Swami Prem Martyn (UK) is incensed by a suggestion, said to arise from within Osho International, that sannyasins should not give books, etc to each other, in order that revenues from sales of Osho books, videos, etc improve. He responds here, and throws in a whole range of related reflections
Me: Sannyasin for 30 years.
Sannyasins have been giving each other and passing on free copies of anything Osho related for years… copies of cassettes, bootleg videos, books.magazines, etc. I never heard of a centre in the west depending on sales of Osho stuff to survive… EVER…
No, the western centres all manage to survive on therapist’s desires to run their own business! Yes, the business of selling therapy, and, oh yes, Osho’s meditations!. These therapists appear to love doing Osho’s work, strangely, (ha) it also makes them a very pleasant living swanning around the world sitting on cushions helping people to breathe etc!!. How demanding is that??
And the Poona (Pune) centre (ashram/Resort) , has made millions, gazillions of lakh $$ rupees in providing an erm, er, a holiday centre for the bourgeoisie, to have permission to do er, more therapy ?!! Hooray, what rebels – and life must be so hard for the majority of the white middle class sannyasins to talk endlessly about their growth. (I’m white, I’m middle class, I know).
It was a great day when the US decision went against the tight arses of POONA.(Pune). For years they had been (its claimed. …’cough) paying backhanders to corrupt Indian officials to pay for the very existence of that commune.
None of that money ever found itself back to the local Osho centres…for them it was sink or swim. In fact zillions were given in free voluntary worship (work) in the commune… whaddya mean, nothing was ever given free..? It was work for the vision, give your money, your time, your energy – everything including your girlfriends and boyfriends belonged to the commune..
Democracy ha, VISION OF INSPIRED COMMUNE, double ha. Most people given the chance of preferential positions weren’t comm-une at all!! It is and always was a structural unaccountable hierarchy and so were/are most of its satellites around the world…
Osho talked and talked, loved and lived, and spread his joy, with his eye for opportunity,.. Anarchist one minute, Capitalist authoritarian the next.. Do we really recognise his legacy in Pune, or of Oregon – or of being a Wanderer with his people…
Well, apparently whatever Pays is his legacy, because that will make for an enduring vision. How pragmatic! Do you know how many millions was spent by Pune on protecting their failed Osho goods trademark?? Have the accounts ever been verified?? (you’ll need a big calculator).
Do you know how much money was lost in Oregon (that WAS free if you count donating all your money for free, then seeing it stolen by the Hierarchy! ). Do you know that that Osho Internaitonal bought and sold houses after Oregon with ashram money in London and New York and lost the lot on failed business ventures? With no democratic control? So now we are asked that in the name of Osho and meditation we must help the centres by not offering our last Osho’s books, dvds, videos, etc for free.
Well if you (the pay per view brigade) want even more money, why don’t you ask for some back from the Ashram after 30 years of millions of people passing through the gate with vast revenue.$$$$.KERCHINGGG.
I don’t give a flying fuck about the poverty versus capitalist questions but I do give a stuff about manipulative idealistic hypocrisy.
With or without Osho in his body, I’m glad some of us know when its time to shout SHOUT NOW. KEEP EVERYTHING OSHO IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, FOR OSHO’s INSPIRED LIBERTARIAN ALTERNATIVE TO YEARS OF ASHRAM/ THERAPIST/ AUTOCRACY.
With Torrents and downloads for free it’ll get there before u can say ‘jack shit’ anyway. Work out a different business model instead..There’s an economist sannyasin out there I know there is! 
I am a former teacher, member of Osho Ko Hsuan School Community ( here in the UK, post Ranch).. I know these battles very well.. too well. We didn’t sell Osho books, we sold educational experience on our own merits, with profits divided amongst all the community… every single former teacher got an equal share…
If you need to sell Osho books to make a living, sell them, but try and be a little bit more outward reaching than using someone else’s ideas (Osho’s) to sponsor your lifestyle.
Don’t lets be priestly leeches, Pune breeds the devoted ones by the bucket load and made sure you accepted their version of LERVVVVE.(to their advantage)
Train in Gardening (simple) or Major in Economics (harder) or something not including your soul, that you can sell instead.
…Something without added halo or status or hallelujahs. But something which you thoroughly LIVE, in a thriving network that does good and feels good in millions of ways….but please, not focused on selling Osho to survive.
Have a look at how and what people have done over the ages to stay real – its tricky, but.. its not nuclear physics..
