Mahan Of The Day:- OSHO

Osho

Famous as	One of the most controversial spiritual leaders and public speakers
Born on	11 December 1931
Born in	Kuchwada, Madhya Pradesh
Died on	19 January 1990
Nationality	India
Works & Achievements	Osho, a controversial spiritual leader, introduced the 'Dynamic Meditation' method to his disciples. He was a public speaker, who talked about spirituality in a different, controversial way. The founder of Osho International Meditation Center, based in Pune, he formulated a number of meditation techniques.

Early Life:

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, the movement 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 of the latter 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.

 SYNOPSIS OF OSHO

Osho was one of the most famed as well as the most controversial spiritual leaders of his time. He came to be known as 'Acharya Rajneesh' in 1960s, assumed the name 'Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh' during the 1970s and 1980s and called himself 'Osho' in 1989. He was a professor of Philosophy and traveled extensively to various parts of India, giving lectures on Secularism and Gandhi. He institutionalized religion and advocated an open attitude towards sexuality, which landed him in a number of controversies. Founder of Osho International Meditation Center, he devised a number of meditation techniques and came to be known as a spiritual therapist.

Childhood

Osho was born on December 11, 1931, in Kuchwada, a small village in Madhya Pradesh, India. He was born into the Taranpanthi Jain community. Originally named Rajneesh Chandra Mohan, he was the eldest of eleven children in a family of Jain cloth merchants. At the age of seven, he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents. At his grandmother’s home, Rajneesh was nurtured with full independence, without the hassle of imposed education or other restrictions.

Rajneesh grew up as a very rebellious child. After the death of his grandmother, he returned to stay with his parents. By the time he reached adolescence, Rajneesh had inculcated interest in hypnosis and become an atheist. For a short period, he was associated with Socialism as well as two Indian independence movements - the Indian National Army and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Education, Enlightenment And Public Speaking

After completing his studies at a high school in Gadarwara, Rajneesh went to Jabalpur. In 1951, at the age of nineteen, he joined Hitkarini College in Jabalpur. There, he had a conflict with a lecturer, as a result of which, he was transferred to D.N. Jain College. Rajneesh was spiritually enlightened on March 21, 1953. Following the enlightenment, he went on to finish his studies. He earned his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Jabalpur University, in 1955, and received Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Sagar University, in 1957. Meanwhile, he took part in the annual Sarva Dharma Sammelan held at Jabalpur, organized by the Taranpanthi Jain community, where he initiated his first public speaking. He continued to participate in public speaking from 1951 to 1968.

A Lecturer

In 1957, Rajneesh became a lecturer at Sanskrit College in Raipur. His unconventional ideas about life soon fetched him a transfer, as the Vice Chancellor considered him a serious danger to the morality and character of the students. The following year, he acquired the position of a professor at Jabalpur University, where he taught Philosophy. In the meantime, he traveled extensively across India, giving lectures on Socialism and Gandhi, under the name of ‘Acharya Rajneesh’.

A Spiritual Therapist

Acharya Rajneesh criticized orthodox Indian religions. His bold statements made him a controversial personality. Some people were in his favor, while others went against him. A number of wealthy merchants and businessmen, who were in favor of his ideology, consulted him frequently to seek guidance about their spiritual development and daily life. It was clearly visible from the rapid growth of this practice that he possessed an unusual talent as a spiritual therapist.  

Life In Mumbai

Acharya Rajneesh moved from Jabalpur to Mumbai in 1970. The same year, he introduced his ‘Dynamic Meditation’ method for the first time, in Mumbai, at a public meditation event. On September 26, 1970, he organized an outdoor meditation camp, which comprises of a large gathering of his followers. After a couple of months, he shifted to Woodlands Apartments in Mumbai, where he received visitors and gave lectures. By this time, he had started traveling less frequently and discontinued speaking at open public meetings. He adopted the title ‘Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’ in 1971.

Life In Pune

The climatic conditions in Mumbai proved to be unfavorable for Osho, as a result of which, he developed several health problems. Consequently, he left Mumbai for Pune in 1974. His disciples set up an ashram in Pune, where he taught from 1974 to 1981. Initially, the audio recordings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's discourses were regularly played in the ashram, followed by video recording and printing of the material for worldwide distribution. Over a period of time, the number of Western visitors increased drastically, leading to constant expansion of the ashram. It soon featured an arts-and-crafts centre and included music and theatrical performances. The ashram in Pune is known as 'Osho International Meditation Center' in the present times.  

