The 1970s and 80s marked the emergence of many spiritual movements, though few have sparked as much fascination and controversy as Osho’s (born Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Emerging as a prominent spiritual leader in the 1970s, Osho captivated thousands with his revolutionary blend of Eastern religious philosophies and Western psychotherapeutic techniques. As time went on and his influence grew, so did his power, wealth, and crimes.
Early Life and Foundations
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was born in 1931 in central India to a wealthy family. Intelligent from a young age, he often questioned orthodox Indian religious traditions and social structures. As a philosophy student, he studied diverse thinkers and wrote a thesis rejecting the asceticism and societal repression he felt pervaded Eastern belief systems.
While attending college at 21 years old, Rajneesh took a year off of school and claimed to have reached enlightenment after a mystical experience while in the Bhawartal garden in Jabalpur. This experience changed his life, opening the doors for his future as a spiritual guru.
After graduating with a Masters in Philosophy, he began publicly teaching his vision of spirituality centered on conscious, joyful living freed from repression. His spirit and tenacity drew in many people seeking spiritual enlightenment and guidance.
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Sexual Liberation and Substances
Central to Rajneesh’s teachings was the idea of embracing sexual desires as a path to enlightenment, profoundly challenging Indian cultural norms. In 1964, he began hosting meditation camps that greatly grew his following. The meditation sessions involved a five-step ritual of deep breathing, singing, shouting, dancing, kicking, and laughing hysterically. At this point, he also began to be known as a prominent “sex guru.”
Rajneesh published books that explore tantra, an ancient Indian spiritual practice, but interpreted in revolutionary ways. Rather than tantra’s traditional yoga and rituals to transcend material desires, Rajneesh taught that being fully present in sexual experiences could expand consciousness.
In his book This Very Body: The Buddha, he claimed that “You have to imbibe the Tantra spirit – it is not a technique to be learned.”
While promoting promiscuity, the guru discouraged having children, with contraceptives and abortions heavily recommended. Many believers got sterilized, with some as young as 25.
His ashram in Pune, India became a hub for Westerners seeking new spiritual experiences. Provocative meditation practices like his trademarked OSHO Nataraj Meditation featured spontaneous dancing and opening to desires. However, critics claimed these practices crossed the line into promiscuity and substance abuse, alleging Rajneesh encouraged drug use like nitrous oxide to enhance mystical states.
Rajneesh’s approach also extended to the use of controlled substances. He was open about his use of nitrous oxide, describing it as a way to stimulate spiritual insight and enhance mystical experiences. Uncovered within Books I Have Loved, by Osho and Swami Devaraj (later published in 2009), Rajneesh discusses how he dictated three books while under the influence of nitrous oxide. Rajneesh believed that these substances could potentially offer glimpses into higher states of consciousness similar to those achieved by historical figures like Buddha and Jesus.
By 1970, many Westerners became followers of Rajneesh, moving to India where they began wearing orange and red clothing, changed their names to Indian names, and engaged in sexual (and sometimes violent) group sessions. By the early 1980s, the Rajneesh movement became increasingly controversial in India and was fast outgrowing the small six-acre ashram.
The Oregon Commune
Facing legal issues in India over tax evasion and visa violations, in 1981 Rajneesh relocated the growing movement to the United States. His followers pooled over $6 million to purchase a 64,229-acre ranch in rural Antelope, Oregon where they planned to create a utopian city called Rajneeshpuram. Thousands of sannyasins (devotees) migrated and rapidly built homes, malls, offices, and gathering spaces. What was once a small quaint town in rural Oregon was soon overtaken by thousands of Rajneesh disciples. “If you live in the country you kinda like the country to remain the way it is,” said Bernie Smith, a former Wasco County District Attorney.
Furthermore, many of the devotees were vegetarian, despite the local cattle industry, and came from vastly different cultural and spiritual backgrounds, often clashing with one another. As the compound began to rapidly expand, they were often met with zoning regulations, building codes, and local government red tape. This added to the ever-growing tension and conflict between the locals, whom the sannyasins claimed were being oppressive.
Longtime local residents became uncomfortable with the commune’s openness about sexuality and their collectivist principles, compared to their conservative Christian values. The commune’s practices, including large-scale events featuring dynamic meditation and open expressions of sexuality, were seen as provocative and threatening by the neighboring communities. As the population swelled to over 7,000 residents, local Antelope citizens started selling their property to escape the influence of the burgeoning cult.
