From Bhagwan to Osho: What's in a name?

From The Sannyas Wiki
Revision as of 02:14, 5 June 2015 by Rudra (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search


What's in a name?

The article page presents a flow of Osho's words during a critical part of the big name-change period so as to demonstrate a pattern in those words and how it relates to the events of that time. The pattern is this: At a time when he has no name -- a big deal for publishing and PR purposes -- he comments again and again on this word "Osho", which he has never done before, and makes this word "Osho" out to be a wonderful term to convey respect and love for a master. Well! What can he be pointing to?

The synchronicity of Osho's words and his actual adoption of the name is compelling and "should" be enough to explain the origin and meaning of his name but there is a widely accepted competing explanation that needs to be addressed and debunked. Why this is important will become apparent.

The alternate explanation is that the word / name "Osho" derives from William James' word "oceanic". This word was not coined by James but his usage of it was original, and in fact it aligns / resonates well with Osho's vision. Osho has cited and commented (very positively) on James' usage at least eleven times, as found by using the search terms "James" and "oceanic" in the CD-ROM. This pattern of persistent positive commentary thus makes the "Oceanic-Osho" connection at least plausible.

But there are a few things lacking in this theory which make it rather less attractive when considered closely and cumulatively:

First, timing: Only one of Osho's eleven occasions of commenting positively on James and "oceanic" occurs in this critical time period, Dec 1988 to Oct 1989. Nine of the other times were earlier in the Pune Two era, none came after the change, and there was one in 1972's That Art Thou.

Second, not once anywhere does he publicly draw a connection himself between "oceanic" and "Osho". This connection is not to be found in his public words. He may have made it privately, with his secretaries or the Inner Circle or whomever, but not publicly.

Third, the earliest "insider" book to come out after Osho left his body was Shunyo's Diamond Days with Osho. She says: "On January 7th, 1989, the name Bhagwan dropped and He became simply Shree Rajneesh. It was later that year in September that He dropped the name Rajneesh. He was now without a name. We asked that we might call Him Osho. Osho is not a name, it is a common form of address used in Japan for a Zen master". This is on p171 of the first Rebel edition of her book, believed to have been published in 1992. Shunyo is as much an insider as anyone and thus her complete non-mention of William James and "oceanic" is tremendously significant.

Fourth, in the days, weeks, months and years after his name became Osho, all the old books remaining to be sold under his old name had stickers put inside to explain his new name. Not all stickers put in the books say the same thing. I and my partner Amiyo have one such book, The Sword and the Lotus, which says:

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is now known simply as Osho.
"Osho" is a term derived from ancient Japanese, and was first used by Eka, to address his master, Bodhidharma.
"O" means "with great respect, love and gratitude" as well as "synchronicity" and "harmony." "Sho" means "multidimensional expansion of consciousness" and "existence showering from all directions."

And that's all. Nothing to do with William James and "oceanic", and in its essence, completely aligned with what Osho has said about "Osho". There are stickers with the William James explanation but it is abundantly clear that that is not the only story. We found three books with William James stickers in our collection.

Those stickers all say:

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is now known simply as Osho.
Osho has explained that His name is derived from William James' word "oceanic" which means dissolving into the ocean. Oceanic describes the experience, He says, but what about the experiencer? For that we use the word "Osho". Later, He came to find out that "Osho" has also been used historically in the Far East, meaning "The Blessed One, on Whom the Sky Showers Flowers."

There are a couple of major problems with this sticker:
1. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that Osho has not explained publicly that his name derives from "oceanic". The assertion is completely unproven. It is not to be found in his published words, period. So if he did "explain" this derivation, it could only have been privately to "insiders", and it was not mentioned by Shunyo, who surely would have been among those in the know.
2. "Later he came to find out"? Really? Was that supposed private "Oceanic-Osho explanation" prior to all his talks in the name-change period that we have seen? This does not seem plausible at all. We have seen clearly in Osho's words in early 1989 that he knew very well that "Osho" has been used historically in the Far East. Go back and read those words again if you need to. In the face of those words, "Later he came to find out" comes across as completely bogus. And while we're here, Osho's words do not mention this meaning anywhere, "The Blessed One, on Whom the Sky Showers Flowers".

