Testimonial letter from Sw Hariprem
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 Hariprem (H. T. J. van Bracht). It is "Exhibit A-2511" 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 2 pages.
 Swami Hariprem To whom it may concern, My name, given by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, is Swami Hariprem. I am a sannyasin since january 1980. Before I used to be a teacher in political philosophy and sociology. I always lived alone and kept my private life well-protected. Bhagwan however, really learned me to melt with other people, to share experiences, insights and feelings. First I lived for one and a half year in Poona and worked in the Ashram. Afterwards, back in Amsterdam again, I started living in a small sannyasin-commune (5 people) and after half a year, I moved to Sadhana Rashneesh Neo-Sannyas Ashram in Amsterdam in a deserted prison-building. In august 1982, exactly a year ago, I joined De Stad Rajneesh Neo Sannyas Commune in Heerde, a forestoasis in the countryside of Holland. To live in a Rajneesh Commune is an incredible experience of melting with others, of sharing and relaxing. The basic atmosphere is one of awareness and love. It is emotionally like lying in a soft warm bath with each other. The kind of life in these "fields of love" is very different from the "normal" life. The normal life of politics, wars, criminality and agression looks somehow a bit awkward to me now; it is like living in paradise, or at least striving for a paradiselike life, and all around people are simply clinging to hell; they do not seem interested at all to get out of their situation, only pretending sometimes... When I take the newspaper, when I look television, or even when I walk on the street I meet people insulting and harassing each other and themselves; just no love, no respect. Living in different Rajneesh Buddhafields has brought me the conviction, the certainty that humanity indeed can live in harmony, in paradise. It is not a dream! Moreover, living in a continuous state of war, appears to be a dream: a nightmare of unconscious and unloving people. The City of Rajneeshpuram is now becoming a model for an alternative society. I have been visiting this City of the Lord of the Full Moon twice, during both the Annual World Celebrations in july 1982 and 1983. When thousands of sannyasins are gathering around our Master, an intensily strong energyfield of love and joy is tangibly created. An energyfield around an enlightened Master, which makes miracles possible. And also in the absence of Bhagwan's body; just sannyasins living together or working together; we feel His presence, we feel Bhagwan with us. His presence is not at all limited or restricted to His body. I discover more and more, that His presence depends on me. When I am aware, when lam loving and sensitive, I can feel Him; He is just there... Because of His presence, wherever in the World I am, my life gains a totally new quality: His quality - the quality of love. Life becomes an opportunity to worship, to be grateful even during the so-called mundane activities. Doing business, walking in the street or while meditating and praying: it all gains a new dimension: Bhagwan is there. Love is there. Hope is there. Hope for a human world, a world based on love. We just have to be receptive to His inspiration, and then the impossible will become possible. Yours truthfully, |
(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.)
