And Miles To Go Before I Sleep

originally written for The VIHA Connection, December/January issue 1999

     While I was thinking about what to write for this article, a poem by Robert Frost came to mind . . .

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Whose woods these are I think I know

His house is in the village though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep

band on an autumn walk in The Berkshires

The Bravo America events take their name from an Osho discourse given in Uruguay. This year's 1999 tour spanned ten weekends and about 11,000 miles of highway. I am always amazed how vast the United States is! All of the organizers chose beautiful - even magical - locations for the events. It was interesting to see how an aesthetic, natural environment can support meditation: Whether high up in the Berkshires pumping a lot of clean mountain air through our lungs in Dynamic Meditation, or simply having a quiet walk among the great redwoods of California - meditating in Nature was a powerful and transforming experience.

One of the most rewarding things about what I do is seeing the changes happening in the participants over such a short space of time. Some have never heard about Osho, some are new to meditation: Yet watching their faces, how they soften and begin to glow, reflecting the miracle of self-discovery, always touches me. It makes all the long miles and work worth the effort.

Just as the participants are diving deep into their inner world, so are the musicians. The energy on a Bravo weekend typically moves in circles: sometimes with the musicians giving and the participants receiving, sometimes with the participants giving and the musicians receiving. Often the line separating meditators and musicians blurs - even  disappears! - and a tremendous melting happens, invariably followed by the deepest, most relaxing silence you can imagine. No Bravo event ends on a somber note:  The shouts of Osho! Osho! Osho! lingered long after all goodbyes were said.sp;

Shanta and Yoko

This year we meditated a lot as a band. Dynamic Meditation helped keep relating within the group clean and fresh. Living so intensely on the road together, traveling long distances in a confined space . . . Let's just say touring in a band can be a real mirror. This year being no exception, the band was one of the most juicy, ongoing, existential groups anyone could wish for.

And a lot of fun! For instance, we visited some amazing places like Yosemite National Park, where we celebrated Sureel, our drummer's birthday; and listened to every little sound in the night thinking it might be a hungry bear. On another occasion, we spent a fun night in Las Vegas and enjoyed a great Italian dinner in Caesar's Palace.

Band with Osho Corvette in Tampa, Florida

We had our own ongoing tennis tournament on the  road, inspired by the U.S. Open which was happening simultaneously to the tour.

The wine always flowed when someone won a set off me. Yes, it does happen sometimes! And even Yoko, Vatayana, and Shanta got into the swing of things.

Then there was the long, night drive through the desert on our way to Cleveland

from Sedona, when a spaced-out driver came speeding down the wrong lane of the

freeway - directly at us! It's an easy thing to do on those endless stretches of desert

celebrating a love game in Sedona

highway, especially at night when one is tired: People will exit off the road to get gas and take the wrong ramp getting back on. The truckers call them ghostriders. I just managed to get out of the way but Mohan, who was following in the second car, had to swerve off the road to avoid a head-on collision. I followed the whole scenario in my rear-view mirror as he struggled to control his car and get back onto the highway. Yoko and I pulled off and waited until a pale Mohan and the others caught up. Then, we all had a good laugh, thanked our lucky stars, opened some bottles of Starbuck's coffee and a bag of Lay's Classic chips, and were off again, for we had many more miles to go that night before we'd finally sleep.

The organizers did a wonderful job handling the risks and responsibilities of the events. Their care and loving efforts made it possible for so many people to come together in meditation and celebration. Thank you all!

What more to say? For me, Bravo America is about connecting with yourself and others

through Osho's meditations and music. Pretty nice way to spend a weekend, don't you think?

the band in Yosemite National Park     (l to r)Amlas, Mohan, Milarepa, Yoko, Sureel