tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17245152707180963472024-03-09T18:46:08.824-08:00oshovihaStudio Presencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15777117262818205890noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-81517945015787407912018-04-24T15:09:00.001-07:002018-04-24T15:09:13.529-07:00 A View of "Wild Wild Country"<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Watching the Netflix series about Rajneeshpuram, <i>Wild Wild Country</i>, has brought up many feelings in me. I skipped some of the boring stuff (Sheela’s lengthy justifications, for example) and looked mainly for the original footage of the commune life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Upon closing the last chapter, I whispered to myself, “My beloved Commune, I love you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">By “commune” I mean all the friends present there. We were thousands, I didn’t know everyone personally, but we crossed each other’s path every day on these dusty or muddy roads, in the yellow buses, in the cafeteria, or on the building sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">And there was a complicity just in the silent exchange of glances, a flavor of peace, kindness and humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Many comments about this Netflix series that I read or saw on the Internet come from outsiders and fail to grasp what was really happening on a deeper level in this commune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Fortunately, Sunshine and Niren’s interviews give the listener a glimpse of that flavor, even if only through their intelligent and light-hearted comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">So I would like to share a few things that I, a resident of Rajneeshpuram, experienced during these four years in the Oregonian sagebrush desert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">That might provide the two directors with some insight about the invisible story behind the factual events and possibly for them to open further that most profound inner chapter that we all lived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">I called Sheela’s office from France in 1982 and said I was a veterinary surgeon, ready to come help. Luckily for me, they needed one for the dairy barn and the Hereford herd grazing the barren land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">So I landed there in early winter, and met some of the toughest, freezing 4 am getups of my life, setting up everyday the milking parlor with my friend Manas, or roaming the land in search of newborn calves, which we dipped into warm baths to save them from freezing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Soon enough I got a halftime job in the construction department, helping erect 90 townhouses and a hotel. That opened my horizon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">First thing, it was not a men-only crew. We had beautiful blonde American and German women wearing tool belts and steel-soled shoes. And they were bloody good at sheet-rocking the two-by-four structures. This mix was light and fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">I learnt carpentry and sheetrock quite fast. It was indeed amazing how this hive of young men and women barreled through these construction projects in such a festive way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Some of that you can see in the Netflix footage. But what you don’t see is the awareness, the inner witnessing meditation practiced by the builders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">We were having fun <b><i>and</i></b>we were present with each gesture, just like the Zen monks a few centuries ago. Inner awareness like them but also lightness and tenderness with each other, the hallmark of Osho’s transmission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">I eventually became a coordinator for a small crew of ten workers, skirting the townhouses against floor frost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">As it happened, Sheela wanted the hotel done very fast. We were on a “crunch” as they called it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">The crew coordinators organized an evening of laying sheetrock panels with good music. I was both honored to be invited by the experienced lads and at the same time curious about the combination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">At 9 pm I entered the vast indoor site and put on my tool belt and my screw gun. The atmosphere was light, and it was a nice change not to have to explain tasks to others or to control the building process for the crew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">I could simply throw myself into the pleasure of physical exercise. In silence, enjoying the music and our skill, we picked up large 8-foot panels and swung them into place in one graceful movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">It was indeed a dance and an exercise in awareness at the same time. It had to be methodical and precise like any construction job, but there was a grace and a joy in our movements, quite a rare event among men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Zen and the art of laying sheetrock, if I had to name it. Awareness in the purest Zen form, witnessing our bodies skillfully moving about the site in coordinated ways. Just like a Gurdjieff dance performance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Precisely Gurdjieff had talked about the three layers of energy available to man, the vast majority of us knowing ever only the very first layer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">After a 9-hour regular working day, and half way into that special evening, I suddenly entered another layer, riding a fresh and powerful wave of energy, witnessing with great surprise how I was now tapping into that unknown reservoir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Retrospectively I understood that the combination of putting my 100 percent power, my 100 percent awareness into the physical experience, coupled with a sense of lightness, the juicy music, and the humor of the lads, brought forth this incredible experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Years later, when my family in France objected that I had worked for free, I smiled at my younger brother who had visited me in Rajneeshpuram. He knew I had been paid tenfold in a currency that is indescribable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">The Netflix series failed to relate those experiences. We explored and discovered absolute treasures through this inner search. And let me tell you: tThis was the reason we were there. Not for Sheela, not for sex, not for the prowess of building a town, not for the worship of a guru…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">We were there to imbibe a very beautiful and mysterious atmosphere, the Buddhafield of a true Master, and possibly to blossom into unique flowers of silence and bliss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">The rest was superficial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">Swami Anand Shakta<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Geneva; font-size: 11pt;">gerardfossat@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-7294508646559887342017-11-12T16:14:00.000-08:002017-11-12T16:14:24.633-08:00It's Only a Brand!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">By Sangeet Duchane (Ma Prem Sangeet)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A court in the European Union recently
upheld rulings of lower tribunals (not courts) that had allowed OSHO as a
trademark for OIF in the EU only. In arguing for this approval, OIF claimed
that OSHO has nothing to do with meditation, it is just a brand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While many of us are offended by the
underlying sentiment of this, from a purely legal point of view, OIF is
correct. And let us rejoice that they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i>
right and that they have admitted this on the record. The trademark approval
means that OIF can use OSHO as a brand for goods and services that OIF owns or
legally controls. A trademark has nothing to do with meditation or the teachings
of a spiritual master, as OIF has admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, the question is, what does OIF own
or control?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Q: Does this decision mean that OIF
owns Osho’s intellectual rights, such as copyrights?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A: Of course not. Does anyone seriously
think that if a company has a brand that uses the name of an historical person
like George Washington, Nelson Mandela, or Winston Churchill they somehow
magically own the property of that person? Does the owner of a George
Washington Savings and Loan brand magically own Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s
residence? Of course not. This is just a brand; it has nothing to do with
ownership of any kind of property of any historical person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Was the ownership of Osho’s copyrights
discussed in the case? Yes, it was, in the context of deciding if the name of a
spiritual leader could be a TM. Did the trademark tribunal have jurisdiction to
rule on copyright ownership? No, it didn’t. It was a glorified government
office with jurisdiction over trademarks, not a court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In fact, the process of the trademark
proceedings weakened any legal claim OIF might have to copyright ownership. OIF
has used three separate and contradictory arguments as to why it claims to own
the copyrights. The first attempt was to claim that Osho signed the rights
directly over to RFI, the US organization controlled by Sheela. But there were
no original documents to prove this and no living person who could authenticate
photocopies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, OIF came up with a new story. The
new story was that Osho hadn’t signed over rights to RFI, as OIF had claimed
for years. They now claimed Osho had signed a power of attorney giving Sheela
the power to transfer rights, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i>
transferred them to RFI. But OIF didn’t have originals of these alleged documents
either. So, they brought in Philip Toelkes (Niren), who testified that his
memory of documents created 30+ years ago was so exact that he could verify
these photocopies—which could easily have been tampered with—were exact copies
of the original documents. OIF’s opponents naturally challenged this claim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In an attempt to issue a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">coup de grace</i> on the ownership issues,
OIF then introduced an alleged will of Osho. Toelkes again came in to testify.
He claimed that, though he was not licensed to practice law in India and did
not know Indian law, he had drafted the will for Osho and could testify that
Michael O’Byrne (Jayesh) and John Andrews (Amrito) had witnessed Osho’s
signature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The will was submitted to forensic
experts, and four experts to date have found that the “signature” on the “will”
is an exact copy of a signature found on the cover of an Osho book from the
1970s. No two signatures of any living person are ever exactly the same, yet
these are exactly the same, meaning the signature is forged. Further, we all
know that Osho’s signature changed over time. In the weakness of his last
months, his signature was very different than it had been in the 1970s. In
short, the “will” was found by the experts to be a pretty blatant forgery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">OIF quickly withdrew the will. When a
police inquiry in India ordered OIF to produce the original of the will, Mukesh
Sarda testified that Nirvano (formerly Vivek) had destroyed the original. Those
of us who were in Pune at the time and living and working in Lao Tzu know that
Nirvano did not have access to documents relating to Osho at that time. But
even if that story was in any way credible, Nirvano died before Osho, and if
she had destroyed the will, they would simply have had Osho sign another. If
they’re claiming that they didn’t know the will was destroyed until after Osho
died, then how would they know Nirvano was the person who destroyed it? How would
they know Osho didn’t destroy it? And why did they submit a will to a legal
tribunal if they knew the will could not be executed without an original? In
short, the will, even if it had been authentic, would never have had any legal
value if no original existed at the time of Osho’s death. Toelkes would have
known this, but the people at OIF tried to mislead the tribunal anyway. Like
all the stories of this group of people, nothing in this mess holds together or
makes sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the process of creating this absurd
story, Philip Toelkes has destroyed whatever credibility he might have had to
verify documents. If he takes the stand in any court considering copyrights, he
will be under oath and will be questioned about his testimony on the “will”
under penalty of perjury. Even if he might be willing to perjure himself about
the “will,” the forensic findings would undermine his credibility on the
authentication of any document. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This means that OIF cannot validate the
photocopies of “copyright assignments” it has tried to use as original
documents for decades. OIF admitted that their first theory was not true and
now cannot prove their second, because their witness has lost all credibility.
They’ve admitted their third try, the “will,” was never valid. As a result, OIF’s
claim to copyright ownership has never been weaker or less plausible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Q: Did Osho own rights in the centers
that used his name or in the meditation techniques he created?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A: Absolutely not. Osho never signed
any kind of agreement with any center, except the original Jeevan Jagruti
Kendra in India, many years ago, and no original of that document exists. Osho
asked people to start centers or agreed to their requests, and he asked them to
use his name. People did that out of love for him, and they accepted as much of
his guidance as they chose while he was alive out of love for him. It was all
about meditation, and nothing about a brand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once Osho was out of the body, people
continued to run centers inspired by his teachings, as they understood those
teachings, and by their own inner guidance. The goods and services, such as
programs, groups, meditations, and so on that people developed and have
continued to develop have always belonged to them. They have never belonged to
Osho.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Osho put his meditation techniques into
the public domain around 40 years ago. Nothing can ever take them out of the
public domain. This was in the tradition of the great masters of the past who
created vipassana, Zen techniques, and so on, for the good of humanity. Osho
never assigned the rights in any meditation technique to anyone, and freely
gave thousands of people permission to use the meditations, who have taught
thousands of others without any legal agreements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Q: Does this decision mean that OIF can
force people to follow OIF’s ideas about 24-karat Osho, as OIF claimed in their
statement?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A: No, of course not. The decision
wasn’t about meditation or Osho’s teachings. It was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> about a brand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the past OIF has claimed that
ownership of a brand would mean that it could control the content of Osho’s
teaching. OIF claimed that it could take legal control of centers and create a
franchise and that it could own the center’s intellectual property rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is nonsense. Even Osho never owned
rights in the centers, so no one using his Zen title as a brand could magically
do so. A trademark is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> about a
brand, as OIF has admitted. OIF owns its own goods and services or what it owns
through valid voluntary legal assignments directly to OIF—nothing else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">OIF currently has control of a brand,
in the EU only, which no longer includes the UK. This means they can object to
how the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">osho</i> is used in
marketing in that area. It means <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nothing</i>
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Q: So, what’s next?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A: You are free to choose what you want
to do. No one can be forced to submit to OIF’s control in any way. There can be
no enforced “24-karat” interpretation of the historical person Osho. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ideas</i> can never be owned under any
circumstances. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Expression </i>of ideas
can be owned in the form of copyrights. Brands, that have nothing to do with
ideas, can be owned as trademarks. But ideas, interpretations of ideas, can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i> be owned, even by the person who
first expresses an idea. No one knows this better than Osho, who often uses and
interprets the ideas of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Centers can voluntarily choose to join
an OIF franchise in the EU if they want to, of course. They could always have
done this. Caveat: Anyone considering this kind of agreement should have all
legal documents reviewed by a very good attorney who is representing your
interests and not OIF’s. Make sure you are not signing over ownership of your
intellectual property rights, that OIF cannot take over the center or
institute, that OIF cannot take over finances, and, for example, take away your
retirement benefits. If OIF claims you have signed over rights, have all
documents checked by your legal counsel. OIF has a history of misrepresenting
this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you do not want your center or
institute, etc. in the EU to be controlled by the people in OIF, the people
implicated in the forgery of Osho’s will, keep in mind that OSHO is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> a brand. No one can ever own an
historical person, so no one can stop you from identifying Osho the historical
person as the inspiration for your work; no one can control your ideas or steal
your intellectual property rights. You need to consult a good local attorney to
find out how you can deal with the issue of a brand. It may be different in
different countries in the EU. So, you need to check carefully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It may be enough, for example, to
change the “Osho ABC Meditation Center,” to the “ABC Meditation Center, inspired
by the teachings of the mystic Osho.” But you need to ask an attorney in your
country for the details. In some places, if you used “Osho” before the date
that OIF registered it as a TM in the EU, you may be exempt from the trademark.
Again, you need to check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, be careful, check everything,
protect yourselves, and keep in mind this is only a brand. OIF has chosen to
have nothing to do with meditation, but the teachings of the historical mystic
Osho are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> about meditation and many
of us will all carry that on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-37430336823720860812017-11-12T16:09:00.002-08:002017-11-12T16:09:52.036-08:00Ramateertha on EU Court of Justice Decision on the “Osho” Trademark<h1>
<br /></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On October 11, 2017,
the European Court of Justice pronounced its verdict in the “Osho” trademark
case. Our appeal requesting the cancellation of the trademark was dismissed, and
the EUCJ has thus confirmed the validity of the trademark as a brand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The subject of the
relationship between Osho and meditation was debated in a hearing before the
court in Luxemburg on December 13, 2016. At this hearing, the lawyer of Osho International
Foundation stated: “Osho has nothing to do with meditation – it is a brand.”
The court has now decided in favor of this interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In my view it is a
fateful irony that the name of the man who spent all his life speaking about
meditation, and for whom meditation was the focus of his entire life and work, has
now been established as the brand name of a business organization in Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Let us review the
facts: For the first eight years after Osho’s death in 1990 the use of the name
Osho was not restricted in any way. The posthumous annexation and
monopolization of the name Osho began in around 1998 with its registration as a
trademark for Osho International Foundation in Zurich. This was done behind the
back of the community of Osho’s followers, clearly in an attempt to forestall
possible (justified) objections to the registration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The retrospective
allegation that Osho himself wanted his name to be a trademark and that he
actually ordered its registration is simply untrue. It is an attempt to mislead,
and to legitimize OIF’s own objectives and plans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In a press notice
released on October 17, OIF writes that they are delighted that they are now
able to preserve Osho’s message in its purest form, “like 24-karat gold”. This
creates the impression that Osho himself personally entrusted OIF with this
“task”. In reality, the request to disseminate and preserve his message
‘24-carat gold’ was made in a public lecture delivered by Osho in 1986, and it was
addressed to all his disciples and friends! (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sermons in Stones</i>, lecture 12, question 4). Here too, in my
opinion, OIF is indirectly appointing itself as the guardian of Osho’s message
and attempting to distract attention from its own real interests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the USA Osho’s
sannyasins resisted the monopolization of his name, and after a trial lasting
seven years the name Osho was cancelled as a trademark in the USA. The decisive
point there was that Osho was seen as a spiritual teacher, and the use of the
name Osho as a trademark was thus not allowed because it would have constituted
a restriction of the free practice of religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The appeal against the
use of the name Osho as a trademark in Europe began in 2009, with the objective
of enabling free use of the name Osho in Europe in the same way as in America.
The European Patent Office ultimately dismissed the request to cancel the Osho
trademark on the grounds that although Osho was a spiritual teacher, the
content of his teachings was not concrete enough for his name to be able to stand
for a clearly defined message. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">During the litigation
the OIF lawyer submitted an affidavit together with a will that Osho had
allegedly made and signed around three months before his death. To the astonishment
of everyone involved, this will proved to be a forgery. At the time the will
was not legally relevant for the decision of the appeal, since the only
question in dispute was whether Osho’s name had been rightfully registered as a
trademark. However, submission of the forged will does show that OIF is
prepared to use any means to establish itself as the heir apparent to Osho’s
intellectual property – including the trademark, the copyright and his works of
art. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One must ask whether such
behavior can be regarded as a proper qualification for preserving Osho’s
message in its purest form, “like 24-carat gold”. This is at the very least a
highly creative interpretation of the facts. I personally believe that money,
power and control are more likely to be the real motives here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">And so now the European
Court of Justice has confirmed the ruling of the European Patent Office. This
is a decision that I believe to be wrong, because it completely ignores the
question of free practice of religion and focuses only on the business aspects
of the Osho trademark. To me ‘Osho’ has nothing to do with a brand but with
Meditation. That was and still is the very center of his life and teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At no point in his
life, until the day of his death, did Osho ever ask anyone to sign contracts or
agreements of any kind. It is also an uncontested fact that Osho repeatedly and
clearly stated that the Osho meditation centers should always remain free and
independent of any other organizations. And it also remains a fact, that
nobody, who does not want, can be forced to sign a contract.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the other hand, the
registration of the trademark does not mean that one can no longer use the name
Osho to refer to the historical person. This, in turn, means that there is a difference
between OSHO and Osho, and living with both at the same time is certainly going
to require a great deal of intelligence creativity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cologne, October 21, 2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ramateertha<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-45300296900172326002014-09-22T16:15:00.004-07:002014-09-22T16:15:22.253-07:00Clarification and Analysis of the Most Recent Swiss OrderClarification and Analysis of the Most Recent Swiss Order
by Sangeet Duchane (Ma Prem Sangeet)
The group calling itself the Inner Circle has recently sent out a message with excerpts from a decision of the Swiss Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations that had previously removed the board members from the OIF, Zurich board and appointed a trustee. The new order temporarily reinstates OIF board members. The IC message failed to report that the primary reason given in the decision for reinstating the OIF board members at this point in time was that a worldwide book fair will be held in October (in Frankfurt) and that it is essential for the board members to be free to negotiate publishing contracts or the Foundation will suffer irreparable financial harm and the trustee was unable to supervise this activity.
