walking behind Buddha

There are two separate kitchens of Bombay friends and Delhi friends. Bombay friends’ cook is preparing Gujrati food and Delhi friends are cooking Punjabi food, which is very different. They both want Osho to eat their food. So finally it is decided that Osho will eat lunch with Delhi friends and dinner with Bombay friends. I feel angry at the stupidity of the friends who are behaving so unconsciously with Osho. These two types of food can make anyone sick.

After morning discourse, at 11:30 am, Osho has to walk in the sun nearly five minutes to go to the cottage where lunch is arranged for Him. Walking behind Him I always feel I am walking behind Buddha. I tell this to Kranti and we discuss about the theosophical society’s experiment on J. Krishnamurti. We both agree on one point, that Buddha’s soul has chosen Osho’s body as a vehicle.

Osho’s compassion and acceptance is infinite. He accepts every situation so easily that hardly anyone ever thinks about His comfort. After lunch, while coming to the cottage, I talk to Him about this. He simply laughs and tells me not to be serious about such things.

His concern about every little thing

Osho decides to speak in the living room of His cottage every morning and evening. As there is only one bathroom I get up early to take my shower and then get the bathroom ready for Him. In the living room I have a mattress on the floor which I sleep on during the night, and in the morning I fold it up and cover it with a white sheet and keep some pillows to make a comfortable seat for Osho to sit on while speaking. During discourse, I sit near Him with my little cassette recorder. Friends are allowed to ask questions during discourse. It is more like an intimate dialogue than a discourse. Every day He is taking us deeper into the mystery of existence. I am listening to Him and at the same time watching the recording indicator needles moving, giving me the signal of the volume. When one side of the tape is about to finish I slowly press the stop button and I observe Osho stops speaking till the recorder is on again.

I appreciate His concern about every little thing. In the morning He asks me if I slept well in the night. I don’t find any words to express my gratitude to Him for allowing me to sleep on the same mattress on which He sits twice a day for nearly two hours at a time.

one hundred tales for ten thousand buddhas

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I will stay here

The series of discourses on Mahavira is arranged in Kashmir for eighteen days.

Osho will be coming from Jabalpur to Delhi by train and will fly from Delhi to Srinagar. From Bombay, we are nearly thirty friends who will be meeting Him there. One other group of about twenty friends from Delhi will join us in Srinagar.

In Srinagar, on the little hill near Dal Lake, cottages known as "Chashme-Shahe" are booked to accommodate the whole group. Somehow the Bombay group has reached there early and we have this opportunity of choosing our cottage. It is a very beautiful place. I go around looking for the cottage which has the best view. Each cottage has two bedrooms, one bathroom and quite a big living room.

I choose the last cottage in the row. It has an open verandah on the back side. The view is the best. One side is over-looking the lake and on the other side are vast fields with a range of mountains behind them. I think this open verandah will be the best place for Osho to sit and enjoy the scenery without any disturbance. I check the bathroom, flush the toilet, running hot water. Finding everything in order, my girlfriend, Sheelu, and I occupy one of the rooms of this cottage with the idea that when Osho arrives we will vacate this room for Him. The other room is occupied by a Bombay couple.

The Delhi friends have also arrived. Everyone looks happy and excited. This is a rare opportunity of being with Osho for a continuous eighteen days. Two cars have gone to the airport to receive Osho. We have a cook with us from Bombay, who is busy setting the kitchen up in one of the huts.

At 2:00pm, Osho arrives with Kranti in the car of a friend from Delhi. He looks quite tired, but still meets everyone individually without any hurry. The Delhi friends invite Osho to the cottage which they have reserved for Him. I silently walk behind Him. I feel Osho has some magnetic energy which always pulls me towards Him. Whenever I enter in His energy field I become more relaxed and silent. He enters the cottage and looking around asks me to check the bathroom. I go in the bathroom and finding there is no hot water, I feel very happy. I come back and suggest to Him to have a look at the cottage I have reserved for Him and to take a shower. The Delhi friends get annoyed with me but my whole concern is Osho’s comfort. I ignore them. Osho agrees and I take Him to the cottage chosen by me. It is quite hot, and we have to walk for about five minutes in the sun. He covers His head with a little napkin. I am walking by His side, feeling proud of my act. He tells me, "Seeing the two cars at the airport I knew this trouble is going to happen between Bombay and Delhi friends." We reach the cottage. He looks around, sees the back verandah and smiles at me. We come back to the room where He sits on the bed and says, "I will stay here." I am overjoyed to hear it. Someone is sent to bring His suitcase. In the meantime, I pull my suitcase out from underneath the bed and carry it to the living room. He asks me, "Where will you be living?" I answer, "Osho, I don’t know. I will move to some other cottage."

He smiles and says, "There is no need to move. You can stay in the living room." I can’t believe it, to have this unexpected gift of love from Osho. My heart starts dancing with joy and tears overflowing with gratitude. I touch His feet and placing His hand on my head, He says, "Very good."

Osho greets him with a great smile

"He is a very evolved soul."

Osho is conducting a meditation camp at Matheran hill station. Near about five hundred people are participating in the camp. He is staying at Rugby Hotel which has a big open ground in the middle where the camp is arranged.

One dog comes regularly and sits silently near the podium while Osho is speaking. I watch him. He comes a little early and has reserved his seat near the podium on the floor. He sits at the same place every day like a great meditator and looks very attentive with his ears raised while Osho is speaking.

When Osho comes and namastes everyone, he raises his neck and looks at Osho and Osho greets him with a great smile. It is the fourth morning today and Osho is standing at arrived at the station to see Him off. I am surprised to see this dog standing near Osho. Osho looks at the dog with such love that he starts wagging his tail.

After a few minutes, this mini train running between Matheran and Neral station is about to leave. Osho namastes everyone and enters the train. The train starts slowly, everyone has left except the dog who is walking with the train. The train picks up speed and the dog starts running with the train. Osho is watching him running and with the gesture of his hand blesses him and tells him to stop running.

The dog stops and looks up at Osho. I can’t resist waving my hand towards him saying good-bye. Osho remarks, "He is a very evolved soul."

Just relax in your being, that is all meditation is

"....report back to me when I come next time"

I look outside the window, the train is passing through Khandala. It is a very beautiful scene with vast green fields surrounded by a range of mountains, and clouds are floating in the valleys. It all looks magical. My mind is diverted by a man who is standing near me calling me by my name. Seeing me puzzled, he introduces himself as having met me at Sohan’s home and says that he is specially traveling by this train only to have a little talk with Osho.

