Testimonial letter from Barrett Mandel

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This letter is one of a remarkable series of over 2650 letters amassed in 1983 to support Osho's attempt to get permanent resident status in the US at the time of the Oregon ranch. The image is reproduced here with the kind permission of The Oregon Historical Society. Information about their collection of these letters and other supporting material -- the "Jeffrey Noles Rajneesh Collection", named for Osho's immigration lawyer Jeffrey Noles, who compiled them in 1983 and donated them to the OHS -- can be found at this page. The wiki is grateful to the OHS for making access available for these documents. For more information and links to all the letters, see Testimonial letters.

This letter is from Barrett Mandel. It is "Exhibit A-381" in the Noles collection.

The text version below has been created by optical character recognition (OCR), from the images supplied by OHS. It has not been checked for errors but this process usually results in over 99% correct transcription. Most apparent "errors" are correct transcriptions of typos already in the original. The image on the right in the text box links to a pdf file of the original letter, it has one page.

RUTGERS
THE STATE UNIVERSITY
OF NEW JERSEY
DOUGLASS/COOK WRITING CENTER • DOUGLASS COLLEGE• NEW BRUNSWICK • NEW JERSEY 08903
5 August 1983

To whom it may concern:

I am writing in support of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Since coming upon his writings and audiotapes about six years ago, I have become increasingly impressed with his ability as a thinker, teacher, and man of religion. As a professor myself, I have long-standing familiarity with the ability of a great many teachers. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is surely one of the most accomplished.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh brilliantly brings together his religious background from India and his years of study in Western psychology and philosophy. His books and tapes disclose a wide knowledge and understanding of the most important therapeutic techniques used in the United States and Europe. He surrounds himself with highly skilled experts who run workshops for people who travel long distances for an experience of Bhagwan’s methods.

One thing I have noticed over the years is the number of highly educated people who have been attracted to Bhagwan’s teachings. There is nothing mystical or cultist about his approach. He operates within a respected tradition of Eastern religion going back thousands of years. He appeals to sophisticated Western men and women who have been disillusioned with the academic approach of Western thought. Bhagwan’s blend of Western thought and Eastern religion appeals to many who would like to deepen their experience of life. These people are essentially caring, giving, intelligent men and women; many of them are professionals in various fields.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is a man of peace who does only good work. He encourages people to discover who they are and to live life responsibly and lovingly. Behind his message is a wealth of erudition. He does not push himself on anyone. People seek him out, leaving him enriched both intellectually and emotionally.

My main point here is that Bhagwan, though living a lifestyle unfamiliar to most Americans and surrounding himself with people who may appear unusual to others, is a wise, sensible, moderate human being. He advocates techniques and procedures well and often tested in Western psychology. In all ways he makes a contribution to the lives of thousands of people through his workshops and lecture

Yours truly,
[signed]
Barrett Mandel
Assoc. Professor


(Please note: We assume that the above letter is still copyrighted, but we regard its historical interest to constitute a Fair Use exception for publication in this wiki.)