From Insanity to Sanity. (Interview with Swami Swaram)

Every man is a philosopher and if he is an Osho sanyassin the philosophy he professes is just too strong. A philosopher by mind, a teacher by profession and a sanyassin at heart, Swami Swaram is a thirty year old man from Italy whos been living in Osho Tapoban for the last five months. We talked to him about his experience at Osho Tapoban and his views about Osho and meditation.

How did you come to know about Osho?

When I was 18 I had gone to an underground rock concert. In the concert I saw a man with long hair and an unusually long beard that reached his waist. He was holding a small book stall where all the books for sale had OSHO written on them. There, I bought a very small book by Osho known as the "Philosphy of Non-Violence", it was the cheapest one. But when I read the book I was entralled and amazed by Oshos intellegence. This was my first encounter with Osho.

You took sanyass and have become a disciple of Osho, when and why did you decide to choose Osho as your spiritual master?

In 1998 I went to Pune. Even though I really felt close to Osho and did all the meditation I didnt take sannyaas. Later in Jan 2000, when I returned to Pune, my resistances collapsed. It was not a planned decision and I took sannyass. During the sannyaas celebration, the energy was so strong that I cried for an hour and I had no reason. I chose Osho as my spiritual master because he understood me and gave me the freedom to be myself. He had the answers to all my questions which I couldnt find anywhere else

What inspired you or motivated you to come here?

In London my friend informed me that Swami Arun was going to conduct a meditation camp in there. I did not want to miss this camp which took place outside the city. After participating in the camp my life was totally transformed. I got the real glimpse of meditation and experienced something which I had never experienced before. I had psychological problems since I was 17. When I went to Pune, I participated in many groups and visited the therapists there in the commune. After attending the therapies or groups in Pune, I would feel better for sometime but then it would return again. But when I took Swami Aruns camp, things started changing for me. Through Swami Arun I understood OSHO. I understood what it means to be a sanyassin and to be on a spiritual path. Then I really wanted to taste silence and when I watched Tapobans introductary documentary I immidiately decided to come to Tapoban.

You took Sannyaas in Pune and only recently you started wearing the mala again, why do you wear it now?

In Pune and everywhere else nobody gives importance to the mala. Though I was wearing it in the beginning I saw how insignificant it was for other sanyassins in Pune and other places so I stopped wearing it. But when I participate in Swami Aruns camp I felt his profound love and respect for mala and listening from him about the importance of Mala especially for us, the people from the West who do not consider it to be significant and take it as a commodity. I really felt the difference with the Mala which I received in sanyass as a token of love from the Master.

What was your first impression when you came to Tapoban?

When I first came here I had tons of problems, I was very low, depressed and suicidal. Outside it was very easy for me to distract myself but in Tapoban there was no escape. So here I had a total encounter with myself. All my problems intesified. Many times I wanted to fly back to Italy but within I felt that it was not the solution. Gradually I started feeling better and a trust for myself arose within me. After participating in the next camp conducted by Swami Arun I started going deeper in meditation. For the first time after many years I was relaxed in my body and mind.

I have seen that you are very regular in meditations and you attend all the five sessions in Rajneesh Dhyan Mandir. Which is your favorite meditation & Why?

I like Dynamic the most and here I can feel it going deep. It is the most powerful meditation and I can feel that it can transform life and the whole chemistry of the human body. It’s the perfect cure to everything and I thank Osho for creating it. If done with commitment and patience it can work wonders.

How have Osho Meditations changed your life?

The meditations completely transformed my life. When I started doing it regularly many habits dropped and it completely changed the chemistry of my body. As I started meditating my body started cleansing and many of my physcial problems got cured. The fear that I was carrying within started fading away and I have become more ready to be still and relaxed.

