Vishwa

Swami Deva Vishwa

by Devabodhi

On 11 July we had the send-off celebration for Swami Deva Vishwa (Theo Schuurmans). It was a moving goodbye to a loving, always optimistic, multi-talented man who enjoyed life and loved nature.

After graduating from Social Academy, Theo started working in a newly-opened therapeutic community (TC) in Rotterdam for ex-addicts. It was Veeresh who had brought the concept of therapeutic community from New York to the Netherlands. Reason why, in 1976, Theo enrolled in a workshop run by Veeresh at Tushita in England. During a break Theo met Veeresh in the garden and told him that he was presently looking for work. As an answer, Veeresh just hung a mala around his neck.

Back home, Theo wrote a letter to Osho and asked for a new name, and he immediately dyed all his clothes orange. It had only been two months that Theo and I had been in a relationship. I had fallen in love with this man. His shining eyes and his sweet smile… Soon the letter arrived from Pune with the new name: Deva Vishwa (divine universe).

The following spring, in April 1977, we flew together to Pune to meet Osho in person for the first time. I also took sannyas, on 30 April.

Back in the Netherlands, in Breda, a town in the south, we were the only two people walking around dressed in bright orange (orange is the Dutch national colour on Kings’ Day and at football championships!), but we weren’t really noticed as Osho was not yet known in the Netherlands.

In October 1978 we were back in Pune for a few weeks to participate in several groups. And in January 1980 we moved to Pune “to stay for good”. A few months later, however, we split up and Vishwa decided to return to the Netherlands. He settled in Limburg, a beautiful, hilly province in the very south of the Netherlands. He resumed his work as a therapist in a TC in Heerlen.

There he met Nancy. With her he had his long-awaited child, his daughter Marieke. Vishwa was a proud and loving father who took good care of his daughter. Even after they had split up, they remained close friends till the end. He was a true family man. He loved the yearly reunion with his three brothers, his sister, their partners, the children and grandchildren.

At the age of 60 he got severe hearth problems and had a defibrillator implanted. He remained active, driving out into nature on his scooter, painting, drawing and making music on various instruments.

This last February he had a stroke which weakened him severely and restricted his free life.

Ready to let go in love (as he himself stated), he left his body at 3 July 2024.

Goodbye Vishwa, I am so grateful to you for bringing Osho into my life.

Devabodhi

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