From Adhiraj we hear about the buddhafield in Georgia – with an invitation to come and visit. But where is this Georgia?
Georgia is an ancient Christian country situated in the Caucasus mountains. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.
Throughout history it was surrounded by countries and empires that wanted to conquer its lands – and many times it was conquered – but the people continued to maintain their culture, their beliefs and their traditions. This strengthened their cultural identity and united them to resist from being attacked more often. For that reason, their cultural identity became very strong and, as a consequence, the people became closed towards other values and philosophies.
In the era of globalization, and thanks to the development of communication channels, cultural exchange and the fact that young people strive for more freedom of expression, Georgians are now opening themselves to other philosophies, cultures and teachings. Because of this openness the European Union now allows Georgian citizens free visa travel. Moreover, Georgia has become a tourist destination, so much so that last year we had 6 million tourists, which is almost one and a half times the population of the country.
From the teachings that have become popular and have been absorbed are Osho’s, because he offers a way of integrating spirituality with living in society, without suppressing the basic needs of human nature.
It all started when a few Georgians – during the time the country was still part of the Soviet Union – had managed to come to know about Osho and visited Pune. As sannyasins they then secretly brought some books back home. In those times all spiritual practices were strictly prohibited, in particular if they came from a foreign country. These first sannyasins did the impossible to make Osho’s vision available to spiritual seekers here.
Today we are many more sannyasins – many are very young and their number is growing. And we continue to contribute to the expansion of consciousness.
Thanks to Magno and Madita, who regularly provide material and spiritual support, more and more of Osho’s books are being translated into Georgian. They are now available in all bookshops for anyone interested. One of them is ‘The Secret of Secrets: The Secret of the Golden Flower’, which turned into a bestseller!
The latest book is ‘Tantra: The Supreme Understanding’. Already during its presentation we sold 75 copies. Next we will have ‘The Orange Book’ published.
Meditation camps and therapy groups are being held. There is a lovely team of young people, guided by Adhiraj and Leela, that meets regularly and organizes events and seminars. There are no language problems, as Georgians speak Georgian, English (which is becoming the 2nd-most-common spoken language) and Russian. Recently we had a 3-hour Tantra For Women workshop, where more than 50 women participated in, and in October we had a 3-day Tantra Group.
Georgia is moving into a fertile stage for Osho and meditation. For Georgians this is something totally new. That’s why I think it’s a good moment for group leaders of meditative and therapy workshops to start being active in Georgia. I am sure this would contribute much to helping the young Georgians – and also some older people – to live what they can receive from Osho.
Here some quotes from Osho’s discourses about people from the Caucasus:
In the Caucasus, where Gurdjieff was born, they have a system of chakras which is slightly different. It seems to be the difference between the people of the Caucasus and the other people…
In the Caucasus, from where Joseph Stalin came and George Gurdjieff came… The Caucasus has produced really strong men. There is a small part where people live even to one hundred and eighty years. There are thousands of people who have passed one hundred and fifty…
Gurdjieff really worked hard in Tibet, India, Egypt, and the Caucasus to find all the people who were alive and had some experience of truth…
…and those spices, Caucasian spices – Indian spices are nothing!
In the Caucasus you can find a man of one hundred and twenty years of age getting married!… there are people who are one hundred seventy years old still making love….
So, what do you think? Interesting and challenging? Come and experience by yourself!
Prem Adhiraj studied at the Art Academy of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. He started doing Osho’s meditations at the Tbilisi Meditation Centre, when Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. He went to Pune, together with the members of the centre, in 1992. Since 2004 he has been living in Cologne, Germany and and is working at Osho’s Garden Restaurant. Adhiraj25 @ yahoo.com – facebook.com/irakli.gamkrelidze.10
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