Editing Rajneesh (section)

== Legacy ==
While Rajneesh's teachings were not welcomed by many in his own home country during his lifetime, there has been a change in Indian public opinion since Rajneesh's death.<ref name=GIA181-183>{{harvnb|Forsthoefel|Humes|2005|pp=181–183}}</ref><ref name="TJ">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927032356/http://law.incometaxindia.gov.in/DitTaxmann/IncomeTaxActs/2007ITAct/%5B2005%5D148TAXMAN0396(BOM).htm Bombay High Court tax judgment], sections 12–14. Retrieved 11 July 2011.</ref> In 1991, an Indian newspaper counted Rajneesh, along with figures such as [[Gautama Buddha]] and [[Mahatma Gandhi]], among the ten people who had most changed India's destiny; in Rajneesh's case, by "liberating the minds of future generations from the shackles of religiosity and conformism".<ref name="JMF42">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|p=42}}</ref> Rajneesh has found more acclaim in his homeland since his death than he did while alive.<ref name="HBU-TSSP">{{harvnb|Urban|2003|p=242}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Indian Express]]'', columnist Tanweer Alam stated, "The late Rajneesh was a fine interpreter of social absurdities that destroyed human happiness."<ref name="The Indian Express">{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bending-towards-justice/893156/ |first=Tanweer |last=Alam |title=Bending towards justice |date=29 December 2011 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=4 January 2012 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921005125/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bending-towards-justice/893156/ |archive-date=21 September 2016 }}</ref> At a celebration in 2006, marking the 75th anniversary of Rajneesh's birth, Indian singer [[Wasifuddin Dagar]] said that Rajneesh's teachings are "more pertinent in the current milieu than they were ever before".<ref>{{cite news|date=23 September 2006 |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/09/23/stories/2006092303060200.htm |title=In memoriam  |access-date=11 July 2011 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214104705/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/09/23/stories/2006092303060200.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=14 December 2011 }}</ref> In Nepal, there were 60 Rajneesh centres with almost 45,000 initiated disciples as of January 2008.<ref>{{cite news|work=Sudeshna Sarkar|date=19 January 2008|title=Osho rises from his ashes in Nepal|publisher=News Post India}} "Today, there are five communes in Nepal and 60 centres with almost 45,000 initiated disciples. OSHO Tapoban also runs a centre for visitors that can accommodate 150 people, a coffee shop, a magazine and an online newsletter."</ref> Rajneesh's entire works have been placed in the Library of [[Parliament of India|India's National Parliament]] in New Delhi.<ref name="TJ" /> The [[Bollywood]] actor, and former [[Indian Foreign Minister|Minister of State for External Affairs]], [[Vinod Khanna]], worked as Rajneesh's gardener in [[Rajneeshpuram]] in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news|work=Tribune News Service |date=25 July 2002 |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020725/ncr1.htm |title=Vinod Khanna plays the spiritual franchiser  |access-date=11 July 2011 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102193441/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020725/ncr1.htm |archive-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref> Over 650 books<ref name="Süss45">{{harvnb|Süss|1996|p=45}}</ref> are credited to Rajneesh, expressing his views on all facets of human existence.<ref name="CNR" /> Virtually all of them are renderings of his taped discourses.<ref name="CNR">{{harvnb|Carter|1987|p=}}, reprinted in {{harvnb|Aveling|1999|pp=182, 189}}</ref> Many Bollywood personalities like [[Parveen Babi]] and [[Mahesh Bhatt]] were also known to be the followers of Rajneesh's philosophy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/explainers/wild-wild-country-who-was-bhagwan-rajneesh-osho|title=The Glorious Rise & Scandalous Fall of 'Sex Guru' Osho|work=The Quint|access-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803194445/https://www.thequint.com/explainers/wild-wild-country-who-was-bhagwan-rajneesh-osho|archive-date=3 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> His books are available in more than 60 languages from more than 200 publishing houses<ref>{{cite news|work=Shantanu Guha Ray |date=30 June 2007 |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne300607Business_Of_the.asp |title=Business of the Gods  |access-date=11 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419104750/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main31.asp?filename=Ne300607Business_Of_the.asp |archive-date=19 April 2012 }}</ref> and have entered best-seller lists in Italy and South Korea.