Press Conferences ~ 01

event type	interview
date & time	16 Sep 1985, 19:00
location	Rajneesh Mandir, Rajneeshpuram
language	English
audio	Available, duration 2h 1min. Quality: good. Live music after the interview.
online audio	free download from OshoWorld available on OSHO.com as The Last Testament Vol 2 #26
video	Available, duration 2h 9min. Quality: good.
online video	Edited excerpt: Bigamy - Just To Get a Swiss Residence (3min 23sec, a part of question 1) **
see also	timeline : Osho Timeline 1985 first edition : Press Conferences (1994 on CD-ROM) other editions, translations and links
online text	find the PDF of this discourse
shorttitle	PRESS01

notes

synopsis

Interview. Announcements by Ma Prem Isabel : Mark Hendricks, KOIN-TV, from Portland (questions 1-2); Scott Miller, KGW-TV, Portland (q.3-6); Roberta Ulrich, The Oregonian, Portland (q.7-9); Richard Wagner, CBS Network (q.10-14); Brian Ecker, Associated Press (q.15-18); Don Lattin, San Francisco Examiner (q.19-21); Pete King, Los Angeles Times (q.22-25); Steve Davis, KGO-TV, San Francisco (q.26-29); Bill Graves, Bend Bulliten (q.30-35); Grey Hoy, Seven Network, Australia (q.36-38); Swami Anand Videha for (editor: couldn't transcribe Italian name), Italy (q.39); Les Zaitz, The Oregonian, Portland (q.40-41); Tom Stevenson, The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles (q.42-44); Ma Mary Catherine, The Rajneesh Times (q.45-46); Gerald Erickson, The Dalles Weekly Reminder (q.47-48); Ted Viramonte, Madras Pioneer, Madras (q.49); Jackie Johnson, K-Bend Radio, Bend (q.50-51); Ma Viren, Espresso Magazine, Panorama Magazine and Europeo, Italy (q.52-53); Susan Barr, Q104, The Dalles (q.54-57); Bob Smith, KPRB Radio (CD-ROM adds: Redmond; q.58-60); Alex King, KACI Radio, The Dalles (q.61-62); question from Fred Breuning from Newsday in New York. Hasya: "he interviewed you recently and couln't come in time, he asked: ... " (q.63).

CD-ROM on this chapter: (see names in context of questions)

At first there is Osho's statement and then questions.

Question 1 : Mark Hendricks, KOIN-TV, Channel 6, Portland (CBS Affiliated)

Edited excerpt: 3min 23sec, a part of question 1 **

You said the commune is fifty-five million dollars in debt, that was your figure ? Is that the result of negligence on the part of these people or criminal wrongdoing on the part of the people you mention ?

Question 2

Does a fifty-five-million-dollar deficit endanger the future of the commune ?

Question 3 : Scott Miller, KGW-TV, Channel 8, Portland (NBC Affiliated)

Since you began speaking again, in the past you have defended Sheela fairly vehemently. How did she get you to go along with all this? You've seemed very well versed on the issues, all the way through, very much in command of the issues that affect your community. Did you really not know what was going on in Antelope, really not know what was going on with the finances ?

Question 4

Since you've been speaking again, though, there's been about eight months where you have supported Sheela from time to time.

Question 5

Do you feel like perhaps you're a prisoner here ?

Question 6

In the past, I'm referring to.

Question 7 : Roberta Ulrich, The Oregonian, Portland

You have sort of held out an olive branch to the people of Oregon and the people of Antelope. Will this include any action to perhaps settle some of the numerous lawsuits amicably ?

Question 8

Would you perhaps consider dropping such as the suit against all of the state and local officials as part of your olive branch ?

Question 9

You have one against governor Atiyeh and Dave Frohnmeyer and a long list of...

Question 10 : Richard Wagner, CBS Network

I thought I heard you talk of poison, and Swiss bank accounts, and fifty-five million dollars. Are we talking about attempted murder and theft, or what are we talking about ?

