The Sociology of the Sannyas Underclass
Maybe it has already been written, but if not, will no doubt be attempted, by some academic in the future. However it would require a lot of what they call in sociology “Participant Observation” which will no longer be available. Simply put, there was always a subgroup of sannyasins who did not, on the whole, meditate, did not do groups, and did not work in communes. But boy, they sure seemed to know how to live with vivace and on the edge – and largely survive. And from the VERY BEGINNING in the seventies showed little or no regard to any official circulars, or ashram or commune dictates, in fact I loved the way such things were satirised at their parties, even from 1974.
And yet in Osho they saw decidedly a fellow spirit, and their loyalty to him was often fierce and showed great stickability. In London they lived in squats, and in Poona, in huts down by the river. For me they symbolised a rebellion demonstrated by their way of life.
Someone called Frank did a sort of satire on the sannyas underclass below on another string recently…. .. though not true, there are kernels of laughter within it which meet the criteria of the genuine underclass…. ..
Parmartha
“Welcome to Radio 4…and now for this week’s episode of ‘Beyond Belief’ with Melvyn Blag.
Today we will be discussing the rise of the spiritual Sannyas underclass and its significance – and where better to find out about the matter than asking the members of the underclass themselves?
Let`s meet the panel:
First up is Swami A, who doesn`t get out of bed, put the kettle on or make a cup of tea without first finding an appropriate quote from his guru.
Next, Mr Big P, legendary self-styled guv`nor of the London Sannyas underclass, who heads up a group of cockney misfit mystics duckin’ and divin’ down the backstreets of Nirvana, Neasden and Newington in search of the ultimate medicine, who believe that no matter how many drugs you take it doesn’t have any effect on your enlightenment whatsoever.
Next up we have Dr. SD, a psycho analist whose lack of any real qualifications are more than compensated by his eclectic treatments, which combine razor-sharp logic, up-to-date interrogation techniques, psychic ECT and football hooliganism. He has achieved remarkable results over the years – none at all.
And just to the left of him is his only patient, whom he has been attempting to treat for a while now: Mr IS Singh who has been wearing the same underwear for 400 years and whose vital brain functions inexplicably atrophied in 1988-90.
And would you also welcome a man who is on record as claiming that “cynicism is the only hope for humanity” and has traveled widely, urinating, defaceatiing, drinking heavily and spitting on holy shrines all over the world.
And lastly, Doc Martyn, who has recently started his own religion based on a synthesis of the writings of Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison and Monty Python.
There`ll be music later on in the show from a Scottish skinhead who will be blowing his own bagpipes.
Frank
Are you a member of the Spiritual underclass
or are you more of an elite Spiritual Ubermensch?
Take the Spiritual Underclass Test (TM) here and find out!
Simply note your preferences in the following A/B choices:
A. Warts an` all accounts
B. Hagiographies
A. Osho`s vision
B. Blurred vision
A.Keeping people in the dark and feedin’ em shit like mushrooms
B. Magic mushrooms
A. Bar Staff
B. Lawyers
A, Party time
B. Party line
A. ‘I like oddballs`
B. `I need psychic self-defence`
A. White socks
B. Whipped cream
A. Facebook
B, Assbook
A. Let-go
B. Control
A. Louis Lamour
B. Irvine Welsh
A. Osho News
B. Sannyas News
A, Drunk on the divine
B. Drunk on Special Brew
A. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
B, Bom Shankar
A. ‘Shameless’
B. ‘The Goodlife’
A, Old hippies
B. Boho chic
A. Mantra music
B. Pretty much anything else
A.John Cooper Clarke
B. Rumi
A. Humour
B. Trotting out Osho jokes
A `Thou art that`
B. Jus` like that!
Honest to God, P!
What have you done?
You know what he’s like!
He’ll be in our faces for weeks now.
It’s all identifying.
Identifying as being part of the underclass.
Part of an elite.
All the same game.
Parmartha,
You sentimentalist.
What u mean is that Sannyas News reflects the views of about 10 regular readers and contributors, and goodness how many passive readers…Another 10 maybe?
Most are over 70 years old, living on old memories from Poona 1, and have nothing better to do than occasionally write to the site after they’ve put their teeth in and read their daily Guardian.
Oh, and the odd misfit who “has moved on” but can’t find a home elsewhere…Like me.
Val Doonican’s younger brother.
A hotbed of pipes, slippers and rocking chairs.
Try this link, Simond: might be a shock to you to see the number of Sannyasnews hits…
http://sannyasnews.org/now/now/whos-on-line/
Apparently sannyasnews is also becoming popular on the subcontinent:
http://sannyasnews.org/now/now/members/swamishanti/activity/36763/
Nice, Shanti!
Cool stuff…great to see so many onliners. And sanyassnews – you are wonderful, I truly appreciate the hard work and dedication you put into this website.
Wonder why so few have much to say? Any ideas?
Standard on internet chatboards apparently.
10% of users provide 90% of content.
“2464 visitors since 30 days ago.”
Meaning? 2464 unique individuals?
hits
Just read Irvine Welsh’s latest offering, ‘A Decent Ride’. Disgusting, outrageously funny and I can relate to it. Is there something wrong with me or do I belong to the sannyasin underclass?
In London, they lived in squats, and in Poona, in huts down by the river. Well, yes, I tick both those wee boxes. Actually, my hut was the second to be built up in the fields behind the old medical centre…och, those were the days, we thought they’d never end.
