Feb 26
!!!! CHANGED !!!! Not now April 15, instead now APRIL 29th. We were requested to make this change to help sort out an error with another group had made in booking the hall.
June 24th
Aug 19
Oct 21
Dec 16

AND on Sunday Dec 11 there is a celenration:

Osho Birthday Celebration

We’ll be gathering to meditate, celebrate, dance, sing and be together
Everybody, of every age welcome!

4.30pm-6.30pm (Satsang starts 4.45pm)
Cost £4

They will be on Oct 8 and Dec 10 2011, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Bring vegetarian lunch to share, and see the Practical Information page for more details – please do read that page!

Here is an extract from one of Osho’s guided meditations:-

Gather all your life energy, your total consciousness, and with an urgency as if this is going to be your last moment of life — only with such urgency you can rush towards your being, towards your very center.
Faster and faster …
As you come closer to your center, a great silence descends over you. Fountains of peace spring within you. Suddenly a great ecstasy possesses you.
This is the moment you are the buddha, the awakened one.
At the very center of your being, the buddha has been hiding since eternity. You have never looked inwards. Otherwise, you have there all the treasures of the world, you have all that existence can offer you.
The buddha is nothing but a door into eternity, into godliness, into the divine existence.
The only quality the buddha has, has to be remembered: it is witnessing.
Just witness … the body is not you.
Witness … the mind is not you.
Witness … the astral, the other bodies, the subtle body, are not you.
These are all just layers upon you. Hidden behind all these layers is your real being. That being is a pure witness, a watcher on the hill.
Buddha knows no other quality. He consists only of pure witnessing.
Witness all the experiences that will be happening at the center of your being: the serenity, the calmness, a very cool breeze passing through you, an unknown fragrance filling your being, a blessing that you have never known, a benediction that you can share with the whole world and it will be inexhaustible.
Witness: this moment you are the most fortunate people on the earth, because everybody is looking out, and you are looking in.
Everybody is looking at things, you are looking at godliness, your very subjectivity.
Everybody is concerned about trivia, you are concerned with the essential core of existence.
Collect as much as you can … the flowers, the fragrance, but remain a witness.

Remember, you can browse everything that Osho ever said for free at www.osho.com/library and purchase downloads of him speaking very cheaply.

And here is what an actual real person said about coming to one of our meditation days for the first time:

I had never done a meditation class like this before, so was quite anxious about the whole thing. I still felt completely out of my comfort zone when Islam described what we were going to be doing. Strangely though, within 5 minutes of starting, I felt completely safe and really let myself get into the whole liberating experience.  I couldn’t believe how quickly my energy levels increased and my stress levels decreased as the day progressed. 

I feel I made more progress with stress and anxiety that day, than I have with 6 months of counselling and I couldn’t believe how calmer and clear minded I was 4 days later, doing my stressful job. I will be doing dynamic on a regular basis from now on, as I know, its now vital to my well being.  Thank you so much for introducing me to this wonderful, simple and yet unbelievably effective technique.   Elise.

He runs a retreat in the UK every year, and this year it runs from the late afternoon of Friday June 17th to the afternoon of Monday June 20th. The cost is £185 in small-dormitory accommodation. Full details:

http://www.oshocampuk.com

Osho’s work is not one fixed form and different Osho centres naturally have their own flavour and emphasise different facets of Osho’s vision. Some are more focussed on the the truths and the techniques that Osho presents, others are more focussed on the master-disciple relationship and are more devotional. Here at Osho Meditation Bristol we more focus on the truths and techniques, because that makes Osho more universally available. Arun is definitely devotional and centred on the master-disciple relationship. Also, his workshops are culturally somewhat Indian rather then European.  Despite all that I very highly recommend Arun’s retreats! And I will be there instead of helping with our first meditation event at DMAC/Hamilton House (see next post.)

The day will be run by Suvarna.

All practical details see the  “Dates, times, location” etc link on the left.

If you are on the mailing list, this post is just the email you already received.

If you didn’t get the email, then this post will explain some new developments, which I hope you will like, in the Bristol Osho Active Meditation events this year. At the end, it asks for some action from you.

