Welcome to the 21st century!
Returning to Poona after a 4 year gap

I took sannyas in May 1975. I was 24 yrs old. I am now 53yrs married for 20 yrs to Sans and we have a 19 year old daughter, Megan, also a sannyasin. I lived in Poona for 2 years in the 70s and, up until 4 years ago, Sans and I have visited every year since. For most of my adult life my most blissful life-changing spiritual experiences were born there and it has always been a place to totally recharge my mind, body and spirit. For us both there has been no other place like it on earth.

Recently though we had been put off by listening to a few others negative opinions and have been also reluctant to recommend new people to visit. So we went in February this year for 17 days, thinking of our trip as a bit of a pilgrimage, a chance to say goodbye and thank you…to let go.

We were in for a surprise!!!! We just jumped in, often having to let-go of the past and the way it was. It bought us into the now and where else to be ?!! It was a great meditation to enjoy each moment and see what good things the Resort has to offer...and there was lots!!!!! We loved the place.

Many of the old dear faces are still there and also many fresh, young and vibrant new people from all over the world so enthusiastic about sannyas and what they have found there. That special Poona magic and Osho s energy is still fills the air, supporting people in meditation. The new auditorium is great with clean air, comfortable temperature, good sound proofing,. Sans and I were never very fond of white robe in the latter years but this time went regularly and found it very powerful.

The whole place says Welcome to the 21st century!

We were very happy to find our lovely old Buddha Hall had not been neglected and is a beautiful marbled area with huge trees overhanging it and where activities such as Whirling, Gurdjieff Dancing Tai Chi were happening most of the day from 7.30am. The swimming pool and cafe are now spacious and welcoming with very comfortable sun beds!!!! There are parties, cinema and other entertainments every night.

Sans and I did Born Again for 2 hours a day, an hour of playing and an hour of sitting…it was a complete (meditative!) and blissful hoot!!!!!! We sat by the pool, ate delicious food, chatted with old and new friends, meditated and soaked up the sun and the magic of Osho.

So if you are thinking of going again...Go!!! I always felt before that there was no place like it in the world. It was incredible...the amount of people that came, the energy that was created there, the creativity that came out of that energy...you just had to walk in the gates to get blasted. I feel now that we were blessed, completely and utterly blessed to have been part of that time, to have experienced it, to have been there while Osho was in his body. But it is over, it has gone now. it is past...the new is here. Those of us who experience that are now mostly out in the market place where Osho was always pushing us to be...now it is the turn of others.

It seems that many people who would never have visited the old ashram feel now it is accessible to them...so many new nationalities now that you never saw before.

It has changed in many ways and I feel that those have been very brave changes and in order for it to survive it will keep changing
It has given us a sense of relief that it is back in our lives again, to find it is still a place to reconnect with Osho, his Vision and his people and that it is still definitely alive and definitely kicking!!!!

As that lovely Indian saying goes SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT

with love, Archa and Sans.
Brighton March 2006

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