Rajneesh movement: Difference between revisions

robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)
imported>GenoV84
(Updated and fixed parameters to another reference. Added informations and notes copied from Rajneesh; see that page's history for attribution.)
 
(robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit))
 
Line 13: Line 13:
| population    =  
| population    =  
| founder      = [[Rajneesh]]
| founder      = [[Rajneesh]]
| regions      = '''Countries'''<br>[[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]] and [[United States]]<br>'''Communities'''<br>[[Antelope, Oregon]], [[Pune]], [[Rajneeshpuram]], [[The Dalles, Oregon]], [[Wasco County, Oregon]]
| regions      = '''Countries'''<br>[[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[The Netherlands]] and [[United States]]<br>'''Communities'''<br>[[Antelope, Oregon]], [[Pune]], [[Rajneeshpuram]], [[The Dalles, Oregon]], [[Wasco County, Oregon]]
| tablehdr      =
| tablehdr      =


Line 35: Line 35:
The '''Rajneesh movement''' are people inspired by the Indian mystic [[Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh]] (1931–1990), also known as Osho, particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins".<ref name="idinopulos13">{{Harvnb|Idinopulos|Yonan|1996|p=13}}</ref> They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orange People" because of the orange and later red, maroon and pink clothes they used from 1970 until 1985.<ref name="Chryssides208">{{Harvnb|Chryssides|2001|p=208}}</ref> Members of the movement are sometimes called ''Oshoites'' in the Indian press.<ref>Abhay Vaidya (27 May 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105144430/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-05-27/pune/27845268_1_chaitanya-keerti-osho-commune-international-oshoites Oshoites amused by American terrorism tag], ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Sunanda Mehta (27 April 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120316023316/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/maroonclad-oshoites-no-longer-endemic-to-city/302023/ Maroon-clad Oshoites no longer endemic to city], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Chandran Iyer (10 June 2009). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090612224249/http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/100609-Indian-woman-cultural-Osho-International-Resort.htm Osho Commune 'least interested in Indians'], ''[[MiD DAY]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>
The '''Rajneesh movement''' are people inspired by the Indian mystic [[Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh]] (1931–1990), also known as Osho, particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins".<ref name="idinopulos13">{{Harvnb|Idinopulos|Yonan|1996|p=13}}</ref> They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orange People" because of the orange and later red, maroon and pink clothes they used from 1970 until 1985.<ref name="Chryssides208">{{Harvnb|Chryssides|2001|p=208}}</ref> Members of the movement are sometimes called ''Oshoites'' in the Indian press.<ref>Abhay Vaidya (27 May 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105144430/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-05-27/pune/27845268_1_chaitanya-keerti-osho-commune-international-oshoites Oshoites amused by American terrorism tag], ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Sunanda Mehta (27 April 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120316023316/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/maroonclad-oshoites-no-longer-endemic-to-city/302023/ Maroon-clad Oshoites no longer endemic to city], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Chandran Iyer (10 June 2009). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090612224249/http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/100609-Indian-woman-cultural-Osho-International-Resort.htm Osho Commune 'least interested in Indians'], ''[[MiD DAY]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>


The movement was controversial in the 1970s and 1980s, due to the founder's hostility to traditional moral values, first in [[India]] and later in the [[United States]]. In the [[Soviet Union]], the movement was banned as being contrary to "positive aspects of Indian culture and to the aims of the youth protest movement in Western countries". The positive aspects were seen as being subverted by Rajneesh, who was seen as a [[Counterculture|reactionary]] [[ideologue]] of the monopolistic [[bourgeoisie]] of India, promoting the ideas of the [[Consumerism|consumer society]] in a traditional [[Hindu]] guise.<ref>A. A. Tkacheva, ''Counter-culture Slogans in the System of Right Wing Radicalism in India'' (1986) [http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA372065|English abstract]</ref>
The movement was controversial in the 1970s and 1980s, due to the founder's hostility, first to [[Yamas|Hindu morality]] in [[India]], and later to [[Christian morality]] in the [[United States]]. In the [[Soviet Union]], the movement was banned as being contrary to "positive aspects of Indian culture and to the aims of the youth protest movement in Western countries". The positive aspects were allegedly being subverted by Rajneesh, whom the Soviet Government considered a [[Counterculture|reactionary]] [[ideologue]] of the monopolistic [[bourgeoisie]] of India and promoting [[Consumerism]] through a traditional [[Hindu]] guise.<ref>A. A. Tkacheva, ''Counter-culture Slogans in the System of Right Wing Radicalism in India'' (1986) [https://web.archive.org/web/20150218121617/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA372065 |English abstract]</ref>