Over the past year I’ve had many reminders of how powerful it is when we meditate together. Time and again I’ve been so happy to be able to do dynamic and dance and sit silently at the Active Meditation days – sometimes even I have been surprised how much of a lift a single day has given my life.  More recently I’ve also been reminded how powerful it is when meditation and love come together: there was the celebration evening which Shanti organised for December 11th, then I attended the New Year celebration at RISK in Denmark, and the January enlightenment intensive enquiry day which Smaran organised.

At all of these events, in different ways I had very deep and beautiful experiences – experiences I don’t have so easily when I meditate on my own. It underlined for me what Osho says, that

“A meditator … needs only one thing: the atmosphere of meditation. He needs other meditators; he needs to be surrounded by other meditators.”

[The Invitation, chapter #12]

It is so easy to get swamped by the demands of everyday life and for meditation to slide from the top of what Osho calls the “laundry list”. I would really like that here in Bristol we create the strongest possible support for each other to live Osho’s vision of love, celebration, and meditation. To help this happen, we have decided to change Osho Meditation Bristol into the Bristol Osho Meditation Club.

What’s the Club? The idea of creating a club came about because we wanted to create a feeling of community and celebrating together, and a sense that we are supporting each other in our meditation.  Also, we wanted to make sure that the basic expenses for the events were covered. Having members pay an annual membership fee will do just that, and we have set it as low as possible, at £40 per year, which we hope you will agree is very affordable. So if you come every month you’ll be paying only a little over £3 per day, and if you come five times a year then you’ll be paying £8 per day, and so on. Newcomers can come along for free the first time, and then on a drop-in basis. (See end of this email for details).

We would love to create all sorts of other events as well where we can connect, dance, celebrate, and have fun. This could include evening meditations, video evenings, dance evenings, satsangs and other kinds of celebrations. The price for these events will not be included in the subscription, but having the subscription means it can be kept low.

The essence of Osho’s work is meditation, and we are not going to forget that. Yet as Osho puts it:-

“My whole life has been devoted to only one single programme: how to bring love and meditation together — because only through that meeting a new humanity is possible.” (The Rebellious Spirit, #29)

So we are going to experiment a little with what we do in the meditation days. We picture the morning being much as now – Dynamic, then meditations such as No-Mind, Laughter, Natraj and silent sitting. The afternoons will vary. They may have more of a celebration feeling, with dancing or singing, or more interactive meditations, such as those from the Book of Secrets. While it’s definitely best to come for the whole day including Dynamic Meditation, it will be possible to come for just part of the day. We will publish on the blog and on Facebook the programme and start and end times of the morning and afternoon.

Who’s running it? The club organisers right now are: Islam, Suvarna, Malika, Amala, Shanti and Satyen. (Sidika was involved before she left on her travels). And there’s YOU! We would like the project to be as inclusive as possible and anyone who wants to contribute is welcome to be a part.  The people I’ve explained the Meditation Club idea to so far have all been very enthusiastic, and we hope that you will be too.

We want your opinion! This is YOUR Buddhafield to support YOUR transformation, and we really want to know what your vision of Osho’s work in Bristol is. So one of us will be giving you a ring in the next few days to answer any questions you might have, and to find out how you would like things to be.

We’ve also created a quick online poll at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XZPP2D

If you would, please take a moment to fill this in so we can collect some bread-and-butter information about preferences. It’s very easy and shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

We’ve set up a Facebook group. This group will have all announcements for the club including meditation day dates, and members can post messages for the organisers or other members. You may have received an invitation to join the group already, but if not then please search for “Osho meditation Bristol” in Facebook to sign up.

We’re feeling our way, so things may change a bit. But to summarise, the Meditation Club is going to work like this:-

• Your £40 subscription covers all the Active Meditation Days for  12 months from when you join.
• There will be other events such as evening meetings and celebrations. These are not included in the subscription fee.
• Newcomers can come to the first Active Meditation day FREE, then the second one is £8, then the third and any subsequent ones are £15. However if you pay £15 and then take out a subscription, the £15 will be knocked off the subscription price.
• See payment details etc below.
• The next Active Meditation Day is SUNDAY Feb 27^th at St Michael’s Hall, starting at 8:45 for 9:00 prompt with dynamic (instructions will be at 8:45), or 10:00 for 10:30 prompt if you don’t come to dynamic.  Bring (simple) vegetarian food to share. For map and all practical details see www.osho-meditation-bristol.co.uk/blog We will put the afternoon start time and programme on the blog and on Facebook nearer the event.

