There has been a massive earthquake in Nepal, and also a major after-shock today. The SN Editor has been in touch with the Tapoban Commune admin in Kathmandu (see below), and we are pleased to hear that though there is some structural damage, at present the Tapoban commune is okay, and there are no fatalities. However no-one is resting within the buildings at the moment.
Dear Parmartha,
We all are safe and fine here at Tapoban at present.
By the grace of Osho everybody is fine here.
There are some damages.
Still there are lots of shocks coming at every half an hour so we cannot go inside the rooms.
Everybody is sitting outside in a safe place.
The situation is not stable yet.
I will write to you in detail after one or two days.
Love & Hug,
Rishi
Osho Tapoban
I was a resident at Tapoban for 2 months last year. I’m glad to know that all the resident friends of the commune, along with any visitors are safe.
I wish I could do something to help but I know the friends at Tapoban can care for themselves very well and will also assist other Kathmandu residents to best of their abilities.
I am saddened to know that the already difficult lives of most Kathmandu residents will be piled upon with a tragic disaster to deal with. But at the same time I am comforted with the understanding that the people of Kathmandu are resilient and rich in spirit. They will pull through this and hopefully some changes will be made to raise the standards of living in that city.
If anyone has ideas on how one can help from overseas, please do share.
Namaste
From a google search…
“The easiest thing to do is to donate £5 to Unicef:
Text ‘DONATE’ to 70123 or visiting http://www.unicef.org.uk
If you are outside of the UK you can donate $10 to Unicef by texting ‘Nepal’ to 864233.
You can also follow the links below and donate to any of the following agencies:
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international organisation dedicated to fighting poverty. Donate to Oxfam’s relief efforts in Nepal, here.
Actionaid
Actionaid supports women and children in extreme poverty. To donate to their Nepal Earthquake Appeal click here.
The British Red Cross
The British Red Cross help people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. To donate click here.
CARE
CARE is an organisation that works for the poor and vulnerable. To contribute to relief efforts click here.
Save the Children
This charity works in 120 countries to provide disaster relief. To donate click here.
World Vision
World Vision is an international children’s charity. To donate to their Disaster Relief Fund click here.
Google has also deployed its Person Finder tool. This is a crowd-sourced database on which people can post and search for information about potential victims of disasters.
It was first used in 2010 following the earthquake that hit Haiti and was also used after the earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand in February 2011.
It was last used in November 2013 after Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines.”
Thanks, Satyadeva, no offence but I would rather keep the $ in my pocket than contribute to these large organizations. I trust them just as much as I trust the U.S. Government lol.
I was thinking more along the lines of sannyasin-related groups or grass roots organizations.
Here’s an initiative from Intrepid Travel which some might prefer (donate at their site via link at end of their message):
“Nepal is a country close to our hearts. Intrepid has been leading trips through Kathmandu and the Himalayas for years, and each time we travel there we’re blown away by the smiles and strength of the Nepalese people. Now that strength is being challenged. Now they need our help.
Our travellers have always shown extraordinary generosity when it comes to aid relief, and in the wake of the weekend’s devastating earthquake we know a lot of you will want to show your support.
Through The Intrepid Foundation, we’re calling for donations to assist families affected by this disaster. Every penny will go to our partner Plan International, who are providing emergency assistance to impoverished children and their families in the Kathmandu Valley. We’ll cover any administrative costs, so you know your money is going where it’s needed most.
It’s our turn to give back to a country that has given us so much, so please dig deep.
Donate today.
Regards,
Intrepid Travel”
IntrepidTravel.com – Intrepid Travel
Adwww.intrepidtravel.com/
One issue is that there are many, many Osho centres (40?) in Nepal, outside of the main one near Katmandhu.
One hopes that the news from those is okay. At present we are unable to find information on this point.
Nepal is said to have currently the most Osho centres on the planet!
“Nepal is said to have currently the most Osho centres on the planet!”
There certainly are a lot of sannyasins up in Nepal.
Thank you, Sannyasnews & Satyadeva.
Jehovah the witness and other religious and semi-religious cults will have a field day to explain their folks, “See, God´s revenge. Human race has gone out of the track, has become too hedonist, so one has to bear the consequences. Earthquakes are bound to happen.”