Shantam informed me that my old pal, Arun Pingle, became a multi-millionaire from selling all that land we once lived on. Who would have guessed?
Just like that! Tommy Cooper was one of my first gurus.
Class is such a thing, even if you wear same-coloured robes, one can see who is elite, who is tourist and who is from labour class.
That is another example of you projecting.
There are mosquito-type followers who think their race is no blood-sucker. Basically, these people are the backbone of all the religions, including religion-less religion, God-less religion.
Sometimes I wonder about sannyas mind´s projection where Sheela was the only asshole; after that, Sannyas organisation has no rectum, only heart, head, eyes, ears and soul, and also no mouth.
Has someone heard anything from the high command of the religion of which Arpana is the lifelong member?
Still talkingabout yourself.
Projecting.
All these words describe you.
‘Has someone heard anything from the high command of the religion of which Shantam is the lifelong member?’
‘Sometimes I wonder about Shantam’s mind projection where Jayesh and Amrito are the only assholes; after that, Sannyas organisation has no rectum, only heart, head, eyes, ears and soul, and also no mouth.’
The sociology of the sannyas underclass, then, and perhaps now, is much more complex than it, at first, appears!
Some hippies were actually from wealthy backgrounds and so-called ‘well educated’. It applied in small measure to those Ashley Rd. sannyasins and the Poona hut sannyasins. Not, of course, all, but a fair sprinkling. Of course, at the time they never revealed much. But it may explain their intellectual interests in spirituality.
Irrespective of background, their lifestyle was often supported by fringe or mainstream criminality – at least in the normal sense of that term. In order to be ‘around’ Bhagwan (Osho) and stay in India (at least that was the rationalisation), drug-running and drug sales, pimping and prostitution, and other unacceptable faces of capitalism were not totally uncommon. I heard the story of Gurdjieff and his practice of catching and painting sparrows to look like canaries, and then selling them to support his spiritual journey, on many occasions, spliffing around the huts.
I don’t think it is true to say none of them were interested in meditation. Many had their own times to informally edge towards some mystical stillness, though yeah, they didn’t like to be told the kindergarden style of instruction that some straight sannyasins seemed to like at the ashram.
It is true very, very few did groups, or became commune members. Their disdain of ordinary ‘work’ was very plain to see, though some squats and huts were kept to pretty high standards of cleanliness, and I had some good meals at some of those places!
Lot of that going on late seventies. Early on in the decade people still dressed to their class, crudely speaking, whereas by the early 80s that was becoming less and less true.
I can remember meeting a punk with a mohican, which was still unusual, late seventies. Middle-class doctor parents I think, and he was doing a Maths Phd.
Early 70s, lot of pretty obviously Tory-looking people around, don’t you reckon? Obviously lefty-looking people. Much less so now, certainly round my way.
Should add I don’t label in the way I did in those days, and that’s a mixture of the habit has fallen away since I took sannyas, but also, certainly up here, class and appearance is much less obvious, although maybe not to people like Shantam who project the contents of their minds, and themselves, onto everybody all the time.
I certainly can’t read people in the way I thought I could before sannyas, as regards class, likely music interest, possible occupation, tribe etc.
I’ve just met a Russian/German origin sannyas guy from Uzbekhistan who slept rough in Geneva , having crossed into Switzerland on a train without a passport. He left Germany in 2010 with just $20 dollars in his pocket from his Grandma. Went to sleep in the down and out warehouse with druggees etc, on a three tier bed with a blanket only. He’s 33. Every morning and lunch there was a large meal table provide by charity organisations..He is a ceramic designer.
He then got a job, fortuitously, as a janitor for a large French castle, from the grapevine of work opps in Geneva. In France he went to meet a sannyas artist and from there he went back into Germany and joined an artisan union where he got an apprenticeship, being sent from workshop to workshop learning more about his trade and earning a bit along the way. He is currently in a European country amongst sannyasins, keeping his act together.
The underclass, the grapevine, the chances, the opportunities…each time I have met people recently I have heard some amazingly intrepid stories of courage, survival, fortitude and the balls to face life with, taking these individuals to the edge of their trust and beyond. I’m very happy that these stories exist and marvel at the tales of sheer dropped-outness that people still have to confront and live in. Without cash, without ready made strategies, or compromised and constricting compromise.
Everyone has a story. I love the way the magic still shines through in people’s lives to make dreams come true, in the face of adversity. And the way Osho pops up in these stories to acknowledge how personal risk, can lead to collective welfare with an expanded heart.
Nice.
Testament to the human spirit, Martyn, yes. Good luck to all in similar plights.
And let’s also acknowledge those unsung heroes who provide essential help and support along the way, eg the ones who set up and run the dossers’ warehouse and those (Hare Krishnas, Salvation Army (shock, horror!) or whatever) who take the trouble to give these people a good meal every day.
Not quite as ‘on-the-edge-outlaw-anti-hero-glamorous’ as your man, but they give much to many and almost certainly save many lives along the way.
I speak from some admittedly relatively very small experience, having, almost every day for a year or more, resorted to the Hare Krishnas for my main meal, during a particularly tricky internal period; also having found myself on ‘Skid Row’, penniless in Toronto, as a 20 year-old travelling student, housed by the Salvation Army (and fed by being given meal tickets by compassionate, middle-aged inmates for whom it was their ‘permanent’ home – you know, the type respectable, well-heeled society would look down upon – and fear – from a self-perceived lofty height).
Loved your post, SD. XXX