^[118] It comprises five stages that are accompanied by music (except for stage 4). ^[117] In the first, the person engages in ten minutes of rapid breathing through the nose. ^[117] The second ten minutes are for catharsis: "[L]et whatever is happening happen. Catharsis ( Κάθαρσις) is a Greek word meaning "purification" "cleansing" or "clarification . . . Laugh, shout, scream, jump, shake – whatever you feel to do, do it!"^[117] For the next ten minutes, the person jumps up and down with their arms raised, shouting Hoo! each time they land on the flats of their feet. ^[119] In the fourth, silent stage, the person freezes, remaining completely motionless for fifteen minutes, and witnessing everything that is happening to them. ^[119] The last stage of the meditation consists of fifteen minutes of dancing and celebration. ^[119]

There are other active meditation techniques, like OSHO Kundalini Meditation and OSHO Nadabrahma Meditation, which are less animated, although they also include physical activity of one sort or another. ^[117] His final formal technique is called OSHO Mystic Rose, comprising three hours of laughing every day for the first week, three hours of weeping each day for the second, with the third week for silent meditation. The result of these processes is said to be the experience of "witnessing", enabling the "jump into awareness". ^[117]

Osho believed such cathartic methods were necessary, since it was very difficult for people of today to just sit and be in meditation. Once the methods had provided a glimpse of meditation, people would be able to use other methods without difficulty. ^[120]

On the function of the master

Another key ingredient of his teaching is his own presence as a master: "A Master shares his being with you, not his philosophy. A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others . . . He never does anything to the disciple. "^[121] He delighted in being paradoxical and engaging in behaviour that seemed entirely at odds with traditional images of enlightened individuals. ^[121] All such behaviour, however capricious and difficult to accept, was explained as "a technique for transformation" to push people "beyond the mind. "^[121] The initiation he offered his followers was another such device: ". . . if your being can communicate with me, it becomes a communion. . . . It is the highest form of communication possible: a transmission without words. Our beings merge. This is possible only if you become a disciple. "^[121] Ultimately though, Osho even deconstructed his own authority. ^[122] He emphasised that anything and everything could become an opportunity for meditation. ^[121]

On renunciation

Osho saw his sannyas as a totally new form of spiritual discipline, or "a totally ancient one which had been completely forgotten". ^[123] He felt traditional sannyas had turned into a mere system of social renunciation and imitation. ^[123] His neo-sannyas emphasised complete inner freedom and responsibility of the individual to himself, demanding no superficial behavioral changes, but a deeper, inner transformation. ^[123] Desires were to be transcended, accepted and surpassed rather than denied. ^[123] Once this inner flowering had taken place, even sex would be left behind. ^[123]

On the "New Man"

By the aforementioned means, Osho hoped to create "a new man" combining the spirituality of Gautama Buddha with the zest for life embodied by Zorba the Greek in the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis:^[121] "He should be as accurate and objective as a scientist . Nikos Kazantzakis ( Νίκος Καζαντζάκης) ( February 18, 1883, Heraklion, Crete, Ottoman Empire - . . as sensitive, as full of heart, as a poet . . . [and as] rooted deep down in his being as the mystic. "^[124] This new man, "Zorba the Buddha", should reject neither science nor spirituality, but embrace them both. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding ^[121] He believed humanity to be threatened with extinction due to over-population, impending nuclear holocaust, and diseases such as AIDS, and thought that many of society's ills could be remedied by scientific means. ^[121]

The new man would no longer be trapped in institutions such as family, marriage, political ideologies, or religions. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** ^[125] In this respect, Osho has much in common with other counter-culture gurus, and perhaps even certain postmodern and deconstructional thinkers. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Deconstruction is a term used in Philosophy, Literary criticism, and the Social sciences, popularised through its usage by Jacques Derrida in ^[126] His term the "new man" applied to men and women equally, whose roles he saw as complementary; indeed, most of his movement's leadership positions were held by women. ^[125]

