'OLD' AND 'NEW' OSHO SANNYASINS SYNDROME

It is a spiritual reality that until a seeker of Truth reaches the state of full awakening, there are chances to regress not only to the state from where he had started his journey but even below that. The higher one goes on this journey the more are the chances of his falling in the deeper and darker valleys. This is because with the spiritual progress the ego also becomes more and more refined and subtle; it takes new forms and blur the vision of the seeker. It takes the forms of being more spiritual, more meditative and superior to others. It distracts the seekers in such subtle ways that almost all of them fall prey to it. Sitting on their heads it cannot be seen by themselves. It is of course visible to others but not to oneself. This is the first and the last bondage of a seeker of Truth.

Many Osho sannyasins were caught in this Ego-trap. Almost all of the old Indian sannyasins who thought themselves as senior to other sannyasins or who treated themselves as more advanced in meditation or who have the opportunity to be near to Osho and having some powers and prestige ( which was not there now ) became teachers of Osho Meditations. There is nothing wrong in teaching the meditation. But in this process they became holier than though. This is against the vision of Osho. But who cares what He has said when there comes an opportunity to fulfill the ego.(* See below what Osho has said about this)

They started to play the role of Osho by conducting the meditation camps posing themselves as some special having the capacity of Master, starting initiating the new comers into Sannyas in the old traditional way which was stopped by Osho Himself as the same was giving birth to Gurudom against which Osho had been speaking in whole of His life. They started giving discourses repeating what Osho had said but showing it their own experience. Even being near to Osho and being longtime meditators, they did not have that much sincerity to say that they are the fellow travelers and not in any way higher to others. On the contrary they became the leaders and others the followers which is against the vision of Osho. (**See below what Osho has said about this) This gave them money, power and also prestige among new sannyasins and others with whom they made contacts. This is what everyone aspires for in this world. In short they became Mini-Gurus. This was great nourishment for their ego. And thus what was gained by meditating in the presence of Osho during so many years was destroyed and they regressed to the same point from where they had started the journey. This is the truth but nobody who is in this trap of ego will see and accept it. There is nothing new and unexpected in this. This had happened with the vision of all the great Masters.

Question: BELOVED OSHO, THE MIND IS AN EXPLOITER OF EVERY SITUATION. EVEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SITUATION OF BEING AROUND YOU IS EXPLOITED IN TERMS OF HIGHER AND LOWER, SPECIAL AND NON-SPECIAL, MORE MEDITATIVE AND LESS MEDITATIVE, CLOSER AND NOT CLOSE. HOW CAN AVOID THESE EXPLOITATIONS?

Answer: There is not much difficulty in it. Simply drop the whole idea. I am teaching you every day that there is nothing higher, nothing lower. It is simply man's ego creating if not money, if not politics, then meditation. The ego can exploit any situation, but it will play the same game. One is higher in meditation; the other is lower in meditation. One is an older sannyasin, senior -- as if it is a government bureaucracy -- and the other one is a new fellow. You can tolerate him, but he is not to be considered much, not to be taken seriously. It is the same ego, you just have to watch. It is the same ego. Whenever it creates any comparison and brings the qualities of higher and lower and judgments, immediately cut its head, then and there. Take a deep breath and drop it. Exhale it! And it is only a question of a few days and the wrong habit disappears. It is only a wrong habit, nothing to be worried about, a hangover from the old society where everything is compared, everything is put in a certain hierarchic system. You have come from the old society with much junk from the old society within you. Be alert and go on cleansing yourself of the old, of the past, of all you have brought with you. Become emptier, become cleaner. And it feels so beautiful. It feels so ecstatic that I can only be silent about it. I cannot say anything about it."

Almost All the old Indian sannyasins claimed to be higher than others, being more experienced than others and had strong desires to become the religious heads as is the case in other religions. But these so called Old and Experienced sannyasins do not want to hear Osho saying such things. These are direct hits on their egos.

Then Osho declared that He is not a Master of their lovers but on the contrary is their friend. This gave a deep shock to those who aspire to be Masters/Gurus. The old Indian sannyasins who in practice are functioning like Gurus did not like Osho to be called their friend because this blockd their own path to be Gurus of others. The declaration brought them at the level of all other sannyasins. The Osho Commune Pune, which had no hierarchy and was being run according to Osho's Vision ceased to be the place for such sannyasins to fulfill their long cherished desires. They made their own communes.Swami Chaitanya Keerti joined with Osho Dham New Delhi and developed Osho World Foundation ,Osho Nisarga Meditation Centre, Dharamshala by Neelam and Associates and Osho Bodhisattva Commune, Dehradun by Narendera Bodhisattva and others. These all were chief disciples of Osho. They are, obviously, now the Heads of these communes and thereby fulfilled their long cherished desires and show what great work they are doing. However, this all is being done on the back ground of 'Osho Work' without which the real motive could not be fulfilled.

"It is very easy to influence somebody, to convert somebody, to create a following; it is very difficult to unconvince him – to say that you are no longer a leader, in fact you have never been a leader; that there is no religion, that you were talking in your dreams."

"It needs guts to say to people "I am not your savior," to say to people, "I am not your leader; I am a seeker, just the way you are a seeker. At the most we can be fellow travelers, we can be friends, but that ugly relationship of the leader and the follower does not exist anymore."

Those who want to be Gurus before awakening themselves will praise surrender to the Master. Because without being someone ready to surrender, how they can fulfill their desires to be Gurus. Osho is very much aware of this tendency of human mind. Therefore, He declared that surrender is not his way. His way is meditation. The path of surrender had proved dangerous in the past for the disciple as well as to the work of a Master.

"In the old method surrender is asked; in the new method only a loving friendship, which is more human, more natural. In the old method surrender had to be the basis of all. But remember, whomsoever you surrender to, you will carry a grudge against him."

"It is not just a coincidence that Judas, one of the most prominent disciples of Jesus, betrayed him. Mahavira's own son-in-law betrayed him. Buddha's own cousin-brother, Devadatta, betrayed him. It is not an exception, but a rule. These people may have surrendered, but some reluctance must have been there."

"In this reference the word 'friend' can be used, but not in the first reference. That's why I have been insisting on the word 'friend' I don't want to be betrayed by you. I don't want any Judas, any Goshalaka, any Devadatta. And if I am not presenting a higher status than you, there is no need to betray."

(The Sword and The Lotus # 7)