Public Silence

After giving discourses on a daily basis for almost 15 years, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh underwent a three-and-a-half years of self-imposed public silence in 1981. His discourses were then substituted by satsangs and readings from spiritual works. This phase continued until 1984. Thereafter, he resumed his presentations, but in a limited way.

Life In The United States

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh traveled to the United States on June 1 1981, to get treatment for prolapsed disc. His disciples purchased a large plot in Wasco County, Oregon and named it ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He settled down in the place for several years. The construction of Rajneeshpuram proved to be a controversial issue. It resulted in arguments over zoning rules and building codes between his followers and the residents of Wasco County and eventually, with the rest of the State. There was a clash of cultures and the inhabitants felt threatened by the influx of his devotees. As a result, building permits were denied. His disciples then decided to be elected straightaway to the town council. Meanwhile, there were allegations that the followers of Osho were involved in illegal activities, like spreading salmonella at a local restaurant. Allegations of murder were also made on them.

Osho’s Arrest

In November 1985, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his several disciples were charged with the invasion of immigration laws. On 28 October 1985, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his personal physician and a small number of disciples were arrested in North Carolina. He then entered an "Alford plea”, known as ‘no-contest plea’, and was given a suspended sentence, on a stipulation that he should leave the United States.    

Return To Pune

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh reluctantly decided to leave for India, after the episode in the United States. It was at this time that he decided to change his name from to Osho. After staying in Himachal Pradesh for six weeks, he traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal and then moved to Crete in Greece. After being refused by a number of countries, Osho returned to India in 1986. In January 1987, Osho moved back to his old ashram in Pune, where he resumed his discoursing. This was followed by the continuation of therapy courses. Osho formulated several meditation techniques during this time. The ashram was renewed and expanded, this time in a less controversial style.

Death

Osho breathed his last in the year 1990. It was stated that heart failure was the cause of his death. His physicians hypothesized that he had been poisoned by radiation and thallium in the United States and that he must have slept on his right side on a deliberately irradiated mattress, as his symptoms were concentrated on the right side of his body. However, his followers had no evidence to support the hypothesis.

