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While working he came in contact with OSHO in 1964. Since then, he had been experimenting and integrating meditative way of life. 1982 he retired as commissioner of income tax to participate living in the OSHO commune in Oregon / USA.
Looking back, since his very early years he had a pull towards religion, testing many ‘Others’ but after experiencing the silence in OSHO’s camp at Mount Abu he realized that OSHO is a man who gives unlimited freedom with no expectation in return. He could see that his life until then was a big zero and was ready to start a new beginning.
I met him between 1983-84 in Rajneeshpuram, in that experimental living with our Master OSHO.
Around 1984 Asanga had a spiritual experience, at that time I got in touch with him. Everyone was busy working but somehow I had a lot of freedom and Asanga, as it looked from outside, had no other choice but to give space and time for the energy to descend. Many times I met him on the empty roads, totally lost in nature and nature in him . I myself was overwhelmed by all that energy around him. I had no idea what was happening… But inside I was moved towards that energy, no matter what was happening around me.
After leaving the ranch I started my new beginning in Switzerland and invited Asanga to come with me.
For almost a year he was just lying in bed, digesting the change in his life and letting the “happening” finding new channel’s in his physical body.
Later on asking him about his experience, he would answer; ‘what does it help you when I tell you my experience, you are on your own journey’.
It’s so true…. Later on I got an answer not asking for it….
“The meditation happened by itself without my doing anything, not even relaxing, not even trying to wait for meditation to happen. Whatever I was doing, all of a sudden, I could feel as if the meditative space was descending and capturing me in its own silence. In that, I experienced many things. Many deep conditionings, hidden emotional feelings, heart feelings and old memories just started coming up. Since I had a background from the east and of being with OSHO, I was prepared for it and didn’t create a disturbance to that process. Remaining undisturbed I looked at the conditionings and they dropped like leaves. I could see that the process was working on its own. I knew it was a cleansing process so I allowed it to happen”.
Since 1986 he started conducting meditation seminars in Europe, USA, Japan and Korea. He was an universal gipsy, enjoying so much and squeezing the maximum “juice” out of every opportunity:
“Life is ours to enjoy. It is a gift. Let us celebrate it – with our inner awareness. I am enjoying my life. I have gone into the meditative process and I am enjoying that. I am sharing with individuals who are open and who are ready to go within themselves, to experiment on their own and experience their lives. I am sharing with those who are prepared to take the challenges of life in their own hands and take responsibilities for their own lives”.
His camp’s were called ‘sweet silence’, it was a gathering with friends all over the world. He was making people fall in love with OSHO’s meditation with his unique explanation of allowing meditation to happen rather then doing. One has to prepare oneself for meditation, as meditation is a happening not a doing and therefore it was necessary to create an atmosphere for meditation to happen. Technique is needed to undo what has already been done. His approach was highly alive and easy to practice, besides being simple to understand. He stimulated ones thinking and challenges old concepts and traditions embedded in us, so as to explore deeper insight in human nature. He was an enjoyable speaker, who provoked us to questions, to ensure lively participations from the audience without any hesitation. There was playfull sharing, encouraging to be our unique self, and always: OSHO was the center in form of videos, audios and meditation.
The meditation camps were based on the following books from OSHO:
- The Path of Meditation
- The Inner Journey
- Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Discourses on Patanjali
For a while friends were attracted to his healing capacity, but he changed that direction because as he mentioned: healing is only of short time, it doesn’t change the consciousness and his emphasis was meditation.
As a togetherness of friends we had a unique experience once a year in Amden / Switzerland: Asanga would say: “we are in the world of paradise, but do not know how to enjoy it. We do not know ourself”. So here we are, having all the freedom to enjoy what nature is offering. There was plenty of sight seeing before sitting down. All senses were totally satisfied with a contentment inside and then we could enter into the silence days.
We stayed 7-8 days in that natural place out of which 4 days was for the silent retreat. Each one of us had his own room, there was no structure, everyone was free to do dynamic or kundalini meditation and the meals were provided.