This injunction related only to the makeup of the OIF board pending the review of the complaint against the OIF board members. It was not a decision on the merits of the case, though comments were made about the merits. Under the order, Robert Doetsch (Ramateertha), as the official complainant, has 30 days to appeal this reinstatement order to the Federal Administrative Court in St. Gallen. This is not an appeal of the final decision on the complaint, only of the interim reinstatement.
Meanwhile, the submission of evidence related to the original complaint will continue. Ramateertha has until October 13, 2014 to reply to the OIF board members’ reply to his complaint in the ongoing administrative process, but an extension is likely. After that the board members may be given another opportunity to reply. Board members may also receive extensions to file these replies, so it is unclear when a final decision will be made. Until the Swiss government makes a final decision the board members will not be cleared, and the Swiss office has reserved the right to require supervisions of the board members during the pendency of the proceeding.
The conclusions about the validity of the original complaint against OIF board members quoted by the Inner Circle are based on the report and recommendations of the trustee appointed by the Swiss government, Andreas G. Keller, who has concluded that the allegations of the complaint were baseless. In reaching this preliminary conclusion both the trustee and the Supervisory Board ignored the overwhelming evidence of at least one illegal activity by these individuals.
The strongest accusation of illegal behavior is that two members of the board of OIF, Michael Byrne (Jayesh) and John Andrew (Amrito), and their attorney, Phillip Toelkes (Niren), filed a “will” as evidence in a legal proceeding purported to be Osho’s will. They all signed the “will,” claiming that they were witnesses to Osho’s signature in 1989. Forensic examination has shown that the alleged Osho signature on the “will” was identical to the signature on a 1976 letter from Osho that was posted on several websites. Since then a copy of the letter has been found on the cover of the book Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, v. 5, published in 1976. Forensic examinations are confirming that the signature on the book cover is the same as the signature on the alleged will and that the paper of the book cover is older than 1989.
Four forensic experts in three countries (Germany, Italy, and India) have confirmed with 100 percent certainty that if the will is more recent than the original signature or copies of the signature, the will is unquestionably a forgery. Still, the Supervisory Board alleges that no illegal activity was found. If the will is forged, then members of the board, their attorney, and other members of the board who were involved in the legal proceeding where the will was submitted or who knew of the forgery and failed to report it (basically all of them), may be guilty of criminal offenses for conspiracy, forgery, and providing false testimony with regard to the primary claimed assets of the Foundation.
This issue has not even been mentioned, let alone addressed, by the latest order, though it was clearly presented in the complaint and mentioned in the Board’s earlier order suspending the board members.
At the very least, evidence of forgery and the submission of false testimony means that all the assertions of the OIF board members must be subjected to rigorous independent investigation. How much credibility is left for anyone who would stoop so low as to forge a will of their own teacher/Master? If they would be dishonest about that, what wouldn’t they be dishonest about?
The alleged illegal activity of forgery and providing false testimony is very relevant to this proceeding and cannot simply be ignored when the substance of the complaint is addressed. OIF claims to have approximately 2,700 publishing contracts for Osho’s work. In 2011 Klaus Steeg (Pramod) testified that in 2011 OIF had “over 200,000 e-subscribers” on the Osho website. On the website, subscription prices range from $1.99 to 2.49 per month. This would mean that OIF was receiving from $4,776,000 to $8,376,000 annually in 2011 just from e-subscribers, and may be receiving more now. This income is primarily based on OIF’s claim to own Osho’s copyrights, including digital rights.
So the alleged assets of the Foundation, from which it claims millions in income per year, are the exact same assets covered in the “will,” which experts say is forged, and ownership of these assets is worth a substantial amount of money. That could make the attempt to attain it by fraud a serious crime, and the Swiss government needs to fully investigate these allegations.
The activity of forging such a will raises several serious questions: 1) questions about the honesty and character of the accused perpetrators and their suitability to operate a nonprofit foundation; 2) the reason behind the alleged fraud. Why would board members need to forge a will if the Foundation was operating above board and actually owned what it claimed to own? 3) How much damage has been done to the Foundation’s purpose by the actions of board members, since their actions, in the name of the Foundation, reflect on Osho and damage his reputation? 4) Why didn’t Mr. Keller ask ‒ or answer ‒ any of these questions before recommending temporary reinstatement of board members?
OIF’s claim to own Osho’s copyrights has always been disputed. In the case regarding trademarks in the US OIF claimed to own copyrights based on documents dated in 1978, 1981, and 1985. That claim was refuted first because the 1978 and 1981 documents were not copyright assignments, but licenses, and second because no originals could be produced to prove those documents were authentic.
In the EU proceeding regarding the trademark issue OIF came up with a whole new theory of copyright ownership. It then claimed to own Osho’s copyrights based on an alleged assignment by Sheela in 1983 under alleged powers of attorney from Osho. However, when asked to produce originals of any of these documents, OIF was unable do so.
So, as the EU proceeding was drawing to a close, OIF submitted the “will” as its new or additional basis for claiming copyright ownership. The credibility and integrity of the OIF board members then came glaringly into question.
Osho’s intellectual property rights are valuable, not only in a monetary sense, but as spiritual teachings and insight allegedly entrusted to a Swiss foundation to be held for the benefit of everyone, alive now or in future generations, who wants access to this insight for any reason. The issue of board membership cannot be about the board members and their belief in their entitlement to be on the board of the Foundation no matter what they do. People who willfully commit criminal acts in the name of the Foundation must be removed from the board to protect the purpose of the Foundation, which is to present Osho’s teaching to the world. This protection is for the good of the beneficiaries of the Foundation and to further the Foundation’s purpose.
Switzerland has both a legal and a moral duty to preserve the assets of the Foundation, including the good name of Osho, and remove from a position of authority people who are found to have carried out illegal activities in the name of the Foundation.
Removal of board members will not harm the Foundation. Turnover in board membership is inevitable in nonprofits that span human lifetimes. The current board, all near or past retirement age, will leave the board at some point in any event and the Foundation will continue. New board members can be appointed who have business expertise and access to business advisors who can carry on the work, including the work of financial restructuring to recover from the financial mess the current board has created. The greatest risk to the work of the Foundation is if the board consists of people who try and take personal control of the foundation’s assets, as Jayesh is accused of doing through the “will,” or people who destroy Osho’s reputation and the purpose of the Foundation through their willful public acts.
The board members are not victims. No one held a gun to their heads and said, “Forge a will that will give Michael Byrne (Jayesh) personal control of Osho’s assets, lie about the validity of the will in a legal proceeding, and then continue to lie about the validity of the will for over a year,” yet this is exactly what these people are accused of doing. Whatever they have done, they have done out of their own choice, for their own purposes, and are responsible for the consequences. The purpose of the Foundation must not suffer because of their bad choices and selfish actions.
Rather than address any of this, the trustee, Keller, went on to complain about Ramateertha personally and question his motivation for filing a complaint, in spite of the fact that there is evidence to show that Ramateertha was motivated to complain about the board members because of the alleged will forgery. He did not contact the Swiss government until after the “will” was placed in evidence and after forensic evidence indicated it was forged, and he was not only encouraged to follow up on his complaint, but guided in making the complaint by Swiss officials.
Keller also criticized people who have supported Ramateertha’s complaint. (Keller didn’t name them, but they are Alvaro Ruffo della Scaletta and Vaidehe Vadgama (Chidananda and Videh).) Keller claimed they concealed their identities prior to the order that removed the board members. However, extensive written evidence shows that Swiss officials had repeated contact with these two over the period of a year and that Chidananda and Videh fully identified themselves and revealed their own interest in translating Osho’s work from Hindi to English long before the complaint was filed. There was no surprise to the Swiss government, no withholding of information, and the persons who made the initial order removing the board members had access to full information about interested parties before that order was made. For the trustee to misstate the facts like this and to refer to people working to translate Osho’s work as “competitors” of the Foundation, while at the same time emphasizing the nonprofit purpose of the Foundations, is not only absurd, but indicates an unacceptable bias.
This bias may be related to Keller’s relationship with Jayesh. On June 24, 2014, Keller met with Ramateertha in Zurich. Keller informed Ramateertha that he had met with Michael Byrne (Jayesh), who had told Keller that he had loaned millions to the Foundation and would forgive the debt except for concerns about gift tax. Jayesh claimed to be so wealthy because he deals in real estate and sells oil wells. Keller apparently believed these assertions without proof and was very impressed with what he imagined was Jayesh’s deep commitment to Osho’s work.
Comments in the most recent order indicate that Keller most likely did not do a more thorough independent investigation of the board member activities than he did of the story Jayesh told him. Keller, after all, concluded that the board members were blameless without even addressing the forensic evidence on forgery done in the name of the Foundation. He also asserted that the current debt is to an offshore foundation in Belize, not to Jayesh, and that Jayesh was acting as a trustee for the Belize foundation when he received money from the operation of the Osho.com website. The question of the quality of Keller’s work will no doubt continue to be asked on many levels as this case continues.
I have not yet seen the arguments and documents submitted by OIF, so comment on those will be for a later article. At the moment OIF appears (on the books) to be around $8 million in “debt” to Osho Multi Media Trust located offshore in Belize. The Supervisory Board currently appears to believe that this was a loan related to maintenance of the archives in the 1990s, but what is this trust, who is on the board, where did it get money to “loan,” and when was a “loan” made to OIF? Did Keller conduct a full investigation of this? Keller and some Swiss officials may believe in oil wells and mystery trusts that provide millions of dollars, but in the world of people making Osho’s teachings available, these are highly suspicious claims. Anyone with any information about this is encouraged to share it.
Further, the income from the Osho.com website is being paid into a Hong Kong company, with Jayesh listed as the sole shareholder. If, as Keller claims, Jayesh owns the Hong Kong for-profit as a trustee for the Belize trust, and the millions of dollars from e-subscribers or other users of the website are being paid to the Belize trust every year, how can the Swiss Foundation be $8 million in debt to that offshore trust, placing OIF on the brink of bankruptcy?
There is a danger that OIF will attempt to “settle” this “debt” by purporting to transfer its claimed ownership of Osho’s intellectual property rights to an offshore trust where there will be no supervision of the board members’ actions. This would trigger litigation about the legality of the transfer and about OIF and/or the mystery trust’s claimed ownership of intellectual property rights. That could throw copyright ownership into limbo for many years and destroy the current publishing arrangements, not to mention wasting assets that could be used to make Osho’s teachings more available.
There are several other questions that need investigation: The Hong Kong Registry Office records show that O International Digital Media (which is receiving the income from the website) is, or was, owned personally by Jayesh. Now Keller asserts it is owned by the offshore trust. Who is correct? Swiss authorities from several different government offices informed interested parties that OIF had been tax-exempt, but lost its tax-exempt status in 2012. Now Keller asserts that OIF was never tax-exempt. Who is correct? Why are Swiss authorities contradicting each other (and then blaming others)?
Allegations of personal gain by board members made in the original complaint open a whole other legal can of worms, because the alleged transfer of copyrights to OIF from RFI (Rajneesh Friends formerly Rajneesh Foundation International) required that the board members of OIF never profit from the assets. Yet the records of OIF show that the board members are also board members of for-profit corporations that do business with OIF, and that at least one such for-profit, America Multi-Media based in Arizona (Klaus Steeg (Pramod) and John Andrews (Amrito) as board members), was “loaned” almost $1.5 million by OIF, and the “loan” was never repaid, greatly contributing to OIF’s alleged financial difficulties. What are the facts behind this? Did Keller investigate?
Are there other dubious transactions that have contributed to the present precarious financial state of the Foundation besides the Belize and America Multi-Media “loans”? Did a company owned by Jayesh in Hong Kong receive funds from the Foundation? Are the OIF board members paid by the various related companies around the world? If so, how much are they paid and for what duties? Board members can be legitimate employees of a foundation or of companies owned by a foundation, but the employment must be legitimate, they must be the most qualified people for the job, the salary must be reasonable, and they have to actually do the work they are paid to do.
Much remains to be discovered, so stay tuned.
Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-41077009466062775502014-06-07T07:31:00.001-07:002014-06-07T07:31:07.128-07:00Osho International Foundation under Swiss Government ControlSWISS ORDER suspends and revokes all OIF foundation members
June 5, 2014 at 11:49pm
Swiss Confederation Bern, 2 June 2014 Ref: 984 – Ro
Order
In the following proceedings:
Federal Department of Home Affairs (EDI)
General Secretariat (GSEDI)
Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations (ESA)
Robert Doetsch, VenloerStrasse 57, 50672 Cologne, GermanyRepresented by attorney Dr. iur. et Dipl.Chem. Hans Maurer, Fraumünsterstrasse 17, Postfach 2018, 8022 Zurich
-‐ Complainant -‐
2. Michael O’Byrne (since2013: Michael Byrne), President of the Foundation Board, Suite 1201, ConventionPlaza Apartments, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, People’s Republic ofChina
3. John Andrews, VicePresident of the Foundation Board, London, Great Britain
4. D’Arcy O’Byrne, BoardMember, Flat 1, Palmeira Ave, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3GA, Great Britian
versus
1. Osho International Foundation,
Bahnhofstrasse52, 8001 Zurich Represented by attorney Dr. Walter H. Meier, Bienenstrasse 1,8004 Zurich
5. Kaus Steeg, BoardMember, Lütticher Strasse 33-35, Cologne, Germany
6. Rudolf Kocher, BoardMember, Steinägerten, 4458 Eptingen
Regarding Respondents 1 - 6
Recall of the Foundation Board –
enactment of superprovisorische Maßnahmen [immediately enforceable exparte measures];
initiation of exchange of documents; supervisory measures (Complaint filed 20 May, 2014)
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (EDI), noting that, whereas:
• On 20 May, 2014, former member of the Foundation Board, Mr. Robert Doetsch, filed a complaint through the agency of his legal counsel with the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations (ESA), petitioning that Respondents 2 through 6 should be dismissed from their positions as president, vice president and members of the Foundation Board of Osho International Foundation (OIF). The complaint further more petitions that that suitable new board members should be sought and instated for Respondent 1, OIF.
• It is further petitioned that Respondents 2 through 6 should be dismissed from their positions as president, vice president and members of the OIF Foundation Boardwithout prior hearing, i.e. as asuperprovisorische Maßnahme [immediately enforceable ex parte measure], and that a trustee should be appointed to serve until the instatement of the new Board.
• Then,also as an immediately enforceable ex parte measure, i.e. without prior hearing of the Respondents, the creditors of Respondent 1, in particular the banks PostFinance and Credit Suisse, should be instructed not to pay out or transfer any funds to the Respondents or to other persons until otherwise instructed by the ESA.
• The right of complaint under foundation legislation is a federal matter, governed directly by Art. 84 Abs. 2 ZGB (Riemer, Berner Kommentar, DieStiftungen, 1975, N 120 zu Art. 84). The submission of 20 May, 2014 is thus to be treated as a Supervisory Board for Foundations complaint. The Complainant was himself previously a member of the Foundation Board of Osho International Foundation and, having many years of experience and profound knowledge of the material, has a special interest in the preservation and protection of the archives of Osho in keeping with the goals of the Foundation. In particular in the context of his own many years of study and related activities in connection with the teachings of Osho, Robert Doetsch must depend on being able to use the archives of Osho and to continue to have access to the material, both now and in the future. As a beneficiary of the Foundation Robert Doetsch thus has a particularly close relationship with the Foundation and is thus entitled to file such a complaint (BGE 107 II 385 E. 3). The ESA is thus obliged in its official function to make the necessary assessments in the matter (Riemer,BernerKommentar, Die Stiftungen, 1975, N 121 zu Art. 84 ZGB). Foundation regulation legislation constitutes material public law pursuant to Art. 5Bundesgesetz [Federal Code] of 20 December, 1968, regarding administrative proceedings (VwVG; SR 172 021) and filing a complaint with the Supervisory Board for Foundations is a legal remedy of administrative justice sui generis,and thus such proceedings are correspondingly regulated by the VwVG (BGE 107II 385 E. 4).
• The first matter to be adjudged is the ordering of immediately enforceable ex parte measures. The objective of ordering a preventative measure is the creation or maintenance of a state of affairs that will guarantee the efficacy of the later injunction (BGE 130 II 149 E.2.2). The prerequisite for the ordering ofa preventative measure is that there should be convincing grounds for it and that detriment to private or public interests that could not easily be corrected would occur without the ordering of the preventative measure. In addition to this, there must be urgency. Furthermore, the ordered measure must be appropriate. Among other things, a preventative measure serves to protect threatened interests (analogously to Art. 56 VwVG). Such a measure isordered on the basis of a summary examination of the legal situation and thefacts of the matter, for which a credible presentation of facts is sufficient
(A. Kölz, I. Häner, M. Bertschi, Verwaltungsverfahren und Verwaltungsrechechtspflegedes Bundes, 3.A. S. 198 ff. mit Hinweisen).
