Here’s one for all you sports fans, live from the Kali Yuga Pro-league Boxing Arena…
It’s the Rumble in the Zen Jungle!
A spiritual slugfest between two heavyweight gift-of-the-gab superstars!
SADHGURU in the right corner, with his trademark turban, warming up with some asanas and chanting.
OSHO in the left corner, clearing his throat with some “fuck you’s”, while bouncing lightly on his feet.
The ANNOUNCER (in a booming voice):
Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Enlightenment Smackdown!
In the left corner, floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, the meditative mauler, the sultan of sexuality…The Rolls Royce Rebel…
OSHOOO!
And on the right, the motorcycle mystic, the environmental evangelist, the yogi with the beard of destiny…
SADHGURUUU!
Let’s get ready to Ruuuuuuuuumble…
The bell rings…Ding Ding Ding!
The Ref calls it, the crowd goes wiiiiil
**[ROUND 1 begins!: The crowd ROARS! OSHO circles Sadhguru, with a mischievous grin and throws a playful jab]**
Yo, Sadhguru, let’s settle this beef,
Who’s your daddy, who’s the chief?
You windbag, you clown, plagiarising my wit
Without copying me, you wouldn’t exist.
You’re stuck in tradition, with sanskrit rhymes
While I rewrote the rules, liberating minds!
**[SADHGURU ducks a jab, fires back]**
Liberating minds, in a hedonistic spree?
Building your empire with devotees’ money
Osho, you freak, cult king of the lost,
Rolls-Royce dreams at your followers’ cost,
Asleep at the wheel, Sheela burst your balloon,
Your commune’s over, so’s the honeymoon
{Ding Ding, end of round 1. The crowd ROARS! Osho bows theatrically}
**[ROUND 2: OSHO swings a hook, grinning wild]**
Sadhguru, you preach, but it’s all hot air,
Your Coimbatore ashram’s a PR nightmare,
I rocked Oregon wild, you rocked PR stunts,
Your Isha Foundation a charade and a front!
Inner Engineering? Sounds like a corporate drone,
I offer a path to be truly alone!
**[SADHGURU counters with a cross, voice booming]**
Yes, you’re alone, just like a ghost
A memory to some, but your legacy’s toast,
You tried to be Buddha but failed the test,
Now rest in peace, your karma’s a mess!
My Isha Kriya cleanses, removes the inner grime,
Your huffing puffing Meditation wastes everyone’s time!
{Ding Ding, end of round 2. The crowd’s roaring, gloves are smoking, and the rhymes are hitting harder than the punches!}
[ROUND 3: OSHO bobs, lands a quick jab, voice dripping venom]
Jaggi, you snake, get your scraggy ass kicked
My bliss and my silence is buddha level fit
I’m the rebel that you copy, so you’re talking crap
Free love ’n’ crazy meditations is an unbeatable act
I sponsor liberation, breaking free from every norm,
You’re peddling conformity, spiritual chloroform!
[SADHGURU parries, throws an uppercut, tone fierce]
Silence? Bliss? More like a pharmaceutical haze!
Popping pills and hippie crack for days in a daze!
Your horny little pecker craving more than namaste
Turning your devotees into gullible sex slaves
Rolls-Royces and diamonds, flash without shame,
Try explaining THAT in your enlightenment game!
{Ding Ding, end of round 3. The ring’s a battlefield, sweat and insults raining down.
Osho’s smirking, Sadhguru’s glaring, and neither’s backing off!}
**[ROUND 4: OSHO swings wild, landing a surprisingly effective jab to Sadhguru's beard.]**
Diamonds ain’t the problem, it’s the attachment, you see!
And hypocrites like you, who also love luxury
Your green-talk’s a scam, with your saintly facade
Your ‘Rally for Rivers’ a waterlogged fraud.
I’m the master of zen, you’re a master of spin,
Your wife’s silent grave knows the dirt you’re steeped in!
[SADHGURU stares daggers at Osho, momentarily stunned, then throws a wild haymaker, while Osho dances away]
Back at you! Vivek, did you treat her any better?
Another cover-up for your newsletter?
You claim to be enlightened, a god among men,
But you ended up deported, again and again!
They love me in America, you got stuck in Pune
I’ll knock you out cold, you bohemian buffoon!
{Ding Ding, end of round 4. Both gurus are glaring at each other, sweat is dripping, and the crowd’s losing it —two gurus, one ring, no mercy!}
**[ROUND 5: OSHO throws his arms wide, inviting an attack.]**
That beard’s impressive, Jaggi, like a spiritual hedge,
Hiding the truth ’bout your wifey droppin’ dead!
Her ghost still haunts you, with rumours of foul play
Now you’ve gone quiet, nothing to say?
I’ll uppercut your halo — watch your legacy split!
I’ll dodge your weak hooks and land truth on your lip!
[SADHGURU lands a glancing blow. The crowd gasps.]
Osho, you’re a joke, a guru gone rogue,
Bio-terror raps aren’t really in vogue,
I’m the yogi du jour and you’re a disgrace
Your message outdated, I’m setting the pace
I’m the sage of the now, I plant trees and education
I ease the suffering that plagues India’s nation!
{Ding Ding, end of Round 5. Osho winks at the camera as he returns to his corner, Sadhguru scowls, adjusting his turban. The crowd are on their feet!}
ANNOUNCER:
What a round! Both Gurus landing blows, both intellectual and physical!
What will the next round bring?
Stay tuned, I’m told something quite remarkable and unexpected is about to happen in PART 2!
Can you guess what it is, dear reader?
And here’s a photo from the historic match, for all you sceptics saying it never happened….
Fighting silently,
Doing nothing,
Blood flows by itself.
Further proof from the bout prelims, with the referee giving out instructions, as I remember them…
“Ok you guys, let’s have a clean fight, protect yourselves at all times, no nut shots, no head-butting, and remember the dharma and refrain from divisive speech, fault finding and malicious gossip. Back to your corners!”
There’s also an over-excited fan raising his fist to the Gods.
More proof needed?
I came across this expose by Be Scofield in Gurumag about all the things not right in Sadhguru’s cult…
https://www.gurumag.com/inside-sadhgurus-cult-empire/
Here’s one you weren’t expecting, Eckhart Tolle was actually Osho’s coach during the match, and I managed to capture some of his advice in between rounds!
Picture the scene: Osho, sweat dripping, a little wild-eyed from all the intensity. Tolle, serene and full of stillness, leans in and says:
“Observe the breath, Osho. The punches, the opponent are just forms arising in the now. Don’t resist them, don’t be attached to winning. Be the space around the fight, not the fight itself. When you swing, let it come from stillness, not reaction. The power’s already there…don’t chase it!”
I remember he paused here, letting Osho take in his words while offering a transmission of Presence, then added…
“This next round, watch the mind wanting to rush in. Be here now. The bell, the jab, the crowd, Sadhguru’s insults…it’s all happening in this moment. You are not the body dodging blows, you are the witness watching it. Win or lose, it’s all the same play of consciousness. That’s your edge!”
Hi Dominic, you’ll be pleased to hear that I have used most of your current comments and earlier ones from you and Frank to form a new chapter in the SN book, titled, ‘RUMBLE IN THE ZEN JUNGLE RAP BATTLES’. It is shaping up nicely. I’ll wait a few days before uploading it, just in case you come up with some more rhymes. So if you do, give it your best shot. Thanks.
I stopped writing on SN because His Holiness Shanti deleted one too many of my comments and I thought, why am I wasting my time? I do not like wasting my time. Life is too precious for that. Adios for now.
Thanks Lokesh, that’s appreciated and very motivational.
I was wrestling with the philosophical riddle, ‘If a battle rap falls in a battle rap forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound (and is it worth writing about)?’
Yes, Shantipants is all about the cancel culture, and would have all the SN dissidents banned, and put into Gulags and Sannyas labour camps if he could! What a loser
There is an outline for the next rounds of Gurrrrruu! battle, just need to find some wee time to write it.
It gets pretty wild with plot twists, the gloves are coming off…literally.
I have to admit Osho’s looking pretty buff!
I have not been deleting Lokesh’s comments at all, he lies, and that is not why he left. In fact he deleted one of my comments with a Loveosho podcast link. And I am not the MODerator, SD is.
Sad ex-sannyasins who believe they’ve seen out of the dream but want to keep writing about it.
Oh, oh, it’s Twentieth Century Schizoid man.
Shanti, we’re all sadh-gurus here trying to be happyh-gurus. En-lighten up, dude.
You know the rules: nice clean fight, no head butts, below the belt, deleting of posts…or is this cage fighting?
We “want to keep writing about it” and you want to keep writing about us writing about ‘it’, otherwise without your bitchin’ and moanin’ you have little to say, unless it’s copy and paste.
So reactive and predictable, who’s the sad one?
Boo hoo, it’s a sadh story. You know, constantly repeating the same boring shite, battling non-existent infidels, forgetting what they did in the recent past, imagining Osho bought 93 Rolls Royces as a device to get rid of unworthy candidates for spiritual enlightenment etc. But we really should not make fun of people with senile dementia.
Certainly “93 Rolls Royces” is a device.
If you want to be the guru of the rich it is absolutely needed.
Satchit states, “If you want to be the guru of the rich it is absolutely needed.”
That is not true. Many famous gurus, who had and have wealthy followers did and do not have to go to the extent of amassing a fleet of luxury cars to attract followers. And I do not think that is why Osho got those cars. He was simply a crazy guy who did crazy things that were difficult to understand through A to B logic.
