Rajneesh

About Rajneesh

Rajneesh, later widely known as Osho (1931–1990), was an Indian mystic and spiritual teacher whose philosophical teachings blended elements of Eastern mysticism with Western psychotherapy, attracting a global following. His historical importance, reflected in his #568 rank by MIT's Pantheon project, stems from his significant—though often controversial—influence on New Age thought, meditation practices, and alternative lifestyles throughout the latter half of the 20th century. He advocated for a life embracing sexuality, meditation, and spiritual freedom, establishing a movement that continues to hold cultural resonance.

The attention accorded to Rajneesh in 2025 on Wikipedia suggests a significant disconnect from his historical standing. With approximately 1.7 million annualized views, his current internet visibility is considerably higher than his historical weight suggests, resulting in an "overattention" factor of +5x relative to his importance rank. To place this in context, highly influential modern political figures like George H. W. Bush (#788 importance) garnered 4.4M views, while the far more historically crucial philosopher Montesquieu (#229 importance) received only about 345K views.

While his overall attention is high, his year-over-year trend shows a decline of -17.4%, indicating that his historical visibility is slightly fading in the immediate term. However, short-term momentum within 2025 (Q1 vs Q3) shows a positive surge of +24%, suggesting pockets of renewed, albeit transient, online interest in his life or teachings.