Editing Rajneesh movement

{{short description|Persons inspired by the Indian mystic Osho}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2011}}
{{Infobox religious group
| group         = Rajneesh movement
| flag          =
| flag_caption  =
| flag_size     =
| image         = Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and disciples in darshan at Poona in 1977.jpg
| image_caption = Rajneesh (rightmost) and disciples in ''[[Darśana|darshan]]'' at Poona in 1977
| image_size    =

| population    =
| founder       = [[Rajneesh]] (born Chandra Mohan Jain)
| regions       = '''Countries'''<br>[[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[The Netherlands]] and [[United States]]<br>'''Communities'''<br>[[Antelope, Oregon]], [[Pune]], [[Rajneeshpuram]], [[The Dalles, Oregon]], [[Wasco County, Oregon]]
| tablehdr      =

| region1       =
| pop1          =
| ref1          =
| region2       =
| pop2          =
| ref2          =
| region3       =
| pop3          =
| ref3          =

| religions     = Teachings of [[Rajneesh]]
| scriptures    =
| languages     =
| related-c     =
| website       =
| notes         =
}}
The '''Rajneesh movement''' is a [[new religious movement]] inspired by the Indian mystic [[Rajneesh|Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh]] (1931–1990), also known as Osho.<ref name="idinopulos13">{{Harvnb|Idinopulos|Yonan|1996|p=13}}</ref> They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orange People" because of the orange they used from 1970 until 1985.<ref name="Chryssides208">{{Harvnb|Chryssides|2001|p=208}}</ref> Members of the movement are sometimes called ''Oshoites'' in the Indian press.<ref>Abhay Vaidya (27 May 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121105144430/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-05-27/pune/27845268_1_chaitanya-keerti-osho-commune-international-oshoites Oshoites amused by American terrorism tag], ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Sunanda Mehta (27 April 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120316023316/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/maroonclad-oshoites-no-longer-endemic-to-city/302023/ Maroon-clad Oshoites no longer endemic to city], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- Chandran Iyer (10 June 2009). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090612224249/http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/100609-Indian-woman-cultural-Osho-International-Resort.htm Osho Commune 'least interested in Indians'], ''[[MiD DAY]]''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>

The movement was controversial in the 1970s and 1980s, due to the founder's hostility, first to [[Yamas|Hindu morality]] in [[India]], and later to [[Christian morality]] in the [[United States]]. In the [[Soviet Union]], the movement was banned as being contrary to "positive aspects of Indian culture and to the aims of the youth protest movement in Western countries". The positive aspects were allegedly being subverted by Rajneesh, whom the Soviet government considered a [[reactionary]] [[ideologue]] of the monopolistic [[bourgeoisie]] of India and a promoter of [[consumerism]] in a traditional [[Hindu]] guise.<ref>A. A. Tkacheva, ''Counter-culture Slogans in the System of Right Wing Radicalism in India'' (1986) [https://web.archive.org/web/20150218121617/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA372065 English abstract]</ref>

In [[Oregon]], the movement's large [[intentional community]] of the early 1980s, called [[Rajneeshpuram]],<ref name="clarke253">{{Harvnb|Clarke|2006|p=253}}</ref><ref name="Aagaard124-127">{{harvnb|Lewis|2005|pp=124–127}}</ref> caused immediate tensions in the local community for its attempts to take over the nearby town of [[Antelope, Oregon|Antelope]] and later the county seat of [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]].

At the peak of these tensions, a circle of leading members of the Rajneeshpuram Oregon commune was arrested for crimes including an [[1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot|attempted assassination plot]] to murder U.S. Attorney [[Charles H. Turner (attorney)|Charles H. Turner]]<ref>{{harvnb|FitzGerald|1986|p=108}}</ref> and the United States's [[1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack|first recorded bio-terror attack]] calculated to influence the outcome of a local election in their favour; these efforts ultimately failed. In the bioterror attack, [[Salmonella enterica|Salmonella bacteria]] were deployed to infect salad products in local restaurants and shops, which poisoned several hundred people.<ref name="Aagaard124-127" /> The Bhagwan, as Rajneesh was then called, was [[Deportation from the United States|deported from the United States]] in 1985 as part of his [[Alford plea]] deal following the convictions of his staff and right hand [[Ma Anand Sheela]], who were found guilty of the attack. After his deportation, 21 countries denied him entry.<ref>{{harvnb|Aveling|1999|p=xxii}}</ref> The movement's headquarters eventually returned to [[Pune|Poona]] (present-day Pune), India. The Oregon commune was destroyed in September 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oshoworld.com/biography/briefbio.asp|title=Welcome to Osho World|website=oshoworld.com|access-date=25 November 2017|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003204820/http://www.oshoworld.com/biography/briefbio.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The movement in India gradually received a more positive response from the surrounding society, especially after the founder's death in 1990.<ref name="Lewis120">{{harvnb|Lewis|2005|p=120}}</ref><ref name=GIA181-183>{{harvnb|Urban|2005|pp=182–183}}</ref> The Osho International Foundation (OIF) (previously Rajneesh International Foundation [RIF]), is managed by an "Inner Circle" set up by Rajneesh before his death. They jointly administer Rajneesh's estate and operate the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune.<ref name=GIA181-183 /><ref name="Aagaard133-134">{{harvnb|Lewis|2005|pp=133–134}}</ref>

In the late 1990s, rival factions challenged OIF's copyright holdings over Rajneesh's works and the validity of its royalty claims on publishing or reprinting of materials.<ref name="Lewis120" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000711021203/http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20000703/religion.html Osho's Legacy; Royalty Ruckus] originally published in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20091014001744/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/ India Today]'' 3 July 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2009.</ref><ref name="JMF44-45">{{harvnb|Fox|2002|pp=44–45}}</ref> In the United States, following a 10-year legal battle with Osho Friends International (OFI), the OIF (Osho International Foundation) lost its exclusive rights over the trademark OSHO in January 2009.<ref name="Osho">(18 July 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090925162103/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/osho-trademarkoif-appeal-dismissed/490876 Osho trademark:OIF appeal dismissed], ''The Indian Express''. Retrieved 15 July 2011.</ref>

There are a number of smaller centres of the movement in India and around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, [[Germany]], Italy, and the Netherlands.

