Practicing gratitude this winter, Deva Dosa uses happy memories of a beloved place like a hologram to boost her mood and immune system.
According to the book, The Holographic Universe, by Michael Talbot, memory is described as being stored throughout the brain in a holographic way. According to his theory, even physical reality is a hologram in which the part contains the whole, much like an ashram.
When my travels were restricted this year, I had a hard time accepting it. After restless nights, I took charge of my mind to stop future-izing and start creating calm. At night, I practice working with a treasure of memories. At the edge of sleep, I play with colorful inner movies – the best times of my life – vivid memories of ocean swimming with dolphins or night-skiing for miles under a Full Moon. While these nature experiences are pure joy, my best relaxation memories are nights of incredible rest, true rest, at Osho Tapoban in Nepal. Breathing in, I enjoy working with imagination to experience a healing hologram of memories.
Re-living the feeling of Tapoban nights is the sweetest relaxation as I float into the Dreamtime. At the edge of sleep, I enjoy a virtual walk-through of the beautiful meditation campus.
Having walked the mountainside stairway many times, all 300 steps, I know it well, from the road entrance, down to Osho’s Samadhi. Drifting to sleep, it’s a joy to recall every step, every statue, and every stone.
A place of perches, the outdoor stairway naturally creates drama, rest, and fun in the forest space. Friends sit, alone or together, in silence or laughter. I replay memories of dear friends there, always remembered in full sunshine, as I go to the kitchen, the Death Park, or Shivapuri Baba’s Temple. An orange bird in the treetops is also a soulful source of wonder. The coucal shows itself rarely, only as a reward to meditators it seems.
After a day of dance and meditation, falling asleep in this place is a great body-joy. The experience of true silence is a rare and pleasant phenomenon. I literally melt into the mountain presence and the Osho Samadhi nearby. Years of meditations are accumulated here, in a forest where Nagarjuna Buddha and Shivapuri Baba walked, and where seekers celebrate life and open in ecstatic union with the Divine.
Immersed in sacred vibrations of past and present, this place gives rest as no other on Earth. Ultimately, Tapoban means safety to my soul. Remembering feelings is powerful medicine. In a fortress of kindness, I feel protected as a sensitive person. I feel cared for there as a delicate flower in a rough world. Sensitivity is accepted here as something beautiful. Unpredictable soul silence is also allowed and understood.
The dynamic, undulating Nagarjuna Hills cascade down into the surrounding valley. In geomancy, these protective, sweet mountains are considered a very auspicious ‘dragon’ feature. The angle of the morning sun over the Nagarjuna Forest is memorized in my soul, as well as the path of the setting sun. I recall the intuitive math of calibrating to the morning sunlight and feeling the breeze to start the day.
On my visits, I am always given a balcony room in view of the Meditation Hall. As the ‘heart center’ of the campus, this location gifts me a warm feeling of connection and belonging. It’s comforting to re-visit flowers on the stairway and signs posting gems of Osho’s wisdom. From my room’s balcony, I see towering trees that shimmer in the breeze. I see the clotheslines on rooftops and watch adorable, hilarious baby monkeys swinging from laundered bra straps with total joy. This brings a chuckle and deeper breathing.
At the edge of sleep, I look for and find what holds Tapoban together, year after year. Love is in the gardens, the bricks, and the cement. Love gets into the purified water and comforting hot showers. Love is expressed by expert facilitators who give their all, day after day. Love gets into the food through the hands of people who consciously put their hearts into every meal. Love is expressed through excellent administrators and staff, facility and grounds care, and wonderfully happy housekeeping. Love supercharges the Osho Samadhi. Before sleep, I remember many good laughs and pray for friends there. As in a hologram, the ashram’s individuals, the parts, contain the whole.
Through profound sleep at Tapoban, my soul understands a new level of let-go and readiness for a miracle-a-minute in waking life. In present time, I practice the same feeling of generating happiness, trusting that all is truly well, and life is unfolding as it should. I replay what I have heard many times from Osho Tapoban’s founder, Anand Arun, who says, “Love, trust, stay open.” It’s the very best one-size-fits-all mantra.
While I can’t travel to Nepal this year, I am there anyway. In consciousness, it’s a joy to explore my inner Tapoban as a healing hologram. This is the ever-present beauty of this place and its ancient-contemporary buddhafield. With love, there is no time or distance.
Article by Deva Dosa
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