Good luck and Love to all the crazies of Osho.
YA FUCKING HOO
(This article originally appeared in an Osho World Forum and is reproduced with permission from the author).
Excellent article.
“With Torrents and downloads for free it’ll get there before u can say ‘jack shit’ anyway. Work out a different business model instead..There’s an economist sannyasin out there I know there is! ”
I’m working on it! My last semester in Management and Economics (and looking to do a Masters, and Phd).
Another excellent point made:
“Train in Gardening (simple) or Major in Economics (harder) or something not including your soul, that you can sell instead.”
I’d just like to add, for people who may not have known this but Sw. Arun from Tapoban always made his income from his own engineering business, and never from the commune itself. And with so many doing the complete opposite, it’s heartwarming to see that he has been the most successful in doing Osho’s work than self-prescribed spiritual “therapists”.
-Amrito
in Indian buses and trains, one reads quite often, “Passangers are responisible for their luggage.” or “Passangers must take care of their life and luggage.”
Same is true somewhere on the inner path too. Everybody chalks out their own journey including those who sell their inner expertise for living. If they find it fine with their nature, why we push them for conventional jobs.
How so ever few people condemn the business of priests, politicians and prostitutes, they are part of the social fabric. we all make our own choices.
But when it comes on an organisational level, i think it is dishonest to change the line of action according to convinience of the management team. They must stick with the core values of the originator, how so ever inconvinient the Zen Quan may look like.
I think that everyone should collect all their Osho stuff, take it to the nearest ghats, and burn all on a great fire on the 19th January. Afterwards, purchase new Osho stuff from Osho International. Also, give an equal amount in funds to JA&Gang for spending on any hotel binge they like, so long as it is a 5-star one. Further, an amount equal to the entire sum of money spent on the from the outset outrageous and bungled trademark monopoly and tyranny case should be given to the Pune Management gang so they can by some new water filters. Finally, the amount of money lost in the Asian financial crisis combined with the amount of money lost by sannyasins in The Ranch debacle should be collected from Osho friends and lovers, and these funds wisely given out as bribes to people in the first democratic election to select people into positions of unending irresponsibility.
Yahoo
Abhay
I think the author is just dumping his envy here that he is poor and the Resort leaders are richer than him.
Hasn’t the author heard of using meditation to transform a hatred like envy into love?
“Swami Prem Martyn (UK) is incensed by a suggestion, said to arise from within Osho International, that sannyasins should not give books, etc …”
Although I agree with the Swa on most of his remarks relating to free access of Osho’s works, I would say the association that this is an idea promulgated by Osho International is an unsubstantiated one, as far as I can see.
Martyn’s post at OshoWorld’s new homepage post forum (maybe they are following sannyasnews lead example here, it seems to be spreading, Osho Viha has got an online blog, and Kranti too…) was in response to a post from a Ma Divyam Gandha and Swa Antrar Ra, individual sannyasins, who made the suggestion of stopping free access to Osho’s works on the web. Having read it months ago(it seems to be off now), I can’t remember any connection mentioned with Osho International being involved on this subject.
Maybe the editors at Sannyasnews have made the innuendo of this idea originating at OI, to further their own personal vendetta against the big boys at 17 Kor.
…”said to arise from within Osho International…”
I agree with Bob. Innuendo really. Not very good journalism on the part of sannyas news. Either Osho International said it or they didn’t, and if sannyas news does not know, best to just keep silent.
Anybody will feel incensed bysuch suggestion what Martyn has heard, but i am sure such suggestion was never put forward by the MAIN management team of Osho´s work.
They have done many blunders but not in the sense that every women can claim,” She slept with Tiger Woods.”
And also i was stressing my memory to find out who is the economist in the MAIN team. i think there is none. One does not need to go to Harward to learn that if you want to improve the turn over best way is to increse the customer base and reduce the prices, it will built the consumer confidence and the consumption will rise.
I don’t think it’s envy on Martyn’s part, he’s just a hell raiser, REAL change never came from the complacent or the so-called “happy” people. These people are lazy and are uncaring. Hellraisers, those with their eyes open and who care, question and challenge those who put themselves in authority. I do have a question for Anus Amrito though, how do you know that Sw. Arup made his money from his job as an engineer? Did anyone hire an “independent” auditor or private investigator to verify he’s legitimate? Martyn omitted some funding facts about the sannyas organization: their treasury includes money earned from drug deals and prostitution. Keep up the muckraking journalism!!! Anus Amrito, sounds like a comedy team from hell!!!