I ask him to come again after a while, I look at Osho and He is sitting in the same posture with His eyes closed like a marble statue. It is quite noisy in the train, but Osho seems to be totally cut off from the outside world. And here I am, sitting next to Him, and starting to feel uneasy without any apparent reason. I watch my disturbed mind and try to relax. Just to occupy myself, I start reading the newspaper.

The train stops at Karjat station and some hawkers enter. It is very noisy but Osho is still sitting motionless with His eyes closed. This man comes again and seeing Osho with closed eyes, goes back.

After he has left, Osho opens His eyes, looks at His watch. I ask Him if He would like to drink a soda. He simply nods in affirmation. I get a soda for Him, which He drinks a little and returns the bottle to me. I tell Him about this man and He says, "Yes, I know he’s traveling on this train. When he comes again, allow him to sit in your seat for ten minutes to talk to me." Then He asks me, "What about you? Are you enjoying the journey?" I tell Him how uneasy I was feeling and had started reading the newspaper.

Osho says, "You should meditate at least one hour daily, sitting silently and watching your thoughts." I ask Him, "I feel frustrated without any apparent cause." He replies, "Expectation leads to frustration. Don’t expect but accept. Accept yourself also as you are. Just relax in your being, that is all meditation is." Seeing me serious, He laughs and adds, "Now don’t be serious about the meditation. Just learn to accept and enjoy everything and report back to me when I come next time."

I hold His hand in mine and kiss it in gratitude and thankfulness. We create mountains out of mole hills and He has the art of dissolving the whole mountain; not even a mole hill is left.

I ask Him if He would like to drink more soda and He says, "You can finish it."

He closes His eyes again and I start enjoying drinking soda from His bottle.

Osho looks at her and smiles

Two first class tickets are reserved on the "Deccan Queen" morning train leaving from Poona for Bombay. I am very excited and looking forward to sitting next to Osho for three and a half hours in the train. Sohan wants to prepare and pack some breakfast for us to eat in the train but Osho tells her not to bother about it.

We reach the platform by 7:00am. About twenty friends have come to see Him off. As usual, Sohan's eyes are full of tears which are continuously flowing like a leaking tap of water. Osho looks at her and smiles. In response, she also smiles and starts crying. I can feel her heart burning with the pain of separation. Osho tells her husband, "Bafnaji, come with Sohan to the next camp at Nargol. Sohan comes near Osho and touches His feet. He places His right hand on her head. She is still sobbing. Osho taps her head with His hand and calls her softly, "Sohan." Sohan looks up and Osho helps her to get up by holding her hand and asks her, "Will you be able to come to the Nargol camp?" She is unable to speak and just nods her head. Osho says, "That is good." He namastes everyone while standing on the steps of the train, as the train vanishes from the sight of His beloveds.

Chapter 36

I look at Osho

Osho is staying in Sohan’s home at Poona. In the afternoon, someone says, "It is the full moon tonight." I know Osho likes to go boating during the full moon and I ask Him about it. He agrees and tells Bafnaji, Sohan’s husband, who is a member of the boat club, to reserve one big boat. He also invites some friends as Osho always likes to share with friends whatever is available.

After dinner, we all go to the boat club, where one big boat is waiting for us. In all we are about twenty friends with Osho in the boat. It is a magical night. One full moon is in the sky and another full moon is sitting amidst us in human form laughing and talking. My heart is dancing with joy. I feel blessed for having such rare opportunities without doing anything on my part.

Osho tells Sohan to sing a song, but she is feeling shy to sing in the presence of so many people. Osho talks about how music can deepen the silence. Listening to Him is like listening to soft music. For a while everyone is silent. I can hear the faraway sound of crickets in the trees.

The water in the river looks like melted silver, flowing slowly downwards. I look at Osho, He is sitting in all His majesty with His eyes closed. There is a kind of miraculous presence in the boat which reminds me of Noah’s ark.

We go around in the boat for an hour and then come back home by 10:30pm

Chapter 35

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

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When will you learn not to be serious?

Osho is resting after dinner in an air conditioned room at Sohan’s home in Poona. I am sitting near His feet and feel a strong urge to massage His feet. I ask Him about this and He okays it. As I start massaging the bottom of His right foot, He remarks, "Every disciple starts with the feet and finally comes to the throat." Listening to this, I immediately stop touching His feet. He laughs and says, "I did not say it to you."

I react unconsciously and tell Him, "No one else is here." He says, "The truth is, I don’t like being massaged on my feet. When I am resting, it disturbs me." I understand Him and ask for forgiveness. He laughs and tells me, "When will you learn not to be serious?" Saying this, He closes His eyes and I walk out of the room, brooding seriously over what He has said.

Chapter 34

No, no!

I am staying with Osho in Sohan’s home. Osho enjoys to eat lunch with us at the dining table. Sohan is really a great cook. After His morning discourse we reach home around 10:15am. Within one hour, Sohan prepares the lunch, cooking a variety of delicious dishes. By 11:30, we are all setting on chairs around a big rectangular dining table which is decorated with flowers in the middle. Every meal is a great feast. Osho likes to tell jokes while eating and creates much laughter around Him.

Today there are so many dishes, one is puzzled from where to start. Sohan is standing near Osho and starts serving Him food from different bowls. Osho is never miserly in appreciating the food He likes. Today, He enjoys eating Dahi-wada. It is an Indian dish made of little balls of crushed dal, fried and soaked in curd. He says to Sohan, "Sohan, Dahi-wadas are really delicious." Sohan responds, "That means the other dishes are not delicious." Osho looks at Sohan in surprise and says, "No, no! I don’t mean that. I will tell you a story so you understand what I mean."

Then He tells this story:

Mulla Nasruddin was in love with two beautiful women. He was telling both of them separately that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. One day both the women meet and realize that he is saying the same thing to both of them. They go together to Mulla and asked him, "Now tell us the truth, who is more beautiful?" Mulla thought for a moment and said "You are both more beautiful than each other."

We all cracked up in laughter and Osho says, "Sohan, all your dishes are more delicious than one another." Sohan, now getting the point, also starts laughing.

Like a flute played by some invisible hands

While traveling in India, Osho likes to stay at Sohan’s home when He is in Poona. I never want to miss this opportunity of being with Him at Sohan’s home. Sohan is madly in love with Osho and His people. Her home becomes like a place of pilgrimage while Osho is staying there. Hundreds of people visit it every day and she welcomes everyone with such love and tenderness that many people can’t control their overflowing tears of joy. In the afternoon it is like a great feast. Every visitor is offered sweets, snacks and tea. Osho also comes out of His room and sits on the sofa in the living room surrounded by lots of friends. His presence and invisible fragrance is very tangible in the atmosphere.