• The Complainant has made a credible case that Respondents 2 through 6 are guilty off serious breaches of the aims of the Foundation, including and in particular continued misappropriation of Foundation assets, the full extent of which cannot yet be fully estimated.
• Even following extensive research by both the Complainant and the ESA, only a part of an extensive international web of companies and organizations within the purview of OIF has come to light, this web apparently serving the exploitation of the intellectual property rights of OIF and the direction of the resulting proceeds to third parties.
• In addition to the investigations conducted by the Complainant, investigations by at least three other persons known to the ESA have led to the same conclusions.
• Against this background, the revised annual financial statements of OIF for 2012/2013 may prove to represent only a fraction of the estimated worldwide income accruing from the intellectual rights to the works of Osho. In its accounts,OIF has been portrayed for years as over indebted, and despite requests by the ESA, the incumbent Foundation Board has failed to implement any sustainable measures for correction of this state of affairs (the letters of subordination submitted regularly by the main creditor, who had a close relationship with the Foundation, cannot be considered to be serious corrective measures in this context).
• In the course of copyright proceedings in Alicante, Spain, the Respondents submitted a last will and testament of Osho that three independent experts have since assessed to be not authentic. This demonstrates that the Respondents areat least willing to contemplate illegal methods in the pursuit of their aims.
• If a hearing of the Respondents were to be permitted in advance, too much time would pass and the danger would be greater that actions could be taken that would be to the detriment of the Foundation. Following assessment of the facts of the matter it is realistic to assume that there is a danger that remaining liquid assets could be siphoned off. The risk of asset transfers would also appear to be even greater in view of the fact that in the 2013 financial year, there was an outflow of virtually half of the liquid assets.
• Thus,the creditors of OIF, specifically the banks PostFinance and Credit Suisse, are to be ordered not to pay out or transfer any funds to the Respondents or other persons until further notice from the ESA. This order applies to a total of three accounts with PostFinance, in Swiss francs, euros and US dollars. At the Credit Suisse it applies to five accounts in Swiss francs, euros, US dollars and Australian dollars, and one account with the designation “STL” (Short TermLoan).
• It is not currently possible to protect the remaining liquid assets in the bank accounts of the Foundation with less extensive measures.
• In contrast to this, the protection of the material assets of the Foundation, i.e.in particular the archive of original video and audio recordings and the intellectual property rights to the same, can be sufficiently secured by means of a general restraining order issued by the ESA, accompanied by information on the criminal liability consequences pursuant to Art. 292 StGB in the event of noncompliance.
• Inview of the infringements of the Foundation objectives in question, in particular the misappropriation of financial assets, it is clear that the current Foundation Board must be removed from office until full and complete investigation and clarification of the relevant financial transactions, assets and contracts has been completed. This is particularly important in view of the fact that it is quite possible that the investigations could reveal grounds for criminal proceedings. Against this background, the potential conflicts of interests of the members of the Foundation Board are manifestly clear. The fact that Respondents 2 and 4 are presumably financial beneficiaries of companies that profit directly from the marketing of the intellectual rights to Osho’s works provides ample grounds for a conflict of interests on its own. In addition to this, however, the Respondents also hold executive positions in virtually all known organizations involved in this marketing business. It is thus obvious that if the Respondents were to remain in their positions and offices in the Foundation Board this would at least impede the investigation of these allegations, if not make them completely impossible. It is also absolutely clear that Respondents 2 through 6 must definitely be recalled as Foundation Board members if the apparent infringements of the aims of the Foundation should be proven to be true.
• The suspension of Respondents 2 through 6 from their positions and functions as members of the Foundation Board of OIF pursuant to Art. 84 Abs. 2 ZGB is the only way to achieve expeditious and complete clarification of the facts of the matter and the legal situation.
• The appointment of a trustee pursuant to Art. 83d ZGB has the immediate purpose of restoring the Foundation’s ability to act. The duties of the trustee include conducting the investigations needed to clarify the financial and contractual relationships in connection with the marketing of the intellectual property rights, conducting such daily business of the Foundation as cannot be postponed, and, if necessary, also the preparation for the election of new Board members. As is usual in such cases, the details will be regulated by contract.
• Consequentially,the ESA has sought suitable candidates for this trustee ship and found that Mr.lic. Iur. Andreas G. Keller, attorney, is a suitable choice for the position and fulfills the requirements, and Mr. Keller has immediately declared his willingness to take on the task. The rights and duties of the parties involved were set out in a contract dated 28 May, 2014, based on the general terms and conditions of business (AGB) of the Bund für Dienstleistungsaufträge[Federationfor Service Contracts]. The formal appointment of the trustee with authority to sign as a single signatory and his registration in Commercial Register are to be formally ordered by the Supervisory Board for Foundations.
• Over and above this, no other business operations leading to increasing damage are known and there are no other immediate dangers.
• The proper exchange of documents is to be initiated simultaneously and the complaint of 20 May, 2014 is to be served to the Respondents by 3 July, 2014,for their response in the main proceedings. The service of the complaint to Respondents 2 through 5 who live abroad is to be effected at the current correspondence address of the Foundation at the offices of their legal representative Dr. Walter H. Meier. Publication of this order in theSchweizerischesHandelsamtsblatt [SHAB Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce] pursuant to Art.36 VwVG is out of the question in this case. Firstly, this would undermine the purpose of the preventative measures, and secondly it would contravene the legal privacy rights of both the involved persons and OIF.
• It must be prevented that an appeal lodged against the ordered supervisory measures could cause irreparable damage to the Foundation assets (property) and delay the urgently necessary clarification of the financial situation and future prospects of the Foundation. The suspensory effect of any possible appeal against this order must thus be revoked (Art. 55 Abs. 2 desBundesgesetzes vom 20. Dezember 1968 über das Verwaltungsverfahren; VwVG; SR172.021).
• The ESA expressly reserves the right to issue further orders impacting the proceedings and supervisory measures pursuant to Art. 84a or Art. 83d ZGB.
• The costs of the proceedings for this intermediate order are set at CHF 4,000.00and are to be aggregated to the main proceedings, pursuant to Art. 3 Abs. 1Bst. F Gebührenverordnung Stiftungsaufsicht (SR 172.041.18) and Art. 63 VwVG.
Therefore, it is hereby ordered:
1. The entire Foundation Board of Osho International Foundation is to be provisionally suspended and their signatory rights are to be revoked. The following persons shall be removed from their positions and functions:
− MichaelO’Byrne (since 2013: Michael Byrne), President of the Foundation Board, Suite 1201, Convention Plaza Apartments, 1 Harbour Road,Wanchai, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
− JohnAndrews, Vice President of the Foundation Board, London,Great Britain
− D’ArcyO’Byrne, Board Member, Flat 1, Palmeira Ave, Hove, EastSussex, BN3 3GA, Great Britain
− Kaus Steeg, Board Member, Lütticher Strasse 33-35, Cologne, Germany
− Rudolf Kocher, Board Member, Steinägerten, 4458 Eptingen
2. Mr. lic. Iur. Andreas G. Keller, attorney,Zurich, is to be appointed as trustee for Osho International Foundation with entitlement to sign as sole signatory.
3. The Handelsregisteramt [CommercialRegistry Office] of Zurich is be requested to effect the necessary entries in the Commercial Registry without delay.
4. The creditors of Osho International Foundation,in particular the banks PostFinance AG,3030 Bern, and Credit Suisse,8070 Zurich, are to be instructed to not pay out or transfer any funds to the Respondents or third parties until instruction to the contrary.
5. The Complaint of 20 May, 2014, is to be served to Respondents 2 through 5 via the agency of the legal representative of Osho International Foundation and to Respondent 6 directly for response in the main proceedings,by 3 July, 2014.
6. The Foundation Board of Osho International Foundation is to be instructed, with reference to the possible consequences under criminal law pursuant to Art. 292 StGB in the event of infringement, to effect no disposition of the assets of the Foundation without the consent of the Supervisory Board for Foundations until further notice, this to apply in particular to the entire Osho archive and the entire intellectual property rights to text, audio and images.
7. The costs for the enactment of this order of CHF4,000.00 are to be aggregated to the main proceedings.
8. The suspensory effect of any appeal against this order is to be revoked.
9. Disclosure to (by registered mail): − Osho International Foundation,Bahnhofstrasse 52, 8001 Zurich
− The Foundation Board of OshoInternational Foundation, through agency of attorney Dr. Walter H. Meier,Bienenstrasse 1, 8004 Zurich (with a copy of the Complaint)
− Rudolf Kocher, Board Member,Steinägerten, 4458 Eptingen (with a copy of the Complaint)
− Mr. lic. Iur. Andreas Keller,attorney, Gehrenholzpark 2g, 8055 Zurich
− Attorney Dr. Hans Maurer,Advokaturbüro Maurer & Stäger, Postfach 2018, 8022 Zurich
Right of appeal:
An appeal may be lodged against this order, within 30 days of disclosure, with theBundesverwaltungsgericht [Federal AdministrativeCourt], Postfach, 9023 St. Gallen. The appeal must include the claim, the grounds for the claim including the evidence for the same and the signature of the claimant or his or her representative; the disputed order (or the disputed decision) and the documents referenced as evidence must be included (Art. 50und 52 des Bundesgesetzes vom 20 Dezember 1968 über das Verwaltungsverfahren;VwVG; SR 172.021). 10. Notification to:
− Handelsregisteramt[Commercial Register Office] of the Canton of Zurich (for registration)
− PostFinance AG, Mingerstrasse20, 3030 Bern (in advance by fax 058 667 6228)
− Credit Suisse, Paradeplatz 8,8070 Zurich (in advance by fax 044 333 2532)
− Fiduconsult Acta SA, RueFritz Courvoisier 40, 2300 La ChauxdeFonds.
[signed]HelenaAntonio
Director of the Federal Supervisory Board for FoundationsOsho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-40873758081504241302014-01-23T16:20:00.000-08:002014-01-23T16:22:45.957-08:00Helping the Visually Impaired in IndiaMy exciting journey with Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF)
by Murali Krishnamurty, Founder, Executive Chairman Sankara Eye Foundation, USA
12 million people are blind in India, and an additional 50 million are visually impaired. Over 90 percent of the blind live in rural areas in extreme poverty. On the other side, up to 80 blindness of the blindness is treatable or preventable.
Dr. R.V. Ramani and Dr. Radha Ramani founded Sankara Eye Care Institutions (SECI) in 1977 at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to provide vision to the visually handicapped poor in and around Coimbatore. My uncle, Mr. P. Balasubramaniam, used to volunteer at the Sankara Eye Hospital in Coimbatore.
After completing my MS in Computer Science, I settled in the San Jose area California in 1984, and my brother, K. Sridharan, also moved to there a few years later. My uncle started talking to us about raising some support in the USA for free eye surgeries at our Coimbatore Hospital. We were so busy with work and our light music group ‘Pallavi’ that we were not ready to take up this responsibility. My uncle persisted but we would not budge. Everything changed when my brother visited the Hospital in Coimbatore in 1997. He came back deeply moved, and we finally decided to start the Sankara Eye Foundation, USA in 1998 with the help of our friend Mr. Ahmad Khushnood Qazi.
We sent handwritten appeals to people we knew and raised around $8,000 in 1998, and that motivated us. We organized our first fundraiser by our group ‘Pallavi’ on April 3, 1999 in the San Jose area and organized the event meticulously with Customer Care as our priority. We raised over $18,000. The number of free eye surgeries at our hospital started increasing – from 8,000 in 1998 to 15,000 in 1999, and 22,000 in 2000.
In the year 2000, our volunteer Rajeev Chamraj proposed a big vision of “Vision 20/20 by 2020” for SEF. I was excited and at the same time wondered if we were taking on too much. All of us, both at the SEF and SECI India were in the same boat like me. At that time I was into reading books by Swami Vivekananda. Swami-ji says, “Every one is potentially divine and can do anything and everything. Think big. Even if you are a thief, don’t be a petty thief, be a big thief.” That got into my head, and I motivated all of us into accepting a big vision of building 20 Sankara Eye Hospitals all over India by the year 2020 and play a significant role in eradicating curable blindness. We had no idea how we were going to do it but we committed ourselves to our vision.
I also think very highly of India’s ex-President Dr. Abdul Kalam who has the vision of a “Developed India by the year 2020.” We will play a small role in that by helping the visually handicapped poor.
Our first replication was in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, with the support of other organizations. Our sincere, whole-hearted work and big vision attracted volunteers and donors all over the USA. Support started pouring in, and the progress has been phenomenal – from one hospital and 8,000 free eye surgeries to eight hospitals and 150,000 free eye surgeries in 2013. We performed our one-millionth free eye surgery in March 2013 and hope to perform several million more.
Our ninth hospital is getting ready in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and will be inaugurated in May 2014. We just purchased land in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, for our tenth hospital. This movement is unstoppable now, and I consider myself very fortunate for having been thrust into this work by our dear uncle.
I thoroughly enjoy reading Osho books, and thanks to Osho I understand the beauty of other religions like Buddhism, Sufiism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Taoism, Judaism etc., Osho’s teachings also help me put my work in the proper perspective. Life is a celebration, and we must enjoy every moment of this. The past is not there, the future is not there, and only the current moment is there, and we must be present. I am also learning how to channel my energies and handle emotions.
I am currently reading Osho’s <i>Gita Darshan Vol. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEypkpdAaghLxeTetuP19Eh183iAeEOT734BjZ3mdZ7dZm2eKwBRrJLWQLXMnH0luM9nqBIqDaGbZxFZ8nvaEW9aOW0W1ceb_pglyvfdEmn0KjJPMBCH6SarZuh6ONSxUaehwGVda0aRI/s1600/Murali-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEypkpdAaghLxeTetuP19Eh183iAeEOT734BjZ3mdZ7dZm2eKwBRrJLWQLXMnH0luM9nqBIqDaGbZxFZ8nvaEW9aOW0W1ceb_pglyvfdEmn0KjJPMBCH6SarZuh6ONSxUaehwGVda0aRI/s320/Murali-1.jpg" /></a></div></i>, and it is just wonderful. What a brilliant way of explaining things so that a common man can understand!
From Swami Vivekananda and Osho, I understand that God or Existence will take care of the blind poor, and I should not think that “I made a difference.” I am the privileged one as this is providing me an opportunity to become a better person, loving all beings, and enjoying life thoroughly. Only actions and no doer.
www.giftofvision.org
Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-82700158142176785222013-11-07T16:00:00.000-08:002013-11-07T16:04:49.137-08:00Pratiksha Exhibits at ‘Soul of Asia’ in Goa<i>Pratisksha’s paintings to be shown at the much acclaimed “Soul of Asi”* exhibition during the 44th International Film Festival of India in Goa, from November 20 to 30, 2013</i>
Many of Pratiksha’s striking and complex paintings, which are always linked with meditation and spirituality, have been published in the media, as well as her articles about particular paintings with a spiritual background. She has exhibited 10 solo shows across the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmadabad, Chandigarh and Baroda.
The use of vibrant colors, intricate designs, and the subtle concepts of mysticism behind each of her paintings is the outcome of her being a meditator. Osho’s vision is beautifully and pictorially presented on canvas through the myriad strokes of her brush, seamlessly creating a stunning visual impact.
When Pratiksha’s paintings were selected for the prestigious international film festival, IFFI Director Mr. Shankar Mohan said her paintings are a subtle vehicle that can transport the sensitive eye to the inner meanings of Osho’s great teachings. He said, “Her total devotion to the vision of her Master Osho is reflected in each of her vibrant canvas, as though seeking completion and fulfilment through her on the lofty and intricate concepts of life, living and redemption - so simply and clearly enunciated by the great master himself. Her paintings, I am sure, will find an immediate and spontaneous response of connectivity, from the various film lovers who will be attending IFFI 2013.”
Famous Indian film actress Rekha will be inaugurating Pratiksha’s show, which no doubt will also be visited by many friends who are staying in Goa over winter!
<i>Pratiksha Apurv is Osho’s niece, daughter of Vijay Bharti. Born in Gadarwara, Madhya Pradesh, she took sannyas at age 11 in Pune and also lived in Rajneeshpuram. At the peak of her career as a famous fashion designer (she launched her acclaimed label Oshonik in 1990) she suddenly felt a calling to paint, to give expression to her inner growth. She lives in New Delhi.</i>
Email: pratiksha1964@gmail.com
Website: <a href="http://www.pratikshaart.com">www.pratikshaart.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYK-G0Owu7Z-4yIhTLewmKiDRH0ACyipSG5funMaMzCg9OZIZ7oHO7sD6fac6g4BZpWcUcoAIQQtqIJEee5jBhidErq-8sroqTjsGQYs-AOj_w9meN8ojw5OHh7g2_E4RoKtzRl6wQLag/s1600/Pratiksha+Apurv...jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYK-G0Owu7Z-4yIhTLewmKiDRH0ACyipSG5funMaMzCg9OZIZ7oHO7sD6fac6g4BZpWcUcoAIQQtqIJEee5jBhidErq-8sroqTjsGQYs-AOj_w9meN8ojw5OHh7g2_E4RoKtzRl6wQLag/s400/Pratiksha+Apurv...jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36AkFjLJ0z9ubkXbwhgryeWAvaKl2Xk_ZFgJzbKdpC3VKCbY9ZgoTYWN7bJX1hN_uIh532bBpF1rV7hyphenhyphenDM6F4IuXcQquHGHfGFhREmYrnhe-kVp68ipyolUiEtft_MJGql-gfiaMiIgU/s1600/Cosmic+Harmony+-+Oil+on+Canvas+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36AkFjLJ0z9ubkXbwhgryeWAvaKl2Xk_ZFgJzbKdpC3VKCbY9ZgoTYWN7bJX1hN_uIh532bBpF1rV7hyphenhyphenDM6F4IuXcQquHGHfGFhREmYrnhe-kVp68ipyolUiEtft_MJGql-gfiaMiIgU/s400/Cosmic+Harmony+-+Oil+on+Canvas+(2).jpg" /></a></div></a>
Previously published in Osho News<a href="http://www.oshonews.com"> www.oshonews.com</a>
Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-65822923360131822162013-08-28T17:03:00.000-07:002013-08-28T17:03:28.285-07:00The Viha Connection is looking for writers!
