Testimonial letter from Ma Prem Debal
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 Prem Debal. It is "Exhibit A-830" 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 Prem Debal, B.S(?) R.N., R.M.T. To whom it may concern: My name is Ma Prem Debal, I am a Professional Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the City University of New York, and licensed Medical Masseuse from the State University of New York. Since my graduation in 1972 I worked in various nursing roles from intensive care to rural health. Over those first few years my idealism and trust in modern medicine waned as I saw patients treated with callous hearts and cold hands, and die without dignity. In search of a creative outlet in my profession I saw therapeutic touch as a bridge between the patient in a cold sterile hospital environment and my heart. Touching someone comes from the heart through the hands, and to pursue the depth of the heart and feelings requires a turning inward, a certain reflection, a certain vulnerability. Bhagwan, through his work, his silent presence, his love for humanity has helped me feel the infinite space inside that can allow me as a professional nurse to care for my patients in this new way. Nursing with Bhagwan’s presence in his commune has lifted many taboos that the medical profession is reluctant to let go of. Loving touch and warmth is His healing atmosphere, medical emergencies are handled adeptly but without gravity, laughter heals most anything, and death is a sacred art and a graceful departure. I came to Rancho Rajneesh over two years ago to help farm the land, and with the nearest medical help over 50 miles away, I was immediately available in the event of an accident (which never occurred). Wanting to continue practicing my profession, I applied at the nearest hospital and became evening shift coordinator for thirteen months. My first day of work at the hospital was the day after Bhagwan arrived for his visit. I became contagious in the true sense of the work, and went to work each day bringing his message in my heart and actions. The response was tremendous. Both my peers and patients were refreshed by this new approach to a somewhat serious profession. Seeing Him each day is a renewal and a rememberance of the celebration of life. Having sat with Him in words and in silence, this phase of Bhagwan’s work inspires me to live and practice his message through my profession. His presence here makes life easy. Yours truly, |
(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.)
