Anubuddha’s travel Home, 50 years ago. Happy 4th of July!
Magic is always in the air!… 50 years ago and still today. So open your doors of perception, and breathe her in!
I’m aware that this is ‘just a story’, and that the past is no more. But the ‘inner scientist’ in me has an intriguing hypothesis: the Past, Future, and Present are all part of a mysterious One Organic Unity. So reliving and sharing this two-week episode from my magical/mystical early life is a fun exercise for me… and hopefully it helps you and me be even more open to the Magic of Now, and our Magical Future Nows, waiting to be lived…
This story is also a part of my Akashic Records Book about the Electro-Magnetism of Osho, that may or may not ever be published. My story is unique in its own way, but all around the globe, literally thousands upon thousands of seekers, from all walks of life, were being “pulled by invisible strings” to Osho’s ashram in Poona, India.
Story begins in late June 1976: A Young Man’s Tale of Following his Heart, Taking Risks, and Trusting Spirit.
“Tell me who you are?” – “KWAI”! I saw the answer. On the 3rd day of my 1st Enlightenment Intensive, I had a major satori… Inside of me, way beyond any logic or perception, I had a mystical glimpse of “Who Am I”. In that precious moment, I just knew we were all Divine and made of Light and Love.
In 1976, I was 24, an ex-University of San Diego athlete, living on the beach, practicing and beginning to teach Hatha Yoga in San Diego. I had also helped start a Real Estate Company and was selling land in the High Desert to pay my way.
(This was a time when many people were talking about, and experimenting with ‘Living on the Land’ and starting small communes. It was also a time when Indian Mysticism and Spiritual Awakening was ‘In the Air’).
In June of ‘76, I moved on to Geetam Rajneesh Sannyas Ashram, 70 acres of open space in the High Desert. There were 20 of us from all over the globe. Although I was still not “officially an Osho sannyasin”, I knew I was going to be. For the past 9 months, I had been listening to a lot of Osho’s taped discourses, practicing his Active Meditations (Dynamic, Kundalini, Nadabrahma, Nataraj, Mandala), meeting many of his juicy disciples, and wearing mostly orange clothes.
Osho’s vision of life was opening me up to inner spaces I had never even dreamed of before… He spoke of “The Body as the Door to Inner Consciousness” and “Acceptance Is Transcendence”, and it was music to my spiritual ears. I had never heard anyone so wise, so loving, so funny – all in one!
As a Real Estate salesman, I had just sold the property “Geetam” to a group of courageous, outrageous sannyasins, led by Krishna Prem.
One evening in late June, there was definitely “Magic in the Air”. Our neighbors in Lucerne Valley, who lived just 5 minutes away, were the creators of a very unique meditation process, known as Enlightenment Intensive. They jump-started my spiritual life… They called us and said that they needed someone to come and participate in their weekend program (they needed an even number). When I heard “Enlightenment Intensive” and “Free”, I jumped at the chance, and said, “I’m in!”
Well, Enlightenment Intensive is a very intense process, but it actually worked for me! When I finished on the Sunday evening, I only had ONE burning desire running through every fiber of my Being: How to get to INDIA and meet Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ASAP!
So next morning, I drove to San Diego to ask my Father a big favor.
“Listen Dad, I’ve never asked you for money before, but now is the most important moment of my Life – and I need $2,000. Right now.” It was 1st July 1976, I was 24, and I only had one thing on my Mind: Get to India in 12 days to meet Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh on the auspicious Guru Purnima Day (11th July). I was on the exact opposite end of the world – in San Diego, California – but I just had to make it to India.
“Dad, you know my main interest in life has been Health and Athletics. And you know, after my athletic career ended, I have been practicing and studying Yoga intensely for the past three years. I think that Yoga will become a VERY BIG and popular Reality soon.” (I was definitely right about that prediction!)
“If I go to India, and study Yoga with the famous BKS Iyengar (Iyengar had his Yoga ashram also in Poona, a 15-minute rickshaw drive from Osho’s ashram), I will have the credentials to open a successful Yoga studio, and make a very good living.”
I was appealing to my Father’s logic, and it actually worked! He told me that we had an insurance policy that he started when I was born, and now it was worth $2,000. So I could have that money. I hugged him warmly (which was a bit intense for him – lol!) and said I will be forever grateful (which is true).
This is where the tale gets even more magical: At the time, the cheapest air tickets to India were from New York to Bombay. The Indian Embassy was also in New York, and you needed a visa. New York in July 1976 was the epicenter of America… it was the 200 Year Anniversary of USA, and so many celebrations were planned. It was mind-blowing.
There is another small ‘magical backstory’ I’d like to inject here: My early Real Estate company training was based on the principles of Think & Grow Rich, Self-Hypnosis Methods, You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be, and Psycho-Cybernetics… So in the previous three years, I had read so many ‘inspirational self-help books’… and many of them featured stories romanticizing about the Founding Fathers and the American Revolution… So I was really feeling psyched up to be in New York for the Bi-Centennial.
On 2nd July, in order to save money, I started to hitchhike across America… What was I thinking? Was I stupid, or just naive? It took me 12 hours just to get to Las Vegas! I was still 4,500 kms from New York!
Luckily, a very close University friend, named Rob, lived in Las Vegas – and his father actually owned a Casino there – so he was fairly well-off. I spent the night with him and his wife Colette (who I also knew and liked)… and then he BOUGHT ME A PLANE TICKET to New York for the next morning. I arrived in NY on 3rd July… TALKING ABOUT MAGIC!
Back then (and I guess it’s still true), California and New York were 2 completely different planets. And I was an innocent guy, raised near the sunny beaches of California, following my heart. But I was not really alone. Back in the 70s, in America, there was a Network of Brotherhood and cooperation that was impossible to believe, unless you experienced it.
