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About the Author
Chandra Mohan Jain (11 December 1931 19 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (About this sound pronunciation (help·info)) during the 1970s and 1980s, and as Osho (About this sound pronunciation (help·info);) from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher.
Born in a village in India, to a free rebellious childhood, and undergoing transformative experiences with death and meditation, he reported spiritual enlightenment at 21 years of age.
An autodidact, and exceptional debater, he was a professor of philosophy at Jabalpur University during 1960s, when he travelled throughout India as a public speaker, taught meditations, opened meditation centres, and conducted meditation camps.
His outspoken criticism including the political mind and politicians, Mahatma Gandhi’s anti-technology stance[1] and insincerity[2] in institutionalised religion made him controversial.
He advocated a non-condemnatory attitude towards transcending sexuality into prayer, an anti-sex stance[3] for which he was mislabelled the “sex guru” in a volte-face in the Indian and (later) international press.
[4] In 1970 Rajneesh settled for a time in Bombay, initiating disciples (known as neo-sannyasins) and assuming the role of spiritual teacher.
In his discourses he gave his original analysis and views on the writings of various religious traditions, mystics and philosophers from around the world.
His intelligent discourse and charisma attracted a growing number of Westerners. He moved to Pune in 1974, and established an ashram, where more transformational tools can be offered to the visitors.
The ashram offered various original meditations that he developed for the modern man, many accompanied by original music production as well.
In addition, therapies derived from ancient and modern traditions including the Human Potential Movement were offered in the ashram to function as a cleansing before beginning meditation.
A few permissive group therapies and some non-mainstream lectures, were seized upon by the media for their counter-culture qualities and sensationalized in India and abroad.
By the late 1970s, tensions were mounting with the Indian government and the surrounding society.
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