Category Archives: Music
Before I describe the East/West event at Osho Nisarga this March, I want to start with a powerful insight I had with Osho many years ago.
I arrived in Uruguay on April 10, 1986, to join a small group of friends caring for Osho during his stay in Punta del Este. There were maybe fifteen or sixteen of us in total. Kendra managed the household affairs and shared with me that Osho wanted each of us to have a small task—nothing like the long fifteen-hour days at the Ranch, just something light and fun so we could relax and enjoy ourselves. Kendra assigned me the job of cleaning the small living room where the discourses would take place. It felt like bliss.
As luck would have it, Osho decided to start speaking on the very day I arrived. I had just come from Los Angeles, where I worked as a bulldozer driver leveling hilltops for housing developments, as well as a parking lot attendant in Santa Monica. I was also having fun with my appearance. I had dyed my hair black, shaved, and begun dressing like an actor from the television show, “Miami Vice”.
That evening, I took a seat in the back of the room. It was so small that every seat felt like the front row. Halfway through the discourse, I must have dozed off because I suddenly felt on full alert inside. It was as if someone was shining a flashlight on my closed eyes. Tuning into what Osho was saying, he was describing a man without a beard as akin to a woman with a mustache. At that moment, I realized that the “light” I was sensing was Osho focusing in on me. Red alert. Then I heard him say, “Just look at Milarepa sitting there in the back without a beard looking like a complete idiot.” Laughter filled the room. It was Osho’s way of saying hello and welcoming me. By the way, I grew my beard back VERY quickly.
Weeks went by. I was blissfully soaking up Osho’s presence and silence. Sannyasins were instructed not to come to the property as it was too small to accommodate many people. Additionally, there was a concern about upsetting the Uruguayan government, which was under pressure from the United States regarding Osho. However, one day Nivedano showed up. Gayan, his beloved, was part of the household. She was working in the sewing room stitching beautiful new robes for Osho.
Nivedano approached me and said, “We have to get some instruments and play.” Inside, I was thinking, “Oh no. Why would we want to do this?” The silence I was enjoying felt too precious to disturb. Sensing my resistance, and not taking no for an answer, he asked Nirvano to ask Osho if he would like us to play for the discourses. The answer came back a definitive “Yes.” Before I knew it, with all my resistance in tow, I found myself in a car heading to the nearby city of Montevideo in search of music stores.
It was a long day, but I eventually found a guitar, and Nivedano some small percussion instruments. That same night, we played as Osho entered the room. And he didn’t just come in; he came in DANCING. At that moment, seeing him beaming and surrounded by His joyous people, I realized that the silence Osho speaks of is not the silence of a graveyard; it is the silence of celebration. This insight penetrated deeply and has remained with me ever since. Several weeks later the Uruguayan government asked Osho to leave and I found myself at the airport in a situation I would have wished otherwise: celebrating Osho’s departure.
Fast forward thirty-nine years to early February of this year. Priya was offering the Silent Retreat group some tips during the orientation as we were about to begin. One sentence she said particularly resonated with me: “Make your silence a celebration.” I remembered her words many times throughout the retreat. It always brought me an inner smile, knowing that the East/West event in March would be a celebration of this insight.
Between the Silent Retreat and East/West event, I had a few days to prepare the schedule, set up and rehearse and sound-check with the band. It was lovely to welcome Chandira, who traveled from Germany to play bass, keyboards, and sing. She and I share a time-tested connection and intuitive communication from our years of touring together. We comprised the “Western” element of the band while Vatayan (drums) and Milind (bansuri), along with our guest percussionist, Tejas, represented the East. However, as musicians know well, there are no borders or boundaries in music; it is a universal language. Especially today, with so much cultural crossover, you can see how music distinctions have merged and evolved. What began with The Beatles when George Harrison introduced Western audiences to the sounds of the sitar and tablas—not to mention the groundbreaking fusion band, “Shakti”—has transformed music beyond what anyone could have imagined sixty years ago.
