Saturday, April 01, 2006

Osho

An extract from The Joy Of Sects

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the Sannyasins AKA Osho

Founded: 1971
Country of origin: India
Gods and guiding voices: The Hindu pantheon, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Basic beliefs: Bliss is a birthright. God is the universal consciousness and the enlightened Bhagwan himself is the beginning of a totally new religious consciousness. Man determines what conduct is permissible. Basically an amalgam of Western psychotherapeutic practices and Eastern religion.


Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had a simple commandment for his followers, the Sannyasins: ‘Enjoy!’ Unlike other more ascetic gurus to have emerged from India in the 1960s and 1970s, he demanded little from his followers in the way of renunciation – and lots in the way of carnal pleasure. ‘Wait not for Godot!’ he preached. ‘The more you risk, the more you grow.’ His was an intoxicating promise: enlightenment, bliss and lots and lots of sex.

The ashram he established in Poona in India in 1974 quickly became a New Age Mecca. It attracted thousands of young Western disciples sold on the charismatic teacher’s mercurial wit and unique brand of Eastern mysticism. Marked out by their happy expressions and orange clothes (dyed at the Bhagwan’s instigation, to reflect the colour of the sun) they quickly spread their guru’s teachings and popularised his unique forms of taboo-breaking therapies. In these sessions, known as dynamic meditation, pupils were encouraged to destroy their religious and social conditioning to find out who they really were. They wore blindfolds – or nothing at all – and explored their deepest selves by screaming, fighting and, inevitably, shagging. Broken limbs were common, as were broken relationships. The latter came thanks to the teachers’ propensity to encourage their students to watch their partners having sex with another person – so they could confront the emotions that this betrayal provoked.

In spite of, or maybe even because of, these extreme practices, the ‘Rajneeshees’ continued to expand in number. Soon they spread out across Europe, establishing themselves in stately homes like the one they named ‘Medina Rajneesh’ in Suffolk, where 400 of the Bhagwan’s followers established themselves in the early 1980s – seemingly in utopian contentment.

Sadly, there were a few signs that all was not well in paradise. One of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s more chilling suggestions was that prominent female followers should become sterilised so that they could better practise his teachings. Ugly rumours of child abuse and the destruction of family life slowly began to surface. The guru’s ever increasing wealth also began to attract the unwanted attention of the Indian tax authorities.

To escape from a whopping bill, Rajneesh packed up his 150,000-volume library and, claiming medical problems, entered the United States (along with twelve tons of luggage). It was there that things really fell apart. Shortly after he’d settled his followers in a 60,000-acre $6million ranch on semi-desert scrubland near the small town of Antelope in Oregon, Bhagwan Rajneesh took a vow of silence (or as, he put it, he determined on a course of ‘speaking through silence’.) The day-to-day running of the huge community fell to his follower, Ma Anand Sheela.

Sheela took to wearing robes and calling herself ‘queen’. Fences, complete with guard towers, went up around the compound and disciples armed with Uzis patrolled the Bhagwan’s residence. Many of the commune’s 15,000 members were forced to do twelve hours work a day for no pay. While they succeeded in clearing and planting 3,000 acres of land, building a 350-million-gallon reservoir, a 10-megawatt power substation and a functioning dairy farm, only Sheela and her coterie seemed to live in any comfort. The others had to endure unbearable hardships.

The most bizarre incidents occurred outside the ranch in the local town of Antelope. The huge numbers of Rajneeshees enabled them to force the results of the 1984 local elections and take over Antelope’s local council. They decided to rename the hitherto upright Oregon backwater Rajneeshpuram. When attempts were also made to rig local county elections by shipping thousands of homeless people onto the ranch, resistance to the Sannyasins grew stronger. Sheela responded by having her followers dump salmonella into the salad bars of several local restaurants. Antelope therefore gained the dubious distinction of being the site of the first successful bio-terrorism attack in US history.

Eventually, Bhagwan Rajneesh emerged from his silence and attempted to distance himself from his disciples. He said that Sheela had been running the place like a ‘fascist concentration camp’ and went on the talk show Good Morning America to emphasise that those with him were ‘fellow travellers’ rather than followers. He also called on the FBI to conduct an independent investigation into the ranch. The FBI quickly found an extensive eavesdropping system that was wired throughout the commune residences, public buildings and offices. They also uncovered a secret laboratory where experiments had been run on the manufacture of HIV as well as salmonella.

Sheela confessed to having a rather ‘bad habit’ of poisoning people and was sent to jail. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh himself was charged with criminal conspiracy, 34 counts of making false statements to federal officials and two counts of immigration fraud. He paid a $400,000 fine and was given a ten-year sentence – suspended on the understanding that he would leave the United States. He returned to India in disgrace and died not long afterwards.

Many of the communes across Europe dispersed in disillusionment and surrounded by their own scandals. In spite of everything, however, many remain faithful to the Bhagwan’s teachings. His spiritual descendents (now calling themselves Osho) have maintained his ashram in India as a major tourist attraction and spiritual retreat. In England, meanwhile, they have a thriving community in a large house in Dorset, Osho Leela. There, they run ‘Singles Weekends’ offering parties, meditations, ‘bundles of fun and … who knows!’


CULT HERO

The Bhagwan

Mohan Chandra Rajneesh was born in 1931. After working as a philosophy teacher for several years he accepted what he saw as God’s plan for his life – spiritually transforming humanity. In 1971 he assumed the modest title of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, meaning ‘The Blessed One Who Has Recognised Himself As God’. He established his first ashram shortly afterwards.

During his life the Bhagwan wrote more than 60 books and recorded upwards of 500 tapes. In addition to embracing the spirit of God, he also embraced the spirit of the 1980s, accumulating millions of pounds and no fewer than 93 Rolls-Royce cars. He said that he’d lived in poverty and lived in richness. ‘Believe me,’ he continued, ‘richness is far better than poverty.’ He claimed to be a man of very simple interests. He was ‘utterly satisfied’ with ‘the best of everything’.

