Testimonial letter from Ma Anand Bhagawati

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 Ma Anand Bhagawati. It is "Exhibit A-1519" 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 2 pages.

[Bhagawati writes that, although she did not compose this letter, nor was it in her style, nor was it entirely factually correct, it was correct enough and she did sign it. Someone else had composed it for her to sign and she did that. Her current understanding of the context is: Truth is what works is a famous saying (attributed to Buddha), and whosoever prepared this letter for me to sign, was surely doing his/her best to produce a support letter that would show some importance as to the writer's credentials and hoped it would, in the end, contribute to getting the visa for Osho granted. And that was always the main point for most of us sannyasins -- to do what we could to be able to be with him on this planet as long as possible. It was the outcome that mattered.] Ma Anand Bhagawati P.O. Box 10 Rajneeshpuram, OR 97741 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN I have been actively engaged in computer science, having worked with I.B.M. for 12 years, and was satisfied with the work I was doing, considering it as one of the most sophisticated and interesting sciences of the 20th century. However, while my mind was fully occupied, there was a deep unfulfillment present within me. It was as if only a part of me was really alive. Dissatisfied, I tried out many paths, read many books on human consciousness, psychology, religion, mysticism, joined the women's lib and finally became interested in meditation. The first meditation I got into, happened to be devised by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and I knew after this first meditation experience that this man was to become very important for me. I started to read his religious books, became a disciple of Bhagwan and soon I travelled to India to meet this religious teacher in person. In Poona, India I listened to many of his discourses, marvelling at his intelligence and the witty way in which he framed his message. He talked directly to that unfulfilled part of me. In essence, he described the necessary synthesis of science and religion; that the scientific areas of life could be enhanced by the spiritual nature within man. I started to see myself in a different way, discovering hidden aspects of myself, getting in touch with my heart. Coming back into the business world after being in the presence of this outstanding Master seemed a shock at first. But a change had happened, a tru merging of mind and heart, a union in myself, making me feel whole. My approach to work is now one of creativity, humor and light-heartedness. As I didn't want to miss the chance of a life-time, I moved to Rajneeshpuram to live in the presence of this outstanding being. I have been using my skills to assist mainly in the organizational aspects of the business administration of the commune. I find that living in the presence of Bhagwan creates a clarity of purpose and perception that enables me to identify tasks and form resolutions in a way that is satisfying, unique and successful. My way of living is being transformed daily in this loving atmosphere, where caring and understanding is of main importance. The love that is radiating from Bhagwan and through his disciples heals the wounds of the past, opening us up to experiences which are not normally available. Sitting with Bhagwan in satsang, in a silent heart-to-heart communion during our religious festivals, results in coming deeply into contact with our being, a feeling of joy and ecstasy, where there exists the sense of utter well-being and feeling whole. It is an experience beyond words. Bhagwan's presence here in America is of incredible value for the whole country, for the whole world. Bhagwan has said that it is only through a meeting of science and religion that man will survive the 20th century. Rajneeshpuram is a living expression of Bhagwan's genius. It is an organic reflection of the truth that he teaches, a masterpiece of the artist/scientist, akin to the works of the master poets, artists and scientists. [signed]

(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.)