In [[Oregon]], the movement's large [[intentional community]] of the early 1980s, called [[Rajneeshpuram]],<ref name="clarke253">{{Harvnb|Clarke|2006|p=253}}</ref><ref name="Aagaard124-127">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|pp=124–127}}</ref> caused immediate tensions in the local community for its attempts to take over the nearby town of [[Antelope, Oregon|Antelope]] and later the county seat of [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]].
In [[Oregon]], the movement's large [[intentional community]] of the early 1980s, called [[Rajneeshpuram]],<ref name="clarke253">{{Harvnb|Clarke|2006|p=253}}</ref><ref name="Aagaard124-127">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|pp=124–127}}</ref> caused immediate tensions in the local community for its attempts to take over the nearby town of [[Antelope, Oregon|Antelope]] and later the county seat of [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]].
Line 43: Line 43:
The movement in India gradually received a more positive response from the surrounding society, especially after the founder's death in 1990.<ref name="Lewis120">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=120}}</ref><ref name=GIA181-183>{{harvnb|Urban|2005|pp=182–183}}</ref> The Osho International Foundation (OIF), previously Rajneesh International Foundation (RIF), is managed by an "Inner Circle" set up by Rajneesh before his death. They jointly administer Rajneesh's estate and operate the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune.<ref name=GIA181-183 /><ref name="Aagaard133-134">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|pp=133–134}}</ref>
The movement in India gradually received a more positive response from the surrounding society, especially after the founder's death in 1990.<ref name="Lewis120">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=120}}</ref><ref name=GIA181-183>{{harvnb|Urban|2005|pp=182–183}}</ref> The Osho International Foundation (OIF), previously Rajneesh International Foundation (RIF), is managed by an "Inner Circle" set up by Rajneesh before his death. They jointly administer Rajneesh's estate and operate the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune.<ref name=GIA181-183 /><ref name="Aagaard133-134">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|pp=133–134}}</ref>


In the late 1990s, rival factions challenged OIF's copyright holdings over Rajneesh's works and the validity of its royalty claims on publishing or reprinting of materials.<ref name="Lewis120" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000711021203/http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20000703/religion.html OSHO'S LEGACY; Royalty Ruckus] originally published in ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/ India Today]'' 3 July 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2009.</ref><ref name="JMF44-45">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|pp=44–45}}</ref> In the United States, following a 10-year legal battle with Osho Friends International (OFI), the OIF lost its exclusive rights over the trademark OSHO in January 2009.<ref name="Osho">(18 July 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090925162103/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/osho-trademarkoif-appeal-dismissed/490876 Osho trademark:OIF appeal dismissed], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>
In the late 1990s, rival factions challenged OIF's copyright holdings over Rajneesh's works and the validity of its royalty claims on publishing or reprinting of materials.<ref name="Lewis120" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000711021203/http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20000703/religion.html OSHO'S LEGACY; Royalty Ruckus] originally published in ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/ India Today]'' 3 July 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2009.</ref><ref name="JMF44-45">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|pp=44–45}}</ref> In the United States, following a 10-year legal battle with Osho Friends International (OFI), the OFI lost its exclusive rights over the trademark OSHO in January 2009.<ref name="Osho">(18 July 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090925162103/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/osho-trademarkoif-appeal-dismissed/490876 Osho trademark:OIF appeal dismissed], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>


