Meditation Camps

Meditation camps (Hindi: sadhana shivir) have been a feature of the sannyas landscape since 1964. Prior to that, Osho was lecturing, traveling and becoming well known as a riveting speaker, but he saw that people were not being transformed, so he introduced camps, extended retreats where the focus was experiential rather than filling one's head with concepts. At these retreats, he spoke, often at length, but the event was not over when he stopped speaking. Then it was time to visit the interior landscape, to experiment with his techniques and use his words as signposts of things to look for, guidance regarding pitfalls and so on. Most of the day(s) would be spent in self-exploration, using a variety of ways to ask "Who am I?" Deeper and deeper.

From the back cover of The Perfect Way, an English translation of his discourses at the first camp in 1964: "These discourses are the outcome of Shree Rajneesh's first testing of a new idea, the meditation camp, envisaging an intensive programme lasting several days, which enabled the seekers to dive totally into an atmosphere of meditation."

As they evolved, camps were held several times a year in various formats, lasting a couple of days to as many as fourteen, and in "exotic" locations mainly around the northwestern states of India: seaside resorts, hill stations, usually but not always away from cities. Nargol, Matheran, Mt Abu and others became fabled places in the sannyas iconography.

Traveling to such places came to an end in 1974 after Osho moved to Pune, but the camps did not end. At Shree Rajneesh Ashram, it became possible to have these intensive retreats more often. As the camps evolved in Pune, meditations were first led personally by Osho and then by others who had imbibed them sufficiently to be able to lead them. But even with others nominally leading the meditations, Osho still came out to talk daily.

And the camps took on a more standardized format, which ran more or less the same for the last five years of Pune One, and that was: 6-7 am, Dynamic; 8-9:30ish, Discourse; followed by Sufi Dancing, Vipassana, Nadabrahma and Kundalini and then an evening meditation which would be Gourishankar for one camp and Nataraj for the next. The camps ran for ten days, from the 11th to the 20th of each month. For most of that time, meditations were led by Sw Christ Chaitanya.

Camps also flourished in other places around the world but especially in India, even while Osho was still in the body. Osho's indefatigable roving ambassadors led hundreds of three-day, five-day and ten-day camps in all parts of India. Some of the best known leaders of those camps were/are Sw Anand Swabhav, Ma Yoga Neelam, Sw Narendra Bodhisattva, Sw Chaitanya Bharti, Ma Dharm Jyoti, Sw Anand Arun, Sw Chaitanya Keerti, Ma Amrit Mukti and Sw Satya Vedant.

The easy availability of such opportunities to jump fully into Osho's meditation techniques made it easy for newcomers to get a feel for it, though they weren't only for newcomers. And so camps continue to this day around the planet, as focused retreats or also sprouting new forms such as 21-day Dynamics or Mystic Roses, intensives spread out over a longer period.

--- Camps Timeline ---

For reference, a partial timeline of Osho's historic traveling Meditation Camps, from the days when he was based in Jabalpur and Mumbai, derived thus far mostly from a partial reading of The Rebellious Enlightened Master Osho, with links, where applicable, to discourse series. A few other "special" / traveling events are included. Two-letter "codes" are Indian state abbreviations, RJ = Rajasthan, MH = Maharashtra, GJ = Gujarat, JK = Jammu & Kashmir, PB = Punjab, MP = Madhya Pradesh, HP = Himachal Pradesh

