Bhagwan: Twelve Days That Shook the World

Osho, also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was an Indian mystic and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following. His syncretic teachings emphasize the importance of meditation, awareness, love, celebration, creativity and humour - qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialisation. His teachings have had a notable impact on Western New Age thought, and their popularity has increased markedly since his death.Osho was a professor of philosophy and travelled throughout India in the 1960s as a public speaker. His views against socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and institutionalised religion were controversial. He also advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality, a stance that earned him the sobriquet "sex guru" in the Indian and later the international press. Moving to Pune in 1974, he established an ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners. The ashram offered therapies derived from the Human Potential Movement to its Western audience and made news in India and abroad, chiefly because of its permissive climate and Osho's provocative lectures.In 1981, Osho relocated to the United States and his followers established an intentional community, later known as Rajneeshpuram, in the state of Oregon. Within a year the leadership of the commune became embroiled in a conflict with local residents, primarily over land use, which was marked by hostility on both sides. The Oregon commune collapsed in 1985 when Osho revealed that the commune leadership had committed a number of serious crimes, including food contamination on the citizens of The Dalles. Osho was arrested and charged with immigration violations. He was deported from the United States. His ashram is today known as the Osho International Meditation Resort. This book describes the time of Osho's arrest in the US, and his journey from prison to prison on the way back to Oregon.