Testimonial letter from Sw Prartho Subhan
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 Prartho Subhan. It is "Exhibit A-822" 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 4 pages.
 AFFIDAVIT I, Swami Prartho Subhan, of Jesus Grove, Rajneeshpuram, Oregon 97741, being sworn, say: In 1967, I graduated with a B.A. cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. In 1971, I graduated with a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Maryland Law School, Baltimore, Maryland, and was a member of the Maryland Law Review. While at the law school, I became a panel member of the telvision series "Constitutional Question," and did numerous television shows on WMPB-TV, discussing issues of constitutional significance in Maryland. I have been in private practice in Maryland and Oregon from 1972 to the present. In 1972, I became an assistant public defender in Baltimore, Maryland, a position which I held until 1979. In 1976, I taught the course "Estate and Gift Taxation" for the University of Maryland Adult Education Center. In 1977, I taught the course "Criminal Justice" for the Catonsville Community College, Catonsville, Maryland. In April 1982, I moved to Oregon, and in April 1983 I became a member of the Oregon Bar. I first came in contact with the works of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in January of 1979, when I purchased three of His books upon the recommendation of a Baltimore bookstore owner. Having reached a level of some success in my life, I strongly felt that there was something more than what I had attained; that life held more satisfaction and fulfillment than I was experiencing. I felt that intellectually man had taken great steps forward. As an example, in the area of criminal law, sophisticated detection devices for criminal behavior had been discovered. Extensive use of computers gave law enforcement agencies relevant information that previously would never have been at their disposal. And yet, the crime rate continued to rise. My experience in the court system was that it was failing. Most of my clients were the walking manifestation of social, political and economic alienation. It became clear to me that all of our advancements failed to resolve most of the personal tragedies that permeate the legal system. After reading Bhagwan's works, I was deeply moved and touched by his genius and clarity. He spoke of the synthesis of the East and the West, science and spirituality, of intellect and intelligence. He talked of pervasive attitudes and prejudices that ensured the failure of most of our social institutions, and that the answer to many of the legal quandaries that society faced could be resolved by each individual effectively looking within for the problem, rather than without, at others. He recommended meditation as the starting place and introduced several meditation techniques in his books, which I began using. Shortly thereafter, I visited a Rajneesh meditation center in Washington, D.C., where I heard numerous tapes of Bhagwan’s discourses, recorded in India. I was impressed with the calibre of the people associated with the center, and with the way in which their center was being operated. At this time, I began integrating the teachings of Bhagwan into my legal practice, as well as my private life. I was amazed at the success and satisfaction I began to experience in my contact with my clients and with the entire legal system. The system had not changed, but my notions of "winning" and "success" had been deeply affected. I was able to reflect for my clients their own unsuccessful ways of dealing with their lives, with the legal system, and with the social institutions surrounding them. Bhagwan had talked at great length of the inter-relationship of the law used by a society and its ability to love. For so long the use of the word "love” seemed so out of place for me in conjunction with my work. Love, I thought, was what you shared only with your family. Bhagwan turned that notion around for me. He observed that the more laws a country enacted, the less love there was between its citizens. The corollary was obvious: the more love and caring that exists, the less laws. It is small wonder why at this time of increased tension and anxiety, where there is so little care and concern for others and ourselves, that the entire legal system is straining from remarkably increased litigation and passage of laws and regulations. In September 1979, I visited the Shree Rajneesh Ashram in Poona, India, and stayed in India for three months. Repeatedly, I was greatly impressed and moved by the vision and understanding of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Everyone that I have known who has taken the time to read or listen to Bhagwan, has been deeply impressed with His remarkable, exceptional ability. The volume of His work alone is mind-boggling. This work is - to a title -of exceptional and rare quality, and makes Bhagwan someone who should be welcomed in any country where genius is cherished. America's tradition of opening its proverbial arms to a wide variety of those outside of its borders is a substantial part of what makes this country great. This open attitude is a reflection of the heart of the American people. We accept differences with grace and afford even the most common of men the place to achieve quiet dignity. It is, therefore, in the best interests of this country not only to continue its tradition, but to acknowledge the exceptional nature of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and accord Him the welcome He so certainly deserves. [signed] |
(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.)
