The Beginning: Rajneeshpuram (1981)

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A documentary style film about Rajneeshpuram. "Covers the time period from July 10 to Sept. 30, 1981."

DVD title was Rajneeshpuram Videos part 1, cut from 00:00 to 15:11.

A description** by Osho Film Festival :

title: "Rajneeshpuram - The Beginning (1981)"

After the exciting and turbulent years in Poona, events continued even more exciting and turbulent – but now no more in India but in the homeland of all pioneers - America.

On an abandoned piece of land in the middle of nowhere in Oregon, the Big Muddy Ranch (the name says everything), which was for sale for almost 50 years and once used for John Wayne Hollywood movies, the Sannyasins turned a devastated desert into an oasis with all comforts one can possibly think of.

The ranch developed into the largest spiritual commune in the world.

By the end, 5000 - 6000 spiritual seekers lived here permanently, almost completely self-sufficient.

They had cattle farms, large agricultural machines, publishing facilities, a fire-brigade and police, which were prescribed by state laws after Rajneeshpuram became recognised as a city..

At the beginning, everything looked like the experiment was succeeding where thousands of humans could live and work together without private property in a self-responsible way.

Exactly that was Osho's vision as an alternative to the traditional “small family”.

It was living communism, with the great disadvantage of it functioning perfectly.

And that could never be accepted by the capitalist USA and the Reagan administration, particularly since the commune became ever more successful and attracted ever more people.

"Our greatest crime was that we were so successful", Osho, 1987

Additionally, Osho's clarifications about the criminal history of Christianity alarmed the Vatican and the Christian fundamentalist clique around Ronald Reagan.

From now on they had only one goal: to silence Bhagwan and to destroy the municipality, at all costs.

They received unexpected support from within the Ranch through the criminal activities of Sheela, personal secretary of the Ranch, who abused Osho's silent phase for her own purposes and to strengthen her position.

This offered a welcome case to the US authorities to destroy the Ranch.

In 1985, Osho was kidnapped and illegally arrested (to this day, no arrest warrant exists), detained 12 days in different prisons and then expelled from the United States, without any crime ever been proven to him.

1 year later, in 1986, the state attorney responsible, Edward Meese, said in a press interview: "we had no evidence against Bhagwan, our only goal was to silence Bhagwan, no matter how"

Mentioned in the Chidvilas video list as "VS231, July 1981, 15mins $50.00" :

"THE BEGINNING: RAJNEESHPURAM JULY 10, 1981

The birth of Rajneeshpuram, farming cooperative in Central Oregon."

language: English

released: recorded 1981, but ©-statement says 1982

length: 15 min (Osho Film Festival states 20 min)

credits

Opening credits: Rajneesh Foundation International Presents; ©1982 Rajneesh Foundation International; The Beginning: Rajneeshpuram neo-sannyas international commune
Closing credits: Recorded Live at the Shree Rajneesh Ashram, Poona, India (sic); Contact Rajneesh Foundation International - Rajneeshpuram, Oregon 97741