There is always lots of laughter around Him. He enjoys teasing children. Any question tossed to Him, the smallest grain of a question, and the answer comes like a sprouted lush foliage from His silence. His voice is so musical and soothing, I really don’t care about listening to His words. His words work like a bridge connecting me with His inner vast emptiness. Sometimes I feel Him like a flute played by some invisible hands. His depth and his height are beyond our reach. He is flying like an eagle, alone in the vast sky and we are creeping on the earth like little worms, looking at Him and crying for help. He is amazing; without saying a word He listens to the hearts who are longing for Him and allows them to quench their thirst from His eternal waters of life.

Thank you beloved master. For me you are a perfectly opened lotus. I can’t do anything but rejoice, dance and sing a song in your presence.

Chapter 32

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas - Ma Dharm Jyoti

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A few friends join Him in the same boat

The meditation camp at Mount Abu ended with the full moon night. In the afternoon, I talk to friends about going boating in the night. We come up with the idea to tell Osho about it. When we ask Him, He says, "We should reserve all the boats and after the night meditation everyone can go boating."

People attending the meditation camp are just thrilled with the message about boating. All the boats are reserved and after the night meditation everyone rushes to the lake like little kids going for a picnic. When Osho arrives at the lake there are already about five hundred people waiting there in the garden. It looks very chaotic but surprisingly in a couple of minutes people fall in line on both sides making a path for Him. Osho never gives any discipline to His people but His mere presence creates the harmony. His people love and respect Him out of their understanding.

He walks towards the lake with folded hands, namasteing everyone. A few friends join Him in the same boat and the rest of us take other boats. It feels like a great celebration on the lake. All the boats are filled with sannyasins dancing and singing. I look at the full moon and imagine that moon god must be desiring to come down and join in our celebration.

Chapter 30

We have returned to Ahmedabad after a meditation camp at Mount Abu, where Osho introduced dynamic meditation in the morning.

He is curious to know the people’s opinions about dynamic meditation. When I tell Him that some friends were saying that you are loosening the screws of their brain, He laughs and says, "No, I am not interested in loosening the screws, they will tighten them again. I am trying to get the screws out of their brain because they are not needed there." Then He speaks about twenty minutes explaining that the whole process of dynamic meditation is to dehypnotize the conditioned mind of man. He further says: Dynamic meditation is a jet speed method. One hour daily for three months is enough to cleanse the whole rubbish.

Tell the driver to follow my car

The friends who have arranged His meetings at different places in Baroda are really funny people. Today in the evening, Osho is going to speak somewhere, but they are not willing to tell us the name of the place. They want to take Osho alone in a car. I am very much annoyed. At any cost I don’t want to miss His discourse. I meet Osho in the afternoon and ask Him what to do? He says, "It is so simple. Just engage a rickshaw and tell the driver to follow my car."

I tell Him, Osho, these people look so angry at us, they will ask why we are following them." Osho laughs and says, "You can tell them that we are going our way, you are going ahead of us. What can we do?"

I like the idea and it really worked. As His car stops, our rickshaw stops behind it. Immediately, I get down and start walking with Osho, not giving opportunity to these friends to say anything. It is a meeting arranged with members of the lions club in a small hall. I sit next to Osho and arrange my recorder, ignoring the organizer who is sitting next to me.

After the discourse, this man comes near me and thanks me for recording the discourse. He invites me to join Him in the car with Osho. I feel relieved and start walking behind Osho like a little kid who has won the lottery.

Chapter 29

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

Mere Priya Atman

Today, Osho is speaking to college students at Baroda University. Thousands of students have gathered to listen Him. The hall is over-full with all the doors opened. Lots of people are standing all around the walls and outside to listen to Him.

I walk behind Him to the podium with my little cassette recorder. As we reach the podium, my ears are deafened with noises of clapping and whistling. There is much excitement in the atmosphere. He is going to speak on youth and sex. He greets everyone with folded hands, sits down in the lotus posture and closes His eyes. I try to tighten my little microphone wire with the rod of the mike placed before Him. Students start throwing paper arrows towards me. I feel very awkward. Somehow, I ignore it and make myself comfortable sitting near Him with my recorder in front of me.

I start gazing at Him. In a couple of minutes, He opens His eyes and straight away looks at a door. Friends from Bombay, not finding any seat in the hall are standing there. He passes a message for them to be allowed to come and sit behind Him on the podium. I am simply surprised to see His concern about such little things. He looks at me and smiles, I press the recording button and hear His sweet voice addressing the audience: “Mere Priya Atman” which means "My Beloved Self." There is pin drop silence, only His voice is echoing in the hall, quenching the thirst of those who are ready to receive Him in their hearts.

Chapter 28

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

He tells me a story

Today, after lunch, I tell Him that He should close the door to His room from the inside while resting because I also wanted to rest. He says, "People will come and knock on the door." I tell Him that I am closing the main entrance door of the apartment and will turn off the call bell also. I assure Him He won’t be disturbed. Seeing me determined about it, He says, "Okay, okay, do whatever you like." I take care of everything and go to my room and have a good afternoon nap. Thank God, no one has disturbed Him during His rest time.

While drinking His afternoon tea, He tells me a story, which I can never forget, because it is my story.

The story is :

There was a master living in a hut in the forest with his only disciple. They both were very lazy. One night they were lying on their beds and the master asked the disciple, "Can you go and find out if it is raining."

The disciple without moving an inch from his bed replied, "It is not raining because I just touched a cat who came in from the outside and it was not wet."

The master said, "Okay, close the door and let us sleep." Again the disciple without moving an inch replied, "Master, what is the need of closing the door? We have no fear of thieves and it feels good having the door open with the cool breeze coming in."

The master agreed to it and said, "Okay, turn the light off."

The disciple answered, "Master, two jobs I have done, this one you should do."

The way Osho narrates a story is so unique, one can visualize the whole scene as if it is happening now before you. And at the same time, it has some subtle meaning for you, if you can get it.

Hearing this story, I feel ashamed of what I had done in my unawareness, but Osho never allows anyone to feel guilty about anything.

Chapter 27

Will you work as my secretary?

This time, I have come along with Osho to Ahmedabad, where He is delivering a series of discourses on Geeta.

After the morning discourse, He has lunch at 11:30am and then rests for a couple of hours. I sit at the door on the stool to guard. It is a hot summer afternoon and I feel very sleepy and start dozing sitting on the stool. Just to keep myself awake I try to read a book. somehow, I manage to sit there and make sure that He is not disturbed in anyway.