I just wonder when it will be Soho, London and Wall Street, New York and Dalal Street in Mumbai and White House from where George Bush could see the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Still nothing remotely insightful to share, Sir?
I think I understand your place here. You’re the hypeman/clown of this blog. You say silly things so that people can fling shit at you and people watching can get a good belly laugh out of the interaction.
So thank you, Shantam Prem! I must admit that your circus has given me quite a few laughs the past couple of years. Some irritation, but mostly laughs.
Yes, Lazy, Shantam (El Chudo) is our very own village idiot. His comments, although ocassionally amusing, are nothing in comparison to some of the responses to his incoherant outpourings. Yogi takes the cake when it comes to this. A la…perfectly correct.
Mr lazy, are you Mr. Miliband in real life?
Mostly I prefer to ignore the posts of people with no real name and real names hidden behind the Burqa. I just cannot understand why someone will write at sannyasnews with names suitable for xxx sites.
“By the grace of Osho everybody is fine here.”
How naive, patently absurd and childish. As if to say being affiliated with Osho means some kind of divine intervention on his part to take care of his special flock and if you are not one of us you are in trouble. Sounds very stupid to me.
Recently an old sannyasin friend had a serious heart attack. I heard through the grapevine that he honestly believed this was some kind of test that Osho was puttng him through. I just cannot relate to that kind of mentality. Could someone, perhaps someone who shares the same viewpoint as my old sannyasin friend, explain to me how you think that kind of thing works. I just do not get it and imagine that this idea has something to do with Osho living on a higher dimension and pulling astral stings. Or is it that Osho is just a name for the divine presence that is in everything? Please enlighten me.
As for the disaster currently unfolding in Nepal. Terrible. Durbar Square was an old haunt of mine and I loved the place and its inhabitants. Bad luck, reinforced by living above where two continents collided and pushed up the Himalayas as a result. Apparently, the mountains are still growing a few centimetres higher each year.
“By the grace of Osho everybody is fine here.”
The way I have become, this line was creating question mark in me too. And I was also thinking, Lokesh will be the first one to strike this sentence.
Basically, ‘By the grace of A…Z’, is used usually by almost everyone on the Earth if they are believers type.
In such kind of situations when chances to get crushed are 50-50, even the diehard agnostics used some kind of expression expressing their gratitude.
Well, Chud Meister, sometimes one can’t help but be predictable. Interesting how we become familiar with each other’s ways here on SN. Sweet.
The phrase made me cringe, Lokesh, as it obviously did you.
As if somehow, any of us are ‘protected’. In hindsight, we might say, well, that was an inch from some bullet or other, but actually it’s all just luck and chance.
My communication lines tell me still that there has been no news from some of the small Osho centres in far-flung Nepal.
Totally agree, unfortunately it announces ‘deluded cult mentality here’, well on the way to the sort of religious bullshine that’s exactly what the world doesn’t need.
Although possibly excusable given the dire straits they’re in over there.
Way back in the heady days of ’73/4, I recall even the usually well-grounded Ma Yoga Sudha (then Leida Yuson, Veeresh’s ex-wife) confidently asserting that flying to India via a dodgy Russian airline would be ok for a party off to see ‘Bhagwan’ as they’d receive protection from the Cosmos. And I think I agreed at the time.
We were young and caught up in something we knew was extraordinary – and it was just after the crazy 60s, after all – hence such overwhelming naivete. Perhaps the Nepalese in Tapoban and elsewhere are in a similar psychic space.
Well, Lokesh, no wonder you are so unenlightened! Surely you should know that if you do your regular vipassana or kundalini, our beloved Master (never born, never died) would look down on you and provide his blessings.
In some ways, Osho encouraged such mystification by informing us that there was a buddhafield around him, and that anyone who died (sorry, left his body) would die enlightened. He ‘played’ with such ideas himself, and it’s no wonder that the ‘East’ would incorporate him into ‘just another’ of their miraculous gurus.
I like Satyadeva’s point that many of his western disciples, including myself, also once believed a load of claptrap about him and his magical powers. We were naive too. We had the naivete kicked out of us.
Thank God – sorry, thank Bhagwan, thank Osho.
“We had the naivete kicked out of us.”
Yup, I can relate to that.
If Osho is alive after death, He must be feeling too, “Naiveté is finally out from me.”
