Buddha Hall: Crude Vandalism

It is now a year since the most loved Osho venue was demolished. In December 2002, the original Buddha Hall or Osho Dhyan Mandir known to millions with its Zen style pagoda, marble walls and the glass door from where Osho made his entry to the podium, were all destroyed. This happened after the inauguration of new Osho Auditorium and a new hotel type Guest House. This destruction reminds one of the Taliban smashing the huge faces of the Buddha in Bamiyan in Afghanistan not so long ago. 

Osholovers and disciples from all over the world have been coming in thousands every month to the Osho Commune International in Pune’s verdant Koregaon Park for over a quarter of a century. All of them have very sacred and precious memories of the Master at this venue - giving discourses, attending celebrations and making his final visit after he left his body. Literally millions have had their first experience of Osho meditations and thousands have been initiated into Sannyas here. 

This has been the epicentre of all Osho meditations, sannyas initiation and celebrations. Gautama the Buddha auditorium is a Dhyan Mandir for millions of disciples. In this very Buddha Hall, Sannyasins meditated many times daily and were initiated every week. Here the Master blessed thousands when they sang and danced to celebrate His Enlightenment Day, Guru Poornima and Birthday. 

‘Buddhafield’ No More

In this Buddha Hall, the enlightened mystic Osho delivered discourses from 1975 to 1990 to thousands of disciples every day. For over quarter of a century, Osho strove to create what he termed as a ‘Buddhafield’ at this venue. 

Seated in the beautiful Zen style pagoda shaped green marble podium, he gave daily darshan and discourses on numerous mystics and spiritual paths such as Ashtavakra, Buddha, Krishna, Meera, Lao Tsu, Jesus, Kabir, Nanak, Mahavira, Gorakh, Farid, Bulle Shah, Sufis, Tao, Zen Masters, Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads, Yoga and Tantra. During these 25 years, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world came to this Dhyan Mandir to listen to the discourses of Osho. 

Spiritually Charged Temple

Thus Buddha Hall became a very spiritually charged temple indeed, a Mecca for the hundreds of thousands of disciples and lovers of Osho, where they listened to their guru and took sannyas, where they meditated and celebrated and where they bid the final farewell to Him. 

No wonder this destruction of Buddha Hall has hurt the feelings of thousands of friends of Osho worldwide. This crude vandalism has highlighted the present management’s deliberate attempt to destroy the spiritual heritage of Osho. It also reveals a long-term plan to systematically kill the spirit of Osho from within. 

Osho friends and lovers stood collectively with Osho Friends International to stop the destruction of the Buddha hall and the commune at large. An appeal was made to the then Indian Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Vinod Khanna – a long-time Osho disciple - for the restoration of this spiritual heritage site. 

This demolition of the Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir and other anti-Osho activities as an anti-thesis of Osho’s efforts for inner growth happening in the recent past has brought into light the mismanagement and misuse of Osho’s legacy by the various trusts and private limited companies functioning from the commune. Until Osho left his body in 1990, this place was one of the most revered spiritual centres in the world of meditation.

More Commercial

Soon after Osho left his body, things began to change at the Commune. It started becoming less spiritually oriented and more commercial and holiday venue. A new entity based in Zurich became active. It came into being by changing the name of an earlier foundation called Neo Sannyas Foundation International (or is it Rajneesh Foundation International or Rajneesh Foundation Europe) to Osho International Foundation in 1990. 

This Swiss organization is headed by Michael O Byrne. The other prominent members of this Foundation are: John Andrew, alias Swami Amrito, alias Swami Devaraj, alias, George Meredith, Mukesh Sarda and D’Arcy O Byrne, a brother of Michael O Byrne. At the same time a new Trust was registered in Mumbai with the same name as Osho International Foundation, Zurich.

Nobody in Osho Commune, Pune or anywhere else was made aware of the new Zurich Trust. Trademarks of Osho’s name and all meditations given by Osho were applied for by this Zurich based organization. At the same time, copyrights of all Osho’s books, both in English and Hindi, were registered in USA and Europe. Why in Europe and USA especially when he mostly spoke in India, and these were first published in India? 

Secretly Shifted 

The original negatives of all Osho photographs, the original ‘master’ recordings of the discourses in audio and videotapes, about 880 of Osho's signature-paintings and most of his personal belongings have been secretly shifted out of the Commune and taken out of the country and are being controlled by this Switzerland registered foundation.

Osho wanted his discourses to be published in their original form without any change or abridgement. But the Switzerland-based Foundation carried out heavy editing of Osho’s books and deleting almost all spiritual words signifying bhakti such as ‘sannyas, guru, disciple, dharma, etc.’

They have also sold world rights of some books to publishers. It is feared that soon there may be no original versions of books left in the world. A prominent example of an Osho book published with gross abridgement is the “Book of Wisdom”. Osho's entire legacy is being surreptitiously hijacked. Publishers are forced to pay royalties that was not the case in the past. Osho disciples are being threatened with costly legal cases by this Zurich based foundation on the pretext of being owner of all the trademarks and copyrights. 