At 2:00pm He comes out of the room and goes to the bathroom. I arrange tea for Him. Soon people will be arriving to meet Him personally. As I am pouring tea in the cup, He asks me, “Will you work as my secretary?” It is beyond my imagination and without giving a thought to it, I simply answer, “Osho, I need a secretary myself.” He says, “Your laziness is nothing compared to mine.” And He starts telling lots of stories about His laziness. I feel He is creating fiction stories. When I tell Him this, He says, “No, no, they are all facts.”

One story which I love is about keeping His bed near the door when He was a student and staying in a hostel. He would open the door and straight away jump on the bed. All His books were around and underneath the bed. He had nothing to do with the rest of the room.

I enjoy listening to His stories of laziness, which makes me feel free of my guilt of being lazy.

Chapter 26

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Are you hiding something from me?

Today everyone has gone out for dinner except me. Osho is resting in His room and I am lying down in my bed in the next room. Something like a knot has started growing in my left breast and when I showed it to my doctor he advised me to get it checked at Tata Hospital. He suspects that it might be a cancerous growth. I am scared. I would rather die than suffer from cancer. One of my intimate friends had already been operated on with cancer in her breast. I am still not mentally ready to go for a check-up. I have not talked to anybody about it but inside I am getting more and more worried.

I decide to talk about it to Osho. I am lost in my thoughts and can’t believe hearing Osho’s soft voice calling me. I open my eyes and find Him standing near my bed. I try to sit up but can’t. I feel frozen. There is a little space near my pillow where He sits and places His hand on my forehead. I am touched so deeply, I start crying. When I calm down He asks, "What is the matter? Are you hiding something from me?" Now I can’t hold it anymore and tell Him about this cancerous growth in my left breast. He says, "Where is it exactly?" I take His right hand and place it on the knot. He tells me to relax and close my eyes.

I go into a deep relaxation and feel some hot flow of energy coming out of His hand and entering into my body. He sits silently for few moments and then takes His hand away. He assures me that there is nothing wrong and I should not worry about it. I try to get up but He says, "Lie down for awhile," and leaves me alone. I start crying again silently in gratitude and fall into sleep unknowingly. In the morning I feel very fresh when I wake up. I touch my breast and there is no knot. I am sure He has dissolved the knot with His divine healing energy.

When I reach Bombay and show it to my doctor, he is surprised, and wants to know how it happened.

I talk about the healing power of Osho which He always denies. Osho never claims to heal anybody but I know many more friends who are healed by His divine touch.

Chapter 25 One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas
Ma Dharm Jyoti
-----------------------
One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas – this is a essential book. There exists no other quite like it. It is a collection of living moments with the living Buddha. It is not some events remembered and then adorned with reactions. These are tales vitally alive. These tales are a great gift for all of us – those who have sat with the living Master and those who haven’t. It is a book for all seekers. It is also a book for those who are not actively seeking, but surely have the same longing – the longing for a taste of that love which has no bondage. Ma Dharm Jyoti lived and travelled with Osho in the very early days when Osho left being a professor at universities, and traveled around India giving talks and gathering thousands around him. These are the tales of those days.

Just hold your breath for a moment and drink it in one gulp

While Osho is in the bathroom, the cook of the house brings a cup, half full of some green juice. He says, "It is neem juice and Osho drinks it first thing in the morning." He leaves the cup on the table. When Osho comes out of the bathroom, I tell Him about neem juice in the cup. He says, I used to drink it, but now I have stopped it. It purifies the blood--and you can drink it." I take a drop on my hand and taste it. It is very bitter. I tell Osho, "It is very bitter." He says, "Just hold your breath for a moment and drink it in one gulp." I do it like an obedient child and He makes me drink it for all the three days and tells me to continue it at my home also.

I continue it for about two months until one day an old woman tells me that neem juice should not be taken for more than a week. She is surprised to hear that I have taking it for two months. She says, "It is your master who has saved you. Otherwise, it can be very harmful." I feel this was Osho’s message through that woman to stop drinking the neem Juice

Until the plate is totally empty

We are staying with a very orthodox Jaina family in Ahmedabad. Osho has dinner by 6:00pm before He goes to evening discourse. These days He has been reading late into the night and I tell Him, "Osho, you are eating dinner so early, you will be hungry in the night." He simply smiles.

At 11:00pm, Kranti tells me that Osho wants to eat. I am puzzled. What to do now? I tell her, I will go to the kitchen and see if I can arrange some food." Very silently, like a cat, I enter the kitchen. There are lots of containers in a row on the shelf above the kitchen counter. I am confused. There is no label on them. I close my eyes, stand silently for a couple of moments and follow my intuition. I take one plate and start to open the containers whichever I feel to open. To my surprise, I am getting all types of snacks which Osho likes. I am excited and try to get a few more kinds of snacks.

Suddenly I find the housewife standing near me and she asks what I am doing. I simply freeze. She is a very orthodox Jaina woman who believes eating in the night is a great sin and is already against Osho. I gather my courage and tell her, "I am hungry and I want to eat something." She gets furious and starts dumping more containers before me and asks me to eat everything. There is nothing to say and I walk out of the kitchen with my plate. She starts following me.

I enter Osho’s room, where He is sitting in a chair reading some book. I put the plate on the little table in front of the chair and sit on the floor. Somehow I feel like protecting Osho that He doesn’t eat in the night. I tell Kranti and tell her, "Let us eat." We both start eating while this woman is standing there watching us. She is very tense. To divert her mind, I ask her, "Who prepares all these delicious snacks? They are very tasty." She doesn’t reply. By now, Osho also put His book away and joins us in eating. I can see this woman bubbling with anger. Not finding any words, finally she leaves.

I tell Osho what had happened in the kitchen and He laughs and laughs like a child and tells me, "Tomorrow, tell her that we don’t want to go to heaven. We are preparing for going to hell by committing all kinds of sins." I crack up with laughter which releases all my tension and we enjoy eating all kinds of snacks until the plate is totally empty.

Chapter 23
One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas
Ma Dharm Jyoti

It is always the male who calls: the female waits

It is afternoon. Osho is sitting in an easy chair on the balcony--it is spring time. There is a huge mango tree near by, and a cuckoo is singing continuously. Her song deepens the silence even more.

Osho asks me if I know whether this cuckoo is male or female. I have no idea and never even thought about it, but I say, "It is a male." Osho asks how I know and I tell Him, "I really don’t know--I just said it."

He says, "It is a male bird. it is always the male who calls: the female waits." Then we hear another cuckoo calling.

"Listen to this," says Osho. "This is the female responding to the first call. If you listen carefully you will find the difference."

I forgot about the cuckoo’s call: I am astonished at this great insight of my master.

Chapter 22
One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas
Ma Dharm Jyoti

It is a Zen koan for you!

