Testimonial letter from Tom Crane
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 Tom Crane. It is "Exhibit A-781" 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 one page.
 Dear Sirs: I would like to take this opportunity to endorse the permanent visa status of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to the United States. Bhagwan’s presence in America will provide Western man, followers and not, an opportunity to expericnce/benefit from his humanistic teachings, teachings based on his own spiritual journey. The Bhagwan's intuitive insight into the nature of man can lend a tremendous contribution to psychology in the west, much as Suzuki did when he brought Zen to the west in the 1960s-70s. In a world so divided, a world at risk of nuclear destruction, we need to dissolve the barriers created by East/West, the barriers of aggression. Bhagwan and his teachings exemplify to the individual an inner core of compassion and love which unites all of human kind, the vital communication needed between people to maintain a peaceful world. My views are personal views and in no way represent the views of my employer. I would, though, like to express my opinion regarding the negative media attention concerning Rajneesh and his followers. Granted, the costume and the open display of affection shown at gatherings is quite different than mainstream America. This makes great material for media sensationalism, depictions of the Bhagwan as a "Manson like" character, brainwashing vulnerable people to dress in costume, engage in orgies, leud sex etc. Based on my experience with disciples of the Bhagwans in Nashville, Tennessee, nothing can be further from the truth. Folks who come to the Rajneesh Center in Nashville include, for the most part, highly educated persons of high socio-economic class...businessmen, psychologists, etc. These people are highly productive, independent members of the Nashville community. They have come to the center voluntarily and have adopted Bhagwan's philosophy after much spiritual seeking. Their choice is based on their individual freedom as Americans. I've attended growth workshops and individual sessions at the center conducted by the center's director. It is difficult to explain in words an experiential involvement, but I can say that the director's background in social work in addition to his use of the Bhagwan's progressive therapeutic techiniques give him unquestioned skills. This insight and skill is evidenced by an increasing demand for his services and professional respect from high calibre residents of this community. People are drawn to the Rajneesh Center here, and I believe to the Bhagwan, because of their example of courage, courage to grow struggling face to face with their own pain and fears. This commitment to individual growth and self-love is the reason for the Bhagwan's following. He doesn't seek followers, they seek him. Bhagwan's teachings get back to the basics of love and trust in human kind, basics which can expand American's beyond self interest, interest® in amassing power and wealth. Bhagwan's teachings can help us redirect, from power and aggression to love and peace, from a quantifiable to a qualitative existence. Sincerely, |
(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.)