== 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>

== Beliefs and practices ==

=== Religion ===
A 1972 monograph outlined Rajneesh's concept of sannyas.<ref name="Yoga Chinmaya 1972" /> It was to be a worldwide movement, rooted in the affirmation of life, playful, joyful and based on science rather than belief and dogma. It would not rely on ideology and philosophy, but on practices, techniques and methods aiming to offer every individual the chance to discover and choose their own proper religious path; the intent was to lead people to an essential, universal religiousness. The movement would be open to people of all religions or of none, experimenting with the inner methods of all religions in their pure, original form, not seeking to synthesise them but to provide facilities whereby each might be revived, maintained and defended and their lost and hidden secrets rediscovered. The movement would not seek to create any new religion.

[[File:NSI-Logo.gif|thumb|180px|left|Logo of Neo-Sannyas International. ''Circa'' 1970s.]]
To this end, communities would be founded around the world and groups of sannyasins would tour the world to aid seekers of spiritual enlightenment and demonstrate techniques of meditation. Other groups would perform ''[[kirtan]]'' (call and response chanting) and conduct experiments in healing. Communities would run their own businesses, and various publishing companies would be founded. A central International University of Meditation would have branches all over the world and run meditation camps, and study groups would investigate the key texts of [[Tantra]], [[Taoism]], [[Hinduism]] and other traditions.<ref name="None">{{harvnb|Palmer|1993|p=72}}</ref>

In one survey conducted at Rajneeshpuram, over 70 per cent of those surveyed listed their religious affiliation as "none";<ref name="None" /> however, 60 per cent of sannyasins participated in activities of worship several times a month.<ref name="None" /> In late 1981 Rajneesh, through his secretary [[Ma Anand Sheela]] (Sheela Silverman), announced the inception of the "religion of Rajneeshism", the basis of which would be fragments taken from various discourses and interviews that Rajneesh had given over the years.<ref name="Metha111">{{harvnb|Mehta|1993|p=111}}</ref> In July 1983 Rajneesh Foundation International published a 78-page book entitled ''Rajneeshism: An introduction to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and His Religion'',<ref>{{cite book|title = Rajneeshism: An Introduction to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and His Religion|date = 1983|publisher = Rajneesh Foundation International|isbn = 0880506997|editor = Academy of Rajneeshism}}</ref><ref name=Carter300>{{Harvnb|Carter|1990|p=300}}</ref> in an attempt to systematise Rajneesh's religious teachings and institutionalise the movement. Despite this, the book claimed that Rajneeshism was not a religion, but rather "a religionless religion&nbsp;... only a quality of love, silence, meditation and prayerfulness".<ref name=Carter185>{{Harvnb|Carter|1990|p=185}}</ref> Carter comments that the motivation for formalising Rajneesh's teachings are not easy to determine, but might perhaps have been tied to a visa application made to the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] to obtain "religious worker" status for him.<ref name=Carter186>{{Harvnb|Carter|1990|p=186}}</ref>
People followed the norms of wearing similar clothes and participating in the same activities. The people were allowed to come and go as they pleased as long as they did not hurt anybody.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/226836614/Rajneesh|title=Rajneesh – Rajneesh – Religion And Belief|via=Scribd}}</ref> In the last week of September 1985, after Sheela had fled in disgrace, Rajneesh declared that the religion of "Rajneeshism" and "Rajneeshees" no longer existed, and that anything bearing the name would be dismantled.<ref name="tl85">{{cite news |title=Rajneesh renouncing his cult's religion |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1347&dat=19851001&id=OBgVAAAAIBAJ&pg=1946,4458 |author=Sally Carpenter Hale, Associated Press |newspaper=[[The Ledger]] |date=1 October 1985 |page=8A |access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> His disciples set fire to 5,000 copies of the book ''Rajneeshism''.<ref name="tl85" /><ref name="sc85">{{cite news |title=Guru's arrest not imminent |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[Spokane Chronicle]] |date=2 October 1985 |page=D6}}</ref> Rajneesh said he ordered the book-burning to rid the sect of the last traces of the influence of Sheela,<ref name="sc85" /> whose robes were added to the bonfire.<ref name="sc85" />

=== Society ===

==== Intentional community ====
Rajneesh held that families, large cities and nations would ultimately be replaced by small communities with a communal way of life. By 1972, small communes of disciples existed in India and Kenya, and a larger one, to be known as Anand Shila, was planned as a "permanent world headquarters" in India. However, this plan was repeatedly thwarted. Large communes were planned in the west. The Rajneesh organisation bought the {{convert|64229|acre|km2|adj=on}} Big Muddy Ranch near Antelope, Oregon, in July 1981, renaming it Rancho Rajneesh and later Rajneeshpuram.<ref name="hunt127" /><ref name="latkin">{{Harvnb|Latkin|Sundberg|Littman|Katsikis|1994|pp=65–74}}</ref> Initially, approximately 2,000 people took up residence in the [[intentional community]], and Rajneesh moved there too.<ref name="goldman209">{{Harvnb|Goldman|1997|p=209}}</ref> The organisation purchased a reception hotel in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]. In July 1983 it was bombed by the radical Islamic group [[Jamaat ul-Fuqra]], a group that had connections with militants in Pakistani-held [[Azad Kashmir]] and sought to attack "soft" targets with Indian connections in the United States.<ref>Mira L. Boland (18 March 2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20020601183642/http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/000/996lxfmd.asp Sheikh Gilani's American Disciples]. ''The Weekly Standard''. Retrieved 8 July 2011.</ref>

The Rajneesh movement clashed with Oregon officials and government while at Rajneeshpuram, resulting in tensions within the commune itself.<ref name="reader104">{{Harvnb|Reader|1996|p=104}}</ref> A siege mentality set in among the commune's leaders, and intimidation and authoritarianism ensued. Disillusioned followers began to leave the organisation. Commune members were instructed to cease communication with anyone who left.<ref name="reader104" />

