I have often wondered why Osho went to America in 1981. He was on record telling Vivek that he was very reluctant to go. And I have also wondered actually, if he had not, how history might have panned out?
In reconsidering 1981, when I worked in the silk screen department in the Pune ashram, it was certainly true from my own observation that Osho appeared to be really quite ill. He gave up speaking early in that year, though he came back in May giving silent satsang on and off until he left for the USA a few months later.
Osho had been ill from asthmatic attacks when he arrived in Poona in 1974, Laxmi had even at that time to give consideration to moving again to try and find an environment that would suit Osho’s health, and he discontinued lectures for a while then. But he recovered his health in 1976, and gave lectures continuously for some years, perhaps the greatest lectures he ever gave were at this time.
In late 1980 Osho began to suffer very severe back pain, and in parts of 1981 until he left, he was supine, even sleeping, so some say, on the floor to try and relieve the pain.
Meanwhile the politics of the ashram changed. From early 1981 it seemed to me that Laxmi was no longer in charge. I dont know whether there was a formal change in power. Within the inner circles of the ashram it became clear that Sheela wanted Osho to go to the USA. Like many Indians at that time, she thought that America offered something materially that was nowhere else to be found, and she had tasted it when she had lived there earlier. There is evidence that she actually hated her homeland, and all its poverty, etc.
However something also happened with Devaraj at that time. He was obsessed, as I suppose he should have been by Osho’s back pain – and his inability to treat it. At some point in early 1981 he took initiative.
In Devaraj’s book, “Bhagwan: The most Godless yet most Godly man” he describes (Chapter 19), Osho’s interface with a Doctor who Devaraj describes as a mentor, sent for from London, called Dr Cyriax, who he called the “Armenian Hammer”, due to his departures from “normal” osteopathy and success with quite powerfully applied pressure. (Cyriax was a famous specialist and originator of this form of spinal manipulation. He was about 80 when he met Osho) Basically he confirmed Davaraj’s diagnosis of disc disease, but even Cyriax’s methods seemed not to relieve the pain.
That is how Devaraj fell in with Sheela’s plan to take Osho to America, because at the time back surgery was most advanced in New York ~ actually Osho never did have surgery, and for some reason later in the desert air of Oregon, both his back and his asthma improved considerably.
I myself think that his back improved because of daily swimming in his private pool, and his asthma improved because of the desert air. (I say the latter because my own father suffered from fairly severe asthma, but said it was never better than when he was in the Saharan desert serving in WW2!).
So my conclusion is that Osho moved from India because of an unlikely and unfortunate combination of forces, and against his own inclinations. (He had never previously been anywhere outside of India):
Sheela’s love of the States, and Devaraj’s utter frustration in not being able to even relieve Osho’s back trauma. At the time Devaraj clearly thought that this would only be relieved through surgery – and that done in the States, and according to his old friend Cyriax, that was the the best place to have surgery. In fact Cyriax advised against having surgery in India.
Hence the crossroads of history fall out in the affairs of men.
Parmartha
P,
You might find this interesting.
Given me a fantastically different perspective on turning points in my life. Including taking sannyas.
http://redondowriter.typepad.com/sacredordinary/2008/09/progoffs-intersections-roads-taken-and-not-taken-in-a-nutshell.html
Thanks Arps.
Sometimes I find myself convinced of the ‘sliding doors’ phenomenon! Just getting through the doors, or not, of a tube…maybe you end up blown up by a terrorist, or meeting the love of one’s life!
Can get dizzy pondering on that one.
Thanks, too, from me!
The topic of this post and the link you’ve posted really got me inspired – and I checked back this intersection of my life in 1980/1981 regarding “roads not taken”…huu.
Thanks again, Arpana, for the Redondowriter link. I have read a bit and stopped at:
2. Roads we could have taken but for some reason did not. Dr. Progoff called these unlived possibilities, but are often important to explore.
I feel inspired to write about some personal matters during the period mentioned in the post. Thanks, Parmartha, for hitting it off:
1980/1981 was an intersection in my life where I took two intuitive decisions without thinking too much:
1st. In Oct. 1980:
I registered for the Enlightenment intensive group in Poona via a sannyasin friend whom I met in Kathmandu and who was travelling from there to Poona.
2nd. In Dec. 1980:
I cancelled this registration and went to my first Vipassana meditation retreat in Bodh Gaya, India.
