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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AtulaSiriwardane" data-source="post: 5579240" data-attributes="member: 120286">Ashram in Pune: 1974–1981 The hot, humid climate of Mumbai appeared to have proved detrimental to Osho's health; he had developed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes" target="_blank">diabetes</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma" target="_blank">asthma</a> and numerous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy" target="_blank">allergies</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-78-37" target="_blank">[38]</a> So, in 1974, on the 21st anniversary of his enlightenment,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-87-41" target="_blank">[42]</a> he and his group moved from the Mumbai apartment to a property in Koregaon Park, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune" target="_blank">Pune</a>, which was purchased with the help of Catherine Venizelos (Ma Yoga Mukta), a Greek shipping heiress.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-42" target="_blank">[43]</a> Osho taught at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune" target="_blank">Pune</a> ashram from 1974 to 1981. The two adjoining houses and 6 acres (24,000 m2) of land became the nucleus of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashram" target="_blank">ashram</a>, and those two buildings are still at the heart of the present-day Osho International Meditation Resort. This space allowed for the regular audio recording of his discourses and, later, video recording and printing for worldwide distribution, which enabled him to reach far larger audiences internationally. The number of Western visitors increased sharply, leading to constant expansion.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a> The ashram soon featured an arts-and-crafts centre that turned out clothing, jewelry, ceramics and organic cosmetics and put on performances of theatre, music and mime.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a> Following the arrival of several therapists from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Potential_Movement" target="_blank">Human Potential Movement</a> in the early seventies,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Joshi123-44" target="_blank">[45]</a> the ashram began from 1975 to complement its meditation offerings with a growing number of therapy groups.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM26-45" target="_blank">[46]</a> These became a major source of income for the ashram.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JMF16-17-46" target="_blank">[47]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-82-83-47" target="_blank">[48]</a>The Pune ashram was, by all accounts, an exciting and intense place to be, with an emotionally charged, madhouse-carnival atmosphere.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JMF18-48" target="_blank">[49]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JSG76-78-49" target="_blank">[50]</a> A typical day in the ashram began at 6:00 a.m. with Dynamic Meditation.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-TLS192-50" target="_blank">[51]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM24-25-51" target="_blank">[52]</a> At 8:00 a.m., Osho gave a 60 to 90-minute spontaneous lecture in the ashram's "Buddha Hall" auditorium, either commenting on literature from a religious tradition, or answering questions sent in by visitors and disciples.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM24-25-51" target="_blank">[52]</a> Until 1981, lecture series held in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi" target="_blank">Hindi</a> alternated with series held in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" target="_blank">English</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Mehta93-52" target="_blank">[53]</a> During the day, various meditations and therapies took place, whose intensity was ascribed to the spiritual energy of Osho's "buddhafield".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JMF18-48" target="_blank">[49]</a> Evenings were for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darshan" target="_blank">darshans</a>, where Osho engaged in personal conversation with small numbers of individual disciples or visitors and gave sannyas.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM24-25-51" target="_blank">[52]</a> Sannyasins came for darshan when departing or returning to the ashram, or if they had an issue that they wanted to discuss with Osho.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-80-43" target="_blank">[44]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM24-25-51" target="_blank">[52]</a>To decide which therapies to participate in, visitors either consulted Osho or made selections according to their own preferences.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-TLS193-53" target="_blank">[54]</a> Some of the early therapy groups in the ashram, such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounter_group" target="_blank">Encounter group</a>, were experimental and very controversial, allowing a degree of physical violence as well as sexual encounters between participants.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-83-54" target="_blank">[55]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-NYT131181-55" target="_blank">[56]</a> Conflicting reports of injuries sustained in Encounter group sessions began to appear in the press.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-56" target="_blank">[57]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-57" target="_blank">[58]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-58" target="_blank">[59]</a> Richard Price, at the time a prominent Human Potential Movement therapist and co-founder of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esalen" target="_blank">Esalen</a> institute, found that Osho's version encouraged participants to be violent rather than play at being violent (the norm in Encounter groups conducted in the United States), and he criticised the therapies for featuring "... the worst mistakes of some inexperienced Esalen group leaders".