Editing Rajneesh movement (section)

== History ==

=== Origins ===
{{Main|Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)}}
[[File:Osho 1972 Birthday seek-index 268 0.26.ogv|thumb|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 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|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>{{harvnb|Goldman|2004|p=119}}</ref> taking the name Ma Yoga Laxmi.<ref name="Lewis">{{harvnb|Lewis|2005|p=122}}</ref><ref name="RP155-30">{{harvnb|Palmer|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>

=== Growth ===
[[File:LAMLOGO.jpg|thumb|180px|right|Symbol of the Life Awakening Movement c. 1970]]

University of Jabalpur officials forced Rajneesh to resign in 1966. He developed his role as a spiritual teacher, supporting himself through lectures, meditation camps and individual meetings (''[[Darśana]]'' or ''Darshan''—meaning "sight") for his wealthier followers.<ref name="Lewis2">{{harvnb|Lewis|2005|pp=122,123}}</ref> In 1971 he initiated six sannyasins, the emergence of the Neo-Sannyas International Movement.<ref name="Metha91">{{harvnb|Mehta|1993|p=91}}</ref> Rajneesh differentiated his sannyas from the traditional practice, admitting women and viewing renunciation as a process of renouncing [[Ego (spirituality)|ego]] rather than [[samsara|the world]]. Disciples still adopted the traditional ''[[Mala (Hinduism)|mala]],'' and ochre robe, and change of name. At this time, Rajneesh adopted the title "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh".<ref name="Fitzgerald78">{{harvnb|FitzGerald|1986|p=78}}</ref>

By 1972, he had initiated 3,800 sannyasins in India. The total for the rest of the world at that time was 134, including 56 from the United States, 16 each from Britain and Germany, 12 each from Italy and the Philippines, 8 in Canada, 4 in Kenya, 2 in Denmark and 1 each from France, the Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.<ref name="Yoga Chinmaya 1972">Yoga Chinmaya, ''Neo-sannyas International: Visions and Activities'', Life Awakening Movement Publications, Bombay 1972.</ref> After a house was purchased for Rajneesh in Poona in 1974, he founded an [[ashram]], and membership of the movement grew.<ref name="hunt127" /> More seekers began to visit from western nations, including therapists from the [[Human Potential Movement]]. They began to run group therapy at the ashram.<ref name="clarke253" />

Rajneesh became the first Eastern guru to embrace [[Psychotherapy|modern psychotherapy]].<ref name="guru">{{harvnb|Mistlberger|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C6nUWy4UYocC&pg=PA87 87]}}</ref> He discoursed daily upon religious scriptures, combining elements of [[Western philosophy]], jokes and personal anecdotes. He commented on [[Hinduism]], [[Zen]] and other religious sources, and Western psychotherapeutic approaches.<ref name="clarke253" /><ref name="goldman172">{{Harvnb|Goldman|2007|p=172}}</ref>

Swami Prem Amitabh (Robert Birnbaum), one of the therapists in the Poona ashram, estimates that there were about 100,000 sannyasins by 1979.<ref name="sannyasins" /> Bob Mullan, a sociologist from the [[University of East Anglia]], states that "at any one time there were about 6,000 Rajneeshees in Poona, some visiting for weeks or months to do groups or meditations, with about two thousand working and living on a permanent basis in and around the ashram."<ref name="sannyasins" /> Lewis F. Carter, a sociologist from the [[Washington State University]], estimates that 2,000 sannyasins resided at Rajneeshpuram at its height.<ref name="sannyasins">{{harvnb|Aveling|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=C6nUWy4UYocC&pg=PA87 87]}}</ref>

=== 1984 bio-terror attack and subsequent decline ===
{{main|1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack}}

Several incidents that led to a decline of the movement occurred in [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]], the county seat and largest city of [[Wasco County, Oregon]].

In 1984, Rajneeshee teams engaged in a [[Bioterrorism|bio-terror]] attack in which they purposely contaminated salad products with [[salmonella]] at local restaurants and shops. Their actions resulted in the non-lethal poisoning of 751 people. The motivation behind the attack was to rig the local election allowing the Rajneeshees to gain political power in the city and county.<ref name="desnot">{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Sally|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mdwzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6687%2C1314510|title=Desolation – not guru – reigns at Rajneeshpuram|date=5 October 1986|work=Eugene Register-Guard|agency=Associated Press|location=Oregon|page=15D}}</ref>

The Rajneesh were also discovered to have been running what was called "the longest wiretapping operation ever uncovered".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html|title=25 years after Rajneeshee commune collapsed, truth spills out – Part 1 of 5|first=Les Zaitz &#124; The|last=Oregonian/OregonLive|date=15 April 2011|website=oregonlive}}</ref>

These revelations brought criminal charges against several Rajneesh leaders, including [[Ma Anand Sheela]], personal secretary to Rajneesh, who pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault.<ref name="Kahn41">[[Rajneesh movement#Kahn|Kahn 2009]], p. 41.</ref>

