Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain, 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh, and later as Osho (/ ˈ oʊ ʃ oʊ /), was an Indian godman and founder of the Rajneesh movement. During his lifetime he was viewed as a controversial new religious movement leader and mystic.

Osho read an enormous amount of books during his life time, all collected into a library in his Ashram in Poona. It′s one of thelargest private libraries in the world.A Danish professor, Pierre Evald aka,proficient in library organisation, travelled to Poona several times - in 1989, 1999 and 2001 - in order to studyOsho′s library.On there′s more interesting stuff.More recently Neeten compiled an Osho Source Book,.From the preface: 'OSHO Source Book is a comprehensive study of the formative years of Osho′s life and workwith a focus on his reading, book collecting and the dissemination of his message. It covers the years from hisearly childhood (he was born in 1931) through to his departure from Bombay for Poona in 1974. Accordingly thebiography includes his meetings with various spiritual traditions, his academic years in Jabalpur, his enlightenmentand his train rides when he was traveling and lecturing all over India before he in 1970 settled in Bombay. Thearrival of the first Westerners who were coming to be near him in the early seventies is also mentioned, and themain emphasis in this bio-bibliography will be on the very early days when his followers were Indians and Hindi thelanguage of his lectures.' Neeten punctures the ′Osho-never-wrote-myth′ in of his.

Osho′s manuscripts are now at. Osho painted in the inside covers of books uniquely beautiful artwork, which has been. The Osho Times of May 1, 1991:Ma Kavisho, Osho′s librarian, has catalogued 900 books in which Osho painted the endpapers and 3500 in which he coloured his signature. Osho′s paintings show anuninhibited playing with vivid colours of transparent ink. His ink pens often leaked through one or more pages of the books, creating an entirely new painting on thesubsequent pages: a wonderful collision of colours with words. What a delight to discover in Osho not only the rebel, poet and intellect-par-excellence - but the contemporaryartist as well!'

And if a rose need not have a purpose, why should my paintings have a purpose? They are existential.

There is no need for any purpose.' (Osho quoted from I Celebrate Myself) Osho talks about his library and books: Notes:. The well-known writerin May 2008. The copyrights of Osho′s books is claimed by Osho International Foundation (OIF) with offices inNew-York.

▲The Books of Secrets, also called Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, is a Tantric text. Tantra means: tools for transformation. Tantra is composed of two roots: ′tan′and ′tra′. ′Tan′ is related to the English word ′tangible′ and ′Tra′ is related to theEnglish word ′trowel′. You can see that embedded in the word Tantra is atangible tool.

This is to say, that in the book there are meditation techniquesabout transformation while in the multi-dimensional reality that includes thephysical arena. Tantra is very practical and with a Tantra practice, you developa personal toolkit to connect you with the flow of all of life and deepen yourrelationship with life and with the Divine.The Book of Secrets is a series of talks withcommentaries on the 112 meditation techniques given by Shiva to his consort Devi,alternated with question and answer sessions. There is atechnique here, Osho says, for every type of man and woman in the world, fromthe past, present or future. A Few Techniques:. (including the work ofthe Kashmiri Shaivite Master Swami Lakshmanjoo)Yoga The Alpha and the OmegaAnother famous series of 10 books is Osho′s Yoga The Alpha and the Omega, based on Patanjali′s sutras. Osho says:We live in a deep illusion -the illusion of hope, of future, of tomorrow. As man is, man cannotexist without self-deceptions.

Nietzsche says somewhere that mancannot live with the true: he needs dreams, he needs illusions, heneeds lies to exist. And Nietzsche is true. As man is he cannotexist with the truth. This has to be understood very deeply becausewithout understanding it, there can be no entry into the inquirywhich is called yoga.The mind has to be understooddeeply - the mind, which needs lies, the mind which needs illusions,the mind which cannot exist with the real, the mind which needsdreams. You are not dreaming only in the night. Even while awake,you are dreaming continuously.Patanjali and Osho are two awakened ones.According to one of the first sutras of Patanjali their words are asource of true knowledge.One of Patanjali′s Sutras reads.

The Divine MelodyInthis series of ten discourses Osho discusses some of the mostbeautiful songs of Kabir. In one particularly fascinating discourseOsho speaks on the seven chakras, the seven stages through which eachindividual must pass, and a categorization according to which chakrawe function from. Another discourse examines love as 'the only miraclethere is,' and relationships.