Summary

In the course of his life, Osho spoke on all the major spiritual traditions, including Tantra, Taoism, Christianity, Buddhism, Yoga, the teachings of a variety of mystics, and on sacred scriptures such as the Upanishads and the Guru Granth Sahib. Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji (ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ gurū granth sāhib) or Guru Granth Sahib, is the eleventh and eternal Guru of the ^[125] But the topic that predominated, and on which he came to focus exclusively towards the end of his life, was Zen. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. ^[125]

If Osho's teachings seemed mad, playful or simply absurd, this was no doubt intentional: as an explicitly "self-deconstructing" or "self-parodying" guru, his teaching as a whole was said to be nothing more than a "game" or a joke. ^[126] His early lectures were famous for their humour and their refusal to take anything seriously. ^[126] His message of sexual, emotional, spiritual, and institutional liberation, as well as his contrariness, ensured that his life was surrounded by conjecture, rumour, and controversy. ^[125]

Reception and controversies

"If you really want to know who I am, you have to be as absolutely empty as I am. Then two mirrors will be facing each other, and only emptiness will be mirrored. Infinite emptiness will be mirrored: two mirrors facing each other. But if you have some idea, then you will see your own idea in me. " – Osho^[127]

Appraisal as a thinker and speaker

There are widely diverging views on Osho's qualities as a thinker and speaker. It seems these opinions say as much about the people holding them as they do about Osho.

Khushwant Singh, eminent author, historian and former editor of the Times of India, has described him as "the most original thinker that India has produced: the most erudite, the most clearheaded and the most innovative",^[128] writing that "Osho is really a free-thinking agnostic. Khushwant Singh (ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ xʊʃʋən̪t̪ sɪ́ŋg born 2 February, 1915 in Hadali, Punjab, which now lies in The Times of India ( TOI) is a leading English-language Broadsheet Daily newspaper in India. He [. . . ] can explain the most abstract conception in simple language illustrated with witty anecdotes. He mocks gods, prophets, scriptures and religious practices and gives a totally new dimension to religion. "^[129] Osho's commentary on the Sikh scripture known as Japuji was hailed as the best available by Giani Zail Singh, the former President of India. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. Japji Sahib consists of the Mool Mantra as the beginning followed by 38 hymns and a final Salok at the end of this composition  Giani Zail Singh (ਜ਼ੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ May 5 1916 – December 25 1994) was an Indian politician and member of the The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit ^[85]

The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk has called Osho a "Wittgenstein of religions", "one of the greatest figures of the 20th century"; in his view Osho had performed "a radical deconstruction of the word games played by the world's religions. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Peter Sloterdijk (born June 26, 1947 in Karlsruhe) is a German Philosopher. "^[130] The American poet and Rumi translator Coleman Barks likened reading Osho's discourses to the "taste of fresh springwater. Coleman Barks (born 1937 is an American Poet. Although he neither speaks nor reads Persian, he is nonetheless renowned as a Translator of "^[131] The American author Tom Robbins wrote, "I am not, nor have I ever been, a disciple . Thomas Eugene Robbins (born July 22, 1936 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina) is an American Author. . . [of Osho], but I’ve read enough of his brilliant books to be convinced that he was the greatest spiritual teacher of the 20th century – and I’ve read enough vicious propaganda and slanted reports to suspect that he was one of the most maligned figures in history. "^[128]

Others, expressing themselves in a context that was almost completely hostile, cynical or sarcastic about Osho's movement, found themselves unimpressed by his oratory. ^[132] The author and broadcaster Clive James, for example, scornfully referred to him as "Bagwash", a title which he found it "impossible not to call him if you have ever sat in a laundrette and watched your underwear revolve soggily for hours while exuding grey suds. Clive James AM (born Vivian James, on October 7, 1939 in Kogarah New South Wales) is an Expatriate Australian A self-service laundry is a facility where Clothes are washed and dried The Bagwash talks the way that looks. "^[133] Responding to a fulsome and enthusiastic review of Osho's talks by Bernard Levin in The Times, Dominik Wujastyk, also writing in The Times, similarly expressed his opinion that "the talk was of an extremely low standard, often factually wrong, and wearyingly repetitive. Henry Bernard Levin CBE ( 19 August 1928 - 7 August 2004) was an English Journalist, Author and The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. "^[133][134]

