Many great disciples attended upon their Gurus and served them selflessly with full devotion. In my opinion, Ananda was the greatest among them. Though he had a powerful retentive memory, and the rare privilege of listening to the Buddha owing to his close association with Him, he did not strive for his self-realization as long as Buddha walked the earth lest that gave him any more importance than a humble servant of the Buddha.
For the first twenty years after his Enlightenment, the Buddha had no permanent attendant. The few temporary attendants were not very dutiful and their behavior was not highly commendable. They dropped His robe and bowl and as age started catching upon Him, the Buddha asked His disciples to choose one of them to always attend upon Him. All His disciples present offered their services but the Buddha declined their kind offers. Ananda was the only one who was standing in a corner silently and the Bhikshus understood that the Buddha had chosen him to be the attendant and requested him to offer his services. He consented provided the Buddha granted him the following eight boons. Though he called these boons, all of them were selfless and with the best intention to serve his master and his divine cause.
1. The Buddha should not give him any robes that He Himself receives.
2. The Buddha should not give him any food that He Himself receives.
3. The Buddha should not allow him to dwell in the same chamber.
4. The Buddha should not take him with Him wherever He is invited.
5. The Buddha should kindly go with him wherever He is invited.
6. The Buddha should kindly give him permission to introduce visitors that come from afar to see the Buddha.
7. The Buddha should kindly grant him permission to approach Him whenever any doubt should arise.
8. The Buddha should kindly repeat to him the discourses that were declared in his absence.
For the next twenty five years till the Buddha’s last moment, he followed Him like a shadow attending to all His needs with great love and care. Each night he used to go round Buddha’s chamber nine times with a staff and a torch to keep him awake and to prevent the Buddha’s sleep from being disturbed. He remembered Eight-two thousand texts from the Buddha and two thousand from other Bhikshus which formed the knowledge of Dhamma. Buddha’s final words to him were – “You have done merit in the past, Ananda. Quickly be free from Corruptions.” Immediately he put in strenuous effort and attained Arahantship to take a leading part in the First Council, which was composed only of Arahants. It is stated that he was the only disciple who attained realization free from the postures of sitting, standing, walking or sleeping.
A complete contrast to this great disciple has been Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Birnstiel), who was the personal secretary of Osho, from 1981 to 1985. Having her roots in Gujarat, she joined Osho and soon married a wealthy American disciple and emigrated to the U.S. She wanted Osho to visit the U.S. and finally succeeding in persuading him in 1981 when he had a prolapsed disc.
Ma Yoga Laxmi, Osho’s first secretary had been busy finding a suitable property for Osho, and thus, when the medical emergency arose, the initiative had passed to Sheela who instigated the move to America. She claimed Osho might have died if he had stayed in India and would find the medical assistance he required in America in the event that he needed emergency surgery.
Sheela's husband bought, for US$5.75 million, a 64,229-acre ranch in Oregon, previously known as "The Big Muddy Ranch". His failing health and inspiration from inside made Osho spend more and more time in meditation and his social interactions reduced. As part of his withdrawal from public life, Osho gave Ma Anand Sheela power of attorney to handle the day to day affairs of the ashram and slowly she gained complete control of the commune. She built a custom made trailer complex with indoor swimming pool and other amenities for residence purpose. In the name of her master, she and other followers bought a large number of Rolls-Royce luxury cars, eventually numbering 93 and claimed notoriety. In 1983, Sheela announced that Osho had embarked on a silence vow to save the world from an impending catastrophe and would henceforth speak only with her. Many sannyasins expressed doubts about whether Sheela truly represented Osho. An increasing number of dissidents left Rajneeshpuram, citing disagreements with Sheela's autocratic leadership style.
The initial reactions of the host community ranged from hostility to tolerance, depending on the observer's distance from the ranch. Within a year of arriving, Sheela's followers had become embroiled in a series of legal battles with their neighbors, the principal conflict relating to land use. Sheela was uncompromising and behaved impatiently in dealing with the locals. In May of 1982, the residents of Rancho Rajneesh voted to incorporate the city of Rajneeshpuram on the ranch. The conflict with local residents escalated, with increasingly bitter hostility on both sides, and over the following years, the commune was subject to constant and coordinated pressures from various coalitions of Oregon residents. In 1983 Sheela’s team was about to loose the city election and hence masterminded a scheme to mildly poison the food of the residents of the Dalles county so that the citizens do not turn up for the vote.
Osho ended his period of public silence in October 1984, announcing that it was time for him to "speak his own truths." In July 1985, he resumed his daily public discourses in the commune's purpose-built, two-acre meditation hall. According to statements he made to the press, he did so against Sheela's wishes.
On 16 September 1985, Sheela and her entire management team suddenly left the commune for Europe. Osho held a press conference in which he labelled Sheela and her associates a "gang of fascists." He accused them of having committed a number of serious crimes and invited the authorities to investigate. The alleged crimes, which he stated had been committed without his knowledge or consent, included the attempted murder of his personal physician, poisonings of public officials, wiretapping and bugging within the commune and within his own home, and a bioterror attack on the citizens of The Dalles, Oregon, using salmonella. The subsequent investigation by the U.S. authorities confirmed these accusations and resulted in the conviction of Sheela and several of her lieutenants. The salmonella attack was noted as the first confirmed instance of chemical or biological terrorism to have occurred in the United States.
Osho claimed that because he was in silence and isolation, meeting only with Sheela, he was unaware of the crimes committed by the Rajneeshpuram leadership until Sheela and her "gang" left, and other sannyasins came forward to inform him
Following her acrimonious split from Rajneesh, She remarried a Swiss citizen before she was extradited back to the U.S. Sheela served almost three years of a twenty year sentence in prison. In 1988, she was released early for good behavior and deported. She now lives in Switzerland.