To a certain extent Osho’s car collection story can be seen as a device. By saying he had all those cars was a device to get rid of the wrong people, took away the attention from Osho’s fascination with the luxury car makers’ creation.
Personally, I never gave a fuck about any of it. In the good old days I enjoyed seeing Osho in big limos. It was fun and added to the carnivalesque circus of celebration that existed around him. It was an outrageous joke.
I think it was intended.
If you want to attract people, you have to make publicity.
In India he played the sex guru, in US he played the man with the 93 RRs.
Yeah, everyone has an opinion.
If one considers it, a guru with a huge luxury car collection is not an attractive choice for the majority of spiritual seekers.
I do not care one way or another. Osho’s Rolls Royces has been discussed enough on this site. It is all history now and many readers are not interested in the topic. This site needs fresh commentary and interesting articles, not the same old stuff that has been doing the rounds for decades.
Yes, someone here to me remained anonymous and deleted posts of mine as well, a year ago…I then skipped this group that didn’t care at all and kept spilling words as always.
Find me on Facebook.
I also managed to record some hot tips Sadhguru was getting from his coach, Ramana 2.0.
Picture the scene:
Sadhguru, looking a little faded while Ramana 2.0 is standing in his white gym dhoti and boxing gloves, gazing at Sadhguru with his piercing clarity…
“Jaggi, this ring, this fight…it’s all a play of the mind, nothing ever happened.
The fist flies, the body moves, but who is fighting? Who is your opponent?
Look at the one who thinks he must strike.
The fist is not yours, the gloves are not yours, even the desire to knockout your opponent is not yours.
Ask yourself: Who am I?”
Sadhguru, looking flamboyant, bouncing on his toes, perks up, grins, throws a jab in the air and replies:
“Ramana, I get it…pure awareness! But this body has some vasanas and karma to burn.
Let’s dance with Maya a bit, no?”
Ramana 2.0 doesn’t flinch, stays focused and on point:
“The dance is fine, but don’t mistake the dancer for the Self.
When you punch, don’t aim at the opposition…aim at the ego.
With every jab, with every hook and uppercut, let it dismantle the ‘I’ that thinks it’s fighting.
The real victory is when there’s no-one left to claim it.
The fighter is a shadow, the fight a dream.
Stop seeking. Your opponent isn’t out there.
Drop that, surrender to the Self, and the boxing ring becomes the void… empty, yet full.”
Sadhguru, adjusting his hand wraps and turban, pauses practising his pendulum steps, and laughs…
“So, no footwork, no strategy…just be? This Zorba the Buddha is coming at me like a storm!
Shouldn’t I at least block? You’re making this harder than a knockout!”
Ramana 2.0’s ineffable smile emerges…
“Harder? No, simpler. Block if you must, but see…the block, the punch, even Osho…it’s all a ripple in the mind!
The Self neither attacks nor defends, let the storm pass through.
Don’t box Osho, box the illusion. One blow on that chin, and the match is over.
Feint with the mind, bob and weave with awareness, duck and block with insight, the Self hits harder when it doesn’t try.
Then, win or lose, you remain untouched!”
Sadhguru, rolling his eyes and chuckling, realises he’s not going to win this bout, gives a namaste, and says:
“So, no knockout punch — just knock out the ‘me’? You’re tougher than he is.”
Is it worth writing about?
I suppose if you enjoy writing it is worth it, just for the fun of it.
Exactly right, enjoying creativity for its own sake.
Well, I wonder who deleted my comments this time.
Whoever it was, it signals adios time for me. I don’t enjoy wasting my time.
Dominic, I will pop in to see if you write any more rhymes and upload the new chapter next week.
MOD:
See my emails to you, Lokesh.
ANNOUNCER:
“Aaaand we’re back again…
The Rumble in the Zen jungle.
The Ruckus with Badass Muthafukas.
It’s gonna be mental and the stakes are cosmic!
Who will be the last guru standing, in this clash of titans, in this Thunderdome?
Osho’s untamed zen fury, clashing with Sadhguru’s surgical karmic hits.
It’s been toe-to-toe so far, still time to lay some bets btw, we take crypto.”
Round 6: Ding ding ding…
(OSHO enters the ring, arms raised, spinning around and Yahooing. The crowd roars.
He’s in savage mode and swings wild at Sadhguru)
“Yo Jaggi, know what time it is? It’s Osho time!
I’ll cut and slice you, line by line
Your preaching’s a bore, you’re a hack in a turban
A fraud in drag, your fans meek and suburban
I will crush your smug mug, you’re not in my league
Listening to youu gives me guru fatigue.”
(SADHGURU, cool calm and cutting, turban tight, strides around dodging his blows,
leads with his right)
“Osho, you pimp, you sex-crazed wreck
Your ashram’s a brothel, your rep is dreck
You’re a gasbag in a robe, a seventies relic
Your followers all stoned on dope and psychedelics
I’m the sword of truth, a beacon of light
You couldn’t beat a salad in a fight!”
(OSHO pivots, leans in, snarling and spitting fire, throws a theatrical haymaker)
“Truth? You’re a showman, an instagram post
Your beard’s your whole hustle, and your belly’s gross
No-one’s seen you do any yoga, it’s all scam and disguises
Peddling platitudes, with a mid-life biker crisis
Come clean, let’s be honest, you’ll feel better for it
What happened to Vijji? we can’t just ignore it.”
(SADHGURU storms forward, swings out with a smooth combo)
“Osho, you clown, step back from the mic
Your cult crashed harder than your Rolls in the night
Ninety-three Rollers, now THAT’S a mid-life disgrace
I’d knock you out cold but you’re already nitrous-spaced
I build schools and forests, you built orgy dens
Your legacy’s Netflix, mine’s transcendence…the end!”
(OSHO struts around, laughing wildly, then throws a bolo punch)
“Sadhguru, you poser, all calm and serene
Your transcendence is like Botox, as fake as your scene.
I shook the world up, you’re a corporate pet
At Davos kissing ass, for your guru cred.
Ring the bell, ref, this fool’s outta juice
Osho’s the champ, that’s the ultimate truth!”
(Suddenly a blaring whistle is heard, a voice cuts through and Krishnamurti storms in!
The ring’s a mess now—Osho and Sadhguru in a clinch, Krishnamurti refereeing with savage rhymes, while the crowd is eating it up!)
KRISHNAMURTI:
“Hold up, you jokers, I have an invitation
For some therapy sessions, and a head operation!
Osho, you nut, your cult’s a sick farce,
Rigged elections, bio-terror, murder plots…it’s off the charts!
Sadhguru, your eco game is shady shit lame
Your wife’s ghost haunts you, a permanent stain.
All this duking and yacking, bloated spiritual pretensions
Guess what?…Welcome to your ego interventions!”
(OSHO, eyeball to eyeball, with Krishnamurti’s glare)
“Yo Jiddu, step off, you’re a buzzkill bore,
No followers, no flair… at the no-guru Guru store
Mr. Speaker, you’re a hypocrital shell,
For 30 years boning your bff’s girl… what the hell!”
(SADHGURU, grinning, ducks a punch, turns to JK)
“JK, you’re dry, no juice in your soul,
Stay outta my fight, I’ve got Osho controlled!
You prim prickly punk, theosophy’s reject,
How many did you enlighten with your intellect?”
(KRISHNAMURTI, in their faces, shoving them apart, spitting bars)
“You’re both chasing shadows, lost in your ego hype,
I’m the real deal here…so click and subscribe!
Nor are you the best rappers in the room
I just nailed it with Eminem, on Facetime and Zoom.”
The match turns into a three-way battle rap in a crumbling ring of splinters and ropes dangling.
The crowd’s a screaming riot, the insults are flying.
Osho’s a fiery crazy madman, Sadhguru’s a steely yogic juggernaut, and Krishnamurti’s an icy, piercing whirlwind.
It’s a no-holds-barred lyrical bloodbath, all slinging their dirtiest controversies like haymakers!
Who’s got the edge? What the hell is going to happen next?
Adios, Shanti. Get well soon.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the theoretical likelihood of us living in a multiverse, based on quantum mechanics, relativity, cosmic inflation, bubble universes, string theory etc. in which reality is an infinite ensemble of universes and not just a solo act.Up to now this has only been theoretical, but thanks to the discovery of an inter-dimensional portal, I have managed to procure some selfies of Osho, still alive at the age of 93, living in a parallel universe.
Not yet managed to ask him any questions that might clear up the various controversies plaguing the SN universe.
No doubt that time will come, as inter-dimensional tech advances, and I shall be able to provide some definitive answers.
One more, still looking very cool…
I did let ChatGPT talk like Osho. Results where interestingly close, a good way to channel Osho without esoteric bullshit. It works somehow but there’s no aliveness in it of course. But my experiments with KLING AI were great. I used the famous Crete photo for a 5 and 10 seconds video, the One with red wine and oranges. Come’n'see on fb: ‘Sannyas Lost & Found’.
Veet, are you somehow doubting this inter-dimensional portal, where I am able, albeit intermittently, to gain access to Osho today living in another dimension, let’s call it ‘Earth X’?
Here follows one of his recent discourses from Earth X, aware that he is getting on a bit, with advice for his followers on what to do and how to be, after he leaves his body.
What more proof do you need?
