OSHO Tantra

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Biography ofOsho

1931 - 1953 EarlyYears

December 11,1931: Osho is born in Kuchwada, a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh,central India .

He is the eldest ofeleven children of a Jaina cloth merchant. Stories of His early years describe Him asindependent and rebellious as a child, questioning all social, religious andphilosophical beliefs. As a youth He experiments with meditationtechniques.

March 21, 1953:Osho becomes enlightened at the age of twenty-one, while majoring in philosophy atD.N. Jain college in Jabalpur .

In the East,enlightenment is described as a state of ultimate and total consciousness orawareness, as attained by Gautama Buddha, Socrates, and others. Western conceptsof 'enlightened' connoting 'modern' and 'the Enlightenment' indicating 18th centuryEuropean intellectual ferment are only linguisticallysimilar.

1953 - 1956Education

1956: Oshoreceives His M.A. from the University of Sagar with First Class Honors inPhilosophy.

He is the All-IndiaDebating Champion and Gold Medal winner in His graduatingclass.

1957-1968University Professor and Public Speaker

1957: Osho isappointed as a professor at the Sanskrit College in Raipur .

1958: He isappointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Jabalpur , where He taught until1966.

A powerful andpassionate debater, He also travels widely in India ,speaking to large audiences and challenging orthodox religious leaders in publicdebates.

1966: After nineyears of teaching, He leaves the university to devote Himself entirely to the raising ofhuman consciousness. on a regular basis, He begins to address gatherings 20,000 to50,000in the open-air maidans of India 's majorcities. Four times a year He conducts intense ten-day meditationcamps.

In 1970, the 14thof April, He introduces His revolutionary meditation technique, Dynamic Meditation,which begins with a period of uninhibited movement and catharsis, followed by aperiod of silence and stillness. Since then this meditation technique has been used bypsychotherapists, medical doctors, teachers and other professionals around theworld.

1969 - 1974Bombay Years

Late 1960's: HisHindi talks become available in English translations.

1970: In July,1970, He moves to Bombay , where He lives until1974.

1970: Osho -atthis time called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh- begins to initiate seekers into Neo-Sannyasor discipleship, a path of commitment to self-exploration and meditation which doesnot involve renouncing the world or anything else. Osho's understanding of'renunciation' is a radical departure from the traditional Eastern viewpoint. For Him itis not the material world that needs to be renounced but our past and theconditionings and belief systems that each generation imposes on the next. Hecontinues to conduct meditation camps at Mount Abu in Rajasthan but stops acceptinginvitations to speak throughout the country. He devotes his energies entirely to therapidly expanding group of sannyasins around Him.

At this time, thefirst Westerners begin to arrive and to be initiated into Neo-Sannyas. Among them areleading psychotherapists from the human potential movement in Europe andAmerica , seeking the next step intheir own inner growth. With Osho they experience new, original meditationtechniques for contemporary man, synthesizing the wisdom of the East with thescience of the West.

1974 - 1981 PoonaAshram

During theseseven years He gives a 90 minutes discourse nearly every morning, alternating everymonth between Hindi and English. His discourses offer insights into all the majorspiritual paths, including Yoga, Zen, Taoism, Tantra and Sufism. He also speaks onGautam Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tzu, and other mystics. These discourses have beencollected into over 300 volumes and translated into 20languages.

In the evenings,during these years, He answers questions on personal matters such as love, jealousy,meditation. These 'darshans' are compiled in 64 darshan diaries of which 40 arepublished.

The commune thatarose around Osho at this time offers a wide variety of therapy groups which combineEastern meditation techniques with Western psychotherapy. Therapists from all overthe world are attracted and by 1980 the international community gained a reputationas "the world's finest growth and therapy center". One hundred thousand people passthrough its gates each year.

1981: He developsa degenerative back condition. In March 1981, after giving daily discourses for nearly15 years, Osho begins a three-year period of self-imposed public silence. In view ofthe possible need for emergency surgery, and on the recommendation of His personaldoctors, He travels to the U.S.

This same year,His American disciples purchase a 64,000-acre ranch in Oregon and invite Himto visit. He eventually agrees to stay in the U.S. andallows an application for permanent residence to be filed on Hisbehalf.