<ref name="JMF42" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bhatt |first1=Mahesh |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/wild-wild-country-demonises-osho-and-celebrates-his-fall-says-ex-follower-mahesh-bhatt/46845/|title=I was part of Osho's spiritual whorehouse cult & flushed his mala in disgust|work=The Print|date=4 April 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spotboye.com/bollywood/Bollywood-interviews/mahesh-bhatt-reminisces-i-was-instrumental-in-taking-vinod-khanna-to-rajneesh/5901d1658ce16f1a1ad328cb|title=Mahesh Bhatt Reminisces: I Was Instrumental In Taking Vinod Khanna To Rajneesh|work=Spotboye}}</ref>

Rajneesh continues to be known and published worldwide in the area of meditation and his work also includes social and political commentary.<ref name="Lewis120" /> Internationally, after almost two decades of controversy and a decade of accommodation, Rajneesh's movement has established itself in the market of new religions.<ref name="Lewis120">{{harvnb|Goldman|2004|p=120}}</ref> His followers have redefined his contributions, reframing central elements of his teaching so as to make them appear less controversial to outsiders.<ref name="Lewis120" /> Societies in North America and Western Europe have met them half-way, becoming more accommodating to spiritual topics such as [[yoga]] and meditation.<ref name="Lewis120" /> The Osho International Foundation (OIF) runs [[stress management]] seminars for corporate clients such as [[IBM]] and [[BMW]], with a reported (2000) revenue between $15 and $45&nbsp;million annually in the US.<ref>{{harvnb|Carrette|King|2004|p=154}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heelas|1996|p=63}}</ref> In Italy, a satirical Facebook page titled Le più belle frasi di Osho repurposing pictures of Osho with humorous captions about national politics was launched in 2016 and quickly surpassed a million followers, becoming a cultural phenomenon in the country, with posts being republished by national papers and being shown on television.<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 December 2018|title=Interview with Federico Palmaroli at "Le più belle frasi di Osho"|url=https://the-shortlisted.co.uk/le-piu-belle-frasi-di-osho-federico-palmaroli-intervista/|access-date=11 October 2021|website=The Shortlisted|language=en-GB}}</ref>
[[File:Pune OSHO Teerth Park Preeti-Parashar 11.JPG|thumb|Statue of Rajneesh, in the Pune OSHO Teerth Park Preeti-Parashar, India]]
Rajneesh's ashram in [[Pune]] has become the OSHO International Meditation Resort<ref name="JMF41" /> Describing itself as the [[Esalen]] of the East, it teaches a variety of spiritual techniques from a broad range of traditions and promotes itself as a spiritual oasis, a "sacred space" for discovering one's self and uniting the desires of body and mind in a beautiful resort environment.<ref name=GIA182-183 /> According to press reports, prominent visitors have included politicians and media personalities.<ref name="JMF41">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|p=41}}</ref> In 2011, a national seminar on Rajneesh's teachings was inaugurated at the Department of Philosophy of the [[List of educational institutions in Jabalpur|Mankunwarbai College for Women]] in [[Jabalpur]].<ref name=Hitavada>"National seminar on 'Zorba the Buddha' inaugurated", ''[[The Hitavada]]'', 5 February 2011</ref> Funded by the [[Bhopal]] office of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]], the seminar focused on Rajneesh's "Zorba the Buddha" teaching, seeking to reconcile spirituality with the materialist and objective approach.<ref name=Hitavada /> As of 2013, the resort required all guests to be tested for [[HIV/AIDS]] at its Welcome Centre on arrival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804093116/http://www.osho.com/medresort/faqmedresort/faqmedresort.cfm|archive-date=4 August 2013|title=FAQ's|work=Osho International Meditation Resort|access-date=24 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Sexual abuse and misconduct allegations ===
