1974 to 1981 Poona Ashram
On March 21, 1974, exactly twenty-one years after His enlightenment, Osho moves to Koregaon Park in Pune, where two residences in adjoining properties of six acres have been purchased. He holds interviews on the lawn only with sannyasins arriving or leaving and no longer meets with individuals seeking advice or private interviews.
'The great path has no gates, Thousands of roads enter it. When one passes through this gateless gate, He walks freely between heaven and earth'. - Osho
THE WAY OF THE WHITE CLOUDS
In May 1974, Osho gives a series of discourses in English, in which He explains His approach, His view of the master - disciple relationship, and His vision for the development of His work in Pune.
The discourses are published under the title "My Way: The Way of the White Clouds", and attract many seekers from the West.
A NEW PHASE
In June 1974, Osho introduces the first meditation camp in Pune with the announcement that a new phase of His work will begin.
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From now on He will work only with authentic seekers. And for the first time, Osho does not lead the meditations in person. Instead, His empty chair is brought into the meditation hall. "It always happens when a Buddha is there: His physical presence becomes so meaningful, and then He dies and everything is shattered. My chair can be empty: you can feel my absence and remember, only when you can feel my absence, you can feel my presence. If you can not see me while my physical vehicle is not there, you have not seen me at all... |
That is why I say a new phase of my work starts with this camp and I am calling it a samadhi sadhna shibir. It is not only meditation, it is absolute ecstasy that I am going to teach you. It is not only the first step, it is the last."
COMMENTARIES AND RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS
Osho meets with groups of seekers in a small auditorium adjoining His residence at seven p.m. each evening for one or two hours. In these darshans He initiates new sannyasins from all over the world, greets people who are arriving or leaving, answers questions, and advises on problems.
Groups of ashram workers and participants in ashram programs attend the meetings on a rotating schedule. Recordings are made of these intimate, face-to-face meetings between Osho and His guests and are published as "Darshan Diaries."
From July 1974. Osho continues to give discourses every morning until 1981, speaking alternate months in Hindi or English. He comments on the teachings of enlightened mystics in many spiritual traditions: Tao, Zen, Christianity, Hassidism, Sufism, the Bauls, Hindu mystics, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, etc. On alternate days He answers questions submitted to him by His audience. Each series of ten days is published as one book - over two hundred and forty books in seven years.
SHARING THE VISION
Many Western sannyasins spend a few months in Pune and then return to their native countries. During their "leaving darshan" they often ask how they can continue their meditations at home and what they can do to share Osho's vision and unique meditation techniques with their friends and families. Although He often suggests that people can start meditation centers in the West, Osho repeatedly emphasizes that He is not interested in proselytizing or converting people to sannyas, but only that His work be made available to those who are interested.
THERAPY AS A PREPARATION FOR MEDITATION
Throughout 1975, Osho guides an expansion of programs and workshops that revolutionize Western methods of therapy with Eastern techniques of meditation.
In August 1975, the first therapy groups begin. Included in all group processes are daily Dynamic and Kundalini Meditations.
Osho's morning discourse and participation in a ten-day meditation camp before or after the group. In darshan, Osho suggests groups to new arrivals, advises group leaders, and meets with group participants. By the end of 1977, there are fifty different group offerings, and the ashram is known as the largest and most innovative growth center in the world.
"My therapists are the best in world, for the simple reason that other therapists are only therapists, they are not meditators. My therapists are meditators too."
PUSHING THE ENVELOPE, ENCOUNTER AND PRIMAL THERAPY
Although only a small percentage of therapy groups in the Pune ashram during the 1970s involve cathartic processes or nudity, it is these groups that attract the most media attention. A German film company is allowed to film a (staged) encounter group session, and their resulting documentary, Ashram, provokes worldwide controversy and outrage. The movie continues to be shown well into the 1980s and is used by anti-cult groups to support their claim that Osho's work is dangerous and should be opposed.
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"In the Encounter group; that is the meaning of the word encounter; you have to encounter yourself in your totality. You have to bring out all that is repressed; you have to bring out all, without any evaluation about what is good, what is bad. And suddenly you see great animals roaring inside you. They are violent, and you have been taught to be nonviolent. Your nonviolence has repressed your violence. Great rage, for no reason at all, will arise. You will start beating the wall; you may start beating yourself. And you will say, "What am I doing? I have never done it before. From where is it coming?" But it is coming in great surges, in great waves. And the whole process is to let it be. When all the parts have been expressed - your sex, your anger, your greed, your jealousy, your rage; when all parts have been expressed, a great calmness arises, the silence that follows the storm. |
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This cannot be understood by the masses, In fact they are very much on their guard. They don't want to understand either, because to understand means they will have to look within, and they will find the same things inside themselves.
REMEMBER, THESE GROUPS ARE NOT THE END, THEY ONLY PREPARE YOU FOR MEDITATION
They are not the goal; they are just simple means to undo the wrong of the past. Once you have thrown out of your system all that you have been repressing all along, I have to lead you into watchfulness. Now it will be easier to watch."
THE WORLD ACADEMY OF CREATIVE SCIENCE, ARTS & CONSCIOUSNESS
"I want this place to grow and I am making arrangements for a world academy of sciences and arts, totally devoted to life-affirmative goals. The science that can create Hiroshima and Nagasaki and destroy thousands and thousands of people, birds, trees without any reason - just because the politicians wanted to see whether atomic energy works or not - that same science can create more food, more life, better health, more intelligence in all fields of life.
There is an immense vacuum which I want to fill by creating a "World Academy of Creative Science , Art and Consciousness", absolutely devoted to life, love, laughter; absolutely devoted to creating a humanity, a better and more pure, healthy atmosphere, to restore the disturbed ecology. And once we make the whole of humanity aware of the dangers of our past ways of life and where the whole past is leading us - to a global suicide - it will not be difficult to convince the intelligent, the young, to drop the past and accept the greatest challenge of creating a golden future.