Prem Martyn is just using a zen stick here, surprised that someone like Alok cannot see that!
There is no question of envy, Prem Martyn is comfortably off.
He flays out in all directions, but there are a few errors of fact.
Osho International and Viha do make a sort of living from the sale of the books, etc. Osho himself never envisaged this, he always wanted the books especially to be very well produced and sold at cost price.
He is right that the Osho centres around the world almost always struggled and never got any income from the central authorities, either in the past or now. Jayesh and Amrito and cohorts also made a number of major mistakes in investments, and never choose to repay those who had invested in the Ranch.
My experience is that when certain ideas, beliefs, doctrines attract you, one joins with others and spreads beliefs and for this you create an organization. You start living through someone else’s insights ( Osho’s ) and not your own. The Resort and the OIF live in a reality of organized belief, subtle conformity, that results in imitation.
Further it is my understanding that you will not find Truth in any book or teaching and you can’t copy Osho’s truth. There is no way either to transfer truth to anyone and you cannot get the truth from anyone outside of yourself.
Also, I can’t understand why some sannyasins continue to accept Osho’s Reality and find it hard to accept their own. The only thing Osho gave to me was the invitation to see the truth for myself, through living and experiencing my own truth. I am my own teacher, master, savior and guru and this is my reality and not something imposed or somebody else’s ideas.
I think we need new posting because this one is totally useless to discuss…….
i wait for new posting to comment and meanwhile just meditate.
haha… “anus amrito”, thats a good one bubble farts, and it makes sense tooo–because I really do have an anus!!
Unfortunately I’m not lucky to see it so closely, like you do when you look in the mirror and smile
.
Umm yea ur rite, i aint hired no investigator, I’m sure he’s had some samosas from the commune fa sho.
-Amrito
The question is not of the Master’s life and death, THE QUESTION BASICALLY IS OF YOUR RESPONSE.
So don’t be worried about when I am gone. Those who are missing me now, will be missing me then too — no loss. THOSE WHO ARE LIVING MY MESSAGE NOW, THEY WILL GO ON LIVING IT. And if they go on living it, they cannot help but spread it. I am not depending on books — all the religions have depended on books — I am depending on you!
OSHO
From the False to the Truth
Ch #16: You have to grow inwards, that is your earth
am in Rajneeshmandir
[part 1 of 4]
What a nice quotation-
“I am not depending on books — all the religions have depended on books — I am depending on you! ”
This is the point. This is the yard stick. This is the measurement criteria.
Only and only with this spirit, HIs work need to be done on the central point.
“I will be known through my sannyasins”, as this web site highlights.
It is not a question of changing the world but a very basic honesty towards the vision of the Master and about oneself.
Whilst it is true that Pune never gives financial support to centres around the world, imagine Pune’s problems if they did. Basically there is a long history of people using Osho to make money, and if Pune offered money, all these people would be attracted. It would be a nightmare to supervise the centres from India and stop people running off with the money.
Remember a fundamental part of Osho’s teaching is let-go, easy is right. If existence “wants” there to be a centre in London or Moscow or wherever, then there will be no problems with the finance.
Shantam you obviously never studied economics: raise prices, lower quality, and people will come because they are inherently stupid.
I have another question for Amrito. A girl who spent time at the Nepal centre started a website for the centre, and wanted to post my stuff on it. She was shut down for supposedly other reasons, but she felt the real reason was because of what I wrote. Apparently the move to shut her down and force her to leave the centre came from the executive team: the people who apparently have invested their money in the centre. Swami Arun was away at the time, and when he came back she went to him. She felt that either Arun was not the beautiful being she thought he was, or that he was powerless to stop the attack on her because he was not the financial backer of the centre. Does this sound anything like what is happening in Pune? I wonder who was monitoring the spread of what I was writing, and contacted the financial thugs at the Nepalese centre? It would make for an interesting investigation.
If I am angry because of an injustice does that mean that the injustice is actually a fiction, and that I should really be throwing my anger out in dynamic meditation? The attack on Prem Martyn is the same as the general attack on me by the establishment. I laugh when I here the criticism of Martyn, as they are so familiar. As Prem Bubbie says, it is the courage to make an impression against the ugliness of the establishment that will bring about change. All the people that criticise this movement are either secretly part of the Gang, or are actually complacent, and feel guilty about this. Out of this guilt they criticise the people that have the courage to speak up, all this in very spiritual and pseudo-psychological terms. What a pathetic joke against decency and integrity.
