In his memoirs of sannyas life, ( from the small book, “My Dance with a Madman”), Subhuti, who had previously been a UK journalist, gives below some good insights into how to survive dictatorship, as experienced on the Ranch. Though his vignette, (extracts precised below) is interesting and humorous, basically one has to ask also why these guys did not exercise their option to leave?
THE MOSCOW RULES
“I’d just been dismissed from my job as Editor of the Rajneesh Times newspaper, as part of a Ranch wide “purge” that removed dozens of old time sannyaisns out of their current jobs and into obscurity like driving dumper trucks, or working in some far off vegetable field. Seemingly Sheela had grown tired of our independent views and our inability to understand the need for “her” unquestioning obedience.
… So that morning of dismissal, when a group of guys hailed me in the cafeteria I found myself wondering why do they want to sit with them? I’m a nobody now!
“Take a pew, old chap”, welcomed Mutribo, the video camerman. It turns out he had just been purged from the Ranch’s media unit. At the table were also Vimal, another Englishman with a fine sense of humor, and Milarepa, the musician and songwriter.
There was an instant trust between us, and the formation of an informal “Club”! The club had a special code language, known only to the clan. They included the key phrases “ELP”, “Comfy Chair” and “Moscow Rules”.
ELP stood for “Extremely low Profile”. This described the best way to survive the Ranch dictatorship – basically never sticking your head out, and never attracting unnecessary attention.
“Comfy Chair” was a reference to Monty Python’s Flying Circus” an English satirical TV show, very popular at the time. Skits often ended with the arrival of a hooded figure that said ‘We are the Spanish Inquisition and we sentence you to “the comfy chair”‘ At which the other actors would yell and scream, aaaargh, no, not the comfy chair! The association for us there was whenever erring sannyasins were called into regime headquarters by Sheela and her acolytes, to be verbally and psychologically shredded, they were always invited to sit on a comfy chair!
“Moscow Rules” was a reference to John le Carre’s novels, which were for some reason widely read on the Ranch at the time! In the clandestine world of the British secret service, agents in Moscow had to observe a much stricter set of rules called the Moscow rules, which were much stricter than any other field of operation. Henceforth whenever we arranged to do something that was clearly against Ranch rules, like going swimming in the lake and skipping work, we would look at each other over a cup of tea, smile and say “Okay, it’s agreed, but remember Moscow rules”
Subhuti and others remained commune sannyasins, but they were not in a world which was inescapable. There was always a trickle of people leaving the Sheela communes, and that would have seemed always an option. It is interesting that perhaps a greater number simply choose to say, and by strategies similar to the ones above, carry on. Something of a discussion point?
Sannyasnews
What’s a clever chap like this doing, who writes about dictatorship at the Ranch. is it democracy where he is living now?
(He lives and works some of every year in the Resort)
That’s the point, Shantam. Subhuti never ever chose to leave any version of the commune, whoever was “in power”, and that continues in his case until the present day.
Re Subhuti… what is known as “extreme institutionalization”, or “sannyas zombie syndrome”.
Osho used to prefer short, sharp shocks.
Subhuti doesn’t deserve to be called sannyas zombie.
He’s a guy who’s a bit stuck and has put his head down, focused on the ‘spiritual’, rather than the spiritual and material; and it’s the best he’s got at the moment.
“He’s a guy who’s a bit stuck”
I’d say he is a guy who is a bit more than a bit stuck. I’d swap places with him any day. This material stuff might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Spirit? Yeah. Johnnie Walker.
Daily Mail reader.
Varti, you just invented the excellent diagnosis “sannyas institutionalization”, very good indeed. And the victims often suffer from “Stockholm’s syndrome” too. This is a classic. Electric shocks are needed.
‘ gives below some good insights into how to survive dictatorship, ‘
This is pretty much a description of how certain types of kids survive their school days, survive the dictatorship of the prefects, by the prefects, for the prefects, or any other set of bullies for that matter. In groups and out groups.
Having just been fired from his post as Editor of The Rajneesh Times, Subhuti wrote: “I found myself wondering why do they want to sit with them? I’m a nobody now!”
It seems that Subhuti had not really listened to or followed anything that the Old Man had been saying about self-love, self-esteem, and what really matters, doesn’t it? As here he appears to equate self-worth with having a job position of supposed high value and status within the Ranch set-up, without which he is a ‘nobody’ that nobody else would want to take notice of or talk to! In other words a typical sorry case of self-hatred.
