Testimonial letter from Ma Anand Rupa

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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 Ma Anand Rupa. It is "Exhibit A-452" 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.

Ma Anand Rupa
PO Box 10
Rajneeshpuram OR 97741

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

I would like to suggest why Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh should be recognised as a person of exceptional ability in the Arts and Sciences and how He is contributiong in these fields significantly.

I have a B.A. Hons. degree in Social Sciences from the University of Sussex in England. The spirit of this university is one of searching and questioning and in all areas, people are encouraged to seek new ideas, new frameworks, new methods of education whilst at the same time absorbing existing and traditional philosophical and psychological structures. My own specialisation was in education, philosophy and psychology and one of the areas of study was to compare Western society and philosophy with the philosophies and social structures of the East, including religions and thought systems. I also studied fine art and ceramics and became interested in the arts as an expression of the unconscious as explained in the teachings of C.G. Jung.

At this stage there was a gap however; some kind of synthesis was needed between the Western approach and the Eastern approach.

Both had much to offer, but neither was complete alone. Whilst working as a social worker and also studying art, I renewed interest in meditation and yoga and the religions of the East. I visited India and the Middle East, but returned disillusioned with the poverty and the impracticality of the eastern philosophy which did not seem to fit into a realistic way of life in today's society.

At this point I came into contact with the books and. discourses of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Even a few books made it clear that here was a person who came from a deep Eastern tradition of mystics and philosophers, and who at the same time perfectly understood the Western mind, modern society and the psychology of 20th century man.

I wanted to find out more about this person whose words were so clear and beautiful and whose ideas, unlike those of other eastern mystics and philosophers, fitted in with a way of life in the society as it is today. I practised some of Bhagwan's meditation techniques and later travelled again to India where I was able to meet and see him personally, and to hear many discourses. On meeting Him the clarity I had hoped for was there and I became a disciple.

It is difficult to understand Bhagwan, using the traditional categories and definitions and that is why there is so much misunderstanding. In my own experience He is a living example of the philosophy and religion He has spoken of for so many years, and the sannyasin community which is growing all over the world is a realisation of Bhagwan's vision of totality; of a new society whre the meditative qualities inspired by Bhagwan bring a new vision which combines the religious approach of the East with the practicalities and developments of Western modern society.

People are showing these qualities in practical and social levels such as the community which is being created at Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, and on personal psychological levels as experienced at times such as the large festivals in Bhagwan's presence where thousands of people experience meditation in satsang with Bhagwan, or in darshan, where people are celbrating together in joy and harmony. In the daily work the meditative quality spreads into what people are doing, enabling people to be more skillful and creative in all the projects that are happening. People discover hidden skills and potentials in different areas. For example, a scientist may enjoy carpentry and discover that a skill arises in this very quickly. In my own experience, although I trained as a sociologiest I have discovered skills and worked as a fashion and furniture designer and am currently working with computers and electronic data processing systems. The quality of my life has changed in subtle but radical ways since I came into contact with Bhagwan and I feel great joy and gratitude that this is possible.

I would like you to consider how Bhagwan’s teachings and meditations are contributing to new and beautiful experiments in the arts and sciences and to people's personal happiness. As a country of freedom and growth, America is the ideal place for Bhagwan to continue His work.

Yours sincerely,
[signed]
Ma Anand Rupa


(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.)