Towards the end of his life, addicted to nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and haunted by the accusations of sex abuse, tax evasion and poisonings, the Bhagwan retreated back to his original ashram in Poona. In 1985 he declared that his religion was dead – and that it had, in fact, been invented by his followers. He said he was glad not to have to pretend to be enlightened anymore. Then, in December 1988, he told his followers that his body had become host to none other than Guatama Buddha. However, when the Buddha disapproved of his use of the Jacuzzi, Bhagwan banished him from his body and said that he was now Zorba the Buddha instead.

He died in 1990, instructing his doctor to dress him in his favourite socks and hat beforehand. When his disciples asked what they should do with him after he passed on he replied, ‘Stick me under the bed and forget about me.’


Words of Wisdom


‘The second problem I had (with my health) was my back … I cannot sit on [an ordinary] chair. It may be comfortable, but my back will not fit with it. Similarly I can use only one car. I have used all cars, and the best in the world; but the seat of just one car, one of the models of Rolls-Royce, the Silver Spur, fits with me perfectly. It is not their costliest car; their costliest is the Corniche, then the Carmargue. The third is the Silver Spur. So I tried a Corniche – it didn't work, my back trouble started. But with the Silver Spur it has settled completely.’

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh


HOLY SMOKE!

Religious Ecstasy

Ecstasy was first brought to Europe by the disciples of the Bhagwan. He had adopted the drug as his new spiritual elixir, and his army of orange people evangelically distributed it around the world. Some even set up laboratories to manufacture their own supply.

To buy The Joy Of Sects, click here

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting artcle about Osho.
I was reseraching Osho from sometime but i feel your views about Osho may be biased. I read a below article and want to share with you so that we can see other side of the story as well:-

Leet we talk a bit more in details about Osho in this letter so that we can see some new facts which are mostly untold so that now things can be settled properly.A really awakened person will always be behaved like a criminal by Ruler and Governments at his time.It is very essential symptom of a Budha.All the world political system is anti-God.It will be misunderstanding to say that there is democracy anywhere in the world yet.There are subtle dictatorships everywhere which change after every 4-5 years and democracy is just a name used for mobcracy. Exploit the sentiments of masses and rule.This is the rule of all the politicians. All justice systems are political influenced. Our approach towards Osho is not un-prejudiced. Will you contact Office of the Attorney General of that time if you want to know about the Budhas,Awakened ones,Gurus who were crucified by administrations at the time of Jahangir or Aurangzeb in India. Will you contact Office of the Attorney General of Athenes to know why Socrates was poisoned.
If you really go and see the files at that time you will see that those people were behaved like criminals and full list of crimes were prepared against them to make an impressive case to justify the punishment. In case of Osho our approach is totally biased .There was a list of 35 crimes prepared against Osho.No cases could be proved and only 2 cases based upon which Osho was deported were related to immigration.I came across a news story sometime back when in US a newspaper published a story attaching bioterrorism and murder cases with Osho name.The newspaper was sued by Osho Foudation New York and case was won by the Foundation as no such case was ever proved again him in any court in US. I never believe or say anything until I explore the facts first hand myself with unprejudiced and clean eyes.I read and experimented with Dances of Gurjieff .I read almost all what Krishnamurthy ever spoke.He is great but too serious and dry.I read and listened almost all what Osho spoke.To know more about the incidents which are projected in news media , I talked to Sw.Chetnya Keerti ,Editor of Osho Times Internation New Delhi who spent almost all his life with Osho, Sw.Dhanyam who is editor of monthly magazine Viha Connection from Mill Valley,California he was with Osho in Rajneeshpuram at Oregon from 1981-1985,Ma Yoga Neelam secretary of India for Osho Foundation.I myself flew to Pune in 1994 and spent 2 months continuously experimenting with all the meditations and therapy groups available at that time.Below are some facts which you should not ignore.Mind works in negative approach and it is very receptive of negative propaganda from any source without raising a single doubt.This is the mind strategy to keep its ego alive.Mind never wants to believe that somebody else can be awakened one.The same mind will raise thousands doubts and ask questions for validity to accept anything positive.Pundits never accepted that Budha is awakened one.They presented Budha as a villain in the eyes of the people in India using negative propaganda.That is why whole of Asia is leaned towards Budha except India.When Pundits lost all the arguments against Budha,they changed their strategy. They started saying that Budha is just copying from Gita as he is very much influenced by it.Now it is very easy to convince the mind and prove that Budha is copying from Gita because when Truth is one ,how can be the essential words about truth be so many. It is not the words which matter, the thing which matter the most is whether the person experienced it or Not. Whether the silent explosion happened in the man or not, Whether the person is awakened one or sleeping. Any good parrot can repeat the word about truth from any scripture beautifully. Never comment about anybody saying that he is influenced by anybody else.This is a subtle cunningness to attack on the dignity and individuality of a person.Always respect everybody as an independent individual.
Most of the incidents at Rajneeshpuram which are said below are included in full details in the book ‘Jesus Crucified Again, This Time in Ronald Reagan's America” by D.Sarito which is available from any Barnes & Noble book store all over America.These are the words of Osho himself and the people who witnessed it.

