GLOSSARY

acharya

spiritual guide or teacher, title affixed to learned men like Doctor, Ph.D.

Adler, Alfred

(1870-1937) Austrian psychiatrist; pupil of Freud

aes dhammo sanantano

Pali: 'this is the eternal law', often spoken by Gautama the Buddha

Aga Khan, the

(b.1936) head of the Ismaili sect of Mohammedans

Ajanta

Buddhist caves, tourist attraction in Maharashtra

Ambedkar, Dr. Babasaheb

(1893-1956) untouchable (sudra) educated in England, became a lawyer, wrote Indian Constitution

Amritsar

city in Punjab, site of the Golden Temple, holy place of the Sikhs

asana

yoga posture

Assagioli

Italian psychologist

ayurveda

Indian science of medicine; adj. ayurvedic

Bahauddin

Sufi mystic, a.k.a. Bahauddin Shah, Bahauddin Naqshband

Basho

(1644-1694) Matsuo Basho, pseudonym of Zen master and famed haiku poet, originally called Matsuo Munefusa

Baul

independent ecstatic religion, generally known as wandering minstrels

Beelzebub

devil, of the Christian religion

Benares

see Varanasi

Berkeley, George

(1689-1753) idealist philosopher, Bishop of Cloyne

Bertrand Russell

(1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher, author of Principia Mathematica

Bhagavadgita, Shrimad

Hindu scripture, lit. 'the divine song'

Bhagwan

'blessed one'; Osho was known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh between 1970 and 1988, when he changed his name

bhajan

devotional song

bhikkhu

Pali word for beggar, monk, one who has renounced; common word for a Buddhist monk

Bodhgaya

place in Bihar where Buddha became enlightened

Bodhidharma

(d.532) Indian master who went to China and became the first patriarch of Zen

Bodhisattva

enlightened being who helps others towards enlightenment

Boehme, Jakob

1575-1624 German mystic

Bradley F.H.

(1846-1924) English philosopher

brahmin

Hindu priest, member of the highest Hindu caste

buddha

enlightened person

Buddha

founder of Buddhist religion, a.k.a. Gautama the Buddha

Buddha Hall

name given to main meditation hall in Osho's commune

Castaneda, Carlos

anthropologist who wrote about his apprenticeship to a Mexican sorceror

chakra

energy center in the human body

chapatti

small, flat, unleavened bread, staple of North Indian diet

charansparsh

traditional Hindu practice of bowing and touching the feet of the master

Charvaka

atheistic sect, before Gautama the Buddha, founded by Brihaspati

Chinmaya, Swami Yoga

Osho's disciple, and former secretary

Chuang Tzu

Taoist master

Confucius

(c. 551-479 BC) Chinese philosopher

crore

Indian term for 10 million

Dadaji

Osho's father, aka Swami Devateerth Bharti

Dadu

Indian enlightened master

darshan

literally 'to see', refers to sitting with a holy person

Desai, Morarji

prime minister of India, 1977-79

dhal

spicy lentil or bean dish, part of staple Indian diet

dhamma

Pali word for Buddha's teaching, translated as 'law, religion'; Sanskrit version is dharma

Dhammapada

a Buddhist scripture

dharma

see dhamma

Diogenes

(412-322 BC) Greek mystic

Dokuon

Zen master

Dwarka

town in Gujarat

Einstein, Albert

(1879-1955) German-Swiss author of The Theory of Relativity

Ellora

Buddhist caves, tourist attraction in Maharashtra

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

American writer

Epicurus

(342-270 BC) Greek mystic

Esalen

pioneer psychotherapy center in California

Farid

enlightened contemporary of Kabir, wrote love songs of the divine in Punjabi

Francis of Assisi

(1181-1226) founder of Franciscan order of monks, canonized in 1228

Freud, Sigmund

(1856-1939) Austrian neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis

Ganges

the Ganges river, also Mother Ganges, Ganga, thought to be holy and worshipped by Hindus

Gautama Siddhartha

(c. 563-483 BC) original name of the Buddha, a.k.a. Sakyamuni, Sakya, Tathagata etc.