I followed this practice very intensely until Aug. 1981 – interrupted by like 6 weeks of yoga classes and travelling from India to then Burma, now Myanmar, to practise with the wonderful Burmese Sayadaws.
At that time I did not know a thing about plans that Bhagwan was moving to the U.S.of A. I would have arrived in Poona – and no Bhagwan there!
I returned to Europe in Jan. 1982 – and became a sannyasin Nov. 1982. In 1983, I went to the U.S.of A. and happened to be at the summer festival at the Ranch as a paying guest. When I left after the 10 days festival, I lost my mala when hitch-hiking out of Portland to San Francisco (didn’t get a new one: “You are not ready yet. Continue to meditate….”).
During my stay at the Ranch I was fully ignorant of any organisational calamities; I had no idea about guns, salmonella or any legal problems whatsoever. I did not know about any internals, I did not get near the management, I was a meditator and shy enough.
Later on, I regretted a lot not going to Poona – even after the Ranch period. But looking at the timeline of events now, I feel: “Ooops, I missed a lot of chaos and the opportunity to come physically closer to Bhagwan than sitting at the long end of Buddha Hall with 5000 other persons.”
Still, this period was indeed just a part of the journey.
I use the Intensive Journal a lot. Really enjoy doing so.
The book is for sale at Amazon.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, interesting post, and on-topic!
I just ordered Devaraj’s book at AbeBooks, because I take it as 1st-hand report of someone with a heart besides brain and anything else.
Why Osho went to America in 1981? The second question, which is more important: ‘Why Osho stayed in America?’
Millions of professionals and entrepreneurs of all kinds go in different countries to open their branches and factories, but they don´t try to settle there.
Also, for health reasons, thousands of Indians who can afford avail health facilities in UK and USA. How many of them find the way to get settled there?
I know what Parmartha will say: ”Sheela gave the wrong information, it is all her fault.”
Whereas if Sheela had been white you would have blamed her as vociferously as you blame Jayesh, because you cant get white woman to have sex with you.
Arpana, this is your prejudiced mind.
My less criticism for Sheela is for the reason she is the past, Jayesh is the present. It has nothing to do with racism and colour.
Nothing to do with Sheela.
Osho found that the desert air and environment very much favoured his health. I know this from personal family and social work experience, amazingly enough the desert air proves a very healthy place for those who suffer asthma and a tendency towards fused discs, etc! Must be as simple as the absence of damp.
I never did consider Poona a very healthy place for Osho, or as a matter of fact, for many Europeans. When getting hep. people said it was the “energy”. Pure rubbish, it was the hygiene and contaminated water! The same was said to me when I had a bout of bacilliary dysentery! All nonsense.
Given he was no longer confined to his bed and found he could move around easily and without pain in his back, and his improved breathing, no wonder he stayed there.
Shantam, everything you write is based on prejudice.
If this is your understanding…
One should not waste time with unworthy and closed minds.
I agree with you, Shantam.
That is why you have no credibility.
Trust is one element that if it goes wrong turns the dreams into nightmares.
Osho as master has to rely upon the suggestions of closed disciples. Once any entrepreneurship becomes bigger than a kiosk, tennis-like thing turns into football!
As we are looking retrospectively, America move has the consequence to break the knees of the Sannyas Inc.
I know from my own life experience how blue-eyed trust of few of closest relatives has left a lifelong feeling of betrayal. The people who became the cause of my financial ruin are typical, like Sheela and the doctor; both are enjoying quite a wonderful life. Sheela has built her caring empire. I am sure, some trust money was siphoned to Swiss banks. When the donation was pouring in like rain, any trustee of this Kalyuga will put around 10-20% in the secret accounts.
And the doctor, he is enjoying too the unofficial position of a self-chosen successor in 24 acres of smooth and clean Resort with babes around, in the middle of a highly polluted city.
That a character like you, Shantam, who has scaled the heights of self-deception, has the cheek to bellyache about trust, adds yet more to your total lack of credibility.
Osho never wanted to go to America, and he told Vivek and others that at the time. He was persuaded by his faith in western medicine, something he shared and shares with loads of Indians!
There was a desert in Kutch, and Laxmi had much of that move in order in 1980, but of course, Devaraj as a western doctor, seems to have had no idea of common sense naturopathic simplicities. Get your patient into some desert damp-free air and much improves.