There are a number of smaller centres of the movement in India and around the world including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
There are a number of smaller centres of the movement in India and around the world including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Line 53: Line 53:
[[File:Osho 1972 Birthday seek-index 268 0.26.ogv|thumb|240px|left|Rajneesh's birthday celebrations at his Bombay residence on 11 December 1972]]
[[File:Osho 1972 Birthday seek-index 268 0.26.ogv|thumb|240px|left|Rajneesh's birthday celebrations at his Bombay residence on 11 December 1972]]


Rajneesh began speaking in public in 1958, while still a lecturer (later professor) in philosophy at [[Rani Durgavati University|Jabalpur University]]. He lectured throughout India during the 1960s, promoting meditation and the ideals of [[free love]],<ref name="hunt127">{{Harvnb|Hunt|2003|p=127}}</ref> a social movement based on a civil libertarian philosophy that rejects state regulation and religious interference in personal relationships; he also denounced marriage as a form of social bondage, especially for women.{{Ref label|a|a|none}}<ref>McElroy, Wendy. "The Free Love Movement and Radical Individualism." Libertarian Enterprise .19 (1996): 1.</ref> He criticised [[socialism]] and [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Gandhi]], but championed capitalism, science, technology and birth control,<ref>FitzGerald, Frances (29 September 1986), "Rajneeshpuram", ''The New Yorker'', p. 77.</ref> warning against overpopulation and criticising religious teachings that promote poverty and subjection.
Rajneesh began speaking in public in 1958, while still a lecturer (later professor) in philosophy at [[Rani Durgavati University|Jabalpur University]]. He lectured throughout India during the 1960s, promoting meditation and the ideals of [[free love]],<ref name="hunt127">{{Harvnb|Hunt|2003|p=127}}</ref> a social movement based on a [[Civil libertarianism|civil libertarian]] philosophy that rejects state regulation and religious interference in personal relationships; he also denounced marriage as a form of social bondage, especially for women.{{Ref label|a|a|none}}<ref>McElroy, Wendy. "The Free Love Movement and Radical Individualism." Libertarian Enterprise .19 (1996): 1.</ref> He criticised [[socialism]] and [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Gandhi]], but championed capitalism, science, technology and birth control,<ref>FitzGerald, Frances (29 September 1986), "Rajneeshpuram", ''The New Yorker'', p. 77.</ref> warning against overpopulation and criticising religious teachings that promote poverty and subjection.


