Bhagawan Shree Rajneesh has known as Modern Buddha during the 21st century. He was born on December 11, 1931 in a small village near Jabalpur in India. He had five sisters and 6 brothers.
He studied in Saugar University and received his Master’s Degree in Philosophy in 1959 and stood first in his class. He taught philosophy for 9 years in 2 colleges. In 1966 he resigned his professorship to devote his life solely to spiritual pursuits.
Modern Buddha’s Experiences
His first experience of Samadi (Cosmic consciousness) came when he was only 7 yrs old. He achieved full Enlightment at the age of 2, on the spring equinox, i.e. march 21.
He said, “The ground was withdrawn from beneath my feet…The temple of God had come …..Then there was no beginning and there was no go in and no reaching and no effort”
Rajneesh used to meditate sitting on a branch of a tree. When he had a strange experience on one day he felt his body fell to the ground and his real self remained where it was.
A series of similar experiences occurred upon for the next 6 yrs. Since then he tried to arouse the real person in everyone else with the saying: “I have com not to teach but to awaken” “Surrender – and I will transform you. This is my promise”.
Modern Buddha Shree Rajneesh’s teaching
Rajneesh says that there are 7 layers of consciousness and self – Realization begins for the fifth. Once the fifth is reached, the next birth can be taken consciously.
It seems Rajneesh took the doctrine of rebirth seriously because he says that in his last life, 700 yrs ago, he began a 21 day fast at the age of 106. At the end of this period, he was to achieve the last step of Enlightenment.
However, he killed by someone three days before he could end the fast. Then in this life, it took 21 years to complete what would have easily achieved at that time in only 3 days – seven yrs for each day.
Modern Buddha Shree Rajneesh’s Religion
According to Rajneesh, most religious systems have forgotten the real essence of religion. For him the purpose of religion is to bring man’s consciousness back to the source through meditation to transform him totally into his authentic Divine Self. Every person is capable of it.
Modern Buddha Shree Rajneesh’s Meditation
The most essential part of Rajneesh’s teaching is ‘Meditation’. Meditation helps man to go deeper and deeper in order to reach the Self or the Divine. (Meditation is the boat that carries one across)
He taught methods of meditation both ancient and new which he himself devised. His teaching on a technique of meditation for the modern age is practice of catharisis – a throwing of all the inner accusation and ‘garbage’ within the mind – an emptying out.
He said that meditation means becoming totally empty. But to Rajneesh meditation is impossible unless everything is thrown out from the mind.
According to the teaching of Rajnees meditation causes awakening of the inner energy that popularly called ‘Kundalini’. Once it awakened this energy penetrates every layer of man’s being; (the cells of the body, the emotions and the heart, the knots of the sex centre, tension), and unties every knot until the person becomes a harmonious whole. Rajneesh had his main Ashram in Poona as well as in various others.