Amalia Camp and the teachings of Osho. Bhagawan Shri Rajneesh (Osho) Secrets of Life

The article examines the writings of India's greatest book lover, controversial mystic, provocative speaker, voracious reader of the 20th century, owner of the Lao Tzu library in Pune.

Who is Osho?

Osho Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is an Indian spiritual leader who preached the eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, individual devotion and freedom.

As a young intellectual, he absorbed the ideas of the religious traditions of India, studied and taught philosophy, and practiced social asceticism. The basis of his teachings was dynamic meditation.

Path with Osho

The master's fire is a skillful bold impromptu. His unconventional assistance to people in achieving the divine nature is amazing in terms of the number of followers. Meditation on the transformation of consciousness, reflections on individual development and socio-political problems are reflected in popular print media.

The books are not written by him, they are transcribed based on his reasoning. The ease of reading captures the process of thinking, awakens the depths of consciousness. Osho's books are a list of the foundations of life, as his supporters call them. The study of Rajneesh's considerations instantly concentrates attention, which makes it easier to search for an answer and gives birth to a new way of being.

Osho: Zen here and now

At meetings, Osho spoke about world religions and teachings, based on Zen, which is not scripture or theory, but a direct indication of obvious things. The talks reveal the central role of meditation in personal and collective growth. The theme is especially reflected in the collections:

• "Roots and Wings" (1974).
• "Top of Zen" (1981-1988).
• "The Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Self" (1989).

A good start for the transcendental experience is in the illustrated deck of cards system with the Osho guide book. Zen. Tarot. The game concentrates a person on the awareness of the present moment, that important thing that gives clarity to what is happening inside. Collectors will definitely appreciate the artistic presentation of the master's follower - Deva Padma.

Interpreting the mystical experience of Buddha, Jesus and Lao Tzu, Rajneesh talks about the concept of mind and time, and through meditation teaches not to identify with them. The psychological teachings of Osho are Zen, awakening from sleep.

Two-volume collection "Golden Future"

For those worried about tomorrow, this series of conversations should not be overlooked. A lot of discourse has been devoted to the global character and perspective of humanity, which confirms the popularity of this book by Osho. The list of the collection consists of 2 volumes:

1. "Meditation: The Only Way".
2. "Freedom from the Past"

Here Rajneesh sees a person in a new society built on the principles of meritocracy, where the qualification of voters for government positions would be the highest dominant. The ideas he voiced about a single world constitution affect the reorganization of the structure of society, government and education.

According to Osho, the arrival of a new world is inevitable, as well as the inevitable death of the old one, where the model of misunderstanding was created on purpose so that the oppression of guilt was the main trump card over people. He says that people cannot be equal and each person is unique, and calls the idea of ​​equality the most destructive thing that could penetrate the human mind.

Silent music

The discourse on inner spiritual birth came out in 1978, the topic is considered in different aspects. Inspired by the life of the mystic poet Kabir, Osho discusses his work. The name of the series - "Divine Melody" - is dedicated to the spiritual experience of the poet at the moment of enlightenment, so the mystic designated the inexplicable feeling that visited him, which became the core of Osho's book.

The list of discourse is supplemented by teachings about the transformation of the energy of the ego (inner poison) into honey (blessing). He explains that evil (lower) can be transformed into good (higher). Osho sees compassion as the symphony of anger, and love as the purified echo of sex. The conversation is interesting with statements about the feminine principle, here special attention is paid to this.

The collection contains reflections on Christian theology and theologians, the latter he considers superficial in relation to the interpretation of the Bible.

According to him, the root cause of all problems, difficulties, dilemmas and conflicts is none other than the mind. Osho calls to understand its nature and regularity through meditation. Here he also answers questions about homosexuality, selfhood, the difference between ego and self-confidence.

Insight quotes

"The reasons are within ourselves, outside are only excuses." The meaning of life can change rapidly, and one statement by Osho is enough for that. Rajneesh quotes carry the meaning of universal wisdom. He brilliantly defines what courage, enlightenment, the happiness of being yourself, loneliness and many human aspects are. Excerpt brochures are often a desk accessory. The basis for the collections was the incredible love of people for the teachings of Osho. Quotes help unblock consciousness, leave the logical familiar world, see the environment from a different angle: “Only an unhappy person tries to prove that he is happy; only a dead person tries to prove that he is alive; only a coward tries to prove that he is brave. Only a man who knows his baseness tries to prove his greatness.

The universal, fascinating system of the impromptu master is riddled with paradoxes and the true essence, sometimes brought to the point of absurdity. An inquisitive mind to study the work of other, no less famous figures, gave birth to his genius.

What did you study, what were your favorite books by Osho? The list of Rajneesh himself is completely diverse, he is one of the reading people on the planet. You can list the sources of his inspiration for a long time, in his collection there are Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Naimi, Chuang Tzu, Plato, Omar Khayyam, Aesop, Uspensky, Suzuki, Rama Krishna, Blavatsky.

There are enough printed publications to help change lives, but they are not imbued with that special melody, conscious change, happiness and freedom, like Osho's books. The list of recommendations was chosen to shock the sleeping consciousness:

• "Love. Freedom. Loneliness". The provocative discourse is devoted to radical and intellectual views on this trinity from the name.
• "Book of Secrets". A Practical Guide to the Secrets of the Ancient Science of Tantra. Rajneesh gives a clear understanding that meditation is more about mentality than technique. These pages reflect the wisdom of exploring the meaning of life.
• Osho: Emotions. A discourse on the nature of emotions and far beyond them. Through 30 years of experience, the master offers alternative methods for their simple understanding. Reading guarantees light penetrating into the hidden corners of one's own unique individuality.
• "The sound of one hand clapping." The Last Recorded Before Osho Went into Silence (1981). A Zen book for people who are open and receptive to the truth of things.

The education of a philosopher, the ability to build long improvisations on the proposed topic brought Rajneesh deserved fame, because he was able to see the obvious from a different, unexpected side.

A year before his death, in January 1989, he announced that he was dropping the prefix "Bhagwan Shri" because for many it means "God." His disciples - sannyasins - decided to call him "Osho", a name that first appeared in ancient Japan. This is how disciples addressed their spiritual teachers. “O” means “with great respect, love and gratitude”, as well as “synchronism and harmony”. "Sho" means "expansion of consciousness in many dimensions" and "existence pouring out from all directions."

Osho was born on December 11, 1931 in Kushwad (Central India). The family loved him very much, especially his grandfather, who gave him the name “Raja”, which means “king”. He spent all his childhood at his grandfather's house. His father and mother took him in only after the death of his grandfather and grandmother. Before school, the boy was given a new name: Rajneesh Chandra Mohan.

His biographer writes: “The birth of Rajneesh was not an ordinary event. It was the birth of a man who had come to Earth in search of truth before. He traveled in countless ways, passed through many schools and systems. His last birth was 700 years ago in the mountains, where his mystical school was located, which attracted many students of different traditions and beliefs from various countries. Then the Master lived 106 years. Before his death, he began a 21-day fast, which was supposed to lead him to enlightenment. But he had a choice - he could take another birth before finally disappearing into eternity. He looked at his family of disciples: among them there were many who had stopped on their way and needed help. He also saw the great potential that was to emerge from the synthesis of East and West, body and soul, materialism and spirituality. He saw the possibility of creating a new man - a man of the future, totally cut off from the past. He, who had come so close to the ultimate attainment for which he had worked hard for many lifetimes, decided to incarnate again in a human body. Out of his pure love and compassion, he promised his disciples to return and share his truth with them, to help them bring their consciousness to a state of awakening.”

This promise defined his whole life. From early childhood, he was interested in spiritual development, studied his body and its capabilities, constantly experimented with various methods of meditation. He did not follow any traditions and did not look for teachers. The basis of his spiritual search was an experiment. He looked very closely at life, especially at its critical, extreme points. He did not believe in any theories and rules and always rebelliously opposed the prejudices and vices of society. “Courage and fearlessness were remarkable qualities of Rajneesh,” said a childhood friend. He was very fond of the river and often stayed on it at night, swimming in the most dangerous places and diving into whirlpools. He later said: “If you fall into a whirlpool, you will be captured, you will be pulled to the bottom, and the deeper you go, the stronger the whirlpool will become. The natural tendency of the ego is to fight it, because the whirlpool looks like death, the ego tries to fight the whirlpool, and if you fight it in a rising river or near a waterfall, where there are many such whirlpools, you will inevitably disappear, because the whirlpool is very strong. You cannot overcome it.

But the whirlpool has one phenomenon: on the surface it is large, but the deeper you go, the narrower and narrower the whirlpool becomes - stronger, but narrower. And almost at the bottom of the funnel is so small that you can very easily get out of it without any struggle. In fact, near the bottom, the funnel itself will throw you out. But you wait for the bottom. If you fight on the surface, if you do anything for it, you cannot survive. I have tried with many whirlpools: this experience is wonderful.”

The experiences in the whirlpools were like the experience of death. Little Rajneesh faced death early. When he was five years old, his younger sister died, at the age of seven he experienced the death of his beloved grandfather. Astrologers predicted that he would face death every seven years: at seven, fourteen, and twenty-one. And although he did not physically die, his experiences of death during these years were the deepest for him. Here is what he experienced after the death of his grandfather: “When he died, I felt that it would be a betrayal to eat. Now I didn't want to live. It was childhood, but through it something very profound happened. For three days I lay and did not move. I couldn't get out of bed. I said: “If he died, I don't want to live. I survived, but those three days were a death experience. I died then, and I came to understand (now I can talk about it, although at that time it was only a vague experience), I came to the feeling that death is impossible...”

At the age of 14, knowing about the prediction of the astrologer, Rajneesh came to a small hidden temple and lay down there in anticipation of his death. He did not want her, but he wanted to meet his death consciously, if she did come. Rajneesh asked the priest not to disturb him and to bring some food and drink once a day. For seven days this extraordinary experience took place. The actual death did not come, but Rajneesh did his best to "become as dead". He went through several terrible and unusual sensations. From this experience, he learned that once death is accepted as a reality, then its acceptance immediately creates a distance, a point from which a person can observe the flow of events in life as a spectator. This lifts him above the pain, sorrow, anguish and despair that usually accompany this event. “If you accept death, then there is no fear. If you cling to life, fear will be with you.” Having gone through the experiences of the deceased being intensely and meditatively, he says: “I died along the way, but I came to understand that there is still something immortal here. One day you will accept death totally and you will become conscious of it.”

The third time it happened on March 21, 1953, when Rajneesh was 21 years old. On that day, enlightenment happened to him. It was like an explosion. “That night I died and was reborn. But the person who is reborn has nothing to do with the one who died. It is not a continuous thing... The person who has died has died totally; there was nothing left of him... not even a shadow. The ego died totally, completely... On that day, March 21st, a person who had lived many, many lives, millennia, simply died. Another being, absolutely new, not at all connected with the old, began to exist ... I became free from the past, I was torn out of my history, I lost my autobiography.

At this point, the story of Rajneesh actually ends. The man, whose name was Rajneesh Chandra Mohan, died at the age of 21, and at the same time a miracle happened: a new enlightened person was reborn, completely free of ego. (It should be noted that enlightenment is not a concept that can be explained in certain logical terms. Rather, it is an experience that surpasses any verbal description. The Buddha, the most famous Enlightened person on earth, called it “nirvana.”)

After this event, the outer life of Rajneesh did not change. He continued his studies at Jabalpur College in the Department of Philosophy. In 1957 he graduated from the University of Saugara with honors, a gold medal and a master's degree in philosophy. Two years later he became a lecturer in philosophy at Jabalpur University. He was very loved by students for his humor, sincerity and uncompromising desire for freedom and truth. During his 9 year university career, Osho traveled all over India, often traveling 15 days a month. A passionate and skillful debater, he constantly challenged orthodox religious figures. Addressing an audience of 100,000, Osho spoke with the authority that comes from his enlightenment, he destroyed blind faith to create true religiosity.

In 1966, Osho left the university chair and devoted himself entirely to spreading the art of meditation and his vision of a new person - Zorba-Buddha, a person who synthesizes the best features of East and West, a person who is able to enjoy a full-blooded physical life and is able to simultaneously sit silently in meditation, achieving heights of consciousness.

1968 Osho settled in Bombay and soon the first Western seekers of spiritual truth began to come to him. There were many therapists among them, representatives of the humanist movements who wanted to take the next step in their growth. The next step, as Osho said, was meditation.

Osho experienced his first glimpses of meditation as a child, when he jumped from a high bridge into a river, or walked along a narrow path over an abyss. There were a few moments when the mind stopped. This caused an unusually clear perception of everything around, one's being in it and complete clarity and separateness of consciousness. These experiences, experienced repeatedly, aroused Osho's interest in meditation and prompted him to look for more accessible ways. In the future, he not only experienced all the meditations known from antiquity, but also came up with new, revolutionary techniques specifically designed for modern man. These meditations are called "dynamic meditations" and are based on the use of music and movement. Osho brought together elements of yoga, Sufism and Tibetan traditions, which made it possible to use the principle of energy transformation through the awakening of activity and subsequent calm observation.

