On The Road Again

When I was living the wild wild life in the wild wild country at Rajneeshpuram, for a few years my “work” was the Rajneesh Country Band that played in our Portland nightclub, Zorba The Buddha. One of the songs in our repertoire was Willy Nelson’s classic, “On The Road Again”. I sometimes wonder if singing that song so much created a kind of unconscious wish in me to live the lifestyle I do now as a wandering minstrel monk. Indeed, my road seems to go on forever.

And this isn’t a complaint by the way. There isn’t a day I don’t feel blessed to live the life I do: traveling the world, meeting the most wonderful people – sharing music and meditation, love and celebration – everywhere. One thing I will say: the life I lead keeps me in shape! Dare I say younger? Hmm… perhaps this is the eternal teenager in me speaking now.

Having set the tone for this article, let me get straight to the point. In few weeks time, my touring “season” starts for the twenty-third year. At least I think it is twenty-three. To be honest, at some point the combination of endless miles and advancing age gives my past a soft focus. Which is fine, actually. I am at a point now where, with every tour, every event, it feels like I am doing it for the first time. Maybe a bit of Osho is rubbing off on me that I am a little more in the moment than I used to be. It’s only my sore calf muscles when Rishi makes me jump too high in the music that remind me: hey, you aren’t twenty-one any more. But again, who’s complaining? In fact, every year I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world to play with the musicians who join me for these seasonal adventures.

This year, there are some new dishes on the menu. I’ll be going to Canada May 25-27 for a weekend event. I also have a divine acoustic tour coming up soon with two of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters: Steven Walters and Sudhananda. Steven is not a sannyasin, but boy do his lyrics and playing resonate with me! We’ve given our tour the title “So Many Blessings” because, well, doesn’t this really say it all?

During the middle of this tour, I will be sharing a meditation event in Las Vegas for the second time this year. Osho is really cooking something in Las Vegas and I am marveling because I mean, Las Vegas and Osho? Which reminds me: one of these days I will write the story of my blackjack experiences at Rajneeshpuram in Omar Khayyam, our Ranch Casino.

In the month of July, I will travel to Europe. There is the beautiful RISK Summer Festival happening the week of July 7-14. And the following Sunday, July 22, I will be in Freiburg, Germany for a one-day meditation & celebration event with the band. I used to spend a lot more time in Europe, but in recent years I find myself based more in the USA. But I do love Europe in the summertime and the events are always special.

In August and September, our OshoFest weekends start in the USA. This year we have added two new places to the schedule: Mexico will combine with California, and… Virginia, my home state! It is all very exciting. What we are noticing in America is more and more people are attending more than one weekend. This “cross-pollination” of buddhafields creates a special energy. So we are looking at ways to encourage this. There is even talk of a grand prize for those attending all six events: a ticket for a drawing whose prize will be a ticket to — India! So stay tuned.

Check out dates and locations of the One Sky Music Tour Schedule, So Many Blessings Tour with Steven Walters & Sudhananda, and OshoFests in 2018 on Milarepa’s website: www.oneskymusic.com/tour-schedule

Milarepa is a musician from the ‘World of Osho’. He sang for Osho the first time on the The Ranch (Rajneeshpuram) and since then has been a prolific songwriter. During the World Tour, Osho named him Director of the Institute of Music and Celebration. In Pune 2, he ccordinated the music department and played for countless White Robe Evening Meditations, Music Groups and Sannyas Celebrations. With his One Sky Band, he continues to tour the world giving concerts and playing for music-meditation festivals. www.oneskymusic.com – www.facebook.com/oneskymusic

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Milarepa: Osho’s Bard