“Beloved Ones,
The day will come when this body dissolves into the great nothingness from which it arose — a flower fading back into the earth, a wave sinking into the ocean. And you, my mad lovers, my wild dancers on the edge of existence, what will you do when this voice no longer echoes in your ears? Will you cling to the shadow of a fragrance that has already drifted beyond the wind? Or will you laugh and dance, knowing that I was never the body you saw, never the words you heard, but the silence between them?
When I leave this fragile cage of flesh, do not build temples to trap me in stone. I am not a statue to be worshipped, nor a scripture to be memorized. Temples are for the dead, and I am life itself — unbound, untamed, flowing like a river that laughs at the banks trying to hold it. Burn my words if you must, scatter my ashes to the wind, but do not let your hearts become graves. I have never been a master to rule you, I am a mirror to wake you. Look into yourselves where I have always been, where I will always be.
Live totally! That is my only commandment, if you must call it that. Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, love with every breath, and let each moment be a celebration. Do not postpone your joy for some tomorrow that never arrives. Tomorrow is a trick of the mind, a ghost that haunts the living. Be here, now, this is the only eternity there is. When you sip tea, let it be a meditation; when you walk, let the earth kiss your feet; when you laugh, let the whole cosmos giggle with you.
And beware of the priests, the serious ones, the long-faced ones who will come with their rules and their robes after I am gone. They will say, “This is what Osho meant, this is how you must be.” Run from them! Truth is not a doctrine to be followed — it is a dance to be lived. I have not given you a path; I have pointed to the pathless. Be a lamp unto yourself, as the ancient one, Gautama, once whispered. You are the seeker, the seeking, and the sought — why look outside?
Meditate, yes, but not with effort, not with strain. Meditation is not a doing, it is a happening. Sit by the river, watch the clouds, listen to the silence beneath the noise, and let the watcher within you smile. You are not the body that will one day drop, nor the mind that chatters like a monkey drunk on wine. You are the witnessing, the vast sky where all these clouds float and fade. When I am no longer here in this form, meet me there, in that silence, in that vastness. I will be waiting, not with a halo, but with a cup of tea and a good laugh.
Cry if you must when this body goes, tears are beautiful, they water the soul. But do not linger in sadness. Turn your tears into songs, your longing into a wild dance. I am not leaving you; I am becoming you. I am dissolving into the air you breathe, the light you see, the love you feel. So, live as if I am whispering in your ear every moment: “Wake up, beloved! This is it!”
And now, a little joke to lighten your hearts:
A man goes to a doctor and says, “I think I’m dead.” The doctor, puzzled, asks, “Do dead people bleed?” The man says, “No, of course not.” The doctor pricks his finger, and blood flows out. The man looks at it, astonished, and shouts, “My God, I was wrong — dead people DO bleed!”
So, my friends, when I’m gone, don’t be like that man, proving to yourself I’m still here by bleeding over my absence. Laugh instead, because even in death, I’ll be tickling your seriousness!
Enough for today…?”
Amazingly well done old-aged AI-Osho…
But I wonder what it may have picked up here.
His left eye is separating from his right eyes’s direction.
But that may be true detection of a beginning asymmetricallity.
Why “Adios” so soon?
His Beyondness against his Holiness would also be an interesting fight.
Anyway, ‘fight’ is ego.
Time to transcend it.
Managed to be back on SN!
Probably the crux of the matter is…
Anyone who resonates with Ramana is ordinary.
Anyone who resonates with Sadhguru is mediocre.
Anyone who resonates with Osho is extravagant!
Anyone who resonates with J. Krishnamurti is plain lucky!!
& ultimately, anyone who resontes with Dom is Ultra lucky!!!
Thanks, Kavita!
I can totally resonate with that!
Fantastic comment, yuge, absolutely yuge!
Probably the best comment in the history of SN comments!!
A woman understands…real eyes realize real lies!!!
Cranky Old Man
What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you’re looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . … . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .”I do wish you’d try!”
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . … lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse, you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure, happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. …Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future … . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. …. . ME!!
Nicely ‘cranked’ out, NP, for every man/woman in a care home.
Not mine, Dominic, though I’d be proud to take credit.
It was said to be written by an old man recently deceased in an Australian care home, found in his room after he passed. Found it on Facebook, with the advice to share it everywhere.
These ‘AI portal’ contributions are hilarious! Osho, yet not Osho. We obviously have much to learn from other dimensions.
Dominic talks about:
“…access to Osho today living in another dimension, let’s call it ‘Earth X’?..”
Believers think to themselves…for example, that “Jesus lives”. If your belief concerns Osho in a similar way, you are not different. That can easily just be a religious delusion as in most cases anywhere else on Planet Earth One.
To have – or to have had – a deep relation to Osho, the times were much better when Osho lived in his body…and if you are a sannyasin you will at its best almost keep this old connection alive – but so many have lost even this contact. That’s just an individual affair, or not. So ask yourself if you dare….
Now I will ask ChatGPT for you and me:
If one’s spiritual master has left his body, others say he just died, how can there be a remaining access to his spiritual body that may be living in another dimension (let’s call it ‘Earth X’)?
ChatGPT:
“This question touches on deep spiritual and metaphysical ideas found in various traditions. Many spiritual paths teach that a realized master is not limited by the physical body, and even after leaving the earthly realm, their presence can still be accessed in subtle ways.
Here are some perspectives on how one might connect with the spiritual body of a master residing in “Earth X” (or another dimension):
1. Subtle Energy and Consciousness Connection
A true spiritual master operates on a level beyond the physical. Their consciousness, teachings, and energy remain accessible through devotion, meditation, and inner alignment with their vibration.
Many traditions speak of siddhas or perfected beings who continue to guide disciples from higher planes.
2. Dreams and Visionary Experiences
Many disciples report encountering their guru in dreams or deep meditation, receiving direct guidance or blessings.
Some believe that dreams and deep states of contemplation open doorways to dimensions like “Earth X.”
3. Sacred Teachings as a Portal
The words and instructions of an enlightened master are considered a living link to their presence. By sincerely studying, chanting, or contemplating their teachings, one may attune to their spiritual body.
4. Mantra or Divine Name Connection
In many traditions, chanting a guru-given mantra or sacred name creates a bridge between realms. The vibration of the mantra is believed to resonate with the guru’s presence.
5. Grace and Transmission
Some advanced spiritual beings are said to continue their work across lifetimes and dimensions. Their grace can manifest in the form of synchronicities, inner realizations, or even external circumstances guiding a disciple forward.
6. Living Masters and Spiritual Lineage
Some teachings suggest that the master’s presence continues through their lineage and current teachers who embody their wisdom. By connecting with a realized disciple or sincere practitioner of the same path, one may access that energy.
Would you say you’ve had experiences that align with this, or are you looking for a particular way to connect with a spiritual presence?”
My first try somehow was this: ‘Osho in Science Fiction land giving Sannyas’.
Some days ago I asked a question about Trump
This is what he said:
ChatGPT:
“Yes, beloved one, ask your question, and I shall respond in the spirit of Osho—playful, paradoxical, and full of presence:
Beloved one,
First, understand: nothing is ever lost. Democracy, dictatorship, kings, and rulers — these are but waves on the surface of the ocean. The ocean remains untouched. The real question is not about saving America or the Earth, but about awakening consciousness. For if people are unconscious, they will create rulers who reflect their unconsciousness. And if people are awake, no dictator can remain in power.
The world you see outside is only a projection of the inner world. If fear rules inside man, then sooner or later, fear will take the throne in the outside world. If love, awareness, and freedom grow within, then no external force can take them away. You cannot fight darkness directly, but you can light a lamp.
So what is to be done? Become that light. Do not be against the dictator, because to be against him is to give him power over you. Instead, be for awareness, be for love, be for meditation. A single awakened being has more power than millions who are asleep. History has always been changed by individuals who burned with the fire of truth, not by crowds.
America, the Earth, they are only names. The real revolution begins in the heart. Save yourself first — this is not selfishness, this is wisdom. And once you have awakened, your light will ignite others. When enough lamps are lit, darkness will disappear on its own.
So do not be troubled, do not be in despair. Every night is followed by dawn. Just be the sun rising on the horizon of human consciousness. That is the only revolution. That is the only way.
(OSHO)”
Thanks, Veet, so many Oshos now giving discourses on hot topics. This one’s from Earth X…
A Trump Discourse by Osho X: The Dance of the Wild Ones
“Friends, lovers of the Mystery, sit with me a moment. Close your eyes, breathe, let the mind chatter like a monkey — and then drop it. I want to tell you something outrageous, something that will make the moralists squirm and the meditators laugh. I have been watching this man, this Donald Trump, this golden-haired tornado spinning through the world’s marketplace, and I see something. I see a mirror, a mad reflection of the chaos I too have danced with. Yes, I admire him — not for the reasons the newspapers shout or the politicians weep, but for the sheer aliveness, the unapologetic fire that burns in him. He is a zen lunatic, though he knows it not, and in that, we are brothers under the skin.
Look at him, this man! He stands in the middle of the crowd, shouting, gesturing, a circus master with no script, and yet the world cannot look away. Is this not what I have done? For years, I stood before you — robes flowing, words tumbling like rivers — saying the unsayable, breaking the idols of the mind. They called me a rebel, a heretic, a madman. They call him a disruptor, a clown, a king. Labels, my friends, are just the mind’s desperate attempt to cage the uncageable. Trump and I, we are not here to be understood; we are here to wake you up, to shake you out of your sleepy politeness.