If the out-reach centres are not doing so well why is this? Surely, being connected with the wealthy heart and soul of Osho mainstream movement, they will be flourishing? Strange isn’t it! How wealthy really is Jayesh and his business associates. The quality of the resort is declining, after an initially funding injection, and the prices are sky-rocketing, and all this in tough economic times. Makes good business sense! On paper these guys are heading for a crash!
Thanks for the wisdom Guru John. It is almost as bad as quoting Osho.
Yahoo
Abhay
Bloody Nora…all that blogging since New Year…Jeez i mean Oshiit…..
Look… the original intro inferring OI ideology on free book exchanges etc is from our beloved editor here…
My letter does not itemise any OI directive just OI history and litigation.
Basically OI have wanted everyone to pay. So they fought for copyright.They lost.
OShoworld have been free and some individuals have now started commenting that they should charge too..
Lets not get anal but follow the gist of it ….
My reply is reprinted exactly as from Oshoworld where it was posted as a public reply to a public letter (against free downloads) so as to maintain and encourage current free downloads.
Why dont I give you the link so u can work it out for yourself….because the specific pages have been under attack and messed with by nefarious forces from Planet Tharg for about three weeks, including my very own missive.
Now i must get back to meditating to get over this harangue. What a New Year Harangue-over.
.XX..
and i have a few FREEEEEEEEEEE videos to download from
http://www.homeoflife.com/gop/oshonewvid.html?currVideo=0&currCateg=38
and if that doesnt work try navigating from :
http://www.homeoflife.com/page1/maina.html
Thanks DUDE!!! Drink 4 liters of apple juice over 24 hours, that will take care of your harangue over. Cheers!!
Bubbie,
enjoy and happy neew yearrr (Hic)Thanks for the Tip(ple)
ps …’ommitted some funding facts about drug deals and prostitution…’
well i did wonder about the’ book of ecstasy ‘ being a practical guide rather than a revelation..
and ‘Tantra’ the Supreme Vision now available in instalments on Pay as You Go sex line (£7.99 a minute, mobile charges may be considerably higher check your network)
Why and how did i knowingly commit such a fellonious error of emission (oops, ommision) about prostitutes and drugs….because i am not actually against those per se…its the institutional hypocrisy though which no amount of sex or drugs can cure….
now i really must get back to my international studies in Pedantics before i too suffer from the hypocritic incurable ‘annus horribilis’..whilst sitting on the blog.
Just the usual stuff from ‘Osho rajneesh’ followers. Kept in the same abusive and arrogant tone as always. I completely agree with amano’s wise words
think we need new posting because this one is totally useless to discuss…….
i wait for new posting to comment and meanwhile just meditate.:
Copyright and trademark control….
Don’t you understand that if there is no copyright and trademark control all the following are possible…
1. Anyone can write anything and say the author is Osho
2. Anyone can mix up passages from Osho with own words and say the author is Osho or himself.
3. Anyone can use the word Osho to sell anything : any crap therapy, Osho bathroom products, Osho vegetarian sausages, anything.
There is already a guy who calls himself Osho Rajneesh who has written a book called Tears of the Mystic Rose.
Two Gentlemen in a Land Rover by William Shakespeare.
Lady Chitterly’s Lawyer by D.H. Lawrence.
Lotus of The Heart by Paris Osho Hilton.
Love Light And Laughter by Osho Bin Laden Hussein
see my lastest blog on how i changed the world using Osh Vision Super Clarity Interpretation Maker Shampoo…
http://www.sannyasnews.org/now/archives/461
Thanks to Prem Martyn for stirring the pot containing some very old and mouldy stew, even though it would appear to be a response to a current issue.
Back in the good old days, Osho was a flag for the rebellious of spirit to rally round. Today, what goes on in his name has little or nothing to do with what the man was about…pure rebellion against all the bullshit and hypocrasy that is respected in the world today. Osho is dead and gone and if he is who and what he said he was he is really gone forever. He left us his dream. Open to interpretation, this to me means what he always said…we are all Buddhas. A real master is not the one with the most disciples but the one who sets his or her disciples free of the need for a master.
The time of the Indian gurus is over. We have all the tools at our disposal to wake up to who we really are. Right here right now. If you don’t realize this and you are reading this I’ll let you in on a secret…you are lost!