Osho first showed his morning dynamic meditation in April 1970 at a meditation camp near Bombay. On that day, everyone was dumbfounded and fascinated at the same time. Indian journalists were amazed to see the participants yelling, screaming and tearing off their clothes - the whole scene was fatal and very intense. But how strong was the tension in the first, intense stage, just as deep was the relaxation in the second part, leading to complete peace, not achievable in ordinary life.

Osho explained: “For 10 years I have been continuously working with the methods of Lao Tzu, that is, I have continuously studied direct relaxation. It was very easy for me and so I figured it would be easy for anyone. Then, time after time, I began to realize that this was impossible... Of course, I said “relax” to those whom I taught. They understood the meaning of the word, but could not relax. Then I decided to come up with new methods of meditation that first create tension - even more tension. They create such tension that you become crazy. And then I say "relax".

What is "meditation"? Osho talked a lot about meditation. Based on his conversations, many books have been compiled, in which all aspects of meditation are considered in great detail, from the technique of execution to explanations of the subtlest internal nuances. Here is a short excerpt from the Orange Book.

“The first thing to know is what meditation is. Everything else will follow. I cannot tell you that you should practice meditation, I can only explain to you what it is. If you understand me, you will be in meditation and there is no "must". If you don't understand me, you won't be in meditation.

Meditation is a state of no-mind. Meditation is a state of pure consciousness without content. Usually your mind is too full of nonsense, just like a mirror covered with dust. The mind is a constant crowd - thoughts move, desires move, memories move, ambitions move - this is a constant crowd. Day comes, day goes. Even when you are asleep the mind is functioning, it is dreaming. It is still thinking, still unrest and sadness. He prepares for the next day, continues his underground preparations.

This is the state of non-meditation. Just the opposite is meditation. When there is no crowding and thinking has stopped, not a single thought moves, not a single desire is held back, you are completely silent... such silence is meditation. And in this silence the truth is known, never again.

Meditation is a state of no-mind. And you will not be able to find meditation with the help of the mind, because the mind itself will move. You can find meditation only by putting the mind aside, becoming cold, indifferent, unidentified with the mind, seeing the mind pass by but not identifying with it, not thinking "I am it."

Meditation is the realization that "I am not the mind." As this awareness goes deeper and deeper, little by little there are moments-moments of silence, moments of pure space, moments of transparency, moments when nothing is held in you and everything is permanent. In these moments you will know who you are, you will know the secret of being.

There comes a day, a day of great bliss, when meditation becomes your natural state.”

Elsewhere Osho says: "Only meditation can make humanity civilized, because meditation will release your creativity and take away your destructive tendencies."

Being an enlightened person, Osho was more clearly aware of the fragility of the current existence of humanity on Earth. Constant wars, wild treatment of nature, when more than a thousand species of plants and animals die out every year, entire forests are cut down and the seas are drained, the presence of nuclear weapons of enormous destructive power - all this puts a person on the line beyond which complete disappearance.

“Life has brought us to a point where the choice is extremely simple: only two paths, two possibilities. Humanity will either commit suicide or decide to meditate, to be at peace, peace, humanity, love.

Live naturally, live peacefully, turn inward. Take some time for yourself, being alone and silent, watching the inner workings of your mind.

In this inner silence you will experience a new dimension of life. In this dimension, there is no greed, no anger, no violence. Love will appear, and in such abundance that you will not be able to contain it, it will begin to pour out of you in all directions. And this state gives a person meditation.

In 1974, Osho moved to Pune, where, together with his sannyasin students, he opened an ashram in the beautiful Koregaon Park. Hundreds of thousands of seekers from all over the world come there over the next 7 years to experience Osho's new meditations and listen to his talks. In his conversations, Osho touches on all aspects of human consciousness, shows the innermost essence of all existing religions and systems of spiritual development. Buddha and Buddhist teachers, Sufi masters, Jewish mystics, Indian classical philosophy, Christianity, yoga, tantra, zen... Here are some of his books: “Mustard Seed. Conversations about the sayings of Jesus”, “Wisdom of sand. Conversations on Sufism”, “Buddha: Emptiness of the Heart”, “Zen Proverbs”, “Tantra: Higher Understanding”, “True Sage. About Hasidic Parables”, “Psychology of the Esoteric”, “Book of Secrets”, “Priests and Politicians (Mafia of the Soul)”, “The New Man is the Only Hope for the Future”, “Meditation is the First and Last Freedom”, “Meditation: the Art of Inner Ecstasy ".

About his books, Osho says: “My message is not a doctrine, not a philosophy. My message is a certain alchemy, the science of transformation, so only those who have the will to die as they are now and be reborn into something so new that you can't even imagine it now...just a few such courageous people will be ready to hear, because what they hear will lead to risk, you will have to take the first step towards revival. This is not a philosophy that you can put on yourself and start showing off about it. This is not a doctrine by which you can find answers to your concerns... No, my message is not a verbal contact. It's much more risky. It is nothing more, nothing less than death and rebirth...”

Many people from all over the Earth felt this and found the strength and courage to touch this source and begin their own transformation. Those who are finally established in this decision take sannyas. The sannyas given by Osho is different from the traditional one. This is neo-sannyas.

Former sannyasins - people who completely devoted themselves to spiritual practice, went to monasteries or secluded places and practiced with their Master, minimizing contact with the outside world. Neo-sannyas Osho does not require this. Neo-sannyas is not a renunciation of the world, but rather a renunciation of the madness of the modern mind that breeds division between nations and races, depletes the Earth's resources into weapons and wars, destroys the environment for profit, and teaches its children to fight and dominate others. Modern sannyasins, students of Osho, are in the thick of life, doing the most ordinary things, but at the same time they regularly engage in spiritual practice and, first of all, meditation, combining material life with spiritual life, synthesizing in themselves the love of life of the Greek Zorba and the height of spiritual consciousness Buddha. This is how a new man is formed - Zorba the Buddha, a man who will be free from the madness of the modern mind. In Osho's words, "the new man is the only hope for the future."

The one who becomes a sannyasin receives a new name, as a symbol of commitment to meditation and a break with the past. The name, usually derived from Sanskrit or Indian words, contains indications of a person's potential or a certain path. Women receive the prefix "Ma" - an indication of the highest qualities of female nature to cherish and take care of themselves and others. Men receive the prefix "Swami", which Osho translates as "self-mastery".

Osho met with his students every day, except for periods when he was unwell. His conversations went very well. Here is how Swami Chaitanya Kabir describes his meeting with the Master:

“We sit quietly listening;

He enters, arms folded in greeting.

The lecture starts with

A simple stunning statement.

And the morning pours into us.

Energy flows around words

Ideas, stories, jokes, questions,

Weaving them into a grand symphony

The repository of everything.

Mocking, great, blasphemous, holy...-

And always in touch with our consciousness,

Leading us straight to the center at the right moment.

Topics evolve on their own

Taking an unexpected turn

Reflecting in clarity into something opposite

And going back.

He talks until

Until we hear his words

In deafening silence.

The surf is roaring everywhere.

"Enough for today!"

He comes out smiling

Folded hands send hello to everyone

We are sitting".

1981 For many years Osho suffered from diabetes and asthma. In the spring his condition worsened and he sank into a period of silence. On the recommendation of doctors in June of this year, he was taken to the United States for treatment.

Osho's American disciples bought a 64,000-acre ranch in Central Oregon and established Rajneeshpuram there. In August, Osho arrived there. In the 4 years that Osho lived there, Rajneeshpuram became the most audacious experiment in creating a transnational spiritual commune. Every summer, the festival held there attracted 15,000 people from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. As a result, the commune became a prosperous city with a population of 5,000 people.

1984 Just as suddenly as he stopped speaking, Osho spoke again in October. He talked about love, meditation, and human bondage in a crazy, heavily conditioned world. He accused priests and politicians of corrupting human souls, of destroying human freedom.

“I raise my hand against the past of all mankind. It was not civilized, it was not humane. It did not in any way contribute to the flourishing of people. It wasn't spring. It was a real disaster, a crime committed on such a huge scale that we renounce our past, we begin to live according to our own being and create our own future. ...People gathered around me are learning how to be happier, more meditative, how to laugh more joyfully, live more actively, love more deeply and bring love and laughter to the whole world. This is the only defense against nuclear weapons. We are not building armies here to conquer the world. We are creating a commune of individuals who have their own spirituality, because I want these individuals to be free, responsible, vigilant and conscious people who do not allow anyone to dictate to them, but they themselves do not impose anything on anyone.

From the very beginning of the experiment to create a commune, federal and local authorities tried to destroy it in any way. Documents subsequently confirmed that the White House was involved in these attempts.

In October 1985, the American government accused Osho of violating immigration laws and took him into custody without any warning. He was kept in handcuffs and shackles for 12 days in custody, with no bail. In prison, he suffered physical damage. According to a subsequent medical examination, in Oklahoma he was exposed to a life-threatening dose of radiation and was also poisoned by thalium. When a bomb was found in Osho's Portland prison, he was the only one who was not evacuated.

Worried about Osho's life, his lawyers agreed to admit a violation of the immigration law, and Osho left America on November 14th. The commune broke up.

The US government was not content with violating its own constitution. When Osho, at the invitation of his students, went to other countries, the United States, using its influence in the world, tried to influence other states so that Osho's work would be disrupted wherever he went. As a result of this policy, 21 countries banned Osho and his companions from entering their borders. And these countries consider themselves free and democratic!

In July 1986, Osho returned to Bombay and his disciples again began to gather around him. In January 1987, as the number of people coming to him grew rapidly, he returned to Pune, where the Osho International Commune had by then formed. Once again, beautiful daily discourses, meditation weekends, holidays began. Osho creates several new meditations. One of them, the "Mystic Rose", he called "the greatest breakthrough in meditation 2500 years after the Vipassana meditation of Gautama Buddha." Thousands of people took part in the Mystic Rose meditation not only in the commune in Pune, but also in Osho meditation centers around the world. “I have created many meditations, but this one will probably be the most essential and fundamental. It can cover the whole world.”

Meditation lasts 21 days as follows: one week the participants laugh for 3 hours a day, the second week they cry for 3 hours a day, the third week they silently observe and testify for 3 hours a day. During the first two stages, participants simply laugh and cry for no reason, going through layers of stiffness, depression, and pain. This clears the space in which silent witnessing will happen later. After cleansing with laughter and tears, it is easier not to identify or get lost in everything that happens: in thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations.

Osho explains: “The whole of humanity has gone a little crazy for the simple reason that no one laughs heartily, completely. And you have suppressed so much sadness, so much despair and anxiety, so many tears - they all remain, closing, enveloping you and destroying your beauty, your grace, your joy. All you have to do is go through these two layers. Then, while witnessing, just open the clear sky.”

This meditation, like many others, is therapeutic in nature. Scientific research done during and after the Mystic Rose group meditation has shown that participants experience profound and permanent changes in many areas of their lives. They consist in a deep inner relaxation, a decrease in psychosomatic diseases and an increasing ability to feel and express one's emotions in everyday life and at the same time be detached from these emotions - to become a witness to one's experiences.

There are now many other therapeutic groups in the Osho International Commune. All of them are united in the Osho Multiversity. As part of the Multiversity: School of Centering, School of Creative Arts. International Health Academy, Meditation Academy, Transformation Center, Tibetan Pulsations Institute, etc. Each school offers its own program aimed at developing the spiritual qualities of a person. School leaders are people from different countries who share and support Osho's views on man and his place in this world.

Twice a month, the Osho Times International magazine is published, which is distributed throughout the world and is published in nine languages ​​(except Russian). There is an international Osho connection - a computer network between meditation centers and Osho ashrams in different countries.

Osho left his body on January 19, 1990. He was often asked the question, what will happen when he dies? Here is Osho's response to Italian television, transmitted through his personal secretary:

“Osho relies and trusts existence. He never thinks about the next moment. If at this moment everything is good, then the next moment follows from this and will be even richer.

It doesn't want to become a prison like other religions do. He even dropped the word "Bhagwan" just because one of the meanings of the word is "God". The moment somebody is God, then of course you are a slave, a created being. You can be destroyed without asking. Even the stars disappear, and what about human life?

He does not want all this to be in any way reminiscent of religion. His work is centered on the individual and his freedom, and in the end, it is one world, without any restrictions in skin color, race and nationality.

You ask what will happen when Osho dies. He is not God and he does not believe in any prophets, prophecies, or a messiah. They were all selfish people. Therefore, whatever he can do at this moment, he does. What happens after he leaves, he leaves to the will of existence. His trust in existence is absolute. If there is any truth in what he says, it will survive. That is why he calls his sannyasins not followers, but companions on the journey.

He said clearly, “Don't cling to the past. Keep searching. You can find the right person because you already got the taste.” And this question is strange. No one asked what would happen when Einstein died. Existence is so limitless and so inexhaustible that people grow as naturally as trees, unless they are crippled by society. If they are not destroyed by people for their own purposes, then they will bloom on their own, Osho does not offer any program. On the contrary, he wants everyone to be deprogrammed. Christianity is a program. His job is to deprogram people and make their minds clear so they can grow on their own. Support is welcome, but not required.

Absurd questions are always asked by people who think they run the world, Osho is just part of the Universe. And everything will continue fine without him. It's not a problem. And he will be happy that there is no religion, and no one will proclaim himself the successor when he leaves. If anyone claims to be his successor, he should be avoided. Such people have destroyed Buddha, Christ, Krishna.