Osho is the most misunderstood person in this world today as it should be the case with a man of truth.He told truth as it is.This is for the first time that religion has reached from East to the West. This is for the first time that truth has been expressed in English as purely as 24 Karat Gold.Upto now all religions in the west were just work of translations and 2nd hand.Words of truth can never be translated because the spirit of truth is left behind in the original language and only words are carried forward. Words without the spirit are just dead. When Jesus’s words were translated from Aramaic to Hebrew much spirit was lost. When from Hebrew it went to Greek, more loss. And when ultimately it went to English, it became far difficult to taste the original spirit of Jesus. Same happened with all other translations. It is very difficult to express truth in English as it is originally a language of science and mind. Osho developed ‘Osho English’ which is very close to English. Osho shook whole of the world. He was one man Versus whole of the world governments. When he was in India, whole of the Indian government was against him .He exposed MurarJi Desai of his cunningness. He was banned from purchasing any land in India so that he can not set up any commune there and invite more people around him. Persons around him were tasting of something which was beyond any expression. His energy field was so strong that just sitting in his presence was more than enough to experience divine.He talked on almost all the awakened persons on the earth ever happened.His talks on Japuji are unparalleled. Through these world Nanak addressed again to whole of the humanity. People already sensed of something from another world through these words.His words in the book ‘Ik Omkar’ has become almost an essential part of every library of all over the Gurdwaras in the world.These words are so authentic and full of juice of truth which never happened before.Osho was the most silent person in all over the world and mostly sitting with closed eyes in his room.He used to come out only for morning or evening discourse for about an hour.But still his presence disturbed whole of the world.All religious philosophies created by Pundits ,scholars,educationists lost any base in front of him.Exploitation of the humanity by Priests and Politicians were exposed like a day light.So naturally Politicians and Priests of all over the world were scared of his presence in their territory.People were singing,dancing and living a joyous life in his presence without any reason.This haunted the ego of all the political leaders.No Politial leader or Priest want anybody living a joyous life without their own blessing.These people want humanity to be miserable.It is only misery which drive people to the priests otherwise nobody will care about them.Osho reminded every person on earth that each person has his Kingdom beneath his own feet and very easy to seek it.He gave the persons around him the taste of this Kingdom.The person who loved Osho saw Budha,Krishna,Nanak,Jesus looking at them from his eyes.Osho traveled to almost all over India .He spent most of his life in train traveling to every remote place of India.His body was almost exhausted and was caught by Asthma during this travel of 30 years continuously. Polluted environment of India was not going to help him to remain in body for much long and the seekers of America and Other western countries started urging him to move to America for a short time in a suitable climate. A 64000 acre of desert Muddy Ranch in Oregon which was on sale for years and nobody was ready to purchase was considered a suitable place by the people who invited him.But this was a desert with no greenery, no birds, no lakes ,no road and nearby place was 21 miles away of a very small population.But within 2 years this land was converted to an oasis by celebrating,singing,dancing and meditating people.It was converted to an unique city named ‘Rajneeshpuram’ with its own buses and its own airport and a self dependent city from every respect.This was the only city in west which was totally vegetarian. There was a common kitchen for each 5000 people.Vegetarian dishes from all over the world were part of the kitchen and new vegetarian recipes were being developed continuously for a taste transition of non-vegetarian to vegetarian. There were meditation menus prepared for every day and season. New meditations techniques were discovered according to the new people’s mind lever. Soon this became a capital of spiritual world and people from all over the world started coming. All educated cream of the world gathered there. His own physician was member of Royal society of Physics and all the best musicians, singers, dancers, pets, artists, painters, craftmen, scientists from all over the world were attracted towards this place.Average education level of that city became double of any other place of the world. During all the period Osho was in silence as he stopped speaking some years before traveling to America.His message was silence and up to that time people gathered around him became capable enough to listen to him in silence and be nourished by his mere presence. He completely destroyed the Prophet or belief system in religion. He clearly described that each human being is fully responsible for himself and no Guru or Prophet can do anything for anybody if the person is merely following a religious belief system or rituals. The person should have real thirst and should start exploring religion as an inner science. He exposed fundamental strategies of the Govt Administration at that time. Books of Darwin were being burnt from the libraries as it was against Bible. Schools were going to be targeted by fundamentalists in the administration under the name of Religious Funds. Within a short period of 1981-1985 Rajneeshpuram invoked the attention of the whole world and became a second home of World Press. This happy, joyful and celebrating city became the comparison factor for whole of the miserable world. Priests and Politicians started facing a big Question Mark about themselves and became jealous and their sleep got disturbed forever. Then started the strategy to spread negative propaganda about the commune.Rajneespuram was not disturbed by the world but World was disturbed by this one small city.Now it is world famous saying that you see what you want to see.If a botanist, a poet,a shopkeeper and a thief go to a garden then a botanist will see the plants and think about their life system,a poet will see the beauty of the garden and start fantasying his poem, a shopkeeper will start thinking about the fruits and market values and a thief will start thinking about the best thing to steal and best route and time to steal.Same way different people of different psychological background spread different rumors.A materialistic person saw just Rolls Royaces in the Rajneespuram.A sexually repressed person saw only women and attached the rumors of sexual orgies and so on.It is not surprising that Osho is mostly known as Rolls Royace man in America and as a Sex Guru in India.There are about 600 books in 54 languages in Osho’s name.His only one book on sex ‘From Sex to Super Conciousness’ attracted the world attention more than any other book.But he spoke courageously almost on every aspect of life directly without any hesitation. But wherever there are flowers there are thorns.Wherever there are Budhas or awakened ones ,there are ‘Nindaks’,’Manmukhs’ always created around them.Sheela’s husband was dying with cancer in a short period of months. That is why he turned to a seeker and reached Pune in India.He was a sincere seeker but his wife Sheela was an outwardly person and no interest in seeking.So when his husband was meditating ,she was more oriented towards administrative works.So accordingly she raised herself to a secretary of administrative affairs of the commune in Rajneeshuram.A Budha is never suspicious and never rejects anybody from anywhere.His compassion and love and innocence is always unconditional.Withing 5 years in commune at Rajneespuram as secretary ,about billions of Dollars flew through the Sheela’s hands and she just started behaving like a queen. Greed of money and power made her blind.She started behaving like a dictator.As Osho was in silence and only 3 others persons (His Personal physician,dentist and a caretaker) was having physical access to Osho. Sheels tried to poison all of them so that her activities can never be exposed. She created hostility with neighbors to remain in power.When somehow news reached to Osho ,He broke his silence and started speaking and Sheels alongwith her gang of 20 ran away to other countries with huge money.All these activies of Sheela were exposed by Osho himself to the Presss for the first time which are alrealy documented in his books.But this was a great excuse for Politicians and Priests.Horrible words of ‘bioterrorism’,’murderer’,’sex’ etc were associated with his name and propaganda done all over the world.Sheela’a crimes were made Osho’s crimes. List of 35 crimes was prepared under his names.He was arrested without any warrant and was forced from one prison to another for 12 days.He was made to sign under the false name of ‘David Washington’ and was made to enter the prison from back door.When he wrote his name in Hindi along with his world famous signature, this conspiracy to eliminate him was failed.Osho’s body was exposed to radioactive and slow poison ‘thallium’ was given in his bread in jails in such doses so that no trace of proof can be left in his body. When none of the crimes could be proved, His attorney was blackmailed to accept two easy crimes, which were just immigration issues. Even his attorney was made to complete the statement ‘I am Guilty’ in the court which never happened in the history of court before .Explosive materials were found from the chair where he was made to sit after court proceedings and whole of that floor was vacated in advance.Osho was made to sit on the chair as a conspiracy to eliminate him forever if he got bail on that day. As Osho was deported and quickly came out of the court,this plan was cancelled in a hurry.A fine of 400K was imposed for these minor charges to delay the Osho’s release from Jail so that such amount can not be arranged quickly.All these incidents are documented well in detail in the above mentioned book.