He became known as Acharya Rajneesh, ''Acharya'' meaning "teacher or professor" and "Rajneesh" being a childhood nickname (from Sanskrit रजनि rajani, night and ईश isha, lord).<ref name="Gordon26-27">{{Harvnb|Gordon|1987|pp=26–27}}</ref> By 1964, a group of wealthy backers had initiated an educational trust to support Rajneesh and aid in the running of meditation retreats.<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=119}}</ref> The association formed at this time was known as Jivan Jagruti Andolan ([[Hindi]]: Life Awakening Movement).<ref>{{harvnb|Osho|2000|p=224}}</ref> As Goldman expresses it, his rapidly growing clientele suggested "that he was an unusually talented spiritual therapist". Around this time he "acquired a business manager" from the upper echelons of Indian society, Laxmi Thakarsi Kuruwa, a politically well-connected woman who would function as his personal secretary and organisational chief. She became Rajneesh's first [[sannyasa|sannyasin]],<ref>Goldman, Marion S. (2005), page 119.</ref> taking the name Ma Yoga Laxmi.<ref name="Lewis">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=122}}</ref><ref name="RP155-30">{{harvnb|Palmer|Sharma|1993|p=30}}</ref><ref name=Carter44>{{Harvnb|Carter|1990|p=44}}</ref> Laxmi, the daughter of a key supporter of the [[Nationalist Congress Party]], with close ties to [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] and [[Morarji Desai]],<ref name="Fitzgerald77">{{harvnb|Fitzgerald|1986|p=77}}</ref><ref name="Metha89">{{harvnb|Mehta|1993|p=89}}</ref> retained this role for almost 15 years.<ref name="Gordon93">{{Harvnb|Gordon|1987|p=93}}</ref>
He became known as Acharya Rajneesh, ''Acharya'' meaning "teacher or professor" and "Rajneesh" being a childhood nickname (from Sanskrit रजनि rajani, night and ईश isha, lord).<ref name="Gordon26-27">{{Harvnb|Gordon|1987|pp=26–27}}</ref> By 1964, a group of wealthy backers had initiated an educational trust to support Rajneesh and aid in the running of meditation retreats.<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=119}}</ref> The association formed at this time was known as Jivan Jagruti Andolan ([[Hindi]]: Life Awakening Movement).<ref>{{harvnb|Osho|2000|p=224}}</ref> As Goldman expresses it, his rapidly growing clientele suggested "that he was an unusually talented spiritual therapist". Around this time he "acquired a business manager" from the upper echelons of Indian society, Laxmi Thakarsi Kuruwa, a politically well-connected woman who would function as his personal secretary and organisational chief. She became Rajneesh's first [[sannyasa|sannyasin]],<ref>Goldman, Marion S. (2005), page 119.</ref> taking the name Ma Yoga Laxmi.<ref name="Lewis">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=122}}</ref><ref name="RP155-30">{{harvnb|Palmer|Sharma|1993|p=30}}</ref><ref name=Carter44>{{Harvnb|Carter|1990|p=44}}</ref> Laxmi, the daughter of a key supporter of the [[Nationalist Congress Party]], with close ties to [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] and [[Morarji Desai]],<ref name="Fitzgerald77">{{harvnb|Fitzgerald|1986|p=77}}</ref><ref name="Metha89">{{harvnb|Mehta|1993|p=89}}</ref> retained this role for almost 15 years.<ref name="Gordon93">{{Harvnb|Gordon|1987|p=93}}</ref>
Line 120: Line 120:
Hugh B. Urban comments that "one of the most astonishing features of the early Rajneesh movement was its remarkable success as a business enterprise".<ref name="urban179">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=179}}</ref> It "developed an extremely effective and profitable corporate structure", and "by the 1980s, the movement had evolved into a complex, interlocking network of corporations, with an astonishing number of both spiritual and secular businesses worldwide, offering everything from yoga and psychological counselling to cleaning services."<ref name="urban171">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=171}}</ref> It has been estimated that at least 120&nbsp;million dollars were generated during the movement's time in Oregon, a period when the acquisition of capital, the collection of donations, and legal work were a primary concern.<ref name="urban180" /> The popular press reported widely on the large collection of [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls Royce]] cars Rajneesh had amassed,<ref name="hunt127" /> reported to be 93 at the final count.<ref name="oregonian-apr2011-1">{{Citation |last=Zaitz |first=Les |title=25 years after Rajneeshee commune collapsed, truth spills out&nbsp;– Part 1 of 5 |date=14 April 2011 |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320131107/http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |archive-date=20 March 2016 |access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> James S. Gordon reported that some sannyasins saw the cars as an unrivalled tool for obtaining publicity, others as a good business investment or as a test, others as an expression of Rajneesh's scorn for middle-class aspirations and yet others as an indication of the love of his disciples.<ref name="JSG114-115">{{harvnb|Gordon|1987|pp=114–115}}</ref> Gordon opined that what Rajneesh loved most about the Rolls-Royces, apart from their comfort, was "the anger and envy that his possession of so many—so absurdly, unnecessarily, outrageously many—of them aroused".<ref name="JSG114-115" /> He wrote of a bumper sticker that was popular among sannyasins: "Jesus Saves. Moses Invests. Bhagwan Spends."
Hugh B. Urban comments that "one of the most astonishing features of the early Rajneesh movement was its remarkable success as a business enterprise".<ref name="urban179">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=179}}</ref> It "developed an extremely effective and profitable corporate structure", and "by the 1980s, the movement had evolved into a complex, interlocking network of corporations, with an astonishing number of both spiritual and secular businesses worldwide, offering everything from yoga and psychological counselling to cleaning services."<ref name="urban171">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=171}}</ref> It has been estimated that at least 120&nbsp;million dollars were generated during the movement's time in Oregon, a period when the acquisition of capital, the collection of donations, and legal work were a primary concern.<ref name="urban180" /> The popular press reported widely on the large collection of [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls Royce]] cars Rajneesh had amassed,<ref name="hunt127" /> reported to be 93 at the final count.<ref name="oregonian-apr2011-1">{{Citation |last=Zaitz |first=Les |title=25 years after Rajneeshee commune collapsed, truth spills out&nbsp;– Part 1 of 5 |date=14 April 2011 |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320131107/http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |archive-date=20 March 2016 |access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> James S. Gordon reported that some sannyasins saw the cars as an unrivalled tool for obtaining publicity, others as a good business investment or as a test, others as an expression of Rajneesh's scorn for middle-class aspirations and yet others as an indication of the love of his disciples.<ref name="JSG114-115">{{harvnb|Gordon|1987|pp=114–115}}</ref> Gordon opined that what Rajneesh loved most about the Rolls-Royces, apart from their comfort, was "the anger and envy that his possession of so many—so absurdly, unnecessarily, outrageously many—of them aroused".<ref name="JSG114-115" /> He wrote of a bumper sticker that was popular among sannyasins: "Jesus Saves. Moses Invests. Bhagwan Spends."