==== Marriage and the family ====
Although the movement was without clearly defined and shared values,<ref>{{harvnb|Carter|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1SLj0HbX-MC&pg=PA9 9]}}</ref> it was well known that Rajneesh discouraged marrying and having children,<ref name="pike222">{{Harvnb|Pike|2007|p=222}}</ref> since he saw families as inherently prone to dysfunction and destructiveness. Not many children were born at the communes in Oregon and England,<ref name="pike224">{{Harvnb|Pike|2007|p=224}}</ref> and contraception, sterilisation, and abortion were accepted.<ref name="pike223">{{Harvnb|Pike|2007|p=223}}</ref> According to Pike, some parents justified leaving their children when moving to the ashram by reasoning that spiritual development was more important.<ref name="pike223" />

===Allegations of sexual abuse of children===
Rajneesh supported sexual freedom and non-monogamy, and former members reported widespread [[child sexual abuse|sexual abuse of children]] in the community.<ref>{{cite web | last=Abbott | first=Carl | title=Rajneeshees | website=  The Oregon Encyclopedia | date=2024-10-21 | url=https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/rajneeshees/ | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref> A survivor recounted that she and her friends were pressured into sexual acts with adult men in the commune. For her, it started at the age of seven and it culminated in rape at the age of twelve.<ref>{{cite web | title=UK Woman Recounts Sexual Trauma In Osho's Cult | website=www.ndtv.com | date=2024-09-29 | url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/survivor-of-bhagwan-shree-rajneeshs-sex-cult-reveals-decades-of-abuse-6675679 | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref> Another survivor told of sexual acts that started when she was ten years old.<ref>{{cite web | last=Carroll | first=Sarito | title=My abuse in the Osho Rajneesh cult has haunted me for decades. Now I'm ready to speak out | website=The Guardian | date=2024-10-12 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/12/abuse-rajneesh-cult-children-communes | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref><ref name=foryea>{{cite web | last=Richter | first=Anke | title=Forty Years After the Oregon Cult Commune: The Girl from the Osho Ranch | website=Fair Observer | date=2025-09-11 | url=https://www.fairobserver.com/culture/forty-years-after-the-oregon-cult-commune-the-girl-from-the-osho-ranch/ | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref> She alleged that many of the teenagers on the [[Rajneeshpuram|ranch]] were pressured into sexual relationships with adults, which she characterized as [[statutory rape]] and child sexual abuse that was tolerated or concealed within the community.<ref name=foryea/> A German survivor gave a similar account, alleging that adults sexually pressured children in the commune and that some girls and boys aged 12–14 had sexual relations with large numbers of adults.
She added that adults did not object to such behaviour, which she described as being regarded as normal at the time and not concealed.<ref>{{cite web | last=Binswanger | first=Michèle | title=Bhagwan-Kommune in Zürich: «Niemand fühlte sich verantwortlich, dass Leute mit Kindern Sex hatten» | website=Tages-Anzeiger | date=2025-11-12 | url=https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/bhagwan-kommune-zuerich-so-war-die-kindheit-in-einer-sekte-809954731293 | language=de | access-date=2026-03-13}}</ref>

The 2024 documentary ''The Children of the Cult'' presents an international investigation into the Rajneesh movement<ref name=dartmo/> that focuses on accounts of widespread sexual abuse of children within the movement.<ref>{{cite web | last=Stimpson | first=Mansel | title=Children of the Cult | website=FILM REVIEW | date=2024-10-03 | url=https://www.filmreviewdaily.com/new-reviews/children-of-the-cult | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref> It depicts an environment in which sexual themes were pervasive, children were separated from their parents, and clear boundaries were often absent. The film argues that Rajneesh and his followers sought to create a new society with its own moral code, and it alleges that this setting enabled and normalized serious crimes against children.<ref name=dartmo>{{cite web | title=Children of the Cult | website=Dartmouth Films | date=1970-01-01 | url=https://www.dartmouthfilms.com/childrenofthecult | access-date=2026-03-09}}</ref>

=== Commerce ===

Hugh B. Urban comments that "one of the most astonishing features of the early Rajneesh movement was its remarkable success as a business enterprise".<ref name="urban179">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=179}}</ref> It "developed an extremely effective and profitable corporate structure", and "by the 1980s, the movement had evolved into a complex, interlocking network of corporations, with an astonishing number of both spiritual and secular businesses worldwide, offering everything from yoga and psychological counselling to cleaning services."<ref name="urban171">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=171}}</ref> It has been estimated that at least 120&nbsp;million dollars were generated during the movement's time in Oregon, a period when the acquisition of capital, the collection of donations, and legal work were a primary concern.<ref name="urban180" /> The popular press reported widely on the large collection of [[Rolls-Royce (car)|Rolls-Royce]] cars Rajneesh had amassed,<ref name="hunt127" /> reported to be 93 at the final count.<ref name="oregonian-apr2011-1">{{Citation |last=Zaitz |first=Les |title=25 years after Rajneeshee commune collapsed, truth spills out&nbsp;– Part 1 of 5 |date=14 April 2011 |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320131107/http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/2011/04/part_one_it_was_worse_than_we.html |archive-date=20 March 2016 |access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> James S. Gordon reported that some sannyasins saw the cars as an unrivalled tool for obtaining publicity, others as a good business investment or as a test, others as an expression of Rajneesh's scorn for middle-class aspirations and yet others as an indication of the love of his disciples.<ref name="JSG114-115">{{harvnb|Gordon|1987|pp=114–115}}</ref> Gordon opined that what Rajneesh loved most about the Rolls-Royces, apart from their comfort, was "the anger and envy that his possession of so many—so absurdly, unnecessarily, outrageously many—of them aroused".<ref name="JSG114-115" /> He wrote of a bumper sticker that was popular among sannyasins: "Jesus Saves. Moses Invests. Bhagwan Spends."