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Beloveds,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We are inviting the community to share your
stories, experiences, and insights about your sannyas name. Osho gave many
reasons why He chose to give us new names, and when He gave sannyas in person,
He gave each new sannyasin a unique meaning for the name. When Osho was ill for
many years, the names were chosen by volunteers in the “front office,” and sent
out under a printed Osho signature. After Osho left the body, center and group
leaders around the world have chosen names for new people if they want them.
However they came to us, the names seemed to have an impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The experience of taking a new name can be
powerful, funny, playful, or serious. We’d like to hear about yours. What <i>is</i> in a name, after all?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">These are very short pieces, so you’ll need to
choose one aspect or issue to share. Here are some possible questions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did you take
a completely new name or choose to keep part of the old? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">How did you
feel about the experience of the name change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did you use
the sannyas name in your workplace, with your family, etc.? What was the
reaction/response?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Do you still
use it? In what circumstances?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did the name
have any impact on your life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did you get
a personal message from Osho about the meaning of your name, or did you get a
message about that on a different level?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did the
meaning of your name change for you over time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did you want
a different name that was e.g. more exotic, less common, you didn’t want Prem
or Deva...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Did you
believe that prefixes had set meanings, like Prems are unloving or Devas are
crazy? If so, how did that affect you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Were you
ever embarrassed about using your sannyas name?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Do you have
an entertaining story about your sannyas name or your experience with it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We’ve provided a few quotes from Osho about
sannyas names at the end of the invitation for your inspiration, but there are
many more. This is an open invitation, so feel free to pass it on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Firm copy deadline: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">October
20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Please
let Avinasho know by September 1 if you are planning to participate in this
Special Section: oshoviha@oshoviha.org<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Length: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Not
more than 450 words, though less is fine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Other submission info: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Electronic
submissions in Microsoft Word are best to </span><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">oshoviha@oshoviha.org</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Photos: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Please
send a photo of yourself (deadline November 10) to go along with your article.
It’s best to send it electronically to oshoviha@oshoviha.org. Please be sure it
is high-resolution, 300 dpi jpeg or TIF. You can also mail us a printed photo
at Viha Meditation Center, PO Box 352, Mill Valley, CA 94942. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">A note about the writing process: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We
recommend that you read through this invitation with care before you start to
write, and also refer to it during the writing process. We ask you to stick to
the subject as outlined in this invitation, as the Special Section is designed
to be a look at a particular subject from a variety of viewpoints. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Love
from the Editorial Board of the <i>Viha
Connection</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Osho Quotes <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">OSHO,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">A DEAR FRIEND OF
MINE SENT A LETTER TO YOU FROM THE WEST ASKING FOR A SANNYAS NAME AND THEN CAME
HERE BEFORE SHE RECEIVED AN ANSWER AND TOOK SANNYAS HERE. THE NAME SHE WAS
GIVEN BY LETTER WAS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT KIND OF NAME FROM THE ONE YOU GAVE HER
HERE. I WAS VERY DISTURBED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS
THOUGHT OF MY NAME AS MY PATH. I HAVE USED IT TO DIRECT ME WHEN I HAVE BEEN
CONFUSED. WHAT REALLY IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME YOU GIVE TO US?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Veera, all holy
cow dung. Don't be deceived by the names. You are always hankering to catch
hold of something, to make something big out of nothings. The names I give you
are just like lovers' sweet nothings. Don't make much fuss about them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In fact, once I
have given you the name, never come and ask me about its meaning again because
I forget. It is in that moment that I create the meaning around it. Then how am
I supposed to remember? I must have given thirty thousand names or more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">A name is just a
name. You are nameless. No name confines you, no name can confine you. They are
just labels to be used -- utilitarian, nothing spiritual in it. But because I
pay so much attention to your name and I explain it to you, you get hooked with
it. That is just my way of showering my attention on you, nothing else; just my
way of showing my love to you, nothing else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The Diamond Sutra</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">, Chapter 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This uniqueness is
a gift of god, and this uniqueness can only be known in deep love because only
in love do you relax, only in love do you put your armor aside. Only in love do
you allow yourself to be indefensible. Only in love can you trust that the
other will not harm you, so you can allow the other into the deepest and the
most delicate part of your being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And the
relationship between a disciple and a master is a love relationship. That's why
I give you a new name, that's why to every sannyasin I give a new name. That's
my perception of you, that's my vision of you, that's my penetration into your
uniqueness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Zorba The Buddha</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">, Chapter 4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Sannyas is a
disidentification with the past... a new beginning, a new being, a fresh
breeze, a rebirth. All that is implied in giving you a new name. [...]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">God will also need
a name so that He can call you, so He can provoke you, so that whenever He
wants to say something it can be addressed to you. The sannyas name is simply a
new address -- a new address fundamentally meant for God, for the whole
existence. So this is a turning point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The Shadow of the Whip</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">, Chapter 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I give you a new
name only to make you feel that names are not important. Your old name can
simply disappear because it was only a label, it can be changed. You are not
the name. To insist this fact, to emphasize this fact upon your consciousness,
that the name is not your reality... [...]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But ordinarily you
grow with your name; in fact, you become conscious only later on. Your name is
deeper than your consciousness, hence there arises an identity with the name.
You start feeling, "This is my name; this is me."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">When you become a
sannyasin I want to destroy that identity, because this is the beginning of
destruction of all identities. First I destroy the identity with the name, then
I will destroy the identity with the body, then the identity with the mind,
then the identity with the heart. When all these identities have been destroyed
you will be able to know who you are: the unidentified, the nameless, the
formless, the indefinable. And that is only a pure witness in you; nothing can
be said about it, no word is adequate to explain it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I Am That</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">, Chapter 6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-38981873006260842892013-08-02T12:04:00.000-07:002013-08-02T12:04:58.916-07:00Facebook Discrimination: Osho Demoted from Personhood<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Osho
International Foundation, Zurich (OIF) has claimed “Osho” as its own exclusive
trademark in several countries around the world. In 2008 the US Trademark Trial
and Appeal Board ruled that “Osho” cannot be a trademark in the US. In India,
Osho International Foundation Pune, a completely separate Indian legal entity,
claimed ownership of “Osho” as a trademark, but the claim was opposed and no
registration or ruling has ever taken place. In 2010 Osho Lotus Commune in
Cologne filed a case in the EU to invalidate a trademark for “Osho” that OIF
registered in 1999.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nonetheless,
OIF continues to claim that no one can use the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">name</i> Osho to indicate an association with Osho <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the person</i> in work that is related to Osho’s spiritual teachings
unless OIF gives them permission. At some point after losing the US case, OIF
went out and registered trademarks in new jurisdictions like China and
Venezuela, where there are not enough sannyasins to oppose the registrations. Based
on these filings they claim to own an “international” trademark for Osho.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">OIF now argues
that no one can use Osho’s name descriptively in a business name on the
Internet, because the Internet goes to the whole world, and OIF has Osho
registered as a trademark in some jurisdictions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the EU case
over 30 center leaders, therapists, and others involved with Osho’s work testified
that they had used Osho’s name to describe His connection to their work,
programs, and processes since 1989 or soon after. OIF did not register a
trademark for those services till 1999 and did not begin attempting to license
that mark until 2009, after losing in the US.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In retaliation,
Klaus Steeg (Pramod) has filed complaints with Facebook on behalf of OIF
against every person with a page containing the name Osho who testified in the
EU case, and Facebook has taken down those pages. In one case Facebook even
took down the personal page of a center’s web person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Facebook’s
terms, which appear on its website, state that Facebook will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> adjudicate between parties in an
intellectual property dispute. US law requires Facebook to allow people accused
of copyright violations to object to the copyright claim, and if the accused
responds and the claimant does not file an enforcement lawsuit within a
specified time, the page must be put back up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In contrast, if
a claimant to trademark ownership fills out a scanty online form that could not
possibly give enough information to actually determine the sufficiency of a
trademark claim, Facebook will take down the page, will not allow the accused
to respond, and will not put the page back up unless the claimant agrees to it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In doing this,
Facebook is deciding that the trademark claimant has a valid claim to a
trademark, though there are many possible defenses to a trademark claim, such
as that the mark is invalid (as the US has decided with “Osho”), that the
registration was fraudulent, that there is no trademark where the accused is
based, that the accused has priority in using the alleged mark, and that the
word is the name of the historical person and being used as a name, not as a
trademark (which is the case with all the pages that have been taken down). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">All
jurisdictions have a process for trademark claimants to bring actions for
infringement, and the accused is always allowed to present a defense. None
require the accused to bring an action to prove non-infringement, but Facebook
has now created that situation. Rather than requiring the trademark claimant to
file the infringement action in the appropriate legal jurisdiction, as a
copyright claimant must do, the accused in a trademark case is excluded from
Facebook until it files a legal action against the claimant in the jurisdiction
where it is incorporated or against Facebook in the US. In this case, people
accused of infringement by OIF may need to go to Switzerland to bring an action
against OIF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The result of
this Facebook policy is discrimination against people connected to Osho as a
spiritual teacher, who want to use His name to describe their work or to talk
about His work on a Facebook page. Osho the person can be mentioned in page
content, but people may not mention Osho in the page title – in the place that
will attract people interested in Osho – or Facebook may take down the page. In
other words, people associated with Osho cannot use Facebook to discuss or
spread the teachings of their spiritual leader in the way all other religious
groups can. Both “Jesus” and “Buddha” are trademarks in the US for specific
products, but Facebook would not take down all pages with these names in the
title. For example, Facebook would not take down a page for the First Church of
Jesus Christ, because they would acknowledge that “Jesus” in the church name is
a reference to the historical person, not a trademark use. They would not take
down a page titled Buddha Sanctuary, as they would recognize this as a reference
to the historical Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet Facebook treats
Osho differently. For Facebook Osho is not a person with a name, and people
associated with Osho are not allowed to refer to Him in their page names. For
Facebook, Osho is only a trademark. Facebook is aware of this situation and the
effect of its practices on lovers of Osho but has refused to comment on its
policy or to change it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The result has
been remarkable. One of the pages Facebook took down was Osho Pulsation, which
is located in California, where the law is clear that there is no Osho
trademark. Other pages taken down were for Osho Uta Institut, Osho Times, and
Osho Diamond Breath. All of these used the name Osho in connection to their
businesses before OIF filed for relevant marks. Under EU law OIF cannot enforce
a later mark against them, even if a mark for “Osho” should turn out to be
valid. Over the last year or so other pages have been taken down, including
those of Swami Rajneesh, now known as Ozen Rajneesh, whose activities have
taken place in India and Mexico, where OIF, Zurich, has never had a trademark
claim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Those who
testified in the EU trademark case are not the only one’s affected. Ursula Hoess
(Vatayana) has written to other owners of Facebook pages that contain Osho’s
name, telling them they must “acknowledge” OIF’s ownership of trademarks for
“Osho” or their pages will be taken down. (Of course, no one can “acknowledge”
ownership of a trademark. That is always up to the relevant legal jurisdiction
to decide.) Phillip Toelkes (Niren) has written letters threatening legal
action against Osho Uta Institut and Osho Diamond Breath and to a long-time
therapist to tell her she may no longer describe herself as an “Osho therapist.”
That was a blast from the past, since few, if any, therapists refer to
themselves that way these days anyway. Interestingly, most of Niren’s letters
have been written to people in Europe, and he has ignored the fact that he is
not licensed to practice law there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Klaus Steeg has
written threatening letters to www.oshonews.com, and when they did not agree to
comply with his demands, OIF had the Osho News Facebook page taken down (and he
is not licensed to practice law at all)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1724515270718096347" name="_GoBack"></a>. This activity is
expected to continue unless legal action is once again taken against OIF. If a
legal action is brought against Facebook, the terms of use may require OIF to
pay their legal fees as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sourced from <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine">Viha Connection</a> magazine</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-35223550882942565602013-05-02T15:58:00.000-07:002013-05-02T15:58:25.008-07:00The Vatican and Osho: A Study in Hypocrisy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRoD-AvfAoFfxJpnBfN7H_oz6evPQeIupi5KtHKvS1DZqBabop4UaCDrXkTUynog5EA4mWZkYKyhGUSfZyM71ED2WKX7Z_ZhsQZLB2TetshbBVbaktEO-Mjfgo8Sikw-3T0YzqwRSrA/s1600/!osho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRoD-AvfAoFfxJpnBfN7H_oz6evPQeIupi5KtHKvS1DZqBabop4UaCDrXkTUynog5EA4mWZkYKyhGUSfZyM71ED2WKX7Z_ZhsQZLB2TetshbBVbaktEO-Mjfgo8Sikw-3T0YzqwRSrA/s320/!osho.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">by Ma Prem
Sangeet</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">
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</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The recent
resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has inspired many claims about the
relationship between the Vatican and Osho, many of them unsupported. Osho
apparently thought that John Paul II had met with Reagan in 1985, shortly
before Osho was arrested, but this was an error. According to online records Reagan
met with John Paul II in 1982 and 1987.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Reagan, a
fundamentalist Christian, would ordinarily have been the natural enemy of the
pope in the politics of American Christianity, but the two men shared a common
passion: a hatred of communism. Carl Bernstein reported in the June 24, 2001
issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i> that the two men met
for 50 minutes in 1982, supposedly to discuss Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. In
fact, they spent most of their time talking about two other topics dear to
their hearts. The first was the recent suppression of the Solidarity labor
movement in Poland, and the second was the assassination attempts they had both
experienced in 1981. They agreed they had both been divinely spared for missions
from God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Reagan
administration believed Poland was key to the downfall of the Soviet Union and
that John Paul II, as a highly influential Pole, could be tremendously useful. Bernstein
revealed that the US provided clandestine aid to Solidarity, supplied the pope with
top-secret information on a regular basis, and William </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Casey, head of the CIA and a conservative Catholic, made regular
secret visits to the Vatican. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Nation</i>
reported on April 17, 1989 that in his turn John Paul II ordered all priests to
resig</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">n
posts in the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, which the Regan administration
opposed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This was
definitely a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” relationship. They were
willing to do each other favors to get to their shared goal. John Paul II seems
to have been obsessed with the idea of freeing Poland from communism and is
reported to have talked of little else with US officials, even when they had a
different purpose, like discussing disarmament. He had appointed someone else
to deal with “religious threats,” while he focused on the political. His “enforcer
of the faith” was German Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Joseph
Ratzinger was the Archbishop of Munich and Freiling from 1977 to 1982, during a
time when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stern</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Der Spiegel</i> were publishing articles
with lots of pictures of naked people in groups in Pune and when centers in
Munich, Cologne, and other areas of Germany were booming. Ratzinger was
apparently worried that the appeal of Eastern mysticism would lure people away
from the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ratzinger was
appointed head of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the
Catholic Church’s modern version of the Inquisition, in 1981. He soon became the
second most powerful man in the Vatican and was elevated to cardinal in 1993. In
Rome he focused much of his efforts on stopping what he called pluralism, or
the seeking of truth and grace in religions other than Christianity. He claimed
pluralism or “relativism” was a threat to true faith from the Third World. In a
1997 interview published in the March 21 issue of the French <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L’Express</i>, Ratzinger called Buddhism an
“auto-erotic spirituality” and said: “In the 1950s someone said that the
undoing of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century wouldn’t come from
Marxism, but from Buddhism. They were right.” Ratzinger spoke of the ”seductions”
of Buddhism and other Eastern traditions. According to John L. Allen, Jr.,
author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cardinal Ratzinger: The
Vatican’s Enforcer of the Faith</i>,<sup>1</sup> Ratzinger’s statements were so
offensive that a group of American priests issued an apology to Buddhists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">***Footnote: <sup>1</sup></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">This and some other references are quoted in the new, revised
version of Max Brecher’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Passage to
America</i>, soon to be available as an ebook on his website,
www.maxbrechersbookstobuy.com.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ratzinger used
his inquisition to censure Catholics who supported pluralism; Allen reports
that Ratzinger went so far as to excommunicate a priest in Sri Lanka. In 2000 Ratzinger’s
office created a statement of doctrine later signed by John Paul II called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dominus Iesus</i>.<sup>2</sup> It held that
non-Catholic Christian traditions were “defective,” but non-Christian were
“gravely deficient” in terms of salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">***Footnote: <sup>2</sup></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, what was
Ratzinger’s relationship with Osho and sannyasins? Though he was often
suspected of working behind the scenes in things like German legal disputes and
Italian visa applications, nothing could be proved. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The October 11, 1985 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National
Catholic Reporter</i> stated: “The cardinal, who ‘daily receives top secret information
from every continent,’ does his best to take daily top-secret action on the
basis of this information.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The only
assertion of a direct connection came from </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ashok
Row Kavi, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">former</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> columnist for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bombay Sunday Mail</i>. On December 24, 1989
he reported that someone “very close” to Ratzinger had revealed that Ratzinger
“is known to have operated behind the scenes in the expulsion of Rajneesh from
America.” In early February 1990, Kavi reported in a column that Ratzinger had
said in 1981: “All sorts of Satanic cults by oriental godmen are out to seduce
the faithful away from Christ.” Kavi claimed that Osho was the “object of these
controversial statements.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Considering the
quid-pro-quo relationship between the Reagan administration and the Vatican, the
belief that Ratzinger was instrumental in having Osho thrown out of the US is
plausible, but given the Reagan administration’s longstanding opposition to
Osho, it’s unclear if they needed any encouragement. At the very least, there
is evidence that Ratzinger felt justified in lobbying to have Osho removed from
the US.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After becoming
Benedict XVI in 2005, Ratzinger soon met with enormous scandal. Ongoing
investigations of sexual abuse of children revealed Church cover-ups that led
to Ratzinger’s door in the Vatican. As head of the Congregation he was directly
responsible for investigating such misbehavior, and in 2000 he had ordered his
office to take oversight control of all investigations. Yet virtually nothing
was done to stop the abuse. Several Catholic dioceses, including the one in
Portland, Oregon, have had to file bankruptcy to avoid millions of dollars of
damages for abuse and cover-up. Ratzinger’s supporters have claimed that this inaction
was the fault of John Paul II, but in the eight years of Ratzinger’s tenure as
pope, he apologized profusely for the child abuse, while doing little to stop
it. Two cardinals from the US and Ireland have been implicated in widespread
abuse cover-ups, but the cardinals are still in office and joined the conclave
to vote for Benedict’s successor.<s><o:p></o:p></s></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Meanwhile, back
in Rome, Benedict’s butler was among Vatican watchers who were appalled by the
allegations of misbehavior against Benedict’s own second in command, </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. The butler stole stacks of
correspondence documenting sexual misbehavior and financial corruption in the
Vatican and blew the whistle, allowing much of the correspondence to be
published. Benedict had no choice but to order an investigation. The report of
the investigation came in less than two months before Benedict announced his
resignation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Italian
press published information about the report, with screaming headlines about
gay factions in the Vatican, which is hardly groundbreaking news, and
downplayed the other issue mentioned: misuse of funds and a financial scandal that
may involve the Vatican Bank. This brings to mind the story of John Paul I, who
died suddenly after 33 days in office, when he, among other things, indicated a
willingness to allow an investigation of a Vatican Bank scandal. Since Vatican
protocol does not allow autopsies of popes, the dispute over the cause of his death
continues. The case was written up in the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In God’s Name</i>, which Osho spoke about (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Seed Makes the Whole Earth Green</i>, Chapter 3; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rebel,</i> Chapter 13).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Benedict and/or
his conservative supporters recognized that he lacked the courage, vitality,
and credibility to deal with the latest Vatican corruption scandal, so he’s off
to a quiet retirement, while the attempt to save face and save the necks of
many influential people in Europe falls on his successor, Pope Francis. Francis,
another conservative, was reportedly the second runner up in the last conclave.
