The following interview was published on the internet on the web pages of a large search information company called the Mining Co. The questions were asked by Keith Hansen in his section on Mysticism. Ma Yoga Abhita lives in the UK. 
 

Q: What would you say would be the main teaching of Osho if you were to put it into only one sentence or two,  the heart of his Message? What was his message to modern man?  

First I would like to give this disclaimer: please note that the following responses are my personal understandings of Osho  
and his teachings that I have found for myself. My quotes of read and heard.  

Spirituality based on celebration of life; "life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived." Be total in everything you do. Meditation is the key; "the way is in". 

Q. What brought you to the Meditation Centre in Poona 

I had been a sannyasin (follower/disciple of Osho) for 6 years and had always yearned to go to Pune. At the time I was running a business with another sannyasin which took up all my time and energy. We worked very hard. In early 1996 I decided  that  this year, come what may, I was definitely going to Pune. In early Autumn the business went bust! 

The reason  for sannyasins to go there is to be in what Osho calls the ‘Buddhafield’ - the energy-field around an enlightened master,  and also to be in a community of anything between 7,000 to 15,000 people (depending on the ‘season’) who are actively seeking, meditating and committed to their own personal  growth. 

If you have certain issues within your psychology or psyche, it is impossible to ignore them in this atmosphere. Many people find that just being there is an intense experience. It is a safe place to be absolutely who you are in this moment - it is a very, very loving place but can also be very uncomfortable as you experience parts of yourself arising, that you would normally, mostly unconsciously, find ways of ignoring or running away from. 

Q. How long were you there?  

6 months. 

Q. What was the most memorable experience at the  Meditation Centre?  

There were many beautiful experiences, but the most emorable for me would be the times when I could feel Osho’s presence most strongly. Osho died or "left his body" in early 1990. I became a sannyasin later that year (see #11) - and since that time, in some inexplicable way, I have always felt 
connected to Osho. I don’t mean like a god or guru who I look up to and pray to. It is more like falling in love and over the years this love for Osho has got stronger and stronger. 

In Pune, I came to the source of this energy that touches my heart so deeply. Towards the end of my stay there I felt Osho very strongly in the White Robe brotherhood meditation (see #8). Quite often I would be sitting in discourse, eyes closed and I would just be somewhere else, I don’t know where, for an hour or two.  I would feel my third eye (traditionally known as the chakra of inner perception) buzzing with energy - at times very peaceful, at times ecstatic. I absolutely loved White Robe. The other place where Osho’s energy is very strong is in the samadhi, where his ashes are. It is open during the day for  people to sit and meditate in - after an hour in samadhi I would come out completely stoned! 

The other highlight for me was the weekly sannyas celebration in the big meditation hall - the best parties I have ever been to; a true, true celebration. There was always 
celebratory music while people took sannyas and it was so touching to see the tears and laughter of these people, as they 
received their new names, and as they experienced what I can only describe as ‘energy-bopping’ from the women ‘mediums’ sitting at the front. 

Sometimes the music would be soft and lilting, sometimes silence, then uplifting, soaring, then wild celebration. 
Everybody seemed to move together in some intuitive rhythm depending on the mood of whoever was taking in that moment. People would be dancing ecstatically using the whole space of the marble-floored hall, others would be watching, swaying with their hands on their hearts, some with their eyes closed, some with their hands folded in ‘namaste’.  
I did a combination of both. I would find a spot with a good view of the people taking 
sannyas, and sway and dance the whole way through. A few times I could feel Osho’s energy just pouring down and my body would be dancing and dancing, and I would again, just be somewhere else. These were really precious moments for me. 

