Osho Rajneesh Quotes and Life

Osho Rajneesh quotes, and his life story, continue to inspire people today, despite the controversial period in which his followers went head-to-head with the people of Oregon.

When he was alive, the charismatic Osho Rajneesh, sometimes known as the “sex guru” had a huge following. People from around the world believed in him and his teachings. While he advocated the importance of spirituality, which was popular, he added the need for materialism, which was possibly even more popular. According to the teachings of Rajneesh, the spirit was on par with the flesh. They were equal. It was this unique interpretation that made him stand out among the many Indian gurus of the 1960s and 1970s. His following included celebrities, millionaires, and simple working people.

The Life of Osho Rajneesh

Osho Rajneesh was an Indian mystic and spiritual leader, a dynamic speaker who expressed his views on topics frequently considered taboo in a more conservative society. Rajneesh grew up questioning societal cultural and religious standards; rebellion came naturally to him.

Rajneesh was born on December 11, 1931, in a small Indian village, the oldest of 11 children. He was known as Acharya Rajneesh and, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Subsequently, he took on the name Osho.

Osho was well-educated. He studied philosophy at the University of Sagar. He claimed to have become enlightened by the age of 21. More than like, he was simply bored with the status quo. Subsequently, he was a professor of philosophy at the University of Jabalpur. He did grow increasingly unhappy with the standard philosophical interpretations of Hinduism, going so far as to call them hypocrisies.

As a teacher, he developed an interest in hypnotism. He believed that if a person was hypnotized, the hypnotist became his master. The hypnotist had to power to make suggestions which the hypnotized person was obliged to follow. Even as a young man, Osho liked guiding others.

Osho Rajneesh Develops His Own Ideas

As his disappointment with standard philosophy grew, he began to develop his own ideas. According to Osho, “To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”

Osho traveled throughout India to discuss eastern spirituality. He created controversy by speaking out against marriage, which he claimed oppressed women. He openly spoke out in favor of free and uncontrolled sexual freedom. Some of his followers invested in meditative retreats, where he could lecture without interference. His followers in India grew to 4,000 by 1970. He lectured that each person was responsible for his or her own spiritual path. His plan was to open spiritual communities around the world to help spread that message.

Osho owned a number of businesses, especially those related to yoga and meditation, and he was able to accumulate considerable wealth.

His followers began calling themselves “Rajneeshees.” One of his wealthy disciples, a Greek heiress, purchased a property in Koregaon Park, Pune. Osho moved there in 1974, and it soon became his spiritual headquarters.

Life in Koregaon Park

Osho and his followers — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and disciples in darshan at Poona in 1977 (public domain).

Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Zutshi visited Koregaon Park and wrote a first-hand account of his experience. He described Osho’s insistence that truth depended on satiating every desire. Nothing was to be left repressed. Rajneeshees did daily meditations, which included the release of emotions through shouting, jumping up and down, and singing. Osho called it Dynamic Meditation. According to Zutshi, life at Koregaon Park was “open and permissive.” Inhibitions were discouraged. Therapists would lead therapy groups that encouraged violence and sexual liberation.

Osho’s fame was spreading outside of India. People from across the world came to see him each day. By 1976, he saw up to 30,000 foreign disciples annually. His committed followers worldwide numbered 25,000. Vikram Zutshi abandoned his career and began work as a gardener at the property. Many famous people became devotees.

Sixteen-year-old Sheela Ambalal Patel, known as Ma Anand Sheela, met Osho and soon became a trusted confidante. She took over the administrative functions at Pune as Osho came to depend on her more and more. One of her first major responsibilities was finding a new location for Osho to teach and meet with his disciples. Sheela opted for going outside of the limitations of India, where Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was not overly fond of the popular guru. The Indian government was investigating Osho for activities related to prostitution, smuggling, drugs, money laundering, and tax evasion. Perhaps Osho was embracing his own “permissive” preaching and satiating his every desire. However, Sheela considered it a good idea to leave the country.

Mayhem in Oregon

Sheela decided on Oregon in the United States as a logical move. By 1981. Osho, Sheela, and a group of disciples moved to Wasco County, Oregon, and created a complex made up entirely of Rajneeshees. They called their city Rajneeshpuram. Osho had always been against inhibitions. Here, the Rajneeshees placed no limits on their behavior and soon turned into the infamous “sex cult” for which they would become famous. It was also difficult to miss them, as they all dressed in shades of orange and red.

Oregon had never seen anything quite like it.

Osho, who never denied his appreciation for materialism, was said to own close to 100 Rolls Royces. Devotees would wait along the roadside to catch a glimpse of their beloved guru driving past them.
Former Rayneeshees claimed that Osho was heavily into valium and nitrous oxide.
Osho had always been open-minded regarding sexuality. The group that was becoming known as the “sex cult” was now indulging in drug-filled orgies. Sheela subsequently discussed Osho’s sexual involvement with many of the women in Rajneeshpuram. She developed a jealous tendency where Osho was concerned.
While unconfirmed, it was believed that Osho had all of Rajneeshpuram wiretapped. He was afraid that some of the activities of the group would become known. It was his devoted Sheela who monitored the telephone call center.
To circumvent US immigration laws, Osho arranged for 400 fake marriages. This is considered one of the largest marriage frauds in US history.
If Osho preached the traditional Hindu peace message, he did not practice it. After the commune fell apart, an entire armory of weapons was found, including Magnum revolvers, assault rifles, and semiautomatic Uzis.