As the event unfolded, the musicians and beautiful gathering of participants connected and our spirits soared. With each meditation, our hearts opened, silence deepened, and our energies harmonized. Raju and his kitchen also seemed to catch the vibe. Every meal served to the group was infused with a healthy dose of love and celebration.
Each day began with Dynamic Meditation, setting the tone for the Morning Satsang. Throughout the day, various meditations such as Nataraj, Stop! Dance, Laughing Drums, Heart Dance, and Kundalini added variety and spice to the schedule. During Evening Satsang, enthusiastic shouts of “Osho! Osho! Osho!” echoed through the Buddha Hall so loudly that I’m sure the nearby Himalayas heard us. The last night went so high in Sannyas Celebration and Energy Darshan it took everyone a while to come back to Earth. On Day 5, our gathering came to a gentle close with Dynamic Meditation, Satsang, and Sufi Whirling, while Raju’s lunch provided the perfect finishing touch to what was truly a canvas of the divine—a celebration of silence.
The photos from Uruguay are from my archive, while many of the lovely event photos were taken by Rahi (https://www.rahiadventure.com). A heartfelt thank you to him, as well as to Priya and her entire Osho Nisarga team (https://www.oshonisarga.com). Finally, I want to express my gratitude to all the wonderful participants who brought their joy and dancing hearts to the meditations. I can only say, Osho! Osho! Osho!
I have always considered India to be my “home” — not in a physical sense, but on a deeper, inner level. This sentiment has compelled me time and again to embark on journeys from afar, returning home, so to speak.
This year in January, I set out once again on such a pilgrimage. I packed a large suitcase filled with warm clothes (Dharamsala can be quite cold in February), a smaller suitcase filled with music cables and microphones (for the upcoming East/West March event), and not one, but two guitars. When at last I arrived to the gates of Osho Nisarga Meditation Center, what a relief it was to set down my heavy travel load.
After a few days of settling in, I turned off my cell phone, closed my computer, slipped into maroon clothes, and fully committed myself to the Silent Retreat for the next three weeks. There would be no talking, no eye contact, no reading, no listening to music, and no Osho — nothing at all to pull me outward.
My daily schedule was intense, beginning with Dynamic Meditation at 7 AM and concluding with a Zen Walk at 8:15 PM. In between were three ninety-minute Zazen sessions, an hour-long nature walk, Kundalini Meditation, meals, and some tea breaks — everything meticulously timed to help quiet the mind’s tendency to engage with the external world.
I would not describe the Silent Retreat as easy; far from it. However, the support of twenty-four committed individuals journeying inward together fostered a tangible sense of oneness within the group as the days progressed.
During challenging moments, when my mind rebelled, panicked, and wanted to escape to somewhere, anywhere, I would look to the eternal, snow-clad Himalayas in the distance that seemed to whisper, “Go on, go on, keep going.” Charaiveti, Charaiveti.
My seventy-second birthday passed much like any other day, except that the Nisarga staff had decorated the altar in my room during the morning sit in Buddha Hall. What a delightful surprise it was when I opened the door and saw how beautifully and lovingly things had been arranged.
When Day 21 arrived and the group came out of silence, I was filled with overflowing gratitude and joy. An unbearable lightness of being bubbled up from within, while externally existence showered me with blessings. The concept of “Here and Now,” once merely a New Age cliché I had read or heard about, became my reality. I cannot imagine a better birthday gift for myself.
Many of the lovely photos shared here were taken by Rahi (https://www.rahiadventure.com). I extend my heartfelt thanks to him, to Priya and her entire Nisarga team (https://www.oshonisarga.com), and to all the participants who supported my journey — my Journey Home.
“I am an invitation for all those who are seeking, searching, and have a deep longing in their hearts to find their home.
“I am an answer to the question that everybody is, but cannot formulate – a question that is more a quest than a question, more a thirst than a verbal, mental inquiry; a thirst that one feels in every cell and fiber of his being, but has no way to bring to words and ask.
“I am an answer for that question which you cannot ask and you cannot expect that it could be answered. When I say I am the answer, I don’t mean that I can give you the answer. Yes, if you are ready, you can take it. I am just like a well, ready for you to throw your bucket and draw the water for yourself. I have it, but I cannot reach to you without your efforts. Only you can reach to me.