I would speculate that it probably also explains why he continued to hang around the Ranch: he was probably desperately hoping that he would be re-instated to his old post or something similar, and therefore become ‘somebody’ once again, regardless of all the apparent nastiness, bullying and criminal activities that were going on at that time.
I would like to feel compassionate and say something like “Oh the silly, poor, misguided bugger!”, but I think I am going to settle for “King Rat” instead.
Spot on, Ashok. The title of his book, “My Dance with a Madman”, externalizes his puzzled interiority. He confuses his crawling for a dance.
I do not believe in democracy, but it does NOT mean I want Putin to come to my country. Same goes for our sannyasin Putin. No, no, no. I do not want Putin or Canadian cult leader in my life at any cost.
But some people do not care as long as it does not affect their life in some concrete way.
Subuthi seems to be a person who can close his eyes…But, to be honest, I do the same in my professional life, for money, but not to that extent. AND not in my personal life. He fits perfectly with the other opportunists right now, so he must feel he is ”in the right flow”. However, he must feel the same like in his article, that he is not part of it etc. I have heard so many times, from also long-time sannyasins, “I give it to Osho, not them(!) while doing something for OIF. That’s what they (OIF) count on. And on the silence of the sheep, who have no investment, who do not care.
The silence of the sheep is as it is. Many revolutionaries become so by a sort of chance, not intent. They find themselves with all doors closed and then make a jump to living outside the party, the flock, the clan, cos all doors are closed. If they even find one door partly open they continue just as Subhuti seems to have.
Some folk were actually “thrown out” of the Ranch by Sheela’s gang, not just reassigned to clean the toilets.
I know a few of that last rare breed. It made them. They really “became” their own men and women after that and never looked back.
Actually, I do not care what Subuthi is doing or not doing. Same goes for OIF. It’s not really my “war” or any of my stuff. I was never into politics and only reason I have been writing about it has been my annoyance at being part of some cult and people keeping their silence. These issues will be decided on behind the doors or courtrooms like it seems to go. Such waste of time. So, I hope I will not participate in these issues any more – for any reason.
early morning – friends – one of the rare nights over
sleep was deep, refreshing and I am very grateful for that
it is working “in me”, I said the other day to you – fresch
I woke up, because I want to address you, fresch – especially with the others
it is said,
“if you taste the ocean, it is salty everywhere…” …like this
and I want to add:
yes, that’s true, but it must BE the ocean and not some chemical in the blood circulation which gives me “impressions”… one and then another one and then another one and so on and so forth,
hooked then and there as a kind of junkie for impressions which pass over forgetfulness of what I yearned to taste
in the latter state I may be well entertained but my thirst to taste the real is never
satisfied and the worst is that I forgot what I have been up to
the invitations for forgetfulness are innumerable,
cultural as well as biochemical stuff to swallow, as well as scientifically proclaimed invitations -
you can be lost very, very easily in that, I would say
even having the imagination you reached somewhere in the realms called here enlightement-entertainments
if there would not be that kind of UN-corrupted place deep in ourselves which by grace still has a “remembering point”
and in miraculous ways a reference point
functioning as a doctor’s or a healer’s way,
reminding us that if we are hungry we need real food and not an artificial one, and when we tend to forget that for a long time,
we are going to be sick because we don’t get what we need.
even if I know that all words, especially those uttered in digital virtual surroundings, fall short – I dare to say that the more more bodily issues of nourishment versus placebos is referring to the spiritual world and needs as well.
- because it is one -
I am all for some artists or science invitations to send us up for some onlooking of these issues – fresch – but sometimes I feel misled to join a “junkies’ trail”
more so when it is done in such a charming, seductive way as, for example, in the movie “HER”.
I love good cinema, good poetry, good scientific inspiration as “fingers pointing to the ‘moon’”.
in that way I was gripped, for example, by the work of Andrei Tarkovsky with his more early work before he emigrated from Russia
(“stalker”, “solaris” and the work on the icon painter and his fate- “Andrei Roublioff” – it’s all immense, deep work to try to get issue of “consciousness” on the screen in pictures as well as parables.
these are for me kinds of reference points
like in poetry R.M.Rilke or Tagore in the East and so many others worldwide
or like in music so much of the classical music East and West and worldwide -
all invitations.