By the mid-1980s, the movement, assisted by a sophisticated legal and business infrastructure, had created a corporate machine consisting of various front companies and subsidiaries.<ref name="urban179" /> At this time, the three main identifiable organisations within the Rajneesh movement were: the Ranch Church, or Rajneesh International Foundation (RIF); the Rajneesh Investment Corporation (RIC), through which the RFI was managed; and the Rajneesh Neo-Sannyasin International Commune (RNSIC). The umbrella organisation that oversaw all investment activities was Rajneesh Services International Ltd., a company incorporated in the UK but based in [[Zürich]]. There were also smaller organisations, such as Rajneesh Travel Corp, Rajneesh Community Holdings, and the Rajneesh Modern Car Collection Trust, whose sole purpose was to deal with the acquisition and rental of Rolls-Royces.<ref name="urban180">{{Harvnb|Urban|2005|p=180}}</ref><ref name="WRIGHT141-146">{{harvnb|Wright|1985|pp=141–146}}</ref> By the early 21st century, members of the movement were running stress management seminars for corporate clients such as [[BMW]], and the movement was reported in 2000 to be making $15–45&nbsp;million annually in the U.S.<ref name="Carrette 2004 154">{{harvnb|Carrette|King|2004|p=154}}</ref>

From 1981 to 1985, the movement owned an airline, [[Air Rajneesh]].

==Elections==

During elections Rajneesh's secretary, Sheela, would bring thousands of homeless people from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and other cities to live and vote in [[Rajneeshpuram]] and [[Antelope, Oregon]]. Representative [[Wayne H. Fawbush]], who represented both areas, wanted a special session of the Oregon Legislature to be called to change Oregon's voter registration laws to prevent the homeless being brought by the Rajneeshees from voting.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 27, 1984 |title=Oregon voting laws part of the problem |page=10 |work=Longview Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56945902/longview-daily-news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200808185825/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56945902/longview-daily-news/ |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

During the selection of Oregon's thirteen alternate delegates to the [[1984 Republican National Convention]] Ma Prem Kavido, a precinct committee member from Rajneeshpuram and member of the Rajneeshpuram city council, and Ma Prem Debal ran, but both were defeated placing 14th and 15th respectively. Four Rajneeshees from [[Wasco County, Oregon|Wasco]] and [[Jefferson County, Oregon|Jefferson counties]] were selected to serve as delegates at the [[Oregon Republican Party]]'s state convention.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 1984 |title=Kavido Just One Vote Away |page=13 |work=The World |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56946677/the-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200808190514/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56946677/the-world/ |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==Demographics==
One of the first surveys of sannyasins was conducted in 1980 at the Poona ashram by Swami Krishna Deva ([[David Berry Knapp]]), an American clinical psychologist who would later serve as mayor of [[Rajneeshpuram]].<ref name="sannyasins" /> In the survey, Krishna Deva polled 300 American sannyasins and discovered that their median age was just over 30. Sixty percent of them had been sannyasins for less than two years, and most continued to live in the United States. Half of them came from [[California]], 97 percent were white, 25 per cent were Jewish, and 85 percent belonged to the middle and upper-middle classes.<ref name="sannyasins" /><ref name="success">{{Harvnb|Aveling|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zn4k2WvKZUC&pg=PR31 31]}}</ref> Almost two-thirds had university degrees and viewed themselves as "successful in worldly terms". Three-quarters had previously been involved in some therapy and more than half had previously experimented with another spiritual group.<ref name="success" /> In 1984 the average age of members of the Rajneesh movement was 34; 64 percent of the followers had a four-year college degree.<ref name="goldman209" />

A survey of 635 Rajneeshpuram residents was conducted in 1983 by Norman D. Sundberg, director of the [[University of Oregon]]'s Clinical/Community Psychology Program, and three of his colleagues. It revealed a middle-class group of predominantly college-educated whites around the age of 30, the majority of whom were women.<ref name="Joyson" /> Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed attributed their decisions to become Rajneeshees to their love for Rajneesh or his teachings.<ref name="Joyson" /> 91 per cent stated that they had been looking for more meaning in their lives prior to becoming members.<ref name="Joyson" /> When asked to rate how they felt about their lives as Rajneeshees, Ninety-three percent stated they were "extremely satisfied" or nearly so, most of them choosing the top score on a scale of 0 to 8. Only 8 percent stated that they had been as happy before joining.<ref name="Joyson">{{cite news |work=[[The Oregonian]] |date=17 July 1985 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/1985/07/experts_draw_distinctions_betw.html |title=Experts draw distinctions between cults, religions (part 18 of 20) |publisher=Oregon Live |access-date=8 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014103105/http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/1985/07/experts_draw_distinctions_betw.html |archive-date=14 October 2012 }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Internationally, by 2005 (and after almost two decades of controversy and a decade of accommodation), Rajneesh's movement had established itself in the market of new religions.<ref name="Lewis120"/> 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) in Pune runs [[stress management]] seminars for corporate clients such as [[IBM]] and [[BMW]], with a reported (in 2000) revenue of between $15 and $45&nbsp;million annually in the US.<ref name="Carrette 2004 154"/><ref>{{harvnb|Heelas|1996|p=63}}</ref>

OSHO International Meditation Resort<ref name="JMF41" /> has described itself as the [[Esalen]] of the East, and teaches a variety of spiritual techniques from a broad range of traditions. It 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"/> 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 Center 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>

In July 2020, singer-songwriter [[Sufjan Stevens]] released a song themed after the movement titled "My Rajneesh".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=2020-07-10 |title=Sufjan Stevens Releases 10-Minute Track 'My Rajneesh' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sufjan-stevens-my-rajneesh-1026764/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

In September 2020, the OSHO International Foundation, which owns the OSHO International Meditation Resort, decided to sell two 1.5 acre plots of land, currently housing a swimming pool and a tennis court. As a charitable trust, the OIF filed an application with the Charity Commissioner in Mumbai requesting permission for the sale. In the application, they cited financial distress due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. This has sparked controversy amongst Osho followers, and their representative Yogesh Thakkar was quoted saying “This place is made by Osho devotees for Osho devotees, and it belongs to Osho devotees.” Ten Osho disciples filed an objection to the sale with the Charity Commissioner.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-06|title=Citing funds crunch, Osho foundation puts up Pune plots for sale; disciples cry foul|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/citing-funds-crunch-osho-foundation-puts-up-pune-plots-for-sale-disciples-cry-foul-7216258/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Pankaj Khelkar |date=March 17, 2021 |title=Controversy over Osho land in Pune {{!}} All you need to know|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/controversy-osho-land-pune-all-you-need-to-know-1780193-2021-03-17|access-date=2021-03-31|magazine=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