Q. Did you find enlightenment there? Explain. Did being there change your life? Explain.  

Enlightenment is a term I would only use for people like Osho, Jesus, Buddha etc. To me, these people are enlightened. 
Being there certainly changed my life in many, many ways. It was incredible. But that was also how I felt when I first took 
sannyas.  
In Pune, the ‘life-changing’ experiences were much stronger, more frequent and more intense. The first few months were particularly strong. I experienced mirror after mirror, reflecting back quite shocking things about myself and about how I had been acting, quite unconsciously, up until now. I felt totally shattered, and just when I thought I had been completely shattered, something else I had no inkling of would jump up and hit me right between the eyes. I was shocked and I was often in a very vulnerable space - but Pune is a very safe place for very vulnerable people. When I needed support it was there, and, when it wasn’t appropriate, I was left alone. I learned to let go and be with the feelings that needed to come up. I don’t regret any of this time - the inner peace, awareness and bliss this "deep-cleaning process" has brought me was worth every tear. 

Q. How would you explain the method of meditation that Osho developed?  

In a few words: "meditation for the modern man". 
Osho devised numerous meditations that are a unique blend of Western therapeutic and traditional Eastern meditative techniques. Life is faster and more stressful than ever before, so just sitting in silence in a lotus posture isn’t enough, it won’t do the trick. Some meditations involve shaking or dancing or outright catharsis before you actually sit down and be still. 

The idea is to release the years of repressed and pent up emotions and tensions, to really move the energy, and then to sit and use this energy to move inside and be a witness to all that is happening inside and outside of you. This is also why there are so many therapy groups in the commune; simply to clear the way so that the silence of meditation can really happen. The commune is the biggest therapeutic and spiritual growth centre in the world. 

Q. Why would you say that Osho has been  misunderstood by the media in America?  

Because they were too stupid to see what he was really saying! And also because Osho deliberately provoked them. 
Having a fleet of 99 Rolls Royces (which Osho never owned by the way, and many of which were on lease) was a sure-fire way of getting attention from the consumer capital of the world, and of also provoking a lot of jealousy and anger that a so-called ‘religious’ man could do such a thing. 

The way I see it, it was also another prod at the Christian belief that poverty is more holy than wealth. I recall that Osho once said that if he shocked Americans into opening their mouths so wide in amazement, then maybe he could drop a bit of sense into them! He also said that if people were capable of hating him, they were capable of loving him too. Osho used the media to get his picture onto TV and into newspapers all over the world - he didn’t seem to mind what was written about him, as long as as many people as possible saw his picture he knew that was the best way to reach them. Many people have come to Osho through sheer curiosity. In effect, he conducted, in his own way, a huge, international publicity campaign, for free. 

Q. What was a typical day like at the Meditation Centre? Was there a certain routine?  

It is difficult to describe a typical day, there are many ways to participate there and everyone is free to do what they choose. 
There is a program of meditations that runs in the big, central meditation hall from 6 AM, right through the day to the White Robe Brotherhood every night at 7 PM - this is when a video discourse by Osho is shown (there are thousands of hours of Osho speaking on video tape, even more on audio), and Osho had asked that everyone attend this as the highlight of the day when the whole commune comes together to meditate. So, at this time, the whole commune shuts down. 

There is a huge program of different therapy and meditation groups, which most people come to participate in. Some people work full time, others ‘jump in’ to different jobs that attract them when they feel like it. Other people use the art studios to paint, sculpt, act, etc. There are numerous different classes in martial arts, dance and so on. There are full health club facilities - pool, sauna, jacuzzi, tennis, etc. Many people come to relax and recharge their batteries - it is a very lush, green, beautiful place. People eat in the outdoor restaurants and cafes - quite often serving special Italian or Japanese food (depending on who is doing the cooking!). There is a bar open in the evenings and, once a month in the busy season, a big commune party. 

Something happens almost every evening - theater, comedy, lots of live music from around the world, special concerts and 
performances, special meditations or therapy groups. The commune is a completely international place - while I was in Pune there were Chinese New Year celebrations, Japanese tea ceremonies, Brazilian samba and tango dancing, a Viennese waltz night, belly-dancing, techno dance nights, jazz nights, classical quartets and so on. 