to get a resonating point for my deep discontent with so much happening in the so-called virtual realms of inter-connection I enjoyed the documentary
“Plug and Pray”, which i saw 4 years ago during a documentary festival
or other features also, including a portrait of the French buddhist scientist and buddhist monk who declares he can put his “compassion brainwaves on and off” by meditation waves (proof on a CT screen then)
I felt freezing when I saw this and heard the discussion of proudly discerning our “biocomputer” and the ways to “switch it on and off”
being in “empowerment” concerning issues like “compassion” is not my way
this doc piece, as well as so many others, left me with this nagging spiritual homesickness I know as the trigger “move on…move on…”
the most home I am in, the state of wonder, are
the moments when experience like a breeze passes through me and passes by
“when I am NOT – I am”
the well-known paradox in advaita teachings as far as they confer to words
and yet unknowable and undiscussable and never to be proved
comparing fellow travellers of different so-called times like it is happening so unfortunately often
then giving ratings, the one or the other way,
is for me like a “cul de sac” we call it “sackgasse”
it hurts (at least me)
uuuhhhh – this is a long one
have mercy on me – please
I love you, fellow travellers
in the Osho sannyas ocean of consciousness
and give this morning’s verbal stutterings a try
Madhu
Madhu, “invitations of forgetfulness” is touching me – so, so true. That is for most of the time in different versions.
“Breeze passes through me” are the moments we all or I yearn for, but it just seem not to be really possibly to “make it happen with any efforts”. I have heard Osho say Existence has its timing for anything. Still, you should do everything in your power to go for it. That sounds to me a bit bitter and sweet simultaneously. But I love the sound and feel of it, once you have tasted it, nothing is the same any more.
Jokes, dating, friends are needed, because the real work is actually scary and shocking meanwhile. Most people do not expect it when starting meditating. At the time, if you get it, there is no turning back. That is not fair.
Fresch declares, “I have heard Osho say Existence has its timing for anything.”
That is hardly news. The Bible says it and the Byrds made a song out of it called Turn, Turn, Turn. It is a great song.
Here is the link.
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True, Lokesh, ”Osho said, Osho said” is so fucking boring…
I need to get inspired with something new.
OSHO,
I FEEL LIFE IS VERY BORING. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Brij Mohan.
Osho says.
AS IT IS, YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE ENOUGH. You have made life boring — some achievement! Life is such a dance of ecstasy and you have reduced it to boredom. You have done a miracle! What else do you want to do? You can’t do anything bigger than this. Life and boring? You must have a tremendous capacity to IGNORE life. Just the other day I was telling you that ignorance means the capacity to ignore. You must be ignoring the birds, the trees, the flowers, the people. Otherwise, life is so tremendously beautiful, so ABSURDLY beautiful, that if you can see it as it is you will never stop laughing. You will go on giggling — at least inside.
Life is not boring, but MIND is boring. And we create such a mind, such a strong mind, like a China
Wall around ourselves, that it does not allow life to enter into us. It disconnects us from life. We become isolated, encapsulated, windowless. Living behind a prison wall you don’t see the morning sun, you don’t see the birds on the wing, you don’t see the sky in the night full of stars. And, of course, you start thinking that life is boring. Your conclusion is wrong. YOU are in a wrong space; you are living in a wrong context.
You must be a religious person, Brij Mohan, because to make life boring one has to be religious; one
has to be very scholarly. One has to know Christianity, Hinduism, Islam. One has to learn much from the Vedas and the Koran and the Bible. You must be very well-informed. A man who is too well-informed, too knowledgeable, creates such a thick wall of words — futile words, empty words — around himself that he becomes incapable of seeing life.
Knowledge is a barrier to life. Put aside your knowledge! And then look with empty eyes…and life is a CONSTANT surprise. And I am not talking about some divine life — the ORDINARY life is so extraordinary. In small incidents you will find the presence of God — a child giggling, a dog barking, a peacock dancing. But you can’t see if your eyes are covered with knowledge. The poorest man in the world is the man who lives behind a curtain of knowledge. The poorest are those who live through the mind. The richest are those who have opened the windows of no-mind and approached life with the no-mind.
Brij Mohan, this is not only YOUR experience; you are not alone in it. In fact, the majority of people
will agree with you. They don’t find any surprise anywhere. And each moment there are surprises and surprises because life is never the same; it is constantly changing, and it takes such unpredictable turns. How can you remain unaffected by the very wonder of it? The only way to remain unaffected is to cling to your past, to your experience, to your knowledge, to your memories, to your mind. Then you cannot see that which is; you go on missing the present. Miss the present and you live in boredom. BE in the present and you will be surprised that there is no boredom at all. Start by looking around a little more like a child. Be a child again! That’s what meditation is all about: being a child again — a rebirth, being innocent again, not-knowing. That’s what we were saying the other day. The Master said: NOT-KNOWING IS THE MOST INTIMATE.