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Carter62-59" target="_blank">[60]</a> Price is alleged to have exited the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune" target="_blank">Pune</a> ashram with a broken arm following a period of eight hours locked in a room with participants who were armed with wooden weapons.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Carter62-59" target="_blank">[60]</a> Bernard Gunther, his Esalen colleague, fared better in Pune and wrote a book, Dying for Enlightenment, featuring photographs and lyrical descriptions celebrating the flavour of the meditations and therapy groups.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Carter62-59" target="_blank">[60]</a>Violence in the therapy groups eventually ended in January 1979, when the ashram issued a press release stating that violence "had fulfilled its function within the overall context of the ashram as an evolving spiritual commune."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JSG84-60" target="_blank">[61]</a> Besides the controversy around the therapies, allegations of drug use amongst sannyasins began to mar the ashram's image.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Paradise-61" target="_blank">[62]</a> Some Western <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sannyasin" target="_blank">sannyasins</a> were financing their extended stays in India through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution" target="_blank">prostitution</a> and drug running.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JSG71-62" target="_blank">[63]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-63" target="_blank">[64]</a> A few of them later said that, while Osho was not directly involved, they discussed such plans and activities with him in darshan, and he gave his blessing.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-JMF47-64" target="_blank">[65]</a>By the latter half of the 1970s it had become clear that the property in Pune was too small to contain the rapid growth of the ashram and Osho asked that somewhere larger be found.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a> Sannyasins from around India started looking for property that could be purchased and used for a larger ashram and alternatives were found, including one in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat" target="_blank">Gujarat</a>, in the province of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutch" target="_blank">Kutch</a>, and two more in India's mountainous north.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a> Plans for a large utopian commune in India were never implemented, as mounting tensions between the ashram and the conservative Hindu government led by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morarji_Desai" target="_blank">Morarji Desai</a> resulted in an impasse.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a> Land use approval was denied and, more importantly, the government stopped issuing visas to foreign visitors who indicated the ashram as their main destination in India.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-66" target="_blank">[67]</a> In addition, Desai's government cancelled the tax-exempt status of the ashram, resulting in a claim of current and back taxes estimated at $5 million.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-LFC6364-67" target="_blank">[68]</a> Conflicts with various Indian religious leaders added to the situation – by 1980, the ashram had become so controversial that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi" target="_blank">Indira Gandhi</a>, despite a previous association between Osho and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalist_Congress_Party" target="_blank">National Congress Party</a> dating back to his early speeches made in the sixties, was unwilling to intercede for it after her return to power.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-LFC6364-67" target="_blank">[68]</a> During one of Osho's discourses in May 1980, an attempt on his life was made by a young Hindu <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist" target="_blank">fundamentalist</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-68" target="_blank">[69]</a> By 1981, Osho's ashram hosted 30,000 visitors per year.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Paradise-61" target="_blank">[62]</a> In stark contrast to the period up to 1970, when his following was overwhelmingly Indian, daily discourse audiences were at this time composed predominantly of Europeans and Americans.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-69" target="_blank">[70]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-70" target="_blank">[71]</a> Many observers noted that Osho's lecture style changed in the late seventies, becoming intellectually less focused and featuring an increasing number of jokes intended to shock or amuse his audience.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-FF1-85-65" target="_blank">[66]</a> On 10 April 1981, having discoursed daily for nearly 15 years, Osho entered a three-and-a-half-year period of self-imposed public silence, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsang" target="_blank">satsangs</a> – silent sitting and music, with readings from spiritual works such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalil_Gibran" target="_blank">Khalil Gibran's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prophet_%28book%29" target="_blank">The Prophet</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isha_Upanishad" target="_blank">Isha Upanishad</a> – took the place of his discourses.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-BM30-31-71" target="_blank">[72]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Joshi157-159-72" target="_blank">[73]</a> Around the same time, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Anand_Sheela" target="_blank">Ma Anand Sheela</a> (Sheela Silverman) replaced Ma Yoga Laxmi as Osho's secretary.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osho_%28Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh%29#cite_note-Gordon94-73" target="_blank">[74]</a></blockquote>

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