Rajneesh and His Movement
Acharya Rajneesh was born in a village called Gadarwada in the district of Narsingpur in Madhya Pradesh in 1931. His full name was Rajneesh Chandra Mohan. His father was a businessman. Rajneesh obtained his B. A. degree from Jabalpur University. He also did his M. A. in philosophy. He has worked as the editor of the Newspaper Nav Bharat. Rajneesh was a teacher of philosophy and a brilliant man. He taught Philosophy in two different colleges. In 1974 he came to Pune and opened an ashram.
Rajneesh teaches through parables and stories. His arguments will put pressure upon anyone. In such a way that his views will be accepted. Some people critically analyzed that Rajneesh is not a philosopher himself but a critic of different philosophies.
Because of the advice of free sex he was much popular in the west but not in India. In India loose sex is considered as immorality and it does not accept as such. Indians esteems highly moral and traditional values.
His main followers were Europeans and Americans. He left India and established his ashram in America in 1981. Rajneesh was a god on earth to his devotees. He was self-made, self-taught and self-created. In his life he created much controversy through his teachings and deeds. Rajneesh, though being a great philosopher, was a failure in India. He remained with a bunch of people who were his disciples.
His Method of Meditation
The most essential part of his teaching is the teaching on meditation. There are four stages in his meditation, each lasting for 10 minuets.
- The first stage is to take deep breathing while standing. This will awaken the spiritual energy within one person.
- Second stage is outlet. Comes out, in whatever way a person want to express himself may do it. Dance, sing, and moving etc.
- The third stage is calming down. Brings down the emotion, come to peace. The person also repeats a mantra, hoo-hoo-hoo. In this stage the person’s inner energy is awakened.
- The fourth stage is becoming silent. This stage is very gradual. The person goes deep and deep inside and has the experience of joy and peace, which is the original joy. This is the stage of enlightenment or ‘samadhi.’
The previous stages are much important to the beginners but those have repeatedly done the ‘sadhana’ may come to the fourth stage very quickly. Some may stay in the fourth stage temporarily. For some it is a long duration. In this stage the ego completely disappears. Rajneesh says, “one in this stage simply becomes love (not ‘loving’).”
His Teaching
Rajneesh did not want to continue in the old traditional labels. Even though he was born as a Jain, he use to say, “I am neither Jain nor Hindu.” Rajneesh says, “I am not part of any tradition but the beginning of a tradition.”
He rejects intellect as a valid source of Knowledge (of God or of salvation). His enlightenment comes from Zen Buddhism (Japanese Buddhism).
His view of sex and mysticism is a combination of tantrism and modern psychology. He also uses the teachings of Mahavir Swami, Buddha, and Christ from time to time. He also makes use of the emotional being of man.
For Rajneesh sexuality and spirituality are two ends of same energy because in sexuality there comes a point where a person knows nothing else but knows only joy. So also in spirituality the person forgets about himself and only experiences joy. In both the stages the person knows deeply his inner. He condemns pleasure negation discipline. He does not believe in the life of suffering.
Rajneesh use to say, “I have come not to teach but to awaken you and to transform the humanity.” He used to say that his previous birth was 700 years ago and in that birth also he was a spiritual master. The spiritual master takes birth only out of compassion for others.
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