In addition, Osho answers questions onsubjects as diverse as homosexuality, prayer, being oneself, thedistinction between ego and individuality, trust, the male and femalewithin each individual, and humanity′s addiction to misery. Philosophia PerennisOshodescribes Pythagoras as 'aseeker of truth par excellence,' who lived in Alexandria and was initiatedinto the mystery schools of Egypt. He then traveled to India, Tibetand China - at that time the whole known world - until he becameself-realized. He found the 'Perennial Philosophy' but was persecutedby his own society. The fragments of his teachings werecollected after his death and written down by a disciple in The GoldenVerses of Pythagoras. In his commentary, Osho expounds on the idea ofthe East and West as representatives of the brain′s two hemispheres,and on the two Pythagorean laws - of necessity and power.

: The Way of the BuddhaOsho calls the incomparable Dhammapada sutras ofBuddha, 'The Book of Books.' He explains that these sutras areconcerned with every aspect of man′s unawareness, and that Buddha′swhole message is devoted to the raising of our consciousness.Toenter into the Dhammapada with Osho is to witness a deep friendshipof enlightened masters. These sutras were compiled by Buddha′sdisciples to contain the essence of all histeachings.

This was thelast turning of the Wheel of Dharma, 2,500 years ago. Osho′scommentaries on these sutras (in 12 volumes) set the Wheel of Dharma in motionagain. Osho also answers questions from disciples and other seekersin alternate discourses all generously sprinkled with stories,personal anecdotes and, of course, a multitude of jokes. Visuallythis boxed set is stunning, without doubt a collector′s set, andtwelve volumes to dive into for years to come. Bodhidharma, a disciple of Buddha, was the first patriarch ofZen. The notes collected by his disciples from Bodhidharma′sdiscourses, contain the essential core of Buddha′s message.Buddha and Bodhidharma are vastly different in their expressionof truth. Osho sees Buddha as the silence of a breeze,Bodhidharma he likens to a storm.

This discourse seriesalternates the eminently readable interchanges betweenBodhidharma and his disciples, and Osho′s response to questionsfrom his own disciples and other seekers. In the words of onejournalist: 'Just by reading these discourses there is a riskyou may be pulverized by their inspiration.' Come Follow Me Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4Osho makes a clear distinction between Jesus the rebeland Christianity that followed after him. Modern combat 5 for pc windows 10. Through thegospels of Matthew, Luke and John he reintroduces Jesus as man,mystic and uncompromising master filled with love, fire andcompassion. As Osho comments on thesayings of Jesus, suddenly what Jesus was trying to impart becomesluminously clear, startlingly relevant.In Osho′s understanding Jesus has been killed twice - once by the Jews and againby Christians who have smothered his insights with interpretations that havelittle to do with his teachings. Osho resurrects Jesus, seeing in his words atruth that the reader intuitively feels to be closer to Jesus′ heart than thatof any priest.

From Sex to SuperconsciousnessWith complete frankness Osho discusses the three stages of sex - physical, psychological and spiritual - and provides guidance on how this raw energy can betransformed into the realization of ultimate consciousness.He explains that when we repress our basic nature, sex takes roots in the unconscious, creating an unnatural obsession. It is this psychic statethat has produced much mental sickness and the widespread perversity of society today.‟Sex is man′s most vibrant energy,″ Osho says, ‟but it should not be an end unto itself: sex should lead man to his soul.″It′s a translation of the 1968 Hindi book: ′Sambhog Se Samadhi Ki Aor′, and added to Osho′s notorious reputation in India. The Book of Wisdom Discourses on Atisha′s Seven Points of Mind TrainingAtisha is one of the rare masters, rare in the sense that he was taught by three enlightened masters. It has never happened before, and neversince.

To be a disciple of three enlightened masters is simply unbelievable - because one enlightened master is enough. But this story, that he was taught by three enlightenedmasters, has a metaphorical significance also. And it is true, it is historical too.The three masters that Atisha remained with for many years were:. first, Dharmakirti, agreat Buddhist mystic. He taught him no-mind, he taught him emptiness, he taught him howto be thoughtless, he taught him how to drop all content from the mind and be contentless.

The second master was Dharmarakshita, another Buddhist mystic. He taught him love,compassion. And the third master was Yogin Maitreya, another Buddhist mystic. He taughthim the art of taking the suffering of others and absorbing it into your own heart: love inaction.This could happen because all these three masters were great friends. They had startedtheir search together; while they were on the way they had remained together, and whenthey attained they were still together.Atisha became a disciple of Dharmakirti. Dharmakirti said to him, 'I will teach you thefirst principle. And for the second you go to Dharmarakshita, and for the third to YoginMaitreya.