Osho Friends International is legally objecting to the trademarks of Osho’s name, words and meditation and has filed a complaint to cancel the registered trademarks in the United States of America so that Osho is available to six billion people worldwide.

Centres Threatened

Osho centers are being threatened by this Switzerland based organization. In 1999, they threatened Osho Dhyan Mandir to close down their website www.oshoworld.com. However, the Delhi center resisted and challenged Osho International Foundation in the appropriate forum in the US and won the case. The judgment declared, “It is more than sufficient to establish that Osho does not and cannot serve as a source indicator and/or distinguishing moniker. As such there is a serious doubt as to whether OIF has rights in such a trademark or service mark because the purported mark does not and cannot serve a trademark purpose.” 

The Judgment also said that “to grant Complainant’s request for relief would be to permit virtual monopolization on the Internet by Complainant of any domain name which includes the name of a great spiritual teacher and leader. While making no judgment on the relative merits or validity of the world’s religions or spiritual movements or any leader thereof, this Arbitrator finds that permitting this would be as improper as doing the same with Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Zorastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism or any of the several hundred other of the world’s religions and/or spiritual movements. Neither The Lanham Act nor the ICANN Policy and Rules contemplate or intend such a result.” 

Removing Osho

Physical changes in the Commune pointed to its gradual transformation into a commercial resort from a center for spiritual growth. Osho’s portraits were removed from all prominent places – even the Buddha Hall, in an effort to kill the essence of Osho. ‘Osho Times’ the magazine published from the commune in Hindi and English, does not have Osho 's photograph on the cover anymore as directed by the Master.

According to the Times of India, the Commune’s latest publications ‘The Osho Experience’ and ‘The Osho Diary-2003’ respectively carry only one picture of the mystic Osho amongst scores of photographs of the commune life. The maroon and white Sannyas colours for robes are not mandatory. 

De-Oshoise the Commune

According to The New York Times there seems to be an effort to "de-Oshoise the commune", and turn it into a full commercial resort. Osho Celebrations – his Enlightenment Day, Birthday, Guru Poornima and his Punyatithi - have been stopped and now replaced by Christmas and New Year parties. 

The spiritual dimension of the ashram, the commune and the neo-sannyas movement started by Osho has slowly been pushed into the background. Osho has been converted into a brand, and a marketable commodity for commercial gain. Osho Meditation Centres worldwide are being turned into franchisees controlled by the Zurich foundation. The entire focus has shifted from spirituality to commercialization, from an ashram to a resort.

During His lifetime, Osho had entrusted the management of the Osho Commune to a group of 21 disciples called the Inner Circle, to look after the day-to-day affairs of the commune. But over a period of time, the original members of the Inner Circle have been moved out and only four original members are left today. The Inner Circle has become completely ineffective. The commune’s activities and the various trusts operating in the commune are being dictated by Michael O Byrne also known as Sw. Jayesh. He is controlling the commune in Pune through two other members: John Andrew alias Swami Amrito, alias Swami Devaraj, alias George Meredith; and Mukesh Sarda.

Long time Disciples Banned

Long time sannyasins who objected and expressed their concern at the mismanagement of the commune and legacy of Osho being destroyed were banned from entering the commune.

The various trusts operating in the commune today are not functioning as per their aims and objectives to disseminate the teaching and vision of the enlightened master Osho. The management, property and assets of the commune are being transferred to private limited companies. Zen Resorts Pvt. Ltd is running the new Pyramid shaped auditorium and hotel type guesthouse. It has been built on a prime property owned by the Ashram, by giving out half of the land area to the Godrej Group, a prominent industrial house in India.

Transferring Funds

It is understood that several other properties in India, Europe and the US were purchased from the Ashram funds in the names of private limited companies and then later sold off with the sale proceeds going to the private companies. The mismanagement of the Ashram, and the massive siphoning of the funds seem to be the cause of the reduced number of visitors to the Ashram and the poor state of finances in the Commune.

These activities have raised some very serious questions: . 

* Why was the Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir destroyed?

* How did trademarks of Osho’s name, his meditations and copyrights of English and Hindi books registered in USA and other countries after His leaving the body in 1990 ?

* Why have some disciples been banned from entering the ashram? 

* Why are Osho books being grossly abridged when the Master clearly guided us all never to interfere with them?

* Why have Osho celebrations stopped?

* Why have Osho portraits been removed from the Commune?

* Where does he make the original 880 signature-paintings?

* Where are the original negatives of Osho’s thousands of photographs?

Serious enquiry and effort is needed to save this heritage site of the country from being plundered, destroyed and converted into a resort for holiday-makers instead of preserving Osho’s legacy of meditation and spiritualism.