Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain (December 11, 1931 - January 19, 1990), better known during the 1970s as

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later as Osho was an Indian spiritual teacher. He lived in India and in other
countries including, for a period the United States, and was held centrally by the Osho-Rajneesh movement, a
controversial spiritual and philosophical movement.
In the Western world, "Orange People" and Rajneeshees were popular terms to designate Rajneesh followers, the
former because of the colour of their clothes, which were meant to be the colour of the sky at dawn.

Osho's philosophy
Osho (Rajneesh) claimed that the greatest values in life are (in no specific order) love, meditation and laughter, and
that the highest grace in life was in experiencing spiritual enlightenment. This enlightenment is described as being
the normal state of being for all that makes up the cosmos, but one is distracted from realizing that one is
experiencing it - particularly by the human activity of thought, as well as by emotional ties to societal expectations,
and consequent fears and inhibitions.
He extracted and expounded philosophies from various spiritual sources. He was a prolific speaker both in Hindi
and English on various spiritual traditions including those of Buddha, Krishna,Guru Nanak, Jesus, Socrates, Zen
masters, Hassidism, Sufism and many others. He also took pains to ensure no "system of thought" would define him,
since no philosophy can fully express the truth. His, though by no means uniquely his, was more a "philosophy of no
philosophy".
An experienced orator, he used his skills to convey his message, but insisted that the only reason he kept on talking
was to convince his listeners to start on a path of meditation.
He was often called the "sex guru" after some speeches in the late 1960s on sexuality which scandalised an orthodox
society. These were later compiled under the title From Sex to Superconsciousness. According to him, "For Tantra
everything is holy, nothing is unholy", and all repressive sexual morality was self-defeating, since one could not
transcend sex without experiencing it thoroughly and consciously.
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Osho on meditation
According to Osho, meditation is a state beyond mind. It is not concentration. It is not about spiritual thoughts; it is a
state of thoughtlessness. It is something that can just happen, it is a state that one can be in, it is not something that
one can do. But he said that it is very difficult for modern man to just sit and be in meditation, so he devised some
active meditation techniques that naturally take one into meditation. These techniques allow a person to unburden by
expressing whatever is repressed in him.
Some of these preparatory exercises can also be found in western psychological therapies (i.e. gestalt therapy), such
as altered breathing, gibberish, laughing or crying. His most significant meditation techniques are referred to as
Active Meditations, such as "Dynamic Meditation", "Kundalini Meditation", "Nadabrahma", "Nataraj", and are quite
demanding physically.
He also reintroduced several traditional meditation techniques, reducing them to their most minimal expression,
stripping them of ritual and tradition, and retaining the most therapeutic parts. He also supported the theory that,
given sufficient practice, the meditative state can be achieved and maintained while performing everyday tasks.
Furthermore, enlightenment is nothing but being continuously in a meditative state.
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Biographical notes
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Childhood and awakening

Osho was born at Gadarwara, a small village in Narsingpur District of Madhya Pradesh state in India. At the time,
the astrologer predicted that he might die before he was seven years old according to the birth chart. His parents,
who were Jains, chose to send him to be with his maternal grandparents until he was seven years old.
Osho said this was a major influence on his growth because his grandmother gave him the utmost freedom and
respect. As a consequence, he was left carefree without an imposed education or restrictions.
Osho explains that children, during their first seven years, have their development negatively affected by being
forced to learn and having their dignity ignored. He says ideally it should be the opposite. People can learn from
children that which they themselves have forgotten. If a child is allowed freedom during his initial years, he will
grow in strength and have enough intelligence to decide and to discuss, and can self-educate with minimal guidance.
This, as he puts it, was what happened to him. When he joined the first school, he was able to discuss with and
convince his teacher, who was very strict with children. Osho explains that if the child receives respect, he is more
obedient to his parents. If the parents ignore the child's individuality, the child would in turn ignore them. (My Life
in Orange, a memoir of Tim Guest's time as a child in Bhagwan's communes, explores the ways those teachings
affected the children of Bhagwan's disciples, in both positive and negative ways.)
After Osho was seven, he went back to his parents. Osho explains that he received a similar kind of respect from his
paternal grandfather who was staying with them. He was able to be very open with his grandfather. His grandfather
used to tell him, "I know you are doing the right thing. Everyone may tell you that you are wrong. But nobody
knows which situation you are in. Only you can decide in your situation. Do whatsoever you feel is right. I will
support you. I love you and respect you as well."
On 21 March 1953, when Osho was 21 years old, he says that he became spiritually enlightened. He dropped all
effort and hope and after an intense seven-day process he went out at night to a garden, where he sat under a
maulshree tree.
He did manage to finish his studies and during the 1960s he served as philosophy professor at the University of
Jabalpur while touring India, lecturing on his philosophy.
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Rajneeshi / Sannyasin movements

