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Bhagwan
Shree Rajneesh (1931-1990) was born Rajneesh Chandra
Mohan in Kuchwara, a town in central India. One source
states that "Bhagwan" means "The Blessed
One" and that "Shree" means "Master".
At the end of his life, he changed his name to Osho.
His parents' religion was Jainism. However, Osho never
subscribed to any religious faith during his lifetime.
He received "samadhi" (enlightenment
in which his soul became one with the universe) on 1953-MAR-21
at the age of 21. Rajneesh obtained a masters degree
in philosophy from the University of Saugar. He taught
philosophy at the University of Jabalpur for nine years
and concurrently worked as a religious leader.
In 1966, he left his teaching post and gave his full
attention to teaching his sannyasins (disciples) while
pursuing a speaking career. He had an apartment in Bombay
where he often met individuals and small groups, where
acting as spiritual teacher, guide and friend. Most
of his Sannyasins came from Europe and India in the
early years.
In 1974, Osho moved from Bombay southward to Pune, India.
Some anti-cult groups have claimed that this decision
was made because of local opposition from the public
in Bombay. In reality, it was to establish an ashram
(place of teaching) which would provide larger and more
comfortable facilities for his disciples. The ashram
consisted of two adjoining properties covering six acres
in an affluent suburb of Pune called Koregaon Park.
Some estimate as many as 50,000 Westerners spent time
seeking enlightenment there with the guru.
In 1979, he saw his movement as the route to the preservation
of the human race. He said: If we cannot create the
'new man' in the coming 20 years, then humanity has
no future. The holocaust of a global suicide can only
be avoided if a new kind of man can be created."
He taught a syncretistic spiritual path that combined
elements from Hinduism, Jainism, Zen Buddhism,
Taoism, Christianity, ancient Greek philosophy,
many other religious and philosophic traditions, humanistic
psychology, new forms of therapy and meditation, etc.
In
1980, he was the victim of a knife attack by a Hindu
fundamentalist during his morning discourse. Because
of police incompetence, the charges against the terrorist
were dropped.
In 1981 he left India reluctantly because of health
problems. He went to the United States in order to obtain
advanced treatment. There have been rumors of income
tax evasion, and insurance fraud; it is not known whether
these have any validity. The group settled on the 65,000
acre "Big Muddy Ranch" near Antelope, Oregon,
which his sannyasins had bought for six million dollars.
The ranch was renamed Rajneeshpuram
Fearing
a raid of the type that later happened in Waco, several
of Osho's disciples arranged for him to be flown to
Charlotte for safety. In North Carolina, he ran afoul
of US immigration law. He allegedly arranged a number
of phony marriages between some of his Indian followers
and American citizens so that the former could obtain
clearance to stay in the country. He was also charged
with lying on his immigration papers. He entered an
"Alford Plea," commonly called a no-contest
plea.
His
lawyers suggested that he do this because of concerns
over his health and safety if he had to spend more time
in prison. He was given a suspended sentence on condition
that he leave the country. He returned to Pune, India
in 1987, where his health began to fail. Here, he abandoned
the name of Rajneesh and adopted "Osho". Osho
was derived from the expression "oceanic experience"
by William James. He died in Pune in 1990
At
its peak, they had about 200,000 members and 600 centers around
the world. They were targeted by many anti-cult groups as
an evil, mind control cult. One source, in a masterful stroke
of religious disinformation, claimed that "Bhagwan"
means "Master of the Vagina." He
has been called the "sex guru."
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