Everything he can do, he does. There is no definite plan to be implanted in your mind. This creates fanatics. Each individual is unique, so no program can make humanity happy, because then they wear other people's clothes and shoes that don't fit them. All humanity is like clowns.

The people who remain interested in his work will simply carry the torch. But they will not impose anything on anyone, neither by bread nor by sword. He will remain a source of inspiration. for us. And this is what most sannyasins will feel. He wants us to grow on our own... Qualities like love, around which no church can be built, like awareness - a quality that no one can monopolize, such as celebration, joy, a fresh, childish look. He wants people to know themselves, regardless of anyone else's opinion. And the path leads inward. There is no need for an external organization or church.

Osho for freedom, individuality, creativity, for our Earth to be even more beautiful, for living in this moment, and not waiting for paradise. Don't be afraid of hell and don't be greedy for heaven. Just be here in silence and enjoy while you are. The whole philosophy of Osho is that he seeks in any way to destroy everything that later becomes slavery: authorities, groups, leaders - all these are diseases that must be completely avoided.

Osho did not write books. All published books are records of his conversations with his students. The energy of the listeners, their readiness and interest determined the direction of the conversation. These conversations reflect the relationship of the Master with the disciples, their mutual penetration.

“These words are alive. They are the beating of my heart. This is not a teaching. My words are a knock on your door so you can get home. Accept my gift."

Childhood

Osho was born on December 11, 1931 in Kushwad (Central India). The family loved him very much, especially his grandfather, who gave Raja, which means king. He spent all his childhood at his grandfather's house. His father and mother took him in only after the death of his grandparents. Before school, he was given a new name - Rajneesh Chandra Mohan.

From an early age, he was interested in spiritual development, studied his body and its capabilities, and constantly experimented with various methods of meditation. He did not follow any traditions and did not look for teachers. The basis of his spiritual search was an experiment. He looked very closely at life, especially at its critical, extreme points. He did not believe in any theories and rules and always rebelliously opposed the prejudices and vices of society.

Enlightenment

March 21, 1953 Osho was 21 years old. On that day, enlightenment happened to him. It was like an explosion. “That night I died and I was reborn. But the person who is reborn has nothing to do with the one who died. It is not a continuous thing... The person who has died has died totally; there was nothing left of him... not even a shadow. The ego died totally, completely... On that day, March 21st, a person who had lived many, many lives, millennia, simply died. Another being, absolutely new, not at all connected with the old, began to exist ... I became free from the past, I was torn out of my history, I lost my autobiography. At this point, Osho's story actually ends. The man, whose name was Rajneesh Chandra Mohan, died at the age of 21, and at the same time a miracle happened: a new enlightened person was reborn, completely free of ego.

University years

After that, Osho's outer life did not change. He continued his studies at Jabalpur College in the Department of Philosophy.

In 1957, he graduated from the University of Saugar with honors, a gold medal, and a master's degree in philosophy. Two years later he became a lecturer in philosophy at Jabalpur University. He was very loved by students for his humor, sincerity and uncompromising pursuit of the truth. During his nine-year career, Osho traveled all over India, often traveling fifteen days a month. A passionate and skillful debater, he constantly challenged orthodox religious figures. Addressing an audience of 100,000, Osho spoke with the conviction that comes from his enlightenment, he destroyed blind faith to create true religiosity.

In 1966, Osho left the university chair and devoted himself entirely to spreading the art of meditation and his vision of a new person - Zorba-Buddha, a person who synthesizes the best features of East and West, a person who is able to enjoy a full-blooded physical life and is able to simultaneously sit silently in meditation, achieving heights of consciousness.

Osho is a master practitioner.

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Bombay

In 1968, Osho (Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh) settled in Bombay and soon the first Western seekers of spiritual truth began to come to him. There were many therapists among them, representatives of the humanist movements who wanted to take the next step in their growth. The next step, as Osho said, is meditation. Osho experienced his first glimpses of meditation as a child, when he jumped from a high bridge into a river, or walked along a narrow path over an abyss. There were a few moments when the mind stopped. This caused an unusually clear perception of everything around, one's being in it and complete clarity and separation of consciousness. These experiences, experienced repeatedly, aroused Osho's interest in meditation and prompted him to look for more accessible ways. In the future, he not only experienced all the meditations known from antiquity, but also came up with new, revolutionary techniques designed specifically for modern man. They are called "dynamic meditations", they are based on the use of music and movement. Osho brought together elements of yoga, Sufism and Tibetan traditions, which made it possible to use the principle of energy transformation through the awakening of activity and subsequent calm observation.

Osho (Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh) first showed his morning dynamic meditation in April 1970 at a meditation camp near Bombay. On that day, everyone was dumbfounded and fascinated at the same time. Indian journalists were amazed to see the participants yelling, screaming and tearing off their clothes - the whole scene was fatal and very intense. But how strong was the tension in the first, intense stage, just as deep was the relaxation in the second part, leading to complete peace, not achievable in ordinary life.

Osho explained:

“For ten years I have continuously worked with the methods of Lao Tzu, that is, I have continuously studied direct relaxation. It was very easy for me so I figured it would be easy for anyone. Then, time after time, I began to understand that this was impossible... I, of course, said “relax” to those whom I taught. They understood the meaning of the word, but could not relax. Then I decided to come up with new methods of meditation that first create tension - even more tension. They create such tension that you become crazy. And then I say "relax".
What is meditation? Osho Rajneesh talked a lot about meditation. On the basis of his conversations, many books have been compiled, in which all the objects of meditation are considered in great detail, from the technique of execution to explanations of the finest internal nuances.

Pune 1

In 1974, Osho moved to Pune, where, together with his students, he opened an ashram in the beautiful Koregaon Park. Over the next seven years, hundreds of thousands of seekers from all over the world come there to experience Osho's new meditations and listen to his talks. In his conversations, Osho touches on all aspects of human consciousness, shows the innermost essence of all existing religions and systems of spiritual development. Buddha and Buddhist teachers, Sufi masters, Jewish mystics, Indian classical philosophy, Christianity, yoga, tantra, zen...

Osho says about his books:
“My message is not a doctrine, not a philosophy. My message is not verbal contact. It's much more risky. It is nothing more, nothing less than death and rebirth…”
Many people from all over the Earth felt this and found the strength and courage to touch this source and begin their own transformation. Those who are finally established in this decision take sannyas. The sannyas given by Osho is different from the traditional one. This is neosannyas. Former sannyasins - people who completely devoted themselves to spiritual practice, went to monasteries or secluded places and studied with their Master, minimizing contact with the outside world. Neo-sannyas Osho does not require this. Neo-sannyas is not a renunciation of the world, but rather a renunciation of the madness of the modern mind that breeds division between nations and races, depletes the Earth's resources into weapons and wars, destroys the environment for profit, and teaches its children to fight and dominate others. Modern sannyasins, Osho's students are in the thick of life, they are engaged in the most ordinary things, but at the same time they regularly engage in spiritual practice and, first of all, meditation, combining material life with spiritual life, synthesizing Zorba's love of life and the height of Buddha's spiritual consciousness . This is how a new man is formed - Zorba the Buddha, a man who will be free from the madness of the modern mind. In Osho's words, "the new man is the only hope for the future."

One who becomes a sannyasin receives a new name, as a symbol of commitment to meditation and a break with the past. The name, usually derived from Sanskrit or Indian words, contains indications of a person's potential or a certain path. Women receive the prefix Ma - an indication of the highest qualities of female nature: to cherish and take care of themselves and others. Men receive the prefix Swami - which Osho translates as "self-mastery."

Osho met with his students every day, except for periods when he was unwell. His conversations went very well.

Rajneeshpuram

Rajneeshpuram is the city of dreams. In America I had a beautiful commune of five thousand people,

living happily without the shadow of class struggle. There was not a single beggar. Not a single child was born in five years. They worked hard, they meditated, and at night they danced, played flutes, played guitars. It was a dream turned into reality.

We have transformed the whole desert.
It was not a small place; it was one hundred and twenty-six square miles... a vast desert. We built dams, we had our own buses, our own cars - all our own. We had our own hospital, our own school, our own university.

And what happened to America? Why were they so worried about us, an oasis in the desert? The nearest town was twenty miles away. We weren't interested in anyone else. We enjoyed ourselves.

How it was - a chronicle of events

1981 Osho suffered from diabetes and asthma for many years. In the spring his condition worsened and he sank into a period of silence. On the recommendation of doctors in June of this year, he was taken to the United States for treatment. Osho's American disciples bought a 64,000-acre ranch in Central Oregon and founded Rajneeshpuram. In August, Osho arrived there. In the four years that Osho lived there, Rajneeshpuram was the most audacious experiment in creating a transnational spiritual commune. Every summer, up to fifteen thousand people from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia came to the festival organized there. As a result, the commune became a prosperous city with a population of five thousand people.

1984 Just as suddenly as he stopped speaking, Osho spoke again in October. He talked about love, meditation, and human bondage in a crazy, heavily conditioned world. He accused priests and politicians of corrupting human souls, of destroying human freedom. From the very beginning of the experiment to create a commune, federal and local authorities tried to destroy it in any way. Documents subsequently confirmed that the White House was involved in these attempts.

In October 1985, the American government accused Osho of violating immigration laws and took him into custody without any warning. He was kept in handcuffs for 12 days in custody, with no bail. In prison, he suffered physical damage. According to a subsequent medical examination, in Oklahoma he was exposed to a life-threatening dose of radiation and was also poisoned by thalium. When a bomb was found in Osho's Portland prison, he was the only one who was not evacuated. Worried about Osho's life, his lawyers agreed to admit a violation of the immigration law, and Osho left America on November 14th. The commune broke up. The US government was not content with violating its own constitution. When Osho, at the invitation of his students, went to other countries, the United States, using its influence in the world, tried to influence other states so that Osho's work would be disrupted where he did not arrive. As a result of this policy, 21 countries banned Osho and his companions from entering their borders. And these countries consider themselves free and democratic!

In July 1986, Osho returned to Bombay and his disciples again began to gather around him.

Return to Pune

In January 1987, as the number of people visiting him grew rapidly, he returned to Pune, where the Osho International Commune had by then been formed. The daily wonderful conversations, meditations, holidays began again.

New names

In December 1988, OSHO goes back to bed with a serious illness that requires the presence of a personal doctor around the clock. Three weeks later, Osho reappears in the meditation hall and makes a startling statement. In her letter, a Japanese clairvoyant says that Gautama Buddha lives in the body of Osho. Osho confirms that this is true and declares his decision to renounce the title of Bhagavan. In addition, for the first time in many months, he takes off his sunglasses, which protected his eyes from camera flashes, and gives them to one of the students. Within a few days, he chooses a new name for himself and settles on an option that sounded in response to a reporter from United Press International.

Gautama Buddha took refuge in me. I am the host, he is my guest. This does not mean conversion to Buddhism. I am a buddha in my own right, that's why he decided to use my body to finish what he didn't have time to do. He waited a long time. For twenty-five centuries he has been a wandering cloud looking for a suitable body.

I am not a Buddhist. Gautam Buddha also did not set himself the goal of creating Buddhism, an organized religion. He never created it. The moment truth is turned into an organization, it immediately becomes a lie. Organized religion is just implicit politics, covert exploitation of people by the clergy, and it doesn't matter what the priest calls himself - shankaracharya, imam, rabbi or priest.

Gautama Buddha left no successor behind him. His last words were: “Don't put up statues for me, don't write down my words. I don't want to be a symbol, I don't want to be worshipped. And most of all I fear that you will become imitators. There is no need to become a Buddhist, because potentially each of you is a Buddha.”

And I also want to declare: I do not teach Buddhism. For that matter, I don't teach any "-ism" at all. I teach how to become a buddha.

And my people don't belong to any organized religion. They are independent, independent seekers. They are my companions and friends, not students.
By the way, I would like to recall the prophecy made by Guatama Buddha twenty-five centuries ago. He said, “When I come back again, I won't be able to be born from my mother's womb. I will have to take refuge in a person with a similar consciousness, the same level and under the same open sky. And they will simply call me Friend.”
The word "friend" implies great freedom. Buddha doesn't want to be a guru, he wants to be just a friend. He has something to talk about, but he does not want to bind others with any harsh conditions.
By the way, this is helpful, because some sannyasins are confused now. They do not know how to distinguish the words of the ancient Gautama Buddha from my own words. Gautama's prophecy clears up the confusion.
Although he has taken refuge in me, I will not call myself Gautama Buddha. Let me be called, according to his prophecy, "Buddha Maitreya." This will show the difference, there will be no more confusion.
On the fifth night after the unusual visit, Osho appears in the meditation hall with a new statement.

Gautama Buddha left due to some inconsistencies in the lifestyles of the host and guest. These four days were very difficult for me. I hoped that Gautama Buddha would understand what changes had taken place in the world over two and a half millennia, but he never succeeded. I did my best, but he is too peculiar and disciplined ... Twenty-five centuries have made him hard as a stone.

And therefore, even with the most unremarkable trifles, difficulties arose. He only sleeps on his right side. He is not used to the pillow and just puts his hand under his cheek. He considers a pillow a luxury.

I told him: “This cheap pillow is not a luxury. Sleeping with your head in your palms is a real torment. You think that you need to sleep only on the right side, but what was wrong with the left? Personally, I have a different principle: I always try to treat both sides of things equally.”