Osho International is a business. As Osho once said, ‘God is not for sale’. How can any rebel sanyassin take this nonsense about passing on his books seriously? It is kids’ stuff.
The old man loved his rebels and we loved him. Anyone involved with Osho International has opted for the status quo, The rebels are still around, but I very much doubt you’ll find any of them in Pune, because it is a filthy city and the rebels worship fresh air.
Anyone interested in free Osho tapes, books, vids etc please contact….
Nice post Lokesh-I agree with you.
“The time of the Indian gurus is over. We have all the tools at our disposal to wake up to who we really are. Right here right now.”
There is still a market for Indian gurus and others. Osho enlightened sannyaisins for example will soon take up the lead in the world.
And you are so right that we have all the tools! Let the fools be fooled, if it makes them feel secure and superior.
Chetna, you are very correct, New Era of Osho Enlightened Sanyasins is spreading at a Tempest speed, as leaders.
NOW, Mostly Indian Gurus are womanisers, fraud, cheat and money collectors with the connivance of Mafia, by exploiting the innocent people in the name of religion with rotten stories.
Yes, Chinmaya, you are right in what you say – on the surface – …but really, is there such a thing as a false guru? Even a false guru can teach you something….even if it is just to wake you up to the fact that you are following a false guru.
Ultimately none of this who is enlightened or not phenomena matters very much…the great Hindu teachers pointed out that life is a leela, a cosmic play of consciousness. To get caught up in the pursuit of enlightenment is also an illusion.
New era of enlightened sanyassins….I doubt it…remember, the joke is on you.
“Even a false guru can teach you something….”
That’s true, but life is too short to waste it to understand this trivial thing that you are following a false guru.
The whole world is false and to fall with the false guru is just to remain in the ditch.
But you, know, I always wondered there are so many satsang teachers now, and let’s say many of them are false. They talk of something that they cannot dream of themselves. But for some reason they exist in existence. They have a role in this world and maybe they even help those who are ready, of course unconsciously and would have gotten there anyways.
Thanks God Osho spoke, even though it took him 20 years to start. Others really keep quiet. And what is there to say for them?
I wonder….
I don’t agree that it is a trivial thing to discover that you are following a false guru. When I look around I see that is what most people are doing in one form or another and the best thing that could happen would be for them to wake up to their situation.
As for your thoughts on satsang teachers, quote: But for some reason they exist in existence.
I suspect that there might be no reason whatsoever for their existence, other than a simple case of the blind following the blind. Or perhaps the unelightened teacher is fulfilling a necessary role for those who need to play pupils or disciples. To say there is some reason suggests that the world is a reasonable place. It is not. Somewhere down the line I seem to remember Osho celebrating the meaningless of existence. I can dig that.
I have met a few of the Advaita teachers who came out of the Papaji scene in Lucknow. They did not strike me as being particularly enlightened, but then again I recall Papaji telling me to be quiet, not to gossip and mind my own business. I have to admit it is very good advice on many levels and it works wonders.
The thing is…especially in sanyassin circles, there is some general notion going round that if you become enlightened everyone will know about it after you declare your enlightenment. Then the work of changing the world into a better place begins. I don’t think so. Most enlightened people I’ve come acrooss you would pass on the street and pay little heed to, because they tend to keep quiet, don’t gossip and they mind their own business.
It is very inspiring to read your posts Lokesh. I feel you are a mature individual and a seeker, which is a rare thing in the sannyas world at times.
Beautifully I have heard Osho commenting on this this morning when I was listening to his discourse. His words were-“they exist because of your need”.
I cannot agree more that “most enlightened people tend to keep quiet, don’t gossip and they mind their own business”. I have been told by my dear friend to actually be aware of those who declare their enlightments. I do feel alert and frankly mostly get put off by the enlightened sannyasins, who make enlightment so cheap. But I do hope to be wrong and all of them are really enlightened for themselves and for this world. Yes, Lokesh, I should mind my own business (growth) meanwhile.
Yes, Chetna, cool response, appreciated.
At present I am on the road and can’t help noticing what an incredible amount of disfunctional people, suffering from a variety of nervous disorders, are walking the streets of the world’s cities.
I can’t help thinking what a godsend Osho’s meditation techniques would be for so many of these poor people…if…and this is a big IF—those people could have access to those healing meditation techniques.
On that level at least I am all for spreading the word.