The controversial guru Osho
The celebrated documentary series Wild, Wild Country reminds one of the most extravagant characters of the contemporary spirituality. We visited his meditation center in the Indian city of Pune.
Center track of Penthouze , one of the trendy clubs in Pune. High hours of the morning. Electronic music at full throttle, people dancing, drinking, trying to sign. Dreams of neon lights, sweaty bodies, mascara, Profiden smiles, fitted shirts, twilight courtships...
In the center, among hordes of 20-something Indian hipsters and the city's fledgling Jet Set, stand out three maroon robes that are literally giving it their all: they dance spasmodically, arms on one side, legs on the other, they stagger, they raise their arms with open palms as if they were performing a gospel prayer, while the LED light cannon illuminates the silhouette of their hands.
Entrance to the Osho Meditation Resort
The dances are reminiscent of traditional African dances, but at two thousand revolutions per minute. His runaway body contrasts with his faces, which exude an angelic aura. They are European, blonde hair, blue eyes and yes, they are having a great time.
Indeed it is about three guests of the ** Osho Meditation Resort **, who coincidentally is five minutes from Koregaon Park , the party zone of the city.
For those who don't know yet, this center was founded in 1974 by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, better known as Osho (Bhopal 1931- Pune 1990), the most controversial and bizarre spiritual leader that India has given.
If you want to know more in depth you just have to see Wild, Wild Country , a brilliant Netflix documentary series that deals with the life of this great character . In it we find bioterrorism, silences that last five years, the largest collection of Rolls Royce in the world, free love, FBI, impossible Rappel style robes, assassination attempts, weapons and utopian cities in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, a delusion that if it were not for the fact that it is archived would seem like a fantasy out of a delusional HBO writer.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, better known as Osho
FOLLOW THE PARTY
Going back to the disco. Contrary to what many might believe, these three 'oshitos' (as they are affectionately called) they did not escape, like ashes, from the resort. No, they can go out, drink and celebrate life as if there were no tomorrow, that's what it's for.
To understand these seemingly opposite worlds (the search for Nirvana and spiritual peace and nights of bohemian debauchery), nothing better than ask the protagonists.
Sharing the status of foreigner in an exotic country generates a certain complicity. So at a time when one of them was at the bar stocking up on rum and cola, I approached him and introduced myself. With the best of smiles, he replied that they had come from Holland, and that they had planned spend a month in the Osho center to meditate and do a spiritual retreat.
After a couple of common topics he got into the rag and asked him about that admirable exaltation of life. “Traditionally the spiritual path towards the elevation of the soul has been through renunciation of the material, introspection, asceticism, this is what happens with the sadhus, who live without any type of property, practically naked. In Europe the same thing happens with monks, who isolate themselves in monasteries ", he explains to me.
"Osho preaches that this path to the liberation of the soul can also be achieved through joy, laughter and the celebration of life, and that is what we do" , comments the young man, with the conviction that he has discovered in the very Holy Grail. After the brief, but concise class of new spirituality he returned to the track to lead by example.
Achieving soul liberation through joy, laughter and celebration of life
A GREAT TOURIST RESORT
It is very possible that the party ended at the meditation resort, because there they also have nightclubs, bars and, of course, cannons with LED light beams.
Enter the call for many “Disneyland of spirituality” is not easy. It is similar to a large tourist resort and access is restricted to customers. For the curious, among whom I was, there is a one day guided tour , upon payment of 1,900 rupees (about 24 euros), which allows you to reach the common areas. Guests pay an average of around 1,200 euros per month all inclusive, a not insignificant price in Indian latitudes.
After photocopying the passport and making the payment, a group of about 25 people accompanied by a guide we enter the enclosure. Inside the open spaces, the landscaped areas with freshly cut grass and small paths to walk. There is a large pool and not far tennis and basketball courts . All the customers seem to be very busy having a good time.
The gardens are amazing with fountains, streams and a large presence of flowers and exotic trees. This space is open to the public, as if it were Osho's legacy to the community.
Pyramid in which meditation sessions are held
It is among these gardens that it emerges a large pyramidal structure of black color Which reminds me of the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. They explain to us that there are meditation sessions but we can't get in.
There's also a Wine Bar **(yes, alcohol is allowed)**, where mostly European groups chat animatedly. A fact that generates surprise, and the occasional mischievous look, is clothing of all guests. They invariably go from maroon colour: those who are in the pool with maroon swimsuits, those who play tennis with a maroon shirt and shorts and the rest with elongated tunics that end in skirts of the same color.
When you meet the 'oshitos', everyone greets with a reverential gesture and a wide smile , as if they were in a permanent state of absolute happiness.
A CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT
There is an issue that brings out the colors of many local citizens and some other foreigner: All guests must take and present an HIV test. When we asked the guide about it, he offered us a hundred times studied face and replied: “these are hygiene and safety issues” . New paragraph.
Osho was known as the 'sex guru' , since among his practices was the practice of free sex in group , a fact that caused him quite a few problems in the United States. In his texts he positions himself against marriage and he understands sexuality as one more way of relating.
yes they also have pool
None of the 'oshitos' wanted to get wet, all answered that there are many legends about this topic , that the important thing is to “transmit a message of peace and love”.
Well, it seems that Osho's secrets will still be hidden inside the mysterious black pyramid.
PUNE
The Osho meditation center is in the indian City Of Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, about 120 kilometers south of Bombay. It has about five million inhabitants.
The city, which lives outside the country's tourist itineraries, is known as University City, something like the Indian Salamanca.
As for the points of interest, the presence of several Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples. The best known are those of Chaturshringi and Paravati.
Pune, the city where it all began