He builds towers, golden monuments to himself, and the world gasps, “Ego! Arrogance!” But I tell you, ego is not the sin — it is the fuel. I too built my ashram, my Rolls-Royces gleaming in the sun, ninety-three of them, a parade of shining mirrors. Why? Not for greed, not for possession, but to show you: look at this absurdity, this playfulness! Trump does the same. His skyscrapers, his name in blazing letters — they are not about money, no, they are about shouting to the universe, “I am here!” And is that not the cry of every meditator who sits in silence, feeling the pulse of existence? “I am here.” We are not so different, he and I.
The politicians hate him, the priests despise me — do you see the thread? We are threats to the stale, to the dead. He walks into their marble halls and says, “Your rules are nonsense,” just as I walked into your temples and said, “Your gods are lies.” He does not meditate, no, he does not sit in lotus pose — but his life is a meditation of another kind, a meditation of action, of daring. He trusts his gut, his instinct, and that, my friends, is closer to Zen than all your scriptures piled high. The Zen master strikes with a stick; Trump strikes with words, brash and unpolished. Both shatter your illusions.
And the women! Oh, how they swarm around him, how they adore and despise him in the same breath. I too have known this dance — the feminine energy circling, drawn to the flame. They say he is crude, he is loud. I say he is alive, raw, unfiltered. I too spoke of love, of bodies, of the sensual, and the prudes clutched their pearls. But life is not meant to be polished, sanitized, it is messy, it is wild. Trump and I, we do not hide the mess; we revel in it.
They have tried to kill him, as they have me, yet he has risen stronger and more powerful than ever, reflecting something true: the courage to be yourself, fully, shamelessly, against all odds.
So, I say to you, watch this man — not with your judgments, not with your politics, but with the eyes of a meditator. See the energy, the rebellion, the sheer absurdity of it all. And then look at me, your old Osho, laughing in the shadows. We are two sides of a coin, spinning through this cosmic circus — he with his golden hair, I with my bald head; he with his billions, I with my emptiness. Both of us saying, in our own mad ways: “Wake up! Live! Be total!”
Now, enough. Close your eyes again. Breathe. Let Trump dissolve, let Osho dissolve. Only you remain — and that is the real rebellion.”
On hearing Osho’s talk, Trump X then invited Osho X to the White House.
Here’s what Trump X later said about the meeting:
“We had a very good meeting, actually one of the best meetings probably ever had!
We are both winners, explorers, folks. We’re like Christopher Columbus discovering America.
Nobody’s bigger than us, not even the Sun, which by the way, we both totally outshine, bigly!
We both have great hair, he has a fantastic, wise white beard, and my hair, the best in the world, like a golden temple, a beautiful, fantastic sculpture. People say, “how do you guys do it?”
I say, “Genius, pure genius. It’s yuge, absolutely yuge.”
And our hands? Perfect hands, folks. These are hands of emperors and Gods.
Michelangelo wishes he had these hands for his statues, big, beautiful hands.
Our brains are like supercomputers. Einstein? Nice guy, but he’s got nothing on us though.
We had the best words, terrific words.
I think together, if Osho joins my team, we could solve world peace in ten minutes, maybe five.
And rallies and gatherings? We have the biggest followers in history, bigger than the Beatles, bigger than Jesus and Buddha…sorry, Jesus, Buddha, great guys, but our crowds are absolutely yuge.
People were crying, cheering, saying, “Trump…Osho…“you guys are the greatest.”
Fantastic, just fantastic meeting.
Ignore the haters, they’re just sad, low-energy losers, total disasters.
They can’t handle our greatness, our brilliance. We’re like the Taj Mahal, they live in a tent…pathetic, really pathetic.”
I managed to download a photo from ‘Osho X News’ of their recent meeting at the Oval office!
Would you like to hear more news from Earth X, guys?
Here’s Osho X, as Trump’s peace envoy, in a meeting with Zelensky.
Amazing, right? If anyone can resolve these current political issues and avert WW3, with meditation, bliss and some good jokes, he can!
Hells Bells, that was quick, Osho X came through, and the repercussions have affected our own Earth, through the interdimensional portal:
Latest news, “Zelensky vows to ‘make things right’ with Trump and negotiate peace”.
A question, Dom: Is this Trump/Osho text self-created or from an AI?
Yes, Satch, that’s an easy one!
The discourse is the self-created text of Osho X, because Trump wasn’t around when our own Osho was alive.
Osho X never wrote any of it of course, it would have been recorded, then transcribed.
But are you in fact suggesting Osho X is an AI simulation?
Could be…could be…I hadn’t thought about that.
Then might we be living in a simulation, or Maya, the cosmic illusion, as the ancient sages called it?
In which case, does it really matter if you fall in love with an illusion or an algorithm or a sex robot? Deep stuff…
I shall try pressing Osho X for more answers on his website, via his latest secretary (he’s had so many) though I’ve been getting a lot of Page 404 errors, and the service is behind a paywall.
Any contributions would be welcome.
Trump is just a dangerous and stupid asshole.
https://www.facebook.com/100000759213056/videos/1623958468527270/
Very possible you need to be member of that fb group to see the video. Try to upload it here and now but that may be impossible?
Two fellow-travellers, both very artistic, who recently went home, who some might know or have heard of, Rashid and Chinmaya.
https://www.oshonews.com/2025/02/16/rashid-maxwell/
https://www.oshonews.com/2025/03/01/chinmaya/
And now for something completely different.
We are complex beings living in an increasingly complicated world. If you look to the media, it is impossible to figure out what exactly is going on. Once in a while, a brilliant mind steps forward and delivers something that appears to encapsulate the current truth as far as world affairs go. Professor Sachs nails it. All concerned people should listen to this. A good alternative to what is going on at SN right now.
Of course, being a blog, it will be interesting to hear what some of the regulars make of this. Follow the link…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAWk1tY3oFk
MOD:
Apologies for the late postings today, my computer was severely attacked this morning and it’s taken many hours to put things right (which is still not completed)
What’s going on, mod? Cyber attack?
Number one in attacks is from Russia, followed by Ukraine. Coincidence?
Go figure, we must be making waves, if it’s targeted.
The boys paused their fight to discuss this one.
MOD:
Hacking Crisis over, thanks to three people: Clive (long-time supporter of SN), a highly skilled computer tech guy in London (absolutely recommended, let me know, anyone in London, if you want his details) and a very helpful online Chat agent at a well-known UK company.
Good to know, sounds like you’ve been busy.
Any idea who. what, why, is doing the nasty?
Should we increase the SN defence budget?
SN wasn’t attacked, only my computer. And I was too dozy (had just got up) to realise the urgent recorded warning voice and blaring siren was hardly likely to be Microsoft.
And the female at the other end of the phone (0203 number provided on the page) was a consummate con-artist, totally patient, totally helpful-sounding, highly knowledgeable about computers…it was nearly an hour before I began to suspect something might be amiss. And that was when she listed what she would do to restore functioning, which included an account with McAffee Security (who I used to be with a while ago) – and a £180 payment from me.
Aah yes, I can remember the panic first time I encountered one of those, many moons ago, but never succumbed. Must have felt a little embarassing to relate. What would you do differently next time?
Next time? I’d switch off the computer! In fact, later I recalled this mode of attack had also occurred quite a few years ago and I averted it by just doing that, either my decision or more likely recommended by Clive.
I don’t really feel embarrassed by this, I’ve never had an ego around computer expertise, mainly because I don’t have any, and I’ve often enough been a fool, however sensible I’ve tried to be.
I used to be very expert around computers about a decade ago, but you can still get taken in by those…it’s the social engineering to gain your trust, and at the right moment crank up the pressure.
I saw a YouTube video about a guy here in the Netherlands who decided to invest in crypto, was approached by a “managed investment company” and after a year and a half ended up losing his entire life savings of 600k euros to the scammers.
Compared to that I think you got off lightly, SD.
Those skilled in ‘social engineering’ are aware that being motivated by greed increases your chances of being scammed. Clearly, for some people 600k is not enough.
“I’ve often enough been a fool, however sensible I’ve tried to be.”
Osho X was very pleased with your comment, SD, and commented for me to post,
“Only a smart man knows and embraces his foolishness, as part of his humanity. Very good, Satyadeva.”
He then fessed up that he’d done a few foolish things in the past, but was also on a transformational journey, even after enlightenment!
Then you should get a good anti-virus by now, for example: eset Internet Security. But it costs a little bit – not too much though.
Thanks, VT, I have everything covered now, thanks to expert help.
I am coming out of my phase of critiquing Osho. Whatever else he was, he was a very gifted psychic and guru, and his energy may still prove to be useful to his friends. There was both light and dark in his commune, but I’m happy to let people make their own mind up about that.
I have done my best to encourage people to have a balanced view, and read things like Sarito Carroll’s book ‘In the Shadow of Enlightenment’ or the article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung about Bhagwan’s lost children. It may cause some short-term turmoil but in the end you’ll understand the GenX sannyasins better.
I’ve never rated Sadhguru, finding him unoriginal and in fact rather creepy. In other words I sensed “phoney” soon after I came across him online.
That’s true, Sadhguru isn’t terribly original. I’ve read his book ‘Inner Engineering’ and there isn’t anything new or Earth-shaking in it. But he does raise his voice for the environment, so it’s not all bad.