I arrived in New York, not knowing anyone, and only having the address of the Indian Embassy, and the phone number and address of the Rajneesh Center in Manhattan, near Central Park. When my plane landed, I realized I had no real idea how to get to the City, or where I was going to stay.
In early July 1976, New York was packed with international and US tourists… and the vibes were electric.
With my duffel bag, I went to the airport train station, and asked for a “ticket to Greenwich”. I had never been on a train before – lol! All of us young folks had heard of Greenwich Village because of its bohemian roots, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan. But I only said “Greenwich”. I had heard it would be a short train to town, so, 15 minutes later I asked someone when it stops in Greenwich Village? They looked at me like I was a bit stupid, and said this train is going to Greenwich, Connecticut! Mamma Mia!
So I got off at the next stop, and got my ticket to “Greenwich Village” (which I should have said to begin with). As I was waiting, I started talking with a very nice-looking girl, about my age, who was also waiting. She was intrigued by my story of being on my way to India, and wanting to see the Big Ships and 4th July Celebrations… Anyway, one thing led to the next, and she said I could stay at her place, very near to Central Park. Talking about Magic… Bless her heart! She knew the NY scene, and we got along great. The next day, we saw the Big Ships, and also Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane giving a Free Concert in Central Park.
I got my visa and plane ticket, and on 7th July went to the Ananda Rajneesh Meditation Center on 29th St. It was an amazing place, and a very important springboard for Osho’s early work in America. It was run by Brazilian Seeta, and ‘Black Rabiya’, two mystical women the likes I had never crossed paths with in my 24 years… I was positively mesmerized and blown away about how lucky I was.
While getting to know me, Rabiya (one of numerous enlightened disciples of Osho), asked me if I “was ready for sannyas Now?” I answered, “Yes,” and that I was flying to India to meet Bhagwan and take sannyas. With her crazy eyes, she looked at me and said, “What if you don’t make it to India? You only have Now. It would be better to travel as a sannyasin.” Well, this made perfect sense to my Heart Brain, and she and Seeta arranged a Sannyas Ceremony for me ‘on the spot’ in their beautiful Meditation Room.
They put a mala around my neck and said, “Bhagwan will give you your new name.” After the Initiation Ceremony, they took me out for famous New York Style Pizza… and funny as it may seem, I felt something like a Rebirth inside of me.
Guru Purnima Day in India was on 11th July, and I would be flying out of NY on the evening of the 9th. While waiting in the airport, a ‘distinguished older man’ (about 45 at the time – lol!) approached me and said, “Are you a Rajneesh disciple? Are you flying to Bombay?” It turned out, he was a successful Psychotherapist, and was going to Poona to meet Osho in person. Osho asked him to lead groups in the ashram, after he became a disciple. When my new friend asked me what my name was, I said, “I don’t have a name yet.” So he called me “No Name”. We traveled together, and being with Prem Dhruva, which Osho said means ‘Love is your Polar Star’ added a few more magical twists to an already Magical Mystery tour for me.
As cool as can be, Dhruva (not his name yet, but I forget his professional name) asks me, “Do you like smoking grass?” I say, “Sure…” (I was living in California in the early 60s & 70s, Man!). So on the plane, he goes into the bathroom with a very small pipe and gets high. When he comes back, he gives it me, and says, “Go ahead!” You may not know – but at this time, there was smoking on all the airplanes – it seems crazy now, but back then you could smoke pipes, cigs, cigars – anything. This was my very first international flight, and I was stoned. The risk of being caught for smoking a little pot was almost zero… I went back to the restroom, lit it up, and sat back down. I closed my eyes and melted into the clouds, dreamed of the Buddha-lands, blissing out.
We arrived in Bombay, and like everyone who ever made the journey, I was bombarded by exotic smells, sights, people, and noises that I’d never experienced before! It was crazy and exhilarating altogether…
Because I had many friends who had traveled to Poona, I had the infos of what train to take to Poona, and how to get to the ashram. Dhruva went along with me booking 2nd-class tickets for 1 dollar each (which was maybe a mistake, but very illuminating for both of us). On the very chaotic and full train, I said to Dhruva (who looking back, was way more experienced and wise than I was at the time), that I felt like “I am starting over right now. Nothing in my life has prepared me for this, and nothing I’ve ever done means anything right now.” This really touched Dhruva, and he later told me that this comment made a deep impression on him.
When we got to Poona, Dhruva said he would get us a room in the Blue Diamond, easy walking distance to the ashram. The Blue Diamond was the most expensive hotel in Poona, with AC, a big swimming pool, and incredible restaurants… So again, I was lucky beyond measure.
I went straight to the ashram after checking in. Seeta and Rabiya had me carry lots of things; for Seeta’s daughter Krishna and for Laxmi in the Office. So right away, I was introduced to other incredible people that just blew my heart and mind even more open… There was a lot of music in the ashram, as the next day was the very big Guru Purnima Day Celebration… Looking into Osho’s eyes, and feeling his love that evening was the cherry on top…
I had made it Home.
Twelve days earlier, everyone would have told me that it could never happen – all logic said, “NO WAY will you make it for Guru Purnima Day!” But our spiritual hearts, when connected to our soul’s longing, can be a catalytic agent for miracles all around us. Somewhere deep inside, everyone knows this… but almost everyone slowly slowly loses this Deep Trust in the Magic of Existence.
On this 4th July, 50 years after the same day 50 years earlier, there is still MAGIC IN THE AIR… there always was, there always is, and there always will be.
AHO & Namaste to You All
Prem Anubuddha
This text was first posted on Facebook by the author – reproduced with permission
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