Personally, I always regret that the Kutch move never happened. Still being in India, but in such an other-worldly place would have been good, and both Osho and many of his staff knew India and the Indian ways so well….
Parmartha, Osho was already facing lot of opposition from a fanatic Hindu Political Party, Shiv Sena, about shifting to the Himalayas. This region is very traditionally Hindu & also due to strict land purchase laws at that time, probably it was not possible.
Kutch was possible as there was a good amount of Gujarati support for Osho.
Seems Osho went into a total let-go, and paid for it physically, I guess.
Kavita, I think your last sentence sums it up.
So there has been a failure on the side of – possibly not only – management:
No one had courage enough to admit that ‘Big Muddy’ couldn’t be used for extensive settlements – and to give clear information on that to everybody concerned.
In hindsight, we all missed a bullet by not moving to Kutch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Gujarat_earthquake
Good point, Anu! But chances are we would not have been in Kutch by that time!
Arun’s commune in Nepal seems to have survived the devastating earthquakes in Nepal last year. So argument is not definitive but interesting, and interesting in terms of the ‘Sliding Doors’ we all experience.
Do you know this film, P?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliding_Doors
(Not recommending the film by the way. Info only. Parts I’ve seen are a bit cheesy).✌
Thanks, Arps. Yes, I know the movie.
Those two persons/items mentioned could have been the reasons to try settling in the U.S. of A. Whereas for the medical treatment there was no need to move and settle there. Hmm.
I agree with Shantam that the decision to move to the U.S. of A. had the dimensions of an enterprise decision and thus Bhagwan had to rely on specialists as consultants.
As the laws of Oregon did not allow for buildings and settlement extensions on the ‘Big Muddy’, this management decision was wrong from the beginning.
He hasn’t posted a picture of himself, Shantam, so obviously, given you look down on anyone who doesn’t post a picture of themselves here, his remarks will be worthless.
Ha, I just found out that there is registration and profile and data section…Picture posted. That’s me, hepp. Not so fresh any more.
Klaus, seems you were a teenager when you came to Osho!
When taking sannyas I was 22. Before, I spent 2 years in India and practised Vipassana meditation in Bodh Gaya and Myanmar. So, sannyas happened after my life had been changed already.
Where did you find Vipassana, if possible can you share?
Kavita, please find here:
http://www.insightmeditation.org or
http://www.christophertitmuss.net/
English man who has been a Buddhist monk in Thailand, teaching meditation & inquiry since 1979 – Winter season in Sarnath/India.
The Mahasi meditation centre in Yangon, Burma/Myanmar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ6UAft8RC0
U Pandita Sayadaw – Burmese meditation teacher in Yangon, Burma/Myanmar (now in his 90s!)
http://www.panditarama.net/
In Burma/Myanmar there is a special visa for meditators with the help of the meditation centre.
Teaching is attention to the breathing at the nostrils or the belly, labelling of experienced items, sitting, walking, standing.
Daily interview with the teacher.
Cost: Donations, according to the Buddhist tradition.
Thank you, Klaus, for your effort which seems effortless, you seem to have a very good search engine
The irony of the pre-going-to-America situation is more large than most realise. It was in fact the joint work of the two main political players in the ashram at the time, his household led by Devaraj, and the office led by Sheela. An unstoppable double whammy.
Of course, later, these two power bases clashed enormously in Oregon, and ended in the attempted murder of Devaraj by Sheela and her gang!
But in Spring of 1981 they were very much allies, but with different reasoning in mind. The concerns about Osho’s health at the time were absolutely authentic. Anyone a little experienced in health, who was around then and took one look at Osho, knew he was ailing badly. I myself always felt that Poona never really suited his health, and why no-one really got it together to get him to the Himalayas I still find a mystery.
Sheela was really a housewife, and she would have in other circumstances maybe made a good one. She had no idea of wider political, legal and practical considerations. She made a hurried decision about the Ranch and paid well over the top for it. She had in her inner circle no male advisers around her who were worth their salt, and only one American.
When the housewife and those skills was confronted with responsibility for matters of state she actually fell apart and began her whole rollercoaster of taking uppers and downers, which led to paranoia and psychosis, and fantastical plans, like bussing in the homeless for votes, before having realised they would not be able to vote in the time frame!
What a contrast it would have been in Kutch, where both Osho and his staff would have known the Indian ways and system so well.
