Comments on: The Venus Project and Osho

By: Lokesh

Lokesh — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:28:04 +0000

Good post, Dom.

By: Parmartha

Parmartha — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 18:13:08 +0000

Dom, thanks for your posts.
There does seem to be a contradiction on the existential level between some of your posts.
You describe very well the “celebration” and joy around Osho Leela, and also at concerts by Premal and Miten, and if I might add, very sincerely it seems to me.
But you say the author of these communes in which such joy is experienced is an “autocrat”, and you dont seem that happy about that. Have you thought this through at a deeper level? Osho was certainly aware of those who came “just for the social life”. But the celebration and joy you describe so well is actually the launching pad of a truly free life.
A good salsa class…. does it give you the same feeling?

By: dominic

dominic — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:58:57 +0000

As it says in Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together…there will be a ruckus and infighting eventually.
Yes Osho would have paid lip service to VP’s ideology of resources then got on the blower to his roller and watch dealers to put in another order.
He certainly tried the utopia dream, with full scaremongering speeches about aids and war to get us on board, which resulted in an embarassing dystopia within a few years.
The venus project is a futuristic fantasy (not the kind shantam was hoping for) and most of humanity is still very backward.
Everyone has different ideas about saving the world but what is doable and what is causative is a moot point.
My pick today (not original) is to reduce baby factory production and give women empowerment, equal rights, education etc, so that they prefer not to be baby-making machines.

By: Anand Newman

Anand Newman — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 00:41:36 +0000

I just read the wiki on Venus Project. It ends with saying

“In April 2011, the Venus Project formally disassociated itself from the Zeitgeist Movement, saying it did not feel properly represented.”

Mmm..I think politics and ego will remain no matter how many times we redesign societies. Nothing significant happened but already these like minded movements are dividing

Thanks for the post.. Most probably Osho would have supported this kind of efforts if he is alive.

By: shantam prem

shantam prem — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 20:18:51 +0000

It takes millions of Dollars with investment to develop one pharmaceutical molecule, years of trials and errors before the drug touches the chemists shelf.
Within days of its arrivals, Indian pharma cookies will start the copying process. No research no development just baking the tablets like biscuits. Surely the third world countries need such patient free medicines at bargain price.
Does it mean only Indians are thankless thieves. No. not all. Western are equally clever. Look at yoga, look at sex based Tantra; before the tourist visa of 180 days come to an end; teachers are ready to export this wisdom all around the world.
Eastern masters speak about past life; and within years western disciples feels themselves ready to take all the Russians into their past life. Surely, sexy babes living in the totalitarians regimes need such esoteric wisdom at mass level.
Who knows Vladimir Putin was George Gurdjieff!

By: satyadeva

satyadeva — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 20:07:58 +0000

“Osho and sannyas is not a porn business”

Shame for you, eh, Shanty?!

By: Arpana

Arpana — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 15:34:02 +0000

http://sumpix.tumblr.com/

By: shantam prem

shantam prem — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 12:55:17 +0000

When someone writes so wisely as Dominic does, it should surely be supported by the biographical note. This is a basic etiquette.
Osho and sannyas is not a porn business where every third person is Julia, Jennifer, Michaela…
On male leads, Dominic, David, frank!

If one is wise enough to gather thoughts and write on spiritual matters; it should be treated as a blessing and with healthy self esteem one should introduce oneself.
For example, I am Shantam Prem at facebook with real photos, real bio and thoughts as real as I can conceive.

By: dominic

dominic — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 10:41:38 +0000

When shantypants writes one’s brain goes offline and sexual metaphors prevail. Fortunately since I have not supplied him with my cv he will not respond, or by his own lights he will risk confirming (an already confirmed) idiocy. Checkmate!

By: dominic

dominic — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 10:24:20 +0000

At first I thought, this clip or SN is being intentionally ironic, given the pool of authoritarian information and reports about the osho movement at our disposal. So offering up osho’s eloquence as a commentary undermines its simplistic message, (I suspect the author is quite young and naive).
Osho was an autocrat at heart as are most gurus. They do not seem to escape old school conditioning with enlightenment, only reinforcing their need for submission. Perhaps he put women in charge a lot of the time, because they were less threatening to him. It was in the end mostly males who left and denounced him, Teertha, Hugh Milne et al, although a demonically possessed woman who really effed it up.
Still he was a rebel too, encouraging and supporting freedoms in us that were absent and suppressed on other spiritual paths, and challenging conventional society and it’s norms. In order to enjoy these we swallowed or put up with the other nonsense… until some could no longer, and putting in to question his ‘enlightenment’. These days it’s pick and mix. Take what’s good for you and leave the rest. Grow your own wisdom unless being a glommed on maroon mollusc is your sadhana.
Society is equally evolving and offering up more freedom than before as well as blinding conformity. In particular the west has carried the torch of intellectual freedom in the last few hundred years, culminating in the internet, which is the new frontier. It is also controlled by vested interests and the demo-crazy.
In response to this vid one could replace the conspiracy montage with scenes from the dark fascist underbelly of sannyas history to heighten the ‘cognitive dissonance’.
If you like this sort of thing the current film “thrive” is on youtube. “Follow the money” and a “ruling elite” are the themes. You’re not paranoid they really are out to get you!
http://youtu.be/lEV5AFFcZ-s