Eat, Drink. Be Merry and Meditate often: That’s The New Man!

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Kul Bhushan conducts a meditation camp at Oshodham, India; published in Coastweek, Kenya, June 7, 2015

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Kul Meditation Camp
Dancing [top left] bonds everyone from East and West during White Robe evening meditation session; each one is in an inner space and yet together in the magnetic field of the master. Celebrating [top right] with arms across the shoulders, ‘Zorba The Greek’ dance begins to involve everyone as the tune gathers momentum, the elation rises high. Meditating silently [lower left] in total stillness and silence, everyone goes deep inside and then raises high to embrace existence and experience something of the beyond. Sharing Osho’s vision [lower right] and insights, Swami Anand Kul Bhushan described the carefree zing and zest of ‘Zorba The Greek’ before guiding them to meditate in calmness and tranquility like Gautama the Buddha. Photos Swami Dhyan Sangeetam ‘Joy’

NEW DELHI India — A famous pop hit; a 2000-year old folk song and an evergreen Hollywood dance number were all played at a meditation camp to experience Osho’s dictum ‘Celebrate Meditate’, writes the camp leader, Swami Anand Kul Bhushan.

Eat, drink, and be merry.

Yes, and meditate.

That’s the new man.

The New Man is Zorba the Buddha, says Osho.

We know Buddha, but who is Zorba?

Zorba is totally carefree, loves life, sings and dances and celebrates whatever comes his way.

Alexis Zorba is the leading character in a famous novel, Zorba the Greek, which was made into a blockbuster movie in 1964.

So it was natural to conduct a meditation camp on ‘Discovering Osho’s New Man’ and during this camp at Oshodham, New Delhi, the video for Zorba’s dance at the end of this movie was played for everyone to see and learn the steps.

The next morning, everyone started dancing to the Zorba tune.

As two participants demonstrated the steps, others moved with them in ecstasy with this elevating music.

Soon the dance became intoxicating and all danced to this tune many times.

The famous Israeli folk song and dance, ‘Hava Nagila’, was also introduced to them with its foot tapping pop version sung by the attractive Lauren Rosa and became an instant hit, especially when its meaning was explained.

This 2,000-year old song says, “Let’s rejoice and be happy”; exactly what Osho urges all the time.

Forming two circles, they danced to this ditty; one circle going clockwise while the other, anti-clockwise. What a spectacle of music, movement and celebration!

Finally, they learnt about the super-hit called just ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams which has sold 14 millions of copies and has become a global success with hundreds of videos shot to this music from all corners of the world.

Again, this song has a spiritual dimension as it declares in its chorus:

“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof;
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth;
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you;
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.”

When the participants were told that many groups from across the world, including most Indian cities, had shot and uploaded their own version of this dance, everyone was eager to create their own video with Osho quotes on being happy.

So here were three top numbers celebrating life; everyone danced; and when exhausted, they all sat in deep silence to meditate absorbing the enormous energy they had generated.

That’s how they moved from Zorba the Greek to try to becoming Zorba the Buddha!

This Osho insight had become a reality for them in silent meditation.

Now, it was their experience!

They heard Osho saying, “Zorba the Buddha is something totally new in the world. There have been Zorbas, there have been Buddhas, but they have remained always opposed to each other. Zorba represents materialism, Zorba represents the West. Buddha represents spirituality, Buddha represents the East.” (1)

So what is this all about?

Osho says, “Zorba the Buddha, on the one hand, is the end of the old man — his religions, his politics, his nations, his racial discriminations, and all kinds of stupidities. Zorba the Buddha, on the one hand, is the end of the old man – his religions, his politics, his nations, his racial discriminations, and all kinds of stupidities. On the other hand, Zorba the Buddha is the beginning of a new man – a man totally free to be himself, allowing his nature to blossom. There is no conflict between Zorba and Buddha. The conflict has been created by the so-called religions.

“Is there any conflict between your body and your soul? Is there any conflict between your life and your consciousness? Is there any conflict between your right hand and your left hand? They are all one in an organic unity.” (2)

At the end, thanking Osho was never enough!

“I understood how group meditation helps go deeper,” says a participant.

“It was an amazing experience to be a part of this camp,” said 25-year old Hemanshu Agarwal, who came to Oshodham for the first time: “The ashram was so full of energy of all the sannyasins.There was music, dance, laughter and meditation of course, yet there was a distinctive silence all around us. Being there was really blissful, especially during evening sessions and the sanyyas ceremony.”

Here is what Hemanshu experienced: “I enjoyed dancing because it helped me become more aware of myself and my mind’s control over my body. Dance was tiring but it was really joyful and fun, especially doing it with so many sannyasins together. I felt livelier after dancing and it’s a good physical exercise too.

“Osho always used to say whatever you are doing, become that doing. For example, if you are dancing, become the dance itself, and I realized what Osho meant by it. It was a really great insight and I hope it will become deeper and more powerful for me. I felt Osho when I was doing meditation at my home after I came from Ashram. I felt he was around me, protecting me, helping me subtly to go deeper and deeper.

“I don’t know if I should call him my master or my father, it was for a very short moment but I felt him and it was truly bliss. I understood the significance of dance, I understood how group meditation helps go deeper, oh, such a harmony. I came out as more livelier, happier and full with energy than I went in. I will be visiting Oshodham frequently and try to bond with more new sannyasins.”

coastweek.com

(1) Quote by Osho: From, Bondage to Freedom, Ch 13, Q 1 (excerpt)
(2) Quote by Osho: From Bondage to Freedom, Ch 40, Q 1 (excerpt)

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