Over two weeks ago SN was landed with a bill for £84.05, larger than expected as the new web host owners charged £29.99 for something called SSL which had previously been free. Clive explains, “As I understand it certifies that the site is what it appears to be… it’s not a dummy set-up for scams.”

Anyway, as usual the bill has been paid by Clive (without whom SN would have folded long ago) and it’s now up to us to repay him.

Please contact Clive directly at: edit@sannyasnews.org and he’ll provide details of where to send donations.

Thanks for your support.

Some did only replace one conditioning with another one.

And some have a vibe without ever having heard of sannyas.

Reminds me of the story that only an enlightened one can recognise an enlightened one.

I call “sannyasin” an Osho-disciple.

You call “sannyasin” a searcher in general, if he feels auhentic for you.

It’s not about how you identify yourself but the way people live their lives, the way they behave, the things they talk about. Just the general vibe they put out.

Basically it is a play and no reason to judge for others.

Anyway, the sinking of the SN-ship can happen soon, with or without definition of sannyas.

https://youtu.be/6oFD8gbic6A

Which leads me on to the topic, what really defines sannyas? How can you say if someone is a sannyasin or not?

The World Tour was the natural reaction to that, the point where many nations said they couldn’t cope with him. In Poona Two the access to the press was curtailed, the provocations ceased being so extreme.

It was all a thing of its time, more or less forgotten. The closest thing we have to great provocateurs these days are perhaps Graham Hancock or Richard Dawkins or even David Icke (who has also been told his conspiracy theories are not welcome in many parts of the world).

Lately I have heard about websites which get blacklisted for promoting hate speech for example, which means that their place in search results on Google gets reduced. But it’s apparently rather easy to end up on this blacklist, even quoting Osho on homosexuals can do the trick.

So is the internet being censored? You tell me….

It rang a bell, because it was definitely present. But in the normal world these things are also present: fear of losing a job or of splitting up with one’s partner. The commune isolated you from many things, but not from everything, all the usual effects of hierarchy and status were there but in a sometimes-disguised form.

It is a mind effect, it is ego, it is thinking about security and safety, and about what you were attached to and found valuable. In a way, one needs to learn to cope with these things independently, because they are always with you.

‘Soon I will not be here either. And remember, I would like to remind my disciples especially: if you really love me, when I am gone I will direct you to people who will be still alive. So don’t be afraid of that. If I send you to Tibet or if I send you to China or if I send you to Japan or to Iran, go. And don’t say that because you belong to me you cannot belong to another real Master. Just look in the eyes and you will find my eyes again. The body will not be the same but the eyes will be the same. If your journey is not complete with me while I am here, if something is still to be done, completed, then don’t be afraid. By dropping me you will not be betraying me. In fact, by not dropping me and by not following the real, the alive Master, you will be betraying me. Keep it in mind.”
(Osho, ‘Sufis: The People of the Path’, Vol.1)

I think Osho’s Sannyas had many beautiful sides to it, and it was unique in its emphasis on aliveness and celebration. In a way it still lives in me, although these days I spend more time on caring for my mother who is not well than on dancing joyfully. Something that comes with age, after all I have passed the half-century.

But I think anyone who decides to follow another living master, be it Mooji or whoever, shouldn’t be given bad feelings about it. As a seeker, if your guru passes away, it is perfectly reasonable to see if you can complete the journey with another incarnation.

Personally, I have just read a lot of books of spiritual teachers, including many more recent non-duality teachers who are still alive, but have not felt particularly drawn to any of them. The ‘Buddha at the Gas Pump’ video blog is also a fun way to become introduced to new teachers. At least that way you can see their eyes….