After all, one can not drive a truck with tyre tubes from car, even it is from Rolls Royce. How long body can take the different blood group in the veins?
So, dear ones, OSHO and the West is one generation love affair which ended in the divorce.
So be it!
What happens after Indians get hold of holeyness and have no actual hobbies at home…
http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/28/holy-men-seen-stabbing-themselves-in-the-eyes-during-religious-festival-in-india-5171304/
Or no actual women around to tell them what actual and utter idiots they are….
Or if you get bored of stabbing your eyes out for fun, there’s always the other party trick:
https://youtu.be/jMBmSqvtByk
We received this letter below from the Osho Niranjana Family:
Dear friends,
As you might have heard in the news, a deadly earthquake has devastated Nepal on April 25, 2015. This is the worst earthquake in Nepal in the last 81 years taking more than 2300 lives so far. This number will rise significantly over time as aftershocks are still being felt.
This earthquake also took a toll on Osho Tapoban. Fortunately no one was physically hurt, but it sustained significant damages to many buildings. The newly built welcome center – Nagarjuna block, spa and meeting spaces need complete rebuild, the meditation hall needs significant renovations and there could be several other damages that might surface in coming days.
How to help?
Friends of ours, who are doctors by profession residing in NY/NJ area, have started an Earth-Quake relief fund and 100% of these funds is guaranteed to go towards the rescue efforts. http://www.healthfoundationnepal.org/earthquake-relief-fund.html
We, at Osho Niranjana, have extended support to the above effort and have started a campaign to help rebuild Osho Tapoban. We need your generous donations to support our efforts. Your support will help us protect Tapoban that is an international spiritual heritage that we can’t afford to see being destructed. http://www.crowdrise.com/earthquakeattapoban/fundraiser/oshoniranjana
You might also want to check with your employer for matching contributions when donating for organizations like RED CROSS and UNICEF.
Please join us in sending love and prayers to people in Nepal.
HIS blessings.
Osho Niranjana Family
Perfect, thank you, sannyasnews! That’s exactly what I was looking for.
I can also mostly agree with Lokesh’s observation. The deification of Osho is prominent at Tapoban, I’m not sure if it’s the same at other centres. I have a different understanding of Osho’s message but I also understand that it is deeply embedded in the psyche of Nepalis to deify spiritual/enlightened human beings. Just as it is embedded deeply in the psyche of some westerners like myself to be repelled by that outlook.
Nevertheless, I love Tapoban & the people living there. I am grateful for Tapoban’s existence as a refuge for sannyasins like myself that were unfortunate to have missed Osho’s physical presence & the energetic mystery that his presence emanated.
But honestly, I hated the city of Kathmandu. It was dirty, overcrowded and the standard of living was unacceptable from the eyes of a westerner! I hope this tragic event turns into a blessing and the people of Nepal can raise their standard of living somewhat.
Prem Paritosh (Sam, author of Life of Osho”), made a few predictions to me shortly before he died in 2009.
One was that a form of Arun Sannyas would become the national religion of Nepal in 40 years time!!
Phrase like “By the grace of Osho” make me think he may have had something in his prediction.
Perfectly correct, Parmartha!
The religion of Osho will certainly become the state religion of Nepal within 40 years, inshosho!
Then in another 40 years, the Anglo-Saxon American baboon empire will crumble and fall, ushering in a yuga of superconsciousness that will last for a thousand years!
Yahoo!
It is what we are fervently praying to Osho for every day!
Divine Grace be on us who are not worthy!
Of course, the perverted baboons, ex-sannyasins, homosexuals, Anglo-Saxons and Scottish skinheads who are ‘being a light unto themselves’ cannot understand the grace of Osho!
They are disgraceful!
And Shantambhai, be warned, those of us who have access to the astrological Akashic Records know that Osho, from his place beyond the body in the Nirvana, is planning to realign the planets themselves! So although it has been circling for aeons in an utterly predicatble manner, Uranus is about to receive a mighty blow from a very sharp trishul of superconsciousness from the true legacy holders of Osho`s vision!
Be aware!
Thy will be done!
Well and truly done!
Yahoo!
Hari Om!
Yoga Sudha, Satyadeva, speaking like this, has been in my experience a very witty, ironic and miraculously loving woman, to put stuff into words – like when dealing with ´risks´. Or fear. Or -and this is a precise memory of mine – when dealing with childishness in contrast to child-likeness.