Osho Quotes on Living Consciously

1. The way of living unconsciously is called by Buddha the dark way. And the way of living consciously, attentively, moment to moment, bringing your consciousness to each act, each small act, each detail, is the way of light.
2. From birth to death you go on living, groping in darkness with no light — and you could have created the light. You cannot find it in the scriptures; nobody can hand it to you. It is not purchased or sold; it is nontransferable. But you can create it — you can put all your energies together. You can start living consciously from this very moment.
3. If you are living in an unconscious way it makes no difference whether you live to seventy, eighty, ninety, a hundred; it does not matter. Living consciously even for a single moment is enough.
4. A stupid person behaves mechanically: an intelligent person behaves consciously.
5. Consciousness means living with a witness; unconsciousness means living without a witness. When you are walking on the road, you can walk consciously — that’s what Buddha says one should do — you are alert, deep down you are aware that you are walking; you are conscious of each movement. You are conscious of the birds singing in the trees, the early morning sun coming through the trees, the rays touching you, the warmth, the fresh air, the fragrance of newly opening flowers. A dog starts barking, a train passes by, you are breathing… you are watching everything. You are not excluding anything out of your alertness; you are taking everything in. The breath goes in, the breath goes out… you are watching everything that is happening.
6. This life that you are living is sorrow, but this is not the only life. This is the life you have chosen. You can live another kind of life: Buddha lived it, I am living it, you can live it. You can live in a totally different way: you can live desirelessly, you can live meditatively, you can live with choiceless awareness. You can live so centered and rooted in your being that no sorrow can remain. No sadness, no misery, no death remains possible; they all disappear. As you become full of light, your life goes through a transformation. This is not the right kind of life that you are living.
7. If you are living your life consciously, alertly, not repressing, not being against your body, you will have a tremendous silence. In your night there will be no disturbance — no dreams, just silent sleep. And in your day you will have a very cool feeling surrounding you — no thoughts, no traffic of thoughts which keeps your head hot the whole day.
8. Unless you become alert and aware in life, unless you change the quality of your living, you will not die consciously. And only a conscious death can bring you to a conscious birth; and then a far more conscious life opens its doors.
9. It is through decisiveness that the soul is born. If you exist accidentally, like driftwood, you live without a soul; your life is not much of a life. It is pseudo, it is lukewarm; it has no intensity; it has no flame; it has no light. You cannot experience the truth. Living accidentally, knowing the truth is impossible. One has to be so decisive, so committed, so consciously involved with life, so intensely adventurous, that all is at stake every moment. One has to be creative — not only unfolding, but creative.
10. Sannyas is the beginning of the day, sannyas is the dawn. Let the night disappear, don’t cling to it. Become more alert so that the night cannot take possession of you again. Night means unawareness, day means awareness. Night means living a life mechanically, day means living a life with awareness, consciously.
11. If you are centered, nothing can be destroyed. No fire can destroy your centering. Not even death is capable of distracting you. And this centering is possible only if you start living each moment meditatively, fully alert, aware. Don’t move like an automaton. Don’t react like a mechanism. Become conscious. Collect yourself more and more so that a crystallized consiousness continuously illuminates your inner being, a flame goes on burning there and it lights wherever you move. The path, the way, whatsoever you do, it lights it.
12. Heaven is not somewhere else: it is a way of living. So is hell — a style of life. Hell is living unconsciously; heaven is living consciously. Hell is your own creation, so is heaven. If you go on living unconsciously, through your unconscious desires, instincts, motives — of which you are not the master but only the victim — then you create hell around yourself. But if you start living a conscious life, a life of bringing more and more light to the deep, dark corners of your being, if you start living full of light, your life is moment-to-moment ecstasy.
13. Be skillful and live life consciously. Otherwise life becomes boring. You feel it. You know how it feels. Sooner or later everything feels boring; one is bored to death. One goes on living because one is not courageous enough to commit suicide. One goes on living just in the hope that sooner or later one will die — the death is coming.
14. Spirituality is not other-worldliness. Spirituality is a way of living in this world meditatively, totally, blissfully. It is not against this world; in fact it enhances this world, enriches this world, it makes this world more beautiful, more blissful. But religions up to now have done just the opposite. They have made this earth a hell. I hold the so-called religions absolutely, categorically responsible for the misery that exists in the world.
15. I am teaching everybody to enjoy the moment, and don’t be bothered by tomorrow. Living in the moment intelligently, consciously, meditatively, will take care of the future. There is no need for me to give you directives, guidelines for what you have to do when I am gone. That’s what all the old religions have done.
16. Before death comes you will become unconscious, so you will miss the experience of death. The people who are living consciously — and that is my basic teaching, live consciously every moment. Even while making love, remain conscious and a witness. It is a life… long growth if becoming alert. Then you can die consciously and you can experience death as the ultimate orgasm. It is far bigger than any sexual orgasm. In fact, the difference is not only of quantity, the difference is of quality. It is immeasurable. Living moment to moment, one learns how to die. beautifully, silently, joyously.
17. It is not my belief ‘that man should live more meditatively’, it is my understanding that man can live only in meditation — otherwise there is no life. Meditation is life. Not to be in meditation is not to live. Then you only pretend that you are living; then your life is just a mask. It has no authenticity in it, it has no depth; it is just the surface, the facade.
18. If you live consciously, if you try to bring consciousness to every act that you go through, you will be living in a silent, blissful state, in serenity, in joy, in love. Your life will have the flavour of a festival. That is the meaning of heaven: your life will have many flowers in it, much fragrance will be released through you. You will have an aura of delight. Your life will be a song of life-affirmation, it will be a sacred yes to all that existence is. You will be in communion with existence — in communion with stars, with the trees, with the rivers, with the mountains, with people, with animals. This whole life and this whole existence will have a totally different meaning for you. From every nook and corner, rivers of bliss will be flowing towards you. Heaven is just a name for that state of mind. Hell means you are living so unconsciously, so absurdly, in such contradiction, that you go on creating more and more misery for yourself.
19. I teach you to be expressive and to accept all your nature with pride — it is your inheritance from nature. Living naturally without inhibition, things like rape will disappear. Living silently and meditatively, violence is not possible. Compassion will be just a natural phenomenon.
20. If you know the art of living… and that’s what I call religion — real, authentic religion — the art of living. If you know the art of living… and it consists of small things, not of big, great commandments… very small things… just sipping your tea joyfully, meditatively, tasting each sip as if this is the last sip. Perhaps you may not be able again to hold the cup in your hands — there is no guarantee.
21. In short: to live means to live in God — consciously, totally. And those who are not living that way, they are dead. They are WORSE than dead! because they THINK they live, and they are not alive. They are not yet even born. They are only seeds, potential but not actual. A Jesus has to happen to them, a Master has to happen to them, only then will they fall in the soil. A gardener is needed — only then will the seed die and be born as a tree. And then there will be great rejoicing, great flowering, and great fulfillment, great fruition.