This way you will know all the three faces of the ultimate reality, the three faces ofGod - the trinity, the Trimurti. And this way you will learn each face from the person whois the most perfect in it.' These are the three ways people reach to the ultimate. (Osho - The Book of Wisdom #1). Enlightenment: The Only RevolutionThe original working title of the translation from Hindi was ′The Mahageeta′, but the book was published in 1997 under the title′Enlightenment: The Only Revolution′ and contains discourses on the great mystic Ashtavakra.Books by Disciples Journey Of The Heart An Autobiography By Ma Yoga LaxmiLaxmi was Osho′s secretary during the years before Osho movedto the United States. She opened the Shree Rajneesh Ashram in Poona on the 21stMarch 1974.

(online or right-click and save link/target as). a movie on the life of Laxmi. The Bird Has FlownMa Yoga Laxmi, Osho′s exuberant secretary who ran the Poona Ashram in the seventies, left her body on January 6, 1995after a long battle with cancer.Laxmi had been living in Bombay since leaving the commune in the mid-eighties. She told her friend Ma Jyotithat she was tremendously grateful to Osho, particularly for his last message to her. She said, 'I understood that itwas time for me to stop putting energy into outer things and to go in.He knows better than the rest of us what we need.

Now the bells have started ringing and the bird has flown his cage anytimeand Laxmi is ready for that.' (note: Laxmi often referred to herself in the third person.)Her last day began with listening to an Osho discourse. Shortly afterwards she simply slipped away, her hand on her heart,whispering, 'Osho is here.' She said that nobody should mourn her, but celebrate her death.Bombay sannyasins celebrated her death with a beautiful kirtan on her birthday, February 12. (From the Osho Times of March 1, 1995) Indigo Adults By Kabir Jafe and Ritama DavidsonKabir is widely known for his pioneering work with energy, the chakras and astrology.

He is a psychologist and a transformational seminar leader, and with his partner Ritamaleads 'Essence Training' an inner work school, in Frankfurt, Germany. They live in the Caribbean where they have the Esencia Retreat and Energy Training Center.The New Diamond Sutra By Ma Prem ShunyoBeing asked by Osho to write ′The New Diamond Sutra′ Shunyodecides to share her personal journey with the Master,starting in London in the early seventies until Osho leaves his body, andbeyond.

Shunyo has a very intimate view. Soon after arriving in Poona, she wasasked to join the team of Osho′s personal caretakers and to do his laundry. A beautiful,subjective story, heart-warming, juicy, full of laughter and tears.At present Shunyo doesn′t only work together with musician and friend VeetMarco, but also offerswith her friend Anando Heffly.By SamLife of Osho reads like a thriller. Widely praised by teacherson the contemporary satsang circuit.Read the book(pdf-format).Sam was the pseudonym of Swami Prem Paritosh (Chris Gray), who died May 14th 2009.

He was the main founder of the Sannyasnews website. One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas By Ma Dharma JyotiMa Dharma Jyoti is one of Osho′s earliest disciples. She is leadingmeditation camps in various places in India and at Oshodham in New Delhi. One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas can be read onlineand.Allah to Zen By Ma Chetan Unmani and Swami Chaitanya KeertiA book of first hand accounts of people who met Osho: Allah to Zen - AnInsight into the World of Osho.The Silent Whisperings of the Heart By Swami Dhyan Giten. Life is like playing hide the key with God. God has hidden the key and nowit is up to us to find the key again.

It also takes us a while to realize thatthe key is hidden in our own heart. The heart is the door to allow life to guideus. The heart is the door to say 'yes' to life. The heart is the door tosurrender to life.Love is not an exclusive relationship with another person, love is a qualitythat arises when we are in contact with our inner being, our authentic self, themeditative quality within, the inner silence and emptiness. This inner emptinessis experienced by others and is expressed on the outside as love.Real love is to realize that we are one with life. Real love means to understandthat we are one with the other person, with nature, with the trees, the stonesand with the blue sky.

It is to realize that all of life is God. (Giten - The Silent Whisperings of the Heart) Presence - Working From Within By Swami Dhyan Giten. The most important therapeutic capacity is the ability to be present with an open heart and to be grounded in our inner being, in our essence and authentic self, in themeditative quality within, through which we can meet another person. It is to meet that which is already perfect within a person.

