Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh – Religious cults and sects …
Posted: September 16, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931 - 1990) Rajneesh founded the Rajneesh Foundation International, and is one of the most controversial of modern gurus. In 1981 he was deported from Oregon under a bevy of serious criminal charges associated with his ashram, or spiritual community. His recent death did little to stem his influence in Europe or America. [A]lso called OSHO AND ACHARYA RAJNEESH, original name CHANDRA MOHAN JAIN, Indian spiritual leader who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, individual devotion, and sexual freedom while amassing vast personal wealth. (...) In 1981 Rajneesh's cult purchased a dilapidated ranch in Oregon, U.S., which became the site of Rajneeshpuram, a community of several thousand orange-robed disciples. Rajneesh was widely criticized by outsiders for his private security force and his ostentatious display of wealth. By 1985 many of his most trusted aides had abandoned the movement, which was under investigation for multiple felonies including arson, attempted murder, drug smuggling, and vote fraud in the nearby town of Antelope. In 1985 Rajneesh pleaded guilty to immigration fraud and was deported from the United States. He was refused entry by 21 countries before returning to Pune, where his ashram soon grew to 15,000 members. In later years he took the Buddhist title Osho and altered his teaching on unrestricted sexual activity because of his growing concern over AIDS. [...more...] (...) the only known successful use of biological weapons in the United States was by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cult in 1984. The group contaminated salad bars in 10 restaurants in The Dalles, Ore., with Salmonella Typhimurium, causing several hundred people to become ill. Hinduism is not by nature a proselytizing religion, however, in part because of its inextricable roots in the social system and the land of India. In recent years, many new gurus, such as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and Satya Sai Baba, have been successful in making converts in Europe and the United States. The very success of these gurus, however, has produced material profits that many people regard as incompatible with the ascetic attitude appropriate to a Hindu spiritual leader; in some cases, the profits have led to notoriety and even legal prosecution.
Name Change
In 1988 thirty years after taking the title, ''Bhagwan,'' (which means ''the embodiment of God'') Rajneesh admitted the title and his claim to be God were a ''joke.'' ''I hate the word... I don't want to be called Bhagwan (God) again. Enough is enough. The joke is over,'' stated Rajneesh saying he was really the reincarnation of Buddha and claiming for himself the new title of ''Rajneesh Gautaman the Buddha,'' (Star Telegram, Dec. 29, 1988; Sec.1, p. 3). Later he took the title, ''Osho Rajneesh,'' a Buddhist term meaning ''on whom the heavens shower flowers.'' (Ibid, 1/20/90).
Rajneesh's flock caught much of his meditative bon mots on tape, and now incessantly recycle these ponderings as spiritual wisdom under the author name of Osho.
The amazing story of the Wasco County election scandal was revealed to the conference's riveted participants by Leslie L. Zaitz, an investigative reporter for The Oregonian, and Dr. John Livengood, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control. To win the county election, the Rajneeshees planned to sicken a good portion of the population in the town of The Dalles, where most Wasco County voters live. Their weapon of choice to keep local residents from voting was salmonella bacteria. Cult members decided to test the use of salmonella and, if successful, to contaminate the entire water system of The Dalles on Election Day. First, the Rajneeshees poisoned two visiting Wasco County commissioners on a hot day by plying them with refreshing drinks of cold water laced with salmonella. Then, on a shopping trip to The Dalles, cult members sprinkled salmonella on produce in grocery stores "just for fun." According to reporter Zaitz, that experiment didn't get the results they wanted so the Rajneeshees proceeded to clandestinely sprinkle salmonella at the town's restaurant salad bars. Ten restaurants were hit and more than 700 people got sick.
Looking for more information?
Read the original:
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Religious cults and sects ...
