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. He would still speak at these retreats, 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 daily to give discourse in the morning and darshan in the evening.
The camps eventually settled into a somewhat 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, while Osho was giving darshan. The camps ran for ten days, from the 11th to the 20th of each month. For most of that time, both daily meditations and whole camps 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 Bodhisatva, 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.
- see also
- Bhagawati's visit to Mt Abu in Osho News
Camps Timeline
A timeline of available info thus far is presented below regarding Osho's historic traveling Meditation Camps, from the days when he was based in Jabalpur and Mumbai, derived 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. More info will be coming!
Two-letter "codes" are Indian state abbreviations, RJ = Rajasthan, MH = Maharashtra, GJ = Gujarat, JK = Jammu & Kashmir, PB = Punjab, MP = Madhya Pradesh, HP = Himachal Pradesh
camp discourses / notes Jun 3-7, 1964 -- Ranakpur RJ Sadhana Path (साधना पथ) / The Perfect Way / Path of Self Realization / Path to Self Realisation All the English titles above are translations from Sadhana Path. Regarding the camp's location: Ranakpur is also rendered as Rankpur and Ranakput; and some, including Osho, say the camp was at Muchala Mahavir (with variations Muchhal, Muchhala, Mahavira and in all combinations), a half-hour drive from Ranakpur village. Perhaps it can all be considered Ranakpur district (tehsil?). Net info suggests Muchala Mahavir is little more than a Jain temple ruin, though splendid enough to be on the tourist map. In any case, most sources agree that this was Osho's first meditation camp. A new idea was launched! Fall 1964 -- Matheran MH (5 days) Dec 12-14, 1964 -- Jabalpur MP camp format was actually "gyan satra," or "knowledge session" Jan 20-23, 1965 -- Mumbai another "gyan satra" / "knowledge session" Feb 2-?, 1965 -- Ajol GJ Feb 12-14, 1965 -- Mahableshwar MH Jul 24, 1965 -- Bhavnagar GJ Dharm Ki Khoj (धर्म की खोज) May not have been a meditation event (at one day), perhaps just a talk Mar 20, 1966 -- Ahmedabad GJ Karm Aur Dhyan May not have been a meditation event (at one day), perhaps just a talk May 14-17, 1966 -- Udaipur RJ Oct 18-21, 1967 -- Matheran MH Asambhav Kranti (असम्भव क्रांति) Dec 23-24, 1967 -- Lonavala MH A Gathering of Friends Not a "standard" camp but a think-tank kind of event "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 3-5, 1968 -- Ajol GJ Antar Yatra (अंतर यात्रा) / The Inner Journey May 2-5, 1968 -- Nargol GJ Shunya Ki Naav (or Nao) This book aka a part of a several-volume series, Neti-Neti Oct 30 - Nov 3, 1968 -- Nargol GJ Prabhu Mandir Ke Dwar Par Feb 25-27, 1969 -- Junagadh GJ Satya Ki Khoj (सत्य की खोज) / The Beginning of the Beginning Mar 20-?, 1969 -- Matheran MH Sep 17-30, 1969 -- Pahalgam JK (in the mountains ~100 km from Srinagar) Osho has often spoke of Pahalgam as Jesus' final resting place. The camp included the classic discourse where Osho talked to followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, published as chapter 7 of Early Talks. This was the first time Osho spoke publicly at length in English, and also the first time to a Western audience. Oct 28-31, 1969 -- Dwarka GJ Main Mrityu Sikhata Hoon (मैं मृत्यु सिखाता हूं) / And Now, And Here, Vol 1 Nov 25-?, 1969 -- Mumbai Floating and Dying Meditation (Bahana aur Mritana), one day? Dec 9-12, 1969 -- Junagadh GJ Jeevan Hi Hai Prabhu Mar 6-9, 1970 -- Rajkot GJ Naye Samaj Ke Khoj May 2-5, 1970 -- Nargol GJ Jin Khoja Tin Paiyan (जिन खोजा तिन पाइयां) / The Journey of the Kundalini / The Mystic Experience / In Search of the Miraculous, Vol 1 the camp where Osho introduced Dynamic Jun 29, 1970 -- left Jabalpur for Mumbai ~Jul 29-?, 1970 -- Baroda GJ (Baroda is now known as Vadodara) Flight of the Alone to the Alone (2) / The Great Challenge camp details unknown, only ref is an interview on this one date Aug 20-23, 1970 -- Ludhiana PB Aug 24-26, 25-27 or 26-28, 1970 -- Baroda GJ or Jalandhar PB Sep 26 - Oct 5, 1970 -- Manali HP Krishna Smriti (कृष्ण-स्मृति) / Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy 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 17-20, 1970 -- Pune MH Yog: Naye Ayam (योग: नये आयाम) / Sun of Consciousness / Nine Sutras Nov 29 - Dec 7, 1970 -- Ahmedabad GJ Gita Darshan, Vol 1 (गीता दर्शन, भाग एक) This camp began the massive series Gita Darshan (गीता दर्शन), which continued through the next five years, mainly in Mumbai and Pune Apr 4-10, 1971 -- Bikaner Palace Hotel, Mt Abu RJ Ishavashya Upanishad (ईशावास्य उपनिषद) / The Heartbeat of the Absolute Sep 25 - Oct 1, 1971 -- Mt Abu RJ Nirvana Upanishad (निर्वाण उपनिषद्) / Behind a Thousand Names Jan 8-16, 1972 -- Matheran MH Sarvasar Upanishad (सर्वसार उपनिषद) / That Art Thou Mar 25 - Apr 2, 1972 -- Mt Abu RJ Kaivalya Upanishad (कैवल्य उपनिषद) / That Art Thou Oct 13-21, 1972 -- Mt Abu RJ Adhyatma Upanishad (अध्अध्यात्म उपनिषद) / That Art Thou This and the two previous camps were the first camps in which Osho gave a whole series of 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 9-17, 1973 -- Anandshila MH The New Alchemy: To Turn You On Where exactly Anandshila was in terms of locatable on a map not yet known, possibly not far NE of Mumbai Apr 6-14, 1973 -- Mt Abu RJ The New Alchemy: To Turn You On Jul 8-16, 1973 -- Mt Abu RJ The Supreme Doctrine Oct 6-13?, 1973 -- Mt Abu RJ Kathopanishad (कठोपनिषद) Jan 11-19, 1974 -- Mt Abu RJ Vedanta: Seven Steps to Samadhi