(Giten - Presence, Working from Within). Several of Giten′s books can be downloaded for free at (search for Giten)My Dance with a Madman By Swami Anand SubhutiThe author comments: 'The tales in this book are snapshots of an unnecessary journey, undertaken by a man who did not need to go anywhere.

He went in order to helppeople who did not want to be helped, to give them something they already had. He irritated them so badly that 99 percent of them wanted him silenced. But the remaining onepercent loved him, bowed down to him and thanked him for coming. I am one of those. This is my story. This is my dance with a madman. I hope you enjoy it.'

Tears of the Mystic Rose By Swami RajneeshA mysterious love story between a master and a disciple. Download the book and other books by Rajneesh.Forever Is Not Long Enough By Prem Patipada A Seam For the Master By VeenaIt tells the story of how Veena came to design and sow the outfits for Osho′s photo sessions and how she found a clever solution for his ′pre-secured′sleeping garment. (a pdf-file, right-click and ′save link/target as′)Meditations From The World of Osho By Amritshree (K.V.S.

Pillai)A compilation of Osho′s active and silent meditations; the ebook also containsall 112 meditations of the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra (aka Book of Secrets) and has afew interesting articles by professionals using the meditations, as wellas one by Amrito MD on the importance of relaxation.(a pdf-file, right-click and′save link as′)Food is Home By SarjanoItalianSarjano was in charge of the kitchen at the Osho Ashram inPune for over twenty years. He has opened the International Academy of ItalianCooking Arts at his ristorante My Place in Vagator, Bardez, Goa. To everyonewho wishes to learn the subtle art of Italian cooking, he is also available as aFood and Restaurant Consultant; he is a widely traveled Italian chef.Sarjano can be contacted by e-mail -The G.U.R.U. Book By Krishna PremG.U.R.U.

Means ′ Gee yo U a Re yo U′Krishna Prem writes:'It′s no coincidence that G.U.R.U. Has two U′s in it! One U represents thelittle u. That′s the u that gets up in the morning, brushes its teeth, getsdressed, goes out and struts its stuff!

It′s your little local life, you cancall it your your self, your I or your me. Then there′s the other U, whichis your big U. That′s the U who exists beyond your body, your mind and theentire world itself.

It′s the ultimate U, call it God, Source, Existence,call it what you like!And that′s my job here in this book, to help your little u get in touch withyour big U, so you know who U are in total, and that there′s no separationbetween the two!' Tantric Pulsation By Deva AneeshaThis book celebrates Aneesha′s thirty years of experience, working with neo-Reichianmethods of energy release, combined with meditation. It contains boththeoretical and descriptive information about her work with people, which shecalls Pulsation, and also traces the development of a new branch of her work,Tantric Pulsation. Aneesha′s book, 'Tantric Pulsation,' is rooted in the insightsof two of the most controversial figures of the twentieth century,and.Reich was a disciple of Sigmund Freud, the founder of modernpsychology. Reich agreed with Freud that sexual repression lies at the root ofpsychological neurosis, and went on to state that even ordinary, normal humanbeings are incapable enjoying their lives because of widespread sexual andemotional repression practiced by all civilized societies. Reich found that thephysical body stores these repressed energies as tension in the muscles, whichhe called 'muscular armoring.'

He developed a system which uses breathing andbody movement to release this tension, including strong emotional expression.This, in turn, allowes energy to flow freely and naturally throughout the wholebody, inducing a physical state of tremendous aliveness, together with feelingsof relaxation and well-being.Osho, an Indian mystic considered by manya modern Tantra master, also works with life energy through his extraordinaryand transforming '. His Tantra vision, wholly life affirmative,is rooted in acceptance, let-go, meditation, and celebration of life. This is avision which embraces all human experience, from sex to superconsciousness.Aneesha′s methods have grown from these two streams of understanding, onewestern, one eastern. The result is a unique process of self experience andtransformation, both delightful and profound. Listen Little Man By Wilhelm ReichThis is Wilhelm Reich′s honest, disturbing, pungent book to kick each one of us, the average human being, the Little Man, aconscience.