Now actions of Judas are not actions of Jesus.Actions of Devdatta are not actions of Budha.Actions of Mahavir’s son in law are not of Mahavir’s.Actions of Sheela are not actions of Osho.This distinction has to be clearly understood.But Sheela’s acts were projected to condem all the Osho and millions of people who loved him.Ruling Party can use any act for its own motivations. To make it more clear remember when a man with Hindu faith kills an Indian Leader it becomes just a matter of ‘One mad guy Nathu Ram” but when a man of Sikh faith kills an Indian leader ,whole of Sikh community is projected as villain and negative propaganda is done to spread anger against all the people of the community.See the difference.Act is same but it is projected with different motivations. Sheela is responsible for her acts.Osho was not even a resident of Ranjeeshpuram.He was living as a guest in a far away guest house in a silent place. Just concentrating on Sheela’s activities ignoring all the positive sides of Rajneespuram is not a balanced approach.There were far more positive things in Rajneeshpuram than just a Sheela.There are also hostile activities done by people who were living near the commune which should not be ignored.

Moreover a person of truth is already condemned in his time and worshipped later on.That is what is happening in the case of Osho.A charlatan person is always worshipped in his time and condemned later on.That is what is happening to Mohan Dass Gandhi who was projected as Mahatma Gandhi by greedy people as a political deal to remain themselves in office.It is truth which prevails ultimately.Now words of Osho has become best selling all over the world.He books became best selling even in unexpected countries like Iran,Russia and China.The countries who deported him are fighting for copyrights of his books .There are no copyrights in India for Osho’s books.NewYork has all the copyrights of Osho’s works.Today no book store is complete anywhere the world without a separate section just for Osho Books/music/Video/Audio.
His books have over shadowed Indian Parliament where upto now only Mahatma Gandhi’s third class books were placed.Mahatam Gandhi started losing Mahatmahood in the eyes of India and falling back to Mr Mohan Dass Gandhi rapidly.He is being exposed more and more every day.Osho’s psychological analysis of Gandhi opened the eyes of the people for the first time and people became aware of his excesses done to his own wife and eldest son.Such facts were never brought forward before.I would like to request the editor of this site to publish Osho’s words in every issue which will be eyes opening.
Only those communities remain progressive which change with time and don’t remain clinging with past.We should keep our vision worldwide and appreciate good persons wherever they happen and condemn the devils wherever they happen.Wherever a person is awakened we should open our windows to let the light of awakening come to our home.There is no loss in it but gain and gain only.
Negative propaganda and cunning actions of politicians can never silence a Budha.Actually these help to spread the truth.No Ruler or Government could stop the voice which was once raised from Anandpur.All oppositions only created Fathegarh Sahib,ChamKaur Sahib,DamDama Sahib and lot more.Truth can never be stopped by any Government but more it is stopped,more sharp it becomes.Ram is standing upon Ravan.If there were no Ravan,nobody would have remembered Ram.Without Ravan,there can be no Ramyan.Truth itself is silent.but actions of idiots make it a news.Destruction of Rajneespuram could not do any harm.It paved the way for Osho’s World Tour.He exposed almost each country and was deported from all over the world.He went to the Greece which was called land of Socrates. He was stoned there as well by bishops. He reminded whole of the world that civilization is still a dream .After Rajneespuram was destroyed,The people who were living at RajneesPuram spread to all over the world and seed of truth went to whole of the earth.Now Osho communes are spreading all over the world.Communes bigger than Rajneespuram are already existing in Brazil and Europe.Osho meditation camps are happening all over the world including in India.New generation is already angry with old generation.What has old generations given?.This ugly world of nations,armies,thousands wars,two world wars and now the preparation of third and final war.We are sitting on nuclear explosives.Now the world has accumulated the nuclear weapons which can destroy this tiny and beautiful earth 700 times.And still the piles of nuclear weapons is increasing. Any stupid politician can trigger this ugly war any time. And politicians are most retarded class of humanity. These politicians are continuously creating hostility with other nations so that humanity can remain divided and their chairs,requirement and work remain alive. Future is golden.A new age,new humanity and a new man is born with Osho.Age of nations,armies,small families is finished .In the Golden future individuals will be living together seeking,meditating,singing,dancing and celebrating in communes.Children will be brought up together.The way child marriage is crime,so child initiation to any belief should be the crime. It is crime to impose a belief system and a religion until the child is matured.It destroys the real urge to seek forever.Readymade answers from Pundits are furnished before the question is even raised.This is ugly.Future will of real religiousness Not bogus religions.

