A strange coincidence is that I almost certainly first saw him at the age of 12, on a Boy Scout’s outing to a football match in London (Fulham v Man Utd.), where he was patrolling the touchline at half-time, selling roasted peanuts to the crowd! I just happened to remember this, which he confirmed a few years ago.

To anyone who didn’t know him he might have appeared as just another ordinary sort of guy, without much ‘worldly success’ or social status to his name, but he had great qualities, a meditative presence, a depth, informed by practical common sense, a quiet, gentle man, loving, calm under pressure, phlegmatic, who showed great fortitude in adverse circumstances, not least during his final illness. Then, as Ken says, there was that smile…

Dharmen/Brian was the sort of guy you could trust to do a good, conscientious job if he took something on. He advised me on a few computer problems, transferred online meditation/relaxation material onto cds for both of us and actually chose the computer I’m currently using.

He was a good companion on a few outings to football at Arsenal, cricket at Lord’s and pop/rock music at the Albert Hall, and I enjoyed helping him play tennis. A few years ago he introduced me to weekly Ratu Bagus Shaking sessions, which I found surprisingly therapeutic. Then there were the mutual recreational efforts to devise ways to ‘beat the bookies’…

He wasn’t one for wasting words, but when he spoke his mind it made an impression. I well recall that at a satsang meeting during which he’d remained silent most of the time, he vehemently declared the prime importance of meditation – of which, I’d say, he was a good example.

I’m glad I was able to say a few words of appreciation and thanks to him over the phone the night before he died. I wasn’t able to get to his funeral but I hear it was a special, very moving event, befitting such a lovely guy. As Amitabh says, he will be (and is) missed.

Thanks,

Madhu

I do not believe anyone, including the mighty Bong, can be certain about such a thing. Best to remain in a state of not knowing and take living and dying moment to moment, all else is just the mind telling stories, expounding theories and parroting what it has heard somewhere, most likely from a a parrot.

I recently read about people remembering past lives. The reality is that it is very rare to meet someone who can remember this life, let alone previous ones.

It is fascinating to hear of these wondrous people and the experiences you have all shared.

May I also request, in case whenever I die, sooner or later, please, don´t write “Shantam Prem left the body”!

Felt invited in the most blessed way a chat can give, to share and contribute my gratefulness to be able to address unknown friends. Which I did by posting the poem I wrote. Dharmen was the only one who really enjoyed my writing, it seemed.

Not so long time later then, the only REAL LIFE ´happening with him; I saw Dharmen here in Munich in a nearby situated garden cafeteria, where Jayesha had invited me (very surprisingly) for a tea-and-cake.

I was too shy to interrupt his intense contact with a woman, he sat and talked with; the neighbouring garden tables were crowded with a bunch of people on this day, who seemed to have a loose and yet strong connection.

Strange, isn´t it, that thread topic ” London Queen´s Wood Saturday Circle” , April, 2 nd, 2014 – with its lovely pics of most of the ´inner´London Circle here, its poetry and its Love turned out for me the most beautiful one of all the threads.

Parmartha – and you chose the portrait photo of Dharmen, same as was used in that very topic, and there this ´smile´is to be seen, somebody else here-now, spoke of.

In REAL LIFE Dharmen and me never changed a hug, a smile, a talk.

That´s a pity.

More and more fragments of his lifetime appear here in this thread those too amazingly multi-faceted and also it feels that most of such tells more a story of the responders, or collective fields of movements.

Movements besides the time with Osho I haven´t been part of so far.

Ought to be, I guess. The gift of rememberance also.

Your deliberately chosen present time, Parmartha, when you wrote “Dharmen Dies” (instead of “Dharmen Died”), struck me the most when I opened up the Sannyas Chat-Caravanserai topic shortly in one of my sleepless nights I am facing here and did read your contribution, obviously quite after you had posted it.

And I am glad that Lokesh´s response did reach you and maybe warmed your heart to cope with the loss of a dear and intimate friend and co-author and co-editor.

Wish could give you a hug, As well as to others here.

And may the awareness of the preciousness of the singular Souls, trying to express here in this ´caravanserai´ increase

That´s also a gift of late Dharmen he left to us, didn´t he ? Some wake-up call.

That´s my little early-evening prayer on a festive and very silent day.

Madhu