Regarding "Later", we can consider the relative vintage of the stickers. I can only remember the timing for one of the books with the William James sticker, and that was after Mystic Rose, which i did twice in Pune, once in the winter of 1991/92 and again in Apr or so of 1995.

It might be good to look at a large collection of his books with good records of when they were acquired to try to nail this down. Or perhaps bookstore workers of that time might remember and have something to say. And might there be other stickers?

But quite aside from the timing, the very existence of the other sticker is sufficient to demonstrate that there is more than one story about Osho's name. These stickers were "official", ie they came from the office, authorized by "authorities". They were not some bookstore worker's personal project. So the story we are concerned with is also official. Finding out when the story changed might help to augment an understanding of why it changed.

And so to "why?" Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to change the story of Osho's name. So much trouble, and going in a very different direction from Osho's public words ... It must be something big. What could that be?

One word: Trademark.

The Osho Trademark

The authorities in Pune wanted to establish the word / name "Osho" as a trademark, so they could have some control over who used the name and how. This trademark notion was sold to a freedom-loving sannyasin rank-and-file (so to speak) as a legal tool to prevent bad guys from using their master's name for improper purposes. Little was it suspected that the "bad guys" might turn out to be mainly among Osho's lovers, doing their work (and his) in ways different from those approved by HQ.

Such a trademark would have difficulty getting legal status if it were a traditional term of respect, honour and love in a significant culture like Japan's, especially as the Resort wanted to promote Osho's Zen side rather than his Bhakti side, and Osho spoke only on Zen in his last year of talks. So, better to have another story, William James' "Oceanic". In that story, "Osho" is Osho's entirely original creation, and only "Later, He came to find out that 'Osho' has also been used historically in the Far East".

Otherwise, how do you trademark something like that? Osho even supplies an example which might illustrate how difficult that might be: Twice among the examples of his commenting on "Osho", he compares the term to "Reverend", which is sometimes used as a translation of the Japanese "Osho". Imagine a teacher changing his name to "Reverend" and then trying to trademark that name. Trademark authorities will not easily grant such a trademark.

And in fact, "Reverend" is a more apt translation of "Osho" than you might gather just from Osho's words. "Osho" is used far more widely in Japan even today as a term of address or title for various kinds and levels of Zen monks, priests and teachers, which would make it even harder to trademark. Wikipedia's article on its usage in Japan turns up some fascinating information on the subject, not least of which is tracing its etymology back through China to India, where one of its hypothesized ancestors was, astoundingly, Acharya! Trademark that!


One more important matter to address is how widespread the belief is in the William James version (WJV, not to be confused with KJV, the King James version of the Bible). It is enshrined in bios of Osho everywhere, from Osho News to sannyas.net to Osho World to osho.com. Is there a possibility that its widespreadness makes it more likely to be true? Certainly that has to be considered, but we know what Osho says about widespread beliefs, so this thesis has to be considered on its merits. The WJV has so many problems that its position as the majority belief is just plain not enough to establish its reality. We cannot just vote for what is real and expect that to decide anything.

And we might find that its monolithic appearance is more illusory than you might think. Most of the sites that adhere to the WJV do so not in their own words but simply via little more than a copy-paste of the WJV sticker or the osho.com version. And sometimes it's even a bad copy-paste, whereby some words are misspelled. Perhaps they are typos based on the sticker rather than a true computer copy-paste. Whatever. The point is that the process is for the most part fairly mechanical and, i contend, unexamined. Below are samples of various sites' explanations of the story of Osho's name.

One last loose end here is the timing of the change from the version based on Osho's public words to the WJV. Since Osho took this name some eleven months before he left his body (and immediately following his public riffing on the name), there should be lots of stickers from that time. I am hoping that somewhere, somehow, it will be easy to establish the timing of this change with solid records or at least verifiable memories of when books were purchased with these stickers. I expect that all the books sold while he was still in his body will be the Japanese master version, since no one would dare to change it while he was still physically there, and by all accounts still very interested in and attentive to publishing details. This view is supported by Shunyo's book, which was not published until 1992ish, so this sticker may have persisted for a couple of years or even longer until suddenly "Osho has explained" about William James and "oceanic".