He ate only once a day - and demanded it from me. In addition, he was used to being fed only by alms and kept asking: “Where is my alms bowl?”

Last night, exactly at six o'clock, when I was taking a hot tub, he suddenly became terribly indignant, because he considered it a luxury even to bathe twice a day.

And I told him, “You have fulfilled your prophecy. You are back. But four days was enough for me - now goodbye! Stop wandering the earth, dissolve in your blue sky.

During these four days, you have already understood: I am doing the same thing that you wanted to do, but I am doing it in accordance with the dictates of the times and current conditions. But no one will order me anything. I am a free person. I gave you shelter with all my love, I received you as a dear guest, but do not even try to become the owner here.

All these days my head was pounding. I haven't had a headache in thirty years. I completely forgot what it is. But all my attempts to improve relations were in vain. He was used to doing everything his own way and could not even understand that times had changed.

So now I'm making an even more important, historic statement: I am just me.

If you like, you can call me Buddha, but this will no longer have anything to do with Gautama or Maitreya.

I am a buddha myself. The word 'buddha' simply means 'awakened one'. And now I declare that henceforth my name is Shri Rajneesh Buddha Zorba."
Soon "Shri Rajneesh Buddha Zorba" again deprives himself of all names and says that he will remain a man without a name. However, his sannyasins are confused, they do not know how to address him, and therefore they offer the title of Osho, which in many Zen parables is used as a respectful, respectful address. Osho agrees and supplements this word with a new meaning, linking it with the concept of "ocean" (ocean) by William James. He later says that it's not a name at all, but just a healing sound.

Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Self

For several weeks after the “visit” of Gautama Buddha, Osho seems to be overwhelmed with new reserves of strength and energy. The conversations are getting longer - a couple of times he spoke for almost four hours without a break. Osho's speech sounds noticeably livelier and more energetic. In several series of lectures, he links Zen to the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and Walt Whitman, compares it to Christianity, and even recommends it to Gorbachev as a simple path from communism to capitalism. However, in February 1989, after two lectures in a new cycle called The Zen Manifesto, Osho falls ill again and does not appear in the meditation hall until early April. The Zen Manifesto was the last series of his talks.

The Zen manifesto is absolutely necessary because all the ancient religions are now falling apart. And before they die completely, and mankind does not go crazy, Zen must be spread throughout the earth. New houses need to be built before the old ones fall apart.

Now you don't have to repeat the mistakes of the past. You lived in a house that did not exist at all, and therefore suffered from rains, cold winters and a burning sun, because the house existed only in your imagination. This time, it's time for you to enter your real home, and not hide in man-made temples, under the shelter of far-fetched religions. Hide in your own existence. Why be someone's exact copy?

This is a very important time. You are lucky that you were born in this era, when the old loses its validity and reality, when it just hangs around, because you are afraid to escape from this prison. But the doors are open! In truth, there are no doors at all, because the whole house where you live exists only in the imagination. Your gods, priests and holy scriptures are all in the imagination.

This time you must not make the same mistake. Humanity must make a qualitative leap, move from an old, rotten lie to a fresh, eternally young truth.

This is the Zen Manifesto.
Osho says his last words to the assembly of sannyasins on the evening of April 10, 1989:

You are now the most blessed people in the world. To remember yourself as a buddha is the most precious experience, because in it is your eternity, your immortality. It is no longer you, but the Universe itself. You are one with the stars and trees, the sky and the ocean. You are inextricably linked to all that is. The last thing the Buddha said was the word sammasati. Remember that you are buddhas! Sammasati.

Inner Circle

On April 6, 1989, Osho chooses the so-called "Inner Circle". This group includes twenty-one students from those who are engaged in the practical management of the community. This is not openly announced, but later he clearly explains to the members of the group that their goal is not the spiritual leadership of the community, but purely practical concerns about the availability of the fruits of his labor. In the event that someone from the “Circle” dies or for some reason refuses to continue work, another person is chosen to take his place by secret ballot. The group makes all its decisions only by general vote.

Tradition cannot be avoided. It's not in our power. After death, you no longer have the power to influence people. And therefore, it is better to give clear instructions to trusted people in advance than to leave everything to the mercy of the ignorant.

Care preparation

On the evening of April 10, at the end of the lecture, Osho tells his secretary that his energy has changed dramatically in quality. He explains that nine months before death, the energy moves into a period of preparation for death, just as nine months before birth, the energy of a person begins to develop in the mother's womb. Osho's next lecture was supposed to be the beginning of a new cycle called "The Awakening of the Buddha."

On May 19, at a general meeting in the meditation hall, it was announced that Osho would never speak before an open meeting.

On May 23, it was announced that Osho would start coming to the meditation hall in the evenings. When he appears, music plays and everyone can have fun with him. The holiday is replaced by silent meditation, after which Osho leaves. After his departure, recordings of his conversations are shown in the hall.

Osho University was founded in June-July. It is made up of many "faculties" covering the seminars and programs offered by the community. Among the departments of the University are the Transformation Center, the School of Mystery, the School of Creativity and the Arts and the School of Martial Arts. Everyone is asked to come to evening meetings in white. This rule is established during the traditional Indian holiday in honor of the enlightened Teachers, which is held on the July full moon. The community has been celebrating this holiday for a long time.

On August 31, in the former Chuang Tzu Hall adjacent to his house, the arrangement of a new bedroom for Osho is being completed. He is directly involved in the decoration of the new room, which is decorated with marble and illuminated by a huge chandelier; floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a wild jungle garden.

On September 14, Osho returns to his former bedroom. The new room is given to the meditation therapy groups Mystic Rose and Out of Mind. The new indoor and air-conditioned glass corridor, built specifically for Osho to walk in the garden, is now intended for Vipasana, Za-Zen and other silent meditation groups.

On November 17, Osho gives instructions on what to do when he leaves this world. He also asks for a group to translate his books from Hindi into English and leaves detailed instructions for the work of the Inner Circle.

On December 24, the English "Sunday Mail" publishes an article stating that Cardinal Ratzinger, that is, the Vatican, is responsible for the deportation of Osho from the United States.

On December 17, Osho's doctor announces that from now on he can no longer participate in evening meditations in the common room, but will briefly appear only to greet the audience. When Osho enters the hall, everyone sees that it is already very difficult for him to move around.

On January 18, Osho remains in his room and does not appear at the evening meeting, but conveys through assistants that he will attend the meeting invisibly.

Osho leaving the body.

January 19, 1990, at five o'clock in the evening, Osho leaves his body. Before that, he refuses the doctor's offer to carry out urgent medical intervention. Osho says: “The Universe itself measures its time”, closes his eyes and peacefully leaves. The doctor announces death at 7 pm, when everyone comes to the meditation hall for the daily meeting. After some time, when the sad news spreads throughout the community, Osho's body is brought to the hall, where a ten-minute farewell takes place. He is then carried in procession to a nearby pyre site. A farewell ceremony is held throughout the night.

Two days later, Osho's ashes are transferred to the Chuang Tzu Hall - the very room that was to be his new "bedroom". There he held talks and met with sannyasins and visitors for many years. By the will of Osho, the ashes are placed "by the bed", that is, on a marble slab in the center of the room, which was really intended as a support for the bed. Nearby, they strengthen a tablet with the words that Osho himself dictated a few months before:

Osho - never born, never died
He was often asked the question, what will happen when he dies? Here is Osho's response to Italian television:

“You ask what will happen when Osho dies. He is not God and he does not believe in any prophets, prophecies, or a messiah. They were all selfish people. Therefore, whatever he can do at this moment, he does. What happens after he leaves, he leaves to the will of existence. His trust in existence is absolute. If there is any truth in what he says, it will survive.”

Every day you sink deeper and deeper. Remember that no matter how far you go today, tomorrow you can go a little further. It may take two years, five, ten, twenty or thirty years, but you will certainly become buddhas. For me, you are already buddhas, it remains only to muster up the courage and admit it to yourself. Thirty years is not needed to become a buddha, because you are already buddhas. It may take thirty years to put aside the hesitation, the doubt that you are really a buddha. Even if I say this, all the buddhas try to convince you, but deep down you still doubt: “God, am I really a buddha? How can this be?” But one day you will see it for yourself. No one can convince you of this, you can only be convinced by yourself.
Osho chair

Detailed Letter on Osho's Retirement

We welcome you, our dear visitors and subscribers to updates of our site. Would you be interested to know how a person born in a small Indian village became famous all over the world, became famous for his non-standard views on religion and the universe, achieved the highest degree of freedom and spiritual enlightenment, organized a whole commune, acquired a Rolls-Royce park and other interesting facts?

If yes, then read on, we will tell you about the great Indian leader, mystical inspirer, who comprehended the highest secrets of life, the founder of a qualitatively new religious and cultural movement, Osho. The biography of this person deserves special attention. Although the great sage himself said that he had no biography, and for the past thirty-two years he was an absolute nothing. In the article you will read the most outstanding, interesting and amazing facts from the life of a great mentor.

Biography of Osho: golden childhood and youth of Osho

In the small Indian village of Kuchvade, in the state of Madhya Predesh, on December 11, 1931, a boy was born, who was named Chandra Mohan Jein. This is the official name of the future spiritual leader. His father was a textile merchant. And over the next few years, ten more children were born consecutively in their family. Chadra Mohan Jain was the eldest.

In his book "Glimpses of Golden Childhood" Osho describes his village as a place where there was no post office and no railroad. He writes that there was a beautiful lake and small hillocks, houses were covered with straw. And the only brick house in the whole village was the one where Rajneesh himself was born, but this house was also small. There was not even a school in the village, for this reason Osho did not study until the age of nine. And these years were the most valuable. Fifty years later, this village has not changed, there is no hospital and no police, but no one gets sick there. Some people from these places have never seen a train or even a car in their lives, but they live quietly, blissfully and happily.

Your first seven years of life Osho lived with his beloved maternal grandparents. He was so attached to them that he called his grandmother mom. And he called his real mother "baby", this term means "wife of the elder brother." His family belonged to the religious community of the Jains. The religion of Jainism preaches non-violence, non-harm to all living things in the world, the main thing is the self-improvement of the soul to achieve omniscience and eternal bliss. It was the relatives who came up with the boy's nickname Rajneesh or Raja, which means king.

When the boy was seven years old, death claimed a very close and beloved person - his grandfather. It was the hardest blow. Osho lay on the couch for three days without moving, hoping to die. When this did not happen, he concluded for himself that death was impossible. The boy began to follow funeral processions in order to understand the essence of death, but this did not bring him anything.

And at the age of fifteen he lost his girlfriend (Shashi's cousin), she died of abdominal type. These deaths have consistently had a very strong impact on Rajneesh's mental state. He suffered from depression, headache, melancholy, tortured himself by running twenty kilometers a day and long meditations.

Osho studied well at school, but he often clashed with teachers, skipped classes, did not obey, and provoked his classmates in every possible way.

Later, in his literary writings, Osho openly writes that he hates teachers, at least in the old sense. He even beat his teachers. In his youth, he was distinguished by arrogance and selfishness, impudent views, the denial of all social norms and rules.

Education and work.

• Osho went to school to study at the age of 9 years.
• At the age of 19, Rajneesh began his studies in philosophy at Hitkarine College, but as a result of a conflict with one of the teachers, he left this educational institution, continuing his studies at Jain College.
• At 24, Osho graduated from college, and a couple of years later, having received a diploma with honors, he left the gates of Sagar University with a master of philosophical sciences.
• Until 1966, Rajneesh taught philosophy to students, traveled the world at the same time and held speeches, preaching his views. There were conflicts with the leadership because of its too free atheistic views, denying any conventions, traditions and requirements of social norms.
• After 1966, Osho began to actively present the art of meditation to the world, preaching the full joy of physical life and enlightenment through meditation.

Meditation and absolute enlightenment.

From early childhood, Chandra conducted experiments on his own body, studied his endurance and other abilities. He dived into the funnel of the whirlpool, reached its sources and floated to the surface. I walked along a thin path over the abyss. He claimed that during such experiences his mind stops, and then comes complete clarity and awakening.

In addition, he practiced various types. And now, as a result of these studies, at the age of 21, the young man first experienced "satori" (a state of absolute enlightenment, happiness). This is an experience that cannot be described in words. The Buddha called this state "nirvana". Osho himself believed that he died that night, and then was reborn, and now he is a completely different person than he lived before.

Rajneesh experienced the effect of all possible meditations and created a new technique called "dynamic meditation", which involves the use of loud music and erratic movements.

For the first time, Osho arranged such a meditation in 1970 near Bombay. It was an incredible, shocking sight. People ran, jumped, shouted, yelled, tore off their clothes. The meaning of this technique was relaxation, that is, in order to completely relax and free your mind, you first had to get a lot of tension, so that in the second part of the meditation, complete relaxation would be an intoxicating contrast.

Relationship between sex and superconsciousness.

In 1968, Osho moved to live in Bombay and was invited to hold a conference on the theme of love. There, the sage proclaims his views on sexuality, explains that sexual energy, transforming, develops into meditation and love. And sexual satisfaction promotes the release of kundalini energy. This is the energy “coiled into a snake”, which “lives” at the base of the spine in the region of the coccyx.

