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 |