Dear friend,
I'm just writing as a response to the article by Mr. Archdeacon about Osho which I found to be rather misinforming and carried several untruths about Osho and his work. Osho was certainly a controversial figure both in his homeland of India and later around the world. He always liked to challenge the status quo and his views were very revolutionary and radical, that is why there was so much enmity about them.
Actually Osho was labeled as the `sex guru` by the yellow press in India in the sixties, not after stating(jokingly)that he had slept with hundreds of women to a journalist in Oregon; actually it was after giving a series of lectures named `From Sex to Super consciousness` in Bombay in 1968 in which he talked openly about love and sex, and how sex energy should be transformed by meditation and awareness into higher states of being, this is actually Tantric discipline and many would call Osho a Tantric master but these lectures were very challenging for the Indians at the time where sex is a taboo subject not to be discussed by most `holy` men.
Anyway many considered it outrageous that Osho challenged the traditions and beliefs of the orthodoxy. But Osho didn't only challenge the Indian social structure and mind, he also challenged the western mind and values too, as well as challenging his own sannyasins, or disciples ego's by making outrageous comments to the press in Oregon, America and really winding people up by collecting ninety rolls royces. Many could not see the joke.
It is true that the Ranch in Oregon, which was an experiment to live with awareness and expand consciousness in an ecologically sound community was run with a fascist setup and many were shocked when Osho`s secretary, Ma Anand Sheela and her group were found to have been committing criminal activities which included trying to rig local elections, poisoning and wiretapping, but Osho was not proven to be connected in any way to these crimes in fact his own room was bugged by sheela, and his personal doctor was poisoned and almost died.
Archdeacon also states that it is well known that Osho used drugs like nitrous oxide which is actually a dental anesthetic which was used for treating Osho`s teeth, it is not actually known that Osho`s used nitrous oxide to expand awareness further although many tantrics have been known to use drugs like hashish to expand awareness further the most famous of these is Shiva who is the most well known Tantric master in India, the `Lord of Yogis`, who has left behind a large volume of literature, the `Vigyana Bhairav Tantra` which goes deep into all of the known methods of meditation and ways to transcend the mind and the ego, and who is worshipped as god in India. However I think it is unlikely that Osho was actually addicted to this substance, although I would stress that many enlightened masters have had bad habits even after enlightenment.
Just look at Ramana Maharshi, one of India's most respected saints who used to chew betel nut, which is a narcotic substance very popular in India, or the great South Indian sage Nisargadatta Maharaj, who used to smoke Indian cigarettes or `bee dies`.
Over and over again Osho would stress that he was just an ordinary man, not a prophet, or savior, the only difference was his enlightenment or awakening which all of us can, and will achieve. His message is one of love, and unity of eastern spirituality with western material advancement, to create a paradise on the earth. His meditation techniques that he designed are very effective methods of cleaning the mind of accumulated tensions and becoming fresh, and unburdened from the past. His vision of Zorbas the Buddha is a break from the past, Zorba enjoys the world and celebrates the pleasures of life fully without denying the material world, whilst Buddha transcends the material world and brings non-attachment and enlightenment.
Far from causing a lot of people a lot of pain Osho has actually helped, and continues to help, a lot of people to feel better and grow spiritually! But he is easily misunderstood!
Much Love, Suryo
