Testimonial letter from Sw Krishna Deva
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 Krishna Deva. It is "Exhibit A-833" 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 Krishna Deva TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN I am writing this letter on behalf of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his application for permanent residence in the United States. I am an expert in the field of psychology. Some of my background includes:
Until the time I was introduced to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his teachings I had all that academic and Humanistic Psychology movement had to offer. Los Angeles, where I lived and worked, was full of the latest techniques in therapy. Upon reading the first of 45 of Bhagwan’s titled writings my work in the field of psychology immediately was transformed. At first it seemed strange, that an L.A. therapist, in the middle of the frontier of the latest psychological innovations, should have his eyes opened by an Indian Master who had never been to the West. It was clear that Bhagwan had something far more than an intellectual understanding of western Psychology. He had totally surpassed those who are the founders of western psychology, from Freud to Jung to Adler to Maslow. He had more than merely integrated or synthesized what these geniuses had accomplished. Bhagwan had clearly developed his own unique approach to the psychology of man, a practical approach, an approach He called the Psychology of the Buddhas. In my own way I used this approach in my work as a psychologist during the year before I went to visit Bhagwan in India. After being three years in India and working as a Rajneesh therapist, I came to work at Rancho Rajneesh in Oregon, about July 26, 1981. In Oregon I divided my time between work as a psychologist and work as a representative of the commune to government agencies. It was our small community which invited Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to visit, and then to stay at Rancho Rajneesh. I could never express my surprise and joy at learning that he would accept this invitation. The difference his presence has made in this community is immense, as is the way he has continued to express his genious in the field of psychology through his loving silence. To me Bhagwan’s equation of love and therapy is perhaps the most radical ’technique' of the hundreds I have studied and used over the years. This view of therapy is well documented in his teachings. And it is this love that is the important and essential element of Bhagwan's presence on this ranch. Through his loving silence Bhagwan is transforming thousands of people who have experienced him in Darshan and Satsang. He continues to teach those who are in the field of psychology by this example and through his presence. This innovation alone has made Bhagwan, in my opinion, stand out as a unique genius in the field of psychology. Of course, this genius is not limited to psychology alone. In addition, Bhagwan has been available, through his personal secretary, to give more individual spiritual guidance as he answers letters. Bhagwan is also an inspiration, and his presence here has accentuated this fact. There are many studies on the "Burnout Syndrome". The community which Bhagwan inspires surpasses anyone's expectations as they work seven days a week, 12 hours a day, year after year. The psychological and spiritual potential that Bhagwan makes possible in those around him is truly amazing. Without a doubt, America is fortunate that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh has chosen to stay here. We Americans should feel honored at the possibility of such a one remaining with us in this country. Swami Krishna Deva |
(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.)