I will ever remember her joking (to me): “Aah, another bliss-attack?” And we both laughed. Friends like that are really needed. In growing up processings; and – friends like this – they are RARE. Lovely that I am able to remember that just now. So thank you for that.
What Nepal is about? I did spend some money for Help. What about you? I say this and hope that the people there who are really in need will get help.
Otherwise, I am as glad as you that friends in the luxury of some Meditation Centres dedicated to Osho are well. Sannyasins there mostly didn´t and don´t belong anyway to those who have been starving in Nepal, or having been obliged to make money by tourists with life dangerous work (like many of the sherpas, for example).
I am also very sad about the destruction of the cultural heritage there in that catastrophe, as sad about the large amount of people who died in that crash.
And I confess that, when the discussion here turned into sannyas ´politics´ just now (concerning Nepal), that´s getting on my nerves blanc….
Madhu
Wonder if any of those thugs and lascivious murderers from the inversely named ‘Gandhi-’ (??)-mai slaughter of the quadruped innocents, that Nepal is infamous for, had bricks, ceilings and walls fall on their thin heads in an unfortunate incident of Karmic retribution ending in a quick return to the hell realms from whence they first incarnated.
As for every other vegetarian Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist there, who actually practises what they preach, hope they get to see some of the deserved $ millions now pouring in.
Visit Vegfam ( now in their 51st year ) to contribute around the world to authored and tailored projects without violence to animals.
http://veganomics.com/articles/society/375/introducing-vegfam
Why it is so, vegetarians are so full of hate against the meat eaters?
There is one Hindu theory making the rounds: because Nepalis have the festival where buffaloes are slaughtered, therefore it is the revenge of these animals.
If such theories are true, America and Europe must be on the point of extinction!
Perfectly correct, Shantambhai.
As a veteran of endless Lidl two-for-one meat pie meal-deals and also the religious chasing of the gora girls, you are living proof of the efficacy of getting the hands on and gorging on as much cheap meat as is possible and affordable!
Also, the eating of the meat has helped to ferment the astrological and other wisdom that has rushed forth from the mud like a marsh-gas-powered lotus and harnessed the energy of Uranus and blown the winds of change through SannyasNews like a tsunami with the fragrance of the wisdom of mighty Bhorat!
Also. the Anglo-Saxon baboons who have destroyed Osho’s vision have also done away with Osho`s original slogan for the ashram which was “A meating place of friends”!
But, a heroic few like your good self have heroically attempted to pursue the dream and continue to get your legacy over at every opportunity!
But alas, it is too late, even the unwavering support of the invisible readers and your heroically silent 108 facebook friends have not managed it and you have been forced by the western mind which is nothing but mind to be reduced to beating your own meat endlessly!
I pray to Osho that you will be reborn near a good butchers in the red light area in next life, bhai!
You deserve it!
All will be good, inshosho!
Hari Om!
Yahoo!
“If such theories are true, America and Europe must be on the point of extinction!”
Which might well be the case.
“If such theories are true, America and Europe must be on the point of extinction!
Which might well be the case.”
Lokesh, are you reading the extinct booklet called ‘Rajneeshism’, where doomsday predictions were quite prominent?
I don’t need a book to tell me that the our planet’s ecosystem has some major holes in it. I have never been a fan of prophets of doom and was surprised when Osho stooped to that level. Rumour has it that a PR expert prompted him to do this in order to attract more disciples. Not difficult to believe, all things considered in retrospect.
One things for sure, population explosion, pollution, global warming, a widening gap between the haves and have-nots, violently insane jihadists etc., does not add up to a rosy not too distant future for Planet Earth’s inhabitants. In fact, if you live in the wrong part of the world that future has already arrived.
Meanwhile, the planet is doing just fine, sailing through space, shrugging her shoulders and making cracks in Tapoban’s walls. Could this be symbolic?
Thanks for you evening statement, Lokesh,
It´s just nice when the ´head´is at a place where it ought and is supposed to be when considering stuff which is touching the heart too.
And when still other energetic centres are functioning.
The result of such is not to misuse a catastrophe for fanatic means. Which has became rare. So sorry about that.
So, thank you again. Gives fresh air. Also for places far from the geo points of a catastrophe.
Madhu