The Dangers of Spiritual Ego
by Prem Geet

Review of Osho Camp with Swami Anand Arun, hosted by Zorba Studio
Dallas, Texas, USA  August 5 – 7, 2011

Something was “up” for me as I drove to the 3-day Osho Camp facilitated by the most beautiful Bodhisattva Swami Anand Arun, founder of Tapoban in Nepal, and hosted by Zorba Studio in Dallas.  For two hours in traffic I was stuck behind a WIDE LOAD truck carrying an enormous cement pillar that looked like the capital letter “I,” meaning the ego.  My spiritualized ego is on the chopping block I thought to myself, already spinning my next story.  I could not pass this truck, no matter what I did.  So for two hours I contemplated the cement-hard structure in myself as The Spiritualized Ego—whose focus has been on a painful surplus of gifts and “I, I, I,” because right now, no one is buying it.  The eternal witness watches as the I-ness arises to exist energetically at the expense of others through negativity.  The witness watches as this I-ness can silently galvanize or smother an entire room.  This I-ness can quickly kill love seeking expression.  It is a dangerous I-ness that rationalizes anger and is destructive to the fragile tapestry of community built on ethereal things like smiles, good wishes, loving intentions, and inherent limitations.  Feeling a really virulent flare up of especially dirty I-ness, the spirit in me sought total relief at the feet of Osho’s most beloved disciple, Swami Anand Arun.

Thank God for Swami Arun, a radiantly alive being who heals the room with his presence.  He is the most ardent Osho lover, and his passion never waivers for even a moment.  Swami Arun is so madly in love with Osho that everyone wants to jump in the water with him.  He speaks for hours with overflowing love and admiration for the Master.   Beloved Osho is very much present through him. 

Swami Arun opened the three-day event by saying that there are no maps for the spiritual life, and that we journey through uncharted territory under an infinite sky. Indeed we are blessed to know Osho, to be sannyasins, and to have the guidance of Swami Arun who always gently offers truth.  The group of 84 participants, with thirteen new sannyasins, was captivated by Arun’s joy in sharing his new project “Osho Madir on Wheels” happening in Nepal.  Thanks to large donations, Tapoban is now publishing books below cost and making them available to students and the underprivileged in approximately 4,000 Nepali villages.  The group loved to hear his great excitement, creativity, and enthusiasm for this first-ever traveling Osho Mandir!  We are thrilled that Osho Tapoban has great support from the Nepali government and others for its many great achievements going on at present time.  Thanks to Swami Arun, Osho centers are springing up all over the world!  “The most important thing is to share Osho,” he said. 

Swami Arun commented on the impact of 9-11 on our collective unconscious, saying, “The only way to counter terrorism is with laughter and celebration.”  He described the hopeful evolution of humanity as a numbers game where we really can tip the scale to consciousness through more and more spiritually alive communes, encouraging at least three Osho ashrams in America. He said that terrorism has created so much fear of anticipated terror that more Osho centers are urgently needed.  Arun confided that it took him 5 years to get the Tapoban land for the ashram in Nepal, and 20 years to create it. He said that Osho told him that he did not need Arun’s mind but Arun’s energy, and to do what he could but leave the “impossible” to Osho.  As a result, things have worked out in a very lovely, highly-ordered way, previously thought impossible.

Swami Arun also gave a discourse on the bio-energetic protection offered by Osho through the mala.  He said, “The mala creates a kind of window through which the Master can reach you.”   Under a Tapoban medical research program that strives to balance spirituality and technology, fifty doctors have conducted research validating the bio-energetic value of wearing the mala against cell phone use.  When experiment subjects were not wearing the mala and answered the cell phone, their life force dropped by 20 percent!  When the same subjects wore the mala and answered the cell phone, their bio-energy dropped only 5 percent.  This is a huge breakthrough in the scientific validation of the spiritual energy of the mala, and a valid warning against cell phone use.

We were very privileged to hear Swami Arun’s story of his last meeting with Osho at Manali, after the luxurious lifestyle of Rajneeshpuram had been stripped away.  Seated in the Himalayas on a riverbank 4 years before Osho’s death, Arun asked Beloved Osho if he missed his luxurious appointments, to which Osho replied that he was enjoying the mountains and river in that moment.  Osho also said he was never attached to those things at Rajneeshpuram, and that he never felt the infamous Rolls Royce cars were actually his.  Arun also played a discourse for us in which Osho clearly stated that after his death, his body should not be buried or burned.  Yet Osho’s body was cremated, against his express wishes.  It was deeply moving to imagine those days for Swami Arun, when his Master’s wishes were irrationally dishonored inspite of the audio tape directive in Osho’s own words.  The cement pillar of I-ness was obviously very active in those days as well.  I could not help but wonder what was gained in the decision to ignore Osho’s last and most sacred wishes.

Swami Arun also shared a very moving discourse in which Osho explains what happens at death when you deeply love someone.  It confirmed what I have felt that something invisible is given by the Beloved after death, an inexplicable gift of Being, a talent transfer, an eternal boon that expands the living.  “Love has eternity in it,” said Osho. 

Not surprisingly, Swami Arun spontaneously spoke on the dangers of spiritual ego.  He spoke lovingly of the subtle ways it is destructive, as we try to position and interpret where we are on the spiritual path, or silently compare ourselves--always higher than others, or measure the nearness of our surely impending Enlightenment, all ego strategies.  Arun underscored that we can NEVER know where we are on the path.  It does no good to grade ourselves for this experience or that achievement.  In building community, he advises caution, awareness, and tolerance. 

Arun also played a special Osho lecture in response to the death wish that so many seekers are having as a way to get out of the terribly painful work of becoming conscious.  What a great fantasy to just merge with Osho!  But Osho’s message was saying in effect, “Not so fast...Death is the easy way out.  You have work to do on planet Earth!”  Arun emphasized that sannyasins are never alone.  Master is always there with us.  To get through seemingly impossible times, Arun taught us concentrated prayer with the mala and to repeat our prayer to Osho three times. 

Driving home, I enjoyed the open road. There was no cement pillar in front of me, only an open sky and a prairie of golden grass made even more gold by the setting sun.  I cried for miles, feeling so much remorse about years and years of my ego and its sad results.  I am so afraid that I can’t surrender to love, but when I look at Bhagwan’s photograph, a living presence, I know better.  Osho Camp with Swami Anand Arun is the most sacred darshan, a “gentle jack hammer” that breaks down the cement ego so that something beautiful can grow through the cracks.

Infinite thanks to Swami Anand Arun and his staff.  Infinite thanks to Zorba Studios for their commitment to serve, no matter what.  I love you.

Ma Prem Geet is passionate about Osho Tapoban and Osho Upaban in Nepal. Her passion is to help people understand how grief works and learn about the amazing healing powers of
Mystic Rose Therapy.

For details please contact her on: http://www.facebook.com/mysticrosetherapy