It was written in the summer of 1946 for the Archives of the Orgone Institute. At the time there was nointention of publishing it.It tells how Reich watched, at first naively, then with amazement, and finally with horror, what the Little Man does tohimself; how he suffers, rebels, honours his enemies and murders his friends.This appeal to the little man was a silent response to gossip and slander. When it was written, no one could foresee that agovernment agency charged with the safeguard of public health (the FDA), in league with politicians and psychoanalyticalcareerists, would unleash an attack on orgone research.The decision to publish this appeal as a historical document was made in 1947, when the emotional plague conspired to killorgone research (not to prove it unsound but to kill it by defamation). Little man, you′ve built your house, your life, your culture, your civilisation, your science and technology,your love and your methods of child-rearing, on sand.You don′t know this, you don′t want to know it, and when a great man tells you, you kill him.

(Wilhelm Reich - Listen Little Man). (.pdf file, right-click and ′save link or target as′)Tantra, a Way of Living and Loving By Radha C.

LuglioRadha C. Luglio describes her personal journey of spiritual transformation inwhich she discovers the basic principles of Tantra′s devotion, receptivity,naturalness, meditation and sensuality through a variety of intense experiences.Each chapter is a transmission of Tantric understanding to the reader. Eachbegins with a quote from a different enlightened mystic and ends with a Tantricmeditation technique.While telling her story, Radha draws on a variety of sources, such as VigyanBhairav Tantra, one of the oldest Hindu scriptures, and the sayings of ancientBuddhist Tantra masters such as Tilopa, Naropa and Saraha.She describes her initiation as a disciple to an Indian mystic, Osho, whomshe regards as a modern Tantra master, and the personal guidance she receivesfrom him. Love, happiness, and peace can′t be found outside. To find these things, we must let go of what blocks them - our ego-mind.

If we try to fix something on the outside,instead of knowing who we are from the inside, we continue to suffer. Experiencing and knowing the being has been called enlightenment, self-realization, liberation, and unionwith God. I call it 'healing into consciousness.' - MadaThe book has won multiple book awards: Living Now Book of the Year, Nautilus, Eric Hoffer, and finalist in Indie Excellence Awards.Healer, spiritual reacher, author and founder of a new healing method.She uses, amongst other methods.Hellbent for Enlightenment By Ma Anand Nirgun aka Rosemary HamiltonAn intriguing journey into Nirgun′s experiences in Poona and Rajneeshpuram. This text is the author′s account of her life as a disciple of the notorious Indianspiritual Master Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh also known as Osho.

It traces her spiritual odyssey, as she abandons in 1974 her successful career of co-director of the UnitedCommunities Service in Vancouver, Canada, to embark for Poona in search of enlightenment.Nirgun concludes her book at age 74, writing, 'Scientists tell us that nothing in existence can ever go out of existence. Spiritual folk call it ′life eternal′.For me it′s an inner certainty. Death can take the fading body, the static personality, the prickly ego - take them, and welcome. But it can′t touch the infiniteintelligence that throbs in every atom of our being.' The 9 Dimensions of the Soul By David HeyFor several years, David was the leader of the Codependency groups at Osho Commune in Pune, India. His book covers the ′enneagram of personality′,principally used as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. On the Enneagram of Personality.Confused, almost unrecognizable dilutions of Gurdjieff′s teaching have been concocted by various 'self-help' groups, purveyors of seminars, certainmodern heavily franchised 'religions,' and even cults.

Oddball interpretations of his nine-pointed enneagram find their way into books on 'personalityanalysis.' (Shirley, John in 'Gurdjieff' - Kindle Edition)Money, Spirituality, Consciousness By Mayuri OnerheimIntegrating the financial and spiritual worlds to transform our personal and planetary consciousness.Osho Heart to Heart Tarot By Zorba Designs in PuneThe deck has 79 cards, each with a full-color Osho photo.

The creator of the Osho Zen Tarot and thenew, about Tarot in general and about the decks shecreated. The Osho Transformation Tarot, also called Osho Neo-Tarot, as.Two Lists of Books.Books by Researchers By Judith M. Fox holds a doctorate in the sociology ofreligion from the London School of Economics, University of London.