Sam Jordison said...

Dear Ram Singh,

I think, sadly for you, that you are actually the one exhibiting bias... Can you for instance produce the court documents that you mention? When was this 'crime list' prepared. Are you denying the testimony of the hundreds of witnesses from antelope, the hundreds who escaped from the cult subsequently, of ma ananad: 'I have a bad habit of poisoning people.' Are you denying the images of the compound that were filmed, the local papers, the hospital reccords documenting salmonella poisoning?

Have you "really gone" to see the files from the time? Is the editor of the Osho Times a really good unbiased source to speak to, given that he fulfilled the Goebbels role within the cult?

And etc.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam Jordison
You said "Can you for instance produce the court documents that you mention? When was this 'crime list' prepared."
THIS WAS THE FALSE LIST OF CRIMES PUT AGAINST OSHO BASED ON WHICH HE WAS ARRESTED BY FUNDAMENTALIST GOVERNMENT AND THIS LIST WAS PRESENTED TO THE COURT TO PROVE THAT HE IS DANGEROUS PERSON AND BAIL SHOULD NOT BE GRANTED. NO SUCH CASE COULD EVER BE PROVED.

You said "
Are you denying the testimony of the hundreds of witnesses from antelope, the hundreds who escaped from the cult subsequently, of ma ananad: 'I have a bad habit of poisoning people.' Are you denying the images of the compound that were filmed, the local papers, the hospital reccords documenting salmonella poisoning?"
YOU ARE BIASED TO ATTACH ALL THIS TO OSHO. YOU FORGET THAT IF A CRIME IS DONE BY A PERSON, YOU CAN NOT ATTACH IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE. ALL ABOVE TESTMONIES WERE NOT FOR OSHO. UNDERSTAND?

YOU SAID "
Have you "really gone" to see the files from the time? Is the editor of the Osho Times a really good unbiased source to speak to, given that he fulfilled the Goebbels role within the cult?"
YES I HAVE REALLY GONE. ALSO IF editor of Osho Time is not a real source, how can you use government propoganda for yourself as the real source when it was the fundamentalist govt. who was anti-OSHO.

Sam Jordison said...

Dude,

The case against Osho never came to trial becuase he did a deal to leave the country - as you know. Several other members of the cult are still in jail.

Forgive me for seeing Osho as an influence on his followers - clearly that's biased! ...And even if you do take the abusrd viewpoint that he was in no way responsible, the events in Antelope are at least a good indication of how horribly wrong things can go when you stop thinking with your head and give yourself up so wholly to Osho's teachings...

What government propoganda? You're sounding a bit paranoid now... Did the Feds buy up everyone in Antelope? Did they tell all those journalists what to say?

Likewise, were all those allegations of child abuse within Osho groups made by government stooges?
And etc.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam Jordison

First of all you are biased to say Osho as a cult. It is a religion. Keep this in mind.

You can not just use the actions of a few persons to condemn Osho. This is a biased attitude. Pope burnt Joan of Arc alive. Pope who is the chief representative of a so called religion has burnt hundred of women alive. Same people have burnt alive Native Americans. Same people have kidnapped all the children of native Americans and detached them from their culture and forced them to Christianity. How many more cases you want to listen . Will you blame all this on Jesus? If not, you have no right to blame all on Osho. But I see you doing this and that is why I said you are prejudiced.

Osho is the most courageous person ever walked on Earth. All future is of Osho in spite of some prejudiced people like you.

Sam Jordison said...

With respect, Jesus wasn't around when his followers did all those terrible things - Osho was right next to them, and even though he was perpetually high on nitrous oxide, can't be exonerated from blame. I'm glad you admit that the things happened now, however.

If all the future is Osho, we're in for a pretty shitty time.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam Jordison
This exposed your biased attitude even more.
If the person is not ready to be a good person,Nobody can make somebody good howsoever close a person may be.
Jesus was not able to make Judas a good person even when he was his most intimate and closest disciple and was always around him.
You can not blame Osho for Sheela. Sheela is resposible for herself.
Osho has liberated humanity from the clutches of Priests and Politicians. Osho is the future golden age of humanity where there is only One Earth and One humanity. With Osho, Science and Religion has merged together to create a golden age.
I salute to Osho who has exposed the hypocrisy of government when he was in USA. The federal goverment under Reagen was dominated by fanatic people who were trying to impose religious prayers in all the schools and Darwin books were targeted in
Libraries all over the nation. All judicial machinery was used to silence Osho. But those bad people have lost the game.
Fanatic people did their best to spread a negative baseless propaganda against Osho using sex and drug claims. But their cunning strategies did not work a long time. I heard that Jesus was not only alcoholic and drug addict but he was making drugs out of water. He was always in the company of bad people including gays and prostitutes.
Osho is the best seller in all over the world and his books are timeless and every country has Osho communes and expanding more each day. Whole humanity has been blessed with the birth of Osho.
with respect.

Sam Jordison said...

I'm no fan of the Regan government, but has it ever occured to you that authorities moved against the Osho commune because they tried to poison hundreds of people, had a huge stash of weapons and appeared to contain thousands of people living in appalling conditions?

Anonymous said...