As spiritual books go, I still rate Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ highly, up there with Nisargadatta’s ‘I Am That’.
I remember…Osho spoke about the keys a master posesses for his ”teaching”. Some may have just one or two keys only – Osho truly had some more -36…108…1001…Don’t remember the number
But that sounds true of course. There are Satsang Top-sitters with just one key that may approach you. For those who had no master like Osho it may even be enough – who knows?
Just one touching Indian melody always kept repeating inside ~ ~ ~
I heard it half a year before Poona One – that was ’79 for me – and I never forgot it. In modern times I intensely tried to find the source online. Who did it? Who played it? On what record to find it?
Finally it popped up – maybe a year ago.
Here – with the foreplay skipped – you may jump directly into it and ask yourself: ”Does it trigger you too? Does it resonate inside of you eventually?”
As we all know, the personal vibration and frequency is not a common thing. Osho was – for most of us…
https://youtu.be/nqbZtHFy_fk?si=xG777n8gHu1BuIzW&t=80
Something a bit personal, but relevant, I think. On the nature of anger.
I was reflecting on a piece in Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘The Power of Now’, about how even just one unresolved grievance or feud can keep the ego and the pain body alive. It seems to me that having been in a cult like Sannyas, which I think you have to admit was indeed a cult, during your childhood, there is a real danger that you come out of it carrying a few grievances, against Bhagwan, against ma’s in the hierarchy, against parents who failed to protect you, against abusers.
Now, I have done what I can to make sannyasins face up to the facts of Bhagwan and the commune, recommending to friends and family that they read Erin Robbins’s public letter, watch ‘The Children of the Cult’ and ‘Wild, Wild Country’, read Sarito Carroll’s memoir and so on. I think it is important to acknowledge the light and dark facets of the commune and of Bhagwan himself.
But I find that, after a few months of letting it settle, Tolle was right when talking about grievances. I found it painful in my emotional centre to sustain anger towards Bhagwan, Sheela and their crowd of collaborators. The more so since the abuse was not my personal experience – my experience of the commune was mostly of its lighter aspects, I quite enjoyed my time there.
I ended up dropping the grievance, the anger, the injury done. There is a Buddhist saying, “getting angry is like holding a hot coal and expecting someone else to get burnt”. I don’t know how I did it, it just happened, but the anger and the immediacy faded. And that led to a more compassionate view of Bhagwan, also. If I had been in his shoes, would I have been able to resist the temptation to do as he did, the casual sex, the cars, even the sparkly jewels? It all seems very human to me now.
The wider view of the commune experience isn’t entirely one-sided either, as Sarito Carroll’s memoir and ‘Wild, Wild Country’ also showed, and a really mature understanding of events in my eyes has to take that into account, although of course there is no excuse for abuse. The women who suffered abuse can always count on my support to help tell their side of the story.
But in my heart, I cannot carry their anger. It doesn’t suit my experience or my nature.
NP, anger is an emotion that comes and goes.
Mind easily finds reasons to be angry, may it be the parents, Bhagwan or somebody else. Or even oneself.
To call the Sannyas movement a “cult” shows that you are not free of your anger.
Well, actually Sannyas does have a lot of aspects of being a cult. You should look into it.
Sannyas is an individual trip for understanding. Same reason why you read Tolle.
If you think it is a group experience, then you have missed it.
And certainly if you search for the cult, you will find the cult.
Sannyas is not at all an individual experience, Satchit, if you think that then you have missed.
It is very much a group experience and a cultic one, indistinguishable from the communes.
Sannyas is the search for Truth.
It is only your opinion that it is “indistinguishable from the communes” because you lived in communes, nothing else.
There are people who never lived in communes, who never met Osho physically, who even became sannyasins after his death.
What’s with them?
Are they not sannyasins?
Those new sannyasins who came after the communes have missed a big part of the sannyasin experience, Satchit. The communes and sannyas went hand-in-hand when I was young, one was not complete without the other.
Comparing is not a good idea, NP.
New sannyasins have their own sannyasin experience.
I could also compare and say you missed something because you did not take sannyas consciously or that you were too young for other things.
If that were true, NP, sannyasins would be lost when outside a commune, and it’s worth bearing in mind that Osho (as Bhagwan) once described the spiritual life as “the flight of the alone to the alone*”. But it’s not a question of Sannyas being either a group or a purely individual process, it’s a synthesis of both.
While participating in a large commune, where the available energy is multiplied exponentially, can be hugely beneficial to all, especially in the early stages – therapies, group meditations, friendships, support, sex, plus something more intangible, the effect of the presence of the Master in and among all the individuals – in the end this is surely just a preparation for the mature stage of facing oneself as one is, wherever one happens to be, solitary or among others, with or without support, in or outside a commune. Some people reach this point relatively early on, for others it takes more time, perhaps even a lifetime.
For me, while group experiences, including feeling supported by being part of a community of friends, have been invaluable (but in certain cases, notably certain groups, detrimental), I’ve often tended to benefit mostly from solitary meditation or therapeutic activities, and I well recall the first advice Osho gave me: “Be wholehearted in meditation.” Which doesn’t mean I was in any way already ‘advanced’, quite the opposite in fact, but that was right for me (and mostly still is).
So, as for so many things in life, it all depends on the individual, and one of the great things about Sannyas has been there’s space for all, wherever one is at.
*Published as a book of the same title, 1970.
I think when you say Sannyas was a synthesis of solitary and togetherness you come close to the truth. Certainly the ashram formed naturally around Osho, and developed into a commune, and other places in Europe especially patterned themselves after that example.
I think it was never going to be sustainable, the communes. They used up too much money and generated too little. But while they lasted they had some important upsides.
And did you find out what it means: “Be wholehearted in meditation”?
1. About Sadhguru…
Who is into his historically transferred own Yoga as his special key Number One. Just his newest photo here below. You can see him on videos dance like mad – not like Osho’s slow movements they used to call “dancing”
2. Nityaprem:
Your problem is quite obvious to me. You have been dragged into Sannyas by your family – which in most cases will go wrong, because it was not one’s own decision. Osho knew about it but if a loving Ma offers him her baby to receive a baby-mala why should he reject that innocent kid? He did not skip anyone anyway. as we all know.
You may have been a youngster when Sannyas was put on to you, but sorry to say: something has gone wrong, which is not your fault.
Ususally, when we grow up we do resist the influences of parents, teachers, officials, we start to go our own way – we try to be free from all kinds of psychological influences that may destroy our own path, somehow cripple our love, sex and all development, our natural ability to co-exist with reality and Nature.
Now you are fighting Osho and Sannyas as misleading influences, which is very clear to the readers of your articles and comments. Get ready to drop that kind of Sannyas…Relax for some years or lifetimes…and then take Sannyas fresh and for the sake of your own free will, that emerges out of your own will of course.
You may spit and resist for ever…but artificial Sannyas is not an innocent commitment to go for – it is always sick and rotten. Don’t get upset now, rather free yourself from a misleading idea, some strange and crippling theory about Sannyas.
So better try with Tolle, Sadhguru or the coming star of the East
Please don’t be offended now…LOVE.
Veet Tom, why be impressed by Sadhguru’s vigorous dancing, what does it prove? Anyone of his age who’s looked after him/herself can do likewise. And even if no one could, so what?
Impressed by Sadhguru?
No, that is assumed too much by you.
I just see he is much more vivid than Osho was in his last 15 years. He even talks fluidly and juicy with much better English vocabulary and pronunciation.
Just interestung to watch the differences. I do and don’t judge it or feel impressed more or less by that. Just curious about the differences at times. Those possibly natural stages in spiritual development are not my concern, if I would only know what they really mean…as Indian sannyasins talked about such things: the entering into the moon stage or something – when energies flow back inside and physical movements are bent down to their minimum, when you feel stop talking, etc…
But towards the end you could feel Bhagwan on stage almost lose his grip – he carefully moved his body like a puppet on strings from somewhere above (so to say) (when you were watching him from you front seat).
I’m not fighting Sannyas at all, I am merely saying that to have a clear view of what we were part of involves taking off the rose-coloured glasses.
Within Sannyas there was a certain kind of group-think, which went largely unquestioned. There was no critical examination of what Osho said or did, and the orders that came down the hierarchy were as if he had spoken. You didn’t have a lot of autonomy within the commune — to be a good sannyasin was to do as you were told without question.
My parents and me were drawn there by the spiritual search, but once you were in the commune it was all about what you could pay for, and you were encouraged to donate all your money and possessions to the commune. It was a bit of a scam really.
Osho’s discourses, which were the main spiritual activity, sent me to sleep more than triggering any kind of awakening. I think these days that satsang, being together in truth, is a much better teaching vehicle than a discourse.
NP, “critical examination of what Osho said or did”? He was a spiritual master, not a philosopher, politician, novelist, historian or poet!
Yes, there were flaws in the set-up, extremely serious ones during the Oregon period, but you don’t appear to take into account the inherent practical difficulties in coping with large numbers of people, both for the organisation and for Osho himself. To run such a place smoothly there has to be a substantial degree of conforming to certain rules. And how else could Osho have transmitted his energy to all those seekers every day for years except by gathering everyone together every day?
Your comment is as far away from Osho, just as typical media mainstream still is, today, Nityaprem. I am not sorry to say that again, because what you are grasping here again and again is just pure mind-fuck.