The area around Wasco County was filled with traditional, conservative family-type people. The Rajneeshees definitely stood out with their red and orange clothing and uninhibited sexual lifestyle. The Oregonians became hostile. They did not want this behavior in their community. A struggle emerged between the locals and the Rajneeshees. In 1984, the Rajneeshees decided to fight their battle by winning local elections and silencing their opponents.

This resulted in the strangest and worst bioterror attack the United States had ever experienced. The idea was to get rid of opposition voters. And not by outwitting them. The commune planned on killing those that opposed them. They purchased salmonella in Seattle from a medical supply store and developed cultures in their lab. This salmonella was placed in salad bars in several restaurants and in food stores.

Seven hundred fifty-one people were affected by the salmonella; dozens had to be hospitalized. It was the most bizarre case of food poisoning Oregon had ever experienced. The Rajneeshees didn’t stop there. They bussed in homeless people to their compound with promises of food and shelter if these homeless would vote for the Rajneeshee candidates. Voter registration had to be stopped through emergency measures.

Allegedly, Sheela was plotting an assassination against Oregon’s US Attorney Charles Turner¸who was investigating some of the crimes associates with the cult.

Even without any definitive proof, the Oregoneans blamed the Rajneeshees and defeated them in the election. The Rajneeshees, with Osho as their leader, had lost the battle.

After a year of investigation, the Center for Disease Control tracked the bacteria to the commune and its own laboratory. It is interesting that many of Osho’s followers remained indifferent to these serious crimes and continued to follow Osho’s teachings.

Osho and Sheela

Osho and Sheela may have been close, but their relationship was toxic. As his assistant, Sheela was in charge of managing Rajneeshpuram. The Rajneeshees had to go through her to get to Osho. While he was worshipped as a guru, this left him strangely isolated and ever more dependent on her.

If he suffered from dependence, her feelings for him were obsessive love. She resented anyone who got too close to Osho. When she was found guilty of the attempted salmonella poisoning and the attempted murder of US Attorney Charles Turner, she insisted that Osho had been utterly aware of all the activities and had provided his approval. Sheela fled Rajneeshpuram and was hiding out in Germany, and Osho, in turn, accused Sheela of the crimes. “She is on hard drugs. Perhaps she is angry because I never made love to her.”

Whatever happened between them, obsessive co-dependency rarely ends well.

An Arrest is Made

Osho speaking on September 11, 1984 (public domain).

The authorities were still after Osho. When he left Rajneeshpuram, he and 13 disciples were arrested in Charlottesville on October 28, 1985. The charges included providing false statements to the US Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Sheela was arrested in Germany on charges of attempted murder. She served 29 months in prison.

Osho ended up in the Oregon county jail. During his trial, he pleaded guilty to two immigration fraud charges, and he agreed to a $400,000 fine. In return, he was forced to leave the country.

He returned to India, where he remained long enough to denounce America. His followers were delighted to have him back home; however, he didn’t stay long. He traveled through 13 countries. Several local authorities attempted to refuse him entry, and he was forced to keep moving. If he was let into a country, such as Ireland or Uruguay, he was invariably requested to leave.

In 1987, Osho returned to Pune. He resumed lecturing every day and continued his Dynamic Meditation and was only slowed down by occasional ill health. His last lecture was given in 1989. After that, he sat among his followers in silence.

Mystery in Death

Osho died on January 1990 at the age of 58. After 30 years, there is still a cloud surrounding his death. After his death, those closest to him immediately took over the helm of his huge empire. There were, and still is, considerable questions regarding Osho’s will. Or if there even was a legitimate will.

An affidavit from Osho’s physician, Dr. Gokul Gokani, confirms the doctor’s belief in the existence of foul play. He stated that he was requested to attend Osho’s at his home on an emergency basis. Yet when he asked who was ill, no one provided an answer.

When he arrived at Osho’s house, he was told by Osho’s disciple, Amrito, that “Osho is leaving the body.” Yet, Dr. Gokani was not allowed to see Osho. Nor was he told why Amrito made no efforts to save a dying man. Why was Osho not transferred to a hospital? And why didn’t Dr. Gokani insist on seeing his patient? The doctor did not see Osho until five o’clock, by which time Osho was indeed dead. Amrito requested that Dr. Gokani sign the necessary death certificate.

According to Dr. Gokani, Osho’s cause of death remains unknown.

Osho was cremated one hour following his death. Amrito requested that everyone refrain from discussing Osho’s death. No explanation was given for the hasty cremation. Even his mother was not informed of his death.

Twenty-three years following Osho’s death, a mysterious will surfaced, which various parties have been disputing in court. The actual cause of Osho’s death is still unknown.

Osho’s Legacy

Several decades following Osho Rajneesh’s death, a movement is attempting to redefine his contribution to philosophy. His teachings are being reframed to appear more mainstream and less controversial. The Osho International Foundation is focusing on stress management for large corporate clients.

The OSHO International Meditation Resort functions as a “spiritual oasis” and a “sacred space.” Osho’s beliefs are being taught at the Department of Philosophy of the Mankunwarbai College for Women in Jabalpur. The class attempts to unify Osho’s belief in the spiritual and the material world, something he had tried, but at which he had failed.

However, even in death, his name and teachings live on.