In fact, since the "Osho" trademark was not introduced until much later, there is lots of time for the sticker to have changed before it, to prepare the ground. And it may have worked more smoothly to wait for a few years, after a lot of old-timers had drifted away, those who had lived through the time of the change and had heard his words. Just imagine the cognitive dissonance had it been introduced too early. And the stickers would be a smooth way to do it, seen only by those buying books, mostly when they were leaving.

If i am wrong, so be it. It would not be the first time, nor likely the last time. Nor would it derail the thesis that Osho's story about "Osho" was changed so that a trademark could be more easily created. The timing of the change is a non-essential, but still, if i am right, it will strengthen the presumption that it was timed so that he could not contradict it.

Or we can say that, yes, he still can contradict it, via those willing to see we have entered a collective fog. Somehow we all came to believe this WJV, but seeing that, we can just leave it. There are no facts whatsoever to support the WJV, there is only our common belief. Why it has been created is a matter of speculation, but the trademark business fits well and must be the leading candidate.

WJV Examples

Below is material relating to Osho's name change excerpted from various sites' pages on Osho. None of this material is essential; its purpose is only to consider the similarity of the various presentations. Numbers refer to the pages' rank as G**gle hits with search terms osho oceanic james. To minimize any selectivity bias i might have, all the top ten are detailed. It will be seen that most have adopted the WJV, with, in some cases, a degree of similarity that could be called copy-pasting, ie mechanical and unexamined. Opinion and analysis follow.

1) oshonews.com: Having previously removed his name from everything, he finally agrees to accept “Osho,” explaining that it is derived from William James’ “oceanic.” “It is not my name,” he says, “it is a healing sound.”
2) sannyas.net: After his failing health had caused him to stop giving discourses, a message came that the name Rajneesh was also being dropped. Many of his disciples had already collectively decided to call him Osho. He has explained that the word 'Osho' is derived from William James' expression 'oceanic experience' which means dissolving into the ocean. "Oceanic describes the experience," says Osho, "but what about the experiencer? For that we use the word 'Osho'."
3) oshoworld.com: January-February 1989: He stops using the name "Bhagwan," retaining only the name Rajneesh. However, His disciples ask to call Him ‘Osho’ and He accepts this form of address. Osho explains that His name is derived from William James’ word ‘oceanic’ which means dissolving into the ocean. Oceanic describes the experience, He says, but what about the experiencer? For that we use the word ‘Osho.’ At the same time, He came to find out that ‘Osho’ has also been used historically in the Far East, meaning "The Blessed One, on Whom the Sky Showers Flowers." [...]
September 1989: Osho drops the name "Rajneesh," signifying His complete discontinuity from the past. He is known simply as "Osho," and the ashram is renamed "Osho Commune International."
4) colorpointinstitute.com: ... he changes his name to "Osho," explaining that it is derived from William James’ “oceanic.” “It is not my name,” he says, “it is a healing sound.”
5) osho.com: Having previously removed his name from everything, he finally agrees to accept "Osho," explaining that the word is derived from William James' "oceanic." He initially said, “It is not my name, it is a healing sound."
Later he also gave “Osho” a meaning, adding, “Oceanic describes the experience, but what about the experiencer? For that we use the word ‘Osho.’”
6) osho.com again: [from a page entitled, "Truth - William James - Ocean? - Osho Online Library" taken from Osho's words in The Invitation, ch 16]
William James has given this word, "oceanic" to the world. The ocean has always been there, but once in a while a man of insight gives it a totally new dimension. He is the first man to use the word "oceanic" in the sense of vastness, infinity, eternity, immortality. It is always there; waves upon waves go on coming. Just as in the ordinary ocean, so in the ocean of consciousness: waves upon waves, unending joy, unending dawns, unending celebration.
7) learnoutloud.com: [an audio sales site, info about Osho is identical to #5, from osho.com, including much more than the name-change portion, except for one paragraph omitted]
8) books.google.ca: [Controversial New Religions -- Lewis and Peterson]: Sannyasins usually trace the derivation of Osho to William James' word "oceanic," which implies dissolving into the whole of human existence -- in other words, being at one with everything there is. They note that Osho also carries the meaning of "The Blessed One on Whom the Sky Showers Flowers." Others write that Osho comes from the Japanese language, implying great gratitude and respect for one who expands consciousness. (Jina 1993: 53-54). Like almost everything else about Osho Rajneesh, his name itself created initial controversy. It could be interpreted broadly to mean a revered teacher of meditation (Jina 1993:54).
9) books.google.ca: [The Great Challenge -- Osho, pub by Diamond, 2006: text is identical to WJV sticker]
10) completehealthcircle.com: Osho once explained that His name is derived from William James’ word ‘oceanic’ which means dissolving into the ocean. And is this not what we do in meditation? Dissolve into the ocean?