Yes, you must have become very alienated from life, hence boredom. You have forgotten the intimacy,
the immediacy You are no longer bridged. Knowledge functions as a wall: innocence functions as a bridge. Start looking like a child again. Go to the seashore and again start collecting seashells. See a child collecting seashells — as if he has found a mine of diamonds. So thrilled he is! See a child making sandcastles and how absorbed he is, utterly lost, as if there is nothing more important than making sandcastles. See a child running after a butterfly…and be a child again. Start running after butterflies again. Make sandcastles, collect seashells. Don’t live as if you know. You know nothing! All that you know is about and about. The moment you KNOW something, boredom disappears. Knowing is such an adventure that boredom cannot exist. With knowledge of course it can exist; with knowing it cannot exist. And let me remind you: I am not talking about some divine knowledge, some esoteric knowledge; I am simply talking about THIS life. Just look around with a little more clarity, with a little more transparency…and life is hilarious!
A downtown store featured a plaque in its window reading: BUY AMERICAN. Printed in small letters
at the bottom was: MADE IN JAPAN. Just start looking around a little more carefully.
A German in the Soviet Zone reported to the police that his parrot was missing. He was asked whether
the parrot talked.
“Yes,” he replied, “but any political opinions he expresses are strictly his own.”
Molly, aged seventy-nine, complained of abdominal swelling and pain to the doctor. He examined her
thoroughly, put her through a series of laboratory tests, and then announced the results.
“The plain fact, madam,” said the medical man, “is that you are pregnant.”
“That’s impossible!” said Molly. “Why, I am seventy-nine years old and my husband, although he still works, is eighty-six!”
The doctor insisted, so the aging mother-to-be pulled over his desk telephone and dialled her husband’s office. When he was on the line she shouted, “You old goat, you have got me pregnant!” “Please,” quavered the old man, “who did you say was calling?”
Osho
Ah, This!
Chapter #2
Chapter title: Neti Neti
Boring..
I have heard an anecdote.
A certain lady, Lady Lewis, was appointed ambassador to Italy by the United States of America. She
was a recently converted Catholic, and, of course, when people become converted, they are very
enthusiastic. And she was boring everybody. Whosoever she came into contact with, she would try and
make him a Catholic.
The story goes that when she went to Italy as the ambassador, she went to see the Pope. A long
discussion followed — it went on and on. A press reporter slipped closer and closer, just to hear what was
going on. The Pope had never given so much time to anybody, and the discussion seemed to be very heated
and hot. Something was going on. When the Pope talks so long to the ambassador of the richest and the
strongest nation in the world, there is going to be some news.
Just to overhear, he came closer and closer. He could hear only one sentence. The Pope was saying in a
faltering English, ‘Lady, you don’t understand me. I am already a Catholic!’
She was trying to convert the Pope!
Osho
Ancient Music in the Pines
Chapter #4
Chapter title: Be a light unto yourself
My consolation is that I am going to sell those clichés to normal people at my work projects and just make money on that shit.
Watch it.
One should be in search of the new. The very search renews you, rejuvenates you. If you have some
beautiful experience today, don’t ask again for it tomorrow because now it is meaningless — you have known it, it is finished. Ask for something more, seek for something new, grope for the unfamiliar and the unknown. Go beyond it. It was beautiful but don’t try to repeat it, because repetition kills beauty. Repetition makes everything boring. And once you become accustomed to boredom you will become dead. Then you will go on revolving.
Osho.
The Beloved, Vol. 2
Chapter #3
Chapter title: Close Your Eyes And Try To Catch Him
Good choice of Osho quotes today, Arpana, I’ve enjoyed them.
Madhu , wonderful post !
“The real work is actually scary and shocking meanwhile.”
Kavita says:
“Madhu, wonderful post.”
Do you really think so, Kavita? Do you really think so? The other day I had a meditation monster holding me hostage. You should have been there.
Well, I do, BV, these days (if there is a choice, I prefer virtual ones to physical ones).
1st April
Osho Pune chairman Shri Jayesh has decided to spend rest of his life in meditation. He has appointed Shri Shantam Prem as the next Chairman from next Osho Birthday celebration onwards with the condition, this position will be for 3 years period only.