For morethan twenty years, she has researched new religions, culminating in such booksas The Way of the heart: A Study of Rajneeshism and Sahaja Yoga.She lives in Massachussetts.by SwamiRammurthi.Osho was not in favour of compilations, parts taken from his different books and put together to form another book.His main focus was on complete unabridged books. There are two exceptions, and it seems Osho had them published because:. He could give precise directions as to how they should be made. It was an opportunity to have at least excerpts of his darshan diaries reach a wider audienceRead about these exceptions inDiscussion between Sarito and Keerti (Two sannyasins who were in charge of Osho′s books) Sarito wrote to Keerti:'Osho himself at different times has asked for compilations to be made from his talks, including from the darshan diaries, from World Tour discourses,press interviews, etc. In 'Poona Two,' with Osho′s full support and guidance, a number of compilations were created by sannyasins on specific topics.After they were published, it was felt that these compilations were interfering with sales of the complete discourse books in the Commune′s bookshop.Osho′s suggestion then was that these types of books should be offered to outside publishers, as a ′bridge′ to new people.' Keerti answered:'Beloved Sarito, you say that Osho himself at different times has asked for compilation to be made from his talks.I know that he did allow that for some time, after some of us suggested to him about thecompilations, and then we got the messages: ′Enough of the compilations.

Do the complete books now. These compilations can be given tooutside publishers.′The truth is that there were any number of compilations published in the eighties.

This applied even more to the foreign-languagetranslations published in the 70s and 80s. Many of those were compilations.'

So:Osho made statements on several occasions, that his discourses are 'complete in themselves', that selections are likely to create a wrong impression,and that things said in a complete context may be misleading in isolation.The messages to and fro between Sarito and Keerti show that Osho was not in favour of compilations published by sannyasins themselves.Compilations issued by mainstream publishers subjected a general public to what Gurdjieff calls 'B-influences'.

RajneeshMkv to mp4. (11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990) was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher. Among many gurus who brought forms of yoga to the West, he is one of the most notable. He freely invented yogic and tantric practices, characteristics of Neo-Hinduism that began to emerge in the 1870s.^[1] His international following has continued after his death. Rajneesh was born Chandra Mohan Jain; he was known as the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s, and finally as Osho in the last year of his life.

Early life[changechange source]

He was born in a small village in the Narsinghpur District of Madhya Pradesh state in north India. He spent most of his childhood with his maternal grandparents, which he later mentioned as 'the blessing in his life' for its carefree environment.

He entered college at his age of nineteen. Asked by the principal to leave the college, he transferred to D.N. Jain College and completed his B.A. in philosophy in 1955. After obtaining his M.A. in philosophy in University of Sagar in 1957, he started teaching at Raipur Sanskrit College and became a professor at Jabalpur University in 1960. While teaching at colleges, he became known as a public speaker.

Academic[changechange source]

As a professor of philosophy, he traveled throughout India in the 1960s as a public speaker. He was a critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and other stalwarts of Indian politics, including institutionalised religions. He advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality: so the press called him a 'sex guru'.^[2] In 1970, he settled for a time in Bombay initiating disciples, known as neo-sannyasins, and expanded his spiritual teaching and work. In his discourses, he reinterpreted writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. Moving to Poona in 1974,^[3] he established an ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners.

Ashrams[changechange source]

Poona[changechange source]

The Poona ashram was by all accounts an exciting and intense place to be, with an emotionally charged, madhouse-carnival atmosphere.^[4][5][6] The day began at 6:00 a.m. with Dynamic Meditation.^[7][8] From 8:00 a.m., Rajneesh gave a 60- to 90-minute spontaneous lecture in the ashram's 'Buddha Hall' auditorium, commenting on religious writings or answering questions from visitors and disciples.^[4][8] Until 1981, lecture series held in Hindi alternated with series held in English. During the day, various meditations and therapies took place, whose intensity was ascribed to the spiritual energy of Rajneesh's 'buddhafield'.^[5] In evening darshans, Osho conversed with individual disciples or visitors and initiated disciples ('gave sannyas').^[4][8]

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. By the end of the 1970s, there were mounting tensions with the Indian government and the surrounding society.

A situation rose when Rajneesh entered a three-and-a-half-year period of self-imposed public silence on 10 April 1981. He occupied himself with satsangs—silent sitting with music and readings from spiritual works, and gave no discourses.^[2][8] Around the same time, Ma Anand Sheela replaced Ma Yoga Laxmi as Rajneesh's secretary.^[6]

Oregon[changechange source]

Later in 1981 Rajneesh moved to the United States, and his followers established a community, later known as Rajneeshpuram, in the state of Oregon. Within a year, the leadership of the commune became embroiled in a conflict with local residents, primarily over land use, which was marked by hostility on both sides. Rajneesh lived in a trailer next to a covered swimming pool and other amenities. He did not lecture and only saw most of the residents when, daily, he would slowly drive past them as they stood by the road. He gained public notoriety for the many Rolls-Royces bought for his use, eventually numbering 93 vehicles.^[9][10] This made him the largest single owner of the cars in the world.^[11]

