I’ve spent a decent amount of time around Buddhists in
different locations, and the same with followers of Osho, and the stark
differences between the behaviours of these two groups claiming a path to
spiritual enlightenment is nothing short of staggering.
Obviously I have to generalise here as not all Buddhist
followers are alike, and not all Osho followers are alike but there are some very
strong and noticeable themes in the overwhelming majority of those whom I’ve
encountered, and I believe this is owing to the main types of meditations they practise.
I must clarify at this stage that those I’ve met who tell
me they follow “Zen Buddhism” do not seem to show quite the same
characteristics as the other Buddhists I’ve met – they seem a lot more serious
and a lot less joyous (sorry, but they do!) – and I can’t speculate why this is
as I know nothing whatsoever about Zen Buddhist meditations but I believe they are
not the same as the two main Buddhist meditations outlined below. So in this
piece I’m talking about Buddhists in general but NOT Zen Buddhists.
Where did I get my experience?
Buddhism: I completed the Introduction to Buddhism Course at
The Buddhist Society, London, and spent many evenings at the Buddhist Centre in
East London, UK. I spent an intensive eight days with 280 participants, plus
monks and nuns at the Lam Rim (teachings of the Buddha) course at Kopan
Monastery, Nepal, and a further four intensive days with 10 participants and
monks at an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism course in Pokhara, Nepal. I lived for
six months and attended many meditations at the Ganden Buddhist Centre,
Halifax, UK, and have read three books by the 14th Dalai Lama (the
spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists), as well as having dipped into
several books by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (the founder of The New Kadampa
Tradition) and have read several other books on Buddhism.
Osho: I spent two months living in Pokhara, attending a
small Osho meditation centre for daily meditations, followed by two months
living in Pune, India, a few minutes’ walk from the Osho Meditation Centre,
mingling with Osho followers on a daily basis, as well as spending full days at
the centre many times during that period. I attended a full day of meditations
commemorating the death of Osho at a centre separate to the main ashram in Pune
, and I spent three months at Angsbacka, Sweden, living in close contact with
several followers of Osho.
What did I notice?
The (majority that I’ve met of) students of Buddhism come
across as open, grounded, present and friendly. Their general outlook on life
is one of positivity and acceptance which makes it easy to be friends with
them, to work with them, and to get to know and understand them. Generally, they’re
able to express themselves in a healthy manner by asking for what they do or
don’t want, and saying what they mean, kindly but clearly. The longer they’ve
been following Buddhism, the more prominent these characteristics.
Conversely the (majority that I’ve met of) Osho followers
appear spaced out, out of touch with reality and unable to communicate
effectively. They can be unapproachable, it’s difficult to connect with them, get
to know and understand them, they’re confusing, you’re not sure where you stand
with them, and they can be moody and seem very lost and deeply unhappy. They
often have a far-away look in their eyes like they’re not present. Generally, they’re
unable to express themselves in a healthy manner, apparently hiding their
emotions with blank looks and soft words that strongly suggest a mismatch
between what they’re saying and what they’re feeling. The longer they’ve been a
student of Osho, the more prominent these characteristics.
Why could this be?
In Buddhism, the two main meditations are Mindfulness:
being present in the moment, very aware of your surroundings instead of
allowing the mind to wander – and Meta Bhavana or Loving Kindness
Meditation: sending out prayers of love and kindness to oneself and others.
These two meditations cultivate qualities that make life as a human being
easier to deal with. Rather than being upset about the past or worrying about
the future, these meditations help us to focus on the here and now which is
very freeing, and to love and take care of ourselves and everyone we encounter,
which makes our day to day a lot less of a struggle. The positive effects of
both of these meditations are immediately noticeable, and improve the more
times they’re repeated.
For followers of Osho, the two main meditations are Kundalini
and Dynamic.
In Kundalini meditation, the first parts of the meditation
are to allow the body to shake, and then dance to music. The idea is to help
energy move through the body, allowing it to come without forcing it and, in
doing so, release the day’s tensions. This is followed by two stages of staying
still, witnessing what is going on inside. It’s an individualistic meditation
that focuses purely on oneself and what’s inside, and doesn’t take into account
anything outside of oneself. It stands to reason, then, that a person regularly
practising Osho’s Kundalini meditation can become very internalised and appear
out of touch with other people and what’s going on around them.
In Dynamic meditation, which is to be practiced first thing in the morning ideally every day, the focus is on expressing one’s emotions in whatever way they come. As those who usually seek spirituality or religion are struggling with something, this means that the emotion that comes up is often (but not always, of course) distressing and dramatic and most often involves crying and/or shouting, as well as physical body movement. Another aspect of this meditation involves 15 minutes of jumping with one’s arms in the air. It’s common that the first time a person practises Dynamic Meditation they don’t enjoy it or get anything out of it and are advised that they must go a few times to notice the benefits. Drama and exercise are very addictive and so it’s easy to see how 15 minutes of jumping and 15 minutes of crying/screaming/wailing each morning can quickly become depended upon, and once addicted, it’s easy to see how an “addict” can think that their daily fix of exercise and drama is actually benefiting them. No addiction is a good thing because it’s masking something that needs addressing, but an addiction to this drama is particularly damaging because what we focus on perpetuates. So although it’s entirely healthy and, indeed, essential to feel and release emotions, when the same emotion is expressed repeatedly (in this case, because of the addiction that builds to expressing it on a daily basis) it becomes stronger and more real. If the emotion being expressed is distressing then it’s easy to see why someone regularly practising Dynamic meditation could become deeply unhappy.
In Dynamic meditation, which is to be practiced first thing in the morning ideally every day, the focus is on expressing one’s emotions in whatever way they come. As those who usually seek spirituality or religion are struggling with something, this means that the emotion that comes up is often (but not always, of course) distressing and dramatic and most often involves crying and/or shouting, as well as physical body movement. Another aspect of this meditation involves 15 minutes of jumping with one’s arms in the air. It’s common that the first time a person practises Dynamic Meditation they don’t enjoy it or get anything out of it and are advised that they must go a few times to notice the benefits. Drama and exercise are very addictive and so it’s easy to see how 15 minutes of jumping and 15 minutes of crying/screaming/wailing each morning can quickly become depended upon, and once addicted, it’s easy to see how an “addict” can think that their daily fix of exercise and drama is actually benefiting them. No addiction is a good thing because it’s masking something that needs addressing, but an addiction to this drama is particularly damaging because what we focus on perpetuates. So although it’s entirely healthy and, indeed, essential to feel and release emotions, when the same emotion is expressed repeatedly (in this case, because of the addiction that builds to expressing it on a daily basis) it becomes stronger and more real. If the emotion being expressed is distressing then it’s easy to see why someone regularly practising Dynamic meditation could become deeply unhappy.
In a nutshell
If, like a Buddhist, you focus on your physical senses in conjunction
with your surroundings and cultivate a loving mindset, you will learn to become
connected with the present moment and attract loving relationships.
If, like a follower of Osho, you focus purely on your own physical and emotional feelings with no regard for anything outside of yourself, you will learn to become out of touch with your surroundings and disconnected from other people.
It’s actually not rocket science, is it? What are your
thoughts?