For the first twenty years after his Enlightenment, the Buddha had no permanent attendant. The few temporary attendants were not very dutiful and their behavior was not highly commendable. They dropped His robe and bowl and as age started catching upon Him, the Buddha asked His disciples to choose one of them to always attend upon Him. All His disciples present offered their services but the Buddha declined their kind offers. Ananda was the only one who was standing in a corner silently and the Bhikshus understood that the Buddha had chosen him to be the attendant and requested him to offer his services. He consented provided the Buddha granted him the following eight boons. Though he called these boons, all of them were selfless and with the best intention to serve his master and his divine cause.
1. The Buddha should not give him any robes that He Himself receives.
2. The Buddha should not give him any food that He Himself receives.
3. The Buddha should not allow him to dwell in the same chamber.
4. The Buddha should not take him with Him wherever He is invited.
5. The Buddha should kindly go with him wherever He is invited.
6. The Buddha should kindly give him permission to introduce visitors that come from afar to see the Buddha.
7. The Buddha should kindly grant him permission to approach Him whenever any doubt should arise.
8. The Buddha should kindly repeat to him the discourses that were declared in his absence.
For the next twenty five years till the Buddha’s last moment, he followed Him like a shadow attending to all His needs with great love and care. Each night he used to go round Buddha’s chamber nine times with a staff and a torch to keep him awake and to prevent the Buddha’s sleep from being disturbed. He remembered Eight-two thousand texts from the Buddha and two thousand from other Bhikshus which formed the knowledge of Dhamma. Buddha’s final words to him were – “You have done merit in the past, Ananda. Quickly be free from Corruptions.” Immediately he put in strenuous effort and attained Arahantship to take a leading part in the First Council, which was composed only of Arahants. It is stated that he was the only disciple who attained realization free from the postures of sitting, standing, walking or sleeping.
A complete contrast to this great disciple has been Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Birnstiel), who was the personal secretary of Osho, from 1981 to 1985. Having her roots in Gujarat, she joined Osho and soon married a wealthy American disciple and emigrated to the U.S. She wanted Osho to visit the U.S. and finally succeeding in persuading him in 1981 when he had a prolapsed disc.
Ma Yoga Laxmi, Osho’s first secretary had been busy finding a suitable property for Osho, and thus, when the medical emergency arose, the initiative had passed to Sheela who instigated the move to America. She claimed Osho might have died if he had stayed in India and would find the medical assistance he required in America in the event that he needed emergency surgery.
Sheela's husband bought, for US$5.75 million, a 64,229-acre ranch in Oregon, previously known as "The Big Muddy Ranch". His failing health and inspiration from inside made Osho spend more and more time in meditation and his social interactions reduced. As part of his withdrawal from public life, Osho gave Ma Anand Sheela power of attorney to handle the day to day affairs of the ashram and slowly she gained complete control of the commune. She built a custom made trailer complex with indoor swimming pool and other amenities for residence purpose. In the name of her master, she and other followers bought a large number of Rolls-Royce luxury cars, eventually numbering 93 and claimed notoriety. In 1983, Sheela announced that Osho had embarked on a silence vow to save the world from an impending catastrophe and would henceforth speak only with her. Many sannyasins expressed doubts about whether Sheela truly represented Osho. An increasing number of dissidents left Rajneeshpuram, citing disagreements with Sheela's autocratic leadership style.
The initial reactions of the host community ranged from hostility to tolerance, depending on the observer's distance from the ranch. Within a year of arriving, Sheela's followers had become embroiled in a series of legal battles with their neighbors, the principal conflict relating to land use. Sheela was uncompromising and behaved impatiently in dealing with the locals. In May of 1982, the residents of Rancho Rajneesh voted to incorporate the city of Rajneeshpuram on the ranch. The conflict with local residents escalated, with increasingly bitter hostility on both sides, and over the following years, the commune was subject to constant and coordinated pressures from various coalitions of Oregon residents. In 1983 Sheela’s team was about to loose the city election and hence masterminded a scheme to mildly poison the food of the residents of the Dalles county so that the citizens do not turn up for the vote.
Osho ended his period of public silence in October 1984, announcing that it was time for him to "speak his own truths." In July 1985, he resumed his daily public discourses in the commune's purpose-built, two-acre meditation hall. According to statements he made to the press, he did so against Sheela's wishes.
On 16 September 1985, Sheela and her entire management team suddenly left the commune for Europe. Osho held a press conference in which he labelled Sheela and her associates a "gang of fascists." He accused them of having committed a number of serious crimes and invited the authorities to investigate. The alleged crimes, which he stated had been committed without his knowledge or consent, included the attempted murder of his personal physician, poisonings of public officials, wiretapping and bugging within the commune and within his own home, and a bioterror attack on the citizens of The Dalles, Oregon, using salmonella. The subsequent investigation by the U.S. authorities confirmed these accusations and resulted in the conviction of Sheela and several of her lieutenants. The salmonella attack was noted as the first confirmed instance of chemical or biological terrorism to have occurred in the United States.
Osho claimed that because he was in silence and isolation, meeting only with Sheela, he was unaware of the crimes committed by the Rajneeshpuram leadership until Sheela and her "gang" left, and other sannyasins came forward to inform him
Following her acrimonious split from Rajneesh, She remarried a Swiss citizen before she was extradited back to the U.S. Sheela served almost three years of a twenty year sentence in prison. In 1988, she was released early for good behavior and deported. She now lives in Switzerland.