Osho denies the need to suppress sexual desires, because, in his opinion, during forced abstinence, love and meditation are not possible. And accordingly, it is not possible to achieve superconsciousness and personal inner freedom.

He had a negative attitude towards marriage and the birth of children, but preached free love and loneliness. Loyal to drugs and alcohol.
With such views, he provokes the anger and indignation of the public, and conversations on the topic of "love" have to be held in a narrower circle in Mumbai's central park. Subsequently, based on these conversations, Osho's most popular book, From Sex to Superconsciousness, was published. They even began to secretly call him "Sex Guru".

In 1970, the guru holds his meditation camps and initiates the first group of select people into "neo-sansyan". They must completely renounce the world, all their property and personal life, and take a vow of celibacy. They wear red robes, beads and medallions with the image of the mentor himself.

Moving to Pune

In 1974, the great sage moved to live in the city of Pune. There he organizes an ashram (shelter of his followers). Hundreds of people from all over the world come there to listen to Osho's talks. He touches upon the topics of human consciousness, spiritual development, enlightenment, explains the essence and meaning of the religions of the world. According to his conversations, more than a thousand books were published by authors from different countries.

Osho followed the path of forming a new person, Zorba-Buddha. This is the one who, accepting and enjoying all the gifts of life (Zorba), has grown a higher spiritual consciousness (Buddha). Every day the master had very beautiful talks with his students and followers.

American commune.

For several years, Osho suffered from asthma and diabetes, his condition worsened significantly in 1981. Then he was taken to the United States for treatment. The great sage fell into silence. The followers of Rajneesh organized the commune of Rancho Rajneeshpuram in the territory they had purchased. Osho lived there for four years with his students.

Gradually, Rajneeshpuram grew to a whole city of about five thousand people. And the desert area has turned into a real green oasis. Every summer, admirers of Osho's philosophy from all over the world came there. It was a bold, unparalleled precedent for the attempt to create a transnational communist society. In the five years of its existence, not a single child was born in the commune.

Researchers of the biography of Osho Rajneesh note that by the end of 1982, his fortune had reached the figure of two hundred million dollars (due to various seminars, meditation practices, conferences and lectures), which were not taxed (Osho hated taxes. There was a case when he was still working professor, he was offered to raise his salary, but the sage refused, explaining the refusal by the fact that he did not want to pay taxes). In addition, his fleet of about a hundred Rolls-Royces, followers wanted to increase their number to three hundred and sixty-five, one for each day of the year. The mentor owned four more aircraft and one helicopter.

During the period of silence of the great teacher, the assistant to his personal secretary, Ma Ananda Sheela, took over the management of the commune. Osho himself lived as a guest, practically without leaving home, and without participating in the management of the commune. In addition, he begins to have more and more health problems.

During the reign of Shila, disagreements and contradictions arise in the commune, from which some students leave Rajneeshpuram. And the top of the board, headed by Sheela, use illegal methods: drugs, poison, weapons, bioterrorism.

In 1984, Osho suddenly ended his vow of silence and started talking.

According to one version, Osho himself claims other followers who disappeared from Rajnipuram to Shila. The FBI begins an investigation, finds a weapons cache, drugs and even a secret passage on the ranch in case they need to escape. According to the testimony of the inhabitants of the commune, Shila and her assistants arranged all this. In 1985 they were arrested and later convicted.

Opponents of the teachings of Rajneesh adhered to the version that the teacher himself was the organizer of all the lawlessness that was happening in the commune, and Sheela was his accomplice.

Rajneesh himself is charged with 34 charges, of which he admits only two - in illegal emigration (he entered the territory of America on a tourist visa). Moreover, they detain him without a warrant and without an indictment.

In his conversations, the educator sincerely wondered how the US authorities could bring 34 charges against a man who spent four years in captivity, in complete silence. The mentor is sentenced to 10 years of probation in prison, fined and ordered to leave the United States as soon as possible. During the 12 days spent by Osho in the prisons of America, in his opinion, he significantly undermined his health and they even tried to poison him with thallium (a highly toxic heavy metal).

Osho's reputation has been damaged, especially in the west. As a result, twenty-one states refused entry to the educator. The Rajneesh organization was classified as a destructive sect. In the USSR, his movement was strictly prohibited.

Trip around the world.

In 1986, the mystic goes on a journey around the world. Having visited the countries of Greece, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Canada, Holland, Uruguay, from most of which he was expelled (except Uruguay), he returns to Bombay. There, his followers again began to gather around him in large numbers, and the master returned to Pune, where he organized the Osho International Commune. Conversations, holidays, the creation of new meditation practices began again.

Death of Osho

Rajneesh loved the Himalayas, he thought it was the best place to die. It is wonderful to live there, but it is the best place on earth to die. He sincerely believed that death would not be a complete stop for him, death would be a holiday, a new birth.

Osho left his body shell in 1990 in Pune.

According to eyewitnesses, on January 19 he became ill, he refused medical care, intuition told him that the Universe itself knows when and who should leave. He knew that he was about to die, quietly closed his eyes and left this world.

There are several versions of his death. Some believe that he died of a heart attack, others broadcast that from AIDS, oncology or drugs.
But this is not the main thing, the main thing is that after the death of Rajneesh in India and around the world, the attitude towards his philosophy changed. He came to be regarded as a very important spiritual mentor, and his teachings are revered and studied in many countries.

The Osho Times International magazine is published twice a month, it comes out in nine languages ​​(Russian is not among them). Osho's meditation centers and ashrams continue to operate in many countries of the world. There are several Osho meditation centers in Moscow (for example, the Winds Center), founded by his followers.

names in life.

During his life, the great mentor changed names several times.

Basic commandments of Osho.

Osho during his lifetime was against any rules and postulates. Once, when asked by a journalist about the ten commandments, the sage, for the sake of a joke, formulated the following:

1. Never follow any commandment unless it comes from yourself.
2. Life is the only god, and there are no other gods.
3. The truth is within you, you don't have to look for it in the outside world.
4. Love is nothing but prayer.
5. The way to comprehend the truth is to become nothing. Nothing is the goal of enlightenment.
6. You need to live here and now.
7. Wake up. Live consciously.
8. You don't need to swim - you need to swim.
9. Try to die every moment so that you can be new every moment.
10. Nothing to look for. You have to stop and see. It is what it is.

The main ideas of his movement are the third, seventh, ninth and tenth commandments. It is worth considering, they really have a deep meaning.

This is just a brief description of the main stages of the life and spiritual activity of the great Osho. He died, but his works and the works of his followers around the world continue to exist and attract more and more people with their magical texts.

We wish you a pleasant reading, and we, in turn, will delight you with new interesting articles. Subscribe to updates of our site, share with friends.

May peace and good be with you!

Chandra Mohan Jain(Hindi चन्द्र मोहन जैन , December 11, 1931 - January 19, 1990) has been better known since the early seventies as Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh (English pronunciation(inf.), Hindi भगवान श्री रजनीश - Russian the blessed one who is god ) and Acharya, and later as Osho(Hindi ओशो - Rus. oceanic, dissolved in the ocean ) - an Indian spiritual leader and mystic, attributed by some researchers to neo-Hinduism, the inspirer of the neo-orientalist and religious-cultural movement Rajneesh (English) Russian. . The preacher of a new sannyas, expressed in immersion in the world without attachment to it, life-affirmation, rejection of the ego and meditation and leading to total liberation and enlightenment.

Criticism of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi and traditional religions made Osho a controversial figure during his lifetime. In addition, he defended the freedom of sexual relations, in some cases arranged sexual meditation practices, for which he earned the nickname " sex guru» . Some researchers call him the "guru of scandals."

Osho is the founder of the ashram system in many countries. During his stay in the United States, he founded the international settlement of Rajneeshpuram, several residents of which committed serious crimes until September 1985, including a bioterrorist act. After being deported from America, Rajneesh was denied entry by 21 countries or declared him "persona non grata". Osho's organization was ranked among the destructive sects in the official documents of Russia and Germany, as well as by individual specialists. In the USSR, the Rajneesh movement was banned for ideological reasons.

After Osho's death, attitudes towards him in India and around the world changed, he became widely regarded as an important teacher in India and an attractive spiritual teacher around the world. His teachings have become part of popular culture in India and Nepal, and his movement has gained a certain distribution in the culture of the United States and around the world. Osho's talks, recorded between 1969 and 1989, have been collected and published by followers in over 1,000 books.

• 1 Names
• 2 Biography
  • 2.1 Childhood and youth (1931-1950)
  • 2.2 Years of study (1951-1960)
  • 2.3 Lecture tours
  • 2.4 Bombay
    • 2.4.1 Neo-Sannyas Movement Foundation
    • 2.4.2 Bhagwan
  • 2.5 Ashram in Pune (1974-1981)
    • 2.5.1 Development and growth
    • 2.5.2 group therapy
    • 2.5.3 Daily events at the ashram
    • 2.5.4
    • 2.5.5
  • 2.6 Stay in the USA (1981-1985)
  • 2.7
  • 2.8 Pune (1987-1990)
• 3 Osho's teachings
  • 3.1 Ego and mind
  • 3.2 Meditation
  • 3.3
  • 3.4 Zen
  • 3.5 Renunciation and the "new man"
  • 3.6 The Ten Commandments by Osho
• 4 Osho movement
  • 4.1 Followers in Russia
• 5 Criticism
• 6 Responses to criticism
• 7 Legacy
  • 7.1 In India
  • 7.2 Osho International Meditation Resort
  • 7.3 Worldwide
  • 7.4 Cultural heritage
• 8 Selected writings
• 9 Literature

Names

Osho used various names throughout his life. This was in accordance with Indian traditions and reflected the consistent change in his spiritual activity. Below are the meanings of Osho's names in different periods of life:

• Chandra Mohan Jain(Hindi चन्द्र मोहन जैन ) is a real civil name.
• rajneesh(Hindi रजनीश) - This name was a nickname given to Osho in childhood by his family. Literally, it translates as "lord of the full moon."
• Acharya Rajneesh(Hindi आचार्य रजनीश ) - so it was called from the mid-sixties to the early seventies. Acharya means "teacher" or "spiritual teacher", and also in some cases "professor".
• Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh(Hindi भगवान श्री रजनीश ) or shortly Bhagwan- Osho bore this name from the beginning of the seventies until the end of 1988. Bhagwan means "enlightened" or "awakened". In India the word Sri used as an everyday address, its meaning is close to the address "mister". At the end of 1988, he abandoned this name, which also means divine status, with the comment: “Enough! The joke is over."
• Osho(Hindi ओशो) - this is how he called himself in the last year of his life, from the beginning of 1989 until his death on January 19, 1990. In Zen Buddhism "Osho" is a title that literally translates as "monk" or "teacher". This is how Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Chan, was addressed respectfully. Name "Osho" was suggested to him by his students, as it was often mentioned in the Zen parables that he commented on. Osho once added a new meaning to this word, connecting it with the concept of "oceanic" by William James (in English, the word "ocean" sounds like "ocean"). In the literature of the Rajneesh movement, another interpretation is presented: the syllable "O" means love, gratitude and synchronicity, and "sho" means the expansion of consciousness in all directions. All new editions of his books and other works of his are published today under the name Osho.

Biography

Childhood and youth (1931-1950)

Chandra Mohan Jain was born on December 11, 1931 in Kuchwad, a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh (India). He was the eldest of eleven children of a cloth merchant and was raised by his grandparents for the first seven years. His family, who belonged to the Jain religious community, gave him the nickname Rajneesh or Raja ("King"). Rajneesh was a bright student and did well in school, but at the same time he had a lot of trouble with teachers because of his disobedience, frequent absences from school and all sorts of provocations towards his classmates.

Rajneesh faced death early. His grandfather, to whom he was deeply attached, died when he was seven years old. When he was fifteen years old, his girlfriend (and cousin) Shashi died of typhoid fever. The loss deeply affected Rajneesh and his quiet teenage years were marked by melancholy, depression and chronic headaches. It was at this time that he ran 15 to 25 km a day and often meditated to the point of exhaustion.

Rajneesh was an atheist, criticized belief in religious texts and rituals, and as a teenager showed an interest in hypnosis. For some time he participated in the communist, socialist and two nationalist movements that fought for the independence of India: the Indian National Army and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha. However, his membership in these organizations was short-lived as he did not want to follow any external discipline, ideology or system. Also, Rajneesh was well-read and knew how to lead discussions. He had a reputation as a selfish, arrogant, even rebellious young man.

Years of study (1951-1960)

At the age of nineteen, Rajneesh began his education in philosophy at Hitkarine College in Jabalpur. After a conflict with a teacher, he had to leave the college and move to D. N. Jain College, also located in Jabalpur. While still a student in Jabalpur, on March 21, 1953, while meditating during a full moon in Bhanvartal Park, he had an extraordinary experience during which he felt overwhelmed with happiness - an experience that he later described as his spiritual enlightenment:

That night I died and I was reborn. But the person who is reborn has nothing to do with the one who died. It is not a continuous thing... The person who has died has died totally; there was nothing left of him... not even a shadow. The ego died totally, completely... On that day, March 21st, a person who had lived many, many lives, millennia, simply died. Another being, absolutely new, not at all connected with the old, began to exist ... I became free from the past, I was torn out of my history, I lost my autobiography.

