Editing of sources

This page is under construction --Sugit (talk) 19:35, 9 October 2016 (UTC)

This page is meant to be a hub for reports and references about the editing of Osho's words in publications, be that as books, audio or video.

Introduction

Osho has been writing, especially letters, has given interviews, and has dictated texts. But by far the most of his words were simply spoken. Spoken before live audiences, first before huge audiences all around India, later in his Ashram / Commune in Poona (now Pune). Those discourses would, for example, be about a specific religious master, whose sutra's would be read by one of the sannyasins, and Osho would comment. Or sannyasins would write questions to Osho, and some of them Osho would choose to answer in public.

All discourses were given completely spontaneous, which was quit a feat to see: there would be long elaborations, side steps and intermittent jokes, but after say half an hour the main subject would be taken up again (and wake up the listeners with a shock). Osho would hold a little board with some notes, on which were written just the questions and the name of the questioner, or the sutras. Also jokes would be written out. But the main discourse was always spontaneous.

The lectures had a duration of between half an hour and 4 hours. The average duration of 5,863 recorded English lectures is 98 minutes, the 5,064 recorded Hindi lectures lasted on average 84 minutes.

These recordings would then be transcribed, and published as books. Editing was minimal, the books are say 98% exactly as spoken. Some of the early books were compilations, but Osho said again and again that he preferred to have his discourses as a whole and as a series. After his death again compilations were made. In the bibliography in this Wiki, compilations are always tagged as such.

Reports from editors

A first-hand description from an editor from 1974 is to be found in Ma Prema Veena's Glimpses of My Master, which has been reproduced [[1]] with her kind permission.

Books

And important source for the process of editing is Neeten's Osho Source Book.

xxx comparison of recent publications with original texts.

The CD-ROM

An important source of Osho's original texts are to be found in Osho Books on CD-ROM. This CD-ROM contains mostly the text as published in the first (English) editions and the first translations from Hindi.

It's page in this Wiki has a section with notable differences between the audio and the published text.

Audio

xxx Audio history, production, intros, changed questions.