Gautama the Buddha

(c. 563-483 BC) name of the Buddha, a.k.a. Sakyamuni, Sakya, Tathagata etc.

gayatri mantra

famous Hindu mantra addressed to the sun

Gita

'song'; common abbreviation for Shrimad Bhagavadgita

Godot

Waiting for Godot, play by Samuel Beckett

Gurdjieff

enlightened mystic of 20th century

gurudwara

Sikh temple

haiku

small poem in Japanese tradition

hara

lit. abdoment, Osho uses this word for the energy center below the navel

Harrappur

ancient city in Pakistan

Hassid

member of sect founded in Poland, 1750's, in opposition to rationalism and ritual laxity

Hillary, Edmund

mountaineer who climbed Everest

Hippocrates

one of the founders of Western medicine

homeopathy

system of medicine, estb. by Hahnneman, C19th

I-Ching

Chinese book of divination

Ikkyu

(1394-1481) Ikkyu Sojun, Japanese Zen master, disciple of Kaso Sodon

Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India, and daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India

Jabalpur

city in Madhya Pradesh, where Osho lived from 1957 to 1970

Jaina

member of religion founded by Mahavira

Jalaluddin Rumi

great Sufi master

Jamnagar

town in Gujarat

Janov, Arthur

psychotherapist and founder of primal therapy

japa

prayer, mantra, telling of beads

Jawaharlal Nehru

first Prime Minister of India after Independence in 1947

Jayantibhai

Osho's main host in Gujarat, sponsor to all Osho's Mt. Abu Camps

Juhu

suburb and beach in Bombay

Jung, Carl Gustav

(1875-l961) Swiss psychologist, pupil of Freud

Kaaba, the

building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which houses the sacred stone, of extraterrestrial origin, towards which Mohammedans turn in prayer

Kabir

Indian mystic from Kashi (Varanasi), his poems and songs are well-loved

Kashi

sacred city where Kabir lived; now Varanasi

Kazantzakis, Nikos

(1885-1955) author of Zorba the Greek

Khajuraho

place with tantric temple carvings in Madhya Pradesh

khanjhari

tambourine type drum

Kierkegaard, Soren

(1813-1855) Danish philosopher and theologian

kirtan

devotional music, singing, and dance, in the Hindu tradition

kohinoor

famous diamond, now in British crown jewels

Konark

city in Orissa with temples, famous for their erotic carvings

Koregaon Park

exclusive residential suburb of Poona, where Osho lives from 1974-1981, and 1987-1990

Krishnamurti, Jiddu

(1895-1986) Indian enlightened master

kshatriya

member of the warrior caste, the 2nd highest in the Hindu caste system

Kulu Manali

town in India, in foothills of Himalayas

kundalini

untranslatable word used in the Yogic tradition, approximately: the 'vital life force'

Kutch

an area in the extreme West of Gujarat and India

lakh

Indian term for 100,000;100 lakhs are equal to one crore

Lao Tzu

enlightened master of China; Taoist

Laxmi, Ma Yoga

Osho's disciple, and former secretary

Lohia, Ram Manohar, Dr.

Indian politician and journalist

mahaparanirvana

death of an enlightened person

Maharashtra

state in which Poona situated, and of which Bombay is the capital

Maharishi, Shree Ramana

enlightened man, lived in the hills of Arunachal, in S. India; taught the meditation technique 'Who am I?'

Mahavira

enlightened master of Jainas, last tirthankara

Mahayana

lit. great vessel; a sect of Buddhism, main religion of Tibet

Maidan

public open area in city, used for meetings, parades, recreation, etc.

mala

rosary, usually with 108 beads

mandir

Hindu temple

Manjushree

enlightened disciple of Buddha

Mataji

Osho's mother

Matheran

hill resort in Maharashtra

matric

Abbr. for matriculation

Maulvi

teacher, Mohammedan priest

Mehta, Ashok

Indian socialist leader

Mevlana

title of love and respect

Mohammed Ali

world-champion boxer

Mohenjo Daro

ancient city in Pakistan, also known as Mohenjo-Daro, Mohenjodro, Mohenjodaro or Mohanjodaro

moksha

Indian word for the ultimate, 'absolute freedom'

mudra

gesture

muni

final stage of Jaina monkhood

namaste

traditional Hindu greeting with palms together

Nanak

Indian enlightened master, a.k.a. Guru Nanak; his followers are called Sikhs

Narayan, Jayaprakash

late Indian socialist leader (a.k.a. J.P.)

Narendra

childhood friend, and later disciple of Osho

Nargol

place where Osho held meditation camp, in the state of Gujarat

Nathuram Godse

Mahatma Gandhi's assassin

neem

tree with bitter medicinal leaves, margosa tree

Nerudas, Pablo

Chilean poet C20th

Nestorians

small sect of Christians in Central Asia

Nietzsche, Friedrich

(1844-1900) German philosopher, author of Thus spake Zarathustra

Nijinsky, Vaslav F.

(1890-1950) Russian dancer

Nizam

ruler, e.g. the Nizam of Hyderabad

omkar

divine sound mantra

Ouspensky, P.D.

