Testimonial letter from Ma Deva Chandrika
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 Chandrika (Margaret Teusher). It is "Exhibit A-1803" 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.
 Ma Deva Chandrika. To Whom it may Concern, Before I came into contact with Bhagwan in 1982, I studied and qualified in the field of Horticulture. I love to be with plants but had a constant feeling that I needed to qualify as a means of acceptance or recognition. Since being with Bhagwan I rediscover my love for plants and my acceptance of myself, and see that this acceptance and the acceptance I feel in His presence is what I have always looked for. In the last three months I have stayed at Rajneeshpuram and have been present at the Second Annual World Celebration and interested in some of the gardens here. I've noticed that the "work” that is achieved here is innovative and experimental with extraordinary results - the lushness and high quality of vegetables that are produced on soils deemed by agricultural tests to be too toxic for plant growth - is certainly an indication of this. On another level I feel the real "work" happening here is that of personal growth. The trust and acceptance, vulnerability and love that I experience myself and among His sannyasins here is unique in a community and indeed in the celebration gathering of 15,000 people. The work here has an ironic function, it is meditation, a constant watching in daily activities, in relating with others; on the outside a city is being built, on the inside barriers between us are broken down. There is nothing more delicious more energizing than the flavour of love, it is this energy that this communtiy thrives and grows. It is the inspiration, guidance and understanding that we recieve from Bhagwan that keeps this love energy flowing. He communicates this to us in a way that no words can describe. Through Darshan, in silence and emptiness I come to an essence, a communion, a flow of joyous love that can only be experienced not described. These are the experiences that encourage me to go through fear and painful situations that are the causes of barriers around myself and between people. I have found here in a loving environment, no pain is too great, and the rewards of sharing and discovering myself are far greater. It is through the love, guidance and understanding of this exceptional man Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, that this personal and communal growth is possible. Yours Sincerely, |
(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.)