To understand the movement which arose around Rajneesh, it is necessary first to understand what is a Sannyasin
traditionally, and what was different about becoming Sannyasin to Rajneesh -- sometimes termed neo-Sannyasin.
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The Commune
In 1969 a group of his disciples established a foundation to support his work and allowed him to drop his university
job. They settled in an apartment in Mumbai where he gave daily discourses and received visitors. The number and
frequency of visitors soon became too much for the place, overflowing the apartment and bothering the neighbours.
A much larger apartment was found on the ground floor (so the visitors would not need to use the elevator, a matter
of conflict with the former neighbours).
On September 26, 1970 he initiated his first disciple or sannyasin at an outdoor meditation camp, one of the large
gatherings where he lectured and guided group meditations.
Still the new and bigger apartment proved insufficient and the climate of Mumbai was deemed very bad for Osho's
health, so a new place had to be found. On the 21st anniversary of his enlightenment a caravan of cars departed from
the Mumbai apartment to the newly purchased property in Koregaon Park, in the city of Pune, a four hour trip from
Mumbai. Pune had been the secondary residence of many wealthy families from Mumbai because of the cooler
climate (Mumbai lies in a coastal wetland, hot and damp, Pune is inland and much higher so it is drier and cooler).
The two adjoining houses and 6 acres of land had known better times but in little time the nucleus of an Ashram
started to grow and those two buildings are still at the heart of the present day Osho International Commune. This
stable and ample space allowed for the regular audio and video recording of his discourses and later printing for
worldwide distribution, which allowed him to reach far larger audiences internationally.
[edit]