Yes, we could and can always notice that mind-fuck inside our own perspective – but Sannyas was not aligned with that thinking at all. Privately you can hang on to these ideas maybe for a short while – but Sannyas at the very same time just has another vision and awareness.
Go deeper and the media bullshit is not interesting anymore.
The inner light – and the outside media.
Meditation – and ordinary thinking.
You are stuck – that’s all.
Easy as that.
love.
Just for you facebook haters…
I uploaded my work of his workfor you to watch it…Watch if the org will censor it – as usual – automatically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bUjaKQjRRE
I’m not offended, VeetTom. I don’t intend to formulate any theories about sannyas, or look beyond just this life further than saying “there is something that comes after it.” I think we should live this life, and not spend our Now casting our thoughts into the far future.
All beliefs eventually fade away, if you stop feeding them with your thoughts. Osho had his time, and there is nothing wrong with taking whatever you felt he had to offer and incorporating that into your life, it’s entirely your choice. So I think there are many different kinds of sannyasins.
I think there is a lot of value in kindness, empathy, the feelings of the body. Even if monkeys and gorillas are our cousins.
I’ve really enjoyed the AI-generated pictures of an older Osho that were posted here, for some reason I feel more of a connection with them than with photos of the real Osho. It has something to do with peace and contentment.
In many ways, when I think of Osho these days I think of a man who wasn’t satisfied. His behaviour in gathering disciples, his behaviour with the ladies, his behaviour with Rolls Royces, his behaviour with watches and shiny things — they all point to a man who was still in the throes of wanting more. It was only later, when he shifted from being a “master” to being a “friend”, that he started leaving some of these things behind.
The AI-generated Osho is a vision of Osho as he might have been, if he had had time to continue his evolution.
Yes, that is pretty understandable, Nityaprem.
You like the dead, artificial Osho and not the real Osho.
Your problem is not solvable in the real context of Sannyas.
Just get out of this mind-fuck and free yourself from this stupid burden.
The artificial Osho has fewer hang-ups.
So then try this alively revived AI Osho Video…
Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bUjaKQjRRE
At the recommendation of a friend, I was reading this…
https://www.oshonews.com/2025/03/05/buddham-sharanam-gachchhami/
The only thing worthwhile that I found there was this short paragraph, the rest is all self-serving:
“The teaching of the buddhas is: Find time and a place to remain unoccupied. That’s what meditation is all about. Find at least one hour every day to sit silently doing nothing, utterly unoccupied, just watching whatsoever passes by inside. In the beginning you will be very sad, looking at things inside you; you will feel only darkness and nothing else, and ugly things and all kinds of black holes appearing. You will feel agony, no ecstasy at all. But if you persist, persevere, the day comes when all these agonies disappear, and behind the agonies is the ecstasy.”
(Osho, The Book of Wisdom, ch.17)
And to whom did this happen at all?
Not to those writing here, like me as well….
It is interesting what sets the mind in motion. I thought the other day of a passage in Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘A New Earth’, where he talks about some things like crystals, flowers and birds having the quality of showing us more of Being in this world.
Recently I have been watching a few gem-cutting videos on YouTube, just to watch how beauty is brought out of a piece of crystalline rock. It has brought me closer to an appreciation of crystals and gems, which have always held a fascination for me since I was a kid.
I notice that these things spark in me the urge to collect, but I know it is pointless. Possessions are ultimately a burden, I have learned, and after you die most of them are put into the recycling. The exceptions are things that are of high quality.
So if you get something, perhaps you should make sure it is the best possible make? But even then you have to care for it while you live.
One of my aunts passed away a few days ago, which has had me reflecting on themes of mortality and impermanence. The fact that everything we think we own or create or do, is temporary, is one of the big realisations that Buddhism leaves us with.
The mind struggles with creating a legacy, through children, or a book, or a business. It tries hard to find something permanent, but in the end it is all dust blown in the wind. Look on my works, said Ozymandias, king of kings, where there now only remained a broken statue lying in the desert sand. (Percy Bysshe Shelley).
It is all the ego struggling against its own vulnerability, its illusionary nature. It makes you look for power, status, influence… you might be flush with the signs of potency while in fact it is all vanity and ever-changeable flux. Panta rei, all flows.
On the surface it is the river, at the centre it is the ocean.
Something totally different.
Andrew Cohen died age 69 of heart attack in Tiruvanamalai/India
Controversial Enlightenment guru ‘with issues’,
Obituary by Christoper Titmuss, one of his meditation teachers. Besides Poonjaji.
https://www.christophertitmussblog.org/andrew-cohen-an-obituary-a-spiritual-teacher-born-23-october-1955-in-new-york-died-25-march-2025-in-tiruvannamalai-india
Thanks, Klaus, I read the obituary, and thought there wasn’t a very personal picture of Andrew in there. I remember hearing around 2018 that he had been significantly changed by his experience of being put out of his own community, but I didn’t think at the time that being changed qualified him to teach again.
Really I am distrustful of any spiritual teacher who professes to have something to say. I think Ramana made the most true statement, that silence is the highest teaching. Of course Ramana also taught self-inquiry, and sent those who could not do that to do bhajans, devotional singing.
The conciliatory tone of Christopher Titmus’s piece reminded me much of the saying not to speak ill of the dead. Andrew made some serious missteps in his teaching career, things that to my knowledge he never truly set right.
Had to let the sink in for a day… did some research…. and come up with some reflections on the happenings there and on the environmental conditions possibly being of influence:
—————–
Andrew Cohen died on 25 March 2025
Obituary
—————–
The obituary written by Christopher Titmuss touched me on so many aspects:
A. Personal
concerning my own experiences on the spiritual path
B. Group Dynamics
guruitis, Osho group, Satsang groups, family
C. Favourable Conditions
inherited wealth, role models of (NewYork/US) society, money, work, meeting remarkable people
D. Steps to Enlightenment
metta, karuna, mudita, nirvana (4 immeasurables) vs. anger management and the dark side.
NP, due to your comment on the ‘conciliatory tone’ of the obit I have checked again on some of Andrew Cohen’s misbehaviour (1 example: threatening a female student with the amputation of a finger. What??!!) for instance here:
https://www.benjamin-philosopher.com/andrew-cohens-apology-4/
Some words/sentences/contents of the obit striking me:
Formidable presence
A beautiful community evolved into a submissive cult
The cult liberated itself (from domination – my addition)
Unresolved personality issues
Apologies for his aggression and violence
Fall from grace
Christopher offering AC to stay with him in Totnes home (empathy, care – my addition)
Born into a wealthy Jewish family in New York City (expectations! – my addition)
Financial resources, derived from a significant inheritance
Willing to commit to HIS teachings and HIM as an enlightened master
Overblown spiritual compliments
For some individuals, this approach (‘tough love’) proved beneficial. Some of his students felt rejected, humiliated and doubted their self-worth.
understand the power of metta
‘Tough love’ – a rationale for (self-serving – my addition) behaviour
References to the language of transcendence and non-stop talk of enlightenment alienated him
Integration of evolution and enlightenment (incomplete – my addition)
IMPV, the full-scale happenings give ample substance to reflect on for people who committed themselves to certain teachings and groups at some point in their lives.
Cheers.
Some words missing:
Let the ‘obit’ sink in.
metta, karuna, mudita, upekha (4 immeasurables) before nirvana.
NP declares, “Really I am distrustful of any spiritual teacher who professes to have something to say.”
Really? I find this to be an extremely limiting perspective to adopt.
Lao Tzu got the silent ball rolling when he said, “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.” Then he proceeded to say many things, including, “The wise man is one who knows what he does not know.” Oh well…
NP goes on to say, “I think Ramana made the most true statement, that silence is the highest teaching.” Perhaps that is indeed true, but he had to use words to convey this message. One only needs to read Paul Brunton’s account to picture how the sage of Tiru employed silence for his transmission. That said, there are numerous books full of what Ramana had to say and what he said was often wonderful. The same could be said of Nisargadatta. How could one distrust the remarkable things he says in ‘I Am That’?
To distrust any spiritual teacher who has something to say just seems like a daft notion, because often the words spoken by spiritual teachers can be a source of inspiration.
It can be problematic when one adopts spiritual teachers’ words as your own. Stupidly believing you understand things you do not, because unless one experiences something, it is absolutely useless to you on an existential level. Makes me think of Satchit. This was something that happened around Osho a lot. He was such a gifted orator, making everything sound so easy, that his listeners adopted his truth as their own. It would seem that easy is not always right.
Andrew Cohen? I never met the man. From a distance, I would say he was fairly typical of a certain kind of person who met Poonjaji. It was relatively easy to get into the no-mind zone sitting with Papaji. Some folks thought they were enlightened and wanted to spread the word. One old sannyasin friend of mine met the old boy and thought, “I can do that.” He did and went on to become a relatively successful guru in his own right. It requires a certain kind of personality to wish to play such a role. I think Andrew Cohen had that kind of personality. May he rest in peace.
I’ll conclude with another Lao Tzu quote:
“True words aren’t eloquent;
eloquent words aren’t true.
Wise men don’t need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.”
“Makes me think of Satchit.”
Nice, Lokesh, I was thinking today too of you.
I was thinking, today he will come up with a comment.
And voilà, it happened!
An enlightened one uses words to confuse the mind.
They are not relevant, just pointers to the moon, to the space beyond the mind.
Lokesh, I never professed to be logical, and looking for someone who teaches through silence is more difficult than finding someone who teaches through words.