By the mid-1980s, the movement, assisted by a sophisticated legal and business infrastructure, had created a corporate machine consisting of various front companies and subsidiaries.<ref name="urban179" /> At this time, the three main identifiable organisations within the Rajneesh movement were: the Ranch Church, or Rajneesh International Foundation (RIF); the Rajneesh Investment Corporation (RIC), through which the RFI was managed; and the Rajneesh Neo-Sannyasin International Commune (RNSIC). The umbrella organisation that oversaw all investment activities was Rajneesh Services International Ltd., a company incorporated in the UK but based in [[Zurich]]. There were also smaller organisations, such as Rajneesh Travel Corp, Rajneesh Community Holdings, and the Rajneesh Modern Car Collection Trust, whose sole purpose was to deal with the acquisition and rental of Rolls Royces.<ref name="urban180">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=180}}</ref><ref name="WRIGHT141-146">{{harvnb|Wright|1985|pp=141–146}}</ref> By the early 21st century, members of the movement were running stress management seminars for corporate clients such as [[BMW]], and the movement was reported in 2000 to be making $15–45&nbsp;million annually in the U.S.<ref>{{harvnb|Carrette|King|2004|p=154}}</ref>
By the mid-1980s, the movement, assisted by a sophisticated legal and business infrastructure, had created a corporate machine consisting of various front companies and subsidiaries.<ref name="urban179" /> At this time, the three main identifiable organisations within the Rajneesh movement were: the Ranch Church, or Rajneesh International Foundation (RIF); the Rajneesh Investment Corporation (RIC), through which the RFI was managed; and the Rajneesh Neo-Sannyasin International Commune (RNSIC). The umbrella organisation that oversaw all investment activities was Rajneesh Services International Ltd., a company incorporated in the UK but based in [[Zurich]]. There were also smaller organisations, such as Rajneesh Travel Corp, Rajneesh Community Holdings, and the Rajneesh Modern Car Collection Trust, whose sole purpose was to deal with the acquisition and rental of Rolls Royces.<ref name="urban180">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=180}}</ref><ref name="WRIGHT141-146">{{harvnb|Wright|1985|pp=141–146}}</ref> By the early 21st century, members of the movement were running stress management seminars for corporate clients such as [[BMW]], and the movement was reported in 2000 to be making $15–45&nbsp;million annually in the U.S.<ref name="Carrette 2004 154">{{harvnb|Carrette|King|2004|p=154}}</ref>