== People associated with the movement ==

=== Literature and thought ===
* [[Joachim-Ernst Berendt]], [[jazz]] musician, journalist and author. He became a member of the movement in 1983.<ref name="Suss" /> When Rajneesh died in 1990, he wrote an obituary calling him the "master of the heart" as well as "the holiest scoundrel I ever knew".<ref name="Suss">{{harvnb|Süss|1996|pp=27, 177}}</ref>
* [[Elfie Donnelly]], Anglo-Austrian children's book author. She joined the movement in the 1980s and was among the disciples Rajneesh appointed to the "Inner Circle", the group entrusted with administering his estate after his death.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100403005133/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13507872.html Bhagwan: Glaube und Mammon], ''[[Der Spiegel]]'', 6 February 1984. Retrieved 8 July 2011.{{in lang|de}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2017}}<!-- the article in the link does contain the fact that she joined the movement in the 1980s, and supported it with money; but nothing about either the existence of an "Inner Circle" nor that this Inner Circle was entrusted with administering their leader's estate nor that she belonged to it. !-->
* Jörg Andrees Elten, German writer and journalist. He was a reporter for ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'' before joining the movement, and later took the name Swami Satyananda.<ref>{{harvnb|Aveling|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zn4k2WvKZUC&pg=PA174 174]}}</ref>
* [[Tim Guest]], journalist and author. He grew up in the movement with the name Yogesh and later wrote a critical book, ''[[My Life in Orange]]'', about his difficult childhood.<ref>Publishers Weekly staff (10 January 2005). "My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru". ''Publishers Weekly'' (Reed Business Information) 252 (2): p. 48.</ref>
* [[Bernard Levin]], English columnist. He joined the movement with his then girlfriend, [[Arianna Huffington]], in the early 1980s and later published glowing accounts of Rajneesh and the movement in ''[[The Times]]''.<ref name="Levin" /> About Rajneesh, he stated: "He is the conduit along which the vital force of the universe flows."<ref name="Levin" /> Levin later joined the [[Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]] with Huffington.<ref name="Levin">(10 August 2004) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090621002100/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1469028/Bernard-Levin.html Obituaries: Bernard Levin]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 10 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Peter Sloterdijk]], German philosopher. He joined the movement in the 1970s. In interviews given in 2006, he credited the experience with having had a fundamental, beneficial and continuing effect on his outlook on life.<ref>''[[Die Tageszeitung]]'' [http://www.taz.de/pt/2006/06/13/a0226.1/text interview] dd. 13 June 2006, [http://www.lettre.de/archiv/36_sloterdijk.html interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301120254/http://www.lettre.de/archiv/36_sloterdijk.html |date=1 March 2013 }} in ''[[Lettre International]]'' {{in lang|de}}</ref>
* [[Margot Anand]], a teacher of [[tantra]]. She was a student of Rajneesh and first began to teach tantra in his ''ashram''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060307224650/http://www.margotanand.com/margot_articles_sde1.html Margot Anand: An Interview with Virginia Lee], margotanand.com. Retrieved 15 July 2011.<br>- {{harvnb|Kuriansky|2002|p=310}}</ref>
* Jan Foudraine, Dutch psychiatrist, psychotherapist, writer and mystic.<ref name="Shaffy" /> His ''sannyasin'' name is Swami Deva Amrito.<ref>{{harvnb|Brecher|1993|p=38}}</ref>
* [[Nirmala Srivastava]], Indian spiritual teacher. She was an early member of the Rajneesh movement and later founded a spiritual movement of her own, [[Sahaja Yoga]], repudiating Rajneesh.<ref>{{harvnb|Kakar|1991|p=202}}</ref>
* [[Ma Prem Usha]], Indian [[tarot card]] reader, fortune teller and journalist. She was a member of the movement for 30 years, until her death in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Indo-Asian News Service |date=17 July 2008 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Tarot-card-reader-Ma-Prem-Usha-dead/Article1-324656.aspx |title=Tarot card reader Ma Prem Usha dead |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |access-date=10 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022055613/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Tarot-card-reader-Ma-Prem-Usha-dead/Article1-324656.aspx |archive-date=22 October 2012 }}</ref>