Sam Jordison
Government moved against Osho because government dominated by fundamentalists was jealous to see a single person as a threat to Christian dominance. There were no illegal weapons. All these claims are a sheer propaganda and a dreamy fear of a coward from a stranger. Rajneeshpuram was a city with its own peace-keeping force which were trained in government facility in Oregon. Seeing a red dressed police officer with weapon and putting his picture on front pages in newspaper and magazines helped cunning people to spread such propaganda.
As for as Poisoning is concerned(which resulted anyway with zero deaths) , You can not use such a incidence to punish and destroy whole of the Rajneeshpuram City. Sheela and her gang cheated Osho and ran with millions of dollars. But fundamentalist authorities rather than working against Sheela, used this opportunity against their Osho challenge. Osho was never around Sheela during her crimes. In fact Osho himself went out of silence to expose Sheela to world Press for the first time.
The people living in Rajneeshpuram were among the most blissful people on Earth. There was a climate of love and celebration and it was a paradise landed on Earth. It was an all vegetarian city with no currency needed to buy food. Rich and poor, old and young were living together in harmony. This muddy ranch was lying unused for decades was converted to Oasis with its own lakes, common kitchens and all the facilities a person can dream of.
Rather than believing on hear-say, one should read Osho first hand at
http://www.geocities.com/yahugrup/titles.htm

If you are really honest to know more facts with federal documents photocopies and pictures, you can find below books interesting:-
Socrates Poisoned Again After 25 Centuries-amazon.com
Bhagwan:The Most Dangerous Man Since Jesus Christ-Sue Appleton

Anonymous said...

Sam Jordison
Government moved against Osho because government dominated by fundamentalists was jealous to see a single person as a threat to Christian dominance. There were no illegal weapons. All these claims are a sheer propaganda and a dreamy fear of a coward from a stranger. Rajneeshpuram was a city with its own peace-keeping force which were trained in government facility in Oregon. Seeing a red dressed police officer with weapon and putting his picture on front pages in newspaper and magazines helped cunning people to spread such propaganda.
As for as Poisoning is concerned(which resulted anyway with zero deaths) , You can not use such a incidence to punish and destroy whole of the Rajneeshpuram City. Sheela and her gang cheated Osho and ran with millions of dollars. But fundamentalist authorities rather than working against Sheela, used this opportunity against their Osho challenge. Osho was never around Sheela during her crimes. In fact Osho himself went out of silence to expose Sheela to world Press for the first time.
The people living in Rajneeshpuram were among the most blissful people on Earth. There was a climate of love and celebration and it was a paradise landed on Earth. It was an all vegetarian city with no currency needed to buy food. Rich and poor, old and young were living together in harmony. This muddy ranch was lying unused for decades was converted to Oasis with its own lakes, common kitchens and all the facilities a person can dream of.
Rather than believing on hear-say, one should read Osho first hand at
http://www.geocities.com/yahugrup/titles.htm

If you are really honest to know more facts with federal documents photocopies and pictures, you can find below books interesting:-
Socrates Poisoned Again After 25 Centuries-amazon.com
Bhagwan:The Most Dangerous Man Since Jesus Christ-Sue Appleton

Anonymous said...

Not only was Osho courage personified but Ram Singh seems to be a close runner up himself. The question that must be asked is "what is religion?" or "what is religion supposed to be?" Osho gives a challenge to any individual who is in tune with him. The challenge requires courage as it concerns a quantum leap from time consciousness to a dimension of timelessness. That to me is what real religion is all about. It is not Sunday school.
Politicians, orthodox religious leaders, journalists, moralists and scholars all receive their psychological sustenance through the medium of time concept.

It is natural that they should have an instinctive aversion to the dimension of the timeless. The timeless would be the death of all their faculties which feeds their vanity and unreal self-image.

Real religion is truth not belief and it expresses itself through real energy not imagination.

To criticise Osho is cowardly and sheepish especially in light of real crime that goes on in the name of politics. Sam, you should criticise the murder of the hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese women and children fried by the US government's atomic bombing experiment first before you criticise Osho as being this evil Svengali who has poisioned the multitudes. Who died? Can it be proved he gave the order for a poisoning? If it could be, do you think he could have cut a deal with US law to leave the country?

Conspiracy to commit murder is not the stuff of bargaining deals.

Now the US president himself gave the order to test the Atomic bomb on an innocent civilian population that is documented.

Why won't you seek popular readership with a condemnation of real sin? Because President Truman was not a professed "man of the cloth"?

OSHO declared himself a man of religion so you feel that he is in first line to be judged. He never said he was a moral man. Where did he ever say that he was? Neither was he an immoral man. Morality is a transient notion that shifts from age to age and culture to culture.

He was a lion of a man. A man who passed through death and was not afraid to live. To live like a king.

So should we all. Amen to the man.

Anonymous said...

this is about the long debate between sam jordison and ram singh and some anonymous person about osho!

i have read osho books and i feel what has been said by osho is good for an individual (individuals do not inculde people who are hindus, christians, muslims, or affiliated to any religion in a same way as the above three exist for they have herd mentality ha ha )

and to reject a good advise because the person who is giving it has doubtfull character is very foolish...

its more important and more sensible, to use what one has written and said than trying to understand analayse who the person was and create wall of personality around ones work...

that's the last thing osho, budhaa, christ would ever want!!

as for sam jordison he /she knows soooo much about osho and can talk about him on and on excately as pundits and presits and popes know about god and keep talk about it and nothing is important! ha ha !!

have good health and great fun bye!!

an idiot!

ab inconvenienti said...

Dear Sam, all said and done. Please, go through some Osho audiobooks, maybe you can acknowledge the reason of why he was being targeted. Just read/listen his pungent criticisms of all major religions weather hinduism, christianity, buddhism, jainism et al. His expose' on cunning priests, vile Indian and US politicians including Gandhi. His direct truth hurt and when one has not enough arguments punch on the face fallows. And that was the sole reason of authorities' rage, Indian or American.