1981 - 1985Rajneeshpuram

A modelagricultural commune rises from the ruins of the central Oregonian high desert.Thousands of overgrazed and economically unviable acres are reclaimed. The city ofRajneeshpuramis incorporated and eventually provides services to 5,000 residents. Annual summerfestivals are held which draw 15,000 visitors from all over the world. Very quickly,Rajneeshpuram becomes the largest and most controversial spiritual community everpioneered in America.

Opposition to thecommune and new city keeps pace with its success. Responding to the anti-cult fervorwhich pervades all levels of American society during the Reagan years, local, stateand federal politicians make inflammatory speeches against the Rajneeshees. TheImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Federal Bureau of Investigations(FBI), the Treasury Department, and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agency (ATF)are only a few of the agencies spending millions of dollars in taxpayers' money whileharassing the commune with unwarranted and fruitless investigations. Similar costlycampaigns are conducted in Oregon.

October 1984:Osho ends three and one half years of self-imposed silence, and begins speaking tosmall groups of people who gather at His residence.

July 1985: Heresumes His public discourses each morning to thousands of seekers gathered in atwo-acre meditation hall.

Sept. - Oct. 1985:The Oregon Commune is Destroyed

September 14:Osho's personal secretary and several members of the commune's managementsuddenly leave, and a whole pattern of illegal acts they have committed -includingpoisoning, arson, wiretapping, and attempted murder- are exposed. Osho invites lawenforcement officials to investigate Sheela's crimes. The authorities, however, see theinvestigation as a golden opportunity to destroy the communeentirely.

October 23: A U.S.federal grand jury in Portland secretly indicts Osho and 7 others on relatively minorcharges of immigration fraud.

October 28:Without warrants, federal and local officials arrest at gun point Osho and others inCharlotte, North Carolina. While the others are released, He is held without bail fortwelve days. A five-hour return plane trip to Oregon takes four days. En route, Osho isheld incommunicado and forced to register under the pseudonym, David Washington,in the Oklahoma County jail. Subsequent events indicate that it is probable that Hewas poisoned with the heavy metal thallium while in that jail and the El Reno FederalPenitentiary.

November:Emotions and publicity swell around Osho's immigration case. Fearing for His life andthe well-being of sannyasins in volatile Oregon, attorneys agree to an Alford Plea ontwo out of 35 of the original charges against Him. According to the rules of the plea,the defendant maintains innocence while saying that the prosecution could haveconvicted him. Osho and His attorneys maintain His innocence in the court. He is fined$400,000 and is deported from America.

Among others,U.S. Attorney in Portland, Charles Turner, publicly concedes that the government wasintent on destroying Rajneeshpuram.

1985 - 1986 WorldTour

December 1985:The Indian government attempts to isolate Him by canceling the visas issued to hispersonal household staff.

January-February:He travels to Kathmandu, Nepal and speaks twice daily for the next two months. InFebruary, the Nepalese government refuses visas for His visitors and closestattendants. He leaves Nepal and embarks on a worldtour.

February-March:At His first stop, Greece, he is granted a 30-day tourist visa. But after only 18 days,on March 5, Greek police forcibly break into the house where He is staying, arrest Himat gun point, and deport him. Greek media reports indicate government and churchpressure provoked the police intervention

During thefollowing two weeks He visits or asks permission to visit 17 countries in Europe andthe Americas. All of these countries either refuse to grant Him a visitor's visa orrevoke His visa upon His arrival, and force Him to leave. Some refuse even landingpermission for His plane.

March-June: OnMarch 19 He travels to Uruguay. On May 14th the government has scheduled a pressconference to announce that He will be granted permanent residence in Uruguay.Uruguay's President Sanguinetti later admits that he received a telephone call fromWashington, D.C. the night before the press conference. He is told that if Osho isallowed to stay in Uruguay, the six billion dollar debt Uruguay owes to the U.S. will bedue immediately and no further loans will be granted. Osho is ordered to leaveUruguay on June 18th.

June-July: Duringthe next month He is deported from both Jamaica and Portugal. In all, 21 countrieshad denied Him entry or deported Him after arrival. On July 29,1986, He returns toBombay, India.

1987 - 1989 OshoCommune International

January 1987: Hereturns to the ashram in Poona, India, which is renamed Rajneeshdham. The Indiangovernment resumes its policy of denying visas to known friends ofOsho.

