Testimonial letter from Ma Sunder Astha
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 Sunder Astha (Graciela M. Bedson). It is "Exhibit A-1488" 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.
 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Shortly after finishing my University studies in Sociology, I was drawn into the spiritual "search" which so many of us found ourselves doing in late 'Sixties. I began with Hatha Yoga and refined my study of it enough to eventually become a proficient instructor, teaching adults and children alike. It seems, as I look back on it now, that I had always been a "seeker" - of the spiritual, of God, of myself. But I always thought I could do it alone - that I could draw from all these different teachers and guides - but that ultimately I only had myself to depend upon. And actually, this continues to be true today, ironically! My careers over the years have been varied and quite interesting. ..and always involved direct contact with people. For six years I was the co-director of an alternative farm/school for multi-handicapped youngsters in Massachusetts; for five years I produced theater pieces off- and on Broadway; I managed a health food store; I have been employed as a bi-lingual job counselor in a community center and as a mental health counselor for disturbed youngsters. For several summers I also worked as a program director at a youth camp. My spiritual search continued all this time..... And then, while living in Los Angeles and working as a Legal Secretary, I attended a weekend group at a Rajneesh Center in the Lucerne Valley. I had been reading Bhagwan’s books since 1976 and always considered Him an amazing "writer," one whom, more than any other esoteric author, seemed to touch a cord in my heart, softening it and putting me in touch with the expression of thoughts and feelings no one else had been able to do. But I never dreamed I would be drawn to become a disciple of His. It was just the next step. There was no struggle to decide. My heart opened and I knew I had come home. Bhagwan points to a way each of us is looking for. His teachings bleed into all areas of life. He has spoken on the sciences, mathematics, art, history, politics, economics, sociology and virtually any other field you can think of. His genius is all-encompassing. He is a realized Buddha who has chosen to remain a while longer with us... and we are truly fortunate to have Him with us. And to have Him here in the United States’ This country was founded on "differences"...people seeking a home where they could live their religion freely; where they could exercise their basic human rights of free expression. One of Bhagwan's basic teachings is the freedom we have as individuals... the beauty in the uniqueness of each and every one of us. We need to welcome Him with open arms and hearts. He is one of the most valuable assets the United States could have. There is a potential for global change in the hearts and minds of men through his religious teachings. And at no time more than now, at the near-12th hour, is this more needed. Very truly yours, |
(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.)