I want our place to be the first synthesis between religiousness and a scientific approach to life.
The scientists should recognize their dignity, they should recognize their individuality. They should recognize that they have been exploited down the ages by the priests and the politicians.
Now it is time to declare that science is going to stand on its own feet. Scientists have to be courageous enough and declare that they don't belong to any nation, to any religion, and that whatsoever they will be doing will be for the whole humanity. This will be a great freedom - and I don't see that there is anything impossible in it."
ASHRAM EXPANSION
In March 1976, renovation and remodeling of many newly acquired buildings have been completed. Osho names the buildings after enlightened mystics: Francis, Jesus, Eckhart and Krishna. For His daily morning talks he appears in Chuang Tzu Auditorium, where mosquito netting encloses a large circular veranda adjoining His residence. By March 1977, construction of Buddha Hall is completed, where Osho's English-language discourses can accommodate more people. Ashram work, departments include publishing, a press office, crafts, a music department, silk screen facilities, a clothing boutique, and a carpentry shop that also makes musical instruments. And by August 1977, there is a bakery and studios for the creation of jewelry, pottery, and weaving.
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"What am I doing? I want it to be absolutely a part of the marketplace because I want my sannyasins not to move into the monasteries. They have to remain in the world. Their meditation should grow in the world, their meditation should not become escapist. So whatsoever peace you are finding here, you will be able to retain anywhere you go. And that's what is going to happen in the new phase of my work. My commune will become hidden, underground. It will have a facade on the outside: the weavers and the carpenters and the potters. That will be the facade. People who will come as visitors, we will have a beautiful showroom for them; they can purchase things. They can see the creativity of the sannyasins paintings, books, wood-working. |
They can be shown around - a beautiful lake, swimming pools, a five-star hotel for them but they will not know what is really happening. That which will be happening will be almost all underground. It has to be underground, otherwise it cannot happen.
Vision is not your dream. Vision is when all dreams have disappeared and you don't have a dreaming mind; then what happens is a vision. But for that, insight is needed. You have to learn how to see, and you have to learn how to be, and you have to learn how to hear, and you have to learn how to touch. You have to learn how to smell, how to taste. And then you will be surprised - God comes through all the senses.
Be more sensitive - less of belief, less of head, and more of sensitivity. Be more sensuous, alive in your senses, and then suddenly one day you will see: it is not simply the light that is coming to you, it is God in the form of light; and it is not the tree that is standing there in front of you, but God; not the rock, but God; not the woman that you have fallen in love with, but a God; not the man, but God. When the insight becomes clear, unclouded, suddenly you start seeing that everywhere God is, because all is God.
The higher your consciousness, the greater your vision; the lower your consciousness, the smaller your vision."
SILENT SATSANGS AND COMMENTARIES ON BUDDHA'S DHAMMAPADA
In June 1979, Osho conducts a ten-day experiment in silent communion, or satsang, He appears in Buddha Hall and sits with the assembly for an hour of music and silent meditation in place of discourse.
On June 21, Osho introduces His twelve-part series of commentaries on Gautam Buddha's Dhammapada.
"My talking on Buddha is not just a commentary: it is creating a bridge. Buddha is one of the most important Masters who has ever existed on the earth - incomparable, unique. And if you can have a taste of His being, you will be infinitely benefited, blessed.
I am immensely glad, because after these ten days of silence I can say to you that many of you are now ready to commune with me in silence. That is the ultimate in communication. Words are inadequate, words say but only partially. Silence communes totally."
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
On May 22, 1980, Vilas Tupe, a member of a fundamentalist Hindu group, throws a knife at Osho during His morning discourse. The local police have been tipped off and are present in hall when the incident occurs. After the police remove Tupe and take him into custody, Osho continues His talk. Because of subsequent manipulations of the legal proceedings by police officials and members of Vilas Tupe's group the case is dropped and Tupe is released without being convicted of any crime. A few weeks later, Osho explains what has happened.
WORLDWIDE EXPANSION
In late 1980 and early 1981, a center is set up in the United States to distribute Osho's books, audio tapes, and videotapes. Sannyasins overseas are encouraged to support their local meditation centers and communes. There are programs to train new group leaders. In London in the spring of 1981, a two-day sampling of Osho's meditation and group workshops called "The March Event" is organized and draws about five hundred participants through advertising that includes signs on London buses and underground trains. This is followed by similar events in the world.
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"My effort is not only to create a Buddhafield here, but to create small oasis all over the world. I would not like to confine this tremendous possibility only to this small commune. This commune will be source, but it will have branches all over the world. It will be the root, but it is going to become a big tree. It is going to reach every country, it is going to reach every potential person. We will create small communes, centers, all over the world. Be in the world, but don't be of it. Live in the world, but don't allow the world to live in you. That's my message. That's the way of a true sannyasin: being in the world but remaining untouched, unaffected by it." |
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IN SILENCE
On April 10, 1981, Osho sends a message that he is entering ultimate stage of His work, and that from this date he will speak only through silence. He continues to meet with His secretary but does not appear until three weeks later when the satsangs are resumed and Osho appears in the meditation hall to sit silently with His disciples and visitors. An ancient Buddhist chant is sung at the beginning of the meetings, and they end with music, singing, and dancing.
Meanwhile, Osho's health has become more and more fragile. In addition to His allergies, he now has severe back pains, and doctors are concerned that he might need sugary at some point. There concern is heightened when a dangerous crises arises related to a prolapse disk and the potential for nerve damage if it is aggravated. The assistant to Osho's personal secretary. Ma Anand Sheela, arranges for him to go the United States where he can be treated before another crisis arises.