Interview Taken By: Swami Aatmo Neerav.

funny... bhagwan at a wedding

NAMASTE

My First Meditation Camp with Osho, Swami Anand Arun

On the evening of 29th March, 1969, Acharya (Osho) returned to Jabalpur (from Patna) by the Toofan Mail Express where I had first met him, and heard him lecture. I started writing letters to him. My life was filled with questions and was full of problems; and I started writing about my personal situation to Acharya. He used to reply back at that time with beautiful handwritten letters. They used to be short, but filled with guidance and messages for me. In one of his letters, he wrote “Meditation is the only solution to your problem. From meditation, you will get spiritual energy and when this energy overflows, it will clear all the obstacles and solve your problems. There will be a meditation camp at Dwarika in October, if you can manage it then come so that you can meditate and we can talk in detail."

Traveling long distances alone at that time was a difficult thing. So I requested some of my friends to go with me, but nobody was ready for that. So I half-heartedly returned back home to Kathmandu. Still there was a strong force that was pulling me towards Osho. I could not enjoy the festivals at home, rather I seemed to become more anxious. Finally I decided to travel to Dwarika alone. As soon as I decided this, I felt a strong energy arising within me. As usual at festival times, it is very difficult get a reservation on the trains, but for some reason I easily got a reservation! I was surprised to find many people on the journey who were very helpful and friendly towards me. After a long journey, I reached Dwarika. It was the month of October 1969.

The Ocean is both my delight and weakness. Even today whenever I go near it, I feel a certain mysterious aloneness and inner bliss. My futile ego surrenders in front of the widespread-endless ocean and I feel inner silence, peace and elevatation. Many thousands of years ago, Dwarika was ruled by Krishna and it was his favourite place for his pastimes. The background of the Arabian Sea, and above all the mystical presence of Osho took my consciousness to newer realms. The meditations on the sandy beaches of the sea, triggered a deep transformation within me, and turned the whole course of my life. Osho’s presence, his discourses and meditations on the art of dying took us within to a deep inner awareness of undying. Later the discourses given in that camp were published as a book called “Mein Mrityu Sikhata Hu (In Hindi)”.

Most of the participants in the camp were from Gujarat and Maharastra. I was the only one who was from outside India. For the first time I found myself in the company of open, friendly and happy meditators, free from all hypocrisies.

On the very first day Osho said “All the Hindus say that the Soul is immortal, but nobody has experienced it, it is only a concept, an idea borrowed from the Scriptures. One self-realized person is enough to enlighten a whole village. As the presence of a beautiful woman changes the vibe of the environment, as a blooming flower can change the surrounding by its fragrance, similarly a self-realized soul can change the spirit of the surrounding. There are more than 10 million traditional sannyasins and ascetics (in India) and most of them claim themselves to have realized the divine. All of them have their own ways to attract people by going through various self torturing practices and austerities. This is not meditation, but rather a religious circus. The country would not have been in such mess if there were 10 million enlightened beings. These are not sadhakas but they are all hypocrites. In fact, it’s all because of them, we are poor and loosing our morality. Ordinairy people are not to be blamed because they have been the same all the time. If there is anything wrong then it is because of so-called saints and ascetics. They go on saying that they will change everyone’s character and make people more moral, but they don't know that this is next to impossible. Common people will remain the same. If we are to change the world then a few people are enough. And they have to go through an intense transformation that can be the spotlight for society, and can guide millions of souls. That's why I only need one hundred such people. If these people can reach the heights of consciousness then the rest of the humanity will not remain the same. Gurdijeff and Vivekananda used to say, "If I get one hundred true, dedicated meditators, I will change the course of time." But they could not get hundred such people and had to die in frustration. I also need one hundred such people, but I am not going to die like them. I will travel to each and every place, I will look into the eyes of each and every one, and if I find anybody that can be a potential, I will pull him out of all the troubles of his life, and I have done the preparation to put all my effort and capacity to transform them. If you have courage and strength then come to me I will reveal to you that secret beyond life and death."

I was completely moved by the fiery words of Acharya. I could not sleep that night and was shivering due to the overflow of energy within me. The very next day, I wrote a small note to him “Acharya, now look for only 99 people, one has arrived”

Drop it from the mind.

