Testimonial letter from Sw Anand Prashanta
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 Sw Anand Prashanta. It is "Exhibit A-1945" 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.
 Sw. Anand Prashanta To whom it may concern, I would like to urge you who are making a decision that will affect American cultural life for a century to come, to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance our storehouse of spiritual, artistic and intellectual wealth by allowing Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to continue to reside in this country. If it is simply a question of his qualifications as a person of special value in the arts and sciences there is no problem. The author of hundreds of books, audio and video tapes and an object of respect and love for hundreds of thousands around the world is without a doubt a man of unique impact. Nor is there any question of the special nature of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's expertise. There is no other living writer whose works have provoked such thought and interest. The only real question is whether or not a man who speaks the truth and provokes in us such deep questions about our lives, and what we really are creating in this world, will be allowed to continue his work in good health and a propitious environment. As an artist I personally attest to the power and quality of the works of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. He gives an insight into the heart of man which is the very center of all artistic works of any value. Literally hundreds of thousands of people around the world have been changed, have found a new understanding and a new experience of life through contact with Bhagwan’s work. There is no other artist who can lay claim to such an accolade. This is why I say to you that you have before you now an opportunity to enhance the artistic and intellectual life of America for centuries to come. A vision is a seed to be reaped in the lives of the generations that follow. This man of vision is a treasure, a special opportunity for America. His presence here will lead to new ways of seeing and thinking that will be of enormous benefit to America, and through her the worldwide community of humanity. Swami Anand Prashanta |
(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.)
