Sef

Tribute

by Berto Aussems

Prem Sef (Drs. ir. Sef Kicken) was born in 1945 and passed away in the residential care center, The Beyart, in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Sef studied mathematics and philosophy and was both a beta and alpha scientist. He was a teacher of mathematics for various courses, and from 1977-1979 was a lecturer in philosophy at the International Academy of Manternach, Luxemburg. His core theme was holistic thinking in science.

Other than being a scientist, Sef was an active Rock & Roll enthusiast especially in the period 1957-1970. He wrote numerous articles for music magazines and compiled R&R radio programs, and also wrote contributions to magazines, including Prana and Bres.

After traveling to Pune in 1979, he became a disciple of Osho and, on 10 January 1980, he received the name Swami Prem Sef.

Sef Kicken is author of three books:

• Alternatieve Wetenschap (Alternative Science), 1975
• Bewustzijnscrisis en Cultuurverandering (Crisis of Consciousness and Cultural Change), 1977
• Bewustzijn als Basis (Consciousness as Basis), 1991

In the period 1976-1985, Sef gave lectures throughout the Netherlands. In internet search (google.com) will show that Sef has left his mark. Articles and books of his can still be found, e.g. the article Reflections on Rock (in Dutch) by Sef Kicken (PDF)

In the mid-seventies, I read Alternative Science and thought: how special, someone from Maastricht writes a book about how things should be different in our society and the world as a whole. His open approach to the analysis of the nearing cultural crisis touched me deeply. Not much later I meet Sef, and together we traveled to Amsterdam to do an Enlightenment Intensive therapy group at a Kromme Waal center.

Spirituality is wonderful, but it’s more about working on oneself – and that’s what we did.

In 1980 we set up a Center for Personal Growth on the Wilhelminasingel in Maastricht. It was perhaps the only place in Maastricht where sannyasins could meet and meditate together. Sef was a welcome guest, a warm and humble person.

Sef continued to travel into his old age, to India and later to spiritual places more in our neighboring countries. In southern India, he enjoyed visiting Christian monasteries and also gave guest lectures to schools there.

Sef was a forerunner and a prophet of the New Age. His ideas have become increasingly relevant over the years. For many in the Netherlands, he was the person who sensed the spirit of the times well and knew how to articulate it. But, as so often, a prophet is rarely honored in his or her own country.

In Consciousness as Basis, Sef Kicken describes consciousness as a general perspective that can bring unity and coherence between the various sciences, religion, and philosophy, but can also offer a way out of the current world crisis. Consciousness is the unifying element here, because it is the basis of all thinking, knowing, feeling, sensing, experiencing, acting, wanting. The World Crisis, according to the author, is essentially a crisis in consciousness, arising from dualistic thinking that creates contradictions and conflicts. The time is therefore ripe for a holistic vision that assumes the unity of reality, including a human being who perceives this reality.

Recent developments in various sciences, especially in quantum physics, parapsychology and transpersonal psychology, also point in this direction. A synthesis is developing in which science and religion, Western and Eastern insights come together.

We will miss his energetic, sprightly, dancing, charismatic persona in Maastricht.

Heartfelt greetings,

Berto Aussems

Translation by Srajan with edits by ON – Dutch original published on vrienden-van-osho.nl – photo De Limburger

Osho answers his question

Beloved Master,

What is the use of esoteric teachings and spiritual knowledge? How can I find out if they are true or not?

Sef Kicken, the esoteric teachings are only for the fools. The fools are very much interested in anything they cannot understand. The idea of the foolish mind is that anything it cannot understand must be very mysterious, must be very superior, must belong to higher planes.

A really religious person has nothing to do with esoteric nonsense – with theosophy, with anthroposophy, and with so many Lobsang Rampas… and all kinds of nonsense that goes on being written. It must be fulfilling some people’s needs. Just as a few people like detective novels, a few others are interested in esoteric knowledge.

There is nothing esoteric in existence. Existence is nude, naked; nothing is hidden.

Once Buddha was asked, “Have you said everything, or is there something esoteric which you have not said?”

Buddha showed his hand – an open hand – and he said, “I am like an open hand, not like a fist.”

And so is existence – like an open hand, not like a fist. It hides nothing; all is there, all around you. God is overflowing… and you are pondering over esoteric things – seven planes or seventeen, seven hells and seven heavens. And the more complicated is the system, the more appeal it has.

Theosophy is more or less sheer nonsense, but it attracted thousands of people around the world. It has become a great world movement. People were talking of hidden masters, guides, astral, ethereal…. And in Madam Blavatsky’s room letters used to drop from the ceiling — letters from hidden masters who live in the Himalayas. Later on it was found that a man used to hide there on the roof and he used to drop those letters. The man himself confessed in the court that “My whole work was that whenever the session of the theosophists would be there and they would wait with closed eyes and pray for masters, hidden masters, to guide them, I had instructions from Madam Blavatsky what letter to drop. Those letters were written by Madam Blavatsky.” They were examined later on by experts and it was proved that they were written by Blavatsky herself. But she fooled people for years.

You ask me, “What is the use of esoteric teachings and spiritual knowledge?”

To fulfill the demands of the fools, that is the use. And there is no spiritual knowledge at all.

Spirituality is an experience, not knowledge. You cannot reduce it to knowledge; it is always knowing, never knowledge. It is an insight, irreduceable into words. You cannot put it into theories, into systems of thought; that is impossible. And those who try to do it don’t know anything… only then can they do it. This is a strange phenomenon: those who know, they never try to reduce their knowing to knowledge; and those who don’t know, they are absolutely free. They can create any knowledge that is their invention.

All spiritual knowledge is the invention of the mind. Real spiritual knowing happens only when the mind is dropped, when you are in a state of no-mind.

And you ask me, “How can I find out if they are true or not?”

Why should you be worried? Rather try to find out who you are. That’s the only real religious question, the only quest: “Who am I?” That’s enough; no other questions are significant. Avoid all other jargon – spiritual, religious, theological, esoteric. Avoid all jargon. Just stick to a simple quest: “Who am I?” That’s enough. If you know yourself you have known all; if you don’t know yourself you may know everything in the world, but that is of no use. It is unnecessary burden and bondage.

Clarence and Lulu were sitting on the front porch in Kentucky on a warm summer evening, holding hands.

Lulu turned to Clarence and said, “Clarence, say something soft and mushy.”

And Clarence embarrassedly turned to Lulu and said, “Ah, shit!”

That’s what esoteric knowledge is – soft and mushy!

Osho, The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol 8, Ch 10, Q 2 – 30 December 1979

Obit in the Media

• Docent, wetenschapper en Bhagwan-volger Sef Kicken is in Maastricht overleden and Teacher, scientist, Bhagwan follower and pop music writer: the versatile Sef Kicken passed away in Maastricht – by Door Joos Philippens, on 13 October 2023 in De Limburger (payment wall)