I see, thanks for the clarification. Well, I’m glad your post gave me the chance the address the issues around gossip, slander and “lashon hara”.

I’m going to be honest, I did not criticize Rajneesh (aka Osho) lightly. There is very strong evidence linking him to fraud, embezzlement, sexual misconduct, and even bioterrorism. Some of his teachings are dangerous and even morally repellent, and anything good he had to say was said better by someone else (usually the person he stole it from).

Aside from his teaching about the usefulness of sexual promiscuity or fistfights as ways of spiritual practice (resulting on the one hand in an STD epidemic on his ashrams towards the end- they used to hand out protection to visitors- and on the other hand in cases of bruises or broken bones), did you know that he advocated for euthanizing the disabled, deaf or blind children, or people with genetic defects? Did you know he taught that homosexuals should be segregated for the protection of the rest of the populace from their diseases? See here , here and here, to start.

To be blunt I think he was a fraudulent and dangerous teacher and both he himself and his ashrams have harmed many people. I have met several people over the years- well, lets be more clear, several women- who have been taken advantage, groped, or sexually manipulated at his ashrams. I remember one teenage girl I met years ago who told me a horrible story about how some “Osho” followers had used his philosophy to talk her into giving them all sexual favors for months, in the name of “enlightenment”, before she finally wised up and got out of there. Rajneesh himself was said to receive handjobs from half-naked women while presiding over “dynamic meditation” sessions, so these disciples had learned their masters ways well.

I think there is value in letting people know about the well-founded accusations against him. If I was considering learning from his teachings or visiting one of his communities, I would want to know.

By the way, just as an aside to anyone who chooses to respond to this comment thread about “Osho”, please read info at the links above before joining the discussion.

Also- with regard to the evil speech and slander issues we discussed above- again I would say that people should be warned away from “Osho”’s teachings and his ashrams, and that all the information is in the public sphere already.