Notes

Samples #1, 2, 3 and 5 above are from the bio or "about" pages of prominent sannyas sites. #5, osho.com, is of course the "official" site, ie emanating from the office of the org that runs HQ (head quarters, an interesting word, n'est-ce pas?). So, #1 is completely a copy-paste, with one word removed for continuity purposes. #2 has some original thought and some copy-paste, modified by some paraphrasing. #3 has slightly more original material but the core concepts and phraseology of the WJV sticker remain. It is interesting that, as Osho World was the center of a trademark dispute with HQ in American courts, they too have apparently not seen the relevance of this change from the Osho's words version to the WJV, otherwise, they would surely have used this argument in their case, which they did win.

Page #4 is on the personal site of a sannyasin who mentions Osho's name's supposed provenance but the page is concerned mostly with his Active Meditations. The Osho's name part is fairly pure copy-paste, then the rest of it goes in a different direction but does return to a Tom Robbins quote found in #5, osho.com.

Page #6, also from osho.com: As mentioned, the page is entitled, "Truth - William James - Ocean? - Osho Online Library". As the text consisting of Osho's words on that page is fairly long and the analysis of that text's function in the WJV illusion is complex, it all has been moved below so as to allow the rest of the hits to flow easily.

Page #7: An "outside" site dealing in audio sales. It is perfectly natural that they copy-paste Osho info. No more to say.

Page #8: This is the only alternative view in the top ten hits. It is an excerpt from an outsiders' book about Osho and sannyas which itself uses multiple sources. Thus they remain aware of the earlier Japanese origin story while presenting the WJV as the commonest belief.

Page #9: An Osho book with text authorized by HQ, what other text can there be?

Page #10: A non-sannyas site, possibly the most original in its text of all the WJV adherents.


Extended comments on Page #6: First, the text consisting of Osho's words on that page is reproduced here in its entirety, as there are clues to be gleaned and points to be made regarding the use to which it is put:

BELOVED OSHO,
"THERE IS SO MUCH MAGNIFICENCE IN THE OCEAN... WAVES ARE COMING IN, WAVES ARE COMING IN...." AND ONCE AGAIN I SEEM TO BE DESPERATELY RUNNING FOR DRY LAND! MY SWEET OSHO, HOW ABOUT YET ANOTHER INTENSIVE LESSON ON DROWNING?
Radha, when the invitation of the ocean comes don't run away from it.
The ocean is the very beginning of life, not only metaphorically, but factually. We are from the ocean, physically. And we are from a vaster ocean, invisible to the bare eyes, spiritual. And when the invitation comes, running towards dry land is running towards your own grave.
Only the graveyard is outside the ocean.
Life is in being oceanic.
William James has given this word, "oceanic" to the world. The ocean has always been there, but once in a while a man of insight gives it a totally new dimension. He is the first man to use the word "oceanic" in the sense of vastness, infinity, eternity, immortality. It is always there; waves upon waves go on coming. Just as in the ordinary ocean, so in the ocean of consciousness: waves upon waves, unending joy, unending dawns, unending celebration.
Why should you think of running? But it is not rare; almost everybody thinks of running away from the ocean, from anything that is bigger than you, because the fear is you will be overwhelmed, you will disappear.
You don't need any lesson in drowning; the ocean will do the whole work. You simply don't run. You simply go on sitting silently and let the ocean take you over. Don't be worried that this is going to be your death. That is the fear that comes to every mind the moment it is close to the infinite. It is a very small, very tiny thing. It has made its own cozy life, although it is dark and miserable, poor, spiritually poor.
But it seems to be safe in a way, that you are not being overwhelmed by something bigger than you. And unless a man learns how to be overwhelmed, he will miss everything that is of value. He will miss love; he will run away from love, because love is bigger than you and very overwhelming. Such a person will run away from truth. Lies are good; they are smaller than you. They are your own creation; how can they be bigger than you? But truth is not your creation; in fact, you come from the sources of truth. Naturally, the fear arises when you come across truth.
Silence is overwhelming; all noise is yours.
Silence belongs to existence.

Since the page has come high in the G**gle hits sweepstakes, this selection of Osho's words can be deemed the most prominent of his pronouncements on William James and "oceanic". The word "truth" in the page's title can of course be "justified", since it pops up in the quote but it can also be viewed as putting a "spin" on his words, as if, "Here is to be found the TRUTH of the Osho - William James - 'oceanic' connection". This quote is not significantly different from any of his other quotes on James / "oceanic" and, like all of them, Osho is in no way "explaining" the origin of his name.

In fact, when looked at closely, "truth" is no more important in what Osho is saying than "love", and both are less central to his point than "silence", say, might be, so why not title the page "Silence - William James - Ocean"? Or for that matter, just leave out William James, who is not really central to Osho's advice to Radha? My impression is that this titling, combined with some SEO (search engine optimization) techniques, has been used to make a few magical passes to reinforce the WJV illusion.

Very interestingly (to me anyway), there is a synchronicity / "message from the Beyond" connected with this page: Because i wanted to copy-paste this text to feature it in this Talk page, and because osho.com has set up its Online Library pages to prevent copying, i went to the CD-ROM to find it. The easiest way to get to a specific quote there is to "search" for distinctive words in the quote you want. So in this case i searched for radha + ocean, and with only four hits it was a simple matter. End of story?

No. On the way there, existence first brought me a quote from The Guest, #1, which i looked at and which in a strange way has the effect of nullifying what Osho said above in response to Radha, and thereby nullifying whatever significance "Truth - William James - Ocean?" might have intended to convey. This is it, fwiw:

You must have heard the name of Radha. Mythologically she is known to be the most beloved woman of Krishna. He had many lovers; Radha was the suprememost. But historically there has never been any woman by the name of Radha, and in the ancient scriptures her name is not mentioned at all. It is an invention of later mystics, later sages, and it has tremendous significance; it will be good to understand it.
In Sanskrit there is a word, DHARA, which means the river moving from the source towards the ocean. If you reverse the word DHARA it becomes RADHA. Radha means the river moving towards the origin, not towards the ocean; radha is a metaphor. And one can be a beloved of God only if one turns the whole process of life -- from being a DHARA one becomes a RADHA, not moving towards the goal but going deeper and deeper down towards the source.

That's all for now. If you got here by reading the whole thing, congratulations! -- User:Sarlo (talk) 07:50, 2 June 2015 (UTC)

.

.

.





I must admit that I'm still of the opinion that Osho changed his name to please Katue Ishida. (He wouldn't be the first man in this situation.) "Also by the bye" indeed ...

It is interesting how completely she subsequently drops out of the record after this. Perhaps she wasn't that impressed with what he had to offer. (He also wouldn't be the first man ...)

The WJV theory is so preposterous (by comparison with the Japanese zen master title explanation) that I'm amazed anyone took it seriously.

-- Sw Anand Haridas 08:16, 3 June 2015 (UTC)