He was elected in a conclave where well over half of the members had been
selected by Benedict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The irony of Benedict’s
belief that the very flawed institution of the Catholic Church (child abuse,
sexual perversion, blackmail, theft, and possibly murder) is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> agency of God on Earth and that Benedict
has been justified in his self-righteous attacks on “deficient” non-Christian
traditions that threaten its supremacy – like Osho, Buddhism, Hinduism – is
hard to miss. But Joseph Ratzinger has apparently missed it completely. The
insight and integrity of Pope Francis remain to be seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sourced from <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine">Viha Connection magazine</a></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-65526968537636582082012-07-06T15:32:00.000-07:002012-07-06T15:32:21.371-07:00July/August Viha Connection magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r2Xz9u7JnCeqtge4jFdzwHYvx2xQj7S8Am01onprfdJTyov0_s9uK4Z3gWxR4zJWdf_NX93s_qB8X2591h60wtgbeKl4zmRQiXtulrsgSGirvi0LEaqHQqf5FJZsQvjLqJxfoYVlDQ/s1600/VC_July-Aug_2012cover-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6r2Xz9u7JnCeqtge4jFdzwHYvx2xQj7S8Am01onprfdJTyov0_s9uK4Z3gWxR4zJWdf_NX93s_qB8X2591h60wtgbeKl4zmRQiXtulrsgSGirvi0LEaqHQqf5FJZsQvjLqJxfoYVlDQ/s320/VC_July-Aug_2012cover-small.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">Our July/August <i>Viha Connection</i> is now available online, with a bit of a delay. We are very happy with this new issue. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">The Mailbag section contains very moving letters from prisoners who have found Osho. Here is an excerpt from one of those letters:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Thank you very much for the </i>Viha Connection<i> magazine and for the Osho books. Both were filled
with sublime teachings that I have been sharing with everyone. In fact, after
I’ve finished sharing them with the people in my block I donate them to the
chaplain for others to enjoy. This is a very big step for me because my whole
life I’ve been extremely possessive, both materialistically and in my
relationships.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>I have learned so much from Osho’s teachings
about life, love, joy, and compassion that I’m like a little kid experiencing
life for the first time.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Thank you again for helping me become a caring
and loving person for the first time in my 52 years on this Earth...</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">To read the rest of the letters and the entire issue, please click on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b><a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine.php?login">http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine.php?login</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-70464868850817219662012-06-24T15:17:00.000-07:002012-06-24T15:17:06.478-07:00Meetings with the Master<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Here is an excerpt from the new column "Meetings with the Master" in our July/August </i>Viha Connection<i> magazine:</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Everything Is Going Perfectly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">by Anand Soma<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I took sannyas in March 1976 and spent six months
in Pune. At that time sannyasins could ask for darshan every month or so, so I
booked darshan, and a good friend recommended that I smoke pot before the
darshan in order to be really open to Osho. I had never smoked pot before, but
I really wanted to be open to Him. Normally, when you sat in front of Him, He
would look at you and ask, “Anything to say?” You would say one line or two,
and He would answer you. Well, when it was my turn I had<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a lot</i> to say. Actually I told Him my whole life story; I was 21 at
the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I don’t remember how long it took; it seemed
quite long to me. Osho looked at me very kindly and said, “You know, Soma, your
English is not so very good. Would you please repeat everything you just said
in German to Haridas (His German guard); and Haridas, would you just repeat
everything back to me in English so I can understand?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I was stunned and embarrassed as I told the story
in German to Haridas and heard Haridas translate for Osho, while Osho listened
attentively. Writing this now – what can I say, I was 21 years old – but then I
remember being so utterly bored with my “so important” story. Osho was very
kind, smiling. He recommended that I do the Soma group and asked me to
remember, “It’s only a dream.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 14.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sourced from <i><a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine.php?osCsid=6ef4396f2c450f0f98b0b9039f132c7c">Viha Connection</a></i> magazine</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-71610391184457741182012-03-06T14:19:00.005-08:002012-03-06T14:27:34.708-08:00Darshan Diaries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eFCnAjGUuScoNtKhpmTwvnVVuI-XKCjCoSrLs2n-SyVrg346vTLJzgUWW-HquKt5EGltvu4iLD3Fximi-GU1DekaVSqcUo-Pg52sUP_282Mo9rPoYYSINU8tnWigSPAeRGSqKBFliEM/s1600/BeRealistic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eFCnAjGUuScoNtKhpmTwvnVVuI-XKCjCoSrLs2n-SyVrg346vTLJzgUWW-HquKt5EGltvu4iLD3Fximi-GU1DekaVSqcUo-Pg52sUP_282Mo9rPoYYSINU8tnWigSPAeRGSqKBFliEM/s200/BeRealistic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716913826168354082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhCcmrnQYNc6RVgrtTNaFj8AiJHf95iqAsATZolGfhKW9qtgL1ogkK0VsxQGCSm2LGPpItr8z__lHTI34I7rNzLTi7VV61iObwAoxKsypn3ChWKUYX3uuGu_4pq85At28ZIGK2HxwC7k/s1600/BelievingTheImpossible.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhCcmrnQYNc6RVgrtTNaFj8AiJHf95iqAsATZolGfhKW9qtgL1ogkK0VsxQGCSm2LGPpItr8z__lHTI34I7rNzLTi7VV61iObwAoxKsypn3ChWKUYX3uuGu_4pq85At28ZIGK2HxwC7k/s200/BelievingTheImpossible.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716913304654017074" /></a><br />Osho arrived in the ashram in Pune in 1974 and left in 1981. <br /><br />During these “Pune One days,” Osho would talk intimately to individuals and small groups of disciples in “darshan” – the evening meetings. During these meetings Osho would initiate seekers into sannyas, giving them the <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?cPath=138">mala</a> (wooden necklace with the locket) and a new name and explaining this new name to the seeker.<br /> <br />During these darshans sannyasins could also ask Osho all kinds of questions: about their relationships and love lives, their meditation, their participations in therapy groups, going back to the West, etc. <br /><br />If you ever wanted to get an up-close and personal look at how a modern Zen Master works with his disciples, these <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?cPath=46_120">darshan diaries</a> present a beautiful opportunity.<br /> <br />They are a wealth of wisdom and a mystic’s clear-sightedness, colored with compassion and lit up with an unstoppable sense of the humorous.<br /><br />Sourced from Viha Connection <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine.php">magazine.</a>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-18256487334943362592012-02-29T15:16:00.003-08:002012-02-29T15:27:39.423-08:00Writers wanted for two new columns in the Viha Connection!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkmClZe_PNz5aKRZzCtdhCO6l1_uMX_AbUwSvbRGlMup3qaeemc1kFglvYCfvfC8p3-f5nAXUv_awJRE42kqouNe0bIeuLRuLIknjEj-UKsHLKRSS0xYLQLJa3Mf9lTOGHL_m2cAceQ/s1600/osho+cane+chair+horiz.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkmClZe_PNz5aKRZzCtdhCO6l1_uMX_AbUwSvbRGlMup3qaeemc1kFglvYCfvfC8p3-f5nAXUv_awJRE42kqouNe0bIeuLRuLIknjEj-UKsHLKRSS0xYLQLJa3Mf9lTOGHL_m2cAceQ/s320/osho+cane+chair+horiz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714703320597603090" /></a><br />The <span style="font-style:italic;">Viha Connection </span>would like to preserve stories about people’s <span style="font-weight:bold;">personal experiences with Osho</span>. As more and more of the people attracted to Osho and His work are people who never met Him in life, these stories become ever more precious.<br /><br />We aren’t getting any younger, as the cliché goes, so we’d like to gather these while many of us who knew Him or sat with Him are still in the body.<br /><br />We invite anyone with a good story to tell to send us articles of around 1,200 words or less in length. We will keep these to run in an ongoing column on the history of Osho and the community. We will be glad to get any fun and interesting stories. Some ideas are stories about:<br /><br />· Meeting Osho when He was younger, when He was a teacher or traveling around the country<br /><br />· People who had Osho stay at their houses or at their parents’ houses<br /><br />· People who had tea with Him and corresponded with Him<br /><br />· The meditation camps held around India in the early 1970s<br /><br />· The big gatherings where Osho spoke in the early days<br /><br />· Meeting Osho at Woodlands apartments in Mumbai<br /><br />· The Kailash community Osho had a few people set up in the 1970s<br /><br />· Setting up the early ashram in Pune in 1974<br /><br />· Darshans and energy darshans<br /><br />· Meeting Osho as a child in the community<br /><br />· Other meetings with Osho during His life<br /><br />If you know of anyone who might have a good story, particularly a story of the earliest days of Osho’s work, please pass this invitation along.<br /><br />If you have photos from the time period you write about, please include them. Again, electronically is best; we need high resolution (300 dpi).<br /><br />We are also looking for a new kind of article for its <span style="font-weight:bold;">Skillful Means column</span>. In the past we’ve run articles about practitioners and the modalities they use. Now we would like to invite people to write short articles (around 500 words) that provide our readers with information on specific techniques the readers can use.<br /><br />These can be physical techniques, meditation techniques, healing techniques, and so on. We, of course, don’t give medical advice to people, but if you have useful techniques readers can use we would like to facilitate that sharing.<br /><br />If you have a wonderful meditation technique you picked up from a Tibetan lama in the Himalayas or a great exercise to reduce back pain or the perfect solution to insomnia or the recipe for a heavenly homemade massage oil that you are willing to share, we would like to hear from you.<br /><br />Writers of these skillful means articles don’t need to purchase advertisements in the magazine, as writers of more promotional articles need to do. If you have a service or product people in the community might be interested in, we encourage you to advertise anyway and support the Viha Connection.<br /><br />For both kinds of articles we ask for electronic submissions in Microsoft Word. Please send them to oshoviha (at) oshoviha.org<br /><br />Love from the Editorial Board of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Viha Connection</span>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-12026586984052890402012-02-21T16:29:00.003-08:002012-02-21T16:35:16.433-08:00New books by an Osho sannyasin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUi8EMxWaoydmL1uouDhzZWQFfZmuLnopneKvyxB5eH6E6CHe03JGW6LOgn4GyAClAucZ8b-9SqkbW8o3pAvqsfaYeQ4awxmx10LyI4lHw8ijDHdkLJC67LWK6f2PWa1TKO4DtuxZBg/s1600/3+Debacle.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUi8EMxWaoydmL1uouDhzZWQFfZmuLnopneKvyxB5eH6E6CHe03JGW6LOgn4GyAClAucZ8b-9SqkbW8o3pAvqsfaYeQ4awxmx10LyI4lHw8ijDHdkLJC67LWK6f2PWa1TKO4DtuxZBg/s320/3+Debacle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711752073346502994" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7c5f_rBsjkflDhvcqr1Toq3DrV4PzsUiFc6H9QFV57RJnywXiw4FZGWVhgeLND17zmsI64aqPi2rkRGwYKDpBenbWMKi3gAKKfaOZ_GSo2C1jlDgWvKHRI_lTt0OQ_sxtsrBbsWJg/s1600/2+Last+Turn.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7c5f_rBsjkflDhvcqr1Toq3DrV4PzsUiFc6H9QFV57RJnywXiw4FZGWVhgeLND17zmsI64aqPi2rkRGwYKDpBenbWMKi3gAKKfaOZ_GSo2C1jlDgWvKHRI_lTt0OQ_sxtsrBbsWJg/s320/2+Last+Turn.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711751902595621954" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg477FRXaqVd69_mG-lo1XsLuQua9X0iUYzSU9RRJfCMd_Yvpjn9sxQ65j2LTnRdfs55F1jY5im4upwDKFliWvGA85LKloAS0emoineFHFEEcJ8c2Yncqo9IjcKCk7mmtFFry6OSTb-ww/s1600/1+Buddha_Conspiracy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg477FRXaqVd69_mG-lo1XsLuQua9X0iUYzSU9RRJfCMd_Yvpjn9sxQ65j2LTnRdfs55F1jY5im4upwDKFliWvGA85LKloAS0emoineFHFEEcJ8c2Yncqo9IjcKCk7mmtFFry6OSTb-ww/s320/1+Buddha_Conspiracy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711751895993630306" /></a><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>435</o:Words> <o:characters>2484</o:Characters> <o:company>Microsoft Office</o:Company> <o:lines>20</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>3050</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">A Spellbinding Journey of the Heart</p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Ashoka Chronicles </i>by Premesh Alan Bassett</p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">Reviewed by Swami Budhuram<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">I knew Premesh in Pune in the 1980s and was intrigued when I recently saw his photo on Facebook connected with an advertisement for “esoteric novels.” His books had received some great reviews on Amazon from sannyasins, so I got curious and ordered the first book in the series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Buddha Conspiracy.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">I was hooked from the first page until I finished the second book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Last Turn of the Wheel</i>. I had to wait a month before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Great Debacle, </i>the third and final book of the series, came out in print. Milarepa had read it when it was still in manuscript form, and he described it as “sensational.” When I completed the book, I had to agree. I won’t give away the thrilling conclusion about whether the Buddha Conspirators save a self-destructive humanity from annihilation in the holocaust, but I will say that the final chapters blew away all of my ideas about how the story would end and surpassed my wildest imagination and greatest expectations.</p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">This is the only series of novels I have seen that is based on the theme of the transformation of human consciousness, both individual and collective, and that integrates a variety of meditations and Masters into the story line. As another reviewer described it, “It is an epic adventure of the human soul, a tale of international intrigue worthy of the best James Bond thriller, set against the backdrop of the world's great religions and man's quest for spiritual freedom.” </p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">The adventure takes the reader on a rollicking world tour from London and Paris to Srinagar and Mumbai, from Seattle to Luang Prabang, from Varanasi and Bodhgaya to Lhasa and Goa, from Thailand to Bhutan, not to mention a side trip to the Heart of the World and to some of the world’s oldest Buddhist temples at Angkor Wat and Anuradhapura. Oh, there is more: a magical, unforgettable, and harrowing journey along the Silk Road that transports the reader to the ancient cities of Samarkand and Kashgar and leads up the dizzying heights of the Karakorum Mountains as the hero makes his way to Kashmir. As Devananda, one of the main characters, advises, “Get ready for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”</p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%">The main characters are portrayed with depth and sensitivity as they face their worst fears and greatest challenges along the path to the unknown, and yet they exhibit lightness and humor in the midst of the dark political and religious conflicts in which they get embroiled. The author provides a rich historical background for the plot that often propelled me into a dream world where it was difficult to separate fact from fiction. As such, he has created a worthy allegory of the perilous predicaments facing our contemporary world. I had the mysterious feeling I was taking the whole journey with Osho sitting by my side.</p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%"><i>The Ashoka Chronicles</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>are available from<a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?cPath=46_145"> Viha</a> </p> <p class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom:14.0pt;line-height:150%"><o:p>Sourced from <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/magazine.php">Viha Connection magazine </a></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00345084269478270062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-51207097964491190112011-08-29T07:53:00.000-07:002011-08-29T07:55:27.704-07:00Swami Anand Ashubodha<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXJCQQQqKm0l_8uSLWw5bDL5sNu2d1l3eWojuF0yn2mfg8NMHxNYIF26EA2nfD2c9SDG6Wh9MbIiQAzk3i0xR6Ag8ah0kVMylKQvrq5-pNPIuMHoYaZeFvmIHkgz1c1dMbVxcVrE3W8E/s1600/Ashubodha2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXJCQQQqKm0l_8uSLWw5bDL5sNu2d1l3eWojuF0yn2mfg8NMHxNYIF26EA2nfD2c9SDG6Wh9MbIiQAzk3i0xR6Ag8ah0kVMylKQvrq5-pNPIuMHoYaZeFvmIHkgz1c1dMbVxcVrE3W8E/s200/Ashubodha2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646291608629186466" /></a>
<br />We are sharing with you the special edition of Rama Prem’s newsletter, August 2011.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Swami Anand Ashubodha
<br />December 31, 1950 – August 23, 2011 6:05 PM</span>
<br />
<br />How is it that I know the time of Ashubodha’s death?
