January 19, 1990 – Re: Osho leaving His body celebration

Amrito announces:
Osho left the body this evening at 5 o’clock. Before He died He said to tell you that we should have our celebration this night. He specifically said that His body should be brought to the podium for ten minutes and then taken to the ghats.
The celebration will begin now and the body will be arriving here at 8 o’clock.
After Osho’s ten minute visit with us here in the hall, His body will be carried to the front gate where it will wait. So there is no need to rush. Please stay in the hall until His body has passed.
The order of procession will be first His immediate family, then the Inner Circle, then the musicians, and then all of us in celebration. Let us make this celebration in keeping with the grace and beauty that always surrounds Him. He is with us watching.

January 19, 1990 (2) – Re: Osho leaving His body

Amrito’s second announcement:
Osho asked that I make this announcement:
He said to tell you all that since His days in the Marshal’s cell in Charlotte, in America, His body has been gradually deteriorating. He said that He has kept His pain to Himself but living in this body had become a hell.
He also said: “Never speak of me in the past tense, my presence here will be many times greater without the burden of my tortured body. Remind my people that they will feel much more, they will know immediately.”
He looked into Jayesh’s eyes and said: “I leave you my dream.”
As He was dying I asked Him how we should celebrate His death. He said: “You take me to the Buddha Hall for ten minutes and then take me off to the burning ghats.”
He said that His samadhi will be Chuang Tzu.
There are other things that He said, that we will let you know tomorrow, but for now, let me just say that in death He was just as you would have expected. When I held His hand and started crying, He just looked at me and said: “No, no, that is not the way.” I immediately stopped. He just replied with a beautiful smile.
We are with the most beautiful being. We are all blessed. He is here with us now, and as always He will be delighted to join in our celebration. So let us give our Beloved Osho a send-off in death that is appropriate for someone who has lived His life as fully as any man who has ever lived.

