Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931 - 1990) was one of India's most popular and flamboyant guru. He was the most controversial too. He preferred to be called Osho, He used to not follow any particular religion, tradition or philosophy. He used to often criticize various religious and political leaders. This made him many enemies world over. He was advocate of sex as a path to enlightenment. This approach outraged his Indian critics and earned him epithet 'sex guru' from the Indian press.

 

Rajneesh used a curious blend of Californian pop psychology and Indian mysticism to motivate his followers. His last technique , tagged The Mystic Rose, involved following a regime of laughing for three hours a day for one week, crying for three hours a day the next week, followed by becoming a ' watcher on the hill ' (i.e. sitting ) for three hours a day for another week. He felt that it was' the most important breakthrough in meditation.

 

In 1981, Rajneesh went to USA and set up ashram of Rajneesh puram in Oregon. It was here that he drew the attention of international media. In January 1987, Rajneesh took residence at Pune ashram, and soon thousands of foreigners were flocking to attend his nightly discourses and meditation courses