Home | Articles | Features | Modern Teachers
Listings | Community Noticeboard | Chat Board
THE EPITOME OF A DISICPLE Osho said “The master/disciple relationship is a love affair, Osho says-
the greatest love affair possible.
The disciple surrenders his ego to the master.
He bows down. He says BUDDHAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI
—I bow down to the Buddha, I surrender to the Buddha, I take shelter at your feet. The moment he drops his ego he becomes part of the being of the master.
And the master is no more there as a person, he is only a presence.
And when two presences meet, the greatest orgasmic experience happens,
the greatest ecstasy.
That ecstasy is the goal of the master and disciple relationship.
That ecstasy has been happening for centuries in a very mysterious way: the master says nothing about it,
the disciple hears nothing about it, but sitting by the side of the master,
silently waiting, patiently, prayerfully, one day the synchronicity… one day suddenly, the disciple starts breathing with the master.
His heartbeat is no longer separate from the master’s heartbeat.
They disappear as two and become one.
That experience of oneness with the master is the opening of the door of the temple of God.
Such a personification of unconditional surrender to the Master was Swami Om Prakash Saraswati, lovingly known as Swamiji. With absolute commitment, great trust, intimate love and reverence for his guru, Swamiji carried out what Osho had entrusted upon him. Swamji’s life is an exemplification of a destiny that was connected and linked to his master.
Swamiji was born on December 31, 1918, in Faridnagar, near Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh. Before sannyas Swamiji worked for Delhi Cloth Mills (DCM) for some years. In the sixties, inspired by a series of articles on Acharya Rajneesh published in different magazines, Swamiji got initiated into sannyas in 1971 after meeting Acharya Rajneesh in a meditation camp at Mt. Abu. Thereafter, meditation became an integral part of Swamiji. As a family man Swamiji continued to take care of his family responsibilities and work in the material world. Whatever he did or wherever he went, Swamiji’s dedication to daily meditation remained unhindered. He took premature retirement to totally devote himself to the work of Osho. Swamiji then moved to the Pune Ashram to live with his Master
In 1978, Swamiji was sent to Delhi to start a meditation center by Osho, and thus the foundation of Osho work in Delhi was laid. The Rajyoga Meditation Center served as a meditation point, and he conducted meditation camps all over north India. Hundreds of people from all over north India got connected with Osho and meditation through him and the centre. The centre also started distributing Osho discourses in the form of cassettes, and books for the northern part of India. In 1981, when Osho went to the United States, the center began publishing a newsletter in the name of “Rajneesh Buddhafield”, to connect people with Osho and to keep people informed of the latest developments in Oregon. Sharing His insight on meditation, enlightenment and the master-disciple relationship,
“Meditation makes you whole, makes you holy, and makes you an inexhaustible source for all those who are hungry, thirsty, seeking, searching, groping in the dark.
You become a light, and many can share your light.
And you can see it: one candle which is lighted can help many candles to be lighted. That does not diminish its own light.
One enlightened being can share his enlightenment and many can become enlighted.
But his enlightenment is not diminished; on the contrary it increases.
The more he gives, the more he is. A moment comes when he gives himself totally.
And that is the moment when he becomes a master.
Then those who are ready to take, who are open, available, can take as much as they want.
The master is only a light.
He is not a teacher, but something transpires between him and the disciple.
And the moment the disciple also becomes lighted, there is no difference between the master and the disciple.
And that is the greatest joy for the master—when all his disciples are also masters.”
Swami Om Prakash Saraswati epitomized this very vision of Osho. Swamiji’s life lived in compassion, meditation and work symbolized the very epitome of a true disciple. While he continued to work and promote the vision of Osho, he went deeper into his spiritual journey. While Swamiji blossomed in meditation, his inner growth manifested in his work.
With love and dedication Swamiji carried out the multifarious activities related to the world of Osho. When Osho sent a message to Rajyoga to start a meditation campus near Delhi, Swamiji put all his efforts in this direction to take the vision of Osho to the people to develop a holistic growth path for the evolution of a multidimensional human being. Under the love and tender care of Swamiji, Osho Dham was created in the outskirts of Delhi to provide clean, green and aesthetically pleasing and peaceful environment for those getting into the inner journey. In tune with nature, a beautiful space has been created for group and individual meditations both indoors and outdoors. Today, meditators from all over India and abroad converge here to meditate and celebrate.
Swamiji’s inspiration and love further helped to realize the vision of Osho to bring meditation to the market place. Osho World Galleria was opened in Ansal Plaza located in South Delhi, making Osho’s presence felt in the capital and in India with news events. A lifestyle of meditation and creativity, the galleria offers complete works of Osho consisting over 9,000 discourses, 650 books and lifestyle products created by meditative energy. Apart from daily evening meditations, a week every month is dedicated to an enlightened mystic, during which discourses of Osho on the teachings of the mystic are highlighted.
Swami Om Prakash Saraswati, was the inspiration behind the launch of the website “oshoworld.com”, to make available the vision of his beloved master Osho to the people across the globe. The website hosts apart from information and news from the world of Osho, free downloadable audio discourses and online e-books. This site also makes available different meditation techniques, information about forth coming meditation camps and news from the Osho world of arts, a photo gallery, latest news, events and happenings.
Osho’s vision was realized when Swamiji got enlightened on May 21, 2001 at the age of 82 years. Swamiji often used to quote Osho words that the desire for enlightenment is the greatest barrier in attaining it.
Osho says -
“In your enlightenment, the master has again become enlightened.
As each disciple becomes enlightened,
the master becomes again and again enlightened;
and with the sheer joy of a gardener when each of his plants start blossoming.
Just watch his eyes—all those colors, all those flowers dancing in the wind,
in the rain, in the sun- - and how long he has been waiting!
You are my garden.
I will wait until you gather courage,
and this courage means disappearing into the soil, losing yourself in complete let-go.
Enlightenment is not somewhere else.
It is hiding behind your seed, inside you.
You just have to trust. If you trust in yourself, the master is not needed.
But because the society has created you in such a way that you cannot trust yourself, you are always divided- - to do it not to do it,
to be or not to be- - your mind is continuously wavering.
You need someone unwavering.
It is almost like surgery; you cannot do surgery on yourself,
it will be very difficult, almost impossible.
You will need someone else and you will have to trust because he is opening your heart or opening your brain and who knows what kind of man he is.
But ordinarily you do trust a surgeon even though you do not know him.
The function of the master is far more deep.
It needs a very conscious love and trust on the disciple’s side
because the master is going to tear down all your personality and
shatter all your mind habits to bring out the hidden flame with all its splendor.
You don’t have to love it.
You will rejoice, you will dance, you will sing, you will share,
you will now love all that surrounds you.”
After enlightenment, Swamiji became overflowing with love, joy and compassion. He simply became the very source of love, life and compassion, showering his love on whosoever came in contact with him. It was the arrival of the master through the disciple.
Swamiji remained in constant work and gave vision for the future work to meditate and spread the message of his beloved master till he attained his Mahaparinirvana on March 27, 2003. Like a drop that dissolves into the Ocean, Swamiji merged with the vast ocean of Osho.