If meditation has happened to you, just feel thankful to the divine and forget it. Just feel grateful, and remember well that you don't have any capacity to have it, you are not in any way authorized to have it; it has been a gift. It has been an overflowing of the divine. Forget it. Don't expect it; dont demand it. It will come next day again deeper, higher, greater. It will go on expanding, but everyday drop it from the mind. -OSHO

Swami Narendra, Ma Mukti and Ma Divya speak of their Osho experience.(interview)

(Here’s an interview of Swami Narendra Bodhiattva, Ma Amrit Mukti, and Ma Divya Gandha taken by Ma Anand Punyam when they visited Osho Tapoban. The article is published with permission. Pictures of Ma Divya Gandha weren't available so haven't been published in the interview)

After years of beckoning, Swami Narendra Bodhisattwa, Ma Amrit Mukti and Ma Divya Gandha, three beautiful diamonds from the Osho family finally made their way to Tapoban to grace us with their presence. As intimate disciples of Osho, they have had the privilege of living with Osho and serving him on daily basis for years. They have devoted their lives to spreading Osho’s vision as his spiritual mediums. Their love for Osho has culminated in a small but delightful commune in Dehradun. Narendra Swami worked in the publishing department while Mukti Ma and Divya Ma used to cook for Osho. We asked them to share with us their own Osho experiences.

Please say a few words about Tapoban.

Tapoban is a beautiful, very beautiful place. This is perhaps the first time we have seen such a beautiful place in the Himalayas. Osho used to say that he would like to end up in the Himalayas. He was very fond of such places. Especially Manali, which is where sannyas began. When he returned from America his first destination was Manali. He wanted to live there. But the government did not allow him to, which is why he came to Kathmandu. So obviously this is a place that is very dear to Osho’s heart. It is an ideal place for meditation. It is so secluded from the city that nobody wants to leave. In our Ashram in Dehradun, people are continuously going out for tea or shopping. Nobody seems to want to leave Tapoban after settling here. It is so tranquil. Wherever you sit silently, you are bound to enter into a deep state of meditation.

Was Osho different in his public and private life? He appears to be sober and serious in his public appearance but you have seen him in his private space.

When in public, he used to greet people by doing Namaste. But that was just one facet of his personality. When he used to sit alone amongst us, he used to be very simple and modest. He never put up a façade or try to impress anyone. There was no point to his trying to impress anyone because everyone was already impressed with him.

Swami Narendra during Energy Darshan with Osho.

You’d mentioned in yesterday’s gathering that he was quiet notorious regarding food.

Yes indeed, as far as food is concerned, he was as notorious as a kid. He really enjoyed food. Whatever it was, specially spicy food. So food was a big part of his life, but when we went to Rajneeshpuram, he was given a diet of 1500 calories per day. So that was slightly problematic. But Ma Mukti and Ma Divya now had a challenge, of pleasing his taste buds. So what they would do is make one dish spicy and make the others plain. He was very spontaneous and picky about food. We would have to provide a dish the moment he desired for it. He was very experimental as well. For example, for six months he would only have soup and toast four times a day. And then once for three weeks continuously he had malai laddoo thrice daily. Once he suddenly had the desire for black sweets. Now I didn’t know what they were and I knew that he did not like chocolates. They turned out to be Khajur sweets that look black. Ma Karuna used to make them and bring them from Bombay. Neither of us knew the recipe but we tried our best to find it. At 6:00 he said he wanted them and at 8:00 he was asking again about what was happening about his black sweets. When we finally figured out the recipe, we realized that certain ingredients were missing so we immediately sent three people out to look for them. In this way, he was quiet troublesome about his food. But at the same time it was like a challenge for us , and to be able to succeed in bringing him whatever he asked for gave us a-lot of joy.

Do you think that he was impulsive in this way for his own pleaure or for the sake of others?

He was obviously doing it for our sake, to check up on us and see how alert we are in our work. He used to test us continually. Once he suddenly had the desire to have chutney made of a special fruit called kaid that is only found in the place where we grew up. Now, everyone went crazy calling people up trying to find the fruit. When we’d finally gathered enough fruit to make the chutney, he wouldn’t take any. We later found out that there was a kaid tree in the ashram. He obviously hadn’t wanted the chutney in the first place but was only testing us.

The communes in Pune as well as Oregon were massive. How was it possible to sustain such large systems?