• Jun 3, 1964 -- Ranakpur RJ (5 days camp)
  • Sadhana Path / The Perfect Way / Path of Self Realization / Path to Self Realisation
  • note: Not only a proliferation of English titles, all translations from Sadhana Path, but a proliferation of locations were given for this camp. Ranakpur is also rendered as Rankpur and Ranakput. Additionally, the location is given by some, including Osho, as Muchala Mahavir, with variations Muchhal, Muchhala, Mahavira and in all combinations, a half-hour drive from R'pur. Mileage may vary. A survey of the sources and current info suggests Muchala Mahavir is little more than a Jain temple ruin, though splendid enough to be on the tourist map. In any case, all sources agree that this was Osho's first meditation camp. A new idea was being launched.
• Fall 1964 -- Matheran MH (5 days camp)
• Dec 12, 1964 -- Jabalpur MP (3 days "gyan satra," = "knowledge session")
• Jan 20, 1965 -- Mumbai (4 days "knowledge session")
• Feb 2, 1965 -- Ajol GJ camp
• Feb 12, 1965 -- Mahableshwar MH (3 days camp)
• May 14, 1966 -- Udaipur RJ (4 days camp)
• Dec 23, 1967 -- Lonavala MH (2 days camp)
  • A Gathering of Friends
  • note: not a "standard" camp but a think-tank kind of event to "to discuss how the color of peace may be spread far and wide in this vast ocean of life," possibly preparatory to a much larger gathering to organise the expansion of Osho's "work"
• Feb 3, 1968 -- Ajol GJ (3 days camp)
  • Antar Yatra / The Inner Journey
• May 2, 1968 -- Nargol GJ camp
• Oct 30, 1968 -- Nargol GJ camp
• Feb 25, 1969 -- Junagadh GJ (3 days camp) (Satya Ki Khoj / The Beginning of the Beginning)
• Mar 20, 1969 -- Matheran MH camp
• Sep 17, 1969 -- Srinagar JK (14 days camp)
• Oct 28, 1969 -- Dwarka GJ (4 days camp) (Main Mrityu Sikhata Hoon / And Now, And Here, Vol 1)
• Nov 25, 1969 -- Mumbai (1 day camp?) (Floating and Dying Meditation (Bahana aur Mritana))
• Dec ??, 1969 -- Junagadh GJ camp (Jeevan Hi Hai Prabhu)
• May 2, 1970 -- Nargol GJ (4 days camp) (introduced Dynamic, Jin Khoja Tin Paiyan / The Journey of the Kundalini / The Mystic Experience / In Search of the Miraculous, Vol 1)
• Jun 29, 1970 -- left Jabalpur for Mumbai
  • note: date doesn't fit with wiki accounts of discourses, check in CD
• Jul 29, 1970 -- Baroda GJ camp (Flight of the Alone to the Alone (2) / The Great Challenge)
  • note: camp details unknown, only ref is an interview on this one date
• Aug 20, 1970 -- Ludhiana PB (4 days camp)
• Aug 25?, 1970 -- Baroda GJ or Jalandhar PB (3 days camp)
• Sep 26, 1970 -- Manali HP (10 days camp)
  • Krishna Smriti / Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy
  • note: this camp was the occasion of Osho's first "official" sannyas initiations, with orange and mala. Pic here of that first group and details here.
• Oct 17, 1970 -- Pune MH (4 days camp?)
  • Yog: Naye Ayam / Sun of Consciousness / Nine Sutras
• Apr 4, 1971 -- Bikaner Palace Hotel, Mt Abu RJ (7 days camp)
  • The Heartbeat of the Absolute
• Sep 25, 1971 -- Mt Abu RJ (7 days camp)
  • Nirvan Upanishad / Behind a Thousand Names
• Jan 8, 1972 -- Matheran MH (9 days camp)
  • Sarvasar Upanishad / That Art Thou
• Mar 25, 1972 -- Mt Abu RJ (9 days camp)
  • Kaivalya Upanishad / That Art Thou
• Oct 13, 1972 -- Mt Abu RJ (9 days camp)
  • Adhyatma Upanishad / That Art Thou
  • note: above three camps were the first camps in which Osho gave discourses in English. In fact, he spoke in both Hindi and English on these occasions, the English portions comprising That Art Thou and the Hindi the Upanishads, which were later translated into further English books. See That Art Thou for details.
• Feb 9, 1973 -- Anandshila MH (9 days camp)
  • The New Alchemy: To Turn You On
  • note: Where exactly Anandshila was in terms of locatable on a map not yet known, possibly not far NE of Mumbai
• Apr 6, 1973 -- Mt Abu RJ (9 days camp)
  • The New Alchemy: To Turn You On
• Jul 8, 1973 -- Mt Abu RJ (9 days camp)
  • The Supreme Doctrine
• Jan 11, 1974 -- Mt Abu RJ (9 days camp)
  • Vedanta: Seven Steps to Samadhi