Don't believe what others say, just don't be credulous, try one lecture daily for a week. You will understand yourself.

Sam Jordison said...

Thanks Quin. That was a really funny comment. Of course! It was the rude things he said about gandhi that annoyed people! Not the salmonella! Nor the guns! Nor the drugs in the UK! Nor the ...etc.

Anonymous said...

Have any idea, why Osho was murdered?

forest.fay said...

Interesting opinions:) Ive just started reading one of Oshos books and there were parts that i liked but behind some ideas i could feel cult strategy
unfortunately, it is again as with all religions/cults -trying to find enlightment you fall even deeper than you already are:D
I would like to know why osho spoke so slowly(youtube)-was it because of drugs?

forest.fay said...

interesting opinions:) Ive just started reading one of Oshos books and i liked some of the ideas but behind others i could feel cult strategy...
unfortunately it is as with all religions/cults...
But i would like to know why he spoke so slowly(youtube) Was it because of drugs?

Sam Jordison said...

Thanks Jana... I'm not sure why he spoke so slowly... maybe drugs...

Blogger said...

This article is biased..Read it long back...See both the sides of a coin...Dont see Osho as a Personality...He did have lots of words of wisdom...May be a conditioned mind would find it hard to accept...He was a master of words..Played with it...He was controversial..May be that made him more popular...

Blue Magnum said...

my god, what absolute tosh!

Have seen these same summaries of Osho's life all over, some just lack of investigation, others purposely

I don't take things at face value any more now I see how easy it is using emotive language and half baked "facts" to paint someone a devil.

Time to look a bit deeper...

Anonymous said...

One thing the old B.R. said was true: The Rolls Royce Silver Spurs of the 1980s are ideally suited to men with bad backs. I recently bought an '84 Spur (with card made out to the "Rajneesh Modern Car Collection" in the glove box), and it's most kind to my arthritic lumbar spine. Looks nice, too.
Michael Jelf
DogAcre, Lomita, California

Sam Jordison said...

Fantastic, Michael. Do you have a picture? Hope you enjoy the ride!

R2V said...

hi,
sam and every XYZ
what i think is that Christianity has nurtured so many evils.( colonization, wars etc) but to counter that one cann't except the osho views. there are some points which are right but that doesnot mean his theories are solution to all problems . Infact they are more problematic. As far as cases are concerned i find them true,

Eve L. said...

"Osho is the most courageous person ever walked on Earth. All future is of Osho in spite of some prejudiced people like you."

Hahahahaha! Wow.

Thanks for posting excerpts from your book, Sam. The PR stunt by the deceased Bagman's publishing empire to only publish under the name "Osho" has worked. I'm finding more and more people don't know that the guy just cherry picked other people's teachings, threw it in a blender, and made it palatable for spoiled rich westerners. This was certainly a lucrative business for him. How many Rolls-Royces did he amass? 93?

What's really sad is that he didn't have much of a following among Indians until his history underwent a facelift among his followers.

Magnifi Kitty said...

I don't know much about this guy Osho, my 21 years old niece became a fanatic of Osho few months ago, now she is a complete looney! Talks all day about love but hates her family. Jumps and yells hoo hoo for half and hour and then she is crazy for the rest of the day, wow!

Anonymous said...

Someone on a discussion forum posted a video of this Osho guy saying oooh, look at his deep words and wisdom. I smelled something bad. SOO I looked it up on Wikipedia and what do I find? The bastard was deported from the US for immigration fraud (and what not) and his followers involved in an assassination plot and the first bio-terror attack in US history. LOL. Ohh, too funny. How can people look up to anyone without investigating who the fk that person really is? This person Osho (aka RAJNEESH) was a mini Charles Manson. That's what he was. The less said about his followers the better.

Anonymous said...

i heard a lot about bla bla about osho same as in these posts.but when i read his few books and checked out how does meditation he has invented works.i found he is THE most outstanding person ever i came across directly or through books.

i came to realize that why jesus was crucified,socrates was poisoned,all hillaj mansoor was cut into pieces.corrupted n cunning politicians n religious leaders is noway possibly have chest to digest the truth.
yes,they do praise those people once they die but not till they alive.
same happened with osho.

though he isnt that rebellious as osho but still there are people forming groups against eckhart tolle. ...see...why this fear with enlightened people? its the mind.cs enlighten people is a death for mind.u cant remain the same if u listen them.so either change yrself or go gainst them just to be safe.no other way.

guys,if u want to be fair just read his books n try dynamic meditation.after doing that u deserve to speak whatever u feel honestly until then it wont be truth.

Anonymous said...

The knowledgeable man is just like a donkey carrying the load of the past, of the scriptures, of theories, philosophies and theologies. He cannot answer a single real question, although he can answer millions of unreal questions...

marcusamps said...

lolololol. Are you guys fucking retarded? why are you defending osho? did you listen to him none? This was his joke! He played it on me!

www.communeosho.ning.com said...

Good replies to Sam from so many Osho lovers! Sam had decided to remain against Osho and is with Jesus coz he is going to be saved by Jesus and Osho never promised to be the savior to his lovers. Things are but obvious!

Sam has no intelligence at all he is just a dull person,mentally paralyzed and biased with Jesus and wants to follow the dead religion and the dead Jesus and would think of killing all the Jews after 2000 years for what they did to his lord.

Similar will be the case with Osho followers if they keep following the dead. Osho taught the same as what Buddha taught "be light unto yourself". So let's move ahead. Osho gave so much of love as did Jesus even to Magadaline/Magdalina. U.S is the most sexually perverted country, you can make it out from the xxx movies they make, so is christianity. India has created meditative postures of sex on the temples and considered it as pious, so we do not oppose Osho for his liberty towards sex. Would you consider him bad if he gives liberty to eat! He just removed the biasis and wrong ideas for sex. Better live a healthy sex life, even a doctor would suggest that.

