Testimonial letter from Ma Prem Sunshine
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 Sunshine. It is "Exhibit A-107" 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 3 pages.
 AFFIDAVIT I, Ma Prem Sunshine, Arihanta, being duly sworn, do depose and say as follows: 1. I have studied the writings and practiced the meditations of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh since 1978, and have been a disciple since March 1979. 2. From December 1980 until March 1981 I participated in meditation programs and attended daily discourses given by Bhagwan at the Shree Rajneesh Ashram in Poona, India. Thereafter, I founded the Purnam Rajneesh Meditation Center on Lopez Island, Washington, which I directed until March 1982. In that capacity I led and participated in meditations, workshops and religious functions. 3. Since March 1982 I have lived and worshipped at Rajneeshpuram. Much of my work/worship consists of communicating with members of the public and visiting Rajneeshees concerning the religion of Rajneeshism, the vision of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the way in which that vision is being transformed into reality. In particular, I speak with upwards of 100 visitors per day. I liaise with representatives of the media and regularly speak at public gatherings, including functions organized by universities, civic centers and high schools. 4. As an Arihanta, I have been encouraged by Bhagwan to contribute to His vision of bringing a new awareness of meditation into the world. He has suggested that the best means to do this is by being meditative ourselves, as others will learn more from example than from words. He has encouraged me to regard the whole of existence as being divine and, accordingly, to treat my body, my place of work and my home as temples. This has led me to a totally new awareness in my daily life, and has resulted in a profound personal transformation. 5. Over the past year Bhagwan has, through His Personal Secretary, offered me personal spiritual guidance. The extraordinarily profound incisive nature of this guidance has confirmed for me that Bhagwan is a man of outstanding insight, awareness and understanding. This guidance has inspired me to develop my full potential by affirming the positivity within myself and allowing me to be a medium for His teachings. 6. Over the past four and a half years I have undergone tremendous transformation. Within myself I am more silent. However, that silence has engendered in me a great degree of self-motivation, creativity, responsibility and sensitivity. I have observed that my co-worshippers have also undergone great transformations and this is reflected in a general atmosphere in our commune of joy, radiance, health and positivity. 7. I have witnessed Bhagwan's religious teachings in my daily life, especially at every Satsang and Darshan ever held at Rancho Rajneesh. Each day I stand by the roadside and commune with Him as He drives by and I feel the blessings He showers on me and His other disciples. 8. In my opinion, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is a truly extraordinary and exceptional religious teacher. He is the most intelligent man I have ever met and radiates more love and compassion than any human being I have ever encountered. His inspiration has touched more than 350,000 people worldwide and has guided them into the deepest spiritual realms while still encouraging them to enjoy the material world. America is indeed blessed with His presence, as He is offering to everyone a unique opportunity for self-transformation. The foregoing is within my personal knowledge and if called as a witness I could testify competently thereto. Dated: |
(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.)
