From Bhagwan to Osho: The story: Difference between revisions
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The story / trajectory of Osho's name changes presented on the [[Osho's names]] page is a bare-bones one. This page covers in detail the period from Dec 1988 to Oct 1989, from Bhagwan to Osho, along with the dropping of Rajneesh. It is based almost entirely on his words. Some conclusions that arise from this study are discussed on [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|the talk page]]. | The story / trajectory of Osho's name changes presented on the [[Osho's names]] page is a bare-bones one. This page covers in detail the period from Dec 1988 to Oct 1989, from Bhagwan to Osho, along with the dropping of Rajneesh. It is based almost entirely on his words. Some conclusions that arise from this study are discussed on [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|the talk page]]. | ||
== Dropping "Bhagwan" == | |||
''[[No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity]]'' #1, Dec 26: Osho comes back to speak after an absence of twenty days. He speaks of visions received by [[Sw Govind Siddharth]] and Katue Ishida, a Buddhist / Shinto seeress in Japan, that Gautam Buddha has come to inhabit his body. He speaks of how he detests the name Bhagwan, and now is the time to drop it. | ''[[No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity]]'' #1, Dec 26: Osho comes back to speak after an absence of twenty days. He speaks of visions received by [[Sw Govind Siddharth]] and Katue Ishida, a Buddhist / Shinto seeress in Japan, that Gautam Buddha has come to inhabit his body. He speaks of how he detests the name Bhagwan, and now is the time to drop it. | ||
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This completes the dropping of "Bhagwan". | This completes the dropping of "Bhagwan". | ||
== The Dawning of "Osho" == | |||
''[[Zen: The Mystery and the Poetry of the Beyond]]'' #1, Jan 8: Maneesha addresses him as "Our Beloved Master", on behalf of all in attendance, continuing that until the final change to "Osho". Hints of that change coming begin to appear, not in this book, nor the next, but starting in the one after that, ''[[Yakusan: Straight to the Point of Enlightenment]]''. They come in the form of the sutras / Zen anecdotes which Maneesha reads and which Osho comments on. These are presented in some detail and at length, since, taken as a group, the pattern is compelling. In the not-very-long period presented here, Osho speaks many times on the meaning of "Osho". | ''[[Zen: The Mystery and the Poetry of the Beyond]]'' #1, Jan 8: Maneesha addresses him as "Our Beloved Master", on behalf of all in attendance, continuing that until the final change to "Osho". Hints of that change coming begin to appear, not in this book, nor the next, but starting in the one after that, ''[[Yakusan: Straight to the Point of Enlightenment]]''. They come in the form of the sutras / Zen anecdotes which Maneesha reads and which Osho comments on. These are presented in some detail and at length, since, taken as a group, the pattern is compelling. In the not-very-long period presented here, Osho speaks many times on the meaning of "Osho". | ||
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There are several other instances of the use of "Osho" in this period. And prior to this period, none whatsoever. The instances detailed above have been deemed the most significant. | There are several other instances of the use of "Osho" in this period. And prior to this period, none whatsoever. The instances detailed above have been deemed the most significant. | ||
== Dropping "Rajneesh" == | |||
The final step to Osho's adopting this name is not to be found in his words or any official record, just in sannyas legend. It goes something like this: Various sannyasins eventually picked up on the hints Osho was dropping and asked him, "Beloved Master, can we call you 'Osho'?" Well, yes! Thus the new name came into being. As far as the books are concerned, it just happened, without further comment: On Feb 19, the last discourse of ''[[I Celebrate Myself: God Is No Where, Life Is Now Here]]'', Osho is still addressed as "Our Beloved Master" and on Feb 20, the first talk of ''[[The Zen Manifesto]]'', he is addressed as "Beloved Osho". Just like that! | The final step to Osho's adopting this name is not to be found in his words or any official record, just in sannyas legend. It goes something like this: Various sannyasins eventually picked up on the hints Osho was dropping and asked him, "Beloved Master, can we call you 'Osho'?" Well, yes! Thus the new name came into being. As far as the books are concerned, it just happened, without further comment: On Feb 19, the last discourse of ''[[I Celebrate Myself: God Is No Where, Life Is Now Here]]'', Osho is still addressed as "Our Beloved Master" and on Feb 20, the first talk of ''[[The Zen Manifesto]]'', he is addressed as "Beloved Osho". Just like that! |
Revision as of 09:46, 4 June 2015
The story / trajectory of Osho's name changes presented on the Osho's names page is a bare-bones one. This page covers in detail the period from Dec 1988 to Oct 1989, from Bhagwan to Osho, along with the dropping of Rajneesh. It is based almost entirely on his words. Some conclusions that arise from this study are discussed on the talk page.
