Osho Meditation Camp with Swami Arun in Amsterdam

Paripurn wrote from Amsterdam:

Beloved Friends,

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...

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.

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.

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!
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.

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.

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.

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.
I am extremely grateful to Osho, for His never-ending love and wisdom.

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.

More photos are available at http://www.tapoban.com/
Swami Antar Paripurn, Holland

Sourced from the Viha Connection Osho magazine.

Is There a Scrap of Enlightenment?

Swami Prem Oscar sent an interesting note and we invite our readers to join the discussion:

I have been struck by a question and, in my usual fashion, just cough it out, despite its maybe being sinful or whatever!
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.

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.
But how would I know if there's even a scrap of enlightenment present here?

Thanks, Oscar – Nairobi, Kenya

Sourced from the Viha Connection Osho magazine

Osho’s World Tour 1985 – 1986

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 Light on the Path and The Sword and the Lotus.

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 Socrates Poisoned Again After 25 Centuries.

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.
In the next two weeks numerous countries refuse to let Osho enter: Switzerland, Sweden, England, Ireland, Canada, Antigua, Holland, Germany, and Italy.

On March 19, 1986 Uruguay extends an invitation, and so Osho and his attendants fly to Montevideo.
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.

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.

The talks Osho gives during his two months in Uruguay are among Osho’s most esoteric discourses. They were published under the following titles: Beyond Psychology, The Path of the Mystic, and The Transmission of the Lamp.

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."

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.
Altogether 21 countries either deported him or denied him entry.

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 The Osho Upanishad, Beyond Enlightenment, and Sermons in Stone.

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.

Several of the printed discourse series covering his World Tour are no longer available. Osho Viha is happy to be able to offer all the series on MP3 CDs.

Our March/April Viha Connection

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.

The Special Section, titled More Lives in Orange, focuses on folks who grew up in Osho's communes. In 2004 Tim Guest, aka Yogesh, published his memoir, My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru. 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.

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.

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.

Other feature articles include a report by Nirdosha about his recent enlightenment, and a piece by Aneesha titled "The Alchemy of Celebration."

There is also a review of Madhuri's book Love at Dancing Leaves 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.

Does this sound tempting? You can subscribe for the printed or the online version on our website.

Osho Talks on Zen

On no other topic has Osho talked more than on Zen, from early discourse series like Roots and Wings (1974) to his final talks in The Zen Manifesto in early 1989.

Even though throughout his 30 years of talking Osho commented on just about any religion or teaching, he would always return to Zen.

In the beloved series, The Goose Is Out, 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.”

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 Poona-One Zen discourse series available in MP3 format.

We continue to expand our MP3 selection and are now working on the Poona-Two Zen series. Stay tuned!

Sourced from Viha Connection Osho magazine.

Jayapal on His Father's Passing

HAROLD SHERMAN (1910—2011)

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

May he fly weightless above the clouds.

Osho the Most Prolific Author of All Times

by Dhanyam

I am always a bit amused when I see this label attached to Osho. Although there are more than 650 Osho books to his name, Osho, of course, did not “write” any of them, apart from A Cup of Tea, 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.

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 Osho DVDs and, now that audiotapes and CDs are old technology, Osho MP3s. I am also glad that we have more and more DVDs and MP3s available because more and more books are going out of print.

Just these past few days, we added to our MP3 selection all of Osho’s discourse series on Jesus: The Mustard Seed, Come Follow Me, and I Say Unto You, and a beautiful Zen discourse series: This Very Body the Buddha: Discourses on Haikun’s Song of Meditation. 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.”

With Osho’s birthday just a month away, I wanted to make this treasure available.

Sourced from the Viha Connection, our Osho magazine.