January 20, 1990 – Re: Osho leaving His body

Amrito’s third announcement:
As you know, over these last few days, Osho’s body has been becoming noticeably weaker. What you may not know is that He has also been in considerable pain. By the night of 18th, the pain in His legs was so severe that He was not able even to come and stand on the podium with us.
Over that night He became weaker and weaker. Every movement of the body was obviously agonizing. Yesterday morning I noticed that His pulse was also weak and slightly irregular. I said I thought He was dying. He nodded. I asked Him if we could call in the cardiologists and prepare for cardiac resuscitation. He said, “No, just let me go. Existence decides its timing.”
I was helping him to the bathroom when He said: “And you put wall-to-wall carpet in here, just like this bath mat.”
Then He insisted on walking over to His chair. He sat down and made arrangements for the few items that He has in His room. “Who should this go to?” He said, pointing to His small stereo. “It is audio? Nirupa would like it?”, He asked. Nirupa has cleaned His room for so many years.
And then He went carefully around the room and left instructions for every item. “Those you take out,” He said, pointing to the dehumidifiers which He had found too noisy recently. “And always make sure one air conditioner is on,” He continued.
It was incredible. Very simply, in a very matter-of-fact and precise way, He looked at everything. He was so relaxed, as if He were going for the weekend.
He sat on the bed and I asked what we should do for His samadhi. “You just put my ashes in Chuang Tzu, under the bed. And then people can come in and meditate there,” He said.
“And what about this room?”, I asked. “This would be good for the samadhi?” He asked. “No,” I said, “Chuang Tzu will be beautiful.” I said we would like to keep His present bedroom as it is. “So you make it nice,” He said. And then He said He would like it marbled.
“And what about the celebration?” I asked. “Just take me to Buddha Hall for ten minutes,” He said, “and then take me to the burning ghats and put my hat and socks on me before you take my body.”
I asked Him what I should say to you all. He said to tell you that since His days in the marshal’s cell in Charlotte, North Carolina, in America, His body has been deteriorating. He said that in Oklahoma jail they poisoned him with thallium and exposed Him to radiation, which we only came to know when the medical experts were consulted. He said they had poisoned Him “in such a way that would leave no proof. My crippled body is the work of the Christian fundamentalists in the United States government,” He said. He said that He had kept His pain to Himself, but living in this body has become a hell.
He lay down and rested again. I went and told Jayesh what was happening and that He was obviously leaving His body. When He called again, I told Him Jayesh was here and He said for Jayesh to come in. We sat on the bed and He gave us His final words.
“Never speak of me in the past tense,” He said. “My presence here will be many times greater without the burden of my tortured body. Remind my people that they will feel much more – they know immediately.”
At one point I was holding His hand and I started to cry. He looked at me, almost sternly. “No, no,” He said, “That is not the way.” I immediately stopped and He just smiled beautifully.
Osho then spoke to Jayesh and talked about how He wanted the expansion of the work to continue. He said that now that He was leaving His body, many more people would come; many more people’s interest would show, and His work would expand incredibly beyond our ideas.
Then He said: “I leave you my dream.”
Then He whispered so quietly that Jayesh had to put His ear very close to Him, and Osho said: “And remember, Anando is my messenger.” Then He paused, and said: “No, Anando will be my medium.” At that point Jayesh moved to one side, and Osho said to me, “medium will be the right word?”
I hadn’t heard what had preceded it, so I didn’t understand. “Meeting?” I said. “No,” He replied: “For Anando, medium – she will be my medium.”
He lay back quietly and we sat with Him while I held His pulse. Slowly it faded. When I could hardly feel it, I said: “Osho, I think this is it.” He just nodded gently, and closed His eyes for the last time.
Osho has given some very specific guidance for His work:
About nine months ago, Osho formed “The Inner Circle”, a group of sannyasins now numbering twenty. Osho said He would have no successor, the Inner Circle would be His successor. The function of the Inner Circle is – in Osho’s words – “to reach unanimous decisions about the continued functioning and expansion of the commune and Osho’s work.” Anando is preparing a full account of Osho’s guidance on the workings of this group and who is in it. It will be available for you all to read tomorrow.
We are preparing in the next Osho Times all that Osho has said about what will happen when He leaves His body. I have two of these beautiful pieces for you.
Ten years ago, in answer to the question: What happens when you leave your body? He replied:
“I will be dissolved in my people. Just as you can taste the sea from any place and it is salty, you will be able to taste any of my sannyasins and you will find the same taste: the taste of the Blessed One.
I am preparing my people to live joyously, ecstatically. So when I am not in my body, it won’t make any difference to them. They will still live the same way – and maybe my death will bring them more intensity .”
About six months ago, He responded to a question from Italian TV about what would happen after His death, by saying:
“I believe and trust absolutely in existence. If there is any truth in what I am saying, it will survive. The people who remain interested in my work will be simply carrying the torch, but not imposing anything on anyone, either by sword or bread. I will remain a source of inspiration to my people, and that is what most sannyasins will feel. I want them to grow on their own. Qualities like love, around which no church can be created, like awareness, qualities which are nobody’s monopoly, like celebration, rejoicing, and maintaining childlike, fresh eyes. I want people to know themselves, not be according to someone else, and the way is in.”
I hope I have conveyed to you what, throughout all these months of ill health and impending death, has been most striking about what Osho has been saying. And that is that when His work continues without His having to be in the body, then this is the flowering of His dream. Let me repeat His exact words in reference to His leaving the body:
“My presence here will be many times greater…. “Remind my people that they will feel much more, they will know immediately.”
He said: My work is going really well, the commune is running beautifully, and after my death, many many more people will be coming here.”
One of the things Osho always said is: “Always make room for sannyasins to contribute to my work.”
I think you can take it that there is going to be a lot for us all to do. In some inexplicable way it feels, not that His work is over, but that it has just begun.
It feels that His whole life has been a preparation for the moment when His people can sit in silence and feel His presence without His having to do the work of carrying His body. He always says He is a lazy man. Two nights ago, for the very first time, that happened. For the first time, we ALL sat together in silent communion without His physical presence.
It is already gone 7 o’clock. He will be waiting for us now, for that to happen again.