Press Conferences ~ 05

event type	interview
date & time	30 Sep 1985 pm
location	Rajneesh Mandir, Rajneeshpuram
language	English
audio	Available, duration 1h 33min. Quality: good. Live music before and after the interview.
online audio	free download from OshoWorld
video	Available, duration 1h 33min. Quality: good.
online video
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	PRESS05

notes

synopsis: Interview. Announcements by Ma Prem Isabel : Richard Wagner, CBS Network (questions 1-5); Scott Millet, KGW-TV, Portland (q.6-12); Bob Chase, KEX Radio, Portland (q.13); Sally Hill, The Associated Press, Portland (q.14-15); Mike Housical, The Globe (CD-ROM adds: USA; Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia; and Star, London, UK) (q.16-18); Linda Kramer for San Francisco Examiner (q.19-20); Jerry Thompson, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (q.21-24); Mike Zeilinzinger for Night Ridder Newspapers (q.25-26); John McCoy for Seattle Post Intelligencer (q.27-29); Eric Follet from Stern Magazine (q.30-33); Bill Harlem for Denver Post (CD-ROM adds: Colorado) (q.34-35).

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

Question 1 : Richard Wagner, CBS Network

Could you explain why you make the statement that religion has given humanity nothing except the disease AIDS? I don't understand that.

Question 2

For instance?

Question 3

But specifically, how has religion contributed to AIDS?

Question 4

What came first, religion or AIDS?

Question 5

But we all understand that AIDS is a virus. How can a virus be caused by a religion?

Question 6 : Scott Millet, KGW TV, Portland

If in fact you don't have a religion going here, how can your foundation still claim tax exempt status and won't that create a problem for you getting donations in the future?

Question 7

Does what you say include then your foundation here? Do you believe that you should be giving up your tax exempt status?

Question 8

I guess I hear you saying that you are a religion or you are religious for the...

Question 9

You are religious when it comes to tax purposes...

Question 10

... But you're not religious when it comes to... separation of church and state.

Question 11

I grant you there is a very fine line there, do you think...

Question 12

Do you think the internal revenue service will see that fine line that you've just described to me?

Question 13 : Bob Chase, KEX Radio, Portland

With regard to the investigation that is underway at Rajneeshpuram, I'm wondering if you have subpoenaed to offer any testimony with regard to the investigation?

Question 14 : Sally Hill, The Associated Press, Portland

Osho, at a previous news conference I asked you whether Oregonians and your disciples could ever coexist peacefully and you answered, "Never!" Yet it seems that these overtures you're making to Oregonians and those in the former city of Antelope seem to head along those lines. Can you speak to that please?

Question 15

How do you intend to go about attaining this one existence?

Question 16 : Mike Housical, The Globe USA; Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia; and Star, London, UK

Sir, you talked earlier about how you would like to leave these people when you finally decide to leave them. Have you decided if you're going to spend the rest of your days here or have you plans to travel on?

Question 17

Forever.

Question 18

You don't have plans to open any other communes in any other parts of the world.

Question 19 : Linda Kramer, San Francisco Examiner

Regarding your comments on AIDS, should practicing homosexuals leave the commune?

Question 20

Would you discourage people who don't wish to lose the habit from coming to you...

Question 21 : Jerry Thompson, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

I wonder if you could tell us what you know about where Sheela is now and the latest... We in Canada haven't really heard all the news and the statements you have made about the attempted murder, the arson, wire tap and various other things like that. So could you tell those in Canada who don't know anything about this what the story is behind that, what happened and why?

Question 22

Do you expect ever to see her again, or have you said your last words to her?

Question 23

Do you think that her intention was merely to take over and replace you, or did she have some other bigger plan in mind?

Question 24

Are you making any attempt, is your organization making any attempt to track her down and deal with her own your own?

Question 25 : Mike Zeilinzinger, Night Ridder Newspapers

Even before the recent rift as you describe it, law enforcement agencies were already here, already looking at records. Not in the commune, but were already investigating this operation. Now that they are here, now that many outsiders have come to look into the files and look into the books and look into the tape recordings that have been discovered, do you fear that whole process may destroy this place and destroy what's going on here?

Question 26

Could you elaborate a bit on this conspiracy that you allege?

Question 27 : John McCoy, Seattle Post Intelligencer

You said earlier that you were not the head of a religion, you were not a prophet, you are not a savior, you are a meditator among friends, among fellow meditators. Why then are you so remote? Why are you in the chair, you in the Rolls Royce, not available except at these discourses to your fellow meditators?

Question 28

How about the Rolls Royces? Many could be accommodated there!

Question 29

Will they ride in those cars?

Question 30 : Eric Follet, Stern Magazine

You would like to make your friends here in the commune self-reliant in every way, material as well as spiritual, not dependent on you anymore.

Question 31

Does it not mean that your final and most logical goal must be to dissolve the commune and leave it?

Question 32

Are these German limousines by chance, German cars?

Question 33

Osho, the little book which you ordered to be burned today contains almost nothing else but quotes of you, which you use in quite similar form in your other books. Does that mean that you will burn all your books one day?

Question 34 : Bill Harlem, Denver Post, Colorado

This morning you mentioned several requests from local people for peace offerings from you. I believe you mentioned a methodist that wanted a Rolls Royce. You said that these people should be offering peace offerings. Could you be more specific, what would you consider a peace offering from the local community?

Question 35

A sannyasin told me at the burning this evening, I asked him what the deep meaning of this ceremony was, and he said, "Well, it's all a big joke."

(source:CD-ROM)