Searching for something alive

Gopal’s journey into sannyas

I was born in 1961 in Tehran, Iran. Growing up there was both rich and challenging, but everything changed with the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Like many others, I felt I no longer had a future in my homeland, so I left. After spending a few years in Europe, I eventually found my new home in Canada, where I have lived for more than forty years.

Even though I had built a life in the West, a question kept burning inside me: Who am I in the deepest sense? What are my true Persian roots, before history was rewritten and covered over? I turned to Zoroastrianism, hoping its ancient wisdom would open doors. But the texts I found left me cold. They were dry, rigid, and filled with rules. I wanted spirit, not dogma. I was searching for something alive, something that could quench my thirst for the divine. And at that time, I felt disappointed and lost.

Then, in 1993, something unexpected happened. The owner of the bookstore where I often bought books called me one day. “I have something special for you,” she said. It was a book called Zarathustra: The Laughing Prophet by Osho. Even the title made me pause. A prophet who laughs? That was completely new to me. Prophets were always painted as serious, suffering, even grim. But laughing? That was revolutionary.

That night, I opened the book – and I didn’t close it until two days later. I devoured all 453 pages, unable to put it down. Osho’s words struck something deep within me. For the first time, my thirst was quenched. A fire was lit in me, one that still burns today.

I rushed back to the bookstore and asked for more. My next book was Zarathustra: A God That Can Dance, I finished it in just a few days. Then came The Mustard Seed, where Osho spoke of Jesus in a way I had never heard before – fresh, compassionate, and free of heavy dogma. Each book opened new windows: toward Buddha, Zen, Sufism, Taoism, Tantra… It felt like I had stumbled into a vast candy shop filled with treasures of wisdom.

In 1996, while studying Family Therapy, life brought me to another turning point. I met a sannyasin named Komalta (peace to her soul), who was also a psychotherapist. She offered Osho meditation courses at the university. Until then, I had seen therapists myself, but Western psychotherapy always felt shallow. It focused on problems, dysfunction, and coping, but never touched the soul. Through Komalta, I discovered Osho’s active meditations – and suddenly, healing became something alive, playful, and deeply transformative. I joined her workshops, connected with Montreal Osho groups, and found a whole new way of being.

After I graduated as a family therapist, I began blending Osho’s literature and meditations into my work with clients. In 2007, I traveled to Pune, India, to Osho’s ashram. It was my way of bowing in gratitude to Osho, and shortly after, I became a sannyasin myself.

Over the years, I’ve had many teachers and guides, but Osho has always remained at the center of my journey. His presence, his wisdom, his laughter – these have been constant companions in my life.

In time, I stepped away from traditional Western psychotherapy altogether and chose to focus only on spiritual approaches to healing. Writing became another way to share my journey. In recent years, I have published nine books, of which eight in English: Born to Fly; You Are Beyond Who You Are; Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds: Thus Spake Zarathustra; From Destiny to Choice; The Messiah: Saoshyant; Your Immortal Spirit; Zarathustra: The Influence of the Persian Prophet on Nietzsche’s Philosophy and Awakening Your Conscious Self.

I have attempted weaving together my own personal experiences and professional insights. My hope is that these writings can offer seekers, therapists, and anyone longing for healing a doorway – an alternative to the limitations of conventional therapy, and a path toward deeper transformation.