Dropping "Bhagwan"
No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity #1, Dec 26: Osho comes back to speak after an absence of twenty days. He speaks of visions received by Sw Govind Siddharth and Katue Ishida, a Buddhist / Shinto seeress in Japan, that Gautam Buddha has come to inhabit his body. He speaks of how he detests the name Bhagwan, and now is the time to drop it.
He says, "Gautam Buddha's prophecy was: 'My name after twenty-five centuries, if I can find a vehicle, will be Maitreya Gautam Buddha'. Maitreya means the friend. [...] I am your Beloved Friend. You can call me 'Beloved Buddha'."
No Mind #2, Dec 27: Osho says, "I have accepted Gautam Buddha's soul as a guest, reminding him that I am a non-compromising person, and if any argument arises between us, 'I am the host and you are the guest -- you can pack your suitcases!'"
No Mind #3, Dec 28: Osho reports that Anando is having difficulty to remember not to call him Bhagwan, so he suggests, "Buddha was called by his lovers 'Bhante' -- which is far more refined, of greater implications. 'Bhante' means a friend who has gone far ahead -- you are also on the path, but somebody is ahead of you. So just to help you drop that old ugly word 'Bhagwan', I suggest you use the word 'Bhante', at least for the transitory period".
No Mind #5, Dec 30: Osho announces that Gautam Buddha was too accustomed to his ascetic routine and became demanding regarding Osho's perceived luxuries: jacuzzi, pillows, food, etc, so he has told him, "You just disappear in the ultimate blue sky". He adds, "It will be a great difficulty for poor Anando, because now I declare that my name should be Shree Rajneesh Zorba the Buddha". He apologises to Katue Ishida.
No Mind #10, Jan 4: Up to now, Maneesha has been addressing Osho as "Beloved Buddha". Osho asks her to make it "Zorba the Buddha", to remind everyone that he is "disconnected from every organized religion" and to emphasize the unity between the outer and inner worlds.
No Mind #12, Jan 7: About "Zorba the Buddha", that is his philosophy but "I would like my editors not to put it behind my name. I don't want to irritate ignorant, blind, unintelligent people [...] 'Shree Rajneesh' is enough to indicate towards me. As far as you are concerned, you can address me as 'My Beloved Master' [...] Hence, I will be simply my own name. I hope nobody objects to it. Otherwise, I can manage without a name".
This completes the dropping of "Bhagwan".
The Dawning of "Osho"
Zen: The Mystery and the Poetry of the Beyond #1, Jan 8: Maneesha addresses him as "Our Beloved Master", on behalf of all in attendance, continuing that until the final change to "Osho". Hints of that change coming begin to appear, not in this book, nor the next, but starting in the one after that, Yakusan: Straight to the Point of Enlightenment. They come in the form of the sutras / Zen anecdotes which Maneesha reads and which Osho comments on. These are presented in some detail and at length, since, taken as a group, the pattern is compelling. In the not-very-long period presented here, Osho speaks many times on the meaning of "Osho".
In what follows below, all framed material is from Osho's books, with Sutras / anecdotes and other source material in ALL-CAPS, and Osho's comments in ordinary type.