Osho alone could run his communes. He would be aware of everything that was happening in the commune. And instructions according to how everyone should work would reach everyone. Every little thing we would do, he would know. Pune I was such a big commune, and then Rajneeshpuram which was bigger, then Pune II. But there was never any problems. Any issue that came up would be resolved immediately so that there were no problems. He taught us an important lesson that problems essentially do not exist. We create the problems and then we try to solve them. It is our mind that creates them. Now Osho never created problems in the first place, so there was no question of having to solve them. The mind is the problem, an no-mind is the solution.

It is easy to say so. But to put it in practice is difficult.

Yes, it is difficult for us. But for Osho, it wasn’t. Osho is not in his body anymore. What do you think is the difference in the commune experiences when he was in the body and now when he’s not around. Theirs is no difference at all. The main purpose of a master is to help you lose as little of your mind as you can. So, do whatever the coordinator of your commune asks of you and forget all other things. Then where is the problem? And it isn’t that Osho isn’t around. He may not be physically present, but his aura is stronger than ever. More and more people are gathering in his communes. He had wished to have a commune in the Himalayas. And look now, there is Tapoban in Kathmandu, there’s one in Dehradun, in Dharmashala and there’s a small one in Manali as well. So there are a lot already and a lot more are yet to be made. But the real question is how devoted we really are. And not onto any one person but onto Osho, our master. If our devotion exists in totality, then there is no problem at all. And when there are no problems, then life is full of joy.

What do you think is the future of Osho’s vision?

If a fire starts in the forest, then the entire forest gets burnt in a matter of minutes. A similar fire is spreading as far as Osho’s vision is concerned. Had you ever imagined that Arun Swami would be invited all over the world to conduct meditation camps? Now people want him to stay for three months when he’s only there for 20 days. But he has to manage the commune here as well. We had never conceived that there would be so much work being done at a global level. The website http://www.oshoworld.com/ has brought all of Osho’s literature, photographs, signatures at one’s fingertips for free by publishing them online. This is such a great work that is happening. A lot of sannyassin are giving their heart and soul into spreading Osho’s vision.

Osho had the vision of self-sufficient communes. But it is difficult to run an independent commune, which means that we have to depend on outside sources and donations for the sustenance of the commune.

Yes, Osho has created his vision for us indeed. But we are not as yet ready to support a commune. When Osho was in Uruguay, he said to stop making big communes because a big commune would create hierarchy. It will generate dictatorship and disharmony. So make a commune with 12 to 15 people in it. Let’s say 3 to 4 families. And everybody is earning. Meditate every morning and evening and work during the day. Then why can’t we establish a commune, and why won’t it be self-sustainable? It is possible, definitely. The real problem is that we are holding onto certain attitudes. All the big communes that are already in existence - who is supporting them? It is people like you and me. There is a uniqueness amongst Tibetans. They give 30% of their profits to their monasteries. Sikhs give 10% of their profits to their Gurudwaras. But our sannyassin don’t even give one percent of their income. Nevertheless, if there are small communes, why won’t they be self-sufficient? Nothing is impossible.

We hope that, in this spirit of infinite possibilities, Osho’s vision will sweep the world and his dream will be fulfilled through the efforts of his sannyassin like Narendra Swami, Mukti Ma and Divya Ma.

Interview by Ma Anand Punyam

Early birds of the OSHO neo-sannyas.

in orange...

in ecstacy...

Swami Anand Arun: I am only an ardent lover of Osho. (interview)

Swami Anand Arun, a 65 year-old-engineer first saw Osho in 1969 and was tantalized by his physical grace and firing speech. He began spreading Osho’s message in Nepal in 1970 opening a meditation centre at his own residence. Today, Swami Anand Arun is the Co-ordinator of Osho Tapoban International Commune in Nepal which has been spreading Osho’s message and helping seekers throughout the world since last 18 years. Through Swami Arun’s efforts Tapoban has already opened 22 Osho centres and communes in USA, Canada, Russia, UK , Germany and five communes and 60 centres only in Nepal. We sat down and talked with Swami Arun to know more about his experience with Osho and the ever-growing neo-sannyas movement. Here is what he had to say.