==Elections==
==Elections==
Line 134: Line 134:


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
Internationally, by 2005, and after almost two decades of controversy and a decade of accommodation, Rajneesh's movement had established itself in the market of new religions.<ref name="Lewis120">{{harvnb|Lewis|Petersen|2005|p=120}}</ref> His followers have redefined his contributions, reframing central elements of his teaching so as to make them appear less controversial to outsiders.<ref name="Lewis120" /> Societies in North America and Western Europe have met them half-way, becoming more accommodating to spiritual topics such as [[yoga]] and meditation.<ref name="Lewis120" /> The Osho International Foundation (OIF) in Pune runs [[stress management]] seminars for corporate clients such as [[IBM]] and [[BMW]], with a reported (2000) revenue between $15 and $45&nbsp;million annually in the US.<ref>{{harvnb|Carrette|King|2004|p=154}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heelas|1996|p=63}}</ref>
Internationally, by 2005, and after almost two decades of controversy and a decade of accommodation, Rajneesh's movement had established itself in the market of new religions.<ref name="Lewis120"/> His followers have redefined his contributions, reframing central elements of his teaching so as to make them appear less controversial to outsiders.<ref name="Lewis120" /> Societies in North America and Western Europe have met them half-way, becoming more accommodating to spiritual topics such as [[yoga]] and meditation.<ref name="Lewis120" /> The Osho International Foundation (OIF) in Pune runs [[stress management]] seminars for corporate clients such as [[IBM]] and [[BMW]], with a reported (2000) revenue between $15 and $45&nbsp;million annually in the US.<ref name="Carrette 2004 154"/><ref>{{harvnb|Heelas|1996|p=63}}</ref>


OSHO International Meditation Resort <ref name="JMF41" /> has described itself as the [[Esalen]] of the East, and teaches a variety of spiritual techniques from a broad range of traditions. It promotes itself as a spiritual oasis, a "sacred space" for discovering one's self and uniting the desires of body and mind in a beautiful resort environment.<ref name=GIA182-183 /> According to press reports, prominent visitors have included politicians and media personalities.<ref name="JMF41">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|p=41}}</ref> In 2011, a national seminar on Rajneesh's teachings was inaugurated at the Department of Philosophy of the [[List of educational institutions in Jabalpur|Mankunwarbai College for Women]] in [[Jabalpur]].<ref name=Hitavada>"National seminar on 'Zorba the Buddha' inaugurated", ''[[The Hitavada]]'', 5 February 2011</ref> Funded by the [[Bhopal]] office of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]], the seminar focused on Rajneesh's "Zorba the Buddha" teaching, seeking to reconcile spirituality with the materialist and objective approach.<ref name=Hitavada /> As of 2013, the resort required all guests to be tested for [[HIV/AIDS]] at its Welcome Center on arrival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804093116/http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-date=4 August 2013|title=FAQ's|work=Osho International Meditation Resort|access-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
OSHO International Meditation Resort <ref name="JMF41" /> has described itself as the [[Esalen]] of the East, and teaches a variety of spiritual techniques from a broad range of traditions. It promotes itself as a spiritual oasis, a "sacred space" for discovering one's self and uniting the desires of body and mind in a beautiful resort environment.<ref name=GIA182-183 /> According to press reports, prominent visitors have included politicians and media personalities.<ref name="JMF41">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|p=41}}</ref> In 2011, a national seminar on Rajneesh's teachings was inaugurated at the Department of Philosophy of the [[List of educational institutions in Jabalpur|Mankunwarbai College for Women]] in [[Jabalpur]].<ref name=Hitavada>"National seminar on 'Zorba the Buddha' inaugurated", ''[[The Hitavada]]'', 5 February 2011</ref> Funded by the [[Bhopal]] office of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]], the seminar focused on Rajneesh's "Zorba the Buddha" teaching, seeking to reconcile spirituality with the materialist and objective approach.<ref name=Hitavada /> As of 2013, the resort required all guests to be tested for [[HIV/AIDS]] at its Welcome Center on arrival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804093116/http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-date=4 August 2013|title=FAQ's|work=Osho International Meditation Resort|access-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>