=== Performance arts ===
* [[Parveen Babi]], Indian actress. She joined the movement in the mid-1970s together with her former boyfriend, the producer Mahesh Bhatt, and later became a devotee of philosopher [[U. G. Krishnamurti]].<ref>(17 September 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20220622013120/https://www.mid-day.com/news/2006/sep/143802.htm The Parveen Tapes: Now I'm alone]. ''[[MiD Day]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.<br />- TNN (30 August 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905125802/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-08-30/book-mark/27864904_1_meaning-master-deaths Parveen Babi, and the search for meaning in life]. ''[[The Times of India]]''. Retrieved 5 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Mahesh Bhatt]], Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He became a sannyasin in the mid-1970s, but later left the movement and instead found spiritual companionship and guidance with U. G. Krishnamurti, whose biography he wrote in 1992.<ref>{{harvnb|Krishnamurti|Arms|Pant Bansal|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6efkbAiXKoC&pg=PR13 13]}}</ref>
* [[Georg Deuter]], also known as Swami Chaitanya Hari, musician of the Rajneesh movement. He composed the music that accompanies Rajneesh's meditation recordings in Poona and later at Rajneeshpuram.<ref>{{harvnb|Menen|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wdszaOG-S54C&pg=PA137 137]}}<br>- {{harvnb|Newport|1998|p=[https://archive.org/details/newagemovementbi00newp/page/478 478]}}</ref>
* [[Mike Edwards (musician)|Mike Edwards]], British former member of the [[Electric Light Orchestra]], known as Swami Deva Pramada or simply Pramada.<ref>Martin Kinch (15 August 2009)  [https://web.archive.org/web/20101231075252/http://cherryblossomclinic.110mb.com/miked.html The Mike Edwards Interview]. cherryblossomclinic.110mb.com. Retrieved 12 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Ted Gärdestad]], Swami Sangit Upasani, Swedish singer and former tennis player.
* [[Albert Mol]], Dutch actor and author.<ref name="Shaffy" />
* [[Nena]], German singer and actress. In 2009, she stated that she had become a fan of Rajneesh, his books and meditation techniques, which she had discovered a few years earlier.<ref>{{in lang|de}} (26 September 2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090929033503/http://www.welt.de/die-welt/vermischtes/hamburg/article4630861/Nena-bekennt-sich-als-Fan-des-Bhagwan-Gurus-Osho.html Nena bekennt sich als Fan des Bhagwan-Gurus Osho], ''[[Die Welt]]''. Retrieved 12 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Ramses Shaffy]], Dutch singer and actor. He was once a heavy drinker, but stopped drinking when he joined the movement in the early 1980s and became Swami Ramses Shaffy. He later relapsed into alcoholism.<ref name="Shaffy">{{harvnb|Shupe|Bromley|1994|p=148}}</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} Door Ab Van Leperen, (28 September 2002) [https://web.archive.org/web/20111002125101/http://www.vn.nl/Standaard-media-pagina/RamsesShaffyAanDeVoetenVanShaffy.htm Ramses Shaffy: 'Aan de voeten van Shaffy'], ''Vrij Nederland''. Retrieved 12 July 2011.</ref>
* [[Terence Stamp]], British actor. In the 1970s, he spent time at the Poona ashram, meditating and studying the teachings of Rajneesh.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography|url=https://www.satrakshita.com/osho_biography.htm|access-date=2021-02-17|website=www.satrakshita.com}}</ref>
* [[Kavyen Temperley]], Australian lead singer who forms part of Australian band [[Eskimo Joe]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clayton |first1=Cy |title=Greig Pickhaver returns to screens to unearth Australia's hidden history |date=25 September 2017 |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/greig-pickhaver-returns-to-screens-to-unearth-australias-hidden-history-ng-b88610216z |publisher=The West Australian |access-date=2017-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cubis |first1=Shane |title=Fremantle: beyond the Dockers |date=25 September 2017 |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/09/25/fremantle-beyond-dockers |publisher=SBS |access-date=2017-10-06}}</ref>
* [[Anneke Wills]] (Ma Prem Anita), British actress most famous for her role as ''[[Doctor Who]]'' sidekick Polly.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120502165343/http://www.annekewills.co.uk/?page_id=16 About Anneke Wills]. annekewills.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.</ref> After an initial brief visit to India in the late 1970s, Wills moved to India to stay at the Poona ashram with her son Jasper (Swami Dhyan Yogi) during the early 1980s and moved again to a sannyasin commune in California during the mid 1980s.<ref>Gill Swain (15 June 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20121023051017/http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hard-times-of-the-first-sexy-dr-547045 Hard Times of the first sexy Dr. Who girl]. ''[[Daily Mirror]]''. Retrieved 16 July 2011.</ref>

=== Politics ===
* [[Arianna Huffington]], Greek-American political activist, and her then partner Bernard Levin were disciples in the early 1980s.<ref name="Greek">(7 February 2011) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110209034227/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/8309732/Arianna-Huffington-mover-and-shaper.html Arianna Huffington: mover and shaper]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 10 July 2011.</ref> They later joined the [[Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]].<ref name="Greek" />
* [[Vinod Khanna]], Indian film star and politician, was Rajneesh's gardener in Rajneeshpuram. He later became India's [[Indian Foreign Minister|Minister of State for External Affairs]] (junior foreign minister), holding office from 2003 to 2004. He became a sannyasin on 31 December 1975 and received the name Swami Vinod Bharti.<ref name="Times">{{cite news |date=27 July 2002 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/17277243.cms |title=The uncensored Vinod Khanna |work=The Times of India |access-date=8 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625130614/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/17277243.cms |archive-date=25 June 2012 }}</ref><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=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102193441/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020725/ncr1.htm |archive-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Barbara Rütting]], German actress, author and [[V-Partei3]] politician. Her sannyasin name is Ma Anand Taruna.<ref>(September 2005) [http://barbara-ruetting.de/uploads/media/Politik_Forum.doc "Antworten auf die Fragen von Politik-Forum"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328064503/http://barbara-ruetting.de/uploads/media/Politik_Forum.doc |date=28 March 2012 }}, barbara-ruetting.de<br>- (18 April 2010) [http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.spiritualitaet-die-leichtigkeit-des-seins-page1.61189882-a6b0-4dee-9a40-d136768d6036.html Spiritualität: Die Leichtigkeit des Seins], ''[[Stuttgarter Zeitung]]''. Retrieved 28 July 2011.</ref>

=== Others ===
* [[Pratiksha Apurv]], an artist, is Rajneesh's niece and has been a member of the movement since the age of 11.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090905010919/http://www.pratikshaart.com/about_artist.php About Pratiksha Apurv]. pratikshaart.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.</ref>
* Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover, eldest son of [[Prince George William of Hanover (1915–2006)|Prince George William of Hanover]] and [[Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark]], joined the movement in 1975 and died from a ruptured [[cerebral haemorrhage]] at the age of 33, while at the Poona ashram. Rajneesh gave him the name of Swami Vimalkirti.<ref name="Vimalkirti">Wilhelm Bittorf (3 February 1981). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120324151443/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-14316328.html?name=Ein+Welfe+im+Nirwana "Ein Welfe im Nirwana: Der Tod eines deutschen Prinzen, der für Bhagwan lebte"]. ''Der Spiegel''. Retrieved 20 September 2008.</ref>
* Shannon Jo Ryan, daughter of former Congressman [[Leo Ryan]], who investigated the [[Jonestown]] commune of the [[People's Temple]] in [[Guyana]] and was killed there by followers of the Temple in 1978. She joined the Rajneesh movement in 1981,<ref>William E. Geist (16 September 1981). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090420082912/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/16/nyregion/cult-in-castle-troubling-montclair.html Cult in castle troubling Montclair]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 8 July 2011.</ref> took the name Ma Prem Amrita Pritam, and married another sannyasin, Peter Waight (Swami Anand Subhuti), at Rajneeshpuram in 1982.<ref>AP (28 December 1982). [https://web.archive.org/web/20140123043030/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/28/us/around-the-nation-daughter-of-rep-ryan-married-at-guru-s-ranch.html Around the Nation; Daughter of Rep. Ryan Married at Guru's Ranch]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 8 July 2011.</ref>
* Ma Prem Pratiti – Lady Zara Jellicoe, daughter of [[Earl Jellicoe]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z_E9AAAAIAAJ&dq=lady+zara+jellicoe+rajneesh&pg=PA2|title=Life as Laughter: Following Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh|first=Bob|last=Mullan|date=28 December 1983|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|isbn=9780710200433 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[1985 Rajneeshee assassination plot]]
* ''[[Breaking the Spell (Stork book)|Breaking the Spell: My Life as a Rajneeshee and the Long Journey Back to Freedom]]''
* ''[[Byron v. Rajneesh Foundation International]]''
* ''[[Rebellious Flower]]''
* [[New religious movement]]