He graduated from DN Jain College in 1955 with a bachelor's degree. In 1957 he graduated with honors from the University of Saugara with a master's degree in philosophy. After that, he became a teacher of philosophy at the Raipur Sanskrit College, but soon the Vice-Chancellor asked him to look for another job, as he considered that Rajneesh had a detrimental effect on the morality, character and religiosity of students. In 1958, Rajneesh began teaching philosophy at Jabalpur University and became a professor in 1960. As a renowned lecturer, he was recognized by his peers as an exceptionally intelligent man who overcame the shortcomings of his early education in a small town.

Lecture tours

In the 1960s, whenever his teaching activities allowed him, Rajneesh made extensive lecture tours of India in which he parodied and ridiculed Mahatma Gandhi and criticized socialism. He believed that socialism and Gandhi exalted poverty rather than renounce it. He argued that in order to defeat poverty and backwardness, India needed capitalism, science, modern technology and birth control. He criticized orthodox Hinduism, calling the brahminical religion dead, filled with empty rituals, oppressing its followers with fear of damnation and promises of blessings, and said that all political and religious systems are false and hypocritical. Through these statements, Rajneesh made himself unpopular with the majority, but they brought him some attention. At this time he began to use the name Acharya. In 1966, after a series of provocative speeches, he was forced to resign from his teaching position and took up private practice and teaching meditation.

Acharya Rajneesh's early lectures were in Hindi and therefore were not aimed at Western visitors. Biographer R. Ch. Prasad noted that the amazing charm of Rajneesh was felt even by those who did not share his views. His performances quickly earned him a devoted following, including among wealthy businessmen. Such visitors received individual counseling about their spiritual development and daily life in exchange for donations. The tradition of seeking the advice of a scholar or saint is a common practice in India, similar to how people in the West receive advice from a psychotherapist or counselor. Based on the rapid growth of the practice, the American religious scholar and Ph.D. James Lewis suggested that Rajneesh was an unusually gifted spiritual healer. Beginning in 1962, Rajneesh held meditation camps several times a year with active purification techniques, at the same time the first meditation centers began to appear (Jeevan Jagrati Kendra or Awakened Life Centers).

His Awakened Life (Jeevan Jagrati Andolan) movement during this period consisted mainly of members of the Jain religious community in Bombay. One such member of the movement participated in India's struggle for independence and held a significant position in the Indian National Congress party, and also had close ties with the leaders of the country, such as Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Morarji Desai. The daughter of this politician, Lakshmi, was the first secretary of Rajneesh and his devoted student.

Acharya Rajneesh argued that shocking people was the only way to wake them up. Many Indians were shocked by his 1968 lectures, in which he strongly criticized Indian society's attitudes towards love and sex and advocated the liberalization of attitudes. He said that primordial sexuality is divine and that sexual feelings should not be repressed, but should be accepted with gratitude. Rajneesh argued that only by recognizing his true nature, a person can be free. He did not accept religions that advocated withdrawal from life, the true religion, according to him, is an art that teaches how one can enjoy life to the fullest. These lectures later appeared as a book entitled "From Sex to the Superconscious" and were published in the Indian press, calling him "the sex guru". Despite opposition from some established Hindus, however, in 1969 he was invited to speak at the Second World Hindu Conference. There, taking the opportunity, he attacked all organized religions and their priests, which caused a state of rage among the Hindu spiritual leaders present at the conference.

Bombay

Neo-Sannyas Movement Foundation

At a public meditation event in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the spring of 1970, Acharya Rajneesh presented his dynamic meditation for the first time. In July 1970, he rented an apartment in Bombay, where he received visitors and also began holding talks with small groups of people. Although Rajneesh, according to his own teachings, did not at first seek to found an organization, on September 26, 1970, during a meditation camp in Manali, he created the first school of “neo-sannyasins (English) Russian. , who are now more commonly referred to simply as sannyasins. Initiation into sannyas meant receiving a new name from him, for a woman, for example, such as "Ma Dhyan Shama", for a man, for example, "Swami Satyananda", as well as wearing orange clothes, a mala (necklace) with 108 wooden beads and a medallion with the image of Rajneesh.

The orange color of the dress and the mala are the attributes of traditional sannyasins in India, who are considered there as holy ascetics. There was an element of chance in choosing such a deliberately provocative style. This happened after Acharya Rajneesh saw Lakshmi in orange clothes, which Lakshmi spontaneously chose for himself. His sannyas, according to Rajneesh, should be life-affirming because it celebrates "the death of everything you were yesterday." Rajneesh himself, in the context of sannyas, should not have been worshipped. The acharya was seen by sannyasins as a catalyst or "the sun that pushes the flower to open". In 1971, the first students began to arrive from Western countries and join the movement. Among them was a young Englishwoman who received the name "Vivek" from Acharya Rajneesh. Rajneesh came to the conclusion that in a past life she was his friend Shashi. Before her death, Shashi promised Rajneesh that she would return to him. After her "return", Vivek was Rajneesh's constant companion in later years.

Bhagwan

In the same year, Rajneesh dropped the title "Acharya" and adopted instead the religious name Bhagwan (literally: Blessed) Shri Rajneesh. The conferment of this title was criticized by many Hindus, but Bhagwan seemed to enjoy the controversy. He later said that the name change had a positive effect: "Only those who are ready to dissolve with me stay, everyone else has run away." At the same time, he also shifted the focus of his activities. Now he was less and less interested in lecturing to the general public; instead, he declared that he would primarily deal with the issue of transforming people who had an internal connection with him. As more and more students came to him from the West, Bhagwan began to give lectures in English as well. In Bombay his health began to fail; due to the poor quality of the Bombay air, asthma, diabetes, and also his allergies began to increase. His apartment became too small to accommodate visitors. His secretary Lakshmi went looking for a better place to stay and found one in Pune. Money for the purchase of two neighboring villas, occupying an approximate area of ​​2.5 acres, came from patrons and students, in particular, from Ekaterina Venizelos ( Ma Yoga Mukta), heir to the fortune of a famous Greek figure.

Ashram in Pune (1974-1981)

Development and growth

Bhagwan and his followers moved from Bombay to Pune in March 1974. Health problems bothered him for some time, but the construction of the ashram in Koregaon Park did not stop. Sannyasins worked at the ashram and often received free accommodation and meals for some time in return. The following years were marked by constant expansion of the ashram, with more and more visitors from the West. By 1981, the ashram had its own bakery, cheese production, arts and crafts centers for tailoring, jewelry, ceramics and organic cosmetics, as well as a private medical center with more than 90 employees, including 21 doctors. Performances, musical concerts and pantomimes were held. The increase in the flow of people from the West was partly due to the return of some Western students from India, who often established meditation centers in their countries. Some people reported that they had never been in contact with sannyasins, and that only when they saw a photograph of Bhagwan somewhere did they feel an inexplicable connection with him and after that they understood that they should meet with Bhagwan. Others read Bhagwan's books and thus they also had a desire to see him. Bhagwan received a significant influx of feminist groups; most of the economic activity of the ashram was headed by women.

Bhagwan, the description said, was "a physically attractive man with hypnotic brown eyes, a beard, chiseled features and a winning smile, his defiant actions and words, as well as his idiosyncrasy and apparently fearless and carefree demeanor, attracted a large number of disappointed people from the West, as signs that some real answer may be found here.” In addition, he was distinguished by the fact that he accepted modern technology and capitalism, had nothing against sex and was very well read - he easily quoted Heidegger and Sartre, Socrates, Gurdjieff and Bob Hope, and also spoke freely about tantra, the New Testament, Zen and Sufism.

group therapy

In addition, the syncretic combination of Eastern meditation and Western therapies played a significant role. European and American practitioners from the humanistic psychology movement came to Pune and became Bhagwan's disciples. “They came to him to learn from him how to live meditatively. They found in him a spiritual teacher who fully understood the concept of holistic psychology they had developed and, the only one they knew, who could use it as a tool to bring people to higher levels of consciousness, ”writes Bhagwan's biographer. The therapy groups soon became an essential part of the ashram, as well as one of the largest sources of income. In 1976, there were 10 different therapies, including Encounter, Primal, and Intense Enlightenment, and a group in which participants had to try to answer the question "Who am I?" In subsequent years, the number of methods available increased to about eighty.

To decide which therapy groups to go through, attendees either consulted with Bhagwan or made a choice according to their preferences. Some of the early groups at the ashram, such as the Encounter, were experimental and allowed for physical aggression as well as sexual contact between members. Conflicting reports of injuries sustained in the sessions of the Encounter group began to appear in the press. After one of the participants suffered a broken arm, violent groups were banned. Richard Price, then a well-known therapist in the humanistic psychology movement and co-founder of the Esalene Institute, found that some groups encourage members to "be violent" rather than "play the role of violent" (which is the norm for Encounter groups held in the United States) and criticized for "the worst mistakes of some of Esalen's inexperienced group leaders." However, many sannyasins and visitors were interested in participating in this exciting experiment. In this sense, they were inspired by the words of Bhagwan: "We are experimenting here with all the ways that make it possible to heal the human consciousness and enrich the person."

Daily events at the ashram

A typical day at the ashram began at 6 am with one hour of dynamic meditation. At 8 o'clock Bhagwan gave a public lecture in the so-called "Buddha Hall". Until 1981, lecture series in Hindi alternated with series in English. Many of these lectures were spontaneous commentaries on texts from various spiritual traditions or were answers to questions from visitors and students. The conversations were spiced with jokes, anecdotes, and provocative remarks that constantly elicited outbursts of amusement from his devoted audience. Various meditations took place during the day, such as "meditation kundalini”, “meditation nataraj and therapy, the high intensity of which was attributed to spiritual energy, Bhagwan's "buddha field". In the evenings, there were Darshans, Bhagwan's personal conversations with a small number of devoted disciples and guests, as well as initiation of disciples ("acceptance into sannyas"). The reason for darshan was usually the arrival of the disciple at the ashram or his forthcoming departure, or a particularly serious matter that the sannyasin would like to discuss personally with Bhagwan. Four days in the year were of particular importance, these days were celebrated: the enlightenment of Bhagwan (March 21); his birthday (December 11) and Guru Purnima's birthday; the full moon, during which in India the spiritual teacher and Mahaparinirvana are traditionally revered, the day when all the departed enlightened ones are revered. For visitors, the stay in Poona was generally an intense and very vivid experience, whether or not the visitor "took sannyas" in the end. The ashram, according to the descriptions of the students, was at the same time "an amusement park and a lunatic asylum, a pleasure house and a temple."

Bhagwan's teaching emphasized spontaneity, but the ashram was not free from rule. There were guards at the entrance, smoking and drugs were prohibited, and some parts of the area, such as House of Laozi where Bhagwan lived was only available to a limited number of students. Those who wanted to listen to the Buddha Hall lecture (“Please leave your shoes and mind outside,” the sign at the entrance said) had to first take a scent test because Bhagwan was allergic to shampoos and cosmetics. And those who had such smells were denied access.

Negative media reports

In the 1970s, Bhagwan first came to the attention of the Western press as a "sex guru". Criticism of him has been directed at therapeutic groups, Bhagwan's attitude towards sex, and his often joking but sharply social values ​​statements ("Even people like Jesus remain a little neurotic"). The behavior of sannyasins has become a separate subject of criticism. In order to earn money for their further stay in India, some of the women went to Bombay and engaged in prostitution. Other sannyasins tried to smuggle opium, hashish and marijuana, some of them were caught and imprisoned. The reputation of the ashram suffered from this, among other things. In January 1981, Prince Wolf of Hanover ( Swami Anand Vimalkirti), cousin of Prince Charles and descendant of Emperor Wilhelm II, died of a stroke in Pune. After that, anxious relatives wanted to make sure that his little daughter would not grow up with her mother (also a sannyasin) in Pune. Members of the anti-cult movement began to claim that sannyasins were forced to take part in therapy groups against their will, that they suffered from nervous breakdowns, and that they were forced into prostitution and drug trafficking.

The hostile attitude of the surrounding society was to some extent demonstrated to Bhagwan when an attempt was made on his life in 1980. A young Hindu fundamentalist, Vilas Tupe, threw a knife at Bhagwan during a morning lecture, but missed. A banned film about the ashram appeared in India, which censored footage showing therapy groups and footage of Bhagwan openly criticizing then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai, head of the Indian government, for taking a tougher stance against the ashram. On top of all this, the ashram's tax exemption was retroactively cancelled, resulting in millions in tax claims. The government stopped issuing visas for foreign visitors who listed the ashram as their main destination.

Change of plans and the beginning of Bhagwan's silence phase

Given the ever-increasing number of visitors and the hostility of the city administration towards people moving to Bhagwan, the students began to consider moving to Saswad, located about 30 km from Pune, where they wanted to build an agricultural commune. However, the burning and poisoning of the fountain in Saswad made it clear that the activities of the ashram were also not welcomed there. Subsequent attempts to acquire land for an ashram in Gujarat failed due to opposition from local authorities.

Bhagwan's health deteriorated in the late 1970s, and his personal contact with sannyasins declined from 1979 onwards. Evening Darshans began to be held in the form of energy Darshans - instead of personal conversations, there was now a "transfer of energy", which happened when Bhagwan's thumb touched the middle of the student's forehead or "third eye". On April 10, 1981, Bhagwan began a phase of silence and instead of daily discourses began to conduct satsangs (quiet sitting together with short periods of reading from various spiritual works and live music). Around the same time, Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Silverman) replaced Lakshmi as Bhagwan's secretary. Sheela came to the conclusion that Bhagwan, who was suffering from a very long and painful problem of slipped discs at the time, should travel to the United States for better treatment. Bhagwan and Vivek didn't seem to be very supportive of the idea at first, but Sheela insisted on moving.

