Osho movement

Osho movement
Family	New religious movement / Neo-sannyas
Origin region	India and international communities
Founding period	Late 20th century CE
Estimated adherents	Unknown; centers and meditation communities exist internationally.

Osho movement is a modern spiritual movement based on the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, later known as Osho, emphasizing meditation, inner freedom, celebration, and individual transformation.

Overview

The Osho movement developed around the Indian teacher Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who later adopted the name Osho. Britannica notes that by the early 21st century his movement had hundreds of centers in more than 60 countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The movement is also remembered for the controversies surrounding the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon.

Key beliefs

• Meditation is central to inner transformation
• Direct experience is emphasized over dogma
• Joy, celebration, and freedom are valued
• The individual should move beyond inherited social conditioning
• The movement combines Indian, Buddhist, Western therapeutic, and modern spiritual influences

Practices

• Dynamic Meditation and other active meditations
• Discourses and study of Osho's talks
• Retreats and therapy groups
• Sannyas identity in some communities
• Music, dance, and celebration

Places of worship

• Osho meditation centers
• Retreat communities
• Private meditation spaces
• Online study groups

Sacred texts

• Osho's discourses
• Books compiled from talks
• Meditation manuals
• Community publications

Holidays and observances

• Osho's birthday commemorations
• Retreat festivals
• Movement-specific meditation events

Branches and related traditions

• New Age spirituality - Osho communities overlap with modern alternative spirituality.
• Buddhism - Osho used Buddhist language and Zen themes but was not limited to Buddhism.
• New Religious Movements - The movement is commonly studied as a modern religious movement.

See also

• Religion
• Theology
• Philosophy of religion
• New Religious Movements

References

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