In 2022, allegations emerged that Rajneesh had sexually abused followers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Richter |first=Anke |title= Cult trip Inside the world of coercion and control|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited  |year= 2022|isbn=978-1-802471-76-2 |page=334 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Jackson | first=Brittney | title=The Crazy Cult of Indian Guru Osho Bhagwan & His Mixed Legacy | website=TheCollector | date=2025-01-20 | url=https://www.thecollector.com/cult-indian-guru-osho-bhagwan-legacy/ | access-date=2026-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Osho – nirav-art | website=nirav-art | date=2023-09-20 | url=https://nirav-art.com/category/osho/ | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=- YouTube | website=YouTube | date=2024-03-06 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=805&v=8Gr8YO078Ys&feature=youtu.be | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=- YouTube | website=YouTube | date=2024-03-06 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1298&v=MvDPV1SmVwc&feature=youtu.be | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref>

Deeksha was a senior disciple of Rajneesh and part of the inner circle of his commune. She was among the relatively small group of followers who had direct access to him and held positions of authority within the movement.<ref>{{cite web | last=Botto | first=Giacomo | title=Dragon Lady | website=storielibere.fm | date=2022-08-30 | url=https://storielibere.fm/soli-dragonlady/ | language=it | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref> In a podcast, she described allegations of sexual abuse. The first one is an incident in which a young Japanese follower emerged visibly distressed from a private meeting with Rajneesh, appearing shaken and agitated, and told her that he had forced himself on her and raped her; the woman subsequently left the ashram and later asked Deeksha to testify about what she had witnessed, a request that Deeksha said she did not respond to and later deeply regretted.<ref>{{cite web | last=Botto | first=Giacomo | title=Dragon Lady | website=storielibere.fm | date=2022-09-07 | url=https://storielibere.fm/osho-children-dragonlady-part2/ | language=it | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref> She further alleged that alleged that Rajneesh later sometimes engaged in sexual conduct with female followers during private darshan sessions. Deeksha stated that she herself experienced unwanted touching during one darshan session. She also said that other women told her they had been pressured to perform sexual acts for him, including oral sex, or to engage in sexual activity with other women while he watched. According to her account, some women complied because they believed the requests had a spiritual purpose or were tests of their inhibitions. Deeksha said several later described the experiences as traumatic and as an abuse of authority. She also recounted confidences from another follower who said Rajneesh had demanded sexual acts and required her to swallow semen, which she described as coercive and humiliating. Women were reportedly expected to remain silent about what occurred during these encounters.<ref>{{cite web | last=Botto | first=Giacomo | title=Dragon Lady | website=storielibere.fm | date=2022-09-21 | url=https://storielibere.fm/osho-children-dragonlady-part3/ | language=it | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref>

Another of his former disciples later wrote that Rajneesh had called her to his room for sexual encounters which, at the time, she believed were part of a sacred or tantric exchange between master and disciple. She stated that he instructed her to undress and directed her to engage in sexual acts, including masturbation and oral sex. According to her account, he also subjected her to physical acts involving her mouth and throat, and on some occasions partially penetrated her. She wrote that because she had been chosen as a medium in his energy darshans and as one of his group leaders, she believed at the time that these acts were connected to her spiritual role. In later reflections, she said she no longer regarded the encounters as sacred and instead viewed them as occasions on which she had been used and abused. She added that revisiting these experiences decades later led to severe psychological distress. According to her account, she experienced [[PTSD]] flashbacks, panic episodes, and intense fear, and for a period was unable to leave her house or carry on normal daily activities.<ref>{{cite web | title=What if I WAS in a cult? | website=Erin Robbins | date=1970-01-01 | url=https://www.erinrobbins.life/what-if-i-was-in-a-cult | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Lalich | first=Dr. Janja | title=Think Twice Before Posting That Osho Quote! | website=Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion | date=2022-09-02 | url=https://www.lalichcenter.org/blog/think-twice-before-posting-that-osho-quote/ | access-date=2026-03-12}}</ref>