After His morning bath, Osho likes to have toast and tea for His breakfast. He is sitting on the sofa--a little table is placed before Him. He is wearing a white lunghi and the upper part of His body is Naked. He wraps a shawl around only when He goes out. He is looking so fresh and beautiful--like a pink rose in full bloom. I bring toast and tea on a tray, place it on the table and sit on the floor opposite Him. As I fill the cup with tea, He asks me, "Where is yours?"

I say, "Osho, I don’t drink tea."

He laughs and says, "Meditation is not possible without drinking tea. Tea keeps the meditators awake" -- and tells me the story of Bodhidharma who plucked his eyelids and threw them away because he was feeling sleepy while meditating. The first tea leaves grew from them.

Seeing my reluctance to have tea, Osho fills the other cup and asks me to try it. I drink it slowly and like it and I tell Him it tastes really good. He gives me another cup and says, "One cup won’t do; you have to drink two cups every morning."

I ask Him, "How about if the cup is big?"

He says, " The size of the cup does not matter: two cups of tea every morning!"

I ask Him, "What is the secret of two cups?"

He says, "It is a Zen koan for you!"

Next morning, at breakfast, He asks me, "Did you find the answer to the Zen koan?"

I say, "Maybe: one cup for me, and one in the name of my beloved."

He says, "You have come close to the answer but not exactly."

Every one present there enjoys this tea ceremony with much laughter.

Chapter 21
One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas
Ma Dharm Jyoti

So you have saved the tube!

There is only one common bathroom in this apartment with no running hot water. I wake up early and arrange two buckets of hot water in the bathroom for Osho.

He comes out of His room, washes His face and slowly dries it with a little napkin. I take out His tooth brush, apply paste to it and give it to Him. He greets me with a smile, thanking me for this little act. He takes the brush with such tenderness and love, as if it were a living being, and starts brushing His teeth very slowly and gently.

These days He is using "Signal" toothpaste, which is new on the market. This tube is almost finished; still keep it on the little shelf near the sink. After washing His mouth, He goes to the bathroom. To my surprise I find that He has dropped the tube in the trash bin near the sink. I think, "Unless I get a new tube, how can this be thrown away?" I take it out of the trash bin and put it back on the shelf. Later, I ask a friend to buy a new tube of Signal toothpaste, but for some reason I have not received it, and when the next day I apply the toothpaste from the same tube, Osho looks at it, laughs and says, "So you have saved the tube!"

I feel He does not like to press the tube hard, but what can I do? Until the new tube arrives I want to hold on to it. Somehow I manage to use this tube for three days until we leave Ahmedabad.

Chapter 20

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

Discourses on the Bhagwadgeeta

In Ahmedabad, arrangements are being made for Osho to stay in an empty apartment, which is kept ready for guests only. It is on the first floor, opposite Champakbhai’s apartment. It has two bed rooms--one bedroom is air conditioned with quite a comfortable bed in it. In the other room there are mattresses on the floor. I like the place. There is quite a big open balcony attached to the rooms. Osho feels more comfortable in the air conditioned room and goes to bed early. Kranti, who is taking care of Him, arranges her bed in His room. Tomorrow morning at eight o’clock He is going to start His series of discourses on the Bhagwadgeeta.

There are four more friends from Bombay who have come with us from Udaipur. They have expressed their wish to stay there overnight and leave tomorrow morning. Osho has agreed to it and I also don’t see any problem in it. After a little gossip I arrange my bed in one of the corners of the room and these four friends, all male, arrange their mattresses in a row and go to sleep.

Hearing a knock on the door, I get up and open it. The host enters and has come to check how we are sleeping. Seeing me alone with four men in the same room he asks, "Where is the other woman?"

I tell him, "She is Osho’s sister, and is sleeping in his room."

I can see how angry and upset he is. He tells me with his voice raised, "This wont do in my room. Either you go and sleep in Osho’s room, or bring Kranti out to sleep in your room."

I am simply surprised and confused, not knowing how to deal with this man. I tell him, "I don’t want to disturb Osho--He is already sleeping."

He leaves, and maybe after consulting with his wife, he comes back again. He looks very disturbed and tells me I can’t sleep in the same room with the four men but instead I can sleep in his children’s room. To avoid unnecessary discussion I agree to it, and sleep on the floor in the room where his two children were already sleeping in their beds. I lie down and start thinking, "What a rotten society we are living in. These sexually suppressed people project their minds on us and think they are moral, civilized and cultured people and that we are misbehaving."

When I tell Osho about this episode, He says to Jayantibhai that arrangements for His staying should not be made in the house of people who have never heard Him and don’t know Him: "They unnecessarily suffer and create trouble for others too."

Chapter 19

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

-----------------------

One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas – this is a essential book. There exists no other quite like it. It is a collection of living moments with the living Buddha. It is not some events remembered and then adorned with reactions. These are tales vitally alive.

These tales are a great gift for all of us – those who have sat with the living Master and those who haven’t. It is a book for all seekers. It is also a book for those who are not actively seeking, but surely have the same longing – the longing for a taste of that love which has no bondage.

Ma Dharm Jyoti lived and travelled with Osho in the very early days when Osho left being a professor at universities, and traveled around India giving talks and gathering thousands around him. These are the tales of those days.

Like a beautiful marble statue

The plane strike is over and we go by plane from Udaipur to Ahmedabad. It is my first experience of traveling by plane. Osho enters the plane and I follow Him; He sits by the window and I sit next to Him. I tell Him, "I am traveling by plane for the first time, and I am scared."In the meantime an air hostess comes with a tray. Osho picks up one little packet and opens it: there is cotton inside. He breaks it in two pieces and giving me one says, "Put it in your ears and when the plane takes off just close your eyes and look inside. It is a good opportunity to meditate.

"Then He shows me how to fix the belt. It is about half an hour’s flight, and one which I will never forget. I close my eyes when the plane starts-it is really a unique experience when it takes off. I feel as if I am transported into another world. After a few moments I open my eyes and look outside the window: our plane is passing through the clouds and I am thrilled and overjoyed with the experience.

I look at Osho: He is sitting like a beautiful marble statue with closed eyes, no movement of any kind. I don’t know what to say, "He is totally present - or totally absent." Surely He is not sleeping.

As the plane lands at Ahmedabad airport, He opens His eyes, unites His belt, and asks me, "How was it?"

I say, "Osho, It was great-I really enjoyed it."I say to myself, "It is better to travel by plane one time than traveling by trains ten times."I wonder if He heard it-He just looks at me and smiles.

Chapter 18

Synchronicity with the Master

In the morning discourse I am sitting very close to Him, recording His discourse on my little cassette recorder. I don’t even know about extension cords. I tie my little microphone wire to His mike as usual and sit down.