There are a number of special celebration days (Osho’s birthday, death-day, enlightenment day and others) when the whole commune is decked out and all kinds of festivities go on. I was there for the seventh anniversary of Osho leaving the body - seven years is meant to be an auspicious number - and there was a week long, full-on festival, culminating in a huge carnival of 2,000 people dressed up along with seven different floats, music, clowns, stiltwalkers and all kinds of things. 

Q. Define for us darshan and sannyasin.  

In India, the literal translation of ‘darshan’ is seeing - but its meaning goes deeper than that. Osho would give darshan in the early days to sannyasins and visitors. This would be in the form of intimate talks, answering questions and giving advice. There was also energy darshan - when he would ‘give energy’ to people - like the energy-bopping I mentioned before. I can’t really think how to explain this! For Sannyasin see #11. 

Q. What is the reason for the orange robes?  

Osho used many tricks and devices to wake people up and I think that this was one of them. For instance, in [the days when orange robes were common practice]... people had to be sure they wanted to become a sannyasin if it meant wearing orange and a mala at all times, whatever line of work they were in. It would also have been a good publicity stunt - these people could not fail to be recognized. 

A mala is a necklace of 108 beads with Osho’s picture hanging as a ‘pendant’, like a rosary. Malas were usually worn in India by traditional sannyasins of the old Indian religions. Traditional sannyasins are ones who renounced the world and all material items - they would wear orange robes, shave their heads, and travel with just a begging bowl. For Westerners with jobs and possessions, this would have been seen as quite shocking. 

My guess is that Osho was poking fun at the idea that renouncing the world and materialism was a spiritual thing to do. If we live in the world, why renounce it? It can also be seen as a challenge to the old Christian view that poverty equals godliness in some way. Osho is against poverty and says that Christians like Mother Theresa exploit the poor by ‘serving’ them, rather than by working to eliminate poverty. 

Q. Why are there name changes? What does your new name mean?  

For me, taking a new name was a symbolic way of letting go of the past, becoming new or reborn. A way to symbolise the wish to drop all the false parts of one's personality that have been imposed from one's conditioning, from parents ("you’re not good enough", etc.), society (how you should behave) and so on. For me, taking sannyas and receiving a new name was 
just a formality, I knew I was already a sannyasin when I saw Osho on a video and he gave me this penetrating look. It hit 
something inside that on the one hand felt so, so familiar, and on the other [hand] completely alien - like something that was 
the deepest part of me but which I had forgotten lifetimes ago. 
It was instant and my heart, my being just said YES - my mind had nothing to do with it. 

My sannyas name is Ma Yoga Abhita. Ma is the female prefix (men are called Swami), Yoga, (the second word is like a surname) means union with the divine, and Abhita means fearless - fearless union with the divine. Most sannyasins are known by their last (or ‘Christian’) name. Over the years my name has started making more and more sense to me. The names people get are really uncanny sometimes - they always seem to really hit the truest, most fundamental, innermost quality of that person, even if, at the time, it seems to be the last thing they would imagine themselves to be. Taking sannyas is also a way of declaring to yourself that you are a seeker, on the path, and that path for you, is by becoming a disciple of Osho. It is a purely personal choice that is entirely up to you. There are people around the world who love Osho, read his books and do his meditations, but don’t take sannyas. 

12. What was Osho’s view of God?  

That there isn’t one! In his early talks I know that Osho used to refer to the term ‘God’, but in the sense of what he called ‘godliness’, in an effort to help people understand him. The idea of a God and Devil, Heaven and Hell, or any power outside of ourselves is an excuse for us to look elsewhere rather than within. But he does refer to the term ‘existence’, a 
term for "all that is" and that existence has its own flow, its own way of working. He talks a lot about trusting existence - that 
existence has its own beauty and intelligence if only we can listen to it, move with it and accept the gifts it is showering on us in this moment.