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - History of Oregon - November 5th, 2020
- 10 Shocking Facts About The Rajneesh Movement - Listverse - November 5th, 2020
- A portrait of warped motherhood, Arts News & Top Stories - The Straits Times - November 5th, 2020
- In search of the real Ma Anand Sheela - Livemint - October 21st, 2020
- Rajneesh: The Indian Sex Guru Who Slept with Hundreds of ... - September 1st, 2020
- Heres what Netflixs Wild Wild Country doesnt explain ... - September 1st, 2020
- COLUMN: Following in the boots of a legendary hiker - Baker City Herald - September 1st, 2020
- Libertarians Took Control of This Small Town. It Didn't End Well. - Washington Monthly - September 1st, 2020
- These 14 writers and bloggers investigate alleged cults and their leaders - Augusta Free Press - July 5th, 2020
- 10 Documentaries About Eccentric People To Watch If You Liked Tiger King - Screen Rant - May 23rd, 2020
- 29 Oregon-filmed movies and TV shows to watch when youre home because of coronavirus - OregonLive - May 7th, 2020
- Wild Wild Country documents the shocking story of a spiritual guru's move to Oregon - Amherst Wire - April 10th, 2020
- Editorial: Kim Thatcher for secretary of state in the Republican primary - Bend Bulletin - April 10th, 2020
- Best Netflix Originals series ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes rating - The Tab - April 10th, 2020
- Sheela from Netflixs Wild Wild Country: Where is she now? - Reality Titbit - Celebrity TV News - April 10th, 2020
- Priyanka Chopra says husband Nick Jonas "is a version of my father" - harpersbazaar.com - March 24th, 2020
- The 12 Best True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix Right Now - The New York Times - March 24th, 2020
- The best true crime shows on Netflix - PopBuzz - March 24th, 2020
- The 25 Best True Crime Documentaries You Need To Watch ASAP - Pulse Ghana - March 24th, 2020
- Take last step to voter access | Wire Commentary - Herald and News - February 14th, 2020
- Ma Anand Sheela: Lifes tough, baby; easy is for cowards - Hindustan Times - January 19th, 2020
- Will active meditation save me from myself? - Fashion Journal - January 19th, 2020
- 'I looked like her when I was young': Ma Anand Sheela prefers Alia Bhatt over Priyanka Chopra for her biopic - DNA India - December 23rd, 2019
- Ma Anand Sheela, of Oregons Rajneesh saga and Wild Wild Country fame, will star in new Netflix documentary - OregonLive - November 2nd, 2019
- Some Eye-Opening Osho Quotes That Will Grow Your Wisdom - Thrive Global - October 18th, 2019
- Return of the agent provocateur - THE WEEK - October 18th, 2019
- Monday Musings: When Sheelas love for Osho brought her to Pune after 35 years - Hindustan Times - October 10th, 2019
- Karan Johar interviews Ma Anand Sheela: She is controversial without revealing a thing - India Today - September 30th, 2019
- I have come out as a winner: Ma Sheela Anand - Livemint - September 30th, 2019
- LFW SS20: Ashish - beauty, magic and escapism - FashionUnited UK - September 30th, 2019
- Everyday Mystics - The Good Men Project - September 21st, 2019
- London Fashion Week: Sparkles and spiritualism were high on the agenda at Ashish - Fashion from Xpos - Virgin Media Television -... - September 21st, 2019
- The Best True Crime Shows And Movies To Watch If You Loved Hulu's 'The Act' - Pulse Ghana - September 21st, 2019
- JUST THE WAY IT IS: Believing something doesn't make it true - Monroe County Reporter - September 15th, 2019
- 25 years after Rajneeshee commune collapsed, truth spills ... - September 6th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh: Is he a charlatan, hypnotist or a ... - July 15th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - RationalWiki - April 27th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - biography.com - April 26th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh: Enlightenment was lure for ... - oregonlive.com - April 26th, 2019
- Ma Anand Sheela - Wikipedia - April 7th, 2019
- The free-love cult that terrorised America and became ... - March 19th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Death, Movement & Oregon - Biography - March 7th, 2019
- Growing up in the Wild Wild Country cult: You heard people ... - March 7th, 2019
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931 - 1990) - Cult Leader ... - March 7th, 2019
- 9 Rajneesh Followers on What Wild Wild Country Got Wrong - March 7th, 2019
- Rajneeshpuram - 99% Invisible - December 5th, 2018
- 13 Unknown Interesting Facts About Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ... - November 19th, 2018
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Author of The Book of Secrets) - November 19th, 2018
- Rajneeshees - The Oregon Encyclopedia - October 11th, 2018
- The Cult Of Rajneesh And The Largest Act Of Bioterrorism In U ... - July 28th, 2018
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Oregon History Project - July 10th, 2018
- Wild Wild Country: What Is the Rajneesh Movement? - June 15th, 2018
- Inside the Crazy Sex Cult That Invaded Oregon - May 13th, 2018
- The Real Story of Wild Wild Country's Bhagwan Rajneesh ... - April 7th, 2018
- Wild Wild Country FAQ: Everything You Need to Know ... - April 3rd, 2018
- 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack - Wikipedia - March 31st, 2018
- Rajneeshpuram . TV | OPB - March 24th, 2018
- I Covered The Rajneesh Cult. Heres What Wild Wild Country ... - March 24th, 2018
- Remembering the Rajneesh - Local News - East Oregonian - March 24th, 2018
- Rajneeshpuram - Wikipedia - March 23rd, 2018
- Rajneesh - Wikipedia - March 7th, 2018
- The Rajneesh Cult - Christian Research Institute - March 4th, 2018
- Netflix documentary focuses on The Rajneesh in Oregon - March 4th, 2018
- Love and loss in the shadows: children of priests try to connect with their fathers - The Boston Globe - August 19th, 2017
- My Republica - Conversing with a departed king - Republica - August 13th, 2017
- Author pens mysteries between hikes - Bend Bulletin - August 5th, 2017
- Searching for the 60s - Smoky Mountain News - August 5th, 2017
- Case Update: Produce Targeted by Man Spraying Mouse Poison - Food Safety Magazine - August 5th, 2017
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - britannica.com - August 9th, 2016
- Rajneesh Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre - April 10th, 2016
- Astrology: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, horoscope for birth ... - March 25th, 2016
- Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh - Wikipedia - January 22nd, 2016
- Rajneeshpuram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - October 4th, 2015
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh | biography - Indian spiritual ... - October 1st, 2015
- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Simple English Wikipedia, the ... - September 16th, 2015
- Astrology: Bhagwan Shree Osho Rajneesh, date of birth ... - September 16th, 2015