In September 2020, the OSHO International Foundation, which owns the OSHO International Meditation Resort, decided to sell two 1.5 acre plots of land, currently housing a swimming pool and a tennis court. As a charitable trust, the OIF filed an application with the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai requesting permission for the sale. In the application, they cited financial distress due to the [[COVID19 pandemic]]. This has sparked controversy amongst Osho followers, and their representative Yogesh Thakkar was quoted saying “This place is made by Osho devotees for Osho devotees, and it belongs to Osho devotees.” Ten Osho disciples filed an objection to the sale with the Charity Commissioner.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-06|title=Citing funds crunch, Osho foundation puts up Pune plots for sale; disciples cry foul|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/citing-funds-crunch-osho-foundation-puts-up-pune-plots-for-sale-disciples-cry-foul-7216258/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=MumbaiMarch 17|first1=Pankaj Khelkar|last2=March 17|first2=2021UPDATED|last3=Ist|first3=2021 10:27|title=Controversy over Osho land in Pune {{!}} All you need to know|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/controversy-osho-land-pune-all-you-need-to-know-1780193-2021-03-17|access-date=2021-03-31|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>
In July 2020, singer-songwriter [[Sufjan Stevens]] released a song themed after the movement titled "My Rajneesh".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=2020-07-10 |title=Sufjan Stevens Releases 10-Minute Track 'My Rajneesh' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sufjan-stevens-my-rajneesh-1026764/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
 
In September 2020, the OSHO International Foundation, which owns the OSHO International Meditation Resort, decided to sell two 1.5 acre plots of land, currently housing a swimming pool and a tennis court. As a charitable trust, the OIF filed an application with the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai requesting permission for the sale. In the application, they cited financial distress due to the [[COVID19 pandemic]]. This has sparked controversy amongst Osho followers, and their representative Yogesh Thakkar was quoted saying “This place is made by Osho devotees for Osho devotees, and it belongs to Osho devotees.” Ten Osho disciples filed an objection to the sale with the Charity Commissioner.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-06|title=Citing funds crunch, Osho foundation puts up Pune plots for sale; disciples cry foul|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/citing-funds-crunch-osho-foundation-puts-up-pune-plots-for-sale-disciples-cry-foul-7216258/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Pankaj Khelkar |date=March 17, 2021 |title=Controversy over Osho land in Pune {{!}} All you need to know|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/controversy-osho-land-pune-all-you-need-to-know-1780193-2021-03-17|access-date=2021-03-31|magazine=India Today|language=en}}</ref>


== People associated with the movement ==
== People associated with the movement ==
Line 156: Line 158:


=== Performance arts ===
=== Performance arts ===
* [[Parveen Babi]], Indian actress. She joined the movement in the mid-1970s together with her former boyfriend, the producer Mahesh Bhatt, and later became a devotee of philosopher [[U. G. Krishnamurti]].<ref>(17 September 2006). [https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mid-day.com%2Fnews%2F2006%2Fsep%2F143802.htm&date=2012-03-30 The Parveen Tapes: Now I'm alone]. ''[[MiD Day]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.<br>- TNN (30 August 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905125802/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-08-30/book-mark/27864904_1_meaning-master-deaths Parveen Babi, and the search for meaning in life]. ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Parveen Babi]], Indian actress. She joined the movement in the mid-1970s together with her former boyfriend, the producer Mahesh Bhatt, and later became a devotee of philosopher [[U. G. Krishnamurti]].<ref>(17 September 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20220622013120/https://www.mid-day.com/news/2006/sep/143802.htm The Parveen Tapes: Now I'm alone]. ''[[MiD Day]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.<br>- TNN (30 August 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905125802/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-08-30/book-mark/27864904_1_meaning-master-deaths Parveen Babi, and the search for meaning in life]. ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Mahesh Bhatt]], Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He became a sannyasin in the mid-1970s, but later left the movement and instead found spiritual companionship and guidance with U. G. Krishnamurti, whose biography he wrote in 1992.<ref>{{harvnb|Krishnamurti|Arms|Pant Bansal|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6efkbAiXKoC&pg=PR13#v=onepage&q&f=false 13]}}</ref>
* [[Mahesh Bhatt]], Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He became a sannyasin in the mid-1970s, but later left the movement and instead found spiritual companionship and guidance with U. G. Krishnamurti, whose biography he wrote in 1992.<ref>{{harvnb|Krishnamurti|Arms|Pant Bansal|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6efkbAiXKoC&pg=PR13#v=onepage&q&f=false 13]}}</ref>
* [[Georg Deuter]], also known as Swami Chaitanya Hari, Musician of the Rajneesh movement. He composed the music that accompanies Rajneesh's meditation recordings in Poona and later at Rajneeshpuram.<ref>{{harvnb|Menen|2002|p=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wdszaOG-S54C&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q&f=false 137]}}<br>- {{harvnb|Newport|1998|p=[https://archive.org/details/newagemovementbi00newp/page/478 478]}}</ref>
* [[Georg Deuter]], also known as Swami Chaitanya Hari, Musician of the Rajneesh movement. He composed the music that accompanies Rajneesh's meditation recordings in Poona and later at Rajneeshpuram.<ref>{{harvnb|Menen|2002|p=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wdszaOG-S54C&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q&f=false 137]}}<br>- {{harvnb|Newport|1998|p=[https://archive.org/details/newagemovementbi00newp/page/478 478]}}</ref>
Line 197: Line 199:
* {{Citation |last=Aveling |first=Harry |title=Osho Rajneesh and his disciples: some western perceptions |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zn4k2WvKZUC |isbn=978-81-208-1599-5}}.
* {{Citation |last=Aveling |first=Harry |title=Osho Rajneesh and his disciples: some western perceptions |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zn4k2WvKZUC |isbn=978-81-208-1599-5}}.
* {{Citation |last=Brecher |first=Max |title=A passage to America |publisher=South Asia Books |year=1993 |isbn=978-99943-30-21-8 }}.
* {{Citation |last=Brecher |first=Max |title=A passage to America |publisher=South Asia Books |year=1993 |isbn=978-99943-30-21-8 }}.
* {{cite book |last=Chryssides |first=George D. |author-link=George Chryssides |year=2001 |orig-year=1999 |title=Exploring New Religions |chapter=New Forms of Buddhism: Osho/Rajneesh |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S4_rodMYMygC&pg=PA206 |location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum International]] |series=Issues in Contemporary Religion |pages=206-214 |isbn=9780826459596 |oclc=436090427 |s2cid=143265918}}
* {{cite book |last=Chryssides |first=George D. |author-link=George Chryssides |year=2001 |orig-year=1999 |title=Exploring New Religions |chapter=New Forms of Buddhism: Osho/Rajneesh |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S4_rodMYMygC&pg=PA206 |location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum International]] |series=Issues in Contemporary Religion |pages=206–214 |isbn=9780826459596 |oclc=436090427 |s2cid=143265918}}
* {{Citation |last1=Carrette |first1=Jeremy |last2=King |first2=Richard |title=Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-30209-9 }}.
* {{Citation |last1=Carrette |first1=Jeremy |last2=King |first2=Richard |title=Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-30209-9 }}.
* {{Citation |last=Carter |first=Lewis F. |title=Charisma and Control in Rajneeshpuram: A Community without Shared Values |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1SLj0HbX-MC&q=shared+values+Rajneeshpuram |isbn=0-521-38554-7 |year=1990 |access-date=12 July 2011}}.
* {{Citation |last=Carter |first=Lewis F. |title=Charisma and Control in Rajneeshpuram: A Community without Shared Values |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1SLj0HbX-MC&q=shared+values+Rajneeshpuram |isbn=0-521-38554-7 |year=1990 |access-date=12 July 2011}}.