Testimonial letter from Byron James LaChance

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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 Byron James LaChance. It is "Exhibit A-494" 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.

1065 Cross Street SE
Salem, OR 97302
July 19, 1983

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is to recommend that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh be recognized as an individual with exceptional ability in the fields of the arts and sciences. My name is Byron James LaChance, and I have a B.A. Degree in history with a minor in psychology. I did my thesis on Eric Fromm and the problem of man’s alienation from himself, society and nature. I studied to be a catholic priest, and I was ordained a deacon. I attended Mount Angel Seminary and studied the fields of philosophy, theology and conseling. I have worked for over 10 years for the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation as a disability examiner for the Social Security Administration. I am a poet. I have also been extensively involved in Gestalt therapy, transactional analysis, group process and various forms of body work, including bioenergetics and polarity. I am an avid swimmer.

Bhagwan is a genius. He has the ability to understand how the human mind works and how an individual is trapped by his own pain and misery. Bhagwan gives clarity to the human mind with his uncanny perception. He is a leader in the field of behavioral sciences which deals with the human being in relationship to society. Bhagwan's teachings and meditations help free the individual so that one can be more present to oneself, developing our full potential as a human being. Bhagwan is a successful teacher in the art of living. His penetrating awareness enables one to see the nature of one's problem and be responsible for it. He teaches that to be responsible is to be successful in the art of living. To be responsible is to have the ability to respond to any given situation, whatever it is.

Bhagwan is a genius. As stated above, I have studied quite extensively in the fields of religion, psychology, counseling, philosophy and behavioral sciences, and I recognize his uncanny ability to have clarity into the nature of a problem and to promote a solution. Bhagwan's presence in this country is a tremendous advantage. He teaches us to work hard, to be present in whatever we do and to have full use of your potential. Bhagwan teaches us to respond to the moment and to use it fully. Thank you.

Sincerely,
[signed]
Byron James LaChance 11


(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.)