Influence of Ma Anand Sheela[changechange source]

Ma Anand Sheela (born Sheela Ambatal Patel, 28 December 1949) was Rajneesh's personal secretary from 1981 to 1985. On 10 July 1981, she purchased the 64,000-acre (260 km²) Big Muddy Ranch to create the Rajneeshpuram, Oregon commune.^[12][13] She was the main manager and spokesperson. She carried a .357 Magnum handgun, and created a Rajneeshpuram police force armed with Uzi submachine guns and a Jeep-mounted .30-calibre machinegun.^[14][15] It was under Sheela's influence that Rajneesh decided to travel to the United States and begin an ashram there.^[13]

While at Rajneeshpuram, Rajneesh depended on Sheela to manage the organisation.^[13] She was seen as Rajneesh's principal aide, and as second-in-command of the organisation. She was also president of Rajneesh Foundation International. The two of them met each day in private to go over significant matters for the group.^[13]

Sheela ran the operations of virtually all of the sub-groups under Rajneesh's movement, as well as Rajneeshpuram itself.^[13] Rancho Rajneesh was administered through the inner circle of followers managed by Sheela.^[13] She made decisions for the organisation in meetings with followers in her own private living space.^[13] In addition, Sheela would make decisions for the organisation by herself or after meeting with Rajneesh.^[13] Those followers of Rajneesh that did not abide by her rulings risked being kicked out of Rajneeshpuram.^[13] According to Bioterrorism and Biocrimes, 'This peculiar decision-making style had a significant impact on the group's move to employ biological agents'.^[13]

The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when Rajneesh revealed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes, including a 1984 bioterror attack (food contamination) on the citizens of The Dalles, Oregon.^[16] He was arrested shortly afterwards and charged with immigration violations, and was deported from the United States in accordance with a plea bargain.^[17][18][19]

Ma Anand Sheela was sentenced to three concurrent 20-year prison sentences, for assault, attempted murder, telephone tapping, immigration fraud and product tampering.^[20] She served 29 months before being released on parole.^[21] Upon release, she left immediately for Switzerland, where she now manages two nursing homes.

After the collapse[changechange source]

Twenty-one countries denied him entry, causing Osho to travel the world before returning to Poona, where he died in 1990. His ashram is today known as the Osho International Meditation Resort. His teachings emphasised the importance of meditation, awareness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humour—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialisation. Osho's teachings have had an impact on Western New Age thought,^[22][23]p177 and their popularity has increased since his death.^[23][24]p182

One of his strong hopes was creating what he called 'new man', who embodies characteristics of Gautama Buddha and Zorba the Greek^[25] at the same time. Through this concept, Rajneesh tried to reject neither science nor spirituality, but embrace them both. According to him, “New man” is not subject to one’s sex and does not belong to institutions such as family, political ideologies, or religions.

Books by Rajneesh[changechange source]

Many books of his teachings were published. They followed a pattern: he would give talks, they would be recorded. The tapes would be worked up into a typed manuscript by some of his followers. The manuscripts would be published, at first in India, and without ISBN numbers, so they were at first bought by his admirers. Later some of the best were reprinted in the West. His talks covered a wide range of religions and philosophies. The total number of books is not known, but it was certainly more than 30.^[26]

• 1974 The book of the secrets I: discourses on Vigyana Bhairava Tantra. The Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India. Reprinted 1976 by Thames & Hudson, London. ISBN0 500 27076 7. This book is about meditation, and there were four more volumes.
• 1975. Roots and wings: talks on Zen. Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India.
• 1975. And the flowers showered: talks on Zen. Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India.
• 1976. The hidden harmony: discourses on the fragments of Heraclitus. Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India.
• 1976. When the shoe fits: talks on Chuang Tzu. Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India.
• 1977. Ancient music in the pines: talks on Zen stories. Rajneesh Foundation, Poona, India.

listed without dates:

• The ultimate alchemy, vols I & II.
• Yoga: the alpha and the omega. vols I and II
• Vedanta: seven steps to the Samadhi.
• The way of the white cloud.
• No water no moon: talks on Zen. (UK edition Sheldon Press)
• The mustard seed: discourses on the sayings of Jesus.
• Neither this nor that: discourses on Sosan–Zen
• Tantra: the supreme understanding. (U.S. edition: Only one sky)
• Just like that: discourses on Sufi stories.
• Until you die: discourses on Sufi stories.
• I am the gate. Harper & Row, New York.
• The inward revolution.
• TAO: the three treasures: discourses on Lao Tzu, vols I–IV.
• Tantra, spirituality and sex. Published in the U.S.A.
• Meditation: the art of ecstasy. Harper & Row, New York.
• Come follow mw: discourses on the life of Jesus.