Stay in the USA (1981-1985)

In the spring of 1981, after a long illness, Osho entered a period of silence. On the recommendation of doctors, in June of this year he was taken to the United States for treatment, as he suffered, in particular, from diabetes and asthma.

Osho followers buy ranch for $5.75 million Big Muddy an area of ​​64 thousand acres in Central Oregon, on whose territory the settlement of Rajneeshpuram (now a suburb of Anteloope) was founded, where the number of adherents reached 15 thousand people. In August, Osho moved to Rajneeshpuram, where he lived in a trailer as a guest of the commune.

During the four years that Osho lived there, the popularity of Rajneeshpuram grew. So, about 3,000 people came to the festival in 1983, and in 1987 - about 7,000 people from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. A school, post office, fire and police departments, a transport system of 85 buses were opened in the city. Between 1981 and 1986, the Rajneesh movement amassed about $120 million through various meditation workshops, lectures, and conferences with attendance fees ranging from $50 to $7,500.

Religious scholar A. A. Gritsanov notes that “ By the end of 1982, Osho's fortune reached 200 million tax-free dollars". Osho also owned 4 aircraft and 1 combat helicopter. In addition, Osho owned "nearly a hundred (numbers vary) Rolls-Royces." Reportedly, his followers wanted to increase the number of Rolls-Royces to 365, one for each day of the year.

At the same time, conflicts with local authorities regarding building permits escalated, as well as in connection with calls for violence by the inhabitants of the commune. They intensified in connection with the statements of Osho's secretary and press secretary, Ma Anand Sheela. Osho himself continued to remain silent until 1984 and was practically isolated from the life of the commune. The management of the commune was taken over by Sheela, who assumed the role of the sole intermediary between Osho and his commune.

Within the commune, internal contradictions also intensified. Many followers of Osho, who disagreed with the regime established by Sheela, left the ashram. Faced with difficulties, the leadership of the commune, led by Shila, also used criminal methods. In 1984, salmonella was added to the food of several restaurants in the nearby town of Dallas to see if the results of the upcoming elections could be influenced by reducing the number of people eligible to vote. On Sheela's orders, Osho's personal physician and two Oregon officials were also poisoned. The doctor and one of the staff became seriously ill, but eventually recovered.

In 1984, the Federal Bureau of Investigation initiated a criminal case against the Rajnesh sect", because in Antelope" on the territory of the center of Rajnesh, weapons depots, drug laboratories were discovered».

After Sheela and her team hurriedly left the commune in September 1985, Osho called a press conference to give information about their crimes and asked the prosecutor's office to initiate an investigation. As a result of the investigation, Shila and many of her employees were detained and later convicted. Despite the fact that Osho himself did not participate in criminal activities, his reputation (especially in the West) was significantly damaged.

On October 23, 1985, a federal jury in closed session considered the indictment against Osho in connection with violations of immigration law.

On October 29, 1985, after Bhagwan's personal plane landed for refueling in Charlotte, North Carolina, he was detained without a warrant for arrest and without formal charges being filed at that time. The motive for the detention was Bhagwan's unauthorized attempt to leave the United States. (According to Rajish, he was going to fly to rest in Bermuda with his 8 close associates). For the same reason, Bhagwan was denied bail. He was placed in a pre-trial detention center, having previously registered in the Oklahoma state prison under the name "David Washington". On the advice of his lawyers, who agreed with the accusing party, Bhagwan signed Alford Plea- a document according to which the accused admits the charges and at the same time maintains his innocence. As a result, Bhagwan pleaded guilty to 2 of the 34 counts against him for violating the immigration law. As a result, on November 14, Bhagwan was conditionally sentenced to 10 years in prison, he was fined $ 400,000, and after that Bhagwan was deported from the United States without the right to return for 5 years. Bhagwan disbanded his ashram in Oregon and publicly declared that he was not a religious teacher. Also, his students burned 5,000 copies of the book "Rajneeshism", which was a 78-page compilation of the teachings of Bhagwan, who defined "Rajneeshism" as "a non-religious religion." Rajneesh said he ordered the book to be burned to rid the sect of the last vestiges of Sheela's influence, whose clothes were also "added to the fire".

On December 10, 1985, the registration of Rajneeshpuram was invalidated by District Judge Helen J. Fry for violating the constitutional provisions of separation of church and state. Later, in 1988, the US Supreme Court recognized the legitimacy of Rajneeshpuram.

World Tour (1986)

On January 21, 1986, Bhagwan announces his intention to travel around the world to visit his followers in various countries. In February 1986, Bhagwan arrives in Greece on a 30-day tourist visa. After that, the Greek Orthodox Church demands that the Greek authorities expel Bhagwan from the country, arguing that otherwise "blood will be shed." On March 5, without any permission, the police enter the territory of the villa of a local film director, where Bhagwan lived, and arrest the mystic. Bhagwan pays a fine of $5,000 and flies to Switzerland on March 6, making the following statement to Greek journalists before leaving: “If one person with a four-week tourist visa can destroy your two-thousand-year-old morality, your religion, then it is not worth keeping. It must be destroyed."

Upon arrival in Switzerland, he receives the status of "persona non grata" due to "violation of US immigration laws." He flies by plane to England, where he is also not allowed to stay, and then, on March 7, flies to Ireland, where he receives a tourist visa. The next morning, the police arrive at the hotel and demand Bhagwan's immediate departure from the country, but later the authorities allow him to stay in Ireland for a short time due to Canada's refusal to allow Bhagwan's plane to land in Grenada to refuel the plane. At the same time, Bhagwan is denied entry to Holland and Germany. On March 19, an invitation to visit with the possibility of permanent residence was sent by Uruguay, and on the same day Bhagwan and his followers flew to Montevideo. In Uruguay, sannyasins discovered the reasons why a number of countries refused to visit. These reasons were telexes containing "diplomatic classified information" in which Interpol reported allegations of "drug addiction, smuggling and prostitution" among the people around Bhagwan.

On May 14, 1986, the government of Uruguay intended to announce at a press conference that Bhagwan was granted permanent residence. But according to a number of sources, Sanguinetti, who was President of Uruguay, was contacted by the American authorities the previous evening and demanded that Bhagwan be expelled from the country, threatening otherwise to cancel the American loan to Uruguay and not provide loans in the future. June 18 Bhagwan agrees to leave Uruguay. On June 19, he arrives in Jamaica on a 10-day visa he received. Immediately after arrival, a US Air Force plane lands next to Bhagwan's plane. On the morning of the next day, all visas of Bhagwan and his followers are invalidated. After that, he flies to Lisbon and lives in a villa for some time, until the police come to him again. As a result, after Bhagwan is denied entry by 21 countries under pressure from the United States or declares him “persona non grata”, he returns to India on July 29, where he lives in Bombay with his friend for six months. In India, Osho opens a center for psychotherapy and meditation programs.

Religious scholar A. S. Timoshchuk and historian I. V. Fedotova note that “ The call for total freedom, coupled with very liberal views on marriage and sexual relations, has sparked public outrage around the world and may have played a sinister role.».

Pune (1987-1990)

On January 4, 1987, Osho returned to Pune to the house where he had lived most of his life. Immediately after it became known about Osho's return, the city's police chief ordered him to leave Pune immediately on the grounds that Rajneesh was "a controversial personality" and "could disrupt the order in the city." However, the Supreme Court of Bombay City overturned the order on the same day.

In Pune, Osho holds discourse evenings every day, except when they are interrupted due to ill health. Publications and therapies resumed and the ashram was expanded. Now it became known as the "Multiversity", where the therapy was supposed to work as a bridge to meditation. Osho developed new meditation-therapeutic methods such as The Mystic Rose and began to lead the meditations in his discourses after a hiatus of more than ten years. The flow of visitors increased again. But now, having gone through the experience of working together in Oregon, most sannyasins no longer wanted to live together with other sannyasins, but began to prefer an independent way of life in society. The red/orange attire and mala have been largely eliminated, having been optional since 1985. The wearing of red robes exclusively in the ashram was reinstated in the summer of 1989, along with white robes for evening meditation and black robes for group leaders.

By the end of 1987, thousands of sannyasins and visitors pass through the Osho Commune International gate in the Indian city of Pune every day. Osho has daily darshans, but his health is steadily deteriorating. In conversations, Osho often repeats that he cannot stay with his people for long, and advises listeners to focus on meditation.

In November 1987, Osho expressed his belief that his deterioration in health (nausea, fatigue, pain in the limbs and lack of resistance to infection) was due to his poisoning by the US authorities while he was in prison. His physician and former attorney Philip J. Toolkes (Swami Prem Niren) suggested that radioactive thallium was in Osho's mattress as the symptoms were concentrated on the right side, but provided no evidence. U.S. Attorney Charles H. Hunter described it as "a complete sham", while others have suggested HIV exposure or chronic diabetes and stress.

Since the beginning of 1988, Osho's discourses have focused exclusively on Zen. His daily lectures now take place in the evening, and not in the morning, as before.

At the end of December, Osho announced that he no longer wanted to be called "Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh", and in February 1989 he took the name "Osho Rajneesh", which was shortened to "Osho" in September. He also requested that all brands formerly branded "RAJNEESH" be rebranded internationally as "OSHO". His health continued to decline. He gave his last public speech in April 1989, and after that he just sat in silence with his followers. Shortly before his death, Osho suggested that one or more people at the evening meetings (now referred to as the Brotherhood of the White Robes) subjected him to some form of evil magic. An attempt was made to search for the perpetrators, but no one could be found.

On October 6, 1989, Osho chooses the "inner circle" - this group consists of twenty-one closest students, who are entrusted with the responsibility of administrative management and solving the main practical issues of the life of the commune. In June-July the Sannyas University is founded. It consists of a number of faculties covering various workshops and group programs.

On January 17, 1990, Osho's health deteriorated significantly. Osho appeared at the evening meeting only to greet those assembled. When he entered the hall, it was noticeable that it was extremely difficult for him to move.

Osho died on January 19, 1990 at the age of 58. An autopsy was not performed, so the cause of death has not been determined. There are several unconfirmed versions, according to the official statement of the doctor Osho, the death occurred from heart failure caused by complications of diabetes and asthma. According to followers close to Osho, death was due to the slow action of thallium, with which Osho was poisoned during his imprisonment in the United States. Before his death, Osho refused the doctors' proposals for urgent medical intervention, telling them that "the Universe itself measures its own time." Osho's body was transferred to the hall, where a mass meeting took place, and then a cremation. Two days later, the ashes left from Osho's body were transferred to the Chuang Tzu hall - to the very room that was supposed to be his new bedroom. Some of the ashes were also transferred to Nepal, to the Osho-Tapoban ashram. A tablet was placed over the ashes with the words that Osho himself had dictated a few months earlier: “OSHO. Never born, never died, only visited this planet Earth from December 11, 1931 to January 19, 1990.

Osho teachings

Osho's teachings are extremely eclectic. It is a chaotic mosaic composed of elements of Buddhism, Yoga, Taoism, Sikhism, Greek philosophy, Sufism, European psychology, Tibetan traditions, Christianity, Hasidism, Zen, Tantrism and other spiritual movements, as well as their own views. The religious scholar L. I. Grigoryeva wrote that “ the teachings of Rajnesh are a mixture of elements of Hinduism, Taoism, Sufism, etc.". He himself spoke of it this way: I don't have a system. Systems can only be dead. I am an unsystematic, anarchic stream, I am not even a person, but just a certain process. I don't know what I told you yesterday»; « … the flower is rough, the fragrance is subtle… That’s what I’m trying to do is to bring together all the flowers of Tantra, Yoga, Tao, Sufism, Zen, Hasidism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism…»; « Truth is beyond specific forms, attitudes, verbal formulations, practices, logic, and its comprehension is carried out by a chaotic, not a systematic method.» ; « I am the beginning of a completely new religious consciousness, - said O. - Please do not connect me with the past - it is not even worth remembering»;« My message is not a doctrine, not a philosophy. My message is a kind of alchemy, the science of transformation, so only those who can die as they are and be reborn so renewed that they cannot even imagine it now ... only those few brave souls will be ready to hear, because to hear is to go at risk».

Many of Osho's lectures contain contradictions and paradoxes, which Osho commented as follows: " My friends are surprised: Yesterday you said one thing, and today - another. What are we to listen to? I can understand their bewilderment. They just grabbed the words. Conversations are of no value to me, only the spaces between the words I speak are what is valuable. Yesterday I opened the doors to my emptiness with some words, today I open them with other words.» .

The religious scholar M. V. Vorobyova noted that the main goal of Osho’s teachings is “ immersion in this world and in this life". The religious scholar S. V. Pakhomov pointed out that the goal of Osho’s teachings is “ the loss of one's "I" in the oceanic consciousness". Pakhomov also noted that Osho developed a variety of meditation practices to achieve this goal, including the practice of dynamic meditation, which has become the most famous of all practices.

