Chandra Mohan Jain (11 December 1931 19 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (pronunciation(helpinfo)) during the 1970s and 1980s, and as Osho (pronunciation(helpinfo);) from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher. His international following has continued beyond his death.

A professor of philosophy, he travelled throughout India during the 1960s as a public speaker. His outspoken criticism of politicians and the political mind, Mahatma Gandhi and institutionalised religion made him controversial. He advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality, a stance which earned him the sobriquet of "sex guru" in the Indian and (later) international press.[1] In 1970 Rajneesh settled for a time in Bombay, initiating disciples (known as neo-sannyasins) and assuming the role of spiritual teacher. In his discourses he reinterpreted the writings of religious traditions, mystics and philosophers from around the world. Moving to Pune in 1974, he established an ashram which attracted a growing number of Westerners. The ashram offered therapies derived from the Human Potential Movement to its Western audience and made news in India and abroad because of its permissive climate and Rajneesh's provocative lectures. By the late 1970s, tensions were mounting with the Indian government and the surrounding society.

In mid-1981, Rajneesh relocated to the United States, where his followers established an intentional community (later known as Rajneeshpuram) near Antelope, Oregon south of The Dalles, Oregon. Almost immediately, the commune's leadership became embroiled in conflicts with local residents (primarily over land use), which were marked by hostility on both sides. The large number of Rolls-Royce cars purchased for Rajneesh's use by his followers also attracted criticism. The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when Rajneesh revealed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes, including a bioterror attack (food contamination) on the citizens of The Dalles.[2] He was arrested shortly afterwards, and charged with immigration violations. Rajneesh was deported from the United States in accordance with a plea bargain.[3][4][5] Twenty-one countries denied him entry, causing Rajneesh to travel the world before returning to Pune, where he died in 1990.

Rajneesh's ashram in Pune is today known as the Osho International Meditation Resort. His syncretic teachings emphasise the importance of meditation, awareness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humour: qualities which he viewed as suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialisation[citation needed]. Rajneesh's teachings have had a notable influence on Western spirituality, as well as New Age thought.[6][7] Their popularity has increased since his death.[8][9]

Rajneesh was born Chandra Mohan Jain (the eldest of eleven children of a cloth merchant and his wife) at his maternal grandparents' house in Kuchwada, a small Indian village in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh State.[10][11][12] His parents, Babulal and Saraswati Jain (Taranpanthi Jains), let him live with his maternal grandparents until he was seven years old.[13] By Rajneesh's account, this was a major influence on his development; his grandmother gave him unbridled freedom and imposed no education on him.[14] When he was seven his grandfather died, and Chandra went to Gadarwara to live with his parents.[10][15] Rajneesh was profoundly affected by his grandfather's death and the death of his childhood girlfriend (his cousin Shashi) from typhoid when he was 15. His preoccupation with death lasted through much of his youth.[15][16] He was a gifted though rebellious school student, and acquired a reputation as a formidable debater.[17] Rajneesh became an anti-theist, was interested in hypnosis, and was briefly associated with socialism.

In 1951, aged nineteen, Rajneesh began his studies at Hitkarini College in Jabalpur.[18] Asked to leave after conflicts with an instructor, he transferred to D. N. Jain College in Jabalpur.[19] Disruptively argumentative, he was not required to attend classes at D. N. Jain College (except for examinations); he used his free time to work as an assistant editor for a local newspaper.[20] He began speaking in public at the annual Sarva Dharma Sammelan (meeting of all faiths) at Jabalpur, organised by the Teranpanthi Jain community into which he was born. He participated there from 1951 to 1968.[21] He resisted parental pressure to marry.[22] Rajneesh later said he became spiritually enlightened on 21 March 1953, at age 21, in a mystical experience while sitting under a tree in the Bhanvartal Garden in Jabalpur.[23]

After completing his B.A. in philosophy at D. N. Jain College in 1955, he joined the University of Sagar, where in 1957 he earned his M.A. with distinction in philosophy.[24] He secured a teaching post at Raipur Sanskrit College; however, the vice-chancellor soon asked him to seek a transfer since he considered him a danger to his students' morality, character and religion.[25]

Beginning in 1958 he lectured in philosophy at Jabalpur University, and was promoted to professor in 1960.[25] A popular lecturer, he was acknowledged by his peers as an exceptionally intelligent man who had overcome the deficiencies of a small-town education.[26]

Concurrent with his university job, Rajneesh traveled throughout India under the name Acharya Rajneesh (Acharya means teacher, or professor; Rajneesh was a nickname he acquired in childhood), presenting lectures critical of socialism and Gandhi.[17][25][27] He said socialism would only socialise poverty, and described Gandhi as a masochist reactionary who worshipped poverty.[17][27] What India needed to prosper were capitalism, science, technology and birth control.[17] He criticised orthodox Indian religions as dead, filled with empty ritual and oppressing their followers with fears of damnation and promises of blessings.[17][27] Such statements made him controversial, but gained him a loyal following which included wealthy merchants and businessmen.[17][28] They arranged individual consultations about their spiritual development and daily life in return for donations (a common arrangement in India), and his practice grew rapidly.[28] In 1962, he began to lead three- to ten-day meditation camps; the first meditation centres (Jivan Jagruti Kendra) emerged around his teaching, then known as the Life Awakening Movement (Jivan Jagruti Andolan).[29] After a controversial speaking tour in 1966, he resigned from his teaching post.

After calling for a greater acceptance of sex in a 1968 lecture series (later published as From Sex to Superconsciousness), Rajneesh was dubbed "the sex guru" by the Indian press. His talks scandalised Hindu leaders.[30][1]

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