Yakusan #5, Jan 21:
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Osho goes on to explain that Ungan is also enlightened, and in this exchange, both are just chitchatting, having fun. But Ungan, the disciple, is still addressing Yakusan with this loving, honoring, grateful term. This is a fine introduction to the word.
Christianity: The Deadliest Poison and Zen: The Antidote to All Poisons #3, Jan 24: This, Osho's next book, continues the elucidation of and pointing toward "Osho", with anecdotes of Yakusan and Ungan supplemented by appearances by Hyakujo and Dogo:
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Osho goes on to observe how most people, when they talk of their past lives, have gloriously impressive lives totally out of synch with their current drab and oppressive conditions, just the opposite of Yakusan. Meanwhile, "Osho". Again the hint, "Osho is a word of honor, of tremendous honor, of infinite honor". Like, you're looking for a name for me, what else do you need to hear?
"Meikei Osho" above is not commented on by Osho here, nor, interestingly, is it findable by the CD-ROM, likely because it is part of the sutra appearing before Osho's comments. There are a few other similar instances.
Christianity #6, Jan 27: Osho speaks of Ungan having been with Hyakujo for many years prior to going to Yakusan. His older brother Dogo was with Yakusan and invited him to come. Ungan asked Hyakujo, who of course gave him his blessings and a letter to take to Yakusan.
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Christianity #7, Jan 28, another small mention, with Dogo addressing Yakusan as "Osho", with, Osho notes, "deep love and gratitude".
Communism & Zen Fire, Zen Wind #1, Jan 30: Hints about "Osho" continue. Also by the bye, Katue Ishida is by now in Pune, listening to Osho. He addresses / mentions her in this discourse, saying he will make her his ambassador to Japan. (There is a picture of her in No Mind hard copy, for those interested. And that book is dedicated to her.)
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Osho talks at some length about the ten Ox-Herding pictures of Zen (sometimes called the Ten Bulls of Zen), especially the much-misunderstood tenth picture, wherein the one who has realized returns drunk (with the divine) to the marketplace, with a wine bottle in his hand.
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God Is Dead, Now Zen Is the Only Living Truth #1, Feb 6: In this new book we meet some different masters and disciples. Again, the term of address is "Osho". Sekito has been sent by his dying master Eno to complete his journey with Seigen, a "competitor" master. When Sekito and Seigen meet, they spar in the Zen way but a mutual respect is immediately there. Finishing a complex and fast-paced exchange:
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God Is Dead #2, Feb 7: Wherein we are introduced to Nangaku, who lived in another mountain monastery nearby. Seigen refers to him as Nangaku Osho and asks Sekito to deliver a letter to him:
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God Is Dead #3, Feb 8: Osho brings "Osho" into the herenow by referring to his video cameraman and Sekito surrogate, Niskriya, as "Stonehead Osho", just what Sekito was called when he became a master.
There are several other instances of the use of "Osho" in this period. And prior to this period, none whatsoever. The instances detailed above have been deemed the most significant.
Dropping "Rajneesh"
The final step to Osho's adopting this name is not to be found in his words or any official record, just in sannyas legend. It goes something like this: Various sannyasins eventually picked up on the hints Osho was dropping and asked him, "Beloved Master, can we call you 'Osho'?" Well, yes! Thus the new name came into being. As far as the books are concerned, it just happened, without further comment: On Feb 19, the last discourse of I Celebrate Myself: God Is No Where, Life Is Now Here, Osho is still addressed as "Our Beloved Master" and on Feb 20, the first talk of The Zen Manifesto, he is addressed as "Beloved Osho". Just like that!
In the world of publishing, things took time: publishers and booksellers were given leave to use the name Osho Rajneesh for a transition period, until Sep 1989 or so, to acquaint readers with the change, then it was all "Osho". Even during that time however, "Osho Rajneesh" was never a name used by insiders, its only purpose was to enable name recognition in the "outside world".
See the discussion page for more on this epochal change.