Testimonial letter from Sw Prem Prasad
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 Prem Prasad. It is "Exhibit A-841" 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 Prem Prasad TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Regarding the value and outstanding achievement in the spiritual, scientific and religious field of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh I would like to make the following statement: I am a sociologist and psychologist who received his training in Germany, University of Heidelberg and University of Berlin (1972,1973). I have since then worked as a researcher in the field of human communicaiton conducting postgraduate studies and joint study projects with the University of Berlin, as well as travelling widely conducting field research, assisting graduate and postgraduate students in the design of their theses. I have also and primarily worked as a psychotherapist, working both as a communal counselor as well as in private practise. In the past few years my work has also taken me into managment consultancy, and problem solving stategies as well as stress managment programs for the industries (e.g. IBM). From the vantage point of this extensive experience as well as my own personal contact with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh I feel highly qualified to make some object as well as personal statements of substance. First of all there can be no doubt in my mind that a man who is capable to produce several hundreds of books, lectures and talks on such a variety of subjects as Comparative Religion, Social Sciences, Psychology, Literature, Ethnology, Philosplhy and Metaphysics has to be of OUTSTANDING character and quality. This is further substantiated that precisely those people who have an understanding of these subject matters, e.g. teachers, scientists, psychotherapists, and a wide field of highly educated people who have with great interest, appreciation and gratitude benefitted by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh teachings. I have watched and observed in detail how many people from all countries have taken an interest in Bhagwan that can not be overlooked. And as a teacher of university students myself I am observing daily how the answer to many complex questions in the personal life of people as well as the academic field are found through the study and application of Bhagwan’s teachings to those queries. I have also been deeply grateful and profoundly moved by_the influence of Bhagwan on_my professional life as well as my own peace of mind. After the development of the behavioural approach in the human sciences we had reached a dead end road in the understanding of the human mind, emotions and were entirely unable to come up with creative answers concerning the basic existential questions concerning the human condition while we are observing a daily increase of the breakdown of human life in all areas. To come across a man who is throwing such a penetrating and clarifying light on this situation as Bhagwan has done can give me no other feeling than that of gratitude and wonder. I don't know yet when we will be able to repay our debt to such a unique and enlightened mystic, scientist, therapist, and master of masters. I can only invite anyone to give some time to the absorbtion of any of Bhagwan's treatises to feel the effect it will have on one's life. And just now it is possible to see the marvellous happening: the theory of Bhagwan is being tested, and put into action daily by his disciples. We don't need to just wait and discuss the possibilities and consequences of certain insights until one day we may then be able to test them ... .Rather we can right now see how incredibly unique and inspired his commune is developing, following his spiritual guidelines day by day. At the time where the MX-missile has just been approved for serial fabrication we find in the middle of Oregon a publicly silent man who is inspiring thousands of people around the world to reconsider their ways of living. And Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh commune exemplifies his teachings. We can see how people are learning to live in love and harmony with each other, respecting the freedom, the uniqueness of the other in totality. What more can we have hope for while the politicians are preparing for the total destruction of our humanity. As the director of the Institute of Spiritual Counselling and Training at the Rajneesh International Meditation University I am able to see the direct effects of people's lives as they come and absorb Bhagwan's wisdom to take it back to their helping professions around the world. I am personally touched as a teacher and meditator, as a scientist and as a disciple of this truly great man how my own life and the lives of those around us are beginning to echo in the light of a new consciousness, brought about through the compassion and generosity of the gentle sage Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. [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.)