The religious scholar Hugh B. Urban, Assistant Professor of Religion and Comparative Studies at Ohio State University, found Osho's teachings "neither original nor particularly profound", but "consisting in large part of material borrowed from Eastern and Western philosophies. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. " What he found most original about Osho was his keen commercial instinct or "marketing strategy", by which he adapted these teachings to meet the changing desires of his audience,^[126] a theme also picked up on by Gita Mehta in her book Karma Cola: Marketing the Mystic East. Gita Mehta (born in 1943 is an Indian writer and was born in Delhi in a renowned Oriya family of Freedom fighters She is the daughter of legendry ^[135] Bob Mullan, a sociologist from the University of East Anglia, summed up Osho's vast body of writings as a kind of "postmodern pastiche". The University of East Anglia is a campus-based University located in Norwich, England, and founded in 1963 Although he considered his range and imagination second to none, and acknowledged that many of his statements were quite insightful and moving, even profound at times, what remained was a "potpourri of essentially counter-culturalist and post-counter-culturalist ideas, namely: strive for 'love' and freedom, live for the moment, self is important – 'you are okay', there is mystery in life, the fun ethic, the individual is responsible for his own destiny, drop ego (including fear and guilt), and so on. "^[136]

Charisma

Most people who saw Osho in person, whether detractors, admirers, sannyasins or disaffected followers, appear to agree that he was possessed of extraordinary charisma. The word charisma (origin from the Greek word χάρισμα (kharisma, "gift" or "divine favor" from kharizesthai, "to favor" ^[137] Many sannyasins and ex-followers have stated that hearing Osho speak, they "fell in love with him. "^[137][138] Sally Belfrage, who penned a rather disparaging account of life in Osho's Ashram in India, nevertheless confessed on viewing him in person that "he was AB-SO-LUTE-LY RI-VET-ING. Sally Belfrage ( October 4, 1936 - March 1994 was a Writer of 20th century Non-fiction and an International Journalist. "^[137] Frances FitzGerald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote a study of Rajneeshpuram for The New Yorker magazine, stated, "He was – in a way that could not be appreciated on videotape – a brilliant lecturer . See also Frances Fitzgerald (Irish politician Frances FitzGerald (born October 21, 1940) is an American Journalist The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry . . what I had not gathered from reading the lecturers was his talent as a comedian. The jokes sounded better than they read, but far better were the comic riffs he would go off into once or twice in a lecture – little experiments in language and the play of associations. Also, Rajneesh was a world-class hypnotist. One of his lectures ended with a description of a dewdrop sliding off a lotus leaf and being carried down a stream to the ocean. It put virtually everyone in his audience into an alpha-wave state at ten in the morning. "^[139] Hugh Milne, an ex-follower, writes of his first meeting with Osho, "Whatever this marvellous being is doing, it is far more than the words that are passing between us. There is no invasion of privacy, no alarm, but it is as if his soul is slowly slipping inside mine, and in a split second transferring vital information. ^[140]

Alleged personality disorder

In his paper The Narcissistic Guru: A Profile of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Ronald O. Clarke, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Oregon State University, argued that Osho, like other charismatic religious leaders, possessed all the essential features of narcissistic personality disorder, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association. Oregon State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research[[ university]] located in Corvallis, Oregon, United Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD is a Personality disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic classification The American Psychiatric Association (APA is the main Professional organization of Psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the Basing his study for the most part on statements made by Osho himself, Clarke concludes that Osho exhibited a grandiose sense of self-importance and uniqueness; a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success; a need for constant attention and admiration; a set of characteristic responses to threats to self-esteem; disturbances in interpersonal relationships; a preoccupation with grooming combined with frequent resorting to prevarication or outright lying; and a lack of empathy. Personal grooming (also called titivating) is the art of cleaning grooming and maintaining parts of the body Drawing on Osho's reminiscences of his childhood in his book Glimpses of a Golden Childhood, he argues that Osho suffered from a fundamental lack of parental discipline, due to his growing up in the care of overindulgent grandparents. Osho's self-avowed Buddha status, he argues, was part of a delusional system associated with his severe narcissistic personality disorder; a condition of ego-inflation rather than egolessness. A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception ^[141]