== Footnotes ==
{{refbegin}}
: '''a''' {{note label|a|a|none}} [http://library.syr.edu/digital/collections/h/Hand-bookOfTheOneidaCommunity/ The Handbook] of the [[Oneida Community]] claims to have coined the term around 1850, and laments that its use was appropriated by socialists to attack marriage, an institution that they felt protected women and children from abandonment.
{{refend}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Citation |last=Aveling |first=Harry |title=Osho Rajneesh and his disciples: some western perceptions |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zn4k2WvKZUC |isbn=978-8120815995}}.
* {{Citation |last=Brecher |first=Max |title=A passage to America |publisher=South Asia Books |year=1993 |isbn=978-9994330218}}.
* {{cite book |last=Chryssides |first=George D. |author-link=George Chryssides |year=2001 |orig-year=1999 |title=Exploring New Religions |chapter=New Forms of Buddhism: Osho/Rajneesh |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S4_rodMYMygC&pg=PA206 |location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum International]] |series=Issues in Contemporary Religion |pages=206–214 |doi=10.2307/3712544 |jstor=3712544 |isbn=978-0826459596 |oclc=436090427 |s2cid=143265918}}
* {{Citation |last1=Carrette |first1=Jeremy |last2=King |first2=Richard |title=Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion |place=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0415302099}}.
* {{Citation |last=Carter |first=Lewis F. |title=Charisma and Control in Rajneeshpuram: A Community without Shared Values |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1SLj0HbX-MC&q=shared+values+Rajneeshpuram |isbn=0521385547 |year=1990 |access-date=12 July 2011}}.
* {{citation |last=Clarke |first=Peter Bernard |title=New religions in global perspective: a study of religious change in the modern world |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=0415257484}}.
* {{Citation |last=D'Andrea |first=Anthony |title=Osho International Meditation Resort (Pune, 2000s): An Anthropological Analysis of Sannyasin Therapies and the Rajneesh Legacy |journal=[[Journal of Humanistic Psychology]] |year=2006 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=1–26 |url=https://www.academia.edu/6227399}}.
* {{Citation |last=FitzGerald |first=Frances |author-link=Frances FitzGerald (journalist) |year=1986 |title=Cities on a Hill: A Journey Through Contemporary American Cultures |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |isbn=0671552090}}. (Includes a 135-page section on [[Rajneeshpuram]] previously published in two parts in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' magazine, 22 September and 29 September 1986 editions).
* {{Citation |last1=Forsthoefel |first1=Thomas |author-link1=Thomas Forsthoefel |last2=Humes |first2=Cynthia Ann |title=Gurus in America |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0791465745}}.
* {{Citation |last=Fox |first=Judith M. |title=Osho Rajneesh&nbsp;– Studies in Contemporary Religion Series, No. 4 |publisher=[[Signature Books]] |year=2002 |location=Salt Lake City |isbn=1560851562}}.
* {{Citation |last=Goldman |first=Marion S. |contribution=Narcissistic Vulnerability, Transference, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh |year=1997 |title=Religion, society, and psychoanalysis: readings in contemporary theory |editor-last=Janet Liebman Jacobs, Donald Capps |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=0813326486}}.
* {{Citation |last=Goldman |first=Marion S. |author-link=Marion Goldman |title=Controversial New Religions |title-link=Controversial New Religions |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-515682-9 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=James R. |editor-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |edition=1st |location=New York |language=en |chapter=When Leaders Dissolve: Considering Controversy and Stagnation in the Osho Rajneesh Movement |editor-last2=Petersen |editor-first2=Jesper Aagaard}}.
* {{citation |last=Goldman |first=Marion S. |contribution=Avoiding Mass Violence at Rajneeshpuram |editor-last=Wellman, James K. |title=Belief and bloodshed: religion and violence across time and tradition |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2007 |isbn=978-0742558243}}.
* {{Citation |last=Gordon |first=James S. |title=The Golden Guru |publisher=The Stephen Greene Press |location=Lexington, MA |isbn=0828906300 |year=1987 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/goldengurustrang0000gord}}.
* {{cite book |last=Heelas |first=Paul |date=1996 |title=The New Age Movement: Religion, Culture and Society in the Age of Postmodernity |location=Cambridge |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=978-0631193326}}
* {{citation |last=Hunt |first=Stephen |title=Alternative religions: a sociological introduction |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |year=2003 |isbn=0754634108 |contribution=Rajneeshees}}.
* {{citation |last1=Idinopulos |first1=Thomas A. |first2=Edward A. |last2=Yonan |title=The sacred and its scholars: comparative methodologies for the study of primary religious data |publisher=Brill |year=1996 |isbn=9004106235}}.
* {{Citation |last=Kakar |first=Sudhir |title=Shamans, mystics, and doctors: a psychological inquiry into India and its healing traditions |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b_EBs3A7Z1YC |isbn=978-0226422794 |year=1991 |access-date=12 July 2011}}.
* {{citation |last=Kuriansky |first=Judith |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tantric Sex |publisher=Penguin |year=2002 |isbn=978-0028641751}}.
* {{citation |last1=Latkin |first1=Carl A. |last2=Sundberg |first2=Norman D. |last3=Littman |first3=Richard A. |last4=Katsikis |first4=Melissa G. |last5=Hagan |first5=Richard A. |title=Feelings after the fall: former Rajneeshpuram Commune members' perceptions of and affiliation with the Rajneeshee movement |journal=Sociology of Religion |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=65 |doi=10.2307/3712176 |year=1994 |jstor=3712176}}.
