Written by Prem Shunyo

The Last Touch

In “The Sound of Running Water” there is a statement made by Osho in 1978, in response to a question, “Why do you call yourself Bhagwan?”

Osho said: “When I see that my people have reached a certain level in their consciousness, then I will drop the name Bhagwan.”

On January 7th 1989, the name Bhagwan dropped and he became simply Shree Rajneesh.

It was later that year in September that he dropped the name Rajneesh. He was now without a name. We asked that we might call him Osho. Osho is not a name, it is a common form of address used in Japan for a Zen master.Continue reading →

Written by Prem Shunyo

Sex and Death

It is strange to me that Osho has been called “The Sex Guru” by people who have obviously never read or heard what Osho has to say about sex. He has never condemned sex, the way religious leaders always have, and that seems to be the only reason that he is criticized. From magazines and newspapers that I see, it seems to me that the world is obsessed with sex, and I presume that to use the word sex in a newspaper headline guarantees readership.There is a fine line between licentiousness and allowing natural energies to move with totality. This is where Osho has the courage to lead people, along this fine line.Osho’s work to help us towards enlightenment is to allow sex, because it is natural, but his emphasis has always been on transcendence. Transcendence cannot come from a repressed mind, so expression has to be the first step. It is so simple.”…With meditation you will be opening up higher doors of your consciousness, your superconscious. And the energy always needs movement, it cannot remain static. And these new areas will be far more enchanting.Continue reading →

Written by Prem Shunyo

Osho! Osho! Osho!

When I started to write a chapter on Osho’s death, I realized it wasn’t possible, because Osho has not died. If he had died then I would feel a sense of loss, but since he left I have not felt any loss. I don’t mean that I see his spirit floating around like a ghost, or that I hear his voice coming out of the clouds. No, it is simply that I feel him as much today as I did when he was in his body.Continue reading →