My experience of being a guard in the commune

Satbodha remembers… and what he learned from it.

This morning, as I am looking at the Voyages section of the Osho News online magazine, I am filled with gratitude to have been a brother to so many, and such unique, people. All these beautiful souls used to go through the gates into Osho’s garden showing their entry passes to the watcher. Be it Back Gate, Pyramid, or the Gateless Gate in front, each person as they passed by left their imprint on me.

I was a guard, later called a ‘watcher’; and now, many years later, I have become a ‘witness’, a witness to my past as well as to the past of those departed faces who might have come through my gate to enter the commune.

Every year during our Pune 2 experience I was a guard for as long as my stay could allow (about 6 months at a time).

Sitting on a high stool by the gate, I came to see how people responded, how they showed me their entry passes. I came to see alive souls, loving souls, at peace, or in turmoil. I came to see that wherever we were from, we were all one family.

I used to sit on that stool for about 5 hours a day. A 5-hour meditation, sort of. Sitting at the Pyramid Gate, at first the flow of people crossing was quite slow. So there was ample time to just sit and contemplate. Compared to the flux of the front gates with all their entertainment, it was quite meditative. Time to tune in and go through my stuff as well. My stuff being, then, mainly aloneness.

After some years I was transferred from the Back Gate to the Front Gate. It felt like coming out of a cocoon, from being an introvert to becoming an extrovert. Wow, how exciting that was! I enjoyed it!

From fighting off mosquitoes during the midnight shift to keeping at bay the ‘cuckoos’ on the street who tried to attract our attention, to welcoming visiting politicians, what a show! But still through it all, I had to stay centered and respond in a way that was suitable to that moment. Sometimes with love and comprehension, other times brandishing my invisible ‘Zen stick’ – whatever the situation demanded.

As a guard (or watcher) I also had to remember that I was the one who gave the first impression to people who were coming in from outside. So, stay fresh and alert, Swami! The guarding crew, as we were called, was an assembly of people from different nations, really enjoying the worship. Sometimes there were meetings for guidance from the coordinator.

I recall a funny experiment. One morning we guards at the gates were told to wear a special uniform. It looked a bit like the samurai-style hakamas, but purple coloured. We were quite surprised at the audacity of such a move. And indeed, just a few minutes into sitting on my stool at the back gate in my new attire, critiques poured in from all sides. It did not take long until a distress phone call came from the front gate with the order to immediately change back into my regulars. Oh, what a relief – there was not going to be anything ‘special’ about Satbodha.

Then came 19 January 1990. My shift ended at 5 pm. On leaving my chair I wondered what strange weather had hit us. Overshadowing us there were bizarre clouds, the light was peculiar as if there was an eclipse. I came to hear later that this was the approximate time of Osho’s death. When Osho’s ashes came back from the burning ghats two days later in a procession, I volunteered to sit at the Back Gate. I missed the procession but had not missed myself, I assure you. The next few days were quite overwhelming. First people came from all over India to pay their respects. Famous or not, everyone wanted to be there. Indeed it was the center of the no-mind universe. Actually, it was fabulous, thousands of people gathered in no-mind. Osho would have been delighted.

As the years went by, the memory of those few days is still precious and everlasting to me. I got to guard for a few more years, always jumping in immediately upon returning from the West.

Later, guarding was gradually dissolved into being a part of a resident’s duties and I was left guarding / watching myself. A good and full-time job… witnessing it all. Guarding myself from unawareness.