The Last Testament (Vol 3) ~ 05

event type	interview
date & time	26 Sep 1985 pm
location	Sanai Grove, Rajneeshpuram
language	English
audio	Available, duration 0h 55min. Quality: good. Live music after the interview.
online audio	free download from OshoWorld
video	Available, duration 0h 58min. Quality: good.
online video
see also	timeline : Osho Timeline 1985 first edition : The Last Testament (Vol 3) (1994 on CD-ROM) other editions, translations and links
online text	find the PDF of this discourse
shorttitle	LAST305

notes

synopsis: Interview. Announcements by Ma Prem Hasya : Scott Miller, Channel 8, Portland; Tom Paulu from Longview Daily News from Washington state.; CD-ROM on this chapter: Interviews with: Scott Miller, NBC, Channel 8, Portland, Oregon (questions 1-36); and Tom Paulu, Longview Daily News, Seattle, Washington, USA (q.37-49).

Question 1 : Scott Miller, NBC, Channel 8, Portland, Oregon

Things you've been saying have meant a lot of changes for your sannyasins. Specifically: wear any color you like, don't wear your mala if you don't want to. You got any other changes in mind for your sannyasins?

Question 2

Nothing right at the moment?

Question 3

Nothing you'd like to share with us right now, though?

Question 4

Why did you choose this moment? Why did you choose this moment when it would seem that you would need something to bind everybody together -- like clothing and malas -- to say, "don't worry about that any more, you don't have to do it"?

Question 5

But what about all the rest of your books? You've got lots of them.

Question 6

How are they different?

Question 7

Are you planning on going anywhere soon?

Question 8

You said you don't want your disciples to be Rajneeshees. What would you like us to call them?

Question 9

Sometimes we need to refer to them as a group of people that live here?

Question 10

Nothing shorter than that?

Question 11

There certainly has been turmoil and some confusion and some chaos in this community, as you would expect given some of the things that these people have had to digest in the last two weeks. Is that what you had in mind?

Question 12

Do you think there's too much chaos, though, that the buses won't run on time, the crops won't get harvested?

Question 13

Some of your sannyasins have told me here they have really been going through some anguish lately. How do you feel about that? Some of them have been going through enough anguish to leave this place.

Question 14

One thing Hasya was saying today when we were talking to her is that another reason for telling people to wear what you want around your neck and on your back and everything else, is so you can blend into society better.

Question 15

Would you like to see them go out into society more than they have, perhaps?

Question 16

How come now? Why did you have people start wearing red in the first place?

Question 17

You figure you've got a million sannyasins around the world now?

Question 18

You expect most people to stop wearing red?

Question 19

Do you need more sannyasins now?

Question 20

Is that good or bad as far as you're concerned, having more sannyasins?

Question 21

But you don't care about numbers?

Question 22

Does it have anything to do with money -- the more sannyasins you have, the more wealth your...

Question 23

The Major bank that the various organizations deal with here cut you off, so to speak. You can't have Visa cards used here any more or there's a good chance you won't for a short time, at any rate at the first interstate bank. And your checking account may be cancelled. What's your reaction to that? If you're so wealthy...

Question 24

How would you feel about starting your own bank here?

Question 25

I've heard the idea brought up.

Question 26

Anything new as far as you talking to the FBI? If there's any hope that you will have a chat with them or another law enforcement body. One of the state police people that I talked to, who I perceived to be perfectly honest, tolerant and friendly during this investigation, has said that he's tried ten times to talk to you, not about crimes but just to try and get around some of the misunderstandings, and he hasn't been able to do it yet.

Question 27

Any chance you'll talk to him or the FBI?

Question 28

Will you talk to him?

Question 29

Don't you think it might ease some of the tension if you chatted with him?

Question 30

You spoke about hijacking and about demonstrations at embassies and... I took it with a grain of salt, to be perfectly honest. But other people didn't. How do we know when to take you seriously.....(inaudible)

Question 31

Some people might not take such things as hijacking with a sense of humor I think.

Question 32

I would have a lot of trouble seeing you out there with a picket sign.

Question 33

Like what?

Question 34

Does it bother you that this community still is, at least in many ways, cooperating with the investigators, even though you said you weren't and you didn't want them to?

Question 35

You talk about if you ever get your green card, taking a trip. What country would you most like to visit?

Question 36

Germany? How come?

Question 37 : Tom Paulu, Longview Daily News, Seattle, Washington, USA

You've indicated that you want to improve your relations with people outside the commune in Oregon and in the Northwest. Can you give us some examples of things you might do to do that?

Question 38

Are you saying that in itself can be enough of a gesture to really change your image with people throughout Oregon?

Question 39

Do you think some people might perceive that as a threat? They'd rather be able to say, "Well, there goes a Rajneeshee -- look out!"

Question 40

You commented that there's a possibility you would patch things up with Sheela. A few days ago there was an interview in the German magazine Stern in which she was quoted as saying, "The hell with Bhagwan." Do you still do you still think that you could repair your relationship with her?

Question 41

Are you taking more authority yourself in...?

Question 42

Well, your love wasn't enough in Sheela's case to prevent her from trying to poison you.

Question 43

What's to prevent her successors from eventually having the same problems, assuming that all these legal problems... And certainly there are a lot of police here today, and politicians making statements.

Question 44

Did you feel when all these revelations came out a few weeks ago that there was some lessening in the support you were getting from the sannyasins, that they felt let down?

Question 45

She was certainly much more... She could be very hostile on television, which is not your style at all.

Question 46

Do you think the group can hold together after that?

Question 47

There's some speculation that maybe you're going to go some place else when you can, because some people draw a connection between what's happened here recently and what happened in India before you came here.

Question 48

Concerning your decision to tell people they could choose whether or not to wear red: Is there any particular reason why that came today? Had you been thinking about it for a while? Did it come to you in a sudden flash?

Question 49

Because some people on the outside might see this as a response, some image....

(source:CD-ROM)