Testimonial letter from Ma Deva Adina
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 Deva Adina (Ulrike Kurzthaler). It is "Exhibit A-1814" 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 Deva Adina (Mag. phil. Ulrike Kurzthaler) To whom it may concern Right now I'm here in Rajneeshpuram for the first time, staying for six weeks, and I'm really amazed what's been built up on this place in only two years: its incredible, in fact! In the middle of the desert there is growing such a beautiful place, a town with shops and restaurants, a lake with a swimming snack-bar, you can rent boats and wind-surfers, the food we're getting is really delicate and healthy, a good part of it grown at our truck farm - and all that is being created by people who are not working for money, but who put all the love and energy they are getting from Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh right into their work: in fact, we don't call it work, it's worship, and every single place here is a temple that is kept clean and beautiful and is treated with love and care - an outstanding experience that I've never had in my life before! In Austria, my home country, I studied German Literature and philosophy, psychology and education, and I work as a college-teacher. I spent a lot of time on working with new methods of education, that are efficient and don't suppress children and young people, but let them grow, develop and find their abilities, make them creative and awake beings who have joy out of their lives and work - because my opinion is that only people who love life, who love themselves and others, can really contribute to a better quality of social relationship, and to the solution of threatening problems like crime, pollution of our living-space, wars, drug-abuse, etc. In fact, here in Rajneeshpuram, during the festival, there were thousands and thousands of people celebrating and living together in peace and love, and I never saw a drunk person, there are no crimes being committed, no rapes, absolutely no drugs - because we're getting so much positive energy from our beloved Master Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. He is, that's what I feel, educating His disciples in such an extraordinary way! He's not the manager of the Ranch, He's not the boss, but He's just there in His purity, giving us His presence and showering His peace of enlightenment on everyone who opens his heart to feel it. That's the most efficient way of educating people to be loving, caring and responsible for their own lives that I've ever known! And that's also the point, where His work with us is now happening beyond words: He is not giving lectures since two years, because all that can be said, is already said! Bhagwan used to speak to His disciples every morning for many years, He is the author of many books that have been translated into several languages, and He uttered for sure many more words in His life than most other famous people. But: as being a teacher, I really know from experience that you can speak and speak and go on speaking - that's your part -but the part of the listener is as important! If he really is aware and goes with you, then he will understand - but not only the words. He will understand the speaker, the teacher, in a more subtle way. If 1 tell my pupils something about literature, that's fine. But the real understanding for them can only happen if they let the beauty of a poem into their hearts - I cannot explain to them, why it is beautiful, they have to feel it themselves. And Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh has also stopped explaining to us, what life and love and the sense of it is all about, because we are now ready to share with Him the most beautiful feeling of a silent communion of hearts. We just sit in His presence, silently, open our hearts and feel, that we are here, now, alive. As having a deep love for, and also knowledge about, literature, I'm fascinated by the purity and tenderness with which Bhagwan describes his discipline (?): His words are understandable for a child and they make as well tears come to my eyes, as I am a qualified academic. He tells us: "Existence is always non-violent. It never shouts, only whispers. It never knocks on your door, it just stands there patiently, waiting, until sooner or later you will open your eyes and see the light" So what can be said after that? When you are deeply in love, there comes a time when you don't talk any more but just feel the presence of the beloved. So here in Rajneeshpuram, Bhagwan is creating such a positive energy field through His presence, that all the incredible things I mentioned at the beginning of this letter can happen. We are living here in unity with nature, without hurting or destroying anything or anyone, and that's an amazing experience, unique in the world, and its a beautiful gift to America, that a vision often tried but never attained, now and here is alive! I did two years of Gestalt-therapy - training and several workshops for creativity, dance, etc., in Austria and Germany and that was where I first heard of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. When I did my first sannyasin-groups I knew at once: this was the most intensive, loving and frightening experience for me! Never before have I been able to let fear and joy touch my heart so deeply. I felt that I was in a loving, caring space where I could totally trust and get to know myself really deeply. Since I took sannyas half a year ago, my attitude towards my work as a teacher has changed a lot: I can act much more tolerant, patient, I have lost my fear that it might not be good and interesting enough what I tell them -and, in fact, my pupils do not only like me and my style, they also work a lot without there being a necessity to push or punish them. I really like my job better and I put much more energy in than before, and I'm so glad that I came here to Rajneeshpuram this summer where I get so much love and energy that I can take home and that will never disappear totally again! Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is for me a Master who has answered almost all the questions I had as far as philosophy and psychology, therapy are concerned -and I had a lot! I think that love and acceptance is the only possible way to let any kind of growth happen - and I have got still a lot of difficulties with that! There is so much disappointment, hate, sadness, anger in me that has to be gone through - but I feel that my Master Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh offers me a path, and His presence gives me a clearing and inside-cleaning, so that I can feel my very core - and that's only positive and loving, full of joy and tremendously alive. Love |
(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.)