Today something amazing is happening: as He starts speaking, I feel I know beforehand word for word what He is going to say. Later when I tell Him about this experience He says, "It is called synchronicity with the master. Before the words are spoken, they are in the shape of thoughts arising in consciousness like ripples. If someone is silent, he can catch the thoughts before the word--it is very simple. "Then He adds that I should not pay much attention to thoughts but watch the source from where they are arising. He explains the whole process in such a simple way so that while listening there is a clear glimpse of it.

Chapter 17

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

Just accept the situation and there is no problem

It is very hot in the afternoon and Osho is resting on His cot after lunch; everyone else has gone out. I close the latch of the door and sit on the floor near His cot and start fanning Him with a little hand fan. After a while He opens His eyes and says, "Stop fanning and go to sleep."

I feel maybe He is thinking I am tired; but I am really enjoying it--making Him a little comfortable. I tell Him, "It is very hot and I can continue to fan you."

He says, "Just accept the situation and there is no problem." He closes His eyes again; I stop fanning Him and slowly move away. I can see curious people jumping and peeping in at the windows which have no curtains. I watch Him--He is resting like an emperor on His golden throne.

In the night I take His mattress to the terrace and make a bed for Him on the floor. It is quite cool there and He likes to sleep under the sky, and tells us also to sleep there and enjoy the stars and moon.

Chapter 16

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

"Osho, I don’t want it!"

It is lunch time, and we are all sitting with Osho around a rectangular dining table. It seems that the friends who have arranged this camp are very poor--the quality of food they are serving is very poor. The dal is almost as liquid as water, and crushed rice (the left over little pieces that is sold at a cheaper rate after refining the rice) is cooked and I can see little black stones in it.

I am sitting next to Osho, who is very excited and has already started eating. I am surprised to see the expression on His face: He is eating with such delight, as if eating some delicious food. One old man is standing next to Him with a box of some cheap Indian sweet called laddoo. He places one laddoo on Osho’s plate, which Osho accepts with a pleasant smile. The man is pleased and places one more laddoo on His plate. Osho says nothing to Him, but silently takes the laddoo and places it on my plate.

I immediately say, " Osho, I don’t want it!"

He chuckles and says, "Don’t say ‘no’; just pass it on to the next person." I like the idea and do it. The next friend, who has heard Osho’s words, passes it on to the next person. Everyone cracks up in laughter when finally the laddoo returns to the old man’s box.

Osho always enjoys telling jokes while eating. Eating with Him turns into a great feast--it doesn’t matter what you are eating. Today He tells this joke: One day Akbar slapped his court jester Birbal without any apparent reason, and Birbal just slapped the person standing next to him. The person got angry and asked Birbal why he had slapped him.

Birbal replied, "Don’t ask--just pass it to the next person." so this game continued in the palace the whole day, and finally, at night in bed, Akbar’s wife slapped him.

Not to be serious is Osho’s main message which He not only preaches but practices every moment.

Chapter 15

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

-----------------------

One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas – this is a essential book. There exists no other quite like it. It is a collection of living moments with the living Buddha. It is not some events remembered and then adorned with reactions. These are tales vitally alive.

These tales are a great gift for all of us – those who have sat with the living Master and those who haven’t. It is a book for all seekers. It is also a book for those who are not actively seeking, but surely have the same longing – the longing for a taste of that love which has no bondage.

Ma Dharm Jyoti lived and travelled with Osho in the very early days when Osho left being a professor at universities, and traveled around India giving talks and gathering thousands around him. These are the tales of those days.

He has some secret key--and I want to steal it

By 7:00pm we reach Udaipur. We are shocked to see that one room on the ground floor has been arranged for Osho and all of us, in a building under construction. There is an Indian cot, made from ropes tied around a wooden frame standing on four legs. A small thin mattress is put on it and is covered with a white sheet. It is the bed arranged for Osho and the rest of us have to sleep in the same room on the floor which is covered with rugs. I am even more shocked to see that there is not even an electric fan. Some bamboo hand fans are kept in one of the corners of the room. From somewhere an electric connection is taken to light an electric bulb. There is a bathroom nearby which is somehow prepared for us to use.

After this whole tedious journey, we relax on the floor and Osho on His cot like a baby in the cradle. Everyone is silent. I am feeling angry inside about the whole situation and not finding any words to express it, I also keep quiet on the surface.
We watch Osho. It seems He has accepted everything joyously. There is no expression of any complaint on His face. After lying down for a few minutes he gets up and walks to the bathroom with His towel hanging on His shoulder. As he leaves we start talking about this mess we are in.

The organizer cannot conceive Osho’s difficulty--he thinks he has made the best arrangements, and there is no bathroom, we become silent. He looks so fresh and radiant--I can’t resist gazing at Him. He looks at us and smiles and site on His cot like a king on his beautiful throne. I think He has some secret key--and I want to steal it.

Chapter 14

Osho looks very happy

Osho has arrived from Jabalpur. He has to go to Udaipur by plane. For days Indian Airlines has been on strike and we are hoping that it will be over any moment; but the strike continues. We can’t think of any other alternative for reaching Udaipur and suggest that the meditation camp be postponed for a while. but Osho is determined to reach there in time.

We wonder how it can be possible--all train reservations authorities to attach an extra air conditioned compartment with "Gujarat Mail Train" for Ahmedabad and reserve eight sleepers for friends who are going with Him. To our surprise, the officer in charge of reservation, is excited at the idea, look at the waiting list and rush back to inform Osho and other friends to get ready and reach Bombay central Station by 8:00pm.

We are all overjoyed to traveling with Him in the same compartment. Everybody has arrived on time. Osho looks very happy. He is sitting on His sleeper, cross-legged, surrounded by us. He tells us jokes, and the whole compartment is full of laughter. People come to peep in to see what is going on. After a while we leave Him alone and occupy our sleepers.

The train arrives in Ahmedabad on time. After having breakfast at one of the friend’s house, we hire two taxis to reach Udaipur by road. It is very hot. In our deep unconsciousness we don’t even think of having an air conditioned car for Him. It is a long journey of about 6-8 hours. Osho is sitting in the back seat of the taxi with a friend, and I am sitting in front with the driver. I am perspiring and have got a headache watching the dirty, unending road ahead of us.

I look back. Osho is sitting with His eyes closed, as if disconnected from the outside world. I wonder when I will learn to be able to do that--it looks like an impossible task. I feel that somehow I have disturbed Him, and He opens His eyes and asks for a soda. Traveling around continuously in different parts of India, He has stopped drinking water. We stop the taxi. I take out a soda from the big thermos kept in the back and soak a little napkin in cold water.

