Swami Om Prakash Saraswati (31.12.1918 – 27.3.2003), known affectionately as Swamiji, was the founder of the Osho Rajyoga Meditation Centre in New Delhi. His youngest son, Atul Anand, now manages the centre, as well as Osho Dham and Osho World.
Om Prakash was initiated into sannyas in 1971 after meeting Osho during a meditation camp at Mt. Abu. He became enlightened on May 21, 2001 and shared his blissfulness, his peace and silence with all around him. He also spoke about his vision for the future work, the importance of meditation, and continuously spread the message of his beloved master. Om Prakash used to facilitate meditations at Rajyoga Meditation Centre and was very particular that participants follow the directions correctly and do the meditations with full energy.
Many sannyasins remember Swamiji and we show here a few vignettes by them:
A young man was a regular at Dynamic Meditation. He was strong and sincere – and he thought he was giving it all he had. One evening the young man was strolling in a nearby public garden when he saw Swamiji with his caretaker on their regular walk. Summoning his courage, the young man hurried towards him. “Pranaam Swamiji. May I walk with you?”
Swamiji nodded in affirmation. The young man happily tagged along.
After about 15 minutes of brisk walking Swamiji suddenly turned towards the young man and said sternly, “You will become a heap of garbage if you don’t do Dynamic properly.”
The young man stopped dead in his tracks, stunned and speechless.
In the coming days, his Dynamic meditation took on an intensity never before experienced – especially during the catharsis stage!
As told by Amit
One morning after Dynamic meditation, a group of regulars were enjoying a cup of tea with Swamiji, as they did every morning. A young student entered Rajyoga Centre and said he would like to join the Osho group. I started talking to him and found out that he had failed his medical exams and wanted to start meditating – more as an escape because he said, “There is nothing much to life even if one succeeds, so why waste time in studying. Let me start meditating and aim for nirvana.”
Swamiji gave him a good look and said sternly, “Osho is not for losers. Go back and prepare well for your exams. That is your prime responsibility right now. Spirituality is not an escape and surely not Osho. It seems you haven’t read him at all. He doesn’t teach renunciation or escapism. He wants us to fully live in the marketplace and let the inner search follow. Dive deep into both worlds and learn how to swim.”
As told by Priya
I got the opportunity to meditate with Swamiji’s guidance. His clarity of vision and compassion for others was unparalleled.
In the early years of my career, I was dealing with depression. It was an untouchable subject then, as it is now. The highs were few and far. I had no apparent reason to be depressed but I was. Everything was right on the surface – a loving family, a stable career and a healthy body. However, something was missing. I felt the void within. Nothing was satisfying me for long and my life was anything but meaningful.
I spoke to Swamiji about it. His love was so healing and he gave me a few practical tips which helped me immensely.
I share them with you because in the modern world of technology most of us deal with stress, attention deficit disorder and also depression.
- Stretch like a cat in bed and laugh for a few minutes before opening your eyes in the early morning.
- Practise Dynamic or Kundalini Meditation every single day.
- Listen to Osho. Even 15 minutes will do on a busy day.
- Do your life’s work with full energy and passion.
- Learn to play an instrument or learn to sing or dance.
- Eat healthy.
- Go for a walk and, while walking, watch your outgoing breath.
- Do gibberish before going to bed.
- During the day be watchful of your breath as much as possible, especially the outgoing breath.
The tips above changed my life. Try them.
As told by Veena
I was a regular with kirtans at Rajyoga Centre every Sunday. What a celebration after a hectic work week!
I loved Swamiji. He loved me. He was very strict about meditations. I remember jostling for a deep breath when he would talk to me after a lax meditation; and yet his overflowing love drowned me many times.
Once I visited the International Book Fair in Delhi with my friends. Osho World had a stall there for books and magazines. Swamiji was standing right at the entrance to ensure everything looked beautiful and nicely displayed.
We reached early in the morning and all of us were given a light breakfast after the morning meditation. Swamiji then went to the nearby stalls and offered breakfast to them as well. I was intrigued and asked why he did that – he didn’t even know them.
With a warm smile on his face he said, “Food is an intimate expression of love. By sharing food, you come together in harmony and the whole ambience exudes positivity. Food fosters togetherness.”
So true! I saw smiles and heard laughter between the various stalls all day. They even joined us for the evening dance meditation.
Food has become a celebration for me since then!
As told by Sunaina
Related discourse by Osho
With thanks to Prachi
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