You will now find polyamories in U.S, they are not followers of Osho ofcourse but they believe in multiplicity of Love.

Osho never invented drugs, U.S did!
And if few drug addicts became his followers too, it is a great sign. The drug addicts would seldom follow some religious identity! Diseased would always should follow a Doctor. Osho was a doctor to them. He taught use of meditation instead of drugs. West never had with them the science of meditation. Gurdjieff was only right person to teach the true christianity.

U.S is a brat child. It requires fathers like Osho, Buddha,Gurdjieff, Laotse. If someone goes mad by reading Osho, I would consider it as if his or her madness was finding a way out and Osho became the scape goat. I run a successful business, I read Osho when I was 14 and I know many successful and healthy people who love and read Osho. I did not stop on Osho, I read on Ouspensky, J.Krishnatmurthy as well. I also particiapted in one of the groups based in California who uses Gurdjieff and Ouspensky as their base study for development of consciousness and teach true christianity. They infact have accepted all the mystry schools of the worlds. The problem was that Osho came in lime light and tried to feed donkeys with mineral water and the donkeys kicked him back however he was ready for it if few were to become man! Osho is ahead of our times, Sam and others will take 10 more births or may be 100 if the I.Q doesnt work to understand the East and Osho.

Sam i love you coz your initiative to start a blog on Osho made many interested in him. May be out of them will be few right ones. Love to you Sam...and forgive my harsh words for your foolish mind. I see a possibility of transformation in your effort to write against Osho. Who has time now a days to write so much about a dead man!

Please allow my post if you have balls!

www.communeosho.ning.com said...

Osho spoke slowly not because of drugs. He spoke by using the gaps of silence as he always told the silence between the words is important. One needs to study Indian philosophy and the phenomenon of silence very well before coming to conclusion. West has known nothing of the spiritual heights what east has known. We have 100 of enlightened being where in west has on one “Sir Jesus” who walked on water!
To name few of Eastern enlightened people Krishna, Janak, Astravakra, Buddha, Mahavir and the 23 in the same linage, Dattatrey, Laotse, Hsing Hsing Ming, Gurdjieff, Meera, Ramkrishna, J.Krishnamurthy and yes the very much rascal saint who shook everyone’s base of beliefs “Osho”.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam Jordison,

I haven't red all these comments, but I want to ask you something. Have you ever in your life, listend to some discourses with an open mind, unbiased? From the beginning to the end? Have you listened to the teachings? Because that, that is what its all about, not the circumference. A lot, and i mean a lot of people have had such great expiriences, personal power, so full of love, even 20 years later, they fulfill their belief. In great respect towards Osho. If, it was all a great lie, they had become sober. But the opposite is true.

Barrie said...

I have just found your article - somewhat after the fact.
It is a brilliant article and spot on!
Tim Guest's book, My Life in Orange, had a very deep personal effect on me. It was a superb memoir and written very well. I was so saddened to hear of Tim's untimely death.
I will be looking for your writing on the Guardian web wage!

Sam Jordison said...

Thanks Barrie! How kind. And yes, My Life In Orange is a great book. Very sad to lose Tim Guest so young. Hope you enjoy my stuff on The Guardian!

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam,

Very well done. I really enjoyed reading your article and some how you managed to piss off many close-minded lovers of osho .It is a proof to me that they see whoever criticizes their master as an outsider who does not have higher understanding. I think he is just another business man who managed to live off his followers wealth just like the catholic church, hats of to his evil genius. I am doing my PhD thesis on mined control and religions. I have listened to many of his discourses and read many of his books and all I see is a person with no respect for copyright rules(not surprising since he thought he was above law). He takes credit for all the work other great thinkers and philosophers have accomplished. His philosophy is like the Macdonald of the spiritual world, fills you up if you are hungry and your pallet is use to rubbish but leaves you with many health problems after you get hooked up on his deep fried double burgers.

P.S. Beloved sannyasins don't try to argue with me over technicalities like, Osho did not have follower, he did not have a religion or a church... Tell me something that he left as a gift to humanity which was his and only his. And PLEASE do not say that there is no originality left in this world(what your master has taught you).

Mona Lima

Anonymous said...

Yes I agree with you...Osho did not meditate explore his deeper self to
contribute a new teaching or philosophy , he used the words of
great thinkers and saints, the words of Buddha
He depleted any kind of discipline from them which made it appealling to the escapists[hence popular among junkies]
And all those people making a point about Osho by maligning other leaders, religions,only prove that they have no strong point or fact to debate with.
Spirituality is within,it requires no cult and no preacher.

Nirav said...

For all those people who write that Osho knows nothing of himself but just used the words of all time great seekers............my answer to them is can anyone speaks about Einstein's study without knowing less than Einstein himself.......knowing about einstein needs knowledge about science whereas knowing about great seekers needs knowing about self....because it is not science its a spiritual science..........And the Osho haters have himself proved that Osho is a true spiritual person by himself saying that he uses knowledge of spiritual people........u people have low IQ.....u themselves have proved it..........

Anonymous said...

Dear Sam Jordison,

you wrote : ... "In 1985 he declared that his religion was dead – and that it had, in fact, been invented by his followers. He said he was glad not to have to pretend to be enlightened anymore." ...

There are other sources than the book you mentioned?

Because I have read a lot of osho, especially critical documents but I had never read this statement. I would be grateful if you show me where to check this source because I'm reflecting on the topic.

Anonymous said...

Of all people christopher calder gives the most logical and rational views regarding osho. western world is highly materialized and are preys to pervert gurus from east, who are basically only interested in the money of the west.