After He finishes the soda, I give Him the wet napkin to keep on His head. He takes it and does as I suggest, like a small child, and feeling the coolness of it asks me from where I have learnt "all these tricks"! It is so hot, the napkin gets dry within half an hour and I keep replacing it with wet ones until we reach our destination.

Chapter 13

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

Sanghvi Tifin Factory

Osho is staying in Sohan’s house in Poona and giving discourses at "Sanghvi Tifin Factory" ground which is quite a distance from Sohan’s. This evening it is time to leave for discourse, but the driver has not come. We wait for about five minutes and then Osho, looking at His watch says, " It is getting late--let us go." Before anyone can say anything, He opens the front door and sits in the drive seat and starts the car. Sohan and I look at each other in wonder. I open the front door and tell Sohan to sit next to Him and I sit in the back seat. He is driving very fast, and we are sitting there holding our breath. There are so many turns on the way, I wonder if He knows the way.

To my surprise, in a few minuets we reach our destination. Friends who are waiting there to receive Him come near and open the back door. I come out and they ask me, "Where is Osho?"

In the meantime, Osho has opened the front door Himself and has started walking towards the podium. I just point towards Him with my finger and look at my watch: we have arrived two minutes early. Osho never likes to be late for discourse. What a master! Living in timelessness and always on time! Osho, your compassion is infinite. Your love and care for your fellow travelers can’t be expressed in words. Only those who have tasted it will understand.

Chapter 12

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

-----------------------

One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas – this is a essential book. There exists no other quite like it. It is a collection of living moments with the living Buddha. It is not some events remembered and then adorned with reactions. These are tales vitally alive.

These tales are a great gift for all of us – those who have sat with the living Master and those who haven’t. It is a book for all seekers. It is also a book for those who are not actively seeking, but surely have the same longing – the longing for a taste of that love which has no bondage.

Ma Dharm Jyoti lived and travelled with Osho in the very early days when Osho left being a professor at universities, and traveled around India giving talks and gathering thousands around him. These are the tales of those days.

How about buying a lottery ticket?

It is pouring today and Osho has to leave for Poona by the evening flight. He is staying at the CCI chambers in Bombay proper, and it takes at least one hour to reach the airport. We set off at 5:00pm. I sit with Laxmi, who is driving the car, and Taru sits on the back seat with Osho. She is crying for some reason. The car is passing along Peddar Road and I look outside. The construction of "Woodlands" building is over.

I tell Osho, "This building has no thirteenth floor." He looks at the building and asks Laxmi to inquire if there is any apartment for sale. Laxmi remains silent. I know we don’t have any funds to purchase an apartment.

Laxmi turns the radio on and a voice comes on, "Invest one rupee in lottery ticket and get ten lakhs in a months!"

Osho laughs and tells Taru, " How about buying a lottery ticket?" Her crying turns into laughter. I don’t know if Taru bought lottery ticket, but we purchased an apartment in Woodlands for Osho. How it was managed, I don’t know.

It is raining very heavily but Laxmi is somehow managing to get her way through the traffic jams, to reach the airport on time. war is going on between India and Pakistan--no lights are allowed to be put on after sunset. Laxmi manages to reach the airport in time and we make ourselves comfortable on sofas in the waiting room.

Today Osho looks pretty exhausted. More friends have arrived at the airport and it is very noisy. There is an announcement that the Poona flight is delayed half an hour, so I go to Osho and ask if He would like some tea and snacks. He agrees to it and says to get some for everybody. There are about ten of us there. Tea and snacks are brought and put on the table in the middle of us. The whole atmosphere becomes festive. We forget about war and blackouts and enjoy eating and drinking tea with Osho.

We become alert as an announcement is made that the Poona flight has been delayed another hour. Now it is too much. It takes only twenty minutes to Poona by plane. We have already traveled an hour by road and now have waited half an hour at the airport. In three hours Osho could have reached Poona by car or train.

We are feeling helpless and I start imagining how nice it would be if Osho has His own little plane. It is such a torture to wait at airports for hours. Osho looks at Laxmi and she says, "Now there is no point in going by road--we have already waited so long."

Osho sits back and seeing us tense starts telling jokes. The last joke He tells is about Mulla Nasruddin: Mulla is sick and goes to see his doctor. He is waiting and waiting to be called and finally decides to leave. As he gets up the nurse comes in and asks, "Mulla, what happened? Why are you laving?"

Mulla answers, "It is better to die a natural death at home!"

As He finishes the joke, Osho stands, and we are surprised to hear the announcement that the Poona flight will be leaving in ten minutes. We are overjoyed. Osho namastes everyone and starts walking, and I follow Him like a shadow that can’t imagine being separate from Him. We climb the small staircase and then He turns back again and waves His hand in good bye to friends once more.

Chapter 11

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

Here is a Buddha again living among us!

We have come to V.T. station with Osho, who is leaving for Jabalpur. It is a hot summer afternoon. It is 1969. I am standing behind Him, watching how His perspiration is running like a little stream of water from the middle of His back down to His waist. He is wearing a whit lunghi and a shawl wrapped around the upper part of His body: His back is half naked. He is standing with all his beauty and grace like a lion amongst the crowd of sheep who have fallen in love with Him!

The train is about to leave, yet His luggage has not arrived: it was put in another car. We become worried. He is leaving to conduct a meditation camp, and I start wondering how he will manage there without His clothes. Suddenly He turns back and looks at me. I feel ashamed to disturb Him with my doubting mind--He just smiles at me. His trusting, shining eyes are still floating in the air before me as I write. I relaxed and remember His words, "Trust existence."

The guard blows his whistle again, and Osho gets in the train without His luggage. He stands at the door and looks at everyone with His mischievous smile. Somewhere in my heart I know that the train will not leave till His luggage arrives. We are all waiting there, holding our breath, to see what happens next. How unconsciously we are behaving in the presence of our enlightened master. But His compassion is infinite: He has accepted us as we are and never gives us the feeling of being ignorant or unconscious.

Very slowly the train starts, and to our great surprise we see Ishwarbhai’s driver come running with His suitcase, and pushing everyone aside, he reaches His compartment, and places the suitcase behind Osho, who is still standing at the door to say one more time "Good-bye" to us.

The train pulls out. My heart sinks into silence. I close my eyes and sit at the bench nearby. One of the friends comes and shakes me saying, "Let us go." I open my eyes and wonder where to go: my heart has already gone with Him. I want to shout to the world, "Here is a Buddha again living among us!"