The U.S. chapter

In 1981, Rajneesh was taken to the United States in search of better medical care (he suffered from diabetes and
severe back problems) and also, allegedly, to escape tax evasion charges in India. His followers, at his request,
bought (for US$6 million) a ranch in Wasco County, Oregon, previously known as "The Big Muddy", but later
renamed Rajneeshpuram where they settled for the next several years.
At its largest, Rajneeshpuram consisted of some 7,000 members on a 6.25-square-mile ranch 10 miles from
Antelope. It included homes, meditation centers, its own road system, power grid, bus service, schools for children,
and even a small airport.
Disagreements over zoning rules and building codes in the beginning continued to escalate between not only his
followers and the inhabitants of Wasco County, but eventually with the rest of the state. His followers, known as
Rajneeshees, settled en bloc in Antelope, Oregon, and were able to elect a majority of the town council. They did
this after the previously valid legal incorporation of Rajneeshpuram as a city was invalidated by the Oregon
Legislature's setting new standards of incorporation and making them retroactive.
Comments by his public spokeswoman, Ma Anand Sheela, only increased tensions. Matters were not helped by
Rajneesh's vow of silence, or the 93 Rolls-Royces his followers bought him as gifts - they said that he wanted 365
cars so that he had a new one for each day of the year (technically, he did not have income or own any property).
One of his followers explains this in what is called "Face to Faith Parable of the Rolls Royces." When the
Rajneeshees subsequently recruited homeless people from across the United States to settle at Rajneeshpuram, it
was widely seen as an attempt to use the ballot box to seize control of Wasco County.
In 1984, a bioterrorist attack involving salmonella typhimurium contamination in the salad bars of the 10 restaurants
at The Dalles, Oregon, was traced to the Rajneeshee group.[1] The attack sickened about 750 people and
hospitalized forty-five; none died. It was the first known bioterrorist attack of the 20th century in the United States,
and is still known as the largest germ warfare attack in the U.S. Eventually Sheela and Ma Anand Puja, one of
Sheela's close associates, confessed to the salmonella attack (the test run of a plan to incapacitate large numbers of
Wasco County residents on an upcoming election day) and to attempted poisonings on county officials.
In May 1985, Sheela called a meeting of Rajneesh's inner circle to plot the assassination of Charles Turner, the U.S.
Attorney for Oregon, after the attorney was appointed to head a grand jury investigation into the commune.
Catherine Jane Stubbs, known as Ma Shanti Bhadra, volunteered to be the killer. She later bought weapons and
scouted Turner's property.
In September 1985, Sheela quit her post as Rajneesh's secretary, and fled to Europe, allegedly with a large piece of
the commune's money. After she and twenty of her confederates left, Rajneesh called for an investigation of what
she had been doing, during which some of the foregoing came to light.
In late October 1985, Rajneesh was arrested in North Carolina as he was allegedly fleeing the U.S. Though his
lawyers had approached the federal grand jury in Portland, Oregon that was about to secretly indict Rajneesh and
some of his followers for alleged immigration crimes, and offered for him to be available to them, that offer was
refused. Soon after, a Wasco County grand jury returned indictments against Sheela and two others, charging them
with the attempted murder of Swami Devaraj, Bhagwan's personal doctor. Rajneesh on advice of his lawyers entered
an "Alford plea," or no-contest plea, in regard to the immigration crimes, and was given a suspended sentence on
condition that he leave the country.
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Back in Pune
On January 19, 1990, four years after his arrest, Osho died, with "heart failure" being the publicly reported cause.
Osho claimed that his rapid health decline leading to his death was caused by his poisoning with the element
thallium by US authorities while he was in prison. He claimed a plot led by the CIA and Ronald Reagan to
assassinate him had been carried out due to their fear of Osho's controversial and counter-cultural teachings
combined with his powerful ability to influence people. There has never been any evidence to support this claim,
which is contradicted by the fact that thallium poisoning causes dramatic hair loss within one week of exposure.
Osho never experienced any abnormal hair loss and he died with a full beard.
Osho was chronically ill most of his adult life and he was exceptionally sensitive to smells and chemicals, a
condition known as "multiple chemical sensitivity." Those wishing to meet him were first sniffed by helpers to make
sure they were not wearing perfume. It was widely reported that he was addicted to the prescription drug Valium in
the 1980s and was a heavy user of nitrous oxide gas. On the CBS television show 60 Minutes, Ma Anand Sheela
claimed that Rajneesh took sixty milligrams of Valium every day. When questioned by journalists about this
allegation, however, Osho categorically denied it, adding that Sheela was in no position to know what medication he
was given, this being a matter between him and his personal physician.
In a 1998 preface to Books I Have Loved, Osho's personal dentist, Swami Devageet, states that Osho dictated three
books under the influence of nitrous oxide. They were Glimpses of a Golden Childhood, Notes of a Madman, and
Books I Have Loved. Referring to his own nitrous oxide use, Rajneesh himself stated that "Actually oxygen and
nitrogen are basic elements of existence. They can be of much use, but for reasons the politicians have been against
chemicals of all kinds, all drugs."
After the Rajneeshpuram commune was abandoned, it was discovered that Rajneesh had installed nitrous oxide
spigots in his home by his bedside. This was widely reported in newspapers and verified first hand by the FBI and
former Oregon Congressman Jim Weaver, who wrote the following in a newspaper article.
A few years later, I went through the abandoned city of Rajneeshpuram and saw things
that were almost unbelievable. Ma Anand Sheela's headquarters, a group of mobile
homes pieced together, was a hive of secret doors and hidden tunnels, her private room a
command post with electronic listening gear tapped into every room in the development.
The Bhagwan's parquet-paneled quarters had nitrogen oxide spigots by his bedside, and
was surrounded by huge bathrooms with multiple showers.
Osho was 58 years old when he died. His ashes were placed in a reconstructed meditation hall, at his last home
place, his Ashram in Pune, India. The epitaph reads, "OSHO. Never Born, Never Died. Only Visited this Planet
Earth between Dec 11 1931 - Jan 19 1990."
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Names and titles

Osho was known as Acharya Rajneesh (teacher Rajneesh) during his early years as a spiritual teacher.
In 1971 he is said to have asked his disciples to start calling him "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh." The Sanskrit word
Bhagwan means "Blessed one" (historically, it is used to refer to a Hindu god, such as Bhagwan Ram or Bhagwan
Krishna or to a spiritually awakened being in Mahayana Buddhism). It is also used to denote individuals who
possess a great wealth of spiritual knowledge. Shree (more commonly transliterated as Shrī or Śrī) in Sanskrit means
"spiritual wealth" and is thus roughly equivalent to the English word "Lord". It derives this meaning from its use as
another name Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity.
In February 1989, following a request, Rajneesh changed his name to "Osho". 'Osho' is an ancient Japanese term
that is used to address a spiritual master in certain Zen traditions. The name "Osho" in this context means "The
Friend". It fit how Rajneesh wanted to be known by his followers and lovers.
The name Osho, like the name Rajneesh, may be the subject of trademark in certain countries