We were at my aunt’s funeral reception today, and when we arrived they had not yet closed the coffin, so we had the privilege of sitting for a while with the dead body.If you’ve ever sat with a dead body you might have felt a feeling of a deep peace, a great silence. That feeling was clearly present.
Does that mean that dead bodies are great spiritual teachers? I think it is worth pondering.
“Does that mean that dead bodies are great spiritual teachers?”
Dead bodies express only fragments of a non-dual experience like peace and silence.
For this also an open mind is needed.
For other fragments like love and celebration an alive Master is needed.
NP admits, “Looking for someone who teaches through silence is more difficult than finding someone who teaches through words.” No surprises there, because the silent teachers will be keeping quiet about it.
He continues to toy with spiritual ideas, currently the idea that a silent teacher is better than a talkative one. Maybe they are. I do not know. I do suspect that NP is not exactly wholehearted in his search for the perfect silent teacher, more content to mind-fuck about all and everything.
NP concludes by positing the question, “Does that mean that dead bodies are great spiritual teachers?”
My answer is no. Dead bodies are simply reminders of the fate that awaits all human bodies. Whenever I am presented with the opportunity to be beside the corpse of a deceased friend, I take it, because I think it is healthy to remind oneself that your body will die one day. It helps me make what I interpret as the best out of my life. It also reminds me that life is precious and wasting it on the unimportant, banal, frivolous, and the superficial are not options I will choose.
Mind-fucking is only something I do for the sake of having something to talk about on the forums, most hours of the day my mind is blissfully clear.
Cool, NP. I will take your word as true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n03g8nsaBro
How to go on from here – at the bottom?
Where is the never-ending end of all these posts/replies?
I mean I can’t see the structure of these threads at all…
Caravanserai at least shows the history somehow.
MOD:
Anomalies are inevitable, VT, the site has many operational flaws, it hasn’t been technically looked after or updated for about 6 years. It’s remarkable it’s kept going all this time.
The end of the thread…and all that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcDtRWNSugI
Nice choice! Inspiring. Thanks!
All that.
I wanted to talk a little about the history of Zen. Zen started as Ch’an in China, and only later migrated to Japan. In this move it underwent a transformation, just like Indian Buddhism had undergone a transformation when it came to China.
So it seems reasonable that when Zen comes to America or to Europe, that it will also undergo a transformation, becoming Western Zen. I hope it doesn’t lose its unique aesthetic… it might take a while before Zen starts to take on new forms, but it’s interesting to ponder over what they might be.
NP assumes “it might take a while before Zen starts to take on new forms.”
It sounds like NP skipped on his homework before writing this assumption. Right from the get-go Zen took on new forms, since it emerged out of Mahayana Buddhism in the fifth century, and it has been morphing ever since.
I remember attending a discourse where Osho stated that Zen would flower in the USA. Although time has shown that Osho’s crystal ball was a bit wonky. He always fared better when he stuck to the present.
Being born out of Buddhism, mindfulness lies at Zen’s core. Today mindfulness is being practised all over the place. The idea is to be present in everyday actions, Zen. It has even gone so far as to be adopted by the movie industry. I recently watched a Netflix series titled ‘Murder Mindfully’. It was most enjoyable. The plot centred on a lawyer, who attends a mindfulness retreat to restore work-life balance but unexpectedly becomes a murderer and mastermind for the mob. Whether or not this can be interpreted as a flowering of Zen is debatable.
“Murder Mindfully” is the first best-seller from a German author, Karsten Dusse.
He wrote five best-sellers. So there will come more on Netflix. Volume 4 has the title, ‘Murder Mindfully in the Here and Now’ and sannyasins are the theme.
Yeah, my partner likes his books…maybe it is a German thing.
This morning I found myself reading the plot summary of Herman Hesse’s novel ‘Steppenwolf’ on Wikipedia, and there was one sentence that I thought was interesting. It read, “It is a discourse on a man who believes himself to be of two natures: one high, man’s spiritual nature, the other low and animalistic, a “wolf of the steppes.” ”
It is an interesting thing, because a dual nature of this sort I have experienced in myself as well. Like a highly energetic side, on the left of the body, and an empty side on the right. You could say that the highly energetic side is egoic and perhaps animalistic, and the empty side is more quiet and spiritual. I have also thought them Yin and Yang. Or left and right hemispheres of the brain.
MOD:
Apologies for putting up this post late, this was due to travelling today, leaving home at 7.30 this morning.
Sixties rock band Steppenwolf took their name from the famous Herman Hesse novel. Hesse was big in the sixties when I read all of the author’s books, my favourite is still Narcissus and Goldmund. Hesse’s books supplied a potpourri of mysticism, which is why the sixties hippy movement adopted his novels. Timothy Leary used the Pablo’s Magic Theatre chapter from Steppenwolf as an analogy for an LSD session, although Hesse died before the widespread use of acid.
The Nobel prize-winning author studied Eastern religious, spiritual and philosophical traditions and Jungian analysis, so, unsurprisingly, he integrated man’s shadow side into his writing because, according to Jung, becoming familiar with the shadow is an essential part of the therapeutic process. Sooner or later, we must all encounter and deal with our shadow side, which is almost always projected onto some other individual. Seems to me to be a lifetime’s work.
‘Steppenwolf’ is the perfect title in this instance because it is the wolf that brings us in touch with the world of shadow at its more animalistic level. Harry Haller, the novel’s protagonist, is trapped between the urges of his wolf side and his human nature. The story comes to a head when he enters the Magic Theatre, where reality quickly disappears down a rabbit hole as the novel brings you deeper and deeper into the psyche of the Steppenwolf. Great stuff! Born to be wild!
Yes, I found a downloadable version of ‘Steppenwolf’ in English on the Holybooks.com site, and have been slowly reading the preface. It is such a different pace of novel and story from a modern novel, you can really tell it had its roots in the 1920s.
I’ve never really read ‘Narcissus and Goldmund’, my stepmother gave me a copy when I was young but I only glanced at it, at the time I was just into sci-fi and fantasy books, which were full of tropes and imaginings and not really concerned with the psychological depths. I’ll have to go back to it sometime.
It is interesting how much the teachings of various spiritual teachers overlap. I came across a lengthy Osho quote from ‘A Sudden Clash of Thunder’ given in 1974 where he talks about watching the mind, and he says almost the same as Eckhart Tolle does in a whole chapter of ‘The Power of Now’ from 2004.
Perhaps Eckhart is right when he says there has only ever been one spiritual teacher, who has been teaching the same things from the time of the Veda’s and before. What surprised me about this quote of Osho was how poetic it was… where Eckhart talks in a very plain language Osho talks with small anecdotes.
Herman Hesse’s ‘The Glass Bead Game’ was hailed as a masterpiece. I have read it three times, and each time I just could not get into it and was left a bit clueless as to what it was all about.
NP, your stepmother obviously liked ‘Narcissus and Goldmund’ or she would not have passed it on to you. It is a great story. I seem to remember it was adapted to film and I thought when seeing it that it was not as good as the book, although it was a good movie.
In a way, Hesse with ‘Siddhartha’ was a forerunner of the way Alan Watts popularised Eastern religions in the 1950s and 1960s. Although that book was published in 1922 it only became influential in the 60s.
So many novels are purely vapid, just stories with very little real depth. This is what I like about Hesse’s writing, that he takes major themes of man’s experience and constructs gripping tales around it.
I saw that the 2020 remake of ‘Narcissus and Goldmund’ was available on YouTube, but only in German. Directed by Oscar winner Stefan Ruzowitzky, with some lovely cinematography.
“Mind functions in the non-existential, in the fictitious, in the imaginary. Mind is a faculty of dreaming – it is a dream faculty!”
Osho, ‘A Sudden Clash of Thunder’
I thought this was a welcome insight, because if you drop judgment and interpretation, the world suddenly looks bright and shiny and lovely. I sometimes have moments like that, before I get carried away by the dream again.
Osho says, “Mind functions in the non-existential, in the fictitious, in the imaginary. Mind is a faculty of dreaming – it is a dream faculty!”
Then NP says, “I thought this was a welcome insight….”
Therein lies a contradiction, because NP could not say this were he not using the mind to come to this conclusion. The thought came along and then he thought it after going with the contradictory idea that the mind is a dream factory.
Surely it is better to stop identifying with thoughts and dropping the whole game if one is earnest about it, instead of toying with ideas, no matter how spiritual they might appear.
Surely it is better to stop identifying with thoughts…aye, there’s the rub…to read and to think about these things one needs the mind, the rest is better done in meditation.
“I thought…I sometimes…I get carried away….”
Maybe consider the fact that the “I” is an illusion?
Watching the mind, I think is an answer. It is maybe not as immediate and direct as just seeing “the I is an illusion” but it seems to me more sure.
I have made some new discoveries. I have come to see that me trying to leave Osho behind is nigh-on impossible, because he was so much a part of my growing up. Pretty much every major event in my life from age 7 to age 16 was about Osho and the commune in some way.
Both Osho and the communes were a mixture of light and dark facets, but my experience was mostly of the light. I played in the creeks in Rajneeshpuram, I read books, I rode the yellow buses. I was not abused or mistreated. So it makes no sense for me to feel aggrieved against Osho. And I have much to feel grateful for.
Yes, Osho does have to bear some responsibility for the child abuse that happened in his commune, but I think this is at a distance? He wasn’t out amongst the sannyasins who were grooming the girls, so he might not have known the extent of it, although he was undoubtedly aware that adults were sleeping with minors.