“It is a strange invitation. It will take you on a long pilgrimage and it will end only where you already are. You will have to move many steps and on many paths just to come to yourself, because you have gone far away from yourself. You have completely forgotten the way back. I am a reminder, a remembrance, of the lost home.
“As a person I do not exist. As a person I only appear. I exist as a presence. Since the day I came to know myself, the person disappeared. There is only a presence, a very living presence that can quench your thirst, that can fulfill your longing. Hence, in one word I can say I am an invitation.
“You are as ancient as the whole existence. You have always been here. You may have come across many masters; you may have come close to many buddhas, but you were too much engaged in trivia. You were not aware of your longing. I am an effort to provoke the dormant in you, to wake up the asleep. The fire is there, but is burning very low because you have never taken any care of it. My invitation is to make you aflame. And unless you know a life which is luminous and aflame, all your knowledge is just a deception.
“I am an invitation to take a courageous jump into the ocean of life. Lose yourself, because that is the only way to find yourself.” Osho, paraphrased from “The Invitation, #1”
I received this New Year greeting from The Humaniversity. It is a sincere and beautifully expressed intention for the year ahead.
“Our wish is that we all create as much peace as possible in each of our hearts. Then we can multiply this peace and make the world a better place. When you love, peace will follow naturally. This is what Veeresh always wanted. And this is the work we carry forward.
“Let the connection with your heart grow deeper and stronger, so that you can look in the mirror and say: “I’m following my heart, transforming and creating the world I want to live in – a world full of peace and kindness!”
“Make a commitment to give and share your heart. Give what you have. Look at someone else and find out what you can do to uplift them. Make this a priority in your life. We all live in abundance, whether we see it or not. Give what you can, to yourself and others, and find peace and love in return.”
Osho Birthday Celebration
December 6 – 8, 2024
Featuring the One Sky Band with Lee, Milarepa, Sudhananda, and Teerth
* Recharge with active and silent meditations, song, dance, and heart-opening activities
* Delicious vegetarian cuisine
* Relax and unwind
* Let go, drop the stress, and enjoy a break from the demands of the world
* Reconnect with inner silence
For details and reservations, contact Sangeeta (214-724-1991) / oshomeera1313@gmail.com
Location: Dallas, TX 76226
OSHOfest Dallas — A Gathering of Friends
October 11-14, 2024
Celebration and Meditation with Live Music
featuring One Sky Band with Lee, Milarepa, Prabodh, and Rishi
* Four days of transformation with live music
* Recharge and reset with active and silent meditations, song, dance, and playful heart-opening activities
* Nutritious and delicious vegetarian cuisine
* Relax and unwind
* Let go of stress and enjoy a break from the demands of the world
* Reconnect with inner silence
For details and reservations, contact Sangeeta (214-724-1991) / oshoretreats@gmail.com
Location: Dallas, TEXAS
I have been enjoying an Osho discourse series that somehow escaped my radar, “Philosophia Ultima – talks on the Mandukya Upanishad” given towards the end of Pune One. There are sixteen discourses in total. This particular gem is from #9.
“Shakespeare says: The question is to be or not to be. If you ask the Mandukya Upanishad, it will say — and I agree with the Mandukya Upanishad — the question is not: To be or not to be? The question is: How not to be so that you can be? The way to be is not to be. Disappear as you are so you can appear AS YOU REALLY ARE. Let the mask fall so that the original face is discovered, let the mind go so that there is no interference from the mind… and you can be in silent blissfulness, one with existence. Then you will find yourself in the flowers and their fragrance and you will find yourself in the birds and their songs, and you will find yourself in the sun and in the moon and in the clouds, in the people, in the animals… you will find yourself spread everywhere. You will be as vast as the universe itself. All that you have to lose is this small ego. It is not much that you are asked to lose. It is rubbish! It is false! It is only an idea. If you are able to drop it, suddenly you explode into the whole, and then the whole splendor of existence is yours. All the songs are yours, all the blessings are yours, all the benedictions are yours. That state of ecstasy is the fourth state, TURIYA. It has to be known! It has to be lived! That is the only way to attain to ultimate life. Unless it is found, life remains misery; life remains a hell. To find it is to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Summer Awakening – Meditation and Celebration Event with Live Music
May 31 – June 2
*Reset and recharge yourself with active and silent meditations, dance, song, and playful connecting activities.
