There is no God; there is only our life. We have the freedom to obey no one, to be sexually independent, to love at any moment, and to do what we want, as long as we think of nothing else. We should always remain awake, enjoying everything our existence has to offer. These are just of the set ideals that the Indian mystic guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, mostly known as Osho, would teach his thousands of followers. The movement he lead spread across the world and was controversial because of its ideals and its leader’s hidden motives. Osho once insulted Mahatma Gandhi and swore that capitalism was the answer to the evils of the world.
Rajneesh, originally named Chandra Mohan Jain, lived most of his childhood with his grandmother, where he lived completely free spirited. This translated in him being considered an excellent student and terrific contender for all sorts of discussions and debates. His religious upbringing, his rebellion, and self-perception as a “superior” being led him to abandon celestial beliefs and take an interest in socialism. At the time he was not creating a movement but showed an interest in transforming his followers’ thoughts.
After becoming a university professor in Philosophy, he was transferred on the basis of being a risk to his students’ morals and religion. At the other institution, he was highly acclaimed for his speaking abilities, and while still teaching he traveled all over India giving conferences on socialism, religion, and Anti-Gandhi statements, under the name Acharya Rajneesh. This intellectual considered the leader of India’s independence movement to be a “masochist who loved poverty.” The problem with Rajneesh’s teachings was that they never offered a solution and were constantly affected by their teacher’s contradictions.
While he amassed followers with his pro-socialist arguments, he would comment that the only way India would develop as a nation was through capitalism. He supported science, technology, and birth control measures, including abortion. He also claimed that people with disabilities should be killed, in order to free them from a life of suffering, and be given the chance to be born again to a life with better opportunities. It wasn’t long before he constructed his practices, a loyal fan base, and became an international phenomenon. Marketing seems to be responsible for his rise as a public figure.
The world was made aware of the guru in 1968 after his book From Sex to Superconsciousness was published. As controversy arose, Rajneesh preened at the attention. He mocked several religions, claiming he did not subscribe to any, while pointing out that these would only cause more pain to the Indian population. Soon after becoming headlines news, thousands of people considered him a leader of a new perspective.
The Rajneesh movement was not an actual religion, but it allowed him to create a center called the Osho International Meditation Resort, a sort of hotel where his followers would live as a community and participate in several activities. Some claim the experiences there were not unlike going to a festival, considering how they were constantly motivated to increase their sexual encounters. In his later years, he renamed himself as Osho and developed several kinds of paranoia and health issues as a side effect of his lifestyle.
Osho’s ten commandments are attractive, yet also prove that any man with good persuasion skills can convince other people of having an answer to their problems. This guru was no different to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a leader of several spiritual movements, including transcendental meditation, who constantly contradicted himself, and hid a privileged life not available to his followers.
These are Osho’s teachings:
Never obey anyone’s command, unless it is coming from within you also.
There is no God other than life itself.
Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
Love is prayer.
To become a nothingness is the door to truth. Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment.
Life is now and here.
Live wakefully.
Do not swim; float.
Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.
It’s no mystery why Osho became such a famous figure while not maintaining any actual concrete beliefs. His talks supported several economic systems, and his constant contradictions searched for individual freedom. Offering that to people is likely to have them open their minds to a master of discourse like the guru. His deceit, which supported the upper class, paralleled that of other characters who kept permanent falsehood under the guise of ideas that anyone would be interested in. Still, there appears to be no harm in his lie, considering his legacy continues to bring joy to those who practice his teachings.
Translated by María Suárez