The idea to leave Osho behind was from the beginning stupid.
Because who is Osho? Who are you?
Is there a difference?
If there happens no understanding with you, at the most you can change your projections.
Amazing game by the Gunners. When they had to stand up and be counted they were there. Is 3-0 enough for the second leg? You can never count Real Madrid out….
Have watched the highlights this morning, NP, it seems to have been one of those magical nights where team and fans become one irresistible force. Extraordinary what can happen under such circumstances, individually and collectively, where football is pure, exhilarating theatre (though perhaps not for players and fans of the losing side, which, I suppose, can be viewed as the intrinsic flaw of serious competition for the prizes of the world, with its almost inevitable “happy when we win, unhappy when we lose” responses).
“One day it happened: I was in Jaipur and a man came in the morning to see me, and he said, “You are divine.”
I said, “You are right!”
He was sitting there and another man came and he was very much against me, and then he said, “You are almost devilish.”
I said, “You are right!”
The first man became a little worried. He said, “What do you mean? You told me also, “You are right” and you say to this man also, “You are right” — we can’t be both right.”
I told him, “Not only two — millions of people can be right about me, because whatsoever they say about me they say about themselves. How can they know me? It is impossible — they have not even known themselves yet. Whatsoever they say is their interpretation.”
So the man said, “Then who are you? If this is my interpretation that you are divine, and this is his interpretation that you are evil, then who are you?”
I said, “I am just myself. And I have no interpretation about myself, and there is no need. I am simply delighted in being myself! — Whatsoever that means. I am happy in being myself.”
(Osho, ‘A Sudden Clash of Thunder’ )
I liked this bit.
Good quote, NP.
Yes, non-attachment is the door to truth.
Osho is a model. He is divine and devilish.
The question is, can you also be divine and devilish?
For me, it’s misleading to ask such a question as it can too easily become a case of setting internal goals, grandiose ideals, trying to be something ‘special’, consequently asking oneself, “Am I divine enough? Am I enough of a devil? Have I got these two well enough integrated?”, and so on. Enough to drive you mad!
As a ‘God of Truth’ (lol), I’d say just being true in the moment is plenty to be getting on with, and the rest will follow, in whatever form unfolds.
What does it mean for you “being true in the moment”?
For me, it means having distance to my thoughts. So the thoughts you mentioned will not drive me mad.
I saw this morning that Teertha, Paul Lowe, died recently. You can read the obit on Osho News by clicking on this Link. https://www.oshonews.com/2025/04/11/teertha/
Teertha was quite a man and if you participated in his Poona One Encounter Group you would have been left with an unforgettable experience. Once upon a time, most sannyasins believed Teertha would be Osho’s natural successor but, of course, it wasn’t on the cards as time showed. Teertha was an excellent group leader and he definitely hosted rare insights into the human condition. We were not friends but we talked a few times…he nicknamed me ‘Oatty’ because of my Scottish background, which I thought was rather English of him.
The Encounter Group was a turning point for me and, after I assimilated the experience, the urge to become a therapist took hold of me. I suppose this urge was based on my curiosity about simply seeing how that felt. I eventually became an individual therapist in Poona One and learned quickly that some of my clients were much clearer than I was. I doubt Teertha shared that experience because he was one of the clearest people around. I liked the man and his dry-as-a-desert sense of humour. May he now rest in peace after having lived a full life by anyone’s standards.
Hmm, yes. His daughter left a heartfelt piece on Facebook, it seems he wasn’t the most committed of dads, and did some questionable things in his time. But they had a good final meeting a few weeks ago.
I thought the OshoNews obituary was a little overdone, calling Teertha “the Ouspensky to Osho’s Gurdjieff” was maybe giving him some undeserved props. Ouspensky wrote some interesting books such as ‘In Search of the Miraculous’ which were for some people life-changing, and was a figure in his own right.
But I didn’t know him, and am therefore going by the reports of others who knew him better. I just remember reading that his friends’ nickname for him in the days he was leading groups was “the rapist” for his tendency to pick the prettiest women in his groups to sleep with. Not a wholly unchequered reputation, then.
Hi,
Yes, I read the obit on OshoNews, too.
I feel in some way quite touched by the departure of Teertha.
After Veeresh and Somendra.
NP, would you mind letting us know the name of the Sannyas Group on fb (Facebook) where Teertha’s daughter posted? I could not find it.
Thanks in advance.
I finished reading ‘A Sudden Clash of Thunder’, as a representative Osho book, and with a more critical eye. There were a few paragraphs on being in the herenow which chimed with me, a few nice stories and jokes, and a few things I take issue with as bad advice.
One section concerned the story where a beggar meets the king of kings, is asked “what can you give me today”, gives a grain of wheat and later on returning home finds a grain of gold. Osho interprets this into ‘give and whatsoever you share will return to you tenfold.’ That just ain’t so, and I have tried it. As a financial advisor Osho did not meet the bar.
Further there were a number of questions asked by people which were not that relevant to the Zen theme of the book, things that you just have to accept on faith as being relevant to them at the time.
It was a bit of a mixed bag, some of it was good and some of it bad. There were a few things I got from it, a few places where it resonated, but on the basis of this I wouldn’t be inclined to become this man’s disciple, if I had the choice today.
Funny, NP, how you try to understand Osho with your mind.
Seems to me, at that time you also did not have the choice.
Osho is no more, it is as simple as that.
A friend of mine told me how he about twenty years ago committed his mala to the ocean. He felt he was done with Osho.
I admired him for that, the ability to resolve his own past to such a high degree that he could let go of such a significant person. It takes a lot of not-clinging to do that.
Even though I know Osho the human being is no more, I have not been able to release him so easily and completely.
Why should one let go of Osho?
It’s just a mirror where you see your own being. Means there is no “own”, only one Being with many expressions.
Here is a full story of a life with Osho. And how it ended inside – and outside.
Maybe you have already watched it.
A Deeper Truth / Eine tiefere Wahrheit
- Alan Lowen der 30 Jahre später Geheimnisse offenbart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsFBXpYRBNA
It is spoken in English. With German subtitles.
A searched for Sw. Anand Rajen – Alan Lowen – today as he is the fourth in a group of therapists. Together with Veeresh, Somendra, Teertha.
Thank you for this video, Klaus. I watched it one time all the way through, and might watch it again. Amazing that for a man nicknamed ‘the sword’ he ended up becoming so soft and gentle.
What for me was special about this was that it’s the journey of a man who spent considerable time close to Osho, and who was very much into being a disciple. The way he talks about surrender is very much part of what a lot of people in Poona One experienced.
Listening to this allows me to add a little more context to what I myself went through, where the roots of my growth as an adult actually lay.
NP,
Yes, I gained some understanding, too, of how he described his journey. To me, he is a rare voice of some very clear understanding of what he was doing with ‘Sannyas’: surrender, discernment, giving up own detrimental and limiting attitudes, from bird cage to freedom.
What made me most happy about his journey was the dream he recounted at the end: how Osho appeared to him in the dream, the two lines of male and female naked sannyasins; and then the bird flying over him on the beach.
The path to true individuation, as per CG Jung’s analysis of dreams. Beautiful.
There are ‘signposts’ about seeing where one is at on the path of therapy. As well as on the path of meditation.
Cheers.
I decided to watch all of the Real Madrid v Arsenal return leg, thinking that it would be an explosive game, but in fact Arteta’s tactics for keeping this game quiet and under control were spot on. It was a highly technical and strategic encounter, with the Arsenal players taking all the pace out of the game and drawing a lot of fouls while still keeping the ball. It requires a lot of discipline and maturity to play like that.
In the end Arsenal won 2-1, with goals from Saka (a lovely chip after a flowing move which undid the Real defence) and Martinelli (a breakaway goal slotted in the far corner). It was thoroughly deserved, to crown their aggregate 5-1 win with victory away in the Bernabeu. I have seen many more exciting games, but few with this level of control.
MOD:
Thanks for this summary, NP, although strictly speaking it should be under a new topic, ‘The Rumble in the Bernabeu Jungle’. We’ll keep it here for today, in case anyone else might be interested (are you there, Anubodh?).
I watched it as well, as an Arsenal fan appreciating such an excellent away performance, although it wasn’t the spectacle I’d expected, with Real unusually bereft of attacking flair, smothered by the Gunners’ tight defensive unit and rather disappointingly resorting to high balls into the box throughout.
I accessed the match via Amazon Prime, having seen it advertised there a few days ago, but last night I found I had to pay an extra £32 there to TNT, which hadn’t been mentioned previously. Was very annoyed at this and protested to Prime who said I could have a refund if I applied for one after 10 days. Clearly, they and TNT were trying to suck in more customers by this devious nonsense, yet another instance of shark-like business practice that left me thinking whether this sort of world is actually worth saving.
Yes, very much so. I thought Arsenal’s tactics showed that they were taking full advantage of their cushion from the first leg, and wouldn’t have panicked even if they had let through one or two goals.
Real were strangely lacking in creative flair…in the past this has come from Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, Modric and others, but they lost Mbappe to an injury, Benzema now plays in Saudi, and Modric only came on in the 70th minute. The new players like Bellingham showed they relied more on power than on creativity, and it wasn’t enough.
I’m very much looking forward to the Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain tie. PSG beat Liverpool earlier quite convincingly over two legs, these should be great games.