BHAGWAN SHREE RAJNEESH
Bhagwan Shree Rasheesa was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who gained an international following. He was not a Vedantist, although he included Vedanta among those philosophies and people that influenced him most in his career. The other influences were, he said, Zen Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, Bodhidharma, Krishna, Mahavira, Lao Tzu, Nagarjuna, Patanjali, Gorakhnath, Adi Shankara, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Meera, Ramakrishna, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Samkhya, Tantra, Sufism, Western mysticism, G. I. Gurdjieff, and the Human Potential Movement.
The Bhagwan was born Chandra Mohan Jain on December 11, 1931. During the 1960s he was known as Acharya Rajneesh, then in the 1970s and 1980s as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and finally as Osho from 1989 to 1990.
A professor of philosophy in the 1960s, he travelled throughout India as a public speaker. He became controversial when he began criticizing socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and institutionalized religion. He also advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality, to the extent that he was called, by the Indian and later by international presses, the "sex guru."
In 1970, he settled in Bombay, where, taking on the role of a spiritual teacher, he initiated disciples, calling them neo-sannyasins. His discourses at this time were a reinterpretation of the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world.
Moving to Pune in 1974, he established an ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners. The ashram offered therapies that made news in India and abroad, primarily because of the permissive climate and provocative lectures there. By the end of the decade, there were mounting tensions with the Indian government and the society at large.
In mid-1981, the Bhagwan relocated to the United States where his followers established an international community, later known as Rajneeshpuram. This was in the state of Oregon. Within a year, however, the leadership of the commune became embroiled in a conflict with local residents, chiefly over land use, resulting in hostility on both sides. A fleet of Rolls-Royce cars purchased by the Bhagwan's followers for his use also attracted criticism.
The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when the Bhagwan disclosed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes on the local residents. He was arrested soon after and charged with immigration violations. Following a plea bargain, he was deported from the U.S. Twenty-one countries subsequently denied him entry, leaving him to return to India, where he died on January 19, 1990.
The Bhagwan was born Chandra Mohan Jain on December 11, 1931. During the 1960s he was known as Acharya Rajneesh, then in the 1970s and 1980s as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and finally as Osho from 1989 to 1990.
A professor of philosophy in the 1960s, he travelled throughout India as a public speaker. He became controversial when he began criticizing socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and institutionalized religion. He also advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality, to the extent that he was called, by the Indian and later by international presses, the "sex guru."
In 1970, he settled in Bombay, where, taking on the role of a spiritual teacher, he initiated disciples, calling them neo-sannyasins. His discourses at this time were a reinterpretation of the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world.
Moving to Pune in 1974, he established an ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners. The ashram offered therapies that made news in India and abroad, primarily because of the permissive climate and provocative lectures there. By the end of the decade, there were mounting tensions with the Indian government and the society at large.
In mid-1981, the Bhagwan relocated to the United States where his followers established an international community, later known as Rajneeshpuram. This was in the state of Oregon. Within a year, however, the leadership of the commune became embroiled in a conflict with local residents, chiefly over land use, resulting in hostility on both sides. A fleet of Rolls-Royce cars purchased by the Bhagwan's followers for his use also attracted criticism.
The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when the Bhagwan disclosed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes on the local residents. He was arrested soon after and charged with immigration violations. Following a plea bargain, he was deported from the U.S. Twenty-one countries subsequently denied him entry, leaving him to return to India, where he died on January 19, 1990.
posted by Donald L. Simons at
2:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home