Despite the local tension, within just four years, the Rajneeshes had invested over 50 million dollars into the Commune. The property contained hundreds of homes, a private airport for Rajneesh, a mass transit system, and gardens for sustaining their own food supply. Eventually, the town was renamed to Rajneeshpuram, signifying its true turning over to the cult.
Legal Battles and Crimes
The conflict quickly turned ugly in 1984, when Rajneesh’s personal secretary, and right-hand woman, Ma Anand Sheela, orchestrated one of the first bioterror attacks in the U.S. Often seen at the feet of Rajneesh, Sheela was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect Rajneeshpuram. To do so, the group purposely contaminated salad bars and the local water supply tank in the Oregon city of Dalles with salmonella, with hopes of incapacitating voters opposed to the commune’s expansion.
The bacteria spread to many other restaurants and reports of illness began skyrocketing. This case became one of the largest bacterial outbreaks of the time, with over 700 people infected across the city. The attack further ruined the group’s reputation with the authorities and made the town known throughout the United States.
Federal investigations would go on to further uncover that Sheela’s followers had amassed illegal weapons, conducted intelligence operations against U.S. officials, and plotted to assassinate the then-U.S. District Attorney Charles Turner. At the time, the state of Oregon had also begun investigating Rajneesh for crimes, including sham marriages and massive wiretapping efforts.
This investigation posed a great threat, as it could potentially lead to the arrest and deportation of the group’s beloved Rajneesh and put an end to their utopia. The group also considered crashing a plane filled with bombs into the Dalles courthouse but never went through with their plans.
The group also planned on assassinating Rajneesh’s personal doctor, Swami Devaraj, and his caretaker, Ma Yoga Vivek, who they believed were a threat to the wellbeing of the guru. Devaraj was injected with adrenaline during the Rajneeshpuram annual world festival, from which he nearly died. The attempt on Vivek came with plans to inject her with a lethal combination of potassium and adrenaline, but the assassin was unable to break into her home.
In 1985, Sheela was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder, assault, immigration fraud, and product tampering. After fleeing to Europe to escape trial, she was extradited back into the United States, where she faced ten years in a federal prison in Pleasanton, California. However, she would only go on to serve two and a half years before her release in 1988, and her eventual move to Switzerland where she still resides today. All other members of the assassination plot were also convicted, a major event in the dismantling of Rajneeshpuram.
Rajneesh was deported that year after pleading guilty to concealing his role in arranging sham marriages to allow followers to remain in the U.S. Following the investigation, Turner claimed, “This is the last of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.”
Under a plea agreement, Rajneesh was given five years of probation and was barred from entering the U.S. again without special permission from the attorney general. Rajneesh is famously quoted as saying “I never want to come back to this country again.”
The news of his plea deal came as a shock to those remaining and a few weeks after his arrest, Rajneeshpuram began to officially fall apart.
The Fall of Rajneeshpuram and Rajneesh’s Final Years
Following his exodus from the U.S. Rajneesh returned to India and dropped the “Bhagwan” title, adopting the name Osho, which he is known as by his followers today. He continued writing books and leading meditative therapy programs via his Pune ashram until his death in 1990 at age 58.
Despite the criminal acts of some inner circle members, Osho maintained a devoted global following both during his life and today. His books have sold over ten million copies and his philosophies blending Eastern thought with Western psychotherapy remain influential. However, detractors view Osho as a dangerous, narcissistic cult leader who promoted lawlessness under the guise of enlightenment. As is true about most cults, sexual liberation is often used as a guise to commit sexual assault against members or cover it up.
Many have come forward against Osho for sexual abuse, such as former sannyasin Erin Robbins, a select “energy medium” who was able to become close with Rajneesh. Robbins claimed that as she grew closer to the guru, their interactions became increasingly sexual, which eventually led to alleged sexual assault. Lily Dunn, one of the few children raised at the Medina compound, claims “Bhagwan enabled instead what became a perversion of love. He and his disciples chose to ignore the corruption and abuse of the children who embodied the innocence they were meant to revere. By not acting they became complicit.” Dunn shares how her father allowed grown men to watch her inappropriately at just nine years old and by age thirteen, encouraged her to have sex with a fellow adult sannyasin.
Presently, there is the Osho International Meditation Resort, a spiritual club, located in Pune, India. Visitors can experience “Osho Meditation,” complete online courses expanding on the philosophy and religion of Rajneesh, and connect with fellow believers.
What remains of the former town of Rajneeshpuram, now renamed back to Antelope, is a ghost town, with many of the structures unmaintained and empty. What was once a booming “utopia” quickly crumbled and is nothing but a distant memory for the citizens of Oregon.
