Tom A Vitale:
"Most of the people who have become enlightened have died either immediately or within a few minutes or a few hours. The experience is so great, and the shock to the system of the body is unabsorbable. Out of thousands, perhaps a few have survived. And there are reasons why they survived." - Osho
Is this due to practicing a different practice than the Buddhist methods? What are the reasons for this in these particular practices?
He is not taking about those who become enlightened using meditation. He is talking about the vast majority that follow non-meditation path to moksha/salvation/liberation.
In Hinduism/Vedantic traditions, there are 4 ways to get moksha/final liberation from samsara.
1) Raja Yoga (meditation, yoga asanas),
2) Karma Yoga(Disipline of wholesome actions without attachment to the results),
3) Bhakti (Devotion) Yoga,
4) Jnana(Wisdom/knowledge) Yoga.
Those who follow Raja Yoga get enlightened via meditation and acheive mokhsa at the time of death, if they have reached the final path/stage.
The others, who follow Karma, Bhakti, Jnana yoga, based upon their efforts and accumulation of good deeds/parmis in buddhism, in this life term, may achieve enlightenment and moksha at the time of death. In such cases, full enlightenment happens a few seconds prior to death and moksha/liberation, immediately at the time/after death. Sadguru is talking about people from this category, which makes up a majority of enlightned people.
At least in India, most people follow what is easy, which is Bhakti Yoga - devotion to god, in a form of your choice. A few combine two or all three of these paths.
Metta,