Chapter 10

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

-----------------------

One Hundred Tales For Ten Thousand Buddhas – this is a essential book. There exists no other quite like it. It is a collection of living moments with the living Buddha. It is not some events remembered and then adorned with reactions. These are tales vitally alive.

These tales are a great gift for all of us – those who have sat with the living Master and those who haven’t. It is a book for all seekers. It is also a book for those who are not actively seeking, but surely have the same longing – the longing for a taste of that love which has no bondage.

Ma Dharm Jyoti lived and travelled with Osho in the very early days when Osho left being a professor at universities, and traveled around India giving talks and gathering thousands around him. These are the tales of those days.

Where are the other friends?

I am waiting at a platform at V.T. station to receive Osho who is to arrive from Jabalpur. To my surprise there is no other friend within sight and I start wondering if I have the wrong information about His coming. Still I decide to wait until the train arrives. My eyes are wandering all around for some familiar face, but it is all in vain. I start perspiring--it is very hot. The train will be arriving soon, still no one else has come to receive Him. I doubt that all the friends have decided together to abandon Osho, though there is always controversy around him; He is saying the naked truth, which most people find difficult to swallow. He is mercilessly uprooting everything traditional in India.

I am lost in my thoughts and am shaken by the noise of the train reaching the platform. My heart starts throbbing and my eyes are glued to the air conditioned carriage. One by one passengers start getting down. A few minutes feel like eternity. And there He is! Finally, coming out of the train. I rush toward Him and He gets down from the train. I touch His feet and He blesses me with His hand on my head. I am overjoyed with His presence, and feel as if I am wrapped in an invisible fragrance that is around Him.

He asks, "Where are the other friends?"

I tell Him, "I don’t know why they haven’t come, but I know where you are to stay."I ask Him if He would like to go by taxi.

He simply says, " Let us wait--friends will be coming soon."

I look at His face: there is no sign of any anxiety or hurry. Almost everyone has left the platform except the two of us. Seeing that I look a little worried, He starts telling me jokes and makes me laugh. One part of me is very happy to be alone with Him, and the other part is worrying about Him--having travelled twenty-four hours by train and standing on the platform in such heat. I feel helpless.

Finally, after about half an hour, Ishwarbhai, Lahrubhai and few other friends come running to receive Him. They are also shocked by the whole scene because they were told by railway authorities that the train was half an hour late.

Osho’s great art is to never allow anyone to feel guilty. He greets everyone with such love that no one is serious about what has happened. Laughing and talking with friends He starts walking and I follow Him in wonder, and my heart whispers, "He does not belong to this world."

Chapter 9. One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas

Ma Dharm Jyoti

You have been my secret love

Osho is leaving for Jabalpur from Bombay by train. It is quite crowded and noisy on the platform and there are about fifty of us who have come to see Him off. Some are shaking hands with Him, some are touching His feet, and each time He bends to touch their heads. Some are standing silently, looking at Him with their eyes full of tears, and Osho comes near them and hugs them and tells them not to be sad, He will be coming back soon. Their tears overflow with His touch, but their faces are full of smiles. Tears and smiles is an everyday scene around Osho.

Suddenly we are shaken by the guard’s whistle and there is a signal that the train is about to leave. Osho gets in the train and stands at the door with His hands folded in namaste. He beckons me to come near Him. I get up on the footstep of the train and He shows me with His outstretched hand, pointing to a far away corner where a friend is standing, and ask me to bring her.

I hesitate and say, " Osho, the train is about to leave".

He very firmly says, "No, it won’t leave. Just go and bring her".

I rush to the corner, pushing aside hundreds of people on my way and to my surprise when I reach there, it is Ma Tao standing there weeping and sobbing like a small child who has lost her mother. I grab her by the hand and rush back to the train. It must have taken me at least five minutes to get back to Osho--and there He is standing at the door of His air conditioned compartment to receive her.

He places His hand on her head and assures her that He will be coming back soon, she should not cry. And again, this "tears and smiles" on Tao’s face, her little eyes are shining like stars. I can see how He is pouring all His love just by the touch of His hand, and it is as if we devotees start drinking the water of eternal life from His well.

He looks around at everyone more time and waves His hand in a good-bye and it is as if he tells the train driver, "Now you can start!" The train slowly starts moving and there He is standing at the door, with us all looking at Him, till the train vanishes from our sight. We hug each other and silently start leaving the platform with our hearts heavy but hoping to see Him again soon.

I remember a Zen haiku:

"You, before me standing,

Oh! my eternal self!

Since my first glimpse

you have been my secret love."

Chapter 8 One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas Ma Dharm Jyoti

I am a gardener

Osho has already resigned from the university as a professor. He is traveling around India conducting meditation camps and giving public discourses on open grounds to fifteen to twenty thousand people at a time. He is very fiery. He is roaring fearlessly like a lion, uprooting everything traditional in India. Bombay has become His main centre of work, through he is still staying in Jabalpur. On many occasions He is travelling by train from Jabalpur to Bombay and staying there as a guest in some friend’s home till He gets connecting flights for His destination. He is travelling the same way while going back to Jabalpur. Bombay friends are fortunate to meet Him very often.

Most of the time Osho was travelling alone before I met Him. After meeting Him, I never wanted to miss any opportunity of being with Him, and He allowed it. It is such a blessing to be responds to the different situations clearly shows His love and compassion towards existence.

The way He sits on the chair, as if the chair is a living being and he doesn’t want to hurt it, and when He gets up he looks at the chair with gratitude for making Him comfortable. Just walking, He walks so gently and gracefully, as if not to hurt the earth under His feet. He eats with such gratitude, which is so apparent in His eyes when He looks at the food. What to say about plants, animals and human beings? He is never in favour of pruning the plants, unless it is needed for their growth. He has to stop talking to friends in His garden because they start plucking the lawn while sitting there. Osho is against picking the flowers too.

Once I hear Him say, "You love your children--you don’t remove their heads, If you really love flowers you will never pick them. You murder them by picking them--it is a kind of violence towards flowers. Enjoy the beauty from a distance, but don’t try to possess it."

At another occasion, He is looking out from the window towards the fields--it is evening time. Far away a man is shouting and hitting a cow with a stick. Osho says, "Look at that stupid man! The cow is going by herself, he is unnecessarily torturing her." I can feel His compassion for the cow. I feel Him like a heavy cloud, full of water, showering His love on all those who come in contact with Him.

In one of the discourses I hear Him say, "I am a gardener: I go on throwing seeds all around, without even looking where they are landing. I have in abundance. When the right season comes, some of them will sprout and will become huge trees, full of flowers, spreading their fragrance and giving shadow to whoever passes under them."

Chapter 7

One Hundred Tales for Ten Thousand Buddhas, Ma Dharm Jyoti