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Part X : 1987-1990 Poona-Two : American and Indian government
persecution against Osho and sannyasins
I am receiving messages from all over the world that sannyasins
are being refused by all the Indian embassies. And you will be
aware of what is happening in Poona. Whatever is happening in
Poona, a small public servant, the police commissioner, has not
the guts to do it. He must have had the support of the Maharashtra
government and the central government from New Delhi….
Hundreds of sannyasins are being turned back from Bombay airport.
Now who is going to pay their fare, their hard-earned money? They
earned money just to come to see me and be here for a few weeks
and they are thrown back.
I would like to tell Mr. Rajiv Gandhi that your government owes
that money to my sannyasins. That money should be given back.
On what grounds are you turning them back from the airport? They
have never committed a crime in your country, they are not coming
here to commit crimes. They can commit crimes anywhere in their
own countries.
And if they are coming here to sit silently and listen to me,
or just sit silently in my presence, to share my love—who
are you to throw them out from the airport? And who is going to
give them back their hard-earned money?
The Indian government should be aware of the fact that if you
don't stop all this nonsense, I am going to the high court or
to the supreme court, and bringing Mr. Rajiv Gandhi there. Things
are so clear that I don't even need a legal expert—just
common sense is enough. mess111
A friend from Delhi informed me that I should leave India, because
the Indian government is thinking of arresting me. Their reason
for arresting me is that I have paid four hundred thousand dollars
as a fine and from where did I get that money? I myself don't
know! I sincerely have no idea who the sannyasins were, from all
over the world, who gave that money. shanti12
It is a strange story but even Indians coming to the ashram are
being harassed by the police; and these are police sent from Delhi,
by the central government. And Indians are being asked for their
passports—in their own country. It is against the very constitution;
it is against freedom of movement—in your own country you
have to carry your passport! I have never heard such a stupidity
happening anywhere in the world; but India is really a genius
in being stupid. bolt07
Many television companies have written saying, "We are continuously
being refused. We are asking to come to Poona; they immediately
refuse, and they don't give any reason why."
Newspapers have been refused permission to reach me. Thousands
of sannyasins from all over the world have been refused visas.
Somehow thousands have already got their visas, because now I
have taken away the orange robe, the mala—so they cannot
figure out whether the person is a sannyasin or not.
I am not a serious man, so I have told my sannyasins, "If
they ask you, simply ask, Who is this man Osho? Do you want us
to go to him? Where is Poona? We were never thinking of going
but you seem to be interested…" Although many people
have got visas, some have been turned back from Bombay airport
and from Calcutta airport, back to their countries. This is because,
the American government has given the Indian government a whole
list of the people who were living in the commune. They are asking
continuously, that every sannyasin who is here should give the
police commissioner his full address and how long he is going
to be here, so that, even if you have reached me one time, the
next time you cannot. We have not given any names; we have asked
them, "On what grounds are you asking? If you are asking
one religious institution, you should ask all the religious institutions
of the country to keep a record of anybody who comes there and
make a report every day. And if you want, you can open an office
in front of the ashram, and anybody who comes you can take his
name. That is your business; that is not our business. It is not
our concern and it is against our philosophy and religion to discriminate
between people of different countries or different races, or different
colors. And we will not do anything against our own thinking."
So they are at a loss what to do, because if they do anything
against the constitution we are going to fight. But Ronald Reagan
goes on insisting. The American Embassy goes on insisting to the
Indian government to prevent people from reaching here. Twice,
the American Embassy has been here to watch how many people there
are around the ashram. And now the police commissioner has asked
us, "Why does the American Embassy come again and again to
the ashram? This is strange."
They should ask the American Embassy. How do we know? And why
should we bother? If all the embassies of the world start coming
it is perfectly good. We are not doing anything criminal here.
But this man Reagan has lost his humanity. invita09
Just the other day I received a letter from a friend from Delhi
saying that the American government is still insisting that my
voice should be silenced. But while I am alive nobody can silence
my voice. And of course, crucifixion is a little out of date.
But they are trying in every way: my books should not reach the
people, whatever I say should not be printed by the news media.
The speaker of the upper house of parliament in India told the
parliament, "I am surprised why newspapers publish his views."
And this is a democracy where freedom of expression is accepted
as one of the fundamental rights. America is a great democracy.
One democracy is telling to the other democracy that my voice
should be silenced.
My friend was afraid. He enquired: "What does it mean? Does
it mean that he should be killed? Is it a code—`His voice
should be silenced'?"
And the officer said, "It is not possible for me to give
you the exact meaning of it."
If you want to be wise, if you want to be intelligent, you are
bound to be a rebel, because you will have to fight against so
many superstitions, so many stupid ideas which people think of
as ultimate truth, that you will irritate everybody. You will
have to allow yourself to be completely free from the past, from
the whole heritage of humanity. That's what will make you wild.
zara217
I have turned the whole world into my enemy for the simple reason
that I go on pulling the necks of the ostriches out of the sand,
and tell them that it does not matter whether you see the enemy
or not. It is better to see, because by seeing you may have some
way to escape, but putting your head into the sand you are absolutely
defenseless. razor02
I have lived a very strange life. Anybody else would have found
so many tangles in it, so many troubles. I have also passed through
all kinds of tangles, troubles, problems, but I have remained
unscratched; I have enjoyed the journey. Whatever life brought
to me, I have enjoyed it. I have tried to make the best out of
it, whatever it is.
There is no point in crying and weeping over spilled milk. Any
situation can be made a learning, a step towards maturity, can
be turned into a beneficial opportunity. That is what I call intelligence;
otherwise, what is the difference between intelligent people and
unintelligent people. invita24
I have lived life the way I wanted; it was difficult but it was
immensely rewarding. It gave me the feeling that although society
may be powerful, if you have guts no power can enslave you. They
can kill you, they can destroy you, but they cannot enslave you.
And to be destroyed is not undignified; to be killed is not against
your individuality, against your dignity, against your pride.
In fact, these sacrifices will make you more and more authentically
yourself.
Deep down, if you are a meditator, you know your body can be
taken away but your being cannot even be touched—your immortality
is sure. invita08
My own experience is, every day brings so much that when I think
retrospectively I cannot conceive that I could have expected it—and
it always brings in abundance! Existence is so compassionate and
so sharing, but only to those who don't demand. Desirelessness
is the foundation of all great happenings. invita03
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