Russian mathematician, disciple of Gurdjieff

pai, paise

money: 100 paise to one Rupee

pan

mild stimulant, usually containing betel nut, common throughout India

panwallah

person who prepares and sells pan

Parsi

one of a small community of Persian origin, prominent in Bombay and Gujarat, adherents of Zoroastrianism, the religion of Zarathustra

Patanjali

creator of the science of Yoga (namely 'Yoga Sutra')

Poona

town in Maharashtra, where Osho's ashram is situated in Koregaon Park

Prakrit

vernacular language spoken by Mahavira

prasad

blessed food, also a common first name

Puri

city in Orissa, home of the Jagannath temple, seat of the Shankaracharya of Puri

Raidas

a mystic, a shoemaker, fellow disciple of Kabir, master of Meera

Rajasthan

state in West India

Rajiv Gandhi

Prime Minister of India, and son of Indira Gandhi

Rajkot

town in Gujarat

Rajneesh

name Osho was known by, until he changed it in 1988; first as Acharya Rajneesh until 1970; then as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Rajneeshpuram

city developed in Rancho Rajneesh

Ramakrishna

enlightened mystic of Bengal

Rancho Rajneesh

ranch where a commune was established by Osho's disciples 1981-1985

Rasputin, Grigori Y.

(1871-1916) Russian peasant who was powerful in the court of Tsar Nicholas II

Reich, Wilhelm

psychotherapist and inventor, founder of 'bio-energetics'

Rishikesh

holy city in Uttar Pradesh, North India

Rolf, Ida

psychotherapist and founder of deep-tissue manipulation technique, Rolfing

Rotarian

member of Rotary Club, originally a group of businessmen dedicated to helping their community

rup, rupa

form

sadhana

spiritual discipline, spiritual endeavor, spiritual practices

Sai Baba

term of respect for a holy man, eg. Sai Baba of Bangalore famous for his 'miracles', manifesting holy ash, Swiss watches, etc

samadhi

lit. 'going beyond all sickness'; Patanjali's word for enlightenment

sammasati

'right remembrance'; Buddha's word for witnessing

samsara

see sansara

Sanatan dharma

'eternal religion', another name for Hinduism

sannyasin

renunciant, ascetic of the Hindu religion; in 1970 Osho created his own neo-sannyasin movement which combines celebration with meditation, not renunciation

sansara

Hindi for 'the world', also samsara

Sanskrit

ancient language of India, ancestor of European languages

satori

glimpse of enlightenment

satsang

sitting in the presence of an enlightened person

Satyuga

age of truth, first of the four aeons, the 'four-legged' age

shakti

energy

Shankaracharya

(b. 788) brahmin philosopher, mystic, Hindu reformer, a.k.a. Shankara, Adi Shankara; also title for leader in Hindu religion

Shiva

a God in the Hindu religion

shivalinga

representation of the phallus of Lord Shiva

Shivir

Meditation Camp

Sikh

member of Sikh religion, mainly found in the Punjab

sirod

Indian musical stringed instrument

sitar

Indian musical stringed instrument (also: bina)

Socrates

(470-399) Greek philosopher

sudra

untouchable; means 'impure by birth';

Sufi

member of esoteric sect of Mohammedanism, many of whom use music, dance, and poetry as a way to commune with God

Surat

city in Gujarat

sutra

religious scripture, originally transmitted orally

Sw Krishna Mohammed

Osho's disciple

Swedenborg, Emanuel

Swedish visionary, 19th Century

T'ai Chi

system of exercises, once connected with martial arts in China; now used for health

tabla

pair of small drums used in North Indian classical music

Tagore, Rabindranath

(1861-1941) Bengali poet, novelist, dramatist, composer, painter, winner of 1913 Nobel prize for literature on his book of poems Gitanjali

tambura

Indian musical stringed instrument

tantra

non-duality; no division between material and spiritual

tantrika

adherent of tantric way

Tao Te Ching

small book attributed to Lao Tzu, containing the essence of Taoism

Tao, Taoism

religion, originally in China; 'Tao' can also refer to the state of enlightenment

Tathagata

another name of Buddha

The Dalles

main town of Wasco County

Tirthankara

one of the 24 enlightened masters of the Jainas, (not 'teerthankara')

Vaishya

businessman caste (third in Hindu caste system)

Varanasi

city in Uttar Pradesh on the Ganges; ancient Hindu holy place. Formerly spelt Benares by the British, now sometimes called Banaras

veena

Indian musical stringed instrument (also: bina)

Vimalkirti

enlightened disciple of Gautama the Buddha; also disciple of Osho who became enlightened at the time of his death, formerly Prince Welf of Hanover

Vipassana

Buddha's meditation of insight, and watching the breath

Vivekananda

Ramakrishna's chief disciple

Yehudi Menuhin

violinist in the Western classical tradition

Zarathustra

founder of the Zoroastrian religion, known as Parsi religion in India

zazen

Zen practice of sitting in meditation

Zen

Japanese word for dhyan, meditation

Zorba the Buddha

Osho's name for a person who is spiritual and can enjoy the material world