Early History of the Movement:

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931-1990) was born Rajneesh Chandra Mohan in Kuchwara, a town in central India.
Various sources state that "Bhagwan" means either "The Blessed One" or "God" 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 ("City of Rajneesh"). This
"small, desolate valley twelve miles from Antelope, Oregon was transformed into a thriving town of 3,000 residents,
with a 4,500 foot paved airstrip, a 44 acre reservoir, an 88,000 square foot meeting hall..." 8 Many of the local folks
were intolerant of the new group in their midst, because of religious and cultural differences. One manifestation of
this intolerance was the town's denial of building permits to the followers of Rajneesh. Some buildings were erected
on the ranch without planning board approval. When officials attempted to stop the construction, their office was
firebombed by unknown person(s). When the local city council repeatedly refused to issue permits for their
businesses, some sannyasins elected themselves to the city council. The town of Antelope was renamed City of
Rajneesh.
Top aides of Osho were charged with a number of crimes, including the attempted murder of Osho's personal
physician. There were stories of a hit list. Some fled the country for Switzerland where they had control over the
group's bank accounts. Two were eventually convicted of conspiracy to murder local lawyer Charles Turner in an
attempt to prevent closure of the ranch.
In 1983, Osho's secretary Sheela Silverman predicted on behalf of Osho that there would be massive destruction on
earth, between 1984 and 1999. This would include both natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. Floods larger
than any since Noah, extreme earthquakes, very destructive volcano eruptions, nuclear wars etc. would be
experienced. Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bombay were all expected to disappear. There is
doubt that these predictions actually came from Osho; they are not representative of his other teachings.
A number of sources have reported that spiritual devotees of Rajneesh had spread salmonella on a local restaurant's
salad bar in order to reduce voter turnout on a measure that would have restricted the group's activities. Allegedly,
751 people were affected by the bacteria. 9,10
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". Some sources explain that the name was derived from the expression "oceanic
experience" by William James; others say that it was derived from an ancient Japanese word for master. He died in
Pune in 1990. Various rumors spread that he had been poisoned with thallium by the CIA, had been exposed to
damaging doses of radiation by the U.S. authorities, or had heart failure. It is obvious that he did not experience
thallium poisoning, because he died with a full beard, and only male-pattern baldness on the top of his head. A
person suffering from thallium poisoning suffers a dramatic loss of hair with a week of exposure. 6 His death
certificate lists heart failure as the cause of his death.
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."

Beliefs and Practices

Osho developed new forms of active meditation. The best known is Dynamic Meditation which often starts with
strenuous physical activity followed by silence and celebration. These were expected to lead the individual to
overcome repression, lower their personal inhibitions, develop a "state of emptiness", and attain enlightenment. The
person then would have "no past, no future, no attachment, no mind, no ego, no self." Prior to 1985, the disciples
wore red robes, and a necklace of 108 beads which had an attached picture of Rajneesh. Osho assigned a new name
to each of the disciples. Men were given the title "Swami"; women were called "Ma". Although most members lived
a frugal, simple lifestyle, Rajneesh himself lived in luxury. His collection 27 Rolls Royces, given to him by his
followers, was well known. (Some sources say he had as many as 100 cars). Anti-cult groups claimed that he urged
his disciples to sever their connection to their families of origin. It is true that he felt that the institution of the family
was out of date and that it should be replaced with alternative forms of community and ways of caring for children.
However, he actually encouraged individual disciples to make peace with their families. Many became disciples
themselves, including Osho's own parents.
He taught a form of Monism, that God was in everything and everyone. There is no division between "God" and
"not-God". People, even at their worse, are divine. He recognized Jesus Christ as having attained enlightenment, and
believed that he survived his crucifixion and moved to India where he died at the age of 112. Osho was noted for
reading very offensive jokes; some were anti-Semitic; others were anti-Roman Catholicism; others insulted just
about every ethnic and religious group in the world. He explained that the purpose of these jokes was to shock
people and to encourage them to examine their identification with and attachment to their ethnic or religious beliefs.
His contention was that national, religious, gender and racial divisions are destructive.