Acharya Rajneesh, popularly known as Osho, was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic, and the founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was born on December 11, 1931, in Kuchwada, Madhya Pradesh, India, and passed away on January 19, 1990, in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Osho gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for his teachings on spirituality, meditation, and a holistic approach to life. He attracted a large following, especially among Western seekers, and established an ashram in Pune, which became an international spiritual center. Osho’s teachings covered a wide range of topics, including meditation, love, awareness, and the importance of living in the present moment.
In 1955, Rajneesh, a young intellectual, completed his Bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Jabalpur University and later pursued a Master’s degree at Sagar University. By 1957, he had begun teaching at Sagar University. At the age of 21, Rajneesh experienced a profound spiritual awakening that led him to believe in the centrality of personal religious experience, transcending the confines of a single belief system.
In 1966, Rajneesh resigned from his university position and transitioned into the role of a guru and meditation instructor. In the early 1970s, he initiated individuals into the sannyas tradition, emphasizing a unique perspective on renunciation—living fully engaged in the world without attachment. Westerners were drawn to Rajneesh’s teachings, and by 1974, a new headquarters for his movement was established in Pune. Dynamic meditation, a practice designed to facilitate divine insights, became a foundational element of his teachings.
Rajneesh’s progressive views on sexuality, in contrast to the celibacy advocated by many other Indian teachers, attracted attention. In 1981, he moved to the United States, where controversies ensued. The following year, Rajneesh planned to create Rajneeshpuram near Antelope, Oregon. However, the movement faced challenges as key collaborators left amid allegations of bio-terrorism, attempted murder, drug trafficking, and election fraud in Antelope. In 1985, Rajneesh pleaded guilty to immigration fraud, leading to his deportation from the United States. Banned from entering 21 countries, he returned to Pune, where his ashram quickly grew to 15,000 members.
In 1989, Rajneesh adopted the Buddhist name Osho. His disciples, after his death, came to believe in a government conspiracy against him. Pledging to continue the movement he initiated and asserting his innocence, they established around 750 centers in over 60 countries worldwide by the beginning of the 21st century.
