Testimonial letter from Christopher. J. Chitty

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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 Christopher. J. Chitty. It is "Exhibit A-383" 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.

Christopher J. Chitty
Middle Farm, Stanley,
no. Chippenham,
Wilts SN15 3RS
Great Britain
July 27, 1983

To whom it may concern

I am a graduate of London University, majored in French and English (B.A. Hons.). I am also a holder of the Royal Society of Arts Certificate (R.S.A. Cert. 1st Class) for the teaching of English as a foreign language. I have been involved in the most advanced research and practice of language teaching in London and Spain as a member of International House over the past 7 years.

I first came across Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 5 years ago when I heard him speak in Poona, India. I must say that since hearing this man speak my understanding of language and the way we communicate through the mind has been expanded beyond anything I could possibly imagine. I have studied many theories and methods of education, but never before come across someone who so somply and lucidly could explain the physiological and psychological functionings of the human mind. I am further convinced that Rajneesh’s insights are beyond any previously researched theory or methodology because they come from a deeper source of understanding and experience, which is unique in our time. I believe his ideas on the functioning of the left and right hemispheres of the brain are going to revolutionize our whole education process and bring tremendous benefits to the whole humanity.

My whole life I have worked with words. Recently in attending the Festival recently held by the Rajneesh disciples in Oregon in Rajneesh's presence I have come to understand something beyond words. I feel immensely grateful to this man who now in his silence has led me to ever deeper insights into life and the purpose of existence. In Rajneeshpuram he is creating new ways of communication through silence and love which make our ordinary language seem very gross.

I shall continue to work with words but I must say I shall always he grateful for the opportunity of sitting in silence with this extraordinary man. I believe he is a genius of the same calibre as Buddha or Albert Einstein and that wherever he lives his presence will bring immense benefit to that country and its people.

Yours Sincerely,
[signed]
C. J. Chitty


(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.)