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Rajneesh, originally named Chandra Mohan Jain, was an Indian Godman, philosopher, and mystic, who later became known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and Osho. He founded the Rajneesh movement and was considered a controversial leader of a new religious movement during his lifetime. Rajneesh rejected organized religion and believed that spiritual experience could not be confined to any particular religious dogma.
As a guru, he emphasized the importance of meditation and taught a unique form called dynamic meditation. In 1953, he experienced a spiritual awakening at the age of 21, and after spending several years in academia, he began to travel throughout India in 1966. He became known for his criticism of mainstream religions, political ideologies, and even Mahatma Gandhi.
In 1970, Rajneesh started initiating followers, known as "neo-sannyasins," in Mumbai, and during this time, he expanded his spiritual teachings and commented extensively on the writings of various religious traditions, mystics, bhakti poets, and philosophers from around the world. He then relocated to Pune in 1974, where he established an ashram and offered a variety of therapies incorporating methods first developed by the Human Potential Movement to a growing Western following.