* {{Cite book |last3=Pant Bansal |first3=Sunita |last2=Arms |first2=Rodney |last1=Krishnamurti |first1=U.G. |editor3-last=Pant Bansal |editor3-first=Sunita |editor2-last=Arms |editor2-first=Rodney |editor1-last=Krishnamurti |editor1-first=U.G. |author-link1=U.G. Krishnamurti |title=The mystique of enlightenment: conversations with U.G. Krishnamurti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6efkbAiXKoC |publisher=Smriti Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-8187967095 |access-date=5 July 2011}}
* {{Citation |last1=Lewis |first1=James R. |author-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |editor-last=Petersen |editor-first=Jesper Aagaard |title=Controversial New Religions |place=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=019515682X}}.
* {{Citation |last=Mehta |first=Uday |title=Modern Godmen in India: A Sociological Appraisal |publisher=Popular Prakashan |location=Mumbai |isbn=8171547087 |year=1993}}.
* {{Citation |last=Menen |first=Rajendar |title=The Miracle of Music Therapy |publisher=Pustak Mahal |year=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wdszaOG-S54C |isbn=978-8122308068}}.
* {{Citation |last=Mistlberger |first=P.T. |title=The Three Dangerous Magi: Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley |publisher=O Books |pages=713 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6nUWy4UYocC |isbn=978-1-84694-435-2 |year=2010 |access-date=12 July 2011}}.
* {{Citation |last=Newport |first=John P. |title=The New Age movement and the biblical worldview: conflict and dialogue |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |year=1998 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rxss1cqHWYIC |isbn=978-0802844309}}.
* {{Citation |last=Osho |title=Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |year=2000 |location=New York |isbn=0312254571}}.
* {{Citation |last1=Palmer |first1=Susan J. |author-link=Susan J. Palmer |editor-last=Sharma |editor-first=Arvind |title=The Rajneesh Papers: Studies in a New Religious Movement |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |location=Delhi |isbn=81-208-1080-5 |year=1993}}.
* {{Citation |last=Pike |first=Sarah M. |contribution=Gender in New Religions |year=2007 |title=Teaching new religious movements |editor-last=Bromley |editor-first=David G. |publisher=Oxford University Press US |isbn=978-0195177299}}.
* {{citation |last=Reader |first=Ian |title=A Poisonous Cocktail? Aum Shinrikyo's Path to Violence |publisher=Nordic Institute of Asian Studies |year=1996 |isbn=8787062550 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/poisonouscocktai0000read}}.
* {{Citation |last1=Shupe |first1=Anson D. |author-link1=Anson D. Shupe |last2=Bromley |first2=David G. |author2-link=David G. Bromley |title=Anti-cult movements in cross-cultural perspective |publisher=Garland |pages=274 |isbn=978-0815314288 |year=1994}}.
* {{Citation |last=Süss |first=Joachim |title=Bhagwans Erbe: Die Osho-Bewegung heute |publisher=Claudius Verlag |location=Munich |isbn=3532640104 |year=1996 |language=de}}.
* {{citation |editor=Forsthoefel, Thomas A. |editor2=Cynthia Ann Humes |title=Gurus in America |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0791465738 |last=Urban |first=Hugh B. |contribution=Osho, From Sex Guru to Guru of the Rich: The Spiritual Logic of Late Capitalism}}.
* {{Citation |last=Wright |first=Charles |title=Oranges & lemmings: the story behind Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh |publisher=Greenhouse Publications Pty Ltd |location=Richmond Victoria |pages=166 pages |isbn=0864360126 |year=1985}}.
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Citation |last=Goldman |first=Marion S. |year=1999 |title=Passionate Journeys&nbsp;– Why Successful Women Joined a Cult |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |isbn=0472111019}}
* {{Citation |last=Palmer |first=Susan Jean |year=1994 |title=Moon Sisters, Krishna Mother, Rajneesh Lovers: Women's Roles in New Religions |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0815602972 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/moonsisterskrish0000palm }}
* O'Brien, Paula (2008) [http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/2473/1/O%27Brien_2008.pdf The Rajneesh sannyasin community in Fremantle] Master's degree thesis at [[Murdoch University]], [[Western Australia]]
* {{Citation |last=Waight |first=Subhuti Anand |year=2019 |title=Wild Wild Guru |publisher=[[Coronet Books|Coronet]] |isbn=978-1529345278}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links| wikt = no| b = no| q = Osho movement | s = Osho movement | commons = Osho movement | n = no| v = no| species = no| display = Osho movement | author = no }}
* [http://www.osho.com/ Osho International Meditation Resort]
* [http://www.osho.ru/ Moscow Osho Centre "Winds" and Osho-Commune "Bhavata"]
* [http://www.sannyas.wiki/ The Sannyas Wiki]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009173217/http://www.neosannyas.org/ Neosannyas.org]
* [http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/religion/019515682X/acprof-019515682X-chapter-07.html Considering Controversy and Stagnation in the Osho Rajneesh Movement]
* [http://www.ashejournal.com/index.php?id=151 Article ''The Rise and Fall of Rajneeshpuram'' in ''Ashé Journal'']
* [http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/ Rajneeshees in Oregon: The Untold Story]&nbsp;– Five-part series in ''[[The Oregonian]]'' newspaper, April 2011
* [http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?perpetrator=5288 List of attacks attributed to the Rajneeshees on the START terrorism database]
{{Osho movement}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rajneesh movement| ]]
[[Category:Hindu new religious movements]]
[[Category:Hindu denominations]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 1960s]]