Culpability for crimes committed in Oregon

Osho claimed that because he was in silence and isolation, meeting only with Sheela, he was unaware of the crimes committed by the Rajneeshpuram leadership until Sheela and her "gang" left, and sannyasins came forward to inform him. ^[142] A number of commentators have stated that they consider this not even remotely possible and that in their view Sheela was merely being used as a convenient scapegoat. ^{[142][143][144]} Others have pointed to the fact that although Sheela had bugged Osho's living quarters and made her tapes available to the U. S. authorities as part of her own plea bargain, no evidence has ever come to light that Osho had any part in her crimes. ^[145][68]

Sex guru

Osho's liberal views on sex and emotional expression – first formulated in his 1968 series of discourses published under the title From Sex to Superconsciousness – earned him the label "sex guru" in the Indian press, a sobriquet that was later also picked up by the Western media.

The unrestrained behaviour of sannyasins visiting his Pune Ashram^[32] at times caused considerable consternation, dismay and panic among people holding more conventional views on these matters, both in India and the U. S. ^[49] A number of Western daily papers routinely, and falsely,^[146] claimed that Bhagwan – a honorific used for a number of historical and contemporary religious figures in India^[147][24] – meant "Master of the Vagina" and focused their reporting on sexual topics. Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt -stem bhaga-vant- (nominative/vocative sa भगवान् The vagina (from Latin, literally " Sheath " or " Scabbard " is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the Uterus

Rich man's guru

Osho said that he was "the rich man's guru", and that material poverty was not a genuine spiritual value. ^[148] He was photographed wearing sumptuous clothing and hand-made watches. ^[149] He drove a different Rolls-Royce each day – his followers reportedly wanted to buy him 365 of them, one for each day of the year. A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned ^[53] Publicity shots of the Rolls-Royces (93 in the end) appeared in the press, apparently as a deliberate taunt. ^[150][148]

Deconstructionism

Osho attacked traditional concepts of nationalism, expressed undisguised contempt for politicians and poked fun at leading figures of various religions. ^[151] His ideas on sex, marriage, family and relationships contradicted conventional views of these matters and aroused a great deal of anger and opposition around the world. ^[152]

Alleged drug abuse

Osho dictated three books while undergoing dental treatment under the influence of nitrous oxide (laughing gas): Glimpses of a Golden Childhood, Notes of a Madman, and Books I Have Loved. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as " laughing gas," is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula N 2 O. ^[153][154] This led to allegations that Osho was addicted to nitrous oxide gas. In 1985, on the American CBS television show 60 Minutes, Sheela claimed that Osho took sixty milligrams of Valium every day. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Not to be confused with the BBC news magazine program Sixty Minutes (TV series. Diazepam (daɪˈæzɨpæm first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche, is a Benzodiazepine derivative Drug. When questioned by journalists about the allegations of daily Valium and nitrous oxide use, Osho categorically denied both, describing the allegations as "absolute lies". ^[155]

Criminal activity

There have been recurrent allegations that Osho was connected to criminal activity, going back to the early days of the Poona ashram. Pune (ˈpuːneɪ Marathi: पुणे Hindi: पूना formerly Poona, is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra ^[156] Some Western sannyasins were financing their extended stays in India through prostitution and drug running. "Sanyasi" redirects here For the motion picture see Sanyasi (1975 film Sannyasa, ( Devanagari: संन्यास ^[157] A few of them have claimed that, while Osho was not directly involved, he was aware of, and gave his blessing to, this kind of activity. ^[156]

Conclusion

The author of a recent academic study of the Osho phenomenon has remarked that the "answer to whether Osho was a manipulator, addicted to power, etc. , or a radically enlightened spiritual master who continues to offer a joyful, authentic, and enriching – if at times turbulent – path to those who open their hearts to him, seems to rest with the one asking the question, and with posterity. "^[158]

References

Citations

Further reading

External links

• Osho International Foundation
• Excerpt of an Osho discourse on youtube
• Osho Bibliography at Sannyas Wiki