The religious scholar L. I. Grigoryeva wrote that “ The ultimate goal of the religious practice of Rajnesh is to achieve a state of enlightenment and total liberation. The ways to achieve this state are the rejection of stereotypes of culture, upbringing, traditions, the rejection of everything that society imposes." Wherein " the destruction of "social barriers and stereotypes" should occur during communication with the "teacher", and the acquisition of inner freedom - through the practice of "dynamic meditation" and sexual orgies, presented under the banner of tantrism a".

Candidate of Philosophical Sciences S. A. Selivanov pointed out that Osho’s distinctive “calling cards” are: dynamic meditation, neo-sannyas, the idea of ​​a “community” realized in Pune, in which there are halls for meditation, therapy, music, dance, painting and others arts, and the idea of ​​Zorba-Buddha, a new whole person. Selivanov also noted that Osho formed four development paths for the followers of his teachings:

1. Independent analysis of events, opposition to the influence of any ideology and independent resolution of their own psychological problems.
2. Acquisition of one's own experience of "living a full life", rejection of life "according to books", search for "the causes of suffering, joy, dissatisfaction".
3. The need to bring out one's inner and psyche-destroying "hidden desires" in the process of self-realization.
4. "Enjoy simple things... - a cup of tea, silence, conversation with each other, the beauty of the starry sky."

The religious scholar B.K. Knorre believes that Osho's teaching is a philosophy of vitalism of "pure vitality", in which the initial sensations of a person are more important than any norms of society. Knorre figuratively describes the return to “pure feeling” before acquiring various stereotypes and civilizational complexes as enjoying life without questions “what for” and “why”. Psychophysiological trainings are used to return to this state and release the “true self”.

Combining many traditions, Osho assigned a special place to the traditions of Zen. For followers, the most important place of all Osho's teachings is meditation. The ideal in the teachings of Osho is Zorba-Buddha, combining the spirituality of the Buddha with the features of the Zorba.

Despite hundreds of dictated books, Rajneesh did not create a systematic theology. During the period of the Oregon commune (1981-1985), a book was published called "The Bible of Rajneesh", but after the dispersal of this commune, Rajneesh stated that the book was published without his knowledge and consent, and urged his followers to get rid of "old attachments", to to which he attributed religious beliefs. Some researchers believe that Rajneesh used all the major world religions in his teachings, but preferred the Hindu concept of "enlightenment" as the main goal for his followers.

Osho also used a wide range of Western concepts. His views on the unity of opposites are reminiscent of Heraclitus, while his description of man as a mechanism condemned to uncontrolled impulsive actions stemming from unconscious neurotic patterns has much in common with Freud and Gurdjieff. His vision of the "new man" transcending the limits of tradition is reminiscent of Nietzsche's ideas in Beyond Good and Evil. Osho's views on the liberation of sexuality are comparable to those of Lawrence, and his dynamic meditations are indebted to Reich.

Osho calls for doing what comes from feeling, flows from the heart: "Never follow the mind ... do not be guided by principles, etiquette, norms of behavior." He denied the asceticism and self-restraint of Patanjali's classical yoga and stated that " craving for violence, sex, money-grubbing, hypocrisy - is a property of consciousness", also pointing out that in the "inner silence" there is "neither greed, nor anger, nor violence", but there is love. He encouraged his followers to throw out their base desires in any form, which found its expression " in convulsive shudders, hysterical behavior". It is considered likely that for this reason the Rajneesh ashrams were criticized for anti-social activities: promiscuity, accusations of delinquency, etc.

Osho was a supporter of vegetarianism and was ambivalent about alcohol and drugs. According to critics, the latter circumstance was one of the main factors that made his teachings attractive to the counterculture generation in Western countries. Drugs were banned in the Osho Ashram.

Osho promoted free love and often criticized the institution of marriage, calling it the "coffin of love" in early conversations, although he sometimes encouraged marriage for the opportunity for "deep spiritual fellowship." Later in the movement came the ceremony of marriage and a focus on long-term relationships. Early calls against marriage came to be understood as "a desire to live in love and harmony without contractual support" rather than an unequivocal rejection of marriage. At the same time, the sannyasins also took into account the fact that Osho opposed dogma in his teachings.

Osho was convinced that most people cannot be trusted to have children, and also that the number of children being born all over the world is too high. Osho believed that "twenty years of absolute birth control" would solve the problem of overpopulation of the planet. Osho also pointed out that childlessness will allow you to achieve enlightenment faster, since in this case it is possible to "give birth to yourself." Osho's call for sterilization was followed by 200 sannyasins, some of whom later recognized this decision as a mistake. Sociology professor Lewis Carter suggested that Rajneesh's words about the recommended sterilization were said in order not to complicate the planned and secret move from Pune to America.

Osho considered women to be more spiritual than men. Women held more leadership positions in the community. Among followers, their ratio to men also ranged from 3:1 to 6:4. Osho wanted to create a new society in which "the sexual, social and spiritual liberation of women" would happen.

Religious scholar A. S. Timoshchuk and historian I. V. Fedotova noted that Osho “ argued that all religions of the past are anti-life", and in turn" his teaching is the first to consider man in his entirety, as he is". Osho said that Christianity is a disease”, and often scolded Christianity, finding masochistic practices in it. The religious scholar L. I. Grigoryeva noted on the same occasion “ He denies all religions: “I am the founder of the only religion, another religion is a sham. Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha just corrupted people.”» The same statement by Osho as a self-description is given by the representative of the American Christian counter-cult movement and apologist Walter Martin. A. A. Gritsanov cites the same statement in a different version: “ I am the founder of a single religion, - Rajneesh declared, - other religions are a hoax. Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha simply corrupted people... My teaching is based on knowledge, on experience. People don't have to believe me. I explain my experience to them. If they find it right, they accept it. If not, then they have no reason to believe in him.».

Osho's talks were not presented in an academic setting, his early lectures were known for their humor and Osho's refusal to take anything seriously. This behavior was explained by the fact that it was a "method of transformation", pushing people "beyond the mind."

ego and mind

According to Osho, every person is a Buddha with the potential for enlightenment, unconditional love and response (instead of reaction) to life, although the ego usually prevents this by identifying with social conditioning and creating false needs and conflicts and an illusory self-awareness.

Osho sees the mind as a survival mechanism, copying behavioral strategies that have proven effective in the past. Turning the mind to the past deprives people of the ability to live authentically in the present, forcing them to suppress genuine emotions and isolate themselves from the joyful experiences that naturally arise when accepting the present moment: "The mind has no innate capacity for joy ... It only thinks of joy." As a result, people poison themselves with neurosis, jealousy and insecurity.

Osho argued that psychological repression (repression or repression), often advocated by religious leaders, causes repressed feelings to re-emerge in a different guise. For example, in the case of sexual repression, society becomes obsessed with sex. Osho pointed out that instead of repressing, people should trust themselves and accept themselves unconditionally. According to Osho, this cannot be understood only intellectually, since the mind can perceive it only as more information, meditation is necessary for a fuller understanding.

Meditation

Osho presented meditation not only as a practice, but also as a state of consciousness that will be maintained in every moment, as a complete understanding that awakens a person from a sleep of mechanical reactions due to beliefs and expectations. He used western psychotherapy as a preliminary step in his meditation to help sannyasins understand their "mental and emotional garbage."

Osho proposed a total of over 112 meditation methods. His methods of "active meditation" are characterized as successive stages of physical activity and tension, leading eventually to silence and relaxation. The most famous of these is dynamic meditation, which is described as a microcosm of Osho's worldview.

Osho has developed other active meditation techniques (eg Kundalini shaking meditation, Nadabram humming meditation) which are less active although they also involve physical activity. His later meditation therapies required multiple sessions over several days. So the Mystic Rose meditation included three hours of laughter every day for the first week, three hours of crying every day for the second week, and three hours of silent meditation every day for the third week. These "witnessing" processes enabled the sannyasin to realize the "leap into awareness." Osho believed that such cathartic, cleansing methods were necessary as a preliminary stage, since for many modern people it was difficult to immediately use the more traditional methods of meditation due to great internal tension and the inability to relax.

The traditional meditation methods given to sannyasins included zazen and vipassana.

Osho emphasized that absolutely anything can become an opportunity for meditation. As an example of the temporary transformation of dance into meditation, Osho cited the words of the dancer Nijinsky: “ When the dance turns into a crescendo, I am no more. There is only dance».

Sexual Practices and Tantra

Osho and the Osho movement are known for their progressive and ultra-liberal attitudes towards sexuality. Osho rose to prominence as a sex guru in the 1970s for his tantric teachings of "integrating sexuality and spirituality", as well as for the work of some therapeutic groups and the encouragement of sexual practices among sannyasins. Sociologist Elisabeth Pattik, Ph.D., has pointed out that Osho believed that Tantra influenced his teachings the most, along with Western sexology based on the writings of Wilhelm Reich. Osho tried to combine traditional Indian tantra and Reich-based psychotherapy and form a new approach:

All our efforts up to now have failed because we have not made friends with sex, but have declared war on it; we have used repression and lack of understanding as ways to solve sexual problems... And the results of repression are never fruitful, never pleasant, never healthy.

Tantra was not the goal, but the method by which Osho freed the followers from sex:

The so-called religions say that sex is a sin, and tantra says that sex is only a sacred thing... After you have cured your disease, you do not continue to carry a prescription and a vial and a medicine. You drop it.

The religious scholar A. A. Gritsanov pointed out that sexual meditation, related to the direction of tantra, was in the teachings of Osho a way " achievement of superconsciousness", and Osho himself believed that only through intense " experiencing sexual emotions" possibly " understanding their nature"and liberation from sexual " passions-weaknesses» . The religious scholar S. V. Pakhomov pointed out that Osho “ encouraged among his adherents and sexual emancipation, considering "tantric" sex as the driving force leading to "enlightenment"» . Religious scholar D. E. Furman noted that tantric sex was one of the methods that Osho gave to some students for “ comprehension of the absolute».

There are rumors that Osho had sexual relations with followers. The main source of these rumors is an unreliable book by Hugh Milne. Osho's personal physician, G. Meredith, described Milne as a "sexual maniac" who makes money off of readers' pornographic desires. In addition, several women said they had sexual relations with Osho. Some female followers pointed to unrealized sexual fantasies about Osho. There is no reliable evidence to support the Osho sexual relationship rumors. Most followers believed that Osho was celibate.

In the Osho movement, there was a problem of emotional abuse, it was especially pronounced during the functioning of Rajneeshpuram. Some people were severely injured. Religious sociologist Eileen Barker has pointed out that some of Pune's visitors have returned with tales of "sexual perversion, drug dealing, suicide" as well as stories of physical and mental harm from Pune's programs. But even among the people who were injured, many were positive about their experience, including those who had already left the movement. In general, the majority of sannyasins assessed their experience as positive and defended it with arguments.

The religious scholar A. A. Gritsanov pointed out that in the critical press of the 70s there were publications about orgies in communities, and also that the nickname " sex guru» Osho received from the journalists of that time. At the same time, A. A. Gritsanov wrote: “ Some researchers believe that the word “orgies” is hardly applicable to Osho’s practices, since Rajneesh emphatically does not divide the various manifestations of life into positive and negative: like many Hindu cults, in Osho’s doctrine, the concepts of “good” and “evil” are blurred”, also noting that there were few groups with nudity and sexual practices as cathartic processes in the Pune ashram, but “ These are the groups that have attracted the most media attention.» .

The religious scholar L. I. Grigorieva believed that in the communities of Osho were distributed " sexual orgies presented under the banner of tantrism» .

The religious scholar and Indologist A. A. Tkacheva noted that “dynamic meditation” contributed to “unblocking” the nervous system of Osho’s followers through strong chaotic movements and “splashing out” the “repressions” and “complexes” that arose during socialization. Here, the action was completely opposite to normal. Tkacheva notes that since Osho combined tantra with Freudianism in his practice, from here he was 99% convinced that all human complexes are based on sexual soil. Therapy in this case is expressed in group sex. Blockages and complexes were perceived as “karmic traces” that block the path to achieving enlightenment, and jumps and jumps were supposed to help come to a state of “emancipation”, “catharsis”.

The religious scholar A. S. Timoshchuk and the historian I. V. Fedotova noted that about Osho’s meditation camps, which were arranged in various parts of India, “ often told» how about places « where you can participate in orgies and indulge in drugs". They also write that currently hard to say what really happened there”, since Osho does not distinguish between the manifestations of life for good and bad, but considers them one and the same. Osho taught to accept all people and oneself completely, including sexual energy».

Zen

Of all the traditions, Osho singled out the Zen tradition in particular. In later conversations, Osho pointed out that Zen was his "ideal of religiosity":

All religions except Zen are already dead. They have long since turned into caked fossil theologies, philosophical systems, dry doctrines. They have forgotten the language of the trees. They forgot about the silence in which even a tree can be heard and understood. They have forgotten the happiness that naturalness and spontaneity brings to the heart of any living being.<…>I call Zen the only living religion because it is not a religion, but religiosity itself. There are no dogmas in Zen, Zen does not even have founders. He has no past. In truth, he can't teach anything. This is almost the strangest thing that has happened in human history - strange, because Zen rejoices in emptiness, blossoms when there is nothing. He is embodied not in knowledge, but in ignorance. He does not distinguish between the worldly and the sacred. Everything is sacred to Zen.