References[changechange source]

1. ↑Smith, David. “Hinduism.” Religions in the Modern World: Traditions and Transformations, by Linda Woodhead et al., 3rd ed., Routledge, 2016, pp. 57–59.
2. ↑ ^2.02.1Joshi, Vasant 1982. The Awakened One. San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row. ISBN0-06-064205-X
3. ↑these moves were funded by support from a few of his wealthiest female followers.
4. ↑ ^4.04.14.2FitzGerald, Frances 1986. Rajneeshpuram, The New Yorker
5. ↑ ^5.05.1Fox, Judith M. 2002. Osho Rajneesh. Studies in Contemporary Religion Series, #4, Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN1-56085-156-2
6. ↑ ^6.06.1Gordon, James S. 1987. The Golden Guru. Lexington, MA: Stephen Greene Press. ISBN0-8289-0630-0
7. ↑Aveling, Harry 1994. The Laughing Swamis. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN81-208-1118-6
8. ↑ ^8.08.18.28.3Mullan, Bob 1983. Life as laughter: following Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN0-7102-0043-9
9. ↑Aveling, Harry (ed) 1999. Osho Rajneesh and his disciples: some western perceptions. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass (includes studies by Susan J. Palmer, Lewis F. Carter, Roy Wallis, Carl Latkin, Ronald O. Clarke and others previously published in various academic journals) ISBN81-208-1599-8
10. ↑Pellissier, Hank (14 May 2011). 'The Bay Citizen: Red Rock Island'. The New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
11. ↑Ranjit Lal, (16 May 2004). A hundred years of solitude. The Hindu. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
12. ↑Oregon Historical Society, 2002
13. ↑ ^{13.013.113.213.313.413.513.613.713.813.9}Carus, W. Seth 2002. Bioterrorism and biocrimes: the illicit use of biological agents since 1900. Fredonia Books, 51. ISBN1-4101-0023-5
14. ↑Coster P. 10 May 1985. A Pistol-Packin' Sheela with a tongue to match. The Courier-Mail.
15. ↑Turner, G. (10 May 1985). 'Bhagwan hits out as Commune chiefs flee'. The Courier-Mail.
16. ↑FitzGerald, Frances 1986b. 'Rajneeshpuram', The New Yorker
17. ↑Latkin, Carl A. 1992. Seeing Red: a social-psychological analysis. Sociological Analysis53 (3): Pages 257–271, doi:10.2307/3711703, reprinted in Aveling 1999, pp. 337–361.
18. ↑Staff. 'Wasco County History'. Oregon Historical County Records Guide. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
19. ↑Staff (1990). 'Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh'. Newsmakers 1990. Gale Research. pp. Issue 2.
20. ↑Tucker, Jonathan B. 2000. Toxic terror: assessing terrorist use of chemical and biological weapons. The MIT Press, 126. ISBN0-262-70071-9.
21. ↑Carter, Lewis F. 1990. Charisma and control in Rajneeshpuram. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-38554-7
22. ↑Heelas, Paul 1996. The New Age movement: religion, culture and society in the age of postmodernity. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 40, 68, 72, 77, 95–96. ISBN0-631-19332-4
23. ↑ ^23.023.1Forsthoefel, Thomas A.; Humes, Cynthia Ann (eds) 2005. Gurus in America. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN0-7914-6574-8
24. ↑Urban, Hugh B. 2003. Tantra: sex, secrecy, politics, and power in the study of religion. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN0-520-23656-4
25. ↑from the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis
26. ↑Ancient music in the pines dated December 1977, lists 28 titles (some with four or five volumes). There were definitely more published after that date.

Further reading[changechange source]

• Osho (2000), Autobiography of a spiritually incorrect mystic, New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, ISBN0-312-25457-1.

• Carrette, Jeremy; King, Richard (2004), Selling spirituality: the silent takeover of religion, New York: Routledge, ISBN0-41530-209-9.

Other websites[changechange source]