who was bagwan rajneesh's personal lawyer

by Ryder Adams 4 min read

Philip John Toelkes

What did Bhagwan Rajneesh do?

Jan 12, 2016 · Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (né Chandra Mohan Jain) was born on December 11, 1931, in Kuchwada, India. He lived with his grandparents during his early youth and then with his parents and was an ...

Who was Rajneesh?

Mar 27, 2018 · U.S. Attorney Charles Turner. Photo: Netflix. The man who brought down Bhagwan (and Sheela and others), and who was allegedly targeted for assassination by those within Rajneeshpuram, nearly ...

What is the ISBN number for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh?

Jan 19, 1990 · Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, also called Osho or Acharya Rajneesh, original name Chandra Mohan Jain, (born December 11, 1931, Kuchwada [now in Madhya Pradesh], India—died January 19, 1990, Pune), Indian spiritual leader who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, individual devotion, and sexual freedom. As a young intellectual, Rajneesh visited …

Was Rajneesh in danger if he stayed in India?

Oct 31, 2018 · After receiving some backlash for dressing up as Rajneeshee cult members for Halloween, lawyer and former member Philip Toelkes says he thought Kate Hudson and her pals were “respectful.”

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Apr 25, 2018 · Cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers in India. When Ma Anand Sheela first met the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in his apartment in Mumbai in 1968, she hugged him and cried ...

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Was Osho Rajneesh married?

He is married. His wife is from “a really good Irish Catholic background, and I love that”. They have three children, aged 17, 16 and nine.Apr 24, 2018

Where is Ma Anand Sheela now?

Switzerland
Today, Sheela lives in Switzerland, where she runs two care homes that look after the aged and the differently-abled.Apr 25, 2021

Where is Krishna Deva now?

Swami Krishna Deva: Mayor of Rajneeshpuram, he pleaded guilty and went into the Federal Witness Program. He served two years in federal prison and now lives in California under his given name of David Knapp, handling real estate investments and a small international charity founded with another ex-Rajneeshee.

Is Ma Sheela still alive?

She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and paroled after 39 months. Sheela later moved to Switzerland, where she married, and purchased two nursing homes.
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Ma Anand Sheela
Known for1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
TitlePersonal Secretary to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Term1981–1985
MovementRajneesh (Osho)
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How many Rolls Royces did the Bhagwan have?

ninety-four
Portraying himself as an enlightened being, the Bhagwan decided that the only car in which he would be seen was a Rolls Royce. But he wasn't merely content on owning just one. He amassed ninety-four of them.

How old was Bhagwan Rajneesh when he died?

Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, the Indian guru who attracted thousands of followers at his Oregon commune in the early 1980's before being deported from the United States, died yesterday of heart disease at his commune in Poona, in southern India, members of his entourage there told reporters. He was 58 years old.Jan 20, 1990

Do the Rajneeshees still exist?

Today, the former Rajneeshpuram in Oregon is known as Washington Family Ranch, a summer camp used by the wholesome Christian teen organization Young Life. Ironic, perhaps, for what was once home to a free love fringe group, but that's what became of the land.Mar 15, 2018

Where is Osho now?

In 1990, Rajneesh died and was buried at the ashram in Poona; which became the Osho International Meditation Resort.

Does Rajneeshpuram exist?

The ambitious commune collapsed amid murder plots, a poisoning attack, political intimidation and illegal wiretaps, and the city-in-the-making was abandoned.Mar 25, 2018

Where is Sheela Silverman now?

Since completing her sentence, Sheela has moved to Switzerland, where she has since settled down for a much calmer life.Mar 16, 2018

Who was the director of Rajneesh Legal Services Corporation?

Toelkes was the director of the Rajneesh Legal Services Corporation and later mayor of Rajneeshpuram, succeeding Krishna Deva. After his first marriage ended, he remarried Ma Prem Isabel, director of public relations for Rajneeshpuram.

Where did Rajneeshpuram live?

After traveling to Pune and meeting with Rajneesh, he quit his job and relocated to the newly-established Rajneeshpuram commune in Wasco County, Oregon. From 1981 to 1990, Toelkes acted as Rajneesh 's personal attorney, until the latter's death.

Who is Swami Prem Niren?

University of San Francisco ( BA, JD) Philip John Toelkes, also known as Swami Prem Niren and Philip Niren Toelkes, is an American lawyer and follower of Rajneesh who served as the second mayor of Rajneeshpuram from 1985 until the commune's disbandment in 1986.

What did Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh do?

After graduating from college and claiming to have found enlightenment, in 1970, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh introduced the practice of "dynamic meditation" and became a spiritual teacher and began to attract a significant following. When his controversial teachings put him repeatedly in conflict with Indian authorities, Rajneesh and his followers fled to a ranch in Oregon, where they attempted to establish a commune. However, conflicts with the local community there resulted in Rajneesh and members of his group turning to crime to achieve their ends, and in 1985, Rajneesh was arrested for immigration fraud. After pleading guilty, he was deported to India. He died on January 19, 1990, in Pune, India.

Why was Rajneesh arrested?

After several of his commune leaders fled to avoid prosecution for their crimes, in 1985, police arrested Rajneesh, who was himself attempting to flee the United States to escape charges of immigration fraud.

Where did Rajneesh go to school?

In 1951, Rajneesh graduated from high school and started attending Hitkarini College in Jabalpur but was forced to transfer to D.N. Jain College after his disruptive behavior put him at odds with one of his professors.

What did Rajneesh teach?

Among his teachings was the notion that sex was the first step toward achieving "superconsciousness.".

What is Rajneesh's nickname?

In the process, he became something of a pariah and earned himself the nickname "the sex guru.". In 1970, Rajneesh introduced the practice of "dynamic meditation," which, he asserted, enables people to experience divinity. The prospect enticed young Westerners to come reside at his ashram in Pune, India, and become Rajneesh's devout disciples, ...

What were the crimes of Rajneesh?

including murder, wiretapping, voter fraud, arson and a mass salmonella poisoning in 1984 that affected more than 700 people. After several of his commune leaders fled to avoid prosecution for their crimes, in 1985, police arrested Rajneesh, who was himself attempting to flee the United States to escape charges of immigration fraud. During his subsequent trial, Rajneesh pleaded guilty of immigration charges, realizing that a plea bargain was the only way he'd be allowed to return to India.

When did Rajneesh flee to the US?

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Photo: Matthew Naythons/Liaison. Facing ongoing pressure from government authorities and traditional religious groups, in 1981 Rajneesh fled to the United States with 2,000 of his disciples, settling on a 100-square-mile ranch in ...

Who brought down Bhagwan?

The man who brought down Bhagwan (and Sheela and others), and who was allegedly targeted for assassination by those within Rajneeshpuram, nearly survived to see Wild Wild Country come to life. Turner passed away relatively peacefully this January at the age of 82. He retired from the U.S. Attorney’s Office not long after successfully prosecuting the aforementioned, and lived in the greater Seattle area from 1993 until his death.

Who is Jon Bowerman?

Jon Bowerman. Photo: Netflix. The proud rancher and son of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman says in Wild Wild Country that he tends to relish a fight. And in recent years leading up to filming interviews for the documentary, he was nothing if not tested.

Where is Sheela Birnstiel now?

Now living as Sheela Birnstiel (she remarried in 1984, but was widowed nine years later) in a small Swiss village not far from Zurich, the fiery former secretary for Rajneesh commune founder Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later Osho) made quite the pivot. As revealed at Wild Wild Country ’s end, she now runs a caretaking and nursing facility for older individuals dealing with a range of aging-related disorders, a kind of small-scale analog to the sprawling rural ashram she helped erect by Bhagwan’s side. Sheela has also engaged in Dadaist theater and written a memoir of her time with Bhagwan, which is perhaps why she was so worn out from rehashing details by the time the Ways were done filming her.

Who is the attorney who defended Tonya Harding?

Though somehow, things only got more provocative from there. In 1994, Weaver defended none other than Tonya Harding. Weaver now helps companies and persons in deep water with the government for white-collar crimes for a Portland-based firm, but was also notably recognized by the ACLU for pro bono services to Guantanamo detainees. However, his successful work on behalf of scandalized ex-Portland mayor Sam Adams is believed to have cost him a judgeship.

What happened to Rajneesh?

In 1985 Rajneesh pleaded guilty to immigration fraud and was deported from the United States. He was refused entry to 21 countries before returning to Pune, where his ashram soon grew to 15,000 members. In 1989 Rajneesh adopted the Buddhist name Osho.

When did Rajneesh resign from his university post?

In 1966 Rajneesh resigned from his university post and became a guru (spiritual guide) and a teacher of meditation. In the early 1970s he initiated people into the order of sannyasi s, who traditionally renounced the world and practiced asceticism.

What did Rajneesh teach his disciples?

Reinterpreting the idea of being a sannyasi in terms of detachment rather than asceticism, Rajneesh taught his disciples to live fully in the world without being attached to it. The first Westerners came to Rajneesh in the early 1970s, and in 1974 the new headquarters of his movement was established in Pune.

Where did Rajneesh study philosophy?

He studied philosophy at the University of Jabalpur, earning a B.A. in 1955; he began teaching there in 1957, after earning an M.A. from the University of Saugar.

What is the practice of religious ecstasy?

mysticism, the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them.…

Where did Rajneesh live?

In 1981, with the help of Sheela, who became his personal assistant, Rajneesh bought a ranch nearby the tiny town of Antelope, Oregon, and moved his cult there, creating a whole new city named Rajneeshpuram.

What did Rajneesh preach?

Rajneesh preached to his followers about the idea of creating awakened people who live in harmony with their surroundings. But his cult also forced members to donate large quantities of money, while creating an isolated community that kept tight control over its members.

When did Ma Anand Sheela meet Shree Rajneesh?

Photo: Netflix. When Ma Anand Sheela first met the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in his apartment in Mumbai in 1968, she hugged him and cried. “My whole head melted,” Sheela says in the Netflix docuseries Wild Wild Country, which discusses Rajneesh and his cult. “My life was complete. My life was fulfilled.”.

Who was the leader of the cult that urged people to kill themselves by drinking poison?

Rajneesh was just one of many cult leaders who have captivated — and horrified — people throughout history. In 1978, cult leader Jim Jones urged more than 900 of his followers to kill themselves by drinking poison in Jonestown, Guyana.

Does Rajneeshpuram really explain the day to day life?

But as Ronit Feinglass Plank notes in The Atlantic, the series doesn’t really explain what the day-to-day life was like in Rajneeshpuram. And it doesn’t really address how it’s possible that thousands of people could just give up their lives, wear only maroon clothes, and blindly follow one man. What are the psychological mechanisms at play?

Did Rajneesh get sterilized?

The Netflix documentary doesn’t show this, but Win McCormack, who wrote about the cult in the 1980s, points out in The New Republic that Rajneesh’s followers were encouraged to get sterilized or have abortions. (For more on Rajneesh and his cult, read The Oregonian ’s 20-part investigation from the 1980s.) Rajneesh was just one of many cult leaders ...

Why was Rajneesh convicted?

In the ’90s, two British followers of Rajneesh were convicted for conspiring to murder a U.S. attorney general in retaliation for his investigation of the group. By that point, however, Rajneesh himself had already died in India, where he relocated after being deported from America after a criminal guilty plea.

Who was Rajneesh's deputy?

Beyond that, though, Rajneesh stayed silent except for communicating with his deputy and longtime secretary, Ma Anand Sheela.

What happened to the Rajneesh ranch?

Against this social and political conflict came more serious altercations: In 1983, a Portland hotel owned by the group was bombed by an Islamic militant (though no one was killed) while in 1984, hundreds of residents of the Wasco County seat where the Rajneesh ranch was located became ill from salmonella infections.

How did Rajneesh die?

Rajneesh died in 1990 at 58 from heart disease after returning to Poona, according to the Times. Before his death, he had told his followers to refer to him simply as “Osho.”

Why did Rajneesh infect the Dalles?

Later investigation discovered that 10 restaurants in The Dalles had had their salad bars infected by followers of Rajneesh in an attempt to suppress voter turnout and ensure the group could gain seats on the county commission.

How many people were in Rajneesh?

At various points the commune was described as housing approximately 1,400, 3,500 and 5,000 people; with Rajneesh representatives maintaining to media that there were some 200,000 followers worldwide. RAJNEESHEES.

What colors did Rajneeshees wear?

His followers, also called Rajneeshees, wore only clothes in the sun-like colors of red, orange and purple. Meanwhile the Bhagwan was known for most of his years in Oregon for his daily appearances in one of his many Rolls-Royces, reportedly owning between a few dozen and as many as 91.

Who is Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh?

The personal doctor to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who claims... THE DALLES, Ore. -- The personal doctor to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who claims he was poisoned by former top disciples of the guru's sect, testified as the first witness Tuesday in a special grand jury investigation.

Who was the second witness in the Rajneesh case?

Hasya was scheduled as the second witness. The special jury of five men and two women was called to investigate accusations leveled by Rajneesh against his former personal secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, and other leaders of his sect who left the commune last month and fled to Europe.

How much money did the Rajeeshees seek from the Harveys?

The Rajeeshees are seeking $136,000 from the Harveys in disputed wages. Harvey is conutersuing for more than $3 million claiming defamation and invasion of privacy by members of the commune. Back to Article. /.

Who testified in the Rajneesh trial?

Also scheduled to testify today were Ma Deva Barkha, Rajneeshpuram chief of police, and Dyan John, president of the Rajneesh Investment Corp., and manager of the guru's collection of Rolls Royce automobiles. The jury was meeting under tight security on the second floor of the courthouse.

Who was the foreman of the Multnomah County ranch?

Abraham refused to grant a postponement of an Oct. 29 trial date for a suit and countersuit by the comune organizations and Robert and Gle nda Harvey. Harvey was foreman of the 64,000 acre former cattle ranch where the guru and his followers now live.

What drugs did Bhagwan Rajneesh use?

Bhagwan Rajneesh was addicted to drugs, as revealed by former Rajneeshees in various interviews. He used drugs, particularly valium and nitrous oxide, on a regular basis, to deal with the pain of various health issues.

How many Rolls Royces did Bhagwan Rajneesh own?

Bhagwan Rajneesh allegedly owned over 90 Rolls Royces . A man fond of luxuries, he'd famously drive around the area in his favourite car while his devotees would stand on the road in massive cues waiting to catch a glimpse of the guru. Source: The Plaid Zebra. 2.

Why was Rajneeshpuram wiretapped?

Rajneeshpuram was allegedly methodically wiretapped, for the Rajneeshees feared the leak of vital information. Unknown to those in the commune, Sheela had established a secret listening post near the commune's telephone center & all calls into and out of Rajneeshpuram were tapped. Source: Pinterest. 6.

What was Rajneeshpuram known for?

Here are 10 notorious things that happened in and around Rajneeshpuram: 1. Bhagwan Rajneesh allegedly owned over 90 Rolls Royces .

How many sham marriages did Rajneeshees arrange?

Rajneeshees apparently arranged over 400 sham marriages to evade US immigration laws. This was termed as the 'largest recorded marriage fraud in USA', one of the major accusations against Bhagwan Rajneesh and his commune. Source: Vanity Fair. 7.

How many homeless people did Ma Anand Sheela invite to Rajneeshpuram?

8. Ma Anand Sheela invited over 3000 homeless people to Rajneeshpuram but without their knowledge, they were all allegedly kept drugged with Haldol.

What weapons were found in Rajneeshpuram?

The weapons included .357 Magnum revolvers, semiautomatic Uzi carbines, and Galil assault rifles, along with tear gas grenades and barricade-penetrating shells for police riot guns, sourced from over 25 dealers.

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