Payment Details: You can pay the subscription by either cheque or internet transfer.

Cheques made payable to:

Andrew White, Flat 6, Severnleigh Gardens, Stoke Hill, Bristol BS9 1JE.

Please put your sannyas name and phone number on the back.

For internet transfers:

Name: Andrew White

Sort code: 20-36-16

Account: 93888770

Reference: your sannyas name or other name we know you by.
Please send a brief email, saying that you’ve paid and the reference you gave, to premislam@yahoo.co.uk

Many thanks for staying to the end of this long post! Let’s finish with a quote from Osho:

[Enlightenment] is a strange phenomenon because in a sense, it is already yours, and in a sense you have to find it. It is hidden inside your being. … You can reach just by being silent and more silent. As the silence deepens, you are coming closer and closer to a light which is your ultimate source of life. …

And that is the only blissful state. Other than that, you never know what bliss is. It is not pleasure; pleasure is not even something like a faraway cousin. You cannot understand bliss by measuring it in terms of pleasure. …

Blissfulness has nothing to do with you; blissfulness is your very nature. You simply relax into yourself, to the deepest rock bottom of your being … And you are light and you are truth, and you are beauty and you are love, and you are all that one can desire. The glory, the splendor of the whole existence is yours. … as an individual entity you will be no more. But as a universal being, as a whole cosmos, you will be.

Osho, Yaa-Hoo! The Mystic Rose, #19

Finally: do you realise that you can now browse ALL of Osho’s words FREE online? Do have a look, it’s an amazing resource and only takes a minute to register: www.osho.com/library

With love

Islam

This one month only, January, will be FREE! – no charge, gratis, unentgeltlich, gratuito, kostenlos. Everyone welcome.

Why free? – well, starting with the following month, Sunday February 27^th, we are going to make some major changes, intended to make the days both cheaper and more user friendly for everyone. So next week is organisationally a one-off and it seemed simpler and more fun to make it a freebie.

Please watch out for the email about the changes in the next few days. Everyone I’ve mentioned them to so far thinks they are a great idea.

Practical details for Sunday Jan 23^rd are of course on

http://osho-meditation-bristol.co.uk/blog/practical-information-for-active-meditation-days/

but the main things are:

>>> Dynamic is optional but highly recommended. Be there 8:50 for a PROMPT start at 9:00. If you’ve not done it before, or only done it a few times, come at 8:40 for full instructions PROMPT at 8:45.

>>> If you don’t come to dynamic, then please come at 10:00 for a prompt start at 10:30.

>>> The morning meditations are more active, so it’s really good to come then if you can. If not, come after lunch, arriving 1:45 for a 2:00 start.

>>> Please bring vegetarian food to share for lunch. Simple and easy is fine.

>>> End 5:30 or before.

Finally, some words from Osho:

BELOVED OSHO,

THE OTHER NIGHT YOU SAID THAT MY CONSTANT LONGING IS A PROOF THAT I AM CARRYING A SEED FROM MY PAST LIFE, AND THAT I SHOULDN’T MISS THIS LIFE BUT LET THE SEED SPROUT AND DIE CONSCIOUSLY SO THAT I CAN WORK ON IN THE NEXT LIFE — EVEN WITHOUT A MASTER. YOU HAVE ALREADY EXCLUDED MANEESHA AND MILAREPA FROM DISAPPEARING. AM I ALSO DOOMED TO GO ROUND AGAIN?

Premda, it all depends on you. If you want to do another round, it is very easy. You have done many rounds before — millions, because since the beginning we have been here doing rounds, circling. But if you are satisfied that enough rounding has been done and it is time now to stop, that too is not difficult. Nature is very simple, and it gives you total freedom — you just have to be decisive.

To stop the round, you will have to drop many things — your desires, your ambitions, aspirations, greed, ego — the laundry list is long. But if you can do without laundry, you can stop any moment the wheel of life and death.

It was necessary that you should go through all these rounds to bring you to the realization that now it is enough and you should stop, because there is another world that begins with stopping — another universe, desireless, passionless, full of love, full of joy, just absolute in every sense. Nothing can be more than that.

So by stopping you are not losing anything, just stopping the sorry-go-round. People call it merry-go-round. I have always been puzzled why they call it merry-go-round. Nobody seems…. So I have made my own word, `sorry-go-round’.

And if you see the suffering and the anguish of it all, that very seeing will stop it and then begins a totally new world of which only a few indications can be given, and those indications are not descriptions of its entirety. They are just arrows pointing. It is infinite, it is eternal, it knows no sadness, no sorrow.

And everything depends on a single thing: your decision.

And my whole effort is somehow to stop your sorry-go-round, but you insist that you want just one time more — as if you have not been on the same trip millions of times — just one time more.

Try to understand your life as it is, and there will be no problem. The stopping will come on its own accord.

Osho, The Transmission of the Lamp, Chapter #44

The new entrance to the Osho Meditation Resort in Pune

With hightened security following the German Bakery explosion last year, the austere zen-aesthetic design features a metal detector and a security railing  around the receptionist/guard’s desk.

Initially,  numerous Indian police agencies (city police, city anti-terror squad, state police, state anti-terror police, national anti-terror police, national Central Bureau of Investigation … ) claimed to have identified the bombers. In Keystone Cops fashion, they all claimed someone different. It looked like the outcome would be the familiar Indian police “we have completely solved the case, regretfully all the culprits have absconded to Dubai.”

Now however, the Anti-Terror Squad have arrested a highly credible suspect.  Mirza Himayat Inayat Baig was arrested on September 7, at Mahatma Gandhi Bus stand in the Camp area of the city [ie near MG Road.] He is being described by police as the mastermind of the plot, and this seems believable. Baig has apparently been linked to the mobile phone used to detonate the device, had false identity papers in his possession, lived under false names, and is claimed used 25 email identities to contact other members of the gang. He is alleged to be linked to the banned group Indian Mujahideen, regarded by police as responsible for other blasts in Surat, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi. The “chargesheet” against him runs to more than 2000 pages.

The German Bakery itself is set to re-open around Christmas. There will be no pavement seating, as this was “encroached” on public land. Instead there will be a seating area upstairs. It sounds like it will be a lot posher than it used to be.

My guess it that the Resort managment would probably be happy if it hadn’t re-opened at all, as they regarded it as a magnet for  drug dealers and unsavoury types  (I agree!). They may perhaps be happier if it opens in a more up-market format.

Life is a great challenge, an adventure into the unknown, an adventure into oneself, and adventure into that which is. If you live an unconscious life, if you simply exist, you will always remain afraid of death. Death will always be just somewhere near the comer, hanging around you. Only life goes beyond death.

Existence comes, disappears. It is given to you, taken away. It is a wave in the ocean… arises, falls back, disappears.

But life is eternal. Once you have it, you have it forever. Life knows no death. Life is not afraid of death. Once you know what life is, death disappears.

If you are still afraid of death, know well — you have not known life yet.

Death exists only in the ignorance — in the ignorance of what life is. One goes on living. One goes on moving from one moment to another, from one action to another, completely unaware what one is doing, why one is doing, why one is drifting from this point to that point.

If you become a little meditative, many times in a day you will catch hold of yourself completely drifting unconscious.

The whole effort of religion is to make you aware of your existence.

Existence plus awareness is life eternal — what Jesus calls life in abundance, what Jesus calls the kingdom of god.

That kingdom of god is within you. You have already the seed within you. You just have to allow it to sprout. You have to allow it to come in the sunlit world of the sky, to become free, to move in freedom, to move higher and higher, to touch the very infinity. It is possible to soar high — but the basic thing is awareness.

Osho Nirvanva, the Last Nightmare.