When we pursue happiness, it eludes you. However, when you recognise that happiness is the natural state of the soul, all you need is to eliminate all that comes between your happiness and you.
When Osho appointed
Swami Chaitanya Bharti in 1974 to conduct meditation camps on his behalf,
little did the young photographer from Delhi guess what an incredible
and eventful journey lay ahead.
Conducting numerous meditation camps in
India and abroad, creating a music company called Oorja Music, releasing
Osho Oorja Kirtans, having an exhibition of Osho's early photographs
are some of the fields that he explored. All his enriching experiences
have made him eager to spread the message of spiritual evolution to
all.
A few weeks before his first-ever 40-day meditation intensive in Goa,
the Pune-based Swami spoke to Dhyan Surti. Excerpts:
What
do you think of the current surge of interest in meditation and spirituality?
Large numbers of people are getting interested in meditation but
are ignorant of its application in their daily lives. There is a misconception
about meditation being a magic mantra that alone can solve all problems.
Meditation is like lighting a lamp... it lights up your inner space.
Meditation means retaining and remaining in the sense of Presence. It
is a means of remaining detached from our miserable emotions. It is
through meditation that the inner light of Being gets illumined and
makes us aware of the inner world. It is both the greatest and the subtlest
force in this universe.
Now
you have a tool to clean up the mess created by the psyche-collective
and individual-over many years. Initially, it may not be a pleasant
experience. Like a house that has not been cleaned for a long time,
your inner world has been ignored for many lifetimes. Just switching
on the light will not clear the unwanted.
So what is required?
There arises a need for proper guidance, knowledge and understanding.
Without these, even a meditator can be a blockhead. He may become a
saint but he will be a silly saint. He may outwardly appear quiet and
calm, but will be unable to deal with his life... or his wife (laughter)!
There are different dimensions to your being. A multidimensional growth
is needed for evolution.
Are
you referring to the subtle bodies or chakras?
Ultimately, you have to realise that you are not the body but the
Self. In our day-to-day life, we merely take care of the physical body,
but are unaware of our psyche which is the cause of all pain and suffering.
Beyond the psyche, there is the world of the Soul, of which we are ignorant.
What is taught is incomplete, since they perceive things from a fixed
perspective, lacking an integrated understanding. Our 40-day camp is
aimed at pursuing the crucial issues in stages.
Beyond the physical body, there are seven layers: the etheric body (Bhaav
shrir), the subtle body (Sukshamsharir), the mental
body (Manas sharir), the spiritual body (Atma sharir),
the cosmic body (Brahma sharir), and the bodyless body (Nirvan
sharir). All these bodies are connected to their corresponding chakras.
For example, sex is connected to the first body and its base chakra
is Muladhar. All our negative emotions arise from the etheric body corresponding
to the Swadhisthan chakra. Just doing meditation mechanically will not
help unless we develop in all directions.
Why such a long camp?
One, this period from July 2002 to July 2003 is auspicious for meditation
and sadhana, when evolution is speeded up. Two, 40 days called
Chilla in the Sufi
tradition is considered life-transforming, for it bestows immense blessings.
Three, I wanted to offer a tribute to my beloved Master Osho, and these
40 days fall between his birthday and his Parinirvan day.
With the progress of spiritual technology and human psychology, there
have been discoveries that can help a seeker make a smooth progress
in his inner journey. Most of the blockages in meditation come from
the emotional body that can be cleared by these techniques. Tibetan
Yoga brings harmony and balance between the inner bodies and chakras.
What
role does music play in your camps?
Music has a deep impact on our existence because our very origin
is connected with sound. The truth is that all animate and inanimate
things in the universe are created from sound vibrations. That is why
I use a lot of music in my camps.
Secondly, music is a universal language. If used intelligently, music
can nourish, heal and cleanse the inner bodies.
So the task is twofold: to grow in awareness and to clean the psyche.
Yes, the entire past of humanity has crippled you and taught you unnatural
ways of living. Society does not help you to be yourself, but it is
you who have to integrate with it. You have acquired many artifices
and all the time, you are playing roles, wearing a mask. Now you are
trying to become natural again.
Until you are at ease with yourself, you cannot be at ease with the
world. If you are tense, angry, frustrated and violent all the time,
you are spreading those negative emotions in the entire universe. And
if you become silent, happy, peaceful, you will start spreading these
positive vibrations.
Cleansing the psyche is difficult to do alone. At the camp, when you
are together with so many participants, everything becomes easy. You
have friends, fellow travellers to share your experiences with, who
can guide and help you.
Do you expect any preparation from a participant?
Not really. But if you are tired of being on the edge, this camp is
an opportunity, an invitation to jump.
Now
you have a tool to clean up the mess created by the psyche-collective
and individual-over many years. Initially, it may not be a pleasant
experience. Like a house that has not been cleaned for a long time,
your inner world has been ignored for many lifetimes. Just switching
on the light will not clear the unwanted. 