July 1988: Oshobegins, for the first time in 14 years, to personally lead the meditation at the end ofeach evening's discourse. He also introduces a revolutionary new meditationtechnique called The Mystic Rose.

January-February1989: He stops using the name 'Bhagwan', retaining only the name Rajneesh.However, His disciples ask to call Him 'Osho' and He accepts this form of address.Osho explains that His name is derived from William James' word 'oceanic' whichmeans dissolving into the ocean. Oceanic describes the experience, He says, but whatabout the experiencer? For that we use the word 'Osho'. Later, He came to find outthat 'Osho' has also been used historically in the Far East, meaning "The Blessed One,on Whom the Sky Showers Flowers".

March-June 1989:Osho is resting to recover from the effects of the poisoning, which by now are stronglyinfluencing His health.

July 1989: Hishealth is getting better and He makes two appearances for silent darshans during theFestival, now renamed Osho Full Moon Celebration.

August 1989:Osho begins to make daily appearances in Gautama the Buddha Auditorium forevening darshan. He sits in silence while music is played, explaining: "That whichcannot be said has to be experienced. This is a great experience of getting into aninner, meditative space". He also inaugurates a special group of white-robedsannyasins called the "Osho White Robe Brotherhood". All sannyasins and non-sannyasins attending the evening darshans are asked to wear white robes. Osho hassaid that "There is a mystical gathering of energy in these robes; day by day, theygather more potential".

On the secondweekend of every month, three-day meditation camps are held, using the uniquemeditation techniques devised by Osho. All participants are asked to wear maroonrobes. In a further development, Osho suggests that sannyasins working in theashram should also wear maroon, so in the day the commune is filled with maroon-robed people and in the evening with white-robedpeople.

September 1989:Osho drops the name 'Rajneesh', signifying His complete discontinuity from the past.He is known simply as 'Osho' and the ashram is renamed "Osho CommuneInternational".

1990 Osho leavesHis body

January 1990:During the second week in January, Osho's body becomes noticeably weaker. OnJanuary 18, He is so physically weak that He is unable to come to Gautama theBuddha Auditorium. On January 19, His pulse becomes irregular. When His doctorinquires whether they should prepare for cardiac resuscitation, Osho says, "No, justlet me go. Existence decides its timing". He leaves His body at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m. Hisbody is brought to Gautama the Buddha Auditorium for a celebration, and is thencarried to the burning ghats for cremation. Two days later, His ashes are brought toOsho Commune International and placed in His samadhi in Chuang Tzu Auditorium. Inthe days that follow, thousands of sannyasins and lovers fly in from around the worldto celebrate and absorb the atmosphere of love and meditation that is the fragranceof Osho.

Just before Hisdeparture from the body, Osho says: "Never speak of me in the past tense. Mypresence here will be many times greater without the burden of my tortured body.Remind my people that they will feel much more -they will know immediately". Oshoalso talks about how He wants the expansion of the work to continue. He says thatnow that He is leaving His body, many more people would come, many more people'sinterest would show, and His work would expand incredibly beyond our ideas. Then Hesays: "I leave you my dream".

In1980,in answer to the question, "What happens when you leaveyour body?" Osho replies, "I will be dissolved in my people. Just as you can taste thesea from any place and it is salty, you will be able to taste any of my sannyasins andyou will find the same taste: the taste of the Blessed One... I am preparing my peopleto live joyously, ecstatically. So when I am not in my body, it won't make anydifference to them. They will still live the same way -and maybe my death will bringthem more intensity".

In 1989 Heresponded to a similar question from Italian TV, saying, "I believe and trust absolutelyin existence. If there is any truth in what I am saying, it will survive. The people whoremain interested in my work will be simply carrying the torch, but not imposinganything on anyone, either by sword or bread. I will remain a source of inspiration tomy people and that is what most sannyasins will feel. I want them to grow on theirown. Qualities like love, around which no church can be created, like awareness,qualities which are nobody's monopoly, like celebration, rejoicing, and maintainingchildlike fresh eyes. I want people to know themselves not to be according tosomeone else, and the way is in".

Heroes:

All the honest seekers of Truth whose life is a spiritual commitment and work hard everyday to find their path to enlightenment.