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 "The Blessed One" and that "Shree" means
"Master". At the end of his life, he changed his name to
Osho.
His parents' religion was Jainism. However, Osho never subscribed
to any religious faith during his lifetime. He received "samadhi"
(enlightenment in which his soul became one with the universe) on
1953-MAR-21 at the age of 21. Rajneesh obtained a masters degree in
philosophy from the University of Saugar. He taught philosophy at
the University of Jabalpur for nine years and concurrently worked
as a religious leader. In 1966, he left his teaching post and gave
his full attention to teaching his sannyasins (disciples) while pursuing
a speaking career. He had an apartment in Bombay where he often met
individuals and small groups, where acting as spiritual teacher, guide
and friend. Most of his Sannyasins came from Europe and India in the
early years.
In 1974, Osho moved from Bombay southward to Pune 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. 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.
In 1981 he left India reluctantly because of health problems. He went
to the United States in order to obtain advanced treatment. 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..." 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.
Beliefs
and Practices
Osho developed new forms of active meditation. The best known is Dynamic
Meditation which often starts with physical activity followed by silence
and celebration. 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. 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.
osho.com
sannyas.net
oshoworld.com
sannyasworld.com
____________________________________________________
Beloveds,
Last Saturday celebrations were held at Osho Mevlana and around
Byron Shire for Swami Krishna Prem, who ran the Press Office at the
Ashram in India pretty much since he took sannyas in 1973.
In Poona 1, apart from being #1 PR man for the commune, Canadian
Born KP rewrote Osho books from Hindi-English. He was also a
founding member of the Poona 2 commune.
After being diagnosed with liver cancer five months ago, KP spent
his last months finishing off the book Osho asked him to write way
back, which outlined his personal story with Osho between 1973 and
1981, at the end of Poona 1.
That done, he didn't waste much time organising a speedy exit, as
well as every detail of the Celebrations held last weekend.
He even wrote his Eulogy, which was read by his wife Sourabh last
Saturday.
It
follows:
Eulogy
Thank
you all for coming today to say good-bye.
Several years ago, my friend Yuthika died of cancer. When I heard
she was ill, and that the cancer was inoperable, I telephoned her.
At one point I asked if she were afraid. "There's fear around
managing the pain," she replied. "But the strangest thing
is this
underlying sense of excitement that I'm about to embark on the last
great adventure." As I write this, in mid-August, I understand
exactly what she meant.
Pain hasn't been an issue for me. I haven't had any to date, and
thanks to the palliative care people, there's enough morphine
stashed in the kitchen pantry to give the villagers in Wentworth
Falls, after I'm gone, a day of euphoria none of them will ever
forget.
I was in the hospital after a heart attack that the cancer was
discovered – mostly in the liver – thanks, in part I imagine,
to the
ameobas who regularly lodged themselves there during the years in
India. I was also told it was incurable. And so I said OK, it's
obviously time to go, so let's do it with grace, gratitude and
acceptance; in other words, in surrender. I said no to chemotherapy
and Sourabh brought me home.
It takes time – and usually illness – for spirit to separate
from
the flesh, and I have been tremendously well looked after during
this process. My close friend Asango fundamentally put her life on
hold to care for me. Sourabh was also fully devoted, as were Divy,
Pratima, Sambodhi and other friends who filled any gaps so I
wouldn't be alone as more and more weakness set in – Sharda,
Deeva,
Gitanjali. And in particular my sister-in-law Jaldhara, a doctor in
Germany, who was consistently available with explanations and
counsel. Thank you all from the depths of my heart.
And the emails! There have been hundreds and hundreds from friends
around the world. It surprised me how just being who I am has
touched so many people. Something I did, something I said has stayed
with them all these years – and they shared this with me in
beautiful, eloquent ways.
Recently, Jayena, a friend from Zürich, wrote to me asking, now
that
I'm about to vacate this body, this biodegradable vehicle with its
hidden use-by date, if I have any advice about preparing for this
moment that we're all going to face? Just four things.
First, deal with the Christian myth of separation.
I cannot conceive of anything more childish than the projection of
a
fantasy father in a fantasy heaven who created this world. The fact
that billions buy this nonsense paints a frightening picture of the
average level of intelligence and awareness of mankind. It's the
ugliest kind of political control masquerading as religion.
Secondly, if you can realize experientially that separation is just
an illusion, then surrender becomes an act of intelligence.
It's unintelligent for the part to fight with the whole. Imagine one
spoke of a wheel wanting to go in one direction when the wheel is
heading in another. The part cannot dictate to the whole, so why
even bother trying? No one gets hurt but you.
This is the understanding contained in what Osho said to me in
October of 1974: "If you let it, Krishna Prem, existence will
take
care of you in the same way it takes care of the birds and the trees
and the flowers." Had he never said anything else to me in all
the
years that followed, this would have been sufficient teaching for
a
lifetime. It's become the mantra by which I live.
Surrender is the master key to living a life in tune with your inner
world and the world around you. It's also the secret to dying, to
releasing your consciouness, to letting your drop dissolve into the
ocean of which it has always been a part.
Third, clean up your messes. Clean up your karma.
There's an expression here in Australia, land of the boomerang: What
goes around, comes around. And in that saying lies the essence of
karma. The energy that drives existence travels in circles, and a
circle begun is a circle begging for completion. Karma is a
consequence of incomplete action. Paying the piper may be
instantaneous; it may take lives – but you can be sure that whatever
you put out will come back to revisit or to haunt you. It's also
very prudent to learn not to create new karma as you go along.
And watch out for blame. Blame is one of the biggest traps. It is
simply a childish avoidance of responsibility for one's own actions.
Finally, live totally. I remember at age 14 lying in bed planning
what I would do with my life once I got away from the confines of
Campbellton, New Brunswick, and promising myself, "The day I
die, I
don't want to be able to say, `Why didn't I ever…..?'" That
became a
guiding principle for my life.
Now, as I prepare to vacate this body in which I've resided as a
tenant for so many years, there is nothing I didn't do that I wanted
to do, nowhere I didn't go that I wanted to go, nothing I didn't
experience that I wanted to experience. I've had a full, rich and
interesting life, filled with love and laughter and great adventure.
I've taken risks – and sometimes, inadvertently, stepped on some
toes – but I go with no regrets. Life is complete.
Those are my four things. I pass them on with love.
Again, all of you beloveds, thank you for coming to say goodbye.
Photos
taken last Saturday have been posted in a Yahoo Album called
Sw Krishna Prem Celebrations 15 Sept 07. It's possible to add pix
to
these if you like.../Garimo
