He started life as a philosophy professor, traveled all over India talking on religion, learned English, and first started to teach Westerners in the early Seventies. Soon he created a commune in Poona, India that combined his teaching, traditional spiritual practices such as meditation and T'ai Chi, psychotherapeutic techniques from the rapidly expanding Human Potential Movement, and life and work together in an intense therapeutic community.

In 1981 the commune moved to Oregon. Paranoia set in and various senior disciples were convicted of crimes such as poisoning, electoral and immigration fraud, and attempted murder. Though he was e left the U.S. as part of a plea bargain and re-established the commune in Poona, where he died some years later. Disciples claim with some plausibility that this was partly as a result of his being poisoned with thallium while in U.S. federal custody. His commune and his work continue, and his disciples still number in the thousands. He is the author of over one hundred books.

Several authors have written about their experiences with Rajneesh. The most preceptive and impartial account, in my opinion, is 'The Golden Guru', by James S. Gordon. Information about his life and work, supplied by his disciples, is available on the net.