'No samadhi at Osho Commune'

The ongoing dispute between the Osho International Foundation (OIF), the trust which controls the day-to-day activity of the Osho Commune, in Koregaon Park and the some of the disciples of the controversial mystic Osho Rajneesh, seemed to have taken an interesting turn, with the OIF denying the existence of any ‘samadhi’ of Osho.

This claim was made by OIF and Neo Sanyas Foundation (NSF), in an affidavit before the charity commissioner in Mumbai in response to an affidavit filed by Yogesh Thakkar and others challenging the decision of the OIF to transfer land of the commune.

The affidavit which was filed on July 16, states “First of all there was never any Samadhi of Osho as he himself was opposed to any personal worship. The board which was mistakenly put was removed 12 long years ago as it was realised that it was an error by the management (sic) the trust. Osho had never told to create his Samadhi and had expressed his desire (sic) that people can come and mediate..”

The samadhi referred in the affidavit is the Chang Tzu hall of the commune, which is supposed to house the ashes of Osho. Disciples of Osho, talk how after the demise of the mystic, it was decided to enshrine the ashes in the Chang Tzu hall, which during the lifetime of Osho, served as the bedroom and darshan hall of the master.

Swami Chaitanya Keerti of Osho Nisarg (a meditation centre) recollected that how six weeks before his demise, Osho himself had directed his disciples to do so. “The writing on the marble plaque ‘Osh Never Born Never Died’ was also dictated by Osho himself. As the room houses the ashes of Osho, that has to be the samadhi,” he said.

Similar were the experience of Yogesh Thakkar, another disciple, who remembered that on January 20, 1990, a day after the demise of Osho, it was Swami Amrito (John Andrews) had held a meeting in the Buddha Hall of the commune and announced how “Samadhi of the master would be created in Chang Tzu hall as per the directions of the master.”

The affidavit has created quite a ruffle amongst the Osho disciples, who term is as incorrect and wrong. DNA had sent an email to the spokesperson of the commune Ma Amrit Sadhna, asking for the commune’s reaction, but she did not respond.