The convictions would eventually lead to the deportation of the leader of the movement, Rajneesh, along with a 10-year suspended sentence and $400,000 fine, in 1985.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/04/rajneeshees_in_oregon_25_years_after_the_collapse_of_rancho_rajneesh.html|title=Rajneeshees in Oregon 25 Years After the Collapse of Rancho Rajneesh}}<br>- {{cite news|last=Reed|first=Christopher|title=Sect women gaoled for attempt to kill doctor: Former aide to Indian guru Rajneesh jailed in US for poisoning|date=24 July 1986|work=[[The Guardian]]}}<br>- {{cite news|title=Judge Refuses Bail For Guru's Ex-Secretary|date=15 February 1986|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=6 (Section 1)}}</ref> Urban has commented that the most surprising feature of the Osho phenomenon lies in Rajneesh's "remarkable [[apotheosis]] upon his return to India", which resulted in his achieving even more success in his homeland than before.<ref name="urban181">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=181}}</ref> According to Urban, Rajneesh's followers had succeeded in portraying him as a martyr, promoting the view that the Ranch "was crushed from within by the Attorney General's office&nbsp;... like the marines in Lebanon, the Ranch was hit by hardball opposition and driven out."<ref name="urban181" /><ref name="RP155-158">{{harvnb|Palmer|1993|pp=155–158}}</ref>

A long drawn out fight with land use non-profit organisation [[1000 Friends of Oregon]] also hurt the organisation. This took the form of both organisations pursuing legal interventions against each other. 1000 Friends objected to Rajneesh proposed building plans. The fight lasted for several years and attracted the attention of the media.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bird|first1=Frederick|last2=Palmer|first2=Susan J.|date=1 January 1992|title=Therapy, Charisma and Social Control in the Rajneesh Movement|url=https://academic.oup.com/socrel/article/53/Special_Issue/S71/1675954|journal=Sociology of Religion|volume=53|issue=Special_Issue|pages=S71–S85|doi=10.2307/3711252|jstor=3711252|via=academic.oup.com|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Sarasohn|first=David|date=2018-04-12|title=Antelope's Last Stand|magazine=The New Republic|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/147876/antelopes-last-stand|access-date=2021-02-12|issn=0028-6583}}</ref>

In 1990, Rajneesh died and was cremated at the ashram in Poona; which became the Osho International Meditation Resort.<ref name="SFC24804">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/29/ING9G8DKC31.DTL|title=Mystic's burial site at commune is reincarnated as posh resort|date=29 August 2004|work=Mike McPhate|access-date=15 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214110119/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/29/ING9G8DKC31.DTL|archive-date=14 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="JMF41">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|p=41}}</ref> Identifying as the [[Esalen]] of the East, the resort has classes in a variety of spiritual techniques from a broad range of traditions and markets the facility as a spiritual oasis, a "sacred space" for discovering one's self, and uniting the desires of body and mind in a beautiful environment.<ref name="GIA182-183">{{harvnb|Forsthoefel|Humes|2005|pp=182–183}}</ref> According to press reports, it attracts some 200,000 people from all over the world each year;<ref name="SFC24804" /><ref name="wweek">{{cite web|url=http://www.wweek.com/html/urbanpulse020200.html|title=Osho? Oh No!|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012180308/http://wweek.com/html/urbanpulse020200.html|archive-date=12 October 2007|access-date=16 January 2009}}</ref> prominent visitors have included politicians, media personalities and the [[Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]].<ref name="JMF41" />

The movement continued after Rajneesh's death.<ref name="urban171" /> The Osho International Foundation (OIF), the successor to the Neo-Sannyas International Foundation, now propagates his views, operating once more out of the Pune ashram in India.<ref name="hunt127" /> The organization ran a pre-web, global computer network called "OSHONET".<ref>{{cite book|page=17|title=Rajneeshpuram: Who Were Its People?|author=Bert Webber|isbn=0936738448|year=1990|publisher=Webb Research }}</ref> The movement has begun to communicate on the Internet.<ref name="goldman120">{{Harvnb|Goldman|2004|p=120}}</ref>{{When|date=February 2020}} Current leaders downplay early controversies in Oregon in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.<ref name="goldman120"/>

After Rajneesh's death, various disagreements ensued concerning his wishes and his legacy. This led to the formation of a number of rival collectives.{{When|date=February 2020}} One of the central disagreements related to OIF's copyright control over his works.<ref name="Lewis120" /><ref name="JMF44-45" /> One group, Osho Friends International, spent 10 years challenging the OIF's use of the title OSHO as an exclusive trademark.

In 2003, sociologist [[Stephen J. Hunt|Stephen Hunt]] wrote in ''Alternative Religions'' that "the movement has declined since 1985, and some would argue it is now, for all intents and purposes, defunct."<ref name="hunt127" />

In the United States, on 13 January 2009, the exclusive rights that OIF held over the trademark were finally lost. OIF filed a [[Notice of Appeal]] on 12 March, but eventually filed for withdrawal in the Court of Appeals on 19 June, thus cancelling the trademarks of Osho in the US.<ref name="Osho" />

On 16 March 2018, [[Netflix]] released a six-part documentary entitled ''[[Wild Wild Country]]'' regarding the Rajneesh movement.<ref name="oregonian-2018mar14">{{cite news|last1=Turnquist|first1=Kristi|title=Netflix documentary on Rajneeshees in Oregon revisits an amazing, enraging true story|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]|date=March 14, 2018|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2018/03/netflix_documentary_on_rajnees.html|access-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref>