who was bhagwan rajneeshees lawyer

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. He served as the personal Lawyer of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Toelkes was born in Tigard, Oregon and raised Catholic.

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Who was Bhagwan Rajneesh?

Apr 09, 2018 · Who was Osho. The spiritual leader and teacher also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Netflix Original’s latest show Wild Wild Country, explains the rise and fall of spiritual guru Osho and his ...

What is the ISBN number for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh?

Mar 27, 2018 · The former assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon moved into private practice not long after successfully prosecuting Bhagwan, Sheela, and Jane. Though somehow, things only got more...

Who is the founder of Rajneesh movement?

Apr 06, 2018 · Wild Wild Country. There are few aspects of the story of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his Oregon commune that don’t sound too strange to be true. A bombing, a murder plot and a ...

What happened to Osho’s lawyer Bhagwan?

Mar 21, 2018 · Everywhere, the propaganda and groupthink was overwhelming. The Rajneeshees celebrated the coming of dawn and dusk by bowing to Bhagwan and singing for him, as he slowly cruised by in one of his 90+ Rolls-Royces. In the evenings, thousands gathered in rapt attention to watch two-hour-long videotapes of Bhagwan’s hypnotic discourses.

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Rajneeshees apparently arranged over 400 sham marriages to evade US immigration laws. This was termed as the 'largest recorded marriage fraud …

Where is Jane Stork now?

I'm truly sorry." Stork returned to Germany after her sentencing. She met her second husband, a mathematics professor named George, while she was working in Germany. In 2009, Stork resided near the Black Forest in Germany, with her second husband.

How did Bhagwan Rajneesh make money?

Rajneesh did not eschew wealth. In fact, his teachings celebrate it. His wealth came from donations by followers both within Rajneeshpuram and across the world. In India, he made money from wealthy locals, but, as his popularity grew in the West, he started making his fortunes directly from followers across the globe.Aug 14, 2018

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.

Do the rajneeshees still exist?

As for the Bhagwan's original ashram, it is still standing in India, with a few upgrades. You can still go to the resort — renamed Osho — and live by his teachings, signature red robes and all. You can visit Osho today, or at least visit their website.Mar 15, 2018

How much did it cost to join Rajneesh?

The fee for residing and working at Rajneeshpuram is said to range between $500 and $1,500 a month. Apparently, new recruits also pay an initial entrance fee that can range from $5,000 to $150,000, depending on the person's financial resources and work skills.Apr 12, 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. The Oregonian reported that that Sheela operates two homes for the mentally disabled, where she and her staff members care for a total of 32 patients.Mar 16, 2018

Who bombed the rajneeshee hotel?

PasterOn July 29, 1983, Paster planted and exploded three pipe bombs at the Hotel Rajneesh, a Portland, Oregon hotel then owned by followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The attack caused $180,000 in damages to the property and severely injured Paster.

Does Osho have a child?

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 Osho now?

The Osho International Foundation (OIF), the successor to the Neo-Sannyas International Foundation, now propagates his views, operating once more out of the Pune ashram in India.

How many Rolls Royces did Bhagwan have?

The huge inflows of revenue made the Bhagwan a very rich man. 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.

Is Ma Anand Sheela 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....Ma Anand SheelaKnown for1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attackTitlePersonal Secretary to Bhagwan Shree RajneeshTerm1981–1985MovementRajneesh (Osho)9 more rows

Where is Ma Anand Sheela now?

SwitzerlandSheela now lives in Switzerland, where she runs two care homes for seniors and people with degenerative illnesses.Apr 20, 2021

What does Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh mean?

In 1971, he adopted the title "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh". Shree is a polite form of address roughly equivalent to the English "Sir"; Bhagwan means "blessed one", used in Indian traditions as a term of respect for a human being in whom the divine is no longer hidden but apparent.

What did Rajneesh advocate?

Rajneesh spoke many times of the dangers of overpopulation, and advocated universal legalisation of contraception and abortion. He described the religious prohibitions thereof as criminal, and argued that the United Nations' declaration of the human " right to life " played into the hands of religious campaigners.

What are the 10 commandments of Acharya Rajneesh?

In his early days as Acharya Rajneesh, a correspondent once asked for his " Ten Commandments ". In reply, Rajneesh said that it was a difficult matter because he was against any kind of commandment, but "just for fun", set out the following: 1 Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also. 2 There is no God other than life itself. 3 Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere. 4 Love is prayer. 5 To become a nothingness is the door to truth. Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment. 6 Life is now and here. 7 Live wakefully. 8 Do not swim—float. 9 Die each moment so that you can be new each moment. 10 Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.

Where did Rajneesh live?

Rajneesh (a childhood nickname from Sanskrit रजनी rajanee, night and ईश isha, lord meaning the "God of Night" or "The Moon" चंद्रमा) was born Chandra Mohan Jain, the eldest of 11 children of a cloth merchant, at his maternal grandparents' house in Kuchwada; a small village in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh state in India. His parents, Babulal and Saraswati Jain, who were Taranpanthi Jains, let him live with his maternal grandparents until he was eight years old. By Rajneesh's own account, this was a major influence on his development because his grandmother gave him the utmost freedom, leaving him carefree without an imposed education or restrictions. When he was seven years old, his grandfather died, and he went to Gadarwara to live with his parents. Rajneesh was profoundly affected by his grandfather's death, and again by the death of his childhood girlfriend and cousin Shashi from typhoid when he was 15, leading to a preoccupation with death that lasted throughout much of his childhood and youth. In his school years, he was a gifted and rebellious student, and gained a reputation as a formidable debater. Rajneesh became critical of traditional religion, took an interest in many methods to expand consciousness, including breath control, yogic exercises, meditation, fasting, the occult, and hypnosis. He became briefly associated with socialism and two Indian nationalist organisations: the Indian National Army and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. However, his membership in the organisations was short-lived as he could not submit to any external discipline, ideology, or system.

Who is Osho Rajneesh?

Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain, 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh, Bhagwan Rajneesh, Osho Rajneesh and later as Osho ( / ˈoʊʃoʊ / ), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. During his lifetime, he was viewed as a controversial new religious movement ...

What were Rajneesh's health problems?

The humid climate of Mumbai proved detrimental to Rajneesh's health: he developed diabetes, asthma, and numerous allergies. In 1974, on the 21st anniversary of his experience in Jabalpur, he moved to a property in Koregaon Park, Pune, purchased with the help of Ma Yoga Mukta (Catherine Venizelos), a Greek shipping heiress. Rajneesh spoke at the Pune ashram from 1974 to 1981. The two adjoining houses and 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land became the nucleus of an ashram, and the property is still the heart of the present-day OSHO International Meditation Resort. It allowed the regular audio recording and, later, video recording and printing of his discourses for worldwide distribution, enabling him to reach far larger audiences. The number of Western visitors increased sharply. The ashram soon featured an arts-and-crafts centre producing clothes, jewellery, ceramics, and organic cosmetics and hosted performances of theatre, music, and mime. From 1975, after the arrival of several therapists from the Human Potential Movement, the ashram began to complement meditations with a growing number of therapy groups, which became a major source of income for the ashram.

Where did Rajneesh go to college?

Asked to leave after conflicts with an instructor, he transferred to D. N. Jain College, also in Jabalpur. Having proved himself to be disruptively argumentative, he was not required to attend college classes at D. N. Jain College except for examinations and used his free time to work for a few months as an assistant editor at a local newspaper. He began speaking in public at the annual Sarva Dharma Sammelan (Meeting of all faiths) held at Jabalpur, organised by the Taranpanthi Jain community into which he was born, and participated there from 1951 to 1968. He resisted his parents' pressure to marry. Rajneesh later said he became spiritually enlightened on 21 March 1953, when he was 21 years old, in a mystical experience while sitting under a tree in the Bhanvartal garden in Jabalpur.

What is Rajneesh's philosophy?

The core of Rajneesh’s philosophy emphasised that in order to know the truth one had to first satiate every repressed desire as it arose. Vikram Zutshi. (Photo courtesy: Pinterest) The Rajneeshees were instructed to start their day with an hour-long “dynamic meditation”, which would be divided into five parts.

What happened to the Rajneeshees?

Referred to as one of the most terrible cases of a bio-terror attack in America, in an article by The Atlantic, the Rajneeshees allegedly poisoned half the county’s voters by pouring Salmonella-tainted liquid on items in the salad bars of ten popular restaurants . Salmonella, a kind of bacteria, if contacted with food, can cause one of the worst forms of food poisoning.

How many people died from Salmonella?

Salmonella, a kind of bacteria, if contacted with food, can cause one of the worst forms of food poisoning. A total of 751 people were affected by the poisoning and hospital beds were full of patients in critical conditions, although no one died. Voter-Fraud.

Who was Osho's secretary?

One of Osho’s most famous disciples, who later became his secretary, was none other than Francoise Ruddy. Later named “Ma Prem Hasya”, she was married to Academy Award-winning Albert Ruddy, the producer of The Godfather.

What does it mean to be creative?

To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it. Osho.

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 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.

How long was David Knapp in jail?

The once-hubristic mayor of Rajneeshpuram fell hard from grace after flipping on Bhagwan and the commune to cut a deal with law enforcement. And though Wild Wild Country implies that he was swept off into witness protection, Knapp actually served two years in federal prison for his role in the group’s sophisticated immigration fraud. It’s no easy task to track his current residence, but curiously, there was a David Knapp who founded an El Segundo, California-based mortgage-brokerage firm in 1985 (right around the time he was working with the U.S. Attorneys office toward immunity) called Trust Capital. And public records show that there is a 69-year-old David Berry Knapp who lives in El Segundo today and was born in 1948. And per FBI records (which also divulge all those beans Knapp spilled on his fellow commune members), Knapp graduated from high school in 1967, which about adds up. Then again, Knapp would have been lucky to survive at all, given that there was allegedly at least one plot to kill him while he was incarcerated.

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 director of Wild Wild Country?

By Kenny Herzog. Photo: Netflix. Wild Wild Country, the compelling Netflix docuseries produced by Jay and Mark Duplass and directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, unpacks the Byzantine saga of an Indian commune that moved into a rural Oregon town and got caught in all manner of criminal activity. After you spend six-plus hours watching ...

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.

Who was Ma Prem?

According to one account of the Rajneesh rise and fall and resurrection, Ma Prem — the ex-spouse of Godfather producer Albert S. Ruddy who eventually supplanted Sheela as Bhagwan’s secretary and fled with him to India following his 1985 conviction — was still functioning in a secretarial capacity for Osho Commune International via Sedona, Arizona, as of 2010. (This, despite testifying years earlier that her former commune mates Sheela and Jane attempted to murder her husband and Bhagwan’s doctor, Swami Devaraj.) Although, another telling has it that she parted ways with the larger Osho sect following Bhagwan’s death. (And that version is corroborated here .) There is consensus, however, that she passed away herself in August 2014.

Where was Rajneesh born?

Rajneesh — born in India around 1932 — came to America in 1981 already the leader of an eponymous religious group that he had founded in 1974, in Poona, India.

When did Sheela leave the Ranch?

Sheela, long the group’s public face during Rajneesh’s years of silence, abruptly left the ranch in 1985 and later pleaded guilty in connection with the large-scale poisoning, among other charges, for which she served about two years in prison.

What is Wild Wild Country?

Wild Wild Country, a six-part documentary series released last month on Netflix, traces the strange story from past to present, featuring interviews with several former Rajneesh devotees. The show has put a spotlight on a case that made national headlines throughout the ’80s before fading somewhat from collective memory.

Who is Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh?

Photo credit: Osho.com. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, born in 1931, was a guru and meditation teacher from India. His success as a spiritual leader began in the city of Pune. He taught his disciples to live in the world fully without becoming too attached to it.

Who was Rajneesh's secretary?

Rajneesh’s right-hand person and secretary was Ma Anand Sheela. She instantly became devoted to Rajneesh after meeting him when she was just 16 years old. She helped convince him to come to America and managed the commune while also being the president of the Rajneesh Foundation International.

Why did the Devotees of the Religious Leader plot to assassinate Oregon’s

Devotees of the religious leader plotted to assassinate Oregon’s US attorney and its attorney general in order to prevent criminal probes against Rajneesh. The plan was uncovered by FBI agents investigating the followers. [10] The group decided to murder the US attorney and then assembled weapons and spied on him, but they never carried out the plot.

What is Rajneeshpuram?

The community was named Rajneeshpuram, also known as Rancho Rajneesh, and was briefly incorporated as a city in the early 1980s. People from all over the world escaped here to create a utopia filled with spirituality and a free love atmosphere. The community was self-sufficient and had everything it needed.

Who was the leader of the Rajneesh movement?

The Rajneesh movement made its way to Oregon in 1981 and was led by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The religious cult made national news after engaging in immigration fraud, busing homeless people to their commune, and perpetrating the largest bioterrorism attack in US history in an attempt to overthrow local government leaders.

Who is responsible for the largest marriage fraud in the United States?

The Rajneesh people are responsible for one of the largest recorded marriage fraud cases in the United States. It is said that there were more than 400 sham marriages perpetrated by the Rajneeshees. The immigration fraud was believed to be headed by Ma Anand Sheela when they moved to America.

Where did Rajneeshpuram live?

In 1981, he moved to the United States, and a year later, he incorporated Rajneeshpuram. This was the new city in Oregon he planned to build for his followers. The spiritual leader attracted thousands of followers from around the world. Many of his devotees were highly educated and wealthy.

Who was the first person to contact then Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer?

Finally, we get to a few story lines that go unresolved in Wild Wild Country, starting with former Antelope mayor John Silvertooth —who says in the series that he was the first to contact then-Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer with unshredded Rajneeshee documents he had found at the city dump. But Jon Bowerman, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman’s son, thinks it was his family’s connections to the now-deceased Oregon official that brought the Rajneeshees to his attention.

Who plays Claire Underwood in House of Cards?

She may have started out as Frank Underwood’s cool, if slightly icy, wife who stands on the sidelines, but Claire Underwood (played by Robin Wright) quickly transforms into the show’s stealthy Lady Macbeth with a chic pixie cut, delivering quiet, but shocking blows to her enemies.

Did Sheela act alone?

While Sheela may have set much of the Rajneeshee criminal activity in motion, she certainly didn’t act alone. But the directors say some sannyasins featured in the series were more complicit than others. Swami Prem Niren (a.k.a. Philip J. Toelkes ), now 73 years old, was the guru’s lawyer until 1983.

Funding information

Hugh Urban received a $25,200 research fellowship in 2013 from NEH to study the life, teachings, and religious following of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Urban’s work resulted in his book Zorba the Buddha, published in 2016 by University of California Press.

Republication statement

This article is available for unedited republication, free of charge, using the following credit: “Originally published as "Rajneeshpuram Was More than a Utopia in the Desert, It Was a Mirror of the Time" in the Spring 2018 issue of Humanities magazine, a publication of the National Endowment for the Humanities.” Please notify us at publications@neh.gov if you are republishing it or have any questions..

Overview

Life

Teachings

Legacy

Reception

Selected discourses

See also

Notes