And who gave the power to be pilot-in-chief to Sheela?
A friend of mine had a 10-20 minutes personal meeting with Bhagwan in 1980/1981 and asked him the following question:
“Why would you want to go to America? You are settled here in India and this could be a very dangerous and challenging move?”
His answer – not literally or word by word – was:
“The purpose of my life has already been fulfilled. I have nothing to lose. I am not afraid of anything. But regarding the spiritual development of/in this world – I want a revolution.”
And so….
The decision to go to the States wasn’t taken till, say, April or May 1981. Osho only talked about names to new sannyasins at Darshan throughout 1980, and before he went into silence in 1981; so if I accept the veracity of your statement why would he have had a twenty minutes face-to-face talk with someone during which the subject of going to the USA was discussed before then?
Certainly there were other topics of personal nature discussed in the meeting. And the America thing was just a small item. As far as I have been told.
The statement was about motivation. That is why I made the comment. It’s not really informative about any other backgrounds like time, persons etc., that is true.
I vaguely recognise that statement, Klaus, and I have a feeling Osho said that to the Press in about 1984. Might be in the ‘Rajneesh Bible’. (Point of info only.)⚖
Fair enough.
I just lately learned that Bhagwan even travelled to Germany around 1981 – possibly on his way to the U.S.of A.
He is said to have visited Stuttgart in the South of Germany and landed at Stuttgart Aiport with ‘Air Rajneesh’.
In the city centre of Stuttgart – called Kleiner Schloßplatz – an event had been organised: Bhagwan arriving in his RR and sitting on a podium – giving Darshan and Shaktipat. Even an elephant was there (not a white one…)!
Spectators say that around 10.000 sannyasins, dressed in red and singing and dancing, were there.
So sorry I missed it.
But nothing to be found in the Press.
Anybody out there has pictures?
Are you getting ‘cuckoo’, Klaus?
1981, there was no internet, there was no mobile, but Germany of that time was not living in Stone Age when some angel comes on the golden chariot, makes ten thousand people dance and sing and then some UFO known as ‘Air Rajneesh’ airlifts him to America.
No press, no television has any clue. And wonder is, no Tandoori restaurant owner has hanged the picture of this Akashic event on his window shop.
Yes, I have one similar picture, Heidi Klum has gang-bang event in Black Forest, I have made the selfie! Lols.
Klaus,
The people you hang out with seem to be either misinformed or off the beam!
Osho never travelled to Germany in 1981. He travelled to Europe in 1985/6 on the world tour. I am sure Shanti or someone can correct me but I think he was refused by 21 countries worldwide to settle.
It is possible Germany was one of those, but I don’t think he tried to physically get in. He did try to get into the UK but they holed him up in Heathrow overnight before packing him off on his way.
Parmartha, when I read this piece by Klaus I thought to myself, “could he be testing?” (“Klaus, when you deal with the pundits from the school of Osho, be sure they are sharper than the old school pundits. These pundits have the container full with books. So be careful about dates and contents.”)!
Kavita, of course the event did happen. I was there and Anand Yogi was riding the elephant…
Tan, yes, now I remember, Yogi shared the photos!
Surprise! I will have to ask again very seriously about this (non)-event, really.
No misunderstandings here, please. I really was told it did happen! I will check back with this person to set this record right, if at all possible…grmblgrmbl.
The last published ‘Darshan Diary’ relates to January, 1979, apart from ‘Sound Of One Hand Clapping’, which is exclusively given over to name discussions, from before he went into silence in 1981. And from that time onwards (February, 1979) he spends most of his time talking to people about their new names, and by the end of the year (1979, that is) exclusively so.
Putting words into Osho’s mouth that fit his prejudices is one of Shantam’s games, another reason he has no credibility here.
Klaus, when you deal with the pundits from the school of Osho, be sure they are sharper than the old school pundits. These pundits have the container full with books. So be careful about dates and contents.
See, one pundit, Arpana, has given a strong rebuttal: ‘How your friend could talk with Bhagwan of that time in 1980/1981 when master was in silence?’
One point I can offer you: say my friend is a super-rich guy! For such people, rules have exceptions too.
Does not giving public talks mean being in the vow of silence? Parmartha, being the level-headed person, can also explain the much talked Silence of Osho?
Was He not communicating with His staff and managers? Was Osho using sign language, like Meher Baba?