Would you please say something about Osho’s life and work?

Sw Arun: It’s very difficult to talk about Osho. He cannot be defined in words. The life of mystics and enlightened masters is like an iceberg. Only a small portion of their life is visible and the major portion remains hidden. He says that first you should know who you are. You should know your centre, your soul. Then you can understand at least a fragment of somebody like Osho who has become oceanic. An easier way is also to love him madly. If you are madly in love with him and you trust him totally, then you may be able to understand some of the mysteries of his life, what he is and what he wants to do for us. So, you either become self realized or fall madly in love with him. I can talk about him and his life endlessly, but it is completely unnecessary. It does not define who he is.

It’s been almost forty years since you met Osho and have been actively working to spread his message. What inspired you to give so much of your life for this movement?

Sw Arun: When I first met Osho forty years ago I was in a totally defeated state. There was no hope or zeal in life and I didn’t want to live. Before I met Osho there was a big question in my mind; What’s the purpose of living? But after I fell in love with him I found my answer. I should live to spread his message and to share his love with the world. I should live to meditate and to celebrate. He has given me this life, its meaning and the reason to live. I have surrendered my life to him and as his disciple I just want to become his medium. It’s not my life and therefore I don’t have any plans for it. He will keep me as long as he wants and I will continue with the same madness.

You have initiated more than fifty thousand people from all over the world and seventy five
percent of them are below the age of thirty five. What attracts so many young people to Osho?

Sw Arun: I would like to correct you. I have not initiated anybody. Only a master can initiate. I only inspire people. It is their decision to take sanyass and its Osho’s energy and love that accepts them. I am just a medium. I can become an empty vessel and through me Osho initiates his disciples. You are asking why most of the people are young. Yes, when religion is alive, it attracts young people. All the great things done by great masters were done during their young age. Buddha left his palace at the age of 29 and became enlightened when he was 35. Shankaracharya became enlightened at the age of 16 and died at the age of 32. Vivekananda died at 39 and Jesus died at 33. They were young people and they have done miracles in the world. When you are young energy is alive and you are innocent. Old people become cunning and old minds become greedy. So when religion is young it always attracts young people. Only young people can create miracles. Only young people can be REALLY RELIGIOUS.

What is your opinion about the current global situation?

Sw Arun: The current global situation is very alarming. It looks like we are no more interested in life. We are heading towards total destruction. Global warming, over population, scarcity of water, rupture in the ozone layer are a few indicators to show that the world is moving towards destruction. Osho has said several times that it’s high time we corrected ourselves or we will have to vacate this beautiful planet. Enlightened masters have always been giving the indication but very few people listen to them. But now even sociologists, environmentalists and scientists have started saying that we are heading towards global suicide. It’s now very urgent to correct our mistakes. Osho is a messenger for this transformation; to show where we have made mistakes and how we can correct them.

Your efforts have culminated into numerous meditation centres and communes all over the world.How do you manage so much?

Sw Arun: People can build houses but they can’t build temples. I have been to several temples built by rich people. Architecturally, they are well planned and well decorated but most of them have no spiritual energy because this energy cannot be created by money. Our meditation centres are Buddha fields where spiritual energy is alive. I would like to give you an example of the centre (Osho Sambodhi) that was recently opened in London. It is just an ordinary house but if you sit there for five minutes you will be charged by a divine energy. I cannot create this energy. Osho centres are created by existence and they are running because existence wants them to. Yes! We can become facilitators, we can become mediums, and I feel very lucky that existence has given me this opportunity.

What do these centres contribute to the society?

Their contribution to society is indirect. These centres make good and joyful individuals. A happy individual can make a happy society. If individuals are unhappy, stressed and angry then the whole society gets affected. So, these centres make people relaxed and joyful. At Tapoban you can see that people are happy even if they are not affluent. A new person can instantly realize that people here are always laughing and cracking jokes. Yes! We are happy people and we love to share happiness. These centres are like oases that radiate happiness in the world. And if the world needs anything, it’s happiness, love and freedom. These three most essential things in people’s life are all available in these centres. Osho centres are a free space, nobody interferes in anybody’s personal life. People have total liberty. It’s their life and they live according to their own intelligence. Centre coordinators or anybody in the centre does not have any right to interfere in anybody’s life. An individual’s right is highly respected. The centre attracts people who love Osho or who love humanity. You are here because you love Osho, because you love me and I am here because I love you. So, the basic ingredient is love. Freedom, love and happiness are a rare combination in the world. These centres provide the environment for love and life.