Shantam, I will have a vodka shot for that when it happens…Bottoms up.
Fresch, you know, I know, whole world knows, “North Korea can succeed like South Korea, if this Chinese smuggler looking boy is kicked out.”
You know, I know, whole world knows, “People in North Korea don´t think like this. They have given their 100% votes in favour of this boy.”
Anyway, let us discuss Sheela or maybe Tibet or who am I and who are you!
You have to start skiing, Shantam. I just read about luxurious ski resort in North Korea with restaurants, swimming pools etc. with full personnel, but no customers. There “You can meet your self” (because there is nobody else).
Or you can always get a cat and start filming it.
and – friends
I would like to dedicate a postscript today
to the Chinese artist
AI WEI WEI
who gave as a gift a painting to my favorite daily journal
there
in the weekend his piece of graphic ART was published
it showed the emanation of a raging buddha (a protector of wisdom known as such) and this beautifully made picture was surrounded by uncountable cameras including other stuff like the bugging, stealing and perverting g a m e s
AI WEI WEI said – these days – the most important part of the huge exhibition of his work in Berlin- is “the artist is missing” piece
and that is not to be understood as “big-ego” BUT as a testimony of HUMAN-NESS and the necessity that everybody in the body – including artists – NEED to have the possibility to have Exchange with other humans in a HUMAN way
this for me is consciousness in good action
to be aware of that and also to be able to attain a meeting
Madhu
News. April 1. Bund Garden Road Laundry, Pune.
In a testimony to all things modern a famous international resort has finally closed its doors here and decided to become simply a virtual community of ‘friends’ to ‘like’.
‘We admit that it took us a few years to get it , and we went through some stuff to get here, having seen a lot of trips that were just being dumped all over the place with no-one clearing up their stuff.’
When asked for a translation of what he meant exactly , the spokesperson scurried off exclaiming that he couldn’t explain anything further because ‘that was a trick of the mind ‘ and moreover it just happened to be lunchtime.
However, a press release confirms what many in the cross-legged,annoying-postured-world have been practising for years…A surreptitious form of sharing without having to sit on cushions in a room full of other people.
One insider offered us this snippet by commenting,
‘I think it was just after the Ranch , sometime in 1985, that I began to realise that it wasn’t people’s problems that were the problem, but people…And ..their problems…I mean problems by themselves can’t do any harm, can they…like thoughts in the webosphere multiplying and self-replicating…anyway.., so, after that Sheela thing went tits up, I realised it was either the potting shed and back copies of the Rajneesh and Rolls Royce News, or a breakthrough…
Luckily, my Boy Scout training helped put me on the right road…I managed to rub a couple of thoughts together and hey presto, I got rid of the excess baggage…so nowadays I just deal with issues…not back issues of the RR Gazette…no, just issues pure and simple, and I actually haven’t met anyone since 1985.. Life is so much simpler…and with the resort now developing virtual hugs I think that we can safely say that we are making the world a less threatening, kinder and calmer place by separating people from their problems..in what I will shortly be copyrighting as virtual searching…or ‘ Onlinetenment’…’and it really has proved to be a winner’… ‘and once I have taken all my bitcoins to the Amex foreign currency booth I’m taking all my online friends to the virtual pub for a celebration drink.’
Sometimes I wonder if I am online just to to read such reads!
As Rumi once said… (when he was earning a few shekels teaching English to some Sufis in Balkh)
I am…
and
You Are….
And then
the Sufi said
I am nothing
I am everything
& continued whirling
April one, prem martyn
I see you are in contact with old customs and habits
of April first…..
not to leave out the BITTER LEMON for eyes and ears and the “drink”
Madhu
Its an old British Tradition… to play…..and welcome the spring with strange behaviour
(watch from 3.10 onwards )
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prem martyn says:
(watch from 3.10 onwards )
I recommend a memory clearout, scientology style.
Sodoff, sodoff , sodoff …
…so doff your hat , I pray….
For students of past -
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/03/uo_puts_anniversary_spotlight.html
For students of the present.
Becoming a Psychotherapist – an interview with Kate Reeves, Osho’s influence on becoming a psychotherapist.
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lokesh,
besides your numerous other refined skills
you in fact proved (again) to be a fabulous disc-jockey
and what a difference that makes to listen to the original (and see this audience then! in that pic)
and to listen to the so many other performances of this beautiful song
what a joy (sometimes) if the original is still available
thank you
Madhu
And a time to every purpose under heaven.