Question 11

Specifically, the group you refer to as the fascist gang, of what do you accuse them of doing ?

Question 12

Have they stolen money from the commune ?

Question 13

Do you have the means to discover if the money was stolen ?

Question 14

Do you intend to pursue these people in the courts of Oregon ?

Question 15 : Brian Ecker, Associated Press, Portland

We've been told that Sheela delivered a letter to you on Saturday before she left the commune. If that's true, can you divulge to us what the letter said ?

Question 16

Do you believe the sannyasins who have left the commune were involved at all with the Salmonella outbreak in the Dalles last year ?

Question 17

I'm not sure if you understood my question. There was an outbreak of Salmonella last year in the Dalles. Do you believe that these sannyasins had anything to do with that ?

Question 18

Do you have any evidence of that ?

Question 19 : Don Lattin, San Francisco Examiner

Osho, last summer Sheela made an announcement during the festival where she said you had declared a long list of sannyasins enlightened, and had set up three committees to continue Rajneeshism after you leave your body. My question is, a) did you in fact tell her that, and b) are any of those people who you did declare enlightened among this fascist gang.

Question 20

So you're saying you did tell her that, but you were just joking.

Question 21

The last time there was a change in your personal secretary, the previous woman, Laxmi, sort of disappeared, from public view at least. Where is she and do you expect her to come back now...?

Question 22 : Pete King, Los Angeles Times

Did you confront, or try to confront, Sheela with any of this before you went public with us, on any of these accusations ?

Question 23

She left today or she left Saturday ?

Question 24

What specifically have you told the police and local authorities, and do you have any fear or concern or desire to bring them in here to investigate maybe some people who were accomplices in any of these alleged things ?

Question 25

Do you think all the bad people have left ?

Question 26 : Steve Davis, KGO-TV, San Francisco (Channel 7)

On the matter of the AIDS clinic or AIDS home in the Antelope housing project, you mentioned here this evening that you learned the day before the news conference that that was what was to be announced at the big news conference. You and I spoke a week or ten days before the news conference, and you alluded to that project in a taped interview with me, in which you characterized it by the same phrase you used tonight, that being something extremely dangerous, and said that you wouldn't have the street people program again because you had done that, but that you were going to do something that would shock America and that was even more dangerous, as you characterized it.

Question 27

And you weren't at that time alluding to the AIDS clinic in any way ? That was not on your mind ?

Question 28

Others -- Ma Anand Puja, and I understand she is one of those who is gone now, and Sheela -- at that time said that it was indeed the AIDS project that...

Question 29

Would that conversation about AIDS to which you say you had agreed in the news conference had been something you would consider dangerous, as you referred to it in our news conference, or in our interview ?

Question 30 : Bill Graves, Bend Bulletin

Osho, will you definitely be pulling out of Antelope ? And what's to become of all that housing there, that's there now ?

Question 31

So they would have to buy back the property that...

Question 32

How about giving them back the name of their town?

Question 33

You will not do that?

Question 34

What are you going to do with that housing now that you're not going to use it for the AIDS project?

Question 35

Why did Sheela and these other sannyasins try to poison Mike Sullivan, do you know?

Question 36 : Grey Hoy, Seven Network, Australia

Osho, you do know Sheela very well. Where do you think she and the others will go to settle?

Question 37

Do you have any idea where she might go to settle?

Question 38

You advise all of these people to be skeptical. Could I just ask one question of them, and that is: Many of you have also known Sheela well for a long time. Did anyone here express scepticism publicly or privately at the Osho's allegations? And I'd invite anyone to answer that.

Question 39 : Sw Anand Videha, Italy

Through a situation like this, there seem many possibilities for learning. Can you tell us what you have learned?

Question 40 : Les Zaitz, The Oregonian, Portland

You said this evening that you're going to stir in these people again the thought that they have to be independent. You've lectured along that vein for many years. Yet in the past three years we've seen that they've surrendered that independence to "the gang." What does that suggest about your teachings? Have they not listened to you, or have your teachings failed?