Asanga: ‘In the meditative space, whatever we are unconscious of, whatever conditioning we have comes up. As our conditioning confronts the silence, it starts dissolving. As you become more conscious, more aware of your conditioning, and things are happening, give your juice, your focus, your energy to what is happening and don’t bother about what is not happening, and always remember to have a jolly good time and a honeymoon with yourself! Do not worry, be ready to play and have fun – we celebrate OSHO!
Asanga never claimed to be somebody special and remained a devotee of OSHO, a catalysator for his deep essence. Many people experienced him as a bridge to OSHO’s message and received a deeper understanding.
Asanga: I’m just an ordinary person living life in a very ordinary way, but at times I do get a certain extraordinary fragrance out of ordinary living. That’s the greatest gift of OSHO. It has made me enjoy existence more and more, and it brings tremendous clarity. I can see how the life-force increases the depth of intelligence and makes us enjoy many splendid dimensions of life. The process is ongoing. It can never end’.
Asanga was a man of truth and purity and always going for it, never compromising, and not afraid of enemies. He gave freedom to every individual.
By around 2002 the body started to give him trouble, another period of learning started. Looking back, I don’t even find words to express what Asanga had to face with his body.
There was a small group of friends who had the courage and the guts to move along with him.
Again words will never find a way…… During that time, there was no other possibility than: to watch our emotions, fear, etc., to take responsibility for our own flow of energy, special in his present.
In Switzerland Anagara and Kairava were taking care and it was amazing watching Kairava treating him. He never complained of any pain…. it was Kairava who had tears in her eyes.
Hans and Shafik jumped in wherever it was needed.
And now for the last 2 years he stayed with Veena and Shantida, and that again was a gift from the existence. For his body he got the best care with total focus of what was needed at the moment. Asanga moved through all the physical difficulties and used the opportunity to go deeper in his meditation.
In his example: it showed existence find’s a way to protect and support the experiencer: The following extracts I wrote down talking to him:
In meditation there is all bliss…freedom In the world there is maya, illusion, big drama!
Using the mind for what it is capable, decision should come from the consciousness, beyond mind level.
Drop the object….put focus on the subject Never connect out of the negative
Breathing is the link between me and the body, when you change the focus from the body to consciousness then there is no pain. Physical pain is only 5 –10 %, all the rest is psychological If you don’t fight with it, flow with it - there is no identification
In pure consciousness there is no pain, only pure bliss, but still the body, the mortal frame is important, you have to come back once a while into the physical limitation.
You are part of existence, positive or negative, there is no selection. In the meditative space there is no choice between ‘positive’ or ‘negative’, every verbal expression is far away from truth, you loose the longing for verbal description.
Communication is happening in silence, when openness is there.
Meditation does not mean you are freed of the personality, this is still there but without any meaning for the meditator. Once having the experience of pure witnessing there is no interest anymore to change the personality, the outside………the inside is so much stronger.
His whole life was for truth and purity and in the end he also mentioned: that now love is his companion.
Facing all the bodily difficulties, never complained with a scientific approach, however he was not ready to take medicine as a relief of pain to make him “dizzy”. His life was for consciousness, there was no way to miss that extraordinary moment of death.
And again: for myself I got that very special gift to be on his side the last two days and actually to be in the moment with him when he left, my gratitude towards existence is infinite.
As he wanted us celebrating…. Because the universe is singing on a day like that… With a few friends, actually a international gathering we managed as he wanted. All of us could be present by the burning, and Dhiren, his son, got the gift to push the final button moving him into the fire.
It was an amazing moment when the door opened, seeing the glow of fire and Asanga’s body moving in…. We celebrated with letting go 21 heart ballon’s into the universe…
There was a feeling of some satisfaction, of relief and tremendous lightness.
Oh Existence…
Your grace is Infinite
Your compassion is Unlimited
Whatever I have Experienced
Nothing is Mine I offer it back at your Feet
It is clear we will continue with the silent camp once a year
The journey goes on….
and as he had mentioned earlier: we are anyway connected…..
we stay in touch…..
each one of us on there own journey….
Looking inside there is a feeling of expanding joy and tremendous gratefulness,
Okay cherrs!
Enjoy!!! and have fun!!!
OSHO, OSHO, OSHO
Anand Niharika, as one part of Asanga’s friends. |
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