☯
Thanks, Shantam. See my Meher Baba reference weiter unten…
Poona is/was indeed a blessed place: Sathya Sai Baba of Shirdi, Babajan, Meher Baba, Bhagwan…Now it’s BMW, Mercedes….
Klaus, Shirdi Sai Baba, pictured below, lived in Maharashtra. Satya Sai Baba, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, after throwing all his school books away sometime in his teens, was born in Andhra Pradesh (same state as Mother Meera).
Wasn’t Meher Baba one of the teachers of Bhagwan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nj3xLynNdU
Life of Meher Baba
Title of the video is enough to put me off: ‘Meher Baba: God in Human Form’. It is too much for me even to see, someone great referred not as god but with capital G.
If American follows the Indian way they will say, ‘Jeff Bezos: Lord Vishnu In Human Form’.
Question comes, how humanity disposes of the gods in human form after their death/departure/leaving the body!
That is why I made it into ‘life of Meher Baba’.
This is a real indian story: somebody transfers energy to him, this guy falls into a coma, everybody thinks he is ill and sends him to the doctors, nothing helps, until one day a Hindu priest from a temple throws a rock at him, hits him on his front and this guy comes back to life. And then…and then…and then…It is a ‘cuckoo’ story – I love it and feel transfixed.
Perfectly correct, Klaus!
The western mind cannot understand such happenings that are so commonplace in the land of the wisdom of mighty Bhorat!
Do not forget that Meher Baba also fell off his bike in Bund Garden Road, Pune (there is a small samadhi there to commemorate the happening) – he saw Hazrat Babajan, a female saint, by the roadside and went into ecstasy, so lost balance and fell.
Something similar happened to beloved Shantam when he was cycling along a road in Pune (88-90) – he saw a whiteskin female saint, Ma Prem Mahamangos, walking along the road…her breasts were clearly pointing to Nirvana through her red robe, but he completely lost his balance and his mind and fell off his bike at some speed, his groin flew straight into a concrete garbage bin whilst his head flew back into the path of an oncoming rickshaw!
The absurd western mind would have concluded that he had brain damage and arrested him for kerb-crawling, but in the land of mighty Bhorat he was taken to a Hindu priest who was given a thick brown envelope. The priest waved some incense in his face, furnished him with some clean underwear and recognised his satori!
By the grace of God he is still with us today and his mighty emissions have ensured that the wisdom of mighty Bhorat lives on, otherwise it would would be long forgotten and Osho’s work would have been consigned to the garbage can of history!
Yahoo!
Hari Om!
I had an orgasmic laughter! So good…
Anand Yogi, you can’t deceive us, you are nearly enlightened by the grace of Osho…such wisdom….
Look, Tan.
You at Darshan with Anand Yogi that day.
http://pekaho.tumblr.com/post/137649465285/beautiful-the-essence-of-the-message-by-yoda
Thanks, Arps, for keeping it and sharing with the guys…XXX
Hari Hari Hari – Ommmmmmmmmmmm!
‘onderful!
Yogi for Pres!
LOL, Kavita….
Tan, I wish I was there with you & Yogi. Anyway, I am sure you guys had whale of a time with 10,000 sannyasins & that cute elephant!
P.S:
Actually, 9,998 sannyasins, I forgot to deduct the two of you!
Don’t despair, Kavita, in the next event I will let you know! X
Why Osho went to America in 1981? I have seen the answer in the life story of one British gentleman.
Why this man wanted to cross the Antarctica alone? Passion for the impossible is the life nectar for few people. Osho is a hero in his sector the way Henry Worsley is in his art.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3415431/British-ex-Army-officer-bidding-man-trek-Antarctica-dies-organ-failure-collapsing-just-THIRTY-MILES-finishing-line.html#i-2f418e69674f07fc
Perfectly correct, Shantambhai!
To keep on stumbling for the rest of one`s life through an endless wasteland whilst having multiple organ failure is indeed the most noble act that a man can commit!
Do not be too humble, Bhai – this is the story of your life too!
Yahoo!
Hari Om!
I have often wondered why Osho went to America in 1981. Wonder no more. Tax reasons.
I heard Osho say that an Indian guru moving shop to The States always signalled their downfall. Of course, this is not actually true, but as far as Osho was concerned his trip to the Land of the Free was not the best of moves, even taking into account that he was able to watch a lot of movies and drive luxury cars.