*Enjoy nutritious and delicious vegetarian cuisine.
*Relax and unwind in the calming environment of Dhyanyoga Meditation Center.
“I teach you to be alive. I teach you to be happy. I give you only one gospel: the gospel of love and joy.” Osho
Friday 5pm – 8:30pm
Saturday 6:45am – 8pm
Sunday 6:45am – 2pm
Monday — there will be a hike to Shenandoah National Park led by Milarepa for anyone who is able to join. Approximate timing is 8am – 5pm.
**View event schedule and pricing here: 
Summer Awakening – Meditation and Celebration Event with Live Music
May 31 – June 2
Friday 5pm – 8:30pm
Saturday 6:45am – 8pm
Sunday 6:45am – 2pm
Monday — there will be a hike to Shenandoah National Park led by Milarepa for anyone who is able to join. Approximate timing is 8am – 5pm.
Location: 15155 Bronze Post Ct, Centreville, Virginia 20121
Price (six meals, snacks and tea included):
$380 with accommodation, $300 without accommodation
Early Bird Discount (if paid by May 20):
$250 without accommodation, $330 with accommodation
Paypal: Gopasharma@gmail.com
Contact for further information:
+1 (813) 830-1008 Vasanti
Email: Dhyanyogamc@gmail.com // oneskymusic@gmail.com
Web: Dhyanyogamc.org // www.oneskymusic.com
Event Schedule
May 31, Friday
5 – 6pm / Kundalini Meditation
6 – 7pm / Dinner
7 – 8:30pm / Evening Satsang (dance celebration, silent sitting, Osho video discourse)
June 1, Saturday
7:30am / Dynamic Meditation
8:30 – 10am / Breakfast
10 – 11am / Morning Satsang
11:30 – 12:30pm / Laughter, Tears, Silence — an introduction to The Mystic Rose
1pm / Lunch
2:30pm / Circle of Love Meditation
3:30pm / Tea Time
4pm / Kundalini Meditation
5:30-7pm / Evening Satsang (dance celebration, silent sitting, Osho video discourse)
7pm / Dinner
8pm / Creativity Evening
June 2, Sunday
7:30am / Dynamic Meditation
8:30 – 10am / Breakfast
10 – 11am / Morning Satsang
11:30 -12:30pm / Heart Dance
12:30 – 1pm / Sannyas Celebration
1 – 2:30pm / Lunch & Goodbyes
June 3, Monday
All-day Nature Meditation in Shenandoah National Park (Hiking Old Rag Mountain) for those who are interested. Approximate timing is 8am – 5pm.
All the religions are trying to humiliate humanity. Their whole business and exploitation and oppression depend on you, your fear, your greed, your death, your disease. If you start feeling yourself divine and can enjoy not only life but death too with the same dance, what will be the purpose of the priests? And they are in the millions all over the world, living just like parasites. They may be Hindu, they may be Mohammedan, they may be Christian, they may belong to any religion, but priesthood is the ancientmost profession of parasites. If you enter yourself and find the truth, you will be surprised that every effort was made to keep you ignorant of what was within you, so that the exploitation could continue. Buddha’s attitude is that you are a buddha. It is not a question of achieving buddhahood. You are a buddha; all that you need is a mirror to see your face, your original face – a recognition, a remembrance. You have forgotten who you are. And every moment is the right time. You just need a little courage to risk your knowledgeability, risk your ego, and put everything that you think is valuable at stake. Search within yourself for the only thing that you can neither borrow from anybody nor give to anybody. That is your nature. And that nature is always in the present. Hence, the present is the right time. Neither yesterday nor tomorrow. Today. This very moment you can become a buddha.
Osho, “Dogen, the Zen Master: A Search and a Fulfillment #6”