Being one of the pioneers of the Osho movement what would you to like to say to those involved with it today?

Sw Arun: I don’t consider myself a pioneer. I am only an ardent lover of Osho. I am not alone. Thousands of people are working for the master according to their understanding and I am one of them. I always work with the understanding that I could also be wrong. So, when I advise someone I also remind him that he is free to do what his intelligence tells him to. I have this experience that working for the master is the greatest pleasure of my life. Nothing can give me more happiness, more satisfaction. My experience says that if you want to be happy, if you want satisfaction then become a medium of the master. When the master starts working through you the whole existence will bless you, the whole existence will love you. Lots of people think that they will work for Osho after five years, after ten years, after they complete their studies, their service and so on.
NO! If you are postponing, it is never going to happen. It has to happen from this moment, from now. It is the greatest illusion of the mind. Right it down in your diary that if you are not doing it today, you are not doing it tomorrow either. If you are not meditating today, you are not meditating tomorrow. If you don’t love Osho and become his medium today, there is less chance that you’ll become his medium tomorrow. In fact there’s NO CHANCE.

Interviewed by: Swami Aatmo Neerav.

Swami Chaitanya Keerti meets Osho for the first time

[Standing before Osho's secretary Laxmi for the first time] I asked Laxmi if she could arrange a time for me to meet Osho.

"Have you heard his discourses?” she asked.
"I have been reading his books.” I replied.
"Then it would be better,” she said if you first attended his discourses in the Patkar Hall, before coming for Darshan.”
"No,” I replied, "I have read his books and feel ready to see him right away. There is no need for me to wait for some days.”
"No,” she retorted, "you can’t see him right away.”
But I was determined that I should see him there and then, so I just sat there and waited.
"Who is this secretary who is preventing me from seeing him?” I kept asking myself. "When he comes out of his room I will catch him.”
I waited until 4 o’ clock. The afternoon meeting was over. Then suddenly I had an idea.
"Please give me a note-pad,” I said to Laxmi. "I will write him a note to read.”
Laxmi gave me a note-pad and I wrote this to him in Hindi:
"Bhagwan Shree I have come from so far away and there was no problem. Now I am sitting here and you are sitting there — a few yards away. What are these walls between us? What is this distance? Why I have come, I can’t express — I won’t be able to express. I have come — this is my expression.”
I am unable to remember the exact words.
Laxmi took the message in without reading it, and very quickly returned saying, "He is calling you. Just go into that room.”
Now! The full stop to all the struggle! I was so used to the mind struggling and keep saying, "No.” I was used to it. But the mind doesn’t know how to react to a positive invitation that comes like a lightning. The mind simply stops. To me it seemed the right thing for the mind to stop before one going in to see the Master.
In that state — something the mind and no-mind I took a few steps nearer the room where the Master was sitting. Laxmi had not accompanied me. Very softly I opened the door.
Then I SEE HIM!
The Master sitting there in his revolving chair. There is a glass wall behind him, the sun is shining and He is aglow. The chair is simple and small. He is sitting in it, but he is really all over the room. The empty room is filled, vibrating with His glowing presence. GRACE is all there is — nothing else.
Looking at me He says softly, in a flower-like voice, "Chale Aao, Chale Aao! Main tumhara intezar kar raha tha.”("Come in! come in! Come, I was waiting for you.”)
It feels as if there is something within me has already reached him and surrendered at his feet. Very softly I take a few steps, go close to him and sit there with my head bending down looking at his feet.
"Kaise Aana Hua?” I hear him say softly. "What brought you here?”
I was looking down, unable to speak.
He asked the question again : "Kaise Aana Hua?”
I felt as if I should be saying something. In the train I had been thinking of all the things I would be asking him. But now, what happened to all those things? Where were all my questions? Mustering all my courage, I answered: "I have come to be with you”
"Here! With Me!”
There is a long pause. Then the Master laughs — I hear this laugh so loud as if filling the whole cosmos.
Then he says, "Oh you want to take Sannyas?”
"Yes,” I replied, "whatever the way to be with you......”
"Have you any responsibilities at home?” he asked.
"No, none,” I said, ‘Forget about my home.’
After asking me questions about my education and listening to my reply he called Madhu through the intercom:
"Madhu, mala lao.” ("Madhu, bring a mala.”)
He turned and took up his paper. I looked up at him, but immediately looked down as he turned back, and looking towards me. Suddenly Madhu was there with a mala. He takes it, and garlands my neck saying:
"I give you a new name, Swami Chaitanya Keerti.”
He introduces me to Ma Anand Madhu. She was coordinating the Kirtan Mandali that was due to leave the next day, travelling around Gujarat, and arriving the following month at Mount Abu for the next meditation camp."You join this group, sing and dance with this group and we will meet in Mount Abu next month,” he said.
I go to Ma Madhu to touch her feet.
"You touch only his feet.” She says.
Then after Osho has told Madhu to fetch me orange clothes I leave with her and was given instructions on how to find the Kirtan Mandali. Ma Laxmi welcomes me with a cup of chai (tea). I knew that now that I had been accepted and blessed by the Master that I was looking a different person. With the mala around my neck, my eyes had an otherworldly glow. I remember a poem to describe something of the experience:
Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.
Utterly thrilled and blessed I came out of the Woodland Apartment and found the whole of Bombay celebrating... dum dum dum loud drum-beats. People were carrying Lord Ganesha idols and there were processions after processions — very crazy and very colourful.
I found myself dancing with them — I had met the ultimate in human form and my happiness knew no bounds. I was not a dancer. I was a very serious person. Osho had filled me a new consciousness that made me dance — an unknown dance. And the journey of dance had begun.

