OSHO and OBAMA – Experiences in an US Jail

Thirty years ago, the Reagan Administration and local Oregon politicians set out to destroy Osho’s alternative commune in Oregon, a commune which provoked both local and national ire. A key to this destruction was the arrest of OSHO, a contemporary mystic, arrested without warrant and held without bail for twelve days and transported across the US while being held in six separate jails. Osho shared publicly the shocking details of his illegal incarceration and his experience of seeing thousands of mostly young black males languishing in prison. These incarcerations increased dramatically thereafter fueled by the right wing and their infamous and failed “War on Drugs.” Thirty years later and for the first time in history a sitting President named Obama once again exposed the cruelty perpetrated on young people in U.S. jails, particularly young black males, echoing and affirming Osho’s earlier language. What Osho says clearly shows why the writer Tom Robbins called Osho “the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ“ [ This danger to the status quo is always sensed by the establishment, which then quickly moves to silence these people. Osho is a mystic and a revolutionary, not in a political sense, but in the sense of a revolution of consciousness, a rebellion against our old ways of living, our own ugly past. He is not promising to deliver hope or illusions but instead offers tools for change with each individual taking responsibility for changing themselves. **** Suggested Readings: It’s All About Change: The Greatest Challenge to Create a Golden Future for Humanity, by Osho [] **** For more information: Join the OSHO Video Translation Project to make videos available in other languages – © OSHO International Foundation. ® OSHO is a registered trademark of OSHO International Foundation. #BlackLivesMatter