Question 41

The people that you've accused of attempted murder would be welcome with respect and love?

Question 42 : Tom Stevenson, The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles

Osho, you said earlier that Sheela and her gang had wanted to poison the water system of the Dalles, am I right? You did state that? Did you know that the fact, how far they went, at the fact when they were going to do that, or did you just find that out?

Question 43

You talked about them poisoning or trying to poison other people. Wasco County judge Bill Hulse was sickened after a visit here.

Question 44

By Sheela and her gang?

Question 45 : Ma Mary Catherine, The Rajneesh Times

Osho, these last two days for the people who live here have been an emotional time. A number of them have expressed to me the wish to ask you: How is it that we didn't say what we saw at the time that we saw it?

Question 46

In that regard, what can we watch out for in ourselves to be certain that mistake doesn't happen again?

Question 47 : Gerald Erickson, The Dalles Weekly Reminder

About six months ago there was a fire, apparently arson, at the Planning Department office in the Dalles. Do you know if Sheela and her gang are responsible for that?

Question 48

You've laid out an olive branch tonight, and, as you know, Sheela was very much disliked by the people of Wasco County and the people of Oregon. Do you think that with the olive branch that you've laid out tonight, and with Sheela being gone, that the people of Oregon and of Wasco County in particular will respond positively to that?

Question 49 : Ted Viramonte, Madras Pioneer, Madras

Osho, feelings run strong in Antelope for the people that have been there for an awful long time. They may look upon your offer with distrust. Do you feel that the offer of vacating the houses there is enough, or will you send emissaries out there to talk to them?

Question 50 : Jackie Johnson, K-Bend Radio, Bend

Osho, what is your answer to your enemies who will say that Sheela is being used as a scapegoat because she's not here to defend herself?

Question 51

At another interview that I was present at, you stated that you were a man who loves controversy. What are you going to do for controversy now?

Question 52 : Ma Viren, Espresso Magazine, Panorama Magazine and Europeo, Italy

Osho, I come from Italy... and Italy is a country known because of the mafia. What I see here is that a deep cleaning is happening. How can be this relate to the birth of the new man?

Question 53

And what will be the future in the commune? You were speaking two days ago about calling intelligent people here now that everything is being rid from the mediocrity. So what these intelligent people will do? When what you see...?

Question 54 : Susan Barr, Q104, The Dalles

Osho, there are lots of lawsuits involving your commune and the state of Oregon and the county of Wasco, and since these may have been initiated by some of the people in this gang, and may be politically motivated, are you going to back off on the lawsuits that are back and forth between the state and your commune?

Question 55

By your action?

Question 56

Another question. Do you believe that all the people who wanted to betray you are gone from this commune?

Question 57

Have they betrayed anyone here?

Question 58 : Bob Smith, KPRB Radio, Redmond

Osho, in the past you, at least on one occasion, referred to the people of Oregon as being stupid. Do you still know of no people as stupid as those in Oregon?

Question 59

Is it necessary for the people of Rajneeshpuram and any other group, or the people as a whole of the state of Oregon, to have anything to offer to another as a larger social group. Do we need in any way to depend upon one another for anything, or do we stand as separate entities?

Question 60

If Sheela were to come back to Rajneeshpuram, what kind of greeting could she expect?

Question 61 : Alex King, KACI Radio, The Dalles

Osho, was there an effort to subvert the state and federal election laws while Sheela was running the show?

Question 62

Can we be assured that Sheela's terrorism has ended in Wasco county?

Question 63 from Fred Breuning, Newsday, New York (question is being read by Ma Prem Isabel)

Osho, there is one last question, from a journalist, Fred Breuning from Newsday in New York. He interviewed you recently and couldn't come in time. He asks, "Osho, were you not aware that this kind of elitism was taking place in your name, and why didn't you act sooner?"

(source:CD-ROM)

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