Testimonial letter from Sw Prem Siddha
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 Siddha. It is "Exhibit A-106" 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 3 pages.
 AFFIDAVIT I, Swami Prem Siddha, being duly sworn, do depose and say as follows: 1. I am an Acharya of Rajneeshism, appointed June 30, 1983. I am also an M.D., a psychiatrist, and a D.Litt.M. 2. I first met Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in January 1978 while on sabbatical from my private psychiatric practice in California. I realized that I had found a living being who had attained the highest state of spiritual consciousness. On February 25, 1978, I received initiation into sannyas from Bhagwan. 3. At the Shree Rajneesh Ashram in Poona I attended Bhagwan's religious discourses every morning. When Bhagwan spoke about Zen, I felt Zen alive before me; when He spoke about Jesus or Buddha, I felt Jesus and Buddha alive before me. 4. During my first months in Poona I participated in many of the meditation and growth programs. In these groups I experienced the beauty and grace of Bhagwan’s vision. 5. Since August 1982 I have lived in Rajneeshpuram, Oregon. Living in Bhagwan's silent presence is a continual inspiration for me. Each day He drives through our ranch and showers his blessings on us. I feel a tremendous joy, grace and sense of divinity in this daily blessing. I believe that this quality is the essence of religion and that He is giving the greatest teaching a religious master can offer. 6. During the past year Bhagwan has given Satsang and Darshan at our four yearly religious celebrations. These celebrations with Bhagwan are special and precious moments. Bhagwan’s silent presence is transforming. In His presence I experience a state of being which can only be called divine. 7. I continuously feel Bhagwan’s grace, silence and divine presence within, and I try to bring that awareness of godliness to others. In leading meditation courses and training programs, my goal is to help others to see their own beauty and divinity. 8. Whenever I have questions and feel the need for Bhagwan’s guidance, I write to Bhagwan and receive His guidance through His Personal Secretary, Ma Anand Sheela. Bhagwan’s guidance is always an inspiration and an opportunity for me to understand spiritual evolution in myself and in those whom I counsel. Being with Bhagwan has been a process of inner growth for me. He gives a new vision of the potential of all humanity to live with consciousness and divine grace. The United States is immensely benefited by His presence. 10. I have seen countless numbers of people transformed in the years I have been with Bhagwan; seen them become joyous and exhilarated by life itself. In my opinion, no other person in the world today compares with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. His religious teachings, spiritual leadership and far-reaching vision are motivating the spiritual awareness of over 300,000 sannyasins throughout the world. To me, the most precious gift of my lifetime has been the opportunity to live and grow in the presence of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The foregoing is within my personal knowledge and if called as a witness I could testify competently thereto. Dated: Sept 26, 1983 |
(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.)