(excerpted from Keerti's site, Meditate-Celebrate. This piece is a major part of Chapter 43 of his book, Allah to Zen, personal impressions of Osho)Sw Chaitanya Keerti, Indian, long-time editor in Osho Commune

OSHO'S PARENTS

Osho bidding farewell to his father after he left his body.
Osho's mother in the back. Osho's father and mother
were both Osho's disciples.

SOME EARLY DISCIPLES OF OSHO

Ma Yoga Vivek/ Nirvano, Osho's Caretaker
Osho's main energy medium

Ma Dharma Jyoti,

Camp conductor, Writer "100 tales for ten thousand Buddha's"

Ma Prem Maneesha, Editor of many Osho books,
commentator of Darshan Diaries.
Osho's Energy Medium

Swami Anand Arun, Osho made him Director of Meditation,
and Spiritual growth centre of Rajneesh Mystery School in 1984,
Center leader and Camp Conductor, Osho Tapoban.

Ma Krishna Radha, Used to clean in Osho's Lao Tzo House

Group leader in Tantra groups
Osho's Energy Medium
Writer of the book 'Tantra'

Ma Yoga Neelam, Osho's Secretary during Pune II,
has also worked as a member of the management
committe of Osho Commune International,
Center leader and Camp Conductor, Osho Nisarga.

Swami Chaitanya Keerti, Editor of many Osho Books,
has also worked as the spokesperson of Osho International Commune
& the editor of Osho Times.

First batch of initiated disciples.

Ma Yoga Laxmi, Osho's secretary,
Also published many Osho books under Rajneesh Foundation.

Swami Narendra Bodhisattva, Edited and Published many Osho books,
Also gave fire to Osho's body after the master left his body,

Camp Conductor and Centre leader, Osho Om Bodhisattva.

Ma Amrit Mukti, Osho's cook,

Also travelled with Osho during the world tour,
Camp Conductor and Centre leader, Osho Om Bodhisattva.

Ma Prem Shunyo, Did Osho's laundry,
Also travelled with Osho during the world tour,

Writer of 'My diamond days with Osho',

Group Leader. Osho's Energy Medium.

A meeting with Ma Anand Madhu, first initiated disciple of Osho.

On the last day of our 3 days retreat in Rishikesh, my doctor friend Swami Dhyan Saurav and I found a good looking papaya from our recently discovered leisure stroll on the bank of Ganges. We decided to buy it for Arun Swami and took it to the Ashram where we were staying. When we arrived at the Ashram with the fruit, an unknown man above Swamijee’s room told us that he had left in a car with a sannyasin.

A car on the Ashram side of the Ram jhula (the bridge) was already a rare sight and Swamijee leaving in it made us curious. We inquired of the other sannyasins, and came to know that he had left to see Ma Anand Madhu, the first initiated disciple of Osho. After waiting for hours, two Swamis arrived at the Ashram to tell us that Arun Swamijee had called us to see Madhu Ma. A 30 minutes tempo ride to the main city of Rishikesh brought us to the city chowk, where our maroon clad convoy scattered to buy their presents for this long waited meeting.

I decided to go empty hand, firstly, because I had no money and secondly, because I was too overwhelmed to think of a present. When we finally arrived at the Ashram where she resided, my pre-imaginations were satisfied with the settings of the location, very close to the Ganges and on the brink of the town. The cemented stairs took us to her room and we entered a scene where a beautiful old lady in orange Saree and shawl was waiting.

Madhu Ma portrayed divinity as a personal bearing, the innocent smile, the simple gesture and the comfortable ambience around her was plainly clear even to a bystander like me who was having his first experience with her. The way she greeted us with the word Osho, only spoke of her undying gratitude and love for the Master. The interest and joy she showed even in the minutest of things reflected her love of life. We could not help being influenced by her strong presence that embraced each of us that were present there. Looking around at the face of the sannyasins, I realized that all of us were having the same experience, overpowered by the grace of utmost simplicity.

Madhu Ma was innocence in flowering which only demands innocence in return. Her presence allowed each of us the comfort of being ourselves. She joked about everything and her laughter seemed to honour life as never before. With a childlike adoration she praised Arun Swami for his lifetime devotion in bringing Osho into the lives of many and called him her beloved son.
Like an old grandmother she told us the story about how Osho had chosen Arun to color Nepal red and repeated the words used by the Master to instruct him. And as she spoke, it seemed that Arun Swami and Madhu Ma were again living those poignant moments, giving tears and smiles to most of us watching these beautiful beings.

When the stories had been told, Madhu Ma called her caretaker and asked her to bring some sweets and snacks. She stubbornly wanted us to finish each bit and then sing a song for her. Like a child playing with her dolls, she divided us into four groups and gave us the sweets to eat and to take home, which each of us eagerly devoured and pocketed. She demanded that if we didn’t sing she would go back to sleep. We joyfully obeyed for none of us wanted to miss this beautiful opportunity of being with her. As we started singing old Osho kirtans, Madhu Ma closed her eyes as she merged into the purity of love for our beloved Master.

Mystcism lives in Madhu Ma in the most human form. So human like and yet so divine. Although grounded into the depths of life, her being lives in the open sky of boundless freedom. Ma Anand Madhu is a presence that can only be understood when one understands the absence that surrounds her. This visit has helped me understand at least a fragment of what Swami Arun frequently repeats, “reality is stronger than poetry” I also realized that it is much more beautiful!

As Madhu Ma unexpectedly ordered us to leave, she gifted each of us a memory of the most beautiful things, the simplicity in her eyes, the gratitude in her smile, and the love of her being.

Swami Aatmo Neerav

OSHO GIVING SANNYAS

poetry by OSHO

when gladness glides

in the deep lake of silence,

warm breath of love

hums an unheard song.

when open sky is wide awake

under they gaze

fog of doubt melts away

and, fragrant breeze reveals,

the sweet pollen of bliss.

the lake, the lotus

and the unseen lover

merge in one lightening thrill.

-OSHO

OSHO GIVING ENERGY DARSHAN

NICE OSHO PICTUREs

beautiful beloved bhagwaan