<br />Well, there’s a story there.
<br />
<br />Many years ago, Ashu asked my opinion about something. He wanted to move into one of two new areas: fast cars or fast women. Since–at the time–the only car that I had ever owned was a Volkswagen Beetle, I wasn’t terribly helpful in the car department. But fast women? I had been into them for many years, and I could highly recommend them.
<br />
<br />Ashu, however–as was his wont–chose the path less-traveled. On the night of September 20, 2000, he and his fast car had an accident on an autobahn (no speed limit) outside Munich–where he had been living and working for some years. There were no other cars involved; Ashu’s car spun out on a slick portion of road, and crashed. The speed was great enough to crumple his car; he had to be cut out by the fire brigade.
<br />
<br />He spent days in surgery, and in a coma. He spent nine months in the hospital. He came out paralyzed from the chest down, and confined to a wheelchair. It was how he was to live for his remaining years. And he made the most and best of them. He was able to maintain a very pleasant apartment on the outskirts of Munich. He required 24-hour-a-day care, and it was his job–and his alone–to manage/schedule that care. It was very difficult to do this; he needed someone with him at all times–not being able to do anything for himself. He had to find someone for every hour of every day; he had to manage days off, vacations (every care-giver wanted a summer vacation), illness… And this he did for ten years.
<br />
<br />When Sneh and I visited with him two years ago, he told us that he would never go into a “home” or other institution. His experience of them, after the accident, left no doubt in his mind about what he wanted–and what he didn’t want. He recounted to us, in detail, the way people were treated in such institutions. If only some of what he told us was true, it was a horror story. He made it clear that–should the time come when he could no longer schedule full-time care-givers–he would choose suicide.
<br />
<br />We got a telephone call from Ashu a couple of months ago. It began with, “I’ve made a decision.” He was doing the enormous amount of paperwork needed to be a client of an “assisted-suicide” facility in Switzerland. It is legal there, but its very legality makes jumping hurdles and through hoops necessary. On top of that, he was an American, living in Germany.
<br />
<br />For almost all of the time since that conversation, this has been a closely guarded secret; Germany, to say the least, frowns upon suicide–assisted or otherwise. It was very important that people in the health professions not know of this. Had they found out, he would have been confined to an institution, drugged, and lived out his life under those conditions. That represented all that he wished to avoid–no matter what.
<br />
<br />And his condition had worsened. He now had “bed-sores”, and was in constant pain. It was time “to be freed of this ailing body. It’s time to hang up my coat and return it to the physical world.” With his inability to schedule care-givers for the entire month of August, the date of his suicide was set for August 23rd. Sneh and I traveled to Munich ten days earlier, and spent two days with him. We had a wonderful time. He was really alive (again). If he had had a step, there would have been a spring back in it. We laughed, joked, spoke of “serious” and important matters; none of it mattered. He had made a decision–the right decision–and was enjoying it and his last days.
<br />
<br />His BIG passion was pottery. In Pune Two, he started the pottery studio; he was its Mom. He loved it; he did beautiful work. Graceful pieces that put a smile on a bookshelf or dining room table. Two-piece works that had a lid that fit perfectly on the base.
<br />A few days before our visit (yes, only days before his departure!), he had arranged that the last of his work from before his accident get glazed (his own unique glazes) and fired. They arrived while we were with him.
<br />
<br />He was fully alive, present; living in the moment. He had his care-giver make lunch for us, which included noodles without any sauce–which I left on my plate, uneaten. He apologized profusely, and I, of course, said, “Hey man, not to worry.” (In my mind, I’m going, “Jesus, Ashu, you’ll be dead in a few days; don’t sweat the small stuff . It’s only noodles, for Christ’s sake. In the grand/cosmic scheme of things, it won’t amount to a hill of beans.”)
<br />
<br />But he was fully alive, present; living in the moment. And noodles were happening in the moment. I suspect that being Jewish had something to do with it, but–hey–what do I know? It was a bit difficult to leave, and we all knew it. We stood at the door, trying to leave, while Ashu told jokes in order to keep us there.
<br />We knew that the next time that we would see him would be the last: August 23rd, outside Zurich, Switzerland.
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<br />On the Ranch, Ashu had the job of garbage-truck driver. Being Jewish, his parents never felt that this was the chosen profession for their boy. A doctor, a lawyer? Yes. But a garbage-truck driver?
<br />
<br />Ashu:
<br />My mother visited me once and asked while I was picking up some trash if there was anything that I was learning that was preparing me to make a living outside the commune, as I guess mothers will. I answered that I’d become able to enjoy any work I was doing, no matter what it was, and that’s the truth.
<br />
<br />From a message sent not long ago to high school friends:
<br />Through meditation, I’ve found a space within myself where my happiness, for lack of a better word, or “feeling of well-being” doesn’t depend on what happens on the outside… (The hospitalization) was the most difficult time of my life, and I easily could’ve gone insane–lost in completely–if I hadn’t been able to relax, breathe and stay centered and enjoy the moment.
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<br />A message sent to friends on August 19th:
<br />beloveds, this is going to be much shorter than i had planned it to be, because time is running short. as you must know I had a car accident almost eleven years ago that left me paralyzed from the chest down and in a wheelchair. I’ve been keeping things going here successfully all these years at great effort, and now my health has taken a turn for the worse. there is so much pain and I’ve become so weak, that I’ve decided to be freed of this ailing body on tuesday, august 23rd. I’ll make the transition at the dignitas apartment in switzerland at 4 pm local time. it’s time to hang up my coat and return it to the physical world. i’ve been dancing so close to the edge these past months, risking being placed in a hospital, where I’d probably end up drugged and on life support until I expire. living wills (patientenverfügungen) are not respected here. I’d rather go in a relaxed and joyous way, as osho says.
<br />
<br />from the moment I got everything arranged with the loving, beautiful people at dignitas, so much light has entered my life. I’ve found a way out, and as my lovers around me know, my humor and lovingness have broken through the surface again as nothing stands in the way from me jumping out of the frying pan and into the holy fire. what a relief. the lightness has returned, and I can enjoy life again.
<br />
<br />carina, my partner, sneh and ramaprem, miten, garimo and swiss ma viramano will all be there to give me a good send-off . (the lengths I have to go to to get my friends all together in one place!) I don’t feel as though i’m really going anywhere, that nothing dies, and I feel we’ll continue to be together, you and i. I’ve been so blessed to have spent so many years in osho’s physical presence, and to have learned to still be feeling his presence.
<br />
<br />this will not change. you too, remain in my heart and that will continue to be. I go in love and gratefulness.
<br />
<br />i’m joyfully jumping into the holy fire, and choosing to do so among some who have a healthy attitude towards death and dying.
<br />
<br />nothing more to say.
<br />
<br />love
<br />
<br />swami anand ashubodha
<br />
<br />August 23rd:
<br />It was very much an A-list group that was present: Carina (his partner); Garimo; Viramano; Miten; Sneh and I. Ashu wanted it small, intimate.
<br />
<br />We arrived hours “in advance”, in order to spend some quality time with Ashu.
<br />Well, there wasn’t much that we didn’t do: we took care of some last-minute business (he distributed Osho marble to each of us; I got his computer’s hard disk that I was lusting after…); we laughed a lot; we cried; we sang a lot of songs; we played children’s games; we played adult games; we had rehearsals for the Big Moment; we had Big Moments for rehearsals.
<br />
<br />And, we impressed the hell out of the people at the facility. They told us that they never had a departure like ours. Tell me about it!
<br />
<br />Ashu finally tired, and it was…time.
<br />We took him from his wheelchair, and placed him in bed. We made him comfortable, and exchanged some last words. With us sitting around him, we listened to a question-and-answer from The Razor’s Edge.
<br />
<br />At the conclusion of the discourse, Ashubodha called for the medicine that would quickly put him to sleep and eventually stop his heart. He looked joyful, years younger, and at peace. With total trust, in serenity, with dignity, with bravery that made me weep – he took the drug.
<br />
<br />As he lay there, watching his breath, we sang softly songs that have carried us high and higher for many years. Perhaps “Fly High” was the last he heard.
<br />His being took on a lightness; he was finally free.
<br />
<br />And the seasons, they go ’round and ’round,
<br />And the painted ponies go up and down.
<br />We’re captive on the carousel of time.
<br />We can’t return, we can only look behind from where we came,
<br />And go ‘round and ‘round and ‘round in the circle game.
<br />
<br />Perhaps Ashubodha is no longer a captive of the circle game.
<br />I hope so.
<br />
<br />Where you have come from and where you are going is the same place. – Osho
<br />
<br />(There are, perhaps, events in my account that did not actually happen. No matter.
<br />They should have.)
<br />
<br />You can contact Rama Prem at ramaprem.rp (at) gmail.com and visit him at: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/ramaprem.rp">http://picasaweb.google.com/ramaprem.rp</a>
<br />Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-15012641866766969732011-06-29T16:15:00.000-07:002011-06-29T16:22:55.919-07:00Osho Meditation Camp with Swami Arun in Amsterdam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqnVp-jmI-XdZo9gdlnO-eu7MeTaAg0iycvNQXjwEHQLewGzWcYZTEy09UkgQIGM5co3ZVFTMamCQ3i54GNCtXHhRU397EmIUzbMqi8PNwtpAfLLmlJb8JANcMiAUOLxBmMBcsPEpldg/s1600/arun+15.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqnVp-jmI-XdZo9gdlnO-eu7MeTaAg0iycvNQXjwEHQLewGzWcYZTEy09UkgQIGM5co3ZVFTMamCQ3i54GNCtXHhRU397EmIUzbMqi8PNwtpAfLLmlJb8JANcMiAUOLxBmMBcsPEpldg/s200/arun+15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623786239310952290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzKmpeSx8eZBNQ0Lkas1XZY_KdHzh8g3coJUQaD0pFC4ofy6JfTnx-gz9s6n7lpohlcaKLweARz0QXCa8vGBvIZKD0hubJBuVmkF2sHPnJqoemN6dWuYlSa1Z_38pb1vvL0lccAGssNg/s1600/arun+7.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzKmpeSx8eZBNQ0Lkas1XZY_KdHzh8g3coJUQaD0pFC4ofy6JfTnx-gz9s6n7lpohlcaKLweARz0QXCa8vGBvIZKD0hubJBuVmkF2sHPnJqoemN6dWuYlSa1Z_38pb1vvL0lccAGssNg/s200/arun+7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623786167279332834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXDd29kC-bf-IAqUvfSvd1eu-hQyyiTi00K7gOST2B9w6xzGLMfc0K20PfZnDaxYRCQc_97PgdHcT11hBHRihhnB6_7BD2aKBAimv50pnK3-LIywzPmdgc_rsv0fqSrmVxDRQbGSx6uI/s1600/arun+5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXDd29kC-bf-IAqUvfSvd1eu-hQyyiTi00K7gOST2B9w6xzGLMfc0K20PfZnDaxYRCQc_97PgdHcT11hBHRihhnB6_7BD2aKBAimv50pnK3-LIywzPmdgc_rsv0fqSrmVxDRQbGSx6uI/s200/arun+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623786073361725970" /></a><br />Paripurn wrote from Amsterdam:<br /><br />Beloved Friends,<br /><br />I feel a strong urge to share my experiences and my feelings, my joy and my emotion about the meditation camp we just had, here in Holland, with Swami Arun from Nepal. Last year I could join Arun’s group for just one evening and when I heard he would come back to Holland this year, I was determined to try and attend the complete three days camp this time. And YES, this happened! And it happened in the most beautiful surroundings possible, ancient woods and lush gardens...<br /><br />I feel like the luckiest person in the world. The group was so beautiful. Arun is a very sweet and funny man – he is so totally devoted to Osho (since he met Him 42 years ago!). He emphasizes that the only thing he wants to do is share Osho’s love with us. I am just Osho’s postman, he said, delivering Osho’s love-letters. And he talks about the importance of meditation, as Osho has told us thousands of times. So...yes, we did a lot of different meditations, and we danced a lot, and we shared a lot, and we laughed a lot, and we cried a lot, and we hugged a lot, and oh yes, sometimes we were just silent. And we saw and heard many fragments of Osho’s lectures.<br /><br />Each day Arun shared stories of his own life with Osho, how he met Osho, about Osho’s guidance for him, Osho’s request to him to start a center in Nepal and how this center came to be realized and grew enormously after Osho left His body. Arun is a gifted storyteller, I assure you! Also Arun answers questions, and his answers are so kind and fascinating and always based on his own experiences and his love for Osho. I had to cry often, when Arun was telling his stories. And sometimes we all roared with laughter about his original observations.<br /><br />He told about the many, many Sannyasins in Nepal (almost 60.000), a number that keeps growing fast! About the many Osho centers (some 80!) and the big communes, of which Osho Tapoban is the most important one. We saw a film about Tapoban – it’s so beautiful, I hope I can go there next year, perhaps together with some sannyasins of our group!<br />Arun has been travelling around the world for six months per year (for some five years), and in every country where he gives meditation camps, lots of sannyasins appear and celebrate, and many new sannyasins are being initiated in each camp. I realized that I have been longing to experience a happening like this for years, I have been yearning for it. I have been yearning for a man who could re-assure my trust in myself, someone who has the authority to do so, because of his unconditional love for Osho and his long life with our Master. Someone who could make me feel that yes! – my feelings toward my Master Osho and my attitude toward the world around me and toward other sannyasins also, have been okay all the time. Arun dedicated a special talk to that: about the uncertainty and doubts and questions among many sannyasins since the end of Rasjneeshpuram and Osho’s leaving His body. About the many strange things that have been happening with sannyasins, about the choices many sannyasins made, choices that I often could not understand at all. But which often made me feel so sad. Now I know, again, that my sadness and my not-understanding some people’s decisions, have been genuine. That it was okay to continue doing things in my own way, that my continuing love for Osho has been the only possible way for me to go on living.<br /><br />Arun was guided by Osho until the very end of Osho’s life. Osho has also very specifically guided him in how to give sannyas to people. And Arun is still receiving Osho’s guidance each day.<br /><br />I have been in a warm bath of Osho’s love, these three days. My heart has been touched again and again – I cried a lot. I have been amidst beautiful people, who all opened their heart.<br /><br />I am extremely grateful to Arun, that he is doing this “work!” That he is sharing Osho’s love with so many people. That he is making things clear for us. That he is giving us a renewed trust in ourselves.<br />I am extremely grateful to Osho, for His never-ending love and wisdom.<br /><br />Beloved friends, if you have the chance, don’t miss the opportunity when Arun is in your country, to plunge in Osho’s bath of love, which Arun is making available to you, or, in Arun’s words, to accept Osho’s love-letter.<br /><br />More photos are available at <a href="http://www.tapoban.com/">http://www.tapoban.com/</a><br />Swami Antar Paripurn, Holland<br /><br />Sourced from the Viha Connection <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection/">Osho magazine.</a>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-33707295605616337582011-05-17T17:06:00.001-07:002011-05-17T17:09:50.590-07:00Is There a Scrap of Enlightenment?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxVpC53KZDuXnE0kp2TaY4qQ9rq-xFUXwjxwpifyaw0vAcI-sAmRw_ZedHgDsvjpfWCHpvcEyJHpfOSmRGuMShqleRwgYtPf5rvZysMMvdw19s7UUtE9PvBusa0OVXaH-FeWdX9tTw14/s1600/oscar.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxVpC53KZDuXnE0kp2TaY4qQ9rq-xFUXwjxwpifyaw0vAcI-sAmRw_ZedHgDsvjpfWCHpvcEyJHpfOSmRGuMShqleRwgYtPf5rvZysMMvdw19s7UUtE9PvBusa0OVXaH-FeWdX9tTw14/s200/oscar.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607841484999465266" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Swami Prem Oscar sent an interesting note and we invite our readers to join the discussion:</span><br /><br />I have been struck by a question and, in my usual fashion, just cough it out, despite its maybe being sinful or whatever!<br />We/I say we are/I am unenlightened, but how would we/I know? How? Will there be a very obvious change, a knowing, a happening – trumpets from the sky and all that.<br /><br />I am “merged” with my natural surroundings here, spend most of my time happily alone, often following my breath, and constantly very aware of all the astounding beauty around me...and also of how very lucky I am.<br />But how would I know if there's even a scrap of enlightenment present here?<br /><br />Thanks, Oscar – Nairobi, Kenya <br /><br />Sourced from the Viha Connection <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection/">Osho magazine</a>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-39863059217537421112011-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:002011-03-23T17:15:02.366-07:00Osho’s World Tour 1985 – 1986<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5ZdSaOhkXOLlaZqFwFIMonFRH30kKzxyPoYkpInVP6U5E9BErL0SrJnDLw4s3Fuo3hh-ApuK2oWCFGPfb8sTPUBD11E7n-K3MD2xCpkpDllHUHSperyUrARbJkW-20-2l5Jwwurnceg/s1600/Osho+V.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5ZdSaOhkXOLlaZqFwFIMonFRH30kKzxyPoYkpInVP6U5E9BErL0SrJnDLw4s3Fuo3hh-ApuK2oWCFGPfb8sTPUBD11E7n-K3MD2xCpkpDllHUHSperyUrARbJkW-20-2l5Jwwurnceg/s200/Osho+V.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587433325876800370" /></a><br /><br />After leaving his commune in Oregon in November 1985 Osho returns to India, but in December of 1985 Osho's new secretary, his companion, his doctor, and other western disciples accompanying him are ordered out of India, their visas canceled. No reason is given by the Indian government for this unprecedented action except, "You are not wanted here." Osho leaves to join them in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he resumed his daily discourses. The discourses Osho gives during his time were published under the titles <span style="font-style:italic;">Light on the Path</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Sword and the Lotus<a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/oshohereandnow/product_info.php?products_id=1014"></a></span>.<br /><br />However, the Nepalese government soon refuses visas for his visitors and closest attendance, so Osho leaves and embarks on his world tour. His first stop is Greece where he is granted a 30-days tourist visa. He lives in the villa of a Greek film producer in Crete and starts to speak twice daily. Disciples arrive from around the world to hear him. The Greek Orthodox clergy threatens the Greek government that blood will flow unless Osho is thrown out of the country. Osho titles the series of discourses he gives while in Crete <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/oshohereandnow/product_info.php?products_id=1013">Socrates Poisoned Again After 25 Centuries</a>.</span><br /><br />On March 5, 1986 police breaks into the villa and arrests Osho without warrant, staking him to Athens where only a 25-thousand dollar bribery moves the authorities not to put him on the boat to India.<br />In the next two weeks numerous countries refuse to let Osho enter: Switzerland, Sweden, England, Ireland, Canada, Antigua, Holland, Germany, and Italy.<br /><br />On March 19, 1986 Uruguay extends an invitation, and so Osho and his attendants fly to Montevideo. <br />Uruguay even mentions the possibility of permanent residence. However, in Uruguay it is discovered why Osho has been denied access to every country he tried to enter: Telexes with "diplomatic secret information" (all from NATO government sources) mentioning Interpol rumors of "smuggling charges, drug dealing and prostitution" concerning Osho's circle preceded them to their prospective host countries. The source of these stories is found to be the USA. Soon Uruguay comes under the same pressure, but on May 14 the government decides to announce at a press conference that Osho has been granted permanent residence in Uruguay.<br /><br />That night Sanguinetti, the President of Uruguay, receives a call from Washington, DC, saying that if Osho stays in Uruguay, current US loans of six billion dollars will be called in, and no future loans given. Osho is requested to leave Uruguay by June 18. A day after Osho leaves Uruguay, Sanguinetti and Reagan announce from Washington a new US loan to Uruguay of 150 million dollars. <br /><br />The talks Osho gives during his two months in Uruguay are among Osho’s most esoteric discourses. They were published under the following titles: <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond Psychology, The Path of the Mystic, </span>and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Transmission of the Lamp.</span><br /><br />On June 19, 1986 Jamaica grants Osho a 10-day visa. Moments after he lands there, a US navy jet lands next to Osho's private jet, and two civilians descend. The next morning, the visas of Osho and his group are canceled, "for reasons of national security."<br /><br />Osho flies on to Lisbon via Madrid, and remains "undiscovered" for some time. A few weeks later policemen are placed around the villa where he is resting. Osho decides to return back to India the next day, on July 28.<br />Altogether 21 countries either deported him or denied him entry.<br /><br />July 29, 1986 Osho arrives in Mumbai, India, where he settles for six months as a personal guest of an Indian friend. In the privacy of his host's home, he starts giving daily discourses and disciples from around the world arrive. These discourses were published as <span style="font-style:italic;">The Osho Upanishad, Beyond Enlightenment</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Sermons in Stone</span>.<br /><br />On January 4, 1987 Osho moves into the house at the ashram in Pune where he lived for the major part of the seventies. He stays there until his death on January 19, 1990.<br /><br />Several of the printed <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/oshohereandnow/index.php?cPath=46_152">discourse series covering his World Tour</a> are no longer available. Osho Viha is happy to be able to offer all the series on <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/oshohereandnow/index.php?cPath=144_163">MP3 CDs. </a>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-6073109641174030522011-03-02T17:01:00.000-08:002011-03-02T17:15:48.680-08:00Our March/April Viha Connection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6uChLCaog2PXPt0NilfIO8KKQQvY4kMcKATh838P6Bifvo6JIgxUwgQXE3E1eLzmh1pxMxtmXK5DEFNVoKmC_PCvHX0pnj5kYkgw0y97Bw25iCn7k5yg1FB4IGR3PI9nhOmqmaGGiG4/s1600/%2521VC_March-April_2011_cover.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 118px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6uChLCaog2PXPt0NilfIO8KKQQvY4kMcKATh838P6Bifvo6JIgxUwgQXE3E1eLzmh1pxMxtmXK5DEFNVoKmC_PCvHX0pnj5kYkgw0y97Bw25iCn7k5yg1FB4IGR3PI9nhOmqmaGGiG4/s200/%2521VC_March-April_2011_cover.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579652820232988866" /></a><br />Our March/April Viha Connection has only just hit the streets (or cyberspace) but is already getting rave reviews. Not only is the cover stunning, but folks are also loving the contents.<br /><br />The Special Section, titled <span style="font-weight:bold;">More Lives in Orange,</span> focuses on folks who grew up in Osho's communes. In 2004 Tim Guest, aka Yogesh, published his memoir, <span style="font-style:italic;">My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru.</span> The book received a lot of attention, almost all of it negative about Osho and the sannyas community. There were talks of movie deals, until Yogesh died suddenly in 2009 at the age of 34. Critics claimed that Yogesh blamed his mother’s parenting behavior on Osho and the community, when, if fact, he lived most of his childhood with her outside of the community. In an article about her son’s death, his mother also seemed to blame her behavior on the community.<br /><br />For our two-part series we asked Yogesh’s contemporaries for an honest look at their own experiences growing up in the sannyas community as children. It’s possible that only people who enjoyed their experiences were motivated to respond, but our contributors have both honest criticism and deep-felt gratitude to share about their unusual upbringings. Many of them are now parents themselves, and they share how growing up in the community has influenced their own parenting experiences.<br /><br />Writers are Arvind, now a visual journalism instructor at the University of the West of England; Melania, a mother, social worker, and doula in Bodrum, Turkey; Madhav, an electrical engineer working in DVR technology in Los Angeles; Viyogini, a singer and event coordinator in France; and Urja, a devoted mother on the path toward freedom who lives in a satsang monastery in Germany.<br /><br />Other feature articles include a report by Nirdosha about his recent enlightenment, and a piece by Aneesha titled "The Alchemy of Celebration."<br /><br />There is also a review of Madhuri's book <span style="font-style:italic;">Love at Dancing Leaves</span> by Prartho, obituaries for Navyo, Melissa and Rupesh, Bhagawati's very popular gossip column from Bali, Deepak's famous astrology column – and of course lots of wonderful Osho quotes.<br /><br />Does this sound tempting? You can subscribe for the printed or the online version on <a href="http://oshoviha.org/oshohereandnow/index.php?cPath=148&osCsid=2ed1b1ad68c8db5b5b882a02c72d306d">our website.</a>Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-61379002554067753312011-02-21T17:21:00.000-08:002011-02-21T17:27:46.563-08:00Osho Talks on Zen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoo7zjBv8Ksu_3QHlZA3jSEj1TDZcEfYqHyoqc-qarD3mOpG5I0__MT7k5df-E2cRCrPsJEi40YWbPgnuDNtk5x4r8kbI6NFv-MXJ0-eO5VyS-x0JWOO3AzYlAnvsNZdyHhT6SCiNm3M/s1600/mp3-cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 110px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoo7zjBv8Ksu_3QHlZA3jSEj1TDZcEfYqHyoqc-qarD3mOpG5I0__MT7k5df-E2cRCrPsJEi40YWbPgnuDNtk5x4r8kbI6NFv-MXJ0-eO5VyS-x0JWOO3AzYlAnvsNZdyHhT6SCiNm3M/s200/mp3-cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576319506199788610" /></a><br />On no other topic has Osho talked more than on Zen, from early discourse series like <span style="font-style:italic;">Roots and Wings</span> (1974) to his final talks in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Zen Manifesto</span> in early 1989.<br /><br />Even though throughout his 30 years of talking Osho commented on just about any religion or teaching, he would always return to Zen.<br /> <br />In the beloved series, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Goose Is Out</span>, Osho says, “Zen is not a religion, not a dogma, not a creed, Zen is not even a quest, an inquiry; it is non-philosophical. The fundamental of the Zen approach is that all is as it should be, nothing is missing. This very moment everything is perfect. The goal is not somewhere else, it is here, it is now. Tomorrows don't exist. This very moment is the only reality. Hence in Zen there is no distinction between methods and goals, means and goals.” <br /><br />Unfortunately many of the books are out of print although they are very much in demand. Here at Viha we keep getting requests for them. So it is with great joy that we can announce that we now have all 20 <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=170">Poona-One Zen discourse series</a> available in MP3 format. <br /><br />We continue to expand our MP3 selection and are now working on the <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=181">Poona-Two Zen series</a>. Stay tuned!<br /><br />Sourced from Viha Connection <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection/">Osho magazine</a>.Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-86298220225251061132011-01-21T15:17:00.000-08:002011-01-21T15:19:14.532-08:00Jayapal on His Father's Passing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5YOlniv8CjjUpQDqxBK6SCuZuhWuIRTu1FuYzrfjaZD7raaxT8SZChl1EsTvI_knYaRIt8i03gWIKJttFN1F5zw_-GbMQqFiSLq6-k_63nGA-KY5qxDKQmWMUL6gAB3dtgPtTJ3yvFU/s1600/harold.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5YOlniv8CjjUpQDqxBK6SCuZuhWuIRTu1FuYzrfjaZD7raaxT8SZChl1EsTvI_knYaRIt8i03gWIKJttFN1F5zw_-GbMQqFiSLq6-k_63nGA-KY5qxDKQmWMUL6gAB3dtgPtTJ3yvFU/s200/harold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564782704129953874" /></a><br />HAROLD SHERMAN (1910—2011) <br /><br />“Jay (his tongue had an easier time with jay than jayapal), I have to do things my way.” And this was his mantra until the very end. He renewed his automobile insurance the day before the fatal heart attack at age 100. Yes, he was still driving. “His way” meant no cane, no walker, no wheelchair and just maybe an occasional aspirin. He lived alone in his small apartment-cum-artist studio until the very end and antagonized every doctor in Kalamazoo where he resided for over 35 years. He thought they were all charlatans “out to make a buck.”<br /><br />When he came to Pune in 1978, hauling an electric typewriter across the ghats as requested by the ashram, I took him to M.G. Road to have an orange outfit made with which he could come to discourse. When he picked it up from the tailor he wore it proudly. Unfortunately, when he took the orange “pajamas” off at the end of the day his entire body had become orange with the bleeding dye. He did not take this as a mystical sign that he was meant to take sannyas. Rather it unleashed his considerable wrath on the unlucky tailor.<br /><br />In 1984 Sheela had the idea of inviting parents of sannyasins to come live and work at the Ranch. I believe Harold was the first to take up this invitation, and, at age 74, was given half a trailer for accommodations and was put to work at Dadu as a gentleman farmer. He thrived as a target for many flirtatious lovelies and enjoyed his unique status in the commune. When he was about to be transferred to the publications department to use his artistic talents (his lifelong profession was as an artist and illustrator) Sheela and her posse left the Ranch, threw things into turmoil, sending Harold scurrying back to Kalamazoo.<br /><br />He was proud of the fact that, in May of 2001, he created the first non-photographic cover for the Viha Connection with his painting of Osho. He also illustrated a hilarious series of ads for Viha, promoting my investment advisory business. Any chance he got to connect in some way with the world of sannyas he jumped at.<br /><br />Few people who had contact with Harold could forget him. He could be cantankerous, stubborn, loyal and loving. As his kid I dealt with all of these moods and then some. At his core was a very fragile, delicate being who had grown up in horrendous conditions of poverty and lived a life of solitude among his paints and canvasses. I write this a few days after his passing and already I miss this bittersweet, bigger-than-life character. <br /><br />May he fly weightless above the clouds.Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-74809702080911750932010-11-10T17:04:00.000-08:002010-11-10T17:11:31.201-08:00Osho the Most Prolific Author of All Times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkE5J2mzL8MVSQkeaWq-1fyBgJrK-UzCOfANWQQM_3rXnH-vf8NykBTfSvsXHwGFrQfE46R3z1uOi4PwIlA7XQC4_EPzRk9UctjML3Zs-KpYdbVTHReAw4im6dV6ji98oEQgRHm0LxQA/s1600/dhanyam1103.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 153px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkE5J2mzL8MVSQkeaWq-1fyBgJrK-UzCOfANWQQM_3rXnH-vf8NykBTfSvsXHwGFrQfE46R3z1uOi4PwIlA7XQC4_EPzRk9UctjML3Zs-KpYdbVTHReAw4im6dV6ji98oEQgRHm0LxQA/s200/dhanyam1103.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538093537351046370" /></a><br />by Dhanyam<br /><br />I am always a bit amused when I see this label attached to Osho. Although there are more than 650 <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php">Osho books</a> to his name, Osho, of course, did not “write” any of them, apart from <span style="font-style:italic;">A Cup of Tea</span>, a beautiful collection of early letters. Those familiar with Osho know that he spoke – or gave “discourses” – for about 30 years and that the books are transcripts of recordings made from these spontaneous talks. The earliest recordings, on audio, were made around 1974, and video recording started in 1978.<br /> <br />Although I love Osho’s books and do my best to make available as many as possible by importing them from all over the world, I think that hearing and seeing Osho are powerful ways to experience him. That’s why here at Osho Viha we continue to expand our selection of <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=90">Osho DVDs</a> and, now that audiotapes and CDs are old technology, <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=144">Osho MP3s</a>. I am also glad that we have more and more DVDs and MP3s available because more and more books are going out of print. <br /><br />Just these past few days, we added to our MP3 selection all of <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=171">Osho’s discourse series on Jesus</a>: <span style="font-style:italic;">The Mustard Seed, Come Follow Me,</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">I Say Unto You</span>, and a beautiful <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/index.php?show_category=170">Zen discourse</a> series: <span style="font-style:italic;">This Very Body the Buddha: Discourses on Haikun’s Song of Meditation.</span> This series starts out with the much-loved “birthday discourse,” given on December 11, 1977: “My beloved ones, I love you all. Love is my message – let it be your message too. Love is my color and climate. To me, love is the only religion.” <br /><br />With Osho’s birthday just a month away, I wanted to make this treasure available. <br /><br />Sourced from the Viha Connection, our <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection/">Osho magazine</a>.Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-60804814537241889832010-10-11T11:54:00.000-07:002010-10-11T12:03:38.945-07:00Osho's Copyrights<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWZvBky3OksRKQrhyphenhyphenmptdq6_q4-7cdhwHW-rMZdmvc-3dYx1LE-zFxxDupoVKlWwSWw96SG1F0cIIAjuLruoT1AMghuMrE69GjANwg-dpmM_wLidgSXcUOt2GilGIggTUPB50v-1A730/s1600/Cover5no.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWZvBky3OksRKQrhyphenhyphenmptdq6_q4-7cdhwHW-rMZdmvc-3dYx1LE-zFxxDupoVKlWwSWw96SG1F0cIIAjuLruoT1AMghuMrE69GjANwg-dpmM_wLidgSXcUOt2GilGIggTUPB50v-1A730/s200/Cover5no.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526866083002367506" /></a><br />The recent interview of Ramateertha by Harideva in the <span style="font-style:italic;">Viha Connection</span> and Ramateertha’s open letter to the Inner Circle have stirred up fresh interest in the topic of intellectual property rights: copyrights and trademarks. We’ve received comments from several people about Zurich-based OIF’s claim to own Osho’s interests in His copyrights, along with requests to open this topic for discussion in the community. <br /><br />We’ve also had questions about the difference between copyrights and trademarks. Copyrights protect the use of the content of creative works that have been “fixed” by digitalizing, printing, writing down, drawing or painting, recording, and so on. A copyright applies to creative works like writing, audio, video, photographs, and artwork. The copyright attaches automatically at the time the work is fixed and belongs to the person who created the work.<br /><br />Trademarks are what they sound like. They protect the mark used to market goods or services in the marketplace. A mark can be a word, phrase, or symbol. The only connection between trademarks and content is that the person who controls a mark can control what content is marketed under that mark. The same content can be marketed under a different name.<br /><br />One writer raised the question of using money from copyrights to support operations in Pune. He had heard a person involved with management there complain that audio copies of Osho’s discourses are being distributed for free (apparently the new cost price in this techie age). He wanted to know what people thought about this. Since OIF doesn’t run the center in Pune, it isn’t clear what the financial connection actually is. Other commentators are concerned that Osho’s work can’t be protected without a copyright. Others argue that with all the compilation books published by OIF or with their blessings, OIF does not protect Osho’s work at all. Some of these books, as well as books published by the “official” Pune publishers, are heavily edited.<br /><br />Osho clearly owned the copyrights to His work during His lifetime, since copyrights automatically attach to creative works at the time they are “fixed” (written down, recorded, and so on). The relevant question today is whether Osho transferred those rights to someone else. Many people are convinced, from the documents on file at the US Copyright Office (available at www.OshoFriendsInternational.com), that Osho did not transfer His rights to OIF. This raises several questions. If Osho did indeed not transfer copyright interests, should anyone try to pretend He did, in the interest of protecting the work or making money? Could pretending that someone owns Osho’s copyrights ever be successful? Will attempts to do so bring on more coercion (banning, shunning, threatening lawsuits), in an effort to bring people in line behind a questionable claim? What effects would this coercion have on the community?<br /><br />Osho had some interesting things to say about owning, distributing, and protecting His work. One was a request to have His work distributed at cost price. Here are a few others:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I am utterly empty.<br />If there is any truth in my words, that truth comes out of my emptiness. It does not belong to me, I am just a passage. I allow existence to connect with you – and it is possible only if I am absolutely empty.</span> (<span style="font-weight:bold;">Sermons in Stone</span>, Chapter 15)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Just now there is an exhibition going on in the Soviet Union. I have sannyasins in the Soviet Union; of course, they have to remain underground – they cannot declare that they are sannyasins – but there are a large number of sannyasins. Our stall of books is overcrowded; it is the most successful stall even in Russia. But the people don't have money, so they are stealing books. I have informed my people, "Don't pay any attention – let them steal. At least those books will reach to millions of people, and if you catch somebody red-handed, just tell him, ‘I'm not against stealing; what can you do if you don't have any money? Just keep one thing in mind: When you have read it, pass it on. That is the price.” </span>(<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Great Pilgrimage: From Here to Here,</span> Chapter 12) <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Beloved Osho,<br />The commune is no more; or, every sannyasin is the commune. But what about such institutions as the Academy, or Friends, which takes care of the publication and distribution of your words? Do they still have a function, and how can they function?”<br /><br />They still have a function – and they will continue to function – but their function is not dictatorial. Their function is to serve the whole world of sannyasins and the people who love me. So their function is not to govern you, their function is to serve you.<br />And they are not organizations, they are simply institutes. And their function has become more important now, because for all the languages that books are being translated into, it has to be seen to it that they are not mistranslated – that the translation is right, that it does not harm the spirit of the message.<br /><br />So it is a great work to take care of all the languages – we need the publication institute to check all the language publications before they are published.<br /><br />Now there are many countries... Just yesterday, a Korean woman was here, and she informed us that more than thirty of my books are translated into Korean, and thousands of copies are available in all the bookstalls all over the country. We have to take care of things. There are countries that are not members of the Bern Convention: they do not believe in copyright. Korea is one of those that do not believe in copyright, so they can translate any book, publish any book.<br /><br />But we can at least keep an eye that the translation is done rightly, that the person who is doing the translation understands me. It is not only a question of copyright; it is a question that I should not be presented in a wrong way – which is possible. Because if they are just earning money, who cares whether the translation is right or wrong?<br /><br />I informed the woman, "You send..." Because we don't even know: it may be happening in other countries. There are many countries that are not under the copyright convention. But we can help them, we can suggest to them, "We don't want any money from you, any royalty from you, but we would like you to represent every book exactly, without any distortion." And in many countries we will have to take publication into our own hands.</span> (<span style="font-weight:bold;">Light on the Path</span>, Chapter 28)<br /><br />We would like to invite our readers to discuss these issues. We ask everyone to be respectful (no insults, sarcasm, personal attacks, psychological evaluations…) so that we can hold a space for all points of view. Posts that do not follow these guidelines will be removed.<br /><br />In the meantime, some lawyers from around the world have written in with a few helpful comments. An American attorney points out that even if OIF, Zurich did have a legitimate claim to copyrights, it would still be legal to use Osho quotes: <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">As I understand the situation, many requests have gone to OIF over the years, asking to use Osho quotes in various kinds of publications: books, memoirs, people’s personal stories about meeting Osho, etc. Almost invariably, OIF wants to see the proposal, assess its worth, and give or withhold permission.<br /><br />The reality is that your right to Osho’ s words is safeguarded by the legal framework of “fair use” that has been adopted in the United States and in most other countries. […]<br /><br />One of the key issues in permitting “fair use” is public interest.<br /><br />For example, Osho is a public and controversial figure. He might well be described as one of the most radical philosophers of the twentieth century. Therefore, it greatly benefits the public to understand him from as many different perspectives as possible.<br /><br />Let’s say, I’m totally opposed to Osho’s teachings and regard him as a danger to society. I want to write a book showing how immoral and subversive are his teachings.<br /><br />Now, clearly, OIF is never going to give permission for a book like that. But, equally clearly, it is in the public interest to have access to my views, since it broadens the public’s general understanding about Osho and his work. It encourages debate and discussion. It widens the public’s knowledge about a controversial figure.<br /><br />So, with full legal protection, I can use long quotations from Osho in my book, refuting each of his statements as I go along, and OIF cannot do anything about it. If they take me to court, they are certain to lose.<br /><br />Similarly, if you have personal stories about Osho, or if you want to use Osho quotes in your book, you do not need permission to do so. Why? Because your use of Osho, in your particular context, is broadening public understanding about this controversial mystic. <br /><br />You’re adding to the body of knowledge that is available to the public about Osho. The chat you had with him, over a cup of tea in Woodlands in 1973, or the relevance of his vision to your book on quantum physics, deepens the public’s understanding of this extraordinary man.<br /><br />If Osho had been a very private man, things would be different. But he was not. On the contrary, he made every effort during his life to become as widely known and as notorious as possible. Parodying Dale Carnegie, Osho once said that his biography should be called “How To Make Enemies And Influence People.”<br /><br />Osho’s public stature is your protection.<br /><br />If you want to play safe, then keep each quotation under 300 words, because this has been adopted as a general “fair use” guideline. But longer quotes will also be okay, especially if you break them up into short sections of direct quotations, while paraphrasing in between.<br /><br />But for those of you who just want to write about their personal memories, or use a quote here and there, or talk about Osho’s views on various subjects, have no fear. Feel free to quote the Great Rebel. He’s public property and your right to comment will be protected under the law.</span><br /><br />Another writer points out that if there is a legitimate copyright holder, and if you are relying on the fair-use rule for protection, you need to make sure you attribute material by Osho to Him to avoid claims of plagiarism. You can’t take a quote or close paraphrase of Osho and use it as your own work.<br /><br />An attorney in Australia suggests that a new approach to handing copyright, called Creative Commons, might be the solution. Here are links to a comic book description of Creative Commons that explains what it is: <a href="http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/digital.php">www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/digital.php</a>;<br />and information on an author who increased sales using this approach: <br /><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b46f5a58-aa2e-11db-83b0-0000779e2340.html">www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b46f5a58-aa2e-11db-83b0-0000779e2340.html</a><br />Let us know what you think.<br /><br />Sourced from our <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection">Osho magazine,</a> the Viha Connection.Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724515270718096347.post-72472335387977741072010-09-20T07:18:00.000-07:002010-09-21T08:13:35.225-07:00Without Freedom Love Is Not Possible: An Interview of Ramateertha by Harideva<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kdGmCzVaraYQ-rHrO0GC8Xr5ijOSmdANwMSIjlJDAYLTsHdjWDzHdtsKan8U2YwRMPukLx8XPs_7h5pz41EGQdTYo5YZAlrTb71iMf4IxLJP02bKDHxcHfx8chKYV81k9qhoWKbPts8/s1600/Ramateertha.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kdGmCzVaraYQ-rHrO0GC8Xr5ijOSmdANwMSIjlJDAYLTsHdjWDzHdtsKan8U2YwRMPukLx8XPs_7h5pz41EGQdTYo5YZAlrTb71iMf4IxLJP02bKDHxcHfx8chKYV81k9qhoWKbPts8/s200/Ramateertha.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519001431617897250" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">This past winter in Goa Harideva of the editorial board of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Viha Connection</span> interviewed Ramateertha of the Osho Uta Institute in Cologne. A sannyasin for 34 years, Ramateerth has been an integral part of Osho Uta for all that time. We are happy to present to you here part of what Ramateertha shared. </span><br /><br />HD: How and when did you decide to return to Germany to start a meditation center for Osho?<br /><br />RT: When I was returning to Germany in ’76 I had a leaving darshan, and Osho asked me, “Where are you going?” I said, “Back to Cologne.” He said, “Go and help my people there.” I told Him there were no people there; I was the only one. [Laughter]<br /><br />So He said, “Oh, you can open up a center there.” I said “No, no, no, I can’t do that.” He asked, “Why?” and I replied, “Well, I can’t do it, and I have no money.” He explained to me, and actually took some time to explain, why I should go back and open up a center. Even then it took four years before I started the Uta center in 1980. In the beginning I was the center leader, but I had no idea how the center should be. The only idea I had was that I wanted to live in the place where I worked, and out of that grew a center, which was always based simply on meditation and personal growth and on sharing love and energy. <br /><br />HD: Do you have a position on the attempts to trademark the name Osho, and what are your insights about these controversies?<br /><br />RT: It was a decisive point for me when I heard that the US Board ruled that the trademark in America had never existed. I was deeply touched and relieved, because I can see in how many places and in how many ways the fiction of a trademark was being used to try and control people. I have opposed the idea that “Osho” might be a trademark for a long time. In the very beginning, when the idea that “Osho” might be a trademark first came up, I think I was a bit naïve about this question. I didn’t know what a trademark was, and I didn’t see the implications of what this idea really meant. <br /><br />I also think that the way Vatayana got the centers to sign a document called a Letter of Understanding was very, very misleading and manipulative. The paper was not presented as a legal document, but a year after some people had signed it Vatayana began to claim it was one. I was upset about this dishonesty, and I started seeing the strategy involved. <br /><br />I knew that “Osho” had never been used as a trademark while Osho was in the body or in the years since then, but only to describe content that refers to Osho’s teachings. The reason is simply that it is, by its nature, not a trademark, but just a personal name of Osho that is also a description of the content of His teachings and vision. So when the idea that there was such a thing as an “Osho trademark” slowly, slowly started being put into the field, it was done in a very devious way, as I see it, very misleading. It was as if an outside enemy was being created that we needed a fictional trademark to defend against. Out of fear, people were encouraged to pretend that “Osho” could be, was, and had been used as a trademark. Eventually that kind of defense turns into a means to control those who are within the field. Every fascist regime has created outer enemies to control people inside. And when I started seeing the whole game and the lying and cheating that was connected to it, I saw how harmful to the community this pretense had become.<br /><br />At a certain point Vatayana tried to take over center meetings in Germany and to become the one who organizes them. She made it clear that she wanted to invite only people who had signed the Letter of Understanding. At some point during a meeting she said, “This is not a democracy.” The person who was in charge of inviting for that meeting said, “Well, and it is not a dictatorship either.” And the whole room was silent. During the argument a young woman said, “I don’t understand what this argument is about. It’s just only about power, isn’t it?” A pin-drop silence occurred, and Vatayana dropped the project of taking control of that meeting.<br /><br />Osho once said, “This is not a democracy,” but the Master makes certain decisions or confronts people in certain situations with certain ways of working; that’s one thing. When disciples are dealing with each other, you can’t adopt the same attitude that the Master had and then say, “That’s the way the Master works.” He comes from a completely different level of consciousness. As a disciple, to start imitating this way of working and pose as a successor is not only stupid but also harmful. I think in the world of sannyas we sometimes adopt attitudes that are not healthy. They don’t allow communication and respect to arise, and I saw a lot of that in Sheela’s time.<br /><br />So in the 2009 German center meeting there was a confrontation about the trademark issue, and I made it a point that the reality of this situation is reflected in clear guidance from Osho that nobody disputes. Osho said the centers are all independent – not only by their legal structure but also in their use of Osho’s name as a reference to His teachings and vision. The centers are at the most “spiritually affiliated.” That has always been Osho’s relationship with individuals and centers, and the pretense of a trademark stands in direct opposition to the reality of this relationship. Vatayana argued that Osho wanted trademarks. She even went so far as to say that whenever someone received a center from Osho a license was given at that moment. This is bullshit and an appalling insult to the moments when Osho gave people the name for a center. Osho respected the centers’ complete freedom; there was no signature on a contract on any side. It was never a question of a legal relationship. And then Vatayana tried to say, “Well, maybe there is a way we can reconsider the whole thing, in the sense we will try to maintain the centers’ independence and still have a trademark.”<br /><br />Of course, that is just deceptive. Independence means both that the centers have always been legally independent and that they’ve been independent in their use of Osho’s name as a reference to His teachings. “Osho” is not, and has never been, a trademark; it simply does not qualify to be a trademark, because, as I already said, it’s just the name of Osho as a person and is also a description of the content of His teachings and vision. <br /><br />The cunning thing, though, was that while we were in that meeting in 2009 arguing about the trademark issue, Vatayana was sending “updated agreements” about this fictional trademark to all the centers that were not present in the meeting, without telling anyone at the meeting.<br /> <br />I also had a dispute with Yogendra about this in 2009, and he completely agreed that Osho had acknowledged that the centers were independent, but he said, “Well, you know, with certain situations, we asked the lawyers how we should handle them and what we should do, and they suggested to us that we should create a trademark.” How can they claim on the one hand that Osho wanted a trademark and on the other hand say something like this? <br /><br />In December I wrote a letter to Global Connections that we would not sign any agreement with them and that we would do anything necessary to oppose any attempt to change legally independent centers into some kind of “franchise system.” If OIF insists that there is a trademark “Osho” in Europe, then we will bring a case to establish that there is no trademark in the European Union, just as it has been proven in the US. In this process I follow my heart, and I follow my own understanding. I know that without freedom love is not possible. It’s very simple. And it is not freedom if you force people or if you bind people with legal contracts. It’s just like marriage. It destroys freedom, and it destroys any possibility to really flower. This was Osho’s wisdom when He refused to create any kind of organization.<br /><br />In my understanding nobody can give you the right to use the name Osho, as nobody can own Osho’s name, and, therefore, nobody needs to ask anybody for a “right” to use the Osho name. It describes content but does not mean that it originates from somebody who is entitled to or in the position to control content. Osho Himself asked everyone involved in His work to use His name, and we have all used it for 21 years. It’s just ridiculous to pretend it’s a trademark for anyone. <br /><br />But I’m not a crusader; that much is certain. I don’t judge what others should do. For some person it may be right to say, “I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” I don’t know what their lives look like, but from my situation, from my own experience I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I am doing what I am doing because my heart tells me so. I don’t want to point my finger at anybody else and say, “You should do it also.” <br /><br />For me this is exactly the same situation as we faced with Sheela. And I tell you I don’t know where I would be in all of this without the experience of the Ranch. Some say the Ranch was a failure, but to be honest, I don’t think it was a failure. I think it was the one of the most incredible experiences and teachings about organized religion that Osho has given. Without that experience – which was painful, very painful – I would not have the guts or the spine to say no. Osho was in silence, and Sheela was the only person seeing Him. That gave her an incredible influence over people who loved and respected Osho. I think Osho first kept quiet when the house was on fire, and He even put more fuel on it to make the house burn down completely – the house of organized religion and all that comes with it. But the basic message for me is that I have to trust and to risk everything within myself. I think of what happened on the Ranch as a vaccination against religion. The experience taught me about fascism in the name of religion and in the name of spirituality. He pulled the plug in time then. There is no one there to pull the plug now. It’s now the responsibility of each of us to speak up. <br /><br />And, of course, it is a completely childish attitude to point the finger at Sheela. We are all Sheela; it is in every one of us. The same way she was or is blaming Osho for everything she has done, we give away responsibility to outer “authorities” and lose our freedom. This is especially strong for Germans who had the experience of Hitler in the last century to teach us that we all have this potential. Maybe it’s not by accident that opposition to the trademark registration in the EU is coming from Germany.<br />It’s so clear to me that the legal thing that’s happening is just a joke. The name Osho stands for this amazing Master and His teachings and His vision. It cannot be separated: here the person and there the teaching. And it is not possible to monopolize the name Osho. The ® some people would like to add to “Osho” is deceptive. For me, it really stands for “Religion” – a “Trademark Religion,” as that is what these people are trying to achieve. They want to establish a new authority and make a religion out of a vision. To pretend that Osho’s name is a trademark – the name of the man who has always been an advocate for total freedom without religion − is as intelligent as someone who does not want the death penalty saying, “I will shoot everybody who is for the death penalty!”<br /><br />For me it is important not to get too serious about this. I’m German, you know; I can be very serious. Then I get almost righteous myself, and that is not the point.<br /><br />People will certainly be confronted by the question, “Where do I stand in this?” as they are confronted with demands that they submit to outer control. And that will be beneficial, because they will have to look for themselves, or play the same game that has been played for millennia.<br /><br />Sourced from our <a href="http://www.oshoviha.org